Best Cruise Ever from Two Happy Cruisers

Empress of the Seas (RETIRED) 223 Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

MarleneM2

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 9

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

Empress of the Seas (RETIRED) 223

11 Night Exotic Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip)

Sail date: February 12, 2007

Ship: Empress of the Seas (RETIRED) 223

Cabin type: Oceanview

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 14 years ago

Review summary

After several cruises on the "mega" ships, we thought we would feel limited on the Empress of the Seas. Wrong! We had one of the best cruises ever. This smaller ship offered all the amenities we needed and the lines going on and off the ship were next to zero. We also had very little wait time at the elevators which we found annoying on the bigger vessels. The service on this ship was also wonderful - we felt so pampered that I wanted to take our waiters and stateroom attendants home. BUT THE BEST PART OF THIS CRUISE WERE THE PEOPLE WE MET. Because of the smaller number of people, we were able to make many more long-lasting friends. Participating in the "Ship Shape Dollar" events enabled us to meet people and have so much fun - highly recommend this program. When our cruise came to an end after 11 days, everyone looked familiar and there were many more hugs and tears when saying goodbye. The Empress is a great way to travel - really felt like home.

Ports of call

Oranjestad, Aruba

5 out of 5

We had never been to Aruba and we loved it! We took the Aruba Sights & Swim excursion and it was one of the best excursions ever! Seeing the Natural Bridge Ruins and the California Lighthouse were spectacular and Palm Beach was one of the prettiest beaches we've visited. Aruba is a place where I would like to visit again.

Don't Miss: The Natural Bridge Ruins.

Basseterre, St. Kitts

5 out of 5

This island was a pleasant surprise. We did the "City Tour and Turtle Beach Transfer." The tour was very good but the best part was seeing all of the wild life on the way to Turtle Beach - monkeys, goats, cows, etc. Turtle Beach is a must see. We did some snorkeling on our own here and saw lovely tropical fish. But the monkeys around the beach area were the best - so much fun to watch! Don't miss Turtle Beach.

Don't Miss: The monkeys at Turtle Beach.

Basseterre, St. Kitts

5 out of 5

This island was a pleasant surprise. We did the "City Tour and Turtle Beach Transfer." The tour was very good but the best part was seeing all of the wild life on the way to Turtle Beach - monkeys, goats, cows, etc. Turtle Beach is a must see. We did some snorkeling on our own here and saw lovely tropical fish. But the monkeys around the beach area were the best - so much fun to watch! Don't miss Turtle Beach.

Don't Miss: The monkeys at Turtle Beach.

Margarita (Isla De Margarita), Venezuela

5 out of 5

Swimming with the dolphins on Margarita was the highlight of our trip! We also enjoyed the great number of vendors at the port - very nice and their prices were so inexpensive. A great place to buy souveniers. There is also a very nice beach that you can walk to from the cruise ship.

Don't Miss: Swimming with the dolphins!

Oranjestad, Aruba

5 out of 5

We had never been to Aruba and we loved it! We took the Aruba Sights & Swim excursion and it was one of the best excursions ever! Seeing the Natural Bridge Ruins and the California Lighthouse were spectacular and Palm Beach was one of the prettiest beaches we've visited. Aruba is a place where I would like to visit again.

Don't Miss: The Natural Bridge Ruins.

Margarita (Isla De Margarita), Venezuela

5 out of 5

Swimming with the dolphins on Margarita was the highlight of our trip! We also enjoyed the great number of vendors at the port - very nice and their prices were so inexpensive. A great place to buy souveniers. There is also a very nice beach that you can walk to from the cruise ship.

Don't Miss: Swimming with the dolphins!

St. John's, Antigua

3 out of 5

We did the "Beach Rendezvous" on this island and the beach was beautiful and the lunch was good. The ride to and from the beach was a little rough. I left Antigua feeling a little disappointed in the crowded streets and heavy traffic. Aside from the beach, Antigua was just OK..

Don't Miss: Make sure you go to a beach - the sand and water are beautiful.

Bridgetown, Barbados

5 out of 5

Barbados has some of the greatest port shops. We took a cab to Palm Beach - it was beautiful. We also snorkeled here and saw some large sea turtles.

Don't Miss: The beaches are really nice and the shopping is great.

Castries, St. Lucia

5 out of 5

We had been to St. Lucia several years ago and did a big island tour then. St. Lucia is a beautiful island and seeing the Pitons was a thrill. At this visit, we just visited the little shops at the port and walked to the town market place. This seemed to be the best place to buy a phone card to call home.

Don't Miss: Take a tour that includes seeing the Pitons.

Willemstad, Curacao

5 out of 5

It rained a little while we were here but it didn't spoil the beautiful sights of Curacao. We walked to town and seeing all of the colorful houses was so "Caribbean." This was a very pretty town and a nice island.

Don't Miss: Be sure to see the colorful houses & shops in Willemstad. Also a good place to shop.

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

5 out of 5

The port side vendors and shops were very nice. The St. Maarten Island Tour was informative and I would recommend this tour if you've never been to St. Maarten. We even had enough time to shop!

Don't Miss: A coconut smoothie at one of the little vendors when you get off the ship.

Willemstad, Curacao

5 out of 5

It rained a little while we were here but it didn't spoil the beautiful sights of Curacao. We walked to town and seeing all of the colorful houses was so "Caribbean." This was a very pretty town and a nice island.

Don't Miss: Be sure to see the colorful houses & shops in Willemstad. Also a good place to shop.

St. John's, Antigua

3 out of 5

We did the "Beach Rendezvous" on this island and the beach was beautiful and the lunch was good. The ride to and from the beach was a little rough. I left Antigua feeling a little disappointed in the crowded streets and heavy traffic. Aside from the beach, Antigua was just OK..

Don't Miss: Make sure you go to a beach - the sand and water are beautiful.

Castries, St. Lucia

5 out of 5

We had been to St. Lucia several years ago and did a big island tour then. St. Lucia is a beautiful island and seeing the Pitons was a thrill. At this visit, we just visited the little shops at the port and walked to the town market place. This seemed to be the best place to buy a phone card to call home.

Don't Miss: Take a tour that includes seeing the Pitons.

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

5 out of 5

The port side vendors and shops were very nice. The St. Maarten Island Tour was informative and I would recommend this tour if you've never been to St. Maarten. We even had enough time to shop!

Don't Miss: A coconut smoothie at one of the little vendors when you get off the ship.

Bridgetown, Barbados

5 out of 5

Barbados has some of the greatest port shops. We took a cab to Palm Beach - it was beautiful. We also snorkeled here and saw some large sea turtles.

Don't Miss: The beaches are really nice and the shopping is great.

Pros: The people who are attracted to cruising on Royal Caribbean

Cons: Rough seas on the last day prevented them from filling the pool

Recommends Empress of the Seas (RETIRED) 223? Yes!

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It wasn't bad, but disappointing

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