Empress info..please...the good and bad.

[rianvi]

We are sailing for the first time with RCI on the Empress in August to Bermuda. Have sailed with Celebrity, Princess and Carnival before. Would like info about the ship... any tips or advice is appreciated. Any specialty dining? Best food item to order. Any theme nights? Activities? etc....

My DH, our D.D{19}, myself and my parents are travelling together.

Thankyou in advance.

Peace, Anna:)

[TwiliteNights]

All I can say is we LOVED this ship. Did an 11-day last April. Easy to get around and the most FRIENDLIESS ship we have ever sailed. We'd go again and again. She might be small, but that's what made her special. She is a gorgeous ship! Can't remember any "theme" nights and yes, they have a speciality restaurant. One thing, we never had a problem finding a lounge chair at the pool. you'll love this ship, that's all I can say.

[ninjababysaunt]

This is the smallest ship I've ever been on. I'm only 5 feet tall, and putting bother arms straight out, I came within 2 inches of touching both walls. If you are claustrophic like I am, be prepared before you walk into the cabin. My mother said I turned white as a sheet the first time I walked into our cabin. You literally have to walk in, and back out. Once I got use to the size of the cabin, it didn't bother me as much. I first cruised on the TSS Carnival back in 1977, and those cabins were a lot larger than on Empress. The food wasn't the greatest on Empress. Since I "love" chili, I always loaded up during afternoon tea (served after lunch). There definitely was no variety to choose from. We did enjoy the movies they showed in the theatre while at anchor. One major flaw, our room attendant did not clean well at all. The thing I did enjoy about this ship, you can walk completely around one or two decks. You don't have to cut through from one side to the other. Also, be prepared if you run into stormy weather. It's bad enough on larger ships, but on this one (we call it our little tug boat), you REALLY notice the motion. Even the men in the group were asking for Dramamine.

[Laurie12820]

We are sailing for the first time with RCI on the Empress in August to Bermuda. Have sailed with Celebrity, Princess and Carnival before. Would like info about the ship... any tips or advice is appreciated. Any specialty dining? Best food item to order. Any theme nights? Activities? etc....

My DH, our D.D{19}, myself and my parents are travelling together.

Thankyou in advance.

Peace, Anna:)

 

I love the Empress, have been on her twice! The Empress was overhauled a few years ago and she looks wonderful. They now have Portofino on the Empress, we did not dine there, we ate in the dining room and once on Bermuda. I enjoy heir caesar salads as well as the Filet Mignons. There are theme nights: 70's, Sock Hop, Pirate/Caribbean night. There are too many activities to list. Although she is a smaller ship she really has a wonderful crew and beautiful charm. I suggest preforming a search for Empress on these boards, you will find a lot of information! :)

[Buddy140]

We were on the Empress in February 2007. I am sure you will have a good time. The staff are great and the ship is in good shape. The food is good as is the entertainment.

 

Our room was a junior suite (balcony stateroom) and was small compared to the newer RCCL ships but was fully satisfactory. Other passengers on the ship did complain about the size of the staterooms. What can I say - you get what you pay for on this ship.

 

This ship does rock & roll a lot more in heavy seas or at slow speeds due to its small size.

 

We went on the Empress in order to do an 11 day cruise and sail on her before the rumoured departure from the fleet.

[careywv]

We were on the Empress in February 2007. I am sure you will have a good time. The staff are great and the ship is in good shape. The food is good as is the entertainment.

 

Our room was a junior suite (balcony stateroom) and was small compared to the newer RCCL ships but was fully satisfactory. Other passengers on the ship did complain about the size of the staterooms. What can I say - you get what you pay for on this ship.

 

This ship does rock & roll a lot more in heavy seas or at slow speeds due to its small size.

 

We went on the Empress in order to do an 11 day cruise and sail on her before the rumoured departure from the fleet.

 

Do you have any menus or pictures from your sailing in February? I would love to see some sample menus for our upcoming cruise in May. :)

[ebk2795]

Rianvi, when in August are you going on your cruise? My sister and I will be on the 08/18 sailing. W already have a roll call going.

[truffles2]

Empress is the "little ship with the BIG heart"!

[rianvi]

We are sailing on the Empress August 11th-August 18th. Looks like we will be getting off the ship as you get on. Even though it is five months away...I can't wait. I noticed your roll call...it is quite active. However, I have attempted to start one without any response. Perhaps we have the ship to ourselves...:D

Peace, Anna

[rianvi]

Thankyou everyone for your input/responses. It is always nice to get opinions from others. We tend to like the smaller ships. This is our first time with RCI but on Celebrity, we enjoyed the Horizon, Zenith and Mercury.

Are there fridges in all of the cabins?

 

Peace, Anna:)

[Laurie12820]

Thankyou everyone for your input/responses. It is always nice to get opinions from others. We tend to like the smaller ships. This is our first time with RCI but on Celebrity, we enjoyed the Horizon, Zenith and Mercury.

Are there fridges in all of the cabins?

 

Peace, Anna:)

 

No there are not fridges in all of the cabins, we had a Large Oceanview and there was no fridge.

[doublemm16]

I wanted to know if there are safes in all of the cabins?

 

Thanks!

[RareBird]

we sailed on empress two times to Bermuda, both in the balcony cabin (jr suite now, then it was a deluxe balcony).

 

i must say it's a nice ship, and I recommend it. But i can't compare it to any thing else from RCI yet, we'll be sailing on our 3rd RCI cruise, again to bermuda, in just 2 months on Explorer of the Seas.

 

the good: ship docks in main ports in Bermuda, you'll LOVE it. staff is wonderful!

 

the bad: takes longer to get there than Explorer, if you look closely at the schedule, empress leaves at 10am on her last day, explorer leaves at 5pm - both arrive at the same time in port. you will get a lot of motion in open seas, it was so bad at times we could not walk straight without pin-balling against the walls of the hallway. portofinos was very stuffy to me, it was empty too, and i did not enjoy it. cabins ARE small, but that's the ship.

 

overall, I'd cruise empress again in a heartbeat - we'd book her again for this sailing as well but she's not leaving from NJ and PA before mid-summer :) I also wanted to try a bigger ship like Explorer so I have something to compare the trip to. I really want more activities on the ship - there's little to do on empress.

[Laurie12820]

I wanted to know if there are safes in all of the cabins?

 

Thanks!

 

There are now safes in all of the cabins! :)

[doublemm16]

Thanks Laurie!:)

[careywv]

No there are not fridges in all of the cabins, we had a Large Oceanview and there was no fridge.

 

 

Actually, I just called my vacation planner with RCCL and she is having a fridge put into our cabin. We are booked for an interior room, and she said it would be no problem. It never hurts to ask. ;)

[dolfinmusic]

For me there were only 2 bad things about the Empress. And neither was really that bad. First, we sailed in an inside and drawer space was lacking but we made do! Just try not to overpack!!!! The other bad thing - the pizza wasn't that great but I am a total pizza addict! :D Actually, these really weren't even "bad" things - just inconvient! ;) Loved the Empress and she was just my size! Everything was right there!!!!

[WebNanny]

We are sailing on the Empress August 11th-August 18th. Looks like we will be getting off the ship as you get on. Even though it is five months away...I can't wait. I noticed your roll call...it is quite active. However, I have attempted to start one without any response. Perhaps we have the ship to ourselves...:D

Peace, Anna

 

My granddaughter and I are leaving on Empress Aug. 25 and looking forward to it. I signed up for the M&M and posted on the Empress Roll Call but so far no responses.:confused:

[cyscopup]

We have sailed Empress 3 times and would have to say it is one of our favorite ships. The best staff and the rooms may be small but they are not that bad, especially since we basically only sleep and bathe there.

 

EMPRESS OF THE SEAS WILL ALWAYS BE A SPECIAL SHIP WITH US!!!!!:D

 

BTW- ninjababysaunt must have some long arms. I am over six feet tall with long arms and cannot come close to touching both walls at the same time.:eek:

[rianvi]

I was just reading the sticky...F.A.Q...about R.C.I. and it said that you need a magnetic strip card to open the safe and to bring along an expired gift card for this. Is this still the case on the Empress? And the soda card....you can get soda and juice with these???? Is iced tea and lemonade available all day at the buffet?

Thank you

Anna:)

[Philly Steve]

Sailing Empress for the third time this October and am now getting used to seeing the exercise equipment in what used to be the upper tier of the Viking Crown lounge. Luv that ship! :)

[Laurie12820]

I was just reading the sticky...F.A.Q...about R.C.I. and it said that you need a magnetic strip card to open the safe and to bring along an expired gift card for this. Is this still the case on the Empress? And the soda card....you can get soda and juice with these???? Is iced tea and lemonade available all day at the buffet?

Thank you

Anna:)

 

You can program a number code to the safe instead of using the magnetic stripe. We only tried to get soda with the soda card. There is a thread on this soda/juice topic somewhere on this board. Ice Tea and Lemonade are offered in the Windjammer during serving hours.