Just back from Empress........and the "perfect storm"!

[redjoan]

Just in from the Empress sailing July 18. We sailed through the big Nor'easter storm that blew up the Atlantic! Made the papers in Bermuda-----crew and passengers sick! We heard over 50+% of the crew was sick on Monday and we talked to someone who was 1372 being seen in the infirmary!!! WHAO. Had 20-30 ft swells! The ship literally was tipped to one side the whole day! But we made it, and the weather in Bermuda was beautiful! Certainly this is one cruise we will not forget-----weather and otherwise---we were 3 in an inside cabin!!!!! Never again. Cruise rating---only fair. If you are used to the larger ships, you will not be happy on this ship. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

[Jimbo]

Did you have a chance to go to the bow of the ship? April 2003 we were on a repositioning from San Juan to New York City and we traveled from Bermuda to NYC in a storm......It was awesome seeing the waves splash up and over the bow....I would have never believed it without seeng it with my own eyes, alot of crew and passengers were sick on that one too.

How fun


Jimbo

[Lynnees]

What specifically didn't you like about the Empress? We're booked on her for January and I really would like to know.

Marilyn

[Sophie]

That sounds very scary to me! I'm sure I would have been one of those in line to see the Dr! Glad you made it home ok but it's too bad your cruise was so tramatic! Reminds me of that picture someone posted here a few months ago of the Carnival Triumph in rough seas!

[VickiVSN]

Sophie -- you mean this one?

[Diamond Cruisers in Arizona]

Vickie..thas the exact thing I thought of....
Jimbo, wouldn't they close the bow????

The Empress is the smallest in the RCI fleet, it wouldn't take the waves as good as the bigger ship, right?


Welcome to hurricane season.... And I'll be sailing right smack in the middle of the season!


***

[redjoan]

In response to seeing the bow of the ship......it was raining and blowing so hard, the only thing we could see from the windjammer was gray! The ship was tipped toward the starboard side and it was pouring into the ship through the doors on the port side! All of this was going on while the ship was literally bouncing up and down on the sea! Talk about developing sea legs! :-)

The Empress has outlived her day IMHO. I have sailed her 2 other times as the Nordic Empress and before the days of the larger ships ie, Voyager series, Grand series on Princess. I loved her back then, but must say after sailing on 13 cruises, and many of the newer ships, she is lacking in many features cruisers have come to expect and enjoy. The newer, larger ships have so much more to offer passengers: more shopping, movie theaters, game rooms, large theatrical shows, lounges with entertainment, and more than one pool!, to name a few. On the Empress, the smell of sewer gases was smelled often in various areas of the ship, and on one morning, in our cabin! (cabin 7029) Many comments were made regarding this, so I know it was not just our luck. Food was just ok, and barely that. (compared to other cruiselines) Portofino's was excellent and what dining should be like in the dining room every night. With only one pool, it was constantly crowded. Shows were good, but again limited by the size of the lounge/stage. Evening venues are limited, and while fun, the casino gets boring after a while. Cabin size is a major problem on older ships. There were many complaints from passengers with outside cabins as well, saying they were too small, especially the bathroom. The staff is definitely a highlight of the cruise, as so many others on this board have said. We are sailing on Adventure of the Seas next April and I only hope that the food and entertainment will be MUCH better!

[Sophie]

Yes, Vickie! That's the one I'm talking about!!

[Jimbo]

On the Nordic Empress(Empress of the Seas) you can not walk out to the bow of the ship like you can on the Voyager Class ships. It's for crew only, but the outside deck that you can walk all around the ship on the outside, you can look down onto the bow portion of the ship, that is where we saw the waves going up and over and into, luckily it has holes on the side that let the water run right out as fast as it was coming in the bow portion. Otherwise we might have sank

Jimbo

[Diamond Cruisers in Arizona]

Jimbo...thanks...I knew that!
Still not the place I want to be if this is happening!


***

[Jimbo]

Oh I just had to see it, wouldn't have missed it for anything.......Just was curious as to what was making the ship bounce all around...lol

Jimbo

[Lynnees]

Many years ago (more than I'm willing to admit to) while on a Cunard ship I saw the same thing happen. We were not suppose to go on deck because the storm in the north Atlantic was sooooooo bad. Being a teenager, of course I had to head for the deck. I had just pushed the door open (nothing automatic about doors opening then) and put my foot over the lip of the door and my head out. I barely got to look towards the front of the ship as a huuuuuuuuge wave came over the top when a staff member grabbed me by the back of my shirt and hauled me back inside. Good thing........I would have been fish food.

He lit into me for doing that. I had to stand there and take it (cause he was quite right). To this day, I can still see that huge wall over water on its way over the bow of the ship.

And yes, I would do it again!!!!

Marilyn

[Lyncruiser]

Sorry to hear that the Empress apparently has waste and sewer problems. Sorry, but not surprised, given her age. We had a very bad experience a few years ago on the Carnival Holiday. Got to our cabin and found it reeking of bad sewage. The stench was unbearable. Our friends in the next cabin had no problem. We complained to the purser's desk. They sent our room steward to sprinkle deodorizer around the cabin. Fat chance that would do any good. We asked to be moved to a different cabin. The purser's office said they had no empty cabins and treated us very badly. After more complaints including a near knock-down drag-out at the purser's desk, they sent a plumber who worked on the shower drain and toilet until about 2 a.m. He finally cleared them sufficiently that for the rest of the cruise, while not pleasant, the stench was at least bearable. Thank heaven it was only a three-night cruise. We were treated so badly by Carnival that we will not cruise with them again.

And, I learned another good lesson -- always cruise on a new ship. Ship sewer systems seem to clog and deteriorate pretty quickly after a ship comes on line in my opinion. Since the Holiday, I'm very alert to this problem. We cruised on the Celebrity Summit two years ago. When we got to our cabin after embarkation, I could smell a slight sewage odor in the cabin. My sister-in-law was in the next cabin and noticed the same thing. We marched immediately to the purser's desk and demanded different cabins. They complained, moaned, etc., but we stood firm. They finally relented and we had no problems in the new cabins.

Best advice -- always cruise on new ships. We are cruising in a few weeks on the Navigator and that is about as old as I'll go where ships are concerned.

[Chuck & Phyllis]

Don't blame the ship. Just because there are larger ships today that handle rough seas better than the smaller ships do, the smaller ships are real ships, not floating cities. We enjoy rough seas (only ones to eat one time but few to cook). Sailing the seas is an adventure. The Nordic Empress is a grand ship and should sail on!

[ChickenParm]

Where does one get a picture like that???
(Triumph, I mean)

[Diamond Cruisers in Arizona]

Originally Posted by ChickenParm

Where does one get a picture like that???
(Triumph, I mean)

This will take you there: http://members.dsli.com/schooner/triumph/

I lost the site for other cruise pictures...anyone?

[Pistachio42]

All this is sooooo comforting. We're on the Empress on 9/12.


Tom

[ChickenParm]

Not to worry, pistachio! The Empress is our favorite ship, with perhaps the friendliest crew of any we've been on. If the seas get rough, she will rock, but it's all part of the experience.

On our first cruise, on the Song of America (smaller than Empress), we hit 15-20ft swells in a squall. That experience hooked us on cruising for good, so your cruise should be fantastic.


I wonder if the Coast Guard is always around cruise ships, especially after September 11th??? Certainly on almost every cruise I've been on a CG chopper has come to do an emergency airlift for a passenger in need of critical medcial care. Any ideas?

[Jimbo]

Take another drink, close your eyes, you won't even know the ship is rocking!

Jimbo

[VickiVSN]

I have to admit I stole the Triump pic from a previoius thread regarding storms. I am happy to say that I was not in a Coast Gaurd helicopter at the time .