Empress of the Seas-September 23-27; My .02

[Tommy3putts]

Empress of the Seas Review

 

 

We just returned from our four night cruise on Empress of the Seas (23-27 September). Overall it was a great cruise [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481](4 out of 5 Beers). There were a few negatives but they were far outweighed by the positives. Here are few items—ratings are in beers [emoji481]

 

Tampa [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481] (5 out of 5)

 

Great city that is easy to get in and out of. We had an easy time flying in and out of the Tampa airport. The downtown area is clean with plenty of hotels, restaurants and bars near the cruise terminals. We stayed at the Marriott Waterside (great hotel) which is just a five minute cab ride from the cruise terminals.

 

Cruise Terminal 3 — [emoji481][emoji481] (2 out of 5) Nice clean terminal but unless they make some personnel and operational changes I may never sail from Tampa again. Too bad.

 

Embarkation— [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481] (3 out of 5). Easy check-in. Friendly staff and comfortable waiting area. Unfortunately boarding was delayed due to the Disembarkation madness from previous cruise.

 

Disembarkation [emoji481] (1 out of 5). Terrible and inexcusable for the number of people on our cruise (900) ship. We were among the last to leave the ship at 9:15 and still had to wait over an hour to clear customs. Understaffed and what staff they had apparently can make up the rules as they see fit. For example, one terminal employee decided to let two people come and cut in line so they could joint the group 30 minutes in front of them that were catching a waiting limousine. Others were haphazardly allowed to use “but my bag is too big” claim in order to take elevators directly down to the customs and avoid standing in the long lines to enter the customs because they didn’t want to take an escalators. You get the idea....

 

The Ship [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481] (3 out of 5)

 

Empress is a nice small ship but in the end is a little smaller to my liking. The ship is showing signs of wear and tear but she more that makes up for it in “heart” thanks in most part to her crew. In the interests of full disclosure however, my wife really liked the ship.

 

Pros.

-The ship is clean and well maintained.

-The staff is great and attentive.

-The bar areas are great (I especially liked the pool bar and schooner).

-Promenade on Deck 6–one of the nice things about the older smaller ships are the -full view promenade walking areas. (Oasis Class misses the mark by obstructing these with the life boats).

-There are two cigar smoking areas on deck 6 aft and 10 port side.

 

Cons.

- I didn’t care for the layout of the ship, especially deck 10 (pool deck).

- They have a climbing wall on the aft end of deck 10 that blocks walking around the entire top deck.

- The entire port side of the ship on deck 10 from midship to the aft is not accessible by the guests.

- The flow of the main areas on decks 5 and 6 wasn’t great

- The gym was added to the ship as an afterthought on the second floor of the VIking Crown Lounge.

- Small bathrooms (public and stateroom)

- Not that many TVs in bar areas (exception of Schooner Bar)

- No Football Games shown on Pool Big Screen TV

 

The staterooms are small but live-able . The bathrooms in the staterooms are tiny and very difficult for a “horizontally challenged” man in his mid fifties (like myself). No sports channels/events shown on TV in the state rooms.

 

VOOM [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481] (4 out of 5). I had heard that the internet was not that great on EoS. It may have been that the cruise was only half full but, I never had an issue with the internet. I was able to stream a football game on my iPhone with very few hiccups. Others did the same.

 

Food [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481] (4 out of 5)

 

We had late dining and one night in chops. Great food and great service in both considering we were a group of 24. It’s standard RCI fare, but the service was some of the best I have had on any of my cruises.

 

Windjammer Buffet. I usually am not a fan of Royal’s windjammer buffets on the bigger newer builds. Their whole lay out and approach don’t seem to make sense to me. However, one of the positives of EoS and being an older ship is the Windjammer is based on the older design. Food was consistently good and available at all times of the day and best of all there is an outdoor eating area! The staff was very good. Kudos to EoS Windjammer.

 

Entertainment [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481]. Meh. The lounge entertainment and pool bar bands were “okay.” I did not go to any shows in the theater but my a few in our group had good things to say about the comedy shows.

 

Ports of Call

 

Key West [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481]

 

 

 

We were the first ship to call on KW after Irma. There we a few signs of the hurricane by KW was ready for us. Most of the damage was downed trees and sunken boats (we were told over 100). We enjoyed our too brief of a stay. We didn’t do any excursions but rather resorted to a “Duval Crawl” for Sunday afternoon football watching. The locals were really glad to have a cruise ship back in town. Here is a nice USAToday article about our visit.

 

Check out this article from USA TODAY:

 

First post-Hurricane Irma cruise ship docks in Key West

 

https://usat.ly/2xsiFuP

 

 

Havana [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481] (4 out of 5)

 

 

 

As far as I could see there were not many signs of Irma where we visited. We enjoyed the brief stop and meeting the Cuban people. The Cuban people are wonderful and very friendly. Its a great place to visit and interact with the people. Food and beer were excellent......and cheap!!!

 

One observation. If you have mobility issues, Havana may not be the visit for you. Cuba is still in many respects a third world country. Signs of the bad aspects of its government are readily seen. The maintenance of many of its public areas will present plenty of challenges. For example we strolled along the channel walk way along the water back to the ship, if you were not paying attention it was not safe. Several areas had protruding metal rods, cracks and missing sections. This was common in many other areas.

 

RCI’s Old Havana Walking Tour [emoji481][emoji481] (2 out of 5). This was a bit of a disappointment. We only saw a small portion of Havana, but our tour guide seemed more interested in steering us to spots where he had “deals” with locals. The positive was there were several stops where we had time to meet and mingle with the locals. I’d recommend arranging a tour on your own or trying to develop a plan on areas to visit.

 

Cigars— If you are going to Havana, and want to buy cigars take the time and do a bit of research. There are some great resources here and on the internet. We found a store in old Havana. The Cuban cigars are really very reasonably priced and come in a wide variety of sizes.

 

In the end however, we enjoyed Havana and we hope to return to Cuba for a longer visit in the near future, whenever tourism is allowed.

 

Things I learned and Tom’s Tips—In no particular order

 

1. Exchanging Euros in Cuba is the way to go. We saved extra Euros from our summer trip to Italy. The exchange rate for Euros is better for Cuban Currency (CUCs). Best part is there is no processing fees for Euros. There is a 10% fee for exchange of USD.

2. Bring extra prescription meds and clothes— See my other post to the RCI forum regarding the “Next Cruise” offers. The EoS sailings following Hurricane Irma are not full. RCI is offering special deals to stay on for the “Next Cruise.”

 

 

3. Be flexible if you can—plan for the unexpected. See 2 above.

4. If you have a set travel plans and don’t like changes, don’t plan Caribbean cruises in August or September. Irma impacted our cruise in negative ways but also in positive ways. Our stay in KW was shortened due to storm impacts on the ship channel. This was minimal for our cruise, but one never knows what a Hurricane might do to one’s cruise Itinerary.

5. If you are flexible, plan cruises in August or September. Even though Hurricanes may impact your planned cruise itinerary. There were many great incentivizes offered on not only EoS but other RCI cruises. It is also nice not having an overcrowded cruise ship. We would have really like to stayed on board for the next cruise.

6. If you sail out of Tampa beware of the terrible customs clearance lines and delays. The cruise port and DHS/TSA need to get their act together. Plan your departure travel accordingly.

 

If you are interested in visiting Cuba, Empress is a wonderful option. She’s a grand old gal. I just would recommend cruising from Miami over Tampa (No disrespect to the city itself) and doing so from November to May (cooler).

 

 

Cheers

Tom

Edited September 28, 2017 by Tommy3putts

[wolfcathorse]

Wow, those are great rates to stay on! Wish I was retired! Great tips to about Havana. Thanks for the review!

[Tommy3putts]

Wow, those are great rates to stay on! Wish I was retired! Great tips to about Havana. Thanks for the review!

 

 

 

Thanks. My wife is really not happy with me. She wanted to stay but I chickened out, worried about what my boss would say.

 

Today my boss said I was an idiot for not staying for the next cruise. [emoji15]

[Cel_cruise]

Thanks for a great review! Did you keep the compasses by any chance? Also - did you overnight in Cuba or just go for the day?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ranchette]

Empress of the Seas Review

 

 

We just returned from our four night cruise on Empress of the Seas (23-27 September). Overall it was a great cruise [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481](4 out of 5 Beers). There were a few negatives but they were far outweighed by the positives. Here are few items—ratings are in beers [emoji481]

 

Tampa [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481] (5 out of 5)

 

Great city that is easy to get in and out of. We had an easy time flying in and out of the Tampa airport. The downtown area is clean with plenty of hotels, restaurants and bars near the cruise terminals. We stayed at the Marriott Waterside (great hotel) which is just a five minute cab ride from the cruise terminals.

 

Cruise Terminal 3 — [emoji481][emoji481] (2 out of 5) Nice clean terminal but unless they make some personnel and operational changes I may never sail from Tampa again. Too bad.

 

Embarkation— [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481] (3 out of 5). Easy check-in. Friendly staff and comfortable waiting area. Unfortunately boarding was delayed due to the Disembarkation madness from previous cruise.

 

Disembarkation [emoji481] (1 out of 5). Terrible and inexcusable for the number of people on our cruise (900) ship. We were among the last to leave the ship at 9:15 and still had to wait over an hour to clear customs. Understaffed and what staff they had apparently can make up the rules as they see fit. For example, one terminal employee decided to let two people come and cut in line so they could joint the group 30 minutes in front of them that were catching a waiting limousine. Others were haphazardly allowed to use “but my bag is too big” claim in order to take elevators directly down to the customs and avoid standing in the long lines to enter the customs because they didn’t want to take an escalators. You get the idea....

 

The Ship [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481] (3 out of 5)

 

Empress is a nice small ship but in the end is a little smaller to my liking. The ship is showing signs of wear and tear but she more that makes up for it in “heart” thanks in most part to her crew. In the interests of full disclosure however, my wife really liked the ship.

 

Pros.

-The ship is clean and well maintained.

-The staff is great and attentive.

-The bar areas are great (I especially liked the pool bar and schooner).

-Promenade on Deck 6–one of the nice things about the older smaller ships are the -full view promenade walking areas. (Oasis Class misses the mark by obstructing these with the life boats).

-There are two cigar smoking areas on deck 6 aft and 10 port side.

 

Cons.

- I didn’t care for the layout of the ship, especially deck 10 (pool deck).

- They have a climbing wall on the aft end of deck 10 that blocks walking around the entire top deck.

- The entire port side of the ship on deck 10 from midship to the aft is not accessible by the guests.

- The flow of the main areas on decks 5 and 6 wasn’t great

- The gym was added to the ship as an afterthought on the second floor of the VIking Crown Lounge.

- Small bathrooms (public and stateroom)

- Not that many TVs in bar areas (exception of Schooner Bar)

- No Football Games shown on Pool Big Screen TV

 

The staterooms are small but live-able . The bathrooms in the staterooms are tiny and very difficult for a “horizontally challenged” man in his mid fifties (like myself). No sports channels/events shown on TV in the state rooms.

 

VOOM [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481] (4 out of 5). I had heard that the internet was not that great on EoS. It may have been that the cruise was only half full but, I never had an issue with the internet. I was able to stream a football game on my iPhone with very few hiccups. Others did the same.

 

Food [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481] (4 out of 5)

 

We had late dining and one night in chops. Great food and great service in both considering we were a group of 24. It’s standard RCI fare, but the service was some of the best I have had on any of my cruises.

 

Windjammer Buffet. I usually am not a fan of Royal’s windjammer buffets on the bigger newer builds. Their whole lay out and approach don’t seem to make sense to me. However, one of the positives of EoS and being an older ship is the Windjammer is based on the older design. Food was consistently good and available at all times of the day and best of all there is an outdoor eating area! The staff was very good. Kudos to EoS Windjammer.

 

Entertainment [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481]. Meh. The lounge entertainment and pool bar bands were “okay.” I did not go to any shows in the theater but my a few in our group had good things to say about the comedy shows.

 

Ports of Call

 

Key West [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481]

 

 

 

We were the first ship to call on KW after Irma. There we a few signs of the hurricane by KW was ready for us. Most of the damage was downed trees and sunken boats (we were told over 100). We enjoyed our too brief of a stay. We didn’t do any excursions but rather resorted to a “Duval Crawl” for Sunday afternoon football watching. The locals were really glad to have a cruise ship back in town. Here is a nice USAToday article about our visit.

 

Check out this article from USA TODAY:

 

First post-Hurricane Irma cruise ship docks in Key West

 

https://usat.ly/2xsiFuP

 

 

Havana [emoji481][emoji481][emoji481][emoji481] (4 out of 5)

 

 

 

As far as I could see there were not many signs of Irma where we visited. We enjoyed the brief stop and meeting the Cuban people. The Cuban people are wonderful and very friendly. Its a great place to visit and interact with the people. Food and beer were excellent......and cheap!!!

 

One observation. If you have mobility issues, Havana may not be the visit for you. Cuba is still in many respects a third world country. Signs of the bad aspects of its government are readily seen. The maintenance of many of its public areas will present plenty of challenges. For example we strolled along the channel walk way along the water back to the ship, if you were not paying attention it was not safe. Several areas had protruding metal rods, cracks and missing sections. This was common in many other areas.

 

RCI’s Old Havana Walking Tour [emoji481][emoji481] (2 out of 5). This was a bit of a disappointment. We only saw a small portion of Havana, but our tour guide seemed more interested in steering us to spots where he had “deals” with locals. The positive was there were several stops where we had time to meet and mingle with the locals. I’d recommend arranging a tour on your own or trying to develop a plan on areas to visit.

 

Cigars— If you are going to Havana, and want to buy cigars take the time and do a bit of research. There are some great resources here and on the internet. We found a store in old Havana. The Cuban cigars are really very reasonably priced and come in a wide variety of sizes.

 

In the end however, we enjoyed Havana and we hope to return to Cuba for a longer visit in the near future, whenever tourism is allowed.

 

Things I learned and Tom’s Tips—In no particular order

 

1. Exchanging Euros in Cuba is the way to go. We saved extra Euros from our summer trip to Italy. The exchange rate for Euros is better for Cuban Currency (CUCs). Best part is there is no processing fees for Euros. There is a 10% fee for exchange of USD.

2. Bring extra prescription meds and clothes— See my other post to the RCI forum regarding the “Next Cruise” offers. The EoS sailings following Hurricane Irma are not full. RCI is offering special deals to stay on for the “Next Cruise.”

 

 

3. Be flexible if you can—plan for the unexpected. See 2 above.

4. If you have a set travel plans and don’t like changes, don’t plan Caribbean cruises in August or September. Irma impacted our cruise in negative ways but also in positive ways. Our stay in KW was shortened due to storm impacts on the ship channel. This was minimal for our cruise, but one never knows what a Hurricane might do to one’s cruise Itinerary.

5. If you are flexible, plan cruises in August or September. Even though Hurricanes may impact your planned cruise itinerary. There were many great incentivizes offered on not only EoS but other RCI cruises. It is also nice not having an overcrowded cruise ship. We would have really like to stayed on board for the next cruise.

6. If you sail out of Tampa beware of the terrible customs clearance lines and delays. The cruise port and DHS/TSA need to get their act together. Plan your departure travel accordingly.

 

If you are interested in visiting Cuba, Empress is a wonderful option. She’s a grand old gal. I just would recommend cruising from Miami over Tampa (No disrespect to the city itself) and doing so from November to May (cooler).

 

 

Cheers

Tom

Did you carry your own luggage off the ship?

[Tommy3putts]

Thanks for a great review! Did you keep the compasses by any chance? Also - did you overnight in Cuba or just go for the day?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

 

We were in Cuba for one day. Four night itinerary with Key West, Havana, and a Sea Day.

 

Sorry I did not keep any of the Cruise Compasses. There was the typical RCI daily events, sales, and activities. You can find an idea of the activities by doing a google search for Empress Cruise Compass. I’d also be happy to answer general questions.

[Tommy3putts]

Did you carry your own luggage off the ship?

 

 

 

Yes, most passengers “self disembarked.” We had carryon sized luggage, so it was easier and more convenient for us.

[polymedia]

I was on the same cruise in early August. No problem with customs. In fact, in 4 or 5 times out of Tampa, very few problems with disembarkation. Of course, I try to get off the ship as soon as possible in the morning.

[jules71]

Thank you, Tom. Really appreciate the information as we prepare for our Cuban cruise in November,

[alaska_planner]

"Cuba is still in many respects a third world country. "

that line made me laugh....."still"? "in many respects"???

 

Cuba IS a third world country, full stop.

 

anyway, thanks for the review. I noticed this cruise last week when i realized i'd be in the US in June (for my 45th high school reunion :o )

 

it was the only cruise i could find that looked interesting...i've never been to key west or havana....

i only wondered how the empress is....from your review, it sounds like we won't be disappointed by the ship..

 

one question: do they have trivia and other silly adult games?

that's all i care about...i never bother with the theater entertainment (except on disney ships)..

 

.

[Tommy3putts]

"Cuba is still in many respects a third world country. "

 

that line made me laugh....."still"? "in many respects"???

 

 

 

Cuba IS a third world country, full stop.

 

 

 

anyway, thanks for the review. I noticed this cruise last week when i realized i'd be in the US in June (for my 45th high school reunion :o )

 

 

 

it was the only cruise i could find that looked interesting...i've never been to key west or havana....

 

i only wondered how the empress is....from your review, it sounds like we won't be disappointed by the ship..

 

 

 

one question: do they have trivia and other silly adult games?

 

that's all i care about...i never bother with the theater entertainment (except on disney ships)..

 

 

 

.

 

 

 

Yes tons of useless trivia contests. Good crew on empress

 

Havana is far more advanced than you perceive. Beautiful sky line. Sadly their priorities are out of whack

[Snit13]

We are scheduled to sail Empress 10/16/17 and enjoyed reading your review and very good advice. Liked your BEER ratings.

 

We sailed from Tampa in April and were off the Brilliance and home (about 2 hrs north) before 11am. No issues at all with customs or morning traffic heading north. Hope it is same this cruise. We use porter and valet park so maybe that was the difference.

 

Thanks for sharing.

[alaska_planner]

Yes tons of useless trivia contests. Good crew on empress

 

Havana is far more advanced than you perceive. Beautiful sky line. Sadly their priorities are out of whack

 

 

lots of third world countries have beautiful skylines.

that doesn't determine what is or isn't a third world country.

never let beautiful skylines fool you.

 

glad to hear i can while away the hours in silly games..

 

and a good crew is of course all that really matters...

 

.

[Tommy3putts]

lots of third world countries have beautiful skylines.

 

that doesn't determine what is or isn't a third world country.

 

never let beautiful skylines fool you.

 

 

 

Well go then and judge for yourself

[alaska_planner]

Well go then and judge for yourself

 

 

i hope we do..

if we go, we'll go last minute...

when i'm absolutely sure we're going to the US - probably when i'm already in the US, i'll book it if it's still available...

the reunion's in detroit june 7th to 11th....i'll hang around detroit for a few more days, then fly down to orlando for some WDW time...hubbie will meet me in orlando....so whatever cruise is available around then, i'll book...

the havana cruise is the only one that whet my appetite, so hopefully it will be available at that late date...

when it's just the two of us, i prefer not to do much advance planning (we once flew around the world with 4 hours notice...my kind of travel)...

 

.

[ONECRUISER]

I was on the same cruise in early August. No problem with customs. In fact, in 4 or 5 times out of Tampa, very few problems with disembarkation. Of course, I try to get off the ship as soon as possible in the morning.

Know can be hit or miss, but the 3 times I got off Tampa was towards end it was long lines. But my flight wasn't til after 3 so was in no hurry get to airport anyway.

[monkeyinhat]

The Empress was the first Cruise we took. So excited the first night the propellor FELL off the ship! But as you can see we got hooked

 

Anywho.... we go in less than 2 weeks. Couple questions. As I understand it no formal nights . Correct? I am leaning to think dress is a little slack. Did you see men wear shorts an collared shirts in MDR? Was money exchange at port a big deal?

 

Cheers [emoji481]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[Tommy3putts]

The Empress was the first Cruise we took. So excited the first night the propellor FELL off the ship! But as you can see we got hooked

 

Anywho.... we go in less than 2 weeks. Couple questions. As I understand it no formal nights . Correct? I am leaning to think dress is a little slack. Did you see men wear shorts an collared shirts in MDR? Was money exchange at port a big deal?

 

Cheers [emoji481]

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

 

1. No formal nights

2. Shorts and nice collared shirts okay in MDR

3. Money exchange in cuba is easy and quick right there at the port after customs/immigration

 

Overall our cruise was laid back and stress free. No one really cared about how their neighbors were dressed.

 

1. No formal nights, very casual cruise. A few folks dressed up, but the majority were in shorts or smart casual (island/Tommy Bahama attire).

2. The most common dinner attire was smart casual, however there were also a lot of folks in nice shorts and nice shirts (myself included). There were also many people in shorts, flip flops and t-shirts, they weren’t turned away. No one really noticed or cared. I did wear smart casual for our one night in Chops. I don’t recall seeing anyone in shorts there.

3. There is currency exchange immediately after you clear immigration and security in Havana. There were many “stations” available so there was no waiting (my experience). You can exchange back to USD or Euro as you are boarding the ship. Again best to exchange Euros if you have them. Also exchange back to Euros when leaving not USD.

 

Rumor has is the Empress is still not sailing full and they are offering the same next deal cruise. So if you can you should take advantage and extend your vacation.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

Cheers

Tom

[easyboy]

Appreciate your feedback, especially your Cuba experience.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[monkeyinhat]

Thanks for all of the info and answering my questions.

 

We always do smart casual but hitting Disney 4 days prior to Cruise. Thinking of taking hubs mostly shorts and doing a load of clothes at Disney hotel.

 

Happy boozin' and crusin'

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[alaska_planner]

do you need a visa for cuba from the US?

[Tommy3putts]

do you need a visa for cuba from the US?

 

 

 

Yes. But RCI handles this for you during your checkin. It’s $75pp and will be charged to you onboard account.

[Havingfun2010]

The Empress was designed for another cruise line, so most things on the layouts are different. I never carry luggage off, and wish they would stop letting it happen. It causes more problems, mostly by people who shouldn't be trying to carry their luggage off.

 

I have been to the port of Tampa two times, and never had an issue, but like everything, it depends on customs for the day.

 

My last Empress cruise, I finished breakfast at 8:30 and was in my car at 9:00.

[Tommy3putts]

The Empress was designed for another cruise line, so most things on the layouts are different.

 

 

 

The Nordic Empress was originally a new build for RCI in the early 1990s. It was transferred out of the RCI family in 2007 to Pullmantur and then brought back to RCI in 2015 specifically for Cuba sailings.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_Empress_of_the_Seas

[alaska_planner]

Yes. But RCI handles this for you during your checkin. It’s $75pp and will be charged to you onboard account.

 

thanks!