Good vacation, but not the best ever

Item: Empress of the Seas
Rating: 4
Author: reelyn

Empress of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

reelyn

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 27

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

6 Night Key West & Cozumel (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 07, 2019

Ship: Empress of the Seas

Cabin number: 9156

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

This trip was meant to go to Cuba and we were hoping the trip would include Coco Cay instead of the Western Caribbean route it went on. We were somewhat disappointed in the Jr. Suite cabin in that it felt like a typical balcony size on a newer ship. The boat is showing its age and should be retired soon. The Windjammer Cafe always felt crowded, with very little food selection, and often repeated buffet options.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

There were no long lines when we arrived, so we were checked in pretty quickly.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Food was just okay. We ate at the main dining room most evenings and while the servers were very willing to make sure our dinner service was great, the food wasn't amazing. I ordered the Chops Grill filet mignon one evening and it was not cooked properly and tasted bland.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

We did not go to most ship activities and preferred to vacation away from the crowds this time.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

We saw the comedian on the last night and he was pretty funny.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

This is where the vacation gets the highest rating. While the ship had issues with foul odors during the entire duration of the trip, the staff was very welcoming and accommodating.

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

The ship is old and should be retired soon from the fleet.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

We expected the cabin to be a bit more comfortable. The bathroom was very small and there was no way to take a shower without the shower curtain getting stuck to the body. It has a very confined space for a junior suite level cabin.