Empress Returning to RCCL?

[DEIx15x8]

Could the ms Maasdam and similar Holland America ships be the answer to what Empress's future holds? She's about the same size and the Maasdam has long been doing the odd one off itineraries. I just saw them advertise one on twitter yesterday that was 47 nights long round trip from Ft. Lauderdale to south america including a trip up the Amazon river. That's a crazy and unique itinerary that a modern ship could never do but a ship like the Maasdam or Empress could. When we were in Bermuda in 2013 the Maasdam sailed by us to go to the inner ports. The key to Empress may be to provide a ship that can sail to all of the small odd locations and do long haul voyages but still off the Royal Caribbean onboard experience (Quest and other activities, obviously not in ship features).

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Could the ms Maasdam and similar Holland America ships be the answer to what Empress's future holds? She's about the same size and the Maasdam has long been doing the odd one off itineraries. I just saw them advertise one on twitter yesterday that was 47 nights long round trip from Ft. Lauderdale to south america including a trip up the Amazon river. That's a crazy and unique itinerary that a modern ship could never do but a ship like the Maasdam or Empress could. When we were in Bermuda in 2013 the Maasdam sailed by us to go to the inner ports. The key to Empress may be to provide a ship that can sail to all of the small odd locations and do long haul voyages but still off the Royal Caribbean onboard experience (Quest and other activities, obviously not in ship features).

 

I like this idea, even if I wouldn't be able to do such an itinerary for a long, long, lonnnngggg time.

[cruisexlife]

Good points. I guess my thinking was more in the way of "if you find a unique itinerary, Empress will be successful either way".

 

It'll be interesting to see how this all pans out. :)

 

I'm totally excited. Either way, somehow, this creates another set of itineraries, which is only positive! Really looking to try RCI again. My Enchantment experience wasn't too great, but that wasn't Royal's fault, and the more time I spend on these boards and their website, the more I hope to cruise on RCI again soon! :D

[Linda/Ohio]

2004 We were on Empress on a 4 nighter from San Juan to Dominican Republic. We booked last minute and got a real deal on the Royal Suite which faced forward with a beautiful teak deck. Return we hit a storm and we had 14 hours of crazy over the bow wave action. I got seasick (laying on the floor) and the doctor came to the cabin to administer a shot.

 

The Royal Suite was interesting and not like the current Royals. There was a round or corner type couch and big chairs like in Pee-Wee Herman fashion. A bar with 3 barstools. Several bookshelves and a dining table for perhaps 8 or more. Sliding glass forward and starboard. Separate large bedroom. Bath with whirlpool tub. Shower on other side of bath. The bathroom seemed to be substantial size.

[Hoopster95]

When I say new route, I don't mean one with sea days upon sea days. I mean something like Cuba, or a 10 nighter out of San Juan, or Panama Canal,

 

or.... Papeete home port with Bora Bora, Morrea and others an a 7 day?

But I still like the Cuba idea best. Some of you have likely seen this but check this out:

http://yourcubacruise.com/your-cruise/your-ship

http://yourcubacruise.com/your-cuba/your-cuba-port-calls

[cruisexlife]

Come to think of it, a 4/10 night basis for San Juan would actually be very appealing. For example:

 

San Juan, PR

St.Thomas

Dominica

Tortola

San Juan, PR

 

 

San Juan, PR

St. Maarten

Antigua

Saint Kitts

St. Lucia

Barbados

Day at Sea

Aruba

Curacao

Day At Sea

San Juan, PR

 

Just something I threw together in 3 minutes. No repeat stops to accommodate B2B cruisers. 4 night Thursday-Monday, 10 night Monday-Thursday. Makes a perfect long-weekend, or Caribbean winter. This could work with Empress if it received balconies, but probably more aimed at a Vision class ship.

[ComeOnLetsGo]

I vote for Bermuda during the summers and winters in Cuba. :cool:

[nelblu]

Here's my two cents--how about from a different Eastern Seaboard port to St. George, Bermuda. Haven't sailed into St. George in many years, the last time was on the Bermuda Star out of NYC.

[gatour]

For those suggesting Cuba, keep in mind there are still certain restrictions on how travel to Cuba is accomplished. Look at the Fathom website to get idea of how you can take a cruise to Cuba. It is not just getting off the ship and go to the local beach or wonder around shopping. There is a strong cultural immersion aspect to it. Even as you travel from the home port to Cuba, and as you travel back to the home port.

 

RC may think there is a US market for that type of travel that would support that type of market for two ships (The Fathom and a RC ship TBD) or maybe not.

[Big Beer Gut]

Was this another "Back to the Future" scenario? I enjoyed sailing on the Nordic Empress, but I just don't see the benefit of returning her to the RCL fleet. The service and food was great in the early '90s but those benefits will never return. Today the Empress is a ship with limited balconies, high passenger density and few on-board shops. The only benefit is that that the ship can go to undeveloped ports. None of this sounds good to me, I'll stick with my fond memories of the Empress from the early '90s.

[shipshape sam]

Would consider sailing her depending on port/itinerary and price. :)

[Hoopster95]

For those suggesting Cuba, keep in mind there are still certain restrictions on how travel to Cuba is accomplished. Look at the Fathom website to get idea of how you can take a cruise to Cuba. It is not just getting off the ship and go to the local beach or wonder around shopping. There is a strong cultural immersion aspect to it.

 

Yes, I think you're totally right on with this thought... which just might make this itinerary one of the most exciting new releases RCL has had in a while! One of my top 3 cruises was on Vision 3 yrs ago out of Colon... cultural immersion cruise. I was one of about 300 Canadian/Americans on board. One of the most memorable and fun cruises ever. Max's'mom has a great review of this itinerary as well if one searches here on CC and also one of her favorite experiences.

[MADflyer]

For those suggesting Cuba, ...

 

RC may think there is a US market for that type of travel that would support that type of market for two ships (The Fathom and a RC ship TBD) or maybe not.

 

I hope that RCI do not attempt to copy the Fathom concept within the RCI brand. While Fathom is grouped with Carnival Cruises within Carnival Corp., the line will run independently. They also run HAL, Princess and Seabourn from the Seattle offices, but they are three very distinct cruise lines.

 

It would cause market confusion to have a RCI branded ship operate similar to the condition under which Fathom must operate.

 

While Carnival is the only American based cruise line to currently announce sailings to Cuba and therefore have to proceed in one fashion due to government restrictions, Cuba has been open to the rest of the world for a long time.

 

MSC has chosen to have the Opera not sail to the USA and therefore they can operate sailings from Havana already this December. They will do inter-porting and allow embarkation at other ports in the Caribbean as well.

 

The Europa 2 of Hapag Lloyd Cruises which is owned by RCI partner TUI Group will also be calling on several Cuban ports next year. They have

increased their international marketing to move away from a mainly German base just this year, but I do not think they can market the product in the USA.

 

I think Hapag Lloyd get around the US restrictions by having the ship go to Venezuela prior to Cuba after a call in New York.

 

Saga and Fred Olsen from the UK and Phoenix from Germany are also doing some Cuba calls.

 

The change in US laws may allow these cruise lines to make more calls at US ports actually.

[F27TW]

Regarding balconies... Here's my idea:

 

All of the rooms located within the boxes are currently Ocean View rooms. They could most likely add balconies (even if they're relatively small) onto the rooms in the red boxes. Although it might not be the prettiest thing to do, it would solve the balcony problem. They already did this sort of thing to Legend and Splendour. They could possibly add balconies to the rooms in the yellow box, but the life boats might be a problem there.

 

 

P.s. I might have too much time on my hands... ;)

 

 

Really like how u did that .. very cool to see the ship up close!

 

I agree that they need to add more balconies .. that ship was built (like Sovereign class) when balcony cabins didn't matter as much as they do now. Look at the new build ships ... practically the entire sides of the ships are covered with balconies .. so for those who say "ohhhh.. balconies really aren't all that important" ... you're wrong.

 

The only thing I hope if they do add balconies to Empress is that they do it carefully so as not to ruin the looks of the ship ... Empress is actually pretty cute looking.

 

Carnival showed us how NOT to do it -- the way they added balconies to their old party barges (Ecstasy and Sensation) ... by just gluing them all over the sides and stern of the ships -- that made those 2 ugly ships even uglier!

Edited October 25, 2015 by F27TW

[Charles4515]

I hope that RCI do not attempt to copy the Fathom concept within the RCI brand. While Fathom is grouped with Carnival Cruises within Carnival Corp., the line will run independently. They also run HAL, Princess and Seabourn from the Seattle offices, but they are three very distinct cruise lines.

 

It would cause market confusion to have a RCI branded ship operate similar to the condition under which Fathom must operate.

 

 

Since the ship will come back as Empress of the Seas, if it does Cuba, it won't copy the part of the Fathom concept of being an indeendent brand since they woud not be adding "of the Seas" if it were not going to be branded as a Royal Caribbean ship.

[MADflyer]

Yes, I think you're totally right on with this thought... which just might make this itinerary one of the most exciting new releases RCL has had in a while! One of my top 3 cruises was on Vision 3 yrs ago out of Colon... cultural immersion cruise. I was one of about 300 Canadian/Americans on board. One of the most memorable and fun cruises ever. Max's'mom has a great review of this itinerary as well if one searches here on CC and also one of her favorite experiences.

 

I did both the repo down with Vision in November 2013 and the return from Colon in April/May 2014 and those were certainly great sailings. The mix on the ship was absolutely perfect for me and the crew was in such good spirits.

 

What a culture shock to stay onboard and do the first sailing out of PE after that. That cruise became heavily discounted and the atmosphere went from the best to the worst very quickly.

 

One might recall all of the bad reviews Vision got upon her return after that Colon season.

 

The most vivid memory I have of the night prior to PE was how the night clubs went dead, they pulled all the drink menus and raised the prices for the US market. Then facing the 'inept' US customs situation for the ship at Port Everglades and how poorly this was handled by both the ship and the port made me wonder if RCI should venture outside of closed circle sailings.

 

We saw the resistance to change with the introduction of Quantum and I am just wondering if getting into Cuba early is the best match for RCI.

[MADflyer]

Since the ship will come back as Empress of the Seas, if it does Cuba, it won't copy the part of the Fathom concept of being an indeendent brand since they woud not be adding "of the Seas" if it were not going to be branded as a Royal Caribbean ship.

 

That was the point I was making, I think.

 

Fathom will operate very differently than Carnival, so they will operate the cruises under a new separate brand, Fathom.

 

If RCI were to operate a ship outside of normal RCI standards and be forced to do something similar to Fathom to operate, they should not name the ship '...of the Seas'.

[pspercy]

Found this in my Royal book. Nordic Empress' MDR (Carmen Dining Room) in original configuration.

 

Looks very attractive:)

 

Edited October 25, 2015 by pspercy

[Hoopster95]

Found this in my Royal book. Nordic Empress' MDR (Carmen Dining Room) in original configuration.

 

Looks very attractive:)

 

Wow beautiful dining room. So it's at the very aft of the ship I take it with the big glass and aft views? If so just like the Celebrity M-Class, so even cruisers sitting in the middle can enjoy the natural light and maybe see outside a little.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Really like how u did that .. very cool to see the ship up close!

 

I agree that they need to add more balconies .. that ship was built (like Sovereign class) when balcony cabins didn't matter as much as they do now. Look at the new build ships ... practically the entire sides of the ships are covered with balconies .. so for those who say "ohhhh.. balconies really aren't all that important" ... you're wrong.

 

The only thing I hope if they do add balconies to Empress is that they do it carefully so as not to ruin the looks of the ship ... Empress is actually pretty cute looking.

 

Carnival showed us how NOT to do it -- the way they added balconies to their old party barges (Ecstasy and Sensation) ... by just gluing them all over the sides and stern of the ships -- that made those 2 ugly ships even uglier!

 

Personally, I think that with careful planning, balconies could be added without making the ship look ugly. They may have to be relatively thin (have you seen the new NCL ship balconies?), but I think it could work. Plus, it doesn't seem Royal is too fussy anymore about how their ships look. If they think they need balconies, they'll do it, even if it isn't the prettiest, but they'll do their best. Think of the new deck 12 staterooms on Freedom and Voyager Classes. Although they're not the nicest addition to the ships, Royal did their best to "blend" them in with the rest of the ship.

 

That was the point I was making, I think.

 

Fathom will operate very differently than Carnival, so they will operate the cruises under a new separate brand, Fathom.

 

If RCI were to operate a ship outside of normal RCI standards and be forced to do something similar to Fathom to operate, they should not name the ship '...of the Seas'.

 

I understand what you're saying. People wouldn't associate a cultural/service cruise (like Fathom) with the Royal Caribbean brand. If they're going to do something like that with Empress, they would need to basically start a new branch of the cruise line, just like Carnival did.

Edited October 25, 2015 by OfTheSeasCruiser

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

Wow beautiful dining room. So it's at the very aft of the ship I take it with the big glass and aft views? If so just like the Celebrity M-Class, so even cruisers sitting in the middle can enjoy the natural light and maybe see outside a little.

 

You're correct about the MDR - it's all the way aft. Empress really does look like a neat little ship.

[cruisexlife]

Found this in my Royal book. Nordic Empress' MDR (Carmen Dining Room) in original configuration.

 

Looks very attractive:)

 

 

Empress is a beautiful ship. I was playing around on Youtube and saw that her atrium actually opens up, unlike Majesty's. The more I explore, she begins to equate more with a Vision-class ship like the Vision or Splendour rather than Majesty and Sovereign.

[cruisexlife]

Does anyone know what her plans are until "Spring 2016"? I think I read that she was going to still cruise to South America and do some of her scheduled cruises. Does anyone know of anyone drydock facilities down in Brazil that could perform the refurb she is scheduled to get? I assume there is, it's just going to boil down to money. Hopefully, she gets her "extensive refurb" (which pray to god is nothing like the carnival Sunshine) down there, so she can operate a 17 or 18 night cruise from Santos (Sao Paolo) or Rio de Janeiro to Miami, Port Canaveral or Fort Lauderdale. From there, she can either continue a route from one of those ports, or perform another repo cruise, unless they decide to make it Santos-San Juan, or wherever she goes.

 

While I am pretty excited as to what itineraries Empress will bring, or what she will replace so another ship can bring, I am also excited for a repo cruise, or special cruise that could result from this!

[F27TW]

Personally, I think that with careful planning, balconies could be added without making the ship look ugly. They may have to be relatively thin (have you seen the new NCL ship balconies?), but I think it could work. Plus, it doesn't seem Royal is too fussy anymore about how their ships look. If they think they need balconies, they'll do it, even if it isn't the prettiest, but they'll do their best. Think of the new deck 12 staterooms on Freedom and Voyager Classes. Although they're not the nicest addition to the ships, Royal did their best to "blend" them in with the rest of the ship. .

.

 

I have seen those tiny balconies on NCL and do hope that RC does a little better than those if they add balconies to Empress.

 

I have a friend who cruised on Norwegian Breakaway and Getaway ... she loves NCL overall but was shocked to see how tiny the balconies were .. and in the pics she showed me, theyre like flower box! Barely any room to move!

 

We are spoiled with nice sized balconies on RC for sure .. even our D2 balcony on Enchantment was big and roomy.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

I have seen those tiny balconies on NCL and do hope that RC does a little better than those if they add balconies to Empress.

 

I have a friend who cruised on Norwegian Breakaway and Getaway ... she loves NCL overall but was shocked to see how tiny the balconies were .. and in the pics she showed me, theyre like flower box! Barely any room to move!

 

We are spoiled with nice sized balconies on RC for sure .. even our D2 balcony on Enchantment was big and roomy.

 

Yeah, those balconies are terrible. (Just another reason I won't sail on NCL :p) I hope Royal does better than that too, but honestly, I'll take a small balcony over no balcony at all.