Wedding Anniversary Cruise

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

Empress of the Seas Cruise Review to Cuba

pamellman

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 32

Overall rating:

5 out of 5

Verified Review

5 Night Key West Havana & Cozumel (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 26, 2018

Ship: Empress of the Seas

Cabin number: 7686

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

It was sad to leave the ship and to have our vacation come to an end. However we made new friends who we've arranged to see again and hope to cruise with again. We were looking for a cruise that was only a few days (5) and we're both glad that we chose Royal Caribbean and the Empress of the Seas.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Surprisingly there was a long long line to wait in to get on the ship. So why am I giving this experience 5 stars, Because when we got to the end of the line, we met the most pleasant man who actually made us feel like we hadn't been standing on line for half an hour. He was welcoming and made the entire experience very easy for us. Of course we visited with other guests while standing on line so when we saw them on the ship we already had people we could say hi to.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

The food on this ship was the best!!! Everything was easily available, breakfast and lunch were in the Windjammer and if I wanted to stick to my diet I could have, but with the opulent display of foods who could think about dieting. I am lactose intolerant and for dinner the head waiter Dominic Godinho, came to me with the next day's menu each evening and had me pick what I liked and sure enough it was served to me perfectly cooked and delicious. They even had a dairy-gluten free chocolate cake that was amazing. Our Waiter Melvin Tumulan was excellent. We felt as if we were his personal guests. By the 2nd evening he knew our names and our likes and dislikes.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

There was so much to do on board including quiet time if we wanted it in the ship's library, game room, or just sitting outside and enjoying the water. My Husband took avantage of the fitness center which would put any gym on dry land to shame. Everything was there and available for use anytime.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Our Stateroom attendant, Shawn Sauers,, welcomed us when we got on the ship and assured us that if we wanted anything we just had to ask. Not an empty promise! He even left towel toys on our bed at night, much to our delight. He always greeted us with a smile, answered all our questions and took his time to explain answers to our questions about the ship and when I asked him where I'd get ice, he said he would get it for us and from that time forward there was ice in our cabin daily. Never had to ask again.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The ship's layout made it easy to find everything. There were many directories pointing us in the right direction. The ship was well maintained and clean.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

I really enjoyed this trip because even though the ship was full, we had plenty of room and weren't bumping into people. There were no lines to get into the restaurants or at any of the activities. There was someone serving frozen yogurt cones most of the day and no matter what time we came from an excursion we were able to go into Windjammer and get some food and able to rehydrate after the hot sun. The waiters in Windjammer were constantly cleaning tables to make room for more guests, but they weren't in our way. We have taken the River Cruise on the Danube with only 150 passengers on board so we were concerned about 1600+ passengers, but it was a non-issue. I would strongly recommend this cruise.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Key West, Florida

5 out of 5

We've been to Key West before so we signed up for the Key West Old Town Trolley so we could hop on and hop off wherever we wanted. We went for a walk downtown and saw the galleries and shops which was exactly what we wanted to do. The trolley driver was very interesting to listen to and was obviously known around town because she waved to a lot of locals and told us funny stories about the people and the town.

Thumbs Up 8

HAVANA, CUBA

5 out of 5

Havana was the only day we had rain, but we got through it anyway, we took Easy Panoramic Havana to get an overview of the place because we've never been there before. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and gave us an interesting overview of Havana and its history. He also took us to a place where we could buy cigars and rum and when we went into the store he stayed with us and made sure we bought only what we actually wanted. He asked pointed questions about who we were buying for and his suggestions have turned out to be spot on. Lucky to have gotten him, wish I had written his name down.

Thumbs Up 4

Cozumel, Mexico

5 out of 5

Cozumel was hot so we brought water and hats with us. We went to the Mayan ruins, to a beach and to the chocolate factory and had a demo on how chocolate is made. Free tasting all along the way. What can I say, you can't go wrong with chocolate. We ran late and the ship was notified and dinner was waiting for us when we boarded. Very well planned to meet any hiccups along the way

Thumbs Up 14