Overall, this was a great cruise. We did experience several windy days for the majority of our trip, however they didn't put a damper on our vacation. The Empress is a great smaller ship that allows you interact with smaller groups of people. However, if you prefer to have more choices for dinner and more entertainment options, the Empress is not for you.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Getting to Terminal J in Miami is a pain but once you get there, getting onboard is fairly easy.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Food in the main dining, buffet, and Chops Grille was fantastic!
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
I really enjoyed the onboard activities. I even tried a sushi making class, which I didn't really think I would enjoy but it turned out to be an extremely fun class! Night time parties were fun too.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
I only saw a couple of shows. The comedian was ok. Nothing to write home about. The welcome aboard show was probably the best. I had heard other cruise guests complain that some of the dance performances were cheesy and not very good so they ended up leaving the shows.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Ship personnel was fantastic! Our room attendants are always top notch no matter which Royal Caribbean cruise we take, including the Empress
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
For being a smaller ship, the layout is pretty good and easy to maneuver. Everything was very clean and well cared for.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
My major complaint is that the interior cabins on this boat are EXTREMELY small. Even a Royal Caribbean worker said the interior cabins on the Empress are the smallest in the fleet. The same can also be said about the bathroom/shower. Very small space. However, the cabin was kept very clean and comfortable to sleep in.
Ship tip
If you would like a ship that offers a bunch of restaurants and entertainment options, the Empress is not for you.
San Juan was fun, however we got into port late and didn't have time to visit the castles before they closed at 6pm. However, the city was fun to see at night and there were great restaurants and bars to visit.
This port is far more busy than the last time I visited St. Thomas. Our excursion/tour guide was not able to give us a full tour to Mountain Top because there were so many tourists trying to get to that place. It was a 2 hour wait just to get up there. I don't really have any interest in going back to St. Thomas.
AMAZING PORT! This was my first time to St. Croix and I absolutely LOVED it. Way less people than some of the other islands so you actually had room to breathe and stretch your arms LOL We did the catamaran excursion on the Jolly Mon and went to Rainbow Beach. The Catamaran served unlimited rum punch. This was my favorite port/excursion of my WHOLE trip! Highly recommend the catamaran trip in St. Croix :)
Disembarkation experience was good overall. However, I really did not like the fact that when leaving the ship with luggage, you had to carry it down several flights of stairs. There should be a ramp to assist guests with carrying off their own luggage.
One YouTube video I saw said that since the cabins were so small, the common areas were larger per passenger compared to other ships. Only sleep in cabin so I appreciate more room on the ship.
I've never been on a disembarkation where I could not find an elevator or an escalator to depart. People I hope you do realize unless you are buying a mini suite or above your cabin rooms are usually small. Remember that they are only to sleep in, your not moving in.
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