Empress of the Seas Questions

[cocruzlvrs]

Loyal NCL cruiser here, but looking to book Empress of the Seas for a girls getaway. Never sailed RCCL, but pricing on January sailing can't be beat. Going with 3 others that have never cruised before, and after reading some reviews I'm not sure if this would be a good first impression. I know reviews are subjective, and bottom line is you make your own fun. My questions are:

Would you put 3 people in an inside cabin?

Is the casino all non smoking?

Can you order alcohol ahead of time for your stateroom like you can on carnival?

Any other info on this ship would be greatly appreciated.

[Clarea]

With regard to ordering alcohol for the stateroom, Royal has recently begun offering some small bottles of spirits and mixer, such as what is linked below. These are the only types of spririts they sell for stateroom consumption, and they are not offered on all sailings. Unfortunately, you won't know for sure if they are offered on your sailing until you book and can look at your Cruise Planner.

 

https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/royalgifts/onboard-delivery/packages/bacardi-gold-and-coca-cola-package/

https://secure.royalcaribbean.com/royalgifts/onboard-delivery/packages/bombay-sapphire-and-tonic-package/

[tx121]

The rooms on the Empress especially the inside cabins are tiny. To fit three people, there will be 2 twin size beds and a bunk bed. The shower is very small as well.

To compare this ship with NCL, it is a little more than half the size of NCL's smallest ship the Sky. We picked the Empress because of the itinerary and cost, not for the ship.

Overall we did have a good time.

The casino is non smoking at all times.

[cocruzlvrs]

Thank you!

[Bette And Bill]

Loyal NCL cruiser here, but looking to book Empress of the Seas for a girls getaway. Never sailed RCCL, but pricing on January sailing can't be beat. Going with 3 others that have never cruised before, and after reading some reviews I'm not sure if this would be a good first impression. I know reviews are subjective, and bottom line is you make your own fun. My questions are:

Would you put 3 people in an inside cabin?

Is the casino all non smoking?

Can you order alcohol ahead of time for your stateroom like you can on carnival?

Any other info on this ship would be greatly appreciated.

 

We were on the Empress early July. We booked the ship for the itinerary - Cuba. It was a 4 night cruise and speaking of personal preference, I would not do this ship again. We do normally book Junior Suites and did so this time. The room was smaller than any balcony or even the promenade cabin we had on the Explorer many eons ago. As stated in an earlier post, the bathroom especially the shower is small. Think of the joke about soaping the walls and spinning around.

 

That being said - if you booked for the itinerary - it is doable for a short cruise. If you are doing it to impress and convert your friends to Royal - do not do it. The ship itself is small however, Boleros and the Schooner Bar are fantastic. Large and roomy. Boleros has an outside sitting area that is wonderful.

 

The crew is also wonderful.

 

The Casino is also on the small side and I do believe you can smoke in there. We did not spend much time in the Casino.

[Surfguyxxx]

We did the Empress recently in a Junior Suite and I can tell you it was the size of a regular room on any other ship. The staff is wonderful but the ship is small. 3 in an inside is pushing it in my view. Not only are the bathrooms small but there is no adult area's, casino is small and even though they have a no smoking section, it's too small to not smell smoke. I had never been to Cuba so it was a fun trip itself as Cuba is beautiful but the ship is not the most impressive.

:cool:

[cocruzlvrs]

Thank you all lfor taking the time to reply! None of the others have ever cruised before, so they would have nothing to compare it to. We were thinking this cruise for the price and the itinerary. A few of the group does smoke, and also likes to gamble, so smoking in the casino is a factor.

[ezjack1825]

We are booked for October to celebrate our 20th anniversary. Yeah, it sounds crazy for a big anniversary but we are doing it for the port convenience of Tampa and going to Cuba. We go on cruises to get away from work, this time no kids too.

 

We enjoy the food, adult comedy entertainment, hot tubs, etc. We are only in the cabin for the 4 S's.

 

You are on a cruise to be out and about and only in the cabin with the lights off for the most part!!

 

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[Paulette3028]

Thank you all lfor taking the time to reply! None of the others have ever cruised before, so they would have nothing to compare it to. We were thinking this cruise for the price and the itinerary. A few of the group does smoke, and also likes to gamble, so smoking in the casino is a factor.

 

We went on Empress last August....in a JS, which was very small indeed. It was before the ship was sailing to Cuba and we went just to see what she was like...knowing how small she was, but also knowing that the CD staff (we had Carlos Torres as Cruise Director) and the CD himself, does a great job. We had a great time....I especially enjoyed the hammocks on the upper pool deck. But you can't go expecting it to be like her bigger sisters -- everyone will be disappointed.

 

If you want to see Cuba with Royal -- it is what you will be sailing on; while onboard the CD staff will give you some fun entertainment, music, games to enjoy...IF you have Carlos and he does a show with him as the singer in Boleros with the band -- take it in -- he does a great job -- it won't matter that some of the songs he will be singing will be in Spanish. He is very good!

 

I hope the video I have attached works....because it will give you a taste of Carlos and his talent. If it doesn't work....go to his FB page -- easy to find him there.

 

 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000053207892

Edited July 15, 2017 by Paulette3028

[Biker19]

None of the others have ever cruised before, so they would have nothing to compare it to. We were thinking this cruise for the price and the itinerary.

Do the others a favor, spend a few more $ and go on Indy instead. I'm no shill for the cruise line industry but if I'd went on Empress as my first cruise I'd probably never go back on any cruise.It's not just the small cabins, but the lack of features and entertainment which is expected on most cruises is missing.

[Paulette3028]

Loyal NCL cruiser here, but looking to book Empress of the Seas for a girls getaway. Never sailed RCCL, but pricing on January sailing can't be beat. Going with 3 others that have never cruised before, and after reading some reviews I'm not sure if this would be a good first impression. I know reviews are subjective, and bottom line is you make your own fun. My questions are:

Would you put 3 people in an inside cabin?

Is the casino all non smoking?

Can you order alcohol ahead of time for your stateroom like you can on carnival?

Any other info on this ship would be greatly appreciated.

 

Empress will give you a pleasant cruise experience, but it has none of the bells and whistles of the newer ships....if Cuba is where you want to go, then on Royal it is the only choice.

 

But for newcomers to cruising whether on Royal or another line, perhaps consider one of the bigger ships with more amenities and somewhat bigger cabins so that all three of you (which seems to be what I guess you want) can share a cabin. Cabins on Empress are small and super small bathrooms.

[firegal2539]

I was on a 4 day Empress cruise in February and I posted a review on Cruise Critic. It was not a good one.

 

My cabin was the smallest I have ever been in and I have done 30 cruises.

 

Because it is a small ship not much to do.

 

Carlos, the CD, was the only memorable thing.

 

Candie

 

 

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