I read before going that the Empress of the Sea was a smaller, older ship, but the crew and the heart of the ship made up for these facts. I did find this to be the case. The Empress is a small ship - if you are looking for ropes courses and water slides, this is not the ship for you. To me, the boat was great. The top decks, while small were great for relaxing and getting sun. Between the shows in the Royal Theater, the several lounges and bars and the outstanding food and service in the main dining room, the Empress of the Sea had more than enough positive attributes to satisfy my adult tastes. The day in the Keys was a blast- I spent the day riding a bicycle around Key West and enjoyed lunch at Sloppy Joe's. The Cuba walking excursion made this the trip of a life time. If you do not think going to Cuba is your type of adventure, then this is not the cruise for you.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
The wait to get on the boat was long, but I imagine this is no better or worse than embarking other cruise ships. The whole experience takes too long and needs to be streamlined.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The main dining room was incredible. The food was very good and the service outstanding. I did not go to any of the specialty restaurants, but the food at the buffet was not great. It was bland and uninspiring. The Windjammer Cafe is to small for the volume of guests as well.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The pool and was were I spent most of my time during the at sea days. The service poolside was excellent and the music great. There are plenty of chairs to lie in the sun on both decks 10 and 11 and hammocks as well.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Enjoyed the comedy and dancing as well as the singer in the Royal Theater. DJ for the white party get the crowd going to 3 am.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our waiter in the main dining room was excellent and all of the staff was friendly and attentive.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
It is a smaller older ship, but it is well kept and very clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The cabin was not great, but its a Cruise and if you are spending time in your cabin you're doing it wrong.
Been to the Keys before and did not buy an excursion. There is lots to do there and it is beautiful. Rented a bike and rode out to the beaches at Zachary Taylor state park and then down Duval street. Sailing into Key West Sunday morning was beautiful.
Did the four hour walking tour of old Havana. It was amazing walking through the old port city. Our guide was good and we drank Cuban rum and smoked Cuban cigars. Walking through the city after the tour was a lot of fun as well. We found a hotel with a bar and music and drank beer and smoked cigars. Then did some shopping in old Havana. The city is in critical need of repair and the people are poor but very friendly. Overall and incredible experience.
there is less children there was maybe possibly like too I saw on the whole ship when I went on mine. @Gil155. more of an older crowd. had no issue with that I had the arcade to my self lol.
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
