Key West/Havana Cruise

Item: Empress of the Seas
Rating: 5
Author: CarmTurner

Empress of the Seas Cruise Review to Cuba

CarmTurner

Contributor Level: Purser

168 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 10

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

5 Night Key West & Havana (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 07, 2018

Ship: Empress of the Seas

Cabin type: Oceanview

Cabin number: 8680

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

I love cruising and would highly recommend Royal Caribbean and The Empress. This is not a huge ship. It’s a much quieter and relaxing ship. We absolutely love her. We’ve done plenty of huge ships with our kids when they were young. This was perfect for us for Cuba.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

We got there early and had all our paperwork ready. Fast and easy.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Main Dining was always delicious. Menu was mostly the same with 1 or 2 changes depending on the theme. We used the Windjammer buffet for breakfast and lunch. Plenty of variety for us. If you didn’t want the pre-made eggs for breakfast, there’s a chef ready for your order. If you don’t want the pre-made sandwiches for lunch, there is plenty of rolls and meats and cheeses for you.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

The casino was fun. Small area, but there was always a slot machine or a place at the tables to play.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Our stateroom attendant and dinner staff were excellent.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ports of call

Key West, Florida

5 out of 5

Very touristy area. Plenty of things to do and experience. Lots of bars and restaurants and of course shopping. We took the Old Town Trolley tour and the driver was funny and knowledgeable. We also tried parasailing....love it!

Thumbs Up 2

HAVANA, CUBA

5 out of 5

We took this cruise specifically to see Havana. It was supposed to be a day stay, on Thursday from 8am-8pm but the ship announced on Tuesday night that we would arrive Wednesday at 4pm so we had an overnight stay. That was a wonderful gift! Super excited because we were able to get tickets for Tropicana! As much as you can look up and read about customs in Cuba, it really doesn’t prepare you for this visit. Customs in Havana was not like I expected at all. I think I am so used to “customer service” on the ship and at home that this was a bit of a shock. It wasn’t unsafe. It just wasn’t our normal. The city itself was what you read. Very historic but definitely very poor. With all that said, I would go back in a heartbeat. I am lucky to say I saw the Tropicana show in Havana. Even with an overnight, it was not enough time.

Thumbs Up 13