7 Night Western Caribbean & Perfect Day (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: October 10, 2019
Ship:
Empress of the Seas
Cabin number: 7025
Traveled as: Family (older children)
Reviewed: 4 years ago
Review summary
This is a great ship for the young families and the older cruisers.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
This had to be the fastest embarkation we have ever had. Drop off at the pier was easy and we were on the ship in less than 15 minutes.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
While we did not eat at any of the specialty restaurants, the dining room food was good. While the buffet seemed to have a theme night every night, breakfast and lunch was pretty much the same. While neither were outstanding, it was decent.
Drinks (juices, ice tea [machine made], coffee, tea and hot chocolate) were available all day long.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
The only pool was jam packed the day of departure. Couldn't even get near it. It became more accessible after the first day. But with a limit of 24 persons for a 1600 passenger ship, it did get fairly crowded.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Performances and shows were okay. We did enjoy the comedy shows and the movies on the big screen.
Children's Programs
Not travelling with children.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Room steward and wait staff were excellent. Very accommodating.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Empress is a very small ship. It was easy to find the areas we need to get to. The common areas were very well kept.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
We were three adults travelling with three carry-ons and two personal bags. The room was way too small for three adults. I cannot imagine what it would be like with four adults having check-in bags. There were two very small closets and our bags only fit by stacking them on top of each other. This room would be okay for a family with small children, maybe. I would not recommend putting more than two adults in these inside rooms.
Ship tip
This for us was a "relaxing" vacation. We didn't do a lot of tours. Mostly beach time. While there's not a whole lot to do on the ship, bring a good book, enjoy the weather, and chill!
Loved Key West. We did the Hop-on Hop-off Conch train but in hindsight, probably should have done, and recommend, the Hop-on Hop-off Trolley. The Conch train only stops at three points (you need to walk the rest) while the Trolley stops at 13 points of interest. I did notice a Duval bus which was free but that only does the Duval Street loop.
We took the taxi ($8) to Mahahual Beach. What we were not told is that once we arrived, we were dropped off at a spot where we were allowed the use of the beach and beach chairs and rest rooms for $5/pp. All other charges (boats, kayak, etc.) is additional, as well as food. We just ordered some drinks and food, which were good. There were vendors selling their wares but they were not terribly pushy.
Just walked the town in Cozumel. Very commercialized - a lot of shopping. Mostly touristy type shops - T-shirts, bags, etc. However, there were some very nice shops along the way. However, the shop keepers were pushy trying to get you into their stores. We finally got fed up with their pushiness that we crossed the street and walked on the other side. They even shouted to us from across the street!
LOVED Coco Cay. We didn't do any additional things, just the beach. They had plenty of beaches to choose from. Two ships docked and it wasn't terribly crowded but we weren't able to get a chair near the water.
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