Empress 7/9/16

[aichambaye]

Oh! I forgot to mention that before breakfast we did some laps around deck 6. It is the walking track, and also the muster station deck. It goes all the way around. The sign posted said that one lap was equivalent to 1/4 mile.

 

 

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Edited July 11, 2016 by aichambaye

[aichambaye]

Room 7512. 'Obstructed' ocean view with no obstruction whatsoever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don't know what this guy is, but he is cute.

 

 

 

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[YlangYlangF9PB3E]

Oh! I forgot to mention that before breakfast we did some laps around deck 6. It is the walking track, and also the muster station deck. It goes all the way around. The sign posted said that one lap was equivalent to 1/4 mile.

 

 

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That was another question I had that you just answered. Thank you!!

[FlyingCruiserNJ]

Thank you very much for this review. Enjoying the story and pictures. I have this itinerary booked for later this month (review to follow) and have heard conflicting reviews of this ship in recent months. Seems to be getting better, which is good. Most people are seeming to come back with good things to say. Not expecting a whole lot amenity wise as this is only my second time on Royal Caribbean and this is a very old, small ship, but will serve the purpose of a long weekend "booze cruise" for me and my buddy who is coming along with me. That steak from Chops looks awesome as well. I have hit the steakhouses on other lines and have been disappointed but that looks worth the money. Might have to convince my cruise buddy to try it out with me on this upcoming cruise.

[CRUISEBOY305]

Great photos. Sailing on Empress July 28th :D:D:D:D

[coaster]

Loving the updates. Recent feedback has been positive. Less than 2 weeks until I board.

 

Not a sun worshiper. How full have the chairs on the promenade deck been?

 

 

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[vavasmom]

Thank you for posting. I am considering booking a Sept get away.

 

My BFF was raised in the Baltimore area and does not like the crab cakes on RCCL either.

[Merion_Mom]

Chops was fantastic. We tried the mushroom soup, crab cake, and shrimp cocktail. The shrimp was great and the soup was amazing. I didn't like the crabcake but DH did. I am biased to Maryland style crabcake though and if you like that you will not like chops crabcake.

 

 

I completely agree with you! My non-east coast friends refuse to understand. :D

[PIR8LUVR]

What are the show times? We are trying to plan our My Time Dining for our Aug. 6th cruise.

 

Maryland crab cakes are definitely the best!

 

Thanks!

[aichambaye]

Ports:

 

Grand Cayman was very nice. We did the Trolley Roger first. It was worth paying the $26 for it so you can get priority tenders - we heard later the tender line was a nightmare. However, the Trolley Roger was king of awful. The was almost no history as the description said, and you could t hear the guy well. All he talked about was various fruits and flowers and he told us about three times that a certain flower was a Bougainville and that there was some apartments named after the plant. Maybe he was trying to sell one, becuase he also kept telling us you don't pay taxes on real estate in Cayman after the initial 7%. I got really tired of the plants talk, because I don't care about plants.

 

We also did a catamaran tour with snorkeling. DH said the sites were nice, but I didn't go in because the swells were quite strong (it was windy) and I am not a strong swimmer. The boat was nearly new and had a nice crew.

 

On key west, we did a trolley tour and then as it is so bloody hot we came pack to the ship for lunch and a long nap.

 

To the Schooner Bar, batman!

 

 

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[aichambaye]

What are the show times? We are trying to plan our My Time Dining for our Aug. 6th cruise.

 

Maryland crab cakes are definitely the best!

 

Thanks!

 

 

 

So far they have been 7:15 9:15 except tonight. They are 7:45 and 9:45.

 

 

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[VMIMarine]

Was there a long wait to clear the ship or long lines to get off at Key West? What time did the ship clear? Trying to set up a kayak trip but not sure about the time I will be able to go based on another post that talked about arriving at 8 am but not getting cleared until 9:30 am.

Thanks....enjoyed the review....I depart in only 10 days!

[Merion_Mom]

Ports:

 

Grand Cayman was very nice. We did the Trolley Roger first. It was worth paying the $26 for it so you can get priority tenders - we heard later the tender line was a nightmare. However, the Trolley Roger was king of awful. The was almost no history as the description said, and you could t hear the guy well. All he talked about was various fruits and flowers and he told us about three times that a certain flower was a Bougainville and that there was some apartments named after the plant. Maybe he was trying to sell one, becuase he also kept telling us you don't pay taxes on real estate in Cayman after the initial 7%. I got really tired of the plants talk, because I don't care about plants.

 

We also did a catamaran tour with snorkeling. DH said the sites were nice, but I didn't go in because the swells were quite strong (it was windy) and I am not a strong swimmer. The boat was nearly new and had a nice crew.

 

On key west, we did a trolley tour and then as it is so bloody hot we came pack to the ship for lunch and a long nap.

 

To the Schooner Bar, batman!

 

 

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Next time you are in Grand Cayman and want a fabulous day of stingrays, snorkeling, sailing and native skipper, do this:

 

stingraysailing.com

 

:)

[YlangYlangF9PB3E]

To the Schooner Bar if all else fails!!! I completely agree.

[aichambaye]

Was there a long wait to clear the ship or long lines to get off at Key West? What time did the ship clear? Trying to set up a kayak trip but not sure about the time I will be able to go based on another post that talked about arriving at 8 am but not getting cleared until 9:30 am.

Thanks....enjoyed the review....I depart in only 10 days!

 

 

 

We cleared very quickly and the line was short, but we had excursion tickets so we were in the first line. I don't think the line was as awful as it was at Cayman.

 

 

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