8 Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: October 25, 2019
Ship:
Empress of the Seas
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: 4601
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 3 years ago
Review summary
If you want a laid back cruise on a small, but well kept ship, look no further than Empress. If you are expecting world class entertainment with a lot of onboard activities, this is not the cruise for you!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation was quick and easy. We were able to get right on the after checking in.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Not the best, but certainly not the worse quality of food. This ship offered some of the best service we have experienced.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
This ship is very small, so don't expect a lot of activities.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
As we said for the activities, don't expect much in the way of entertainment as the ship is small and is very limited in it's offerings. Empress is the smallest and oldest ship in Royal's fleet, and the entertainment is far from the best Royal has to offer. She is an old ship with tired old school entertainment.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
The service was surprisingly good during our time onboard. This was slightly tarnished by an aggressive piano player that didn't like to be on video. He grabbed my camera and told me to put it away.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Empress is old, but in pretty good condition. Most of the decor is dated, but charming in it's own way. The Cuban themed bar is perhaps the nicest and newest area of the ship. Those looking for a good gym need to book a different ship. The gym on Empress is very small and placed on the second floor of the nightclub. It's bizarre to say the least. Due to her size, the ship is very easy to get around, however, her design is sort of all over the place. You can tell that she had many deck alterations over the years. There is also an odd tube style elevator near the main dining room that has been out of service for many years.
Cabin / Stateroom
2 out of 5
The cabins are old, outdated, and very small. Our cabin had limited storage space and didn't include a mini fridge. Larger cruisers will have a tough time using the shower. The shower also has a curtain that is almost guaranteed to stick to you and flood the bathroom floor.
Ship tip
Expect a different type of cruise. Empress is very laid back. Since there isn't much to do, you find yourself relaxing and talking to others a lot more than normal. We spent most of our time in the pool and talking to others that were doing the same.
Royal has really improved this island. Coco Cay has something for every type of cruiser. You can stay active at the water park, social at the (very large) pool, or relax on one of the many private beaches. This island also offers some of the best food options at no extra cost.
We absolutely love Old San Juan. The area is always nice and so are the locals. Puerto Rico is also Uber friendly, so getting around is cheap and easy.
One of the best and cleanest ports we have ever been to. The people are extremely friendly as well. We highly recommend stopping by the upstairs cigar bar and talking to the owner Steve. He is a super nice guy that can tell you everything you ever wanted to know about the island. We highly recommend taking the tour excursion around the island. It's affordable and we enjoyed every minute. Just be sure to take your camera!
The area of the port that Royal uses is at the opposite end of the main shops and where the other ships dock. It's nice, but far away. Expect to take a taxi or shuttle to do almost anything. You can walk, but it's a long way!
Miami is a great port once you get onboard the ship. Everything else is a nightmare. Miami is by far our least favorite Florida port. It's expensive, the traffic sucks, and it's the farthest for us to drive to. We much prefer Fort Lauderdale.
Empress was my first cruise and my favorite. I literally cried when I found out she was done. It was the topping to a crummy 2020. We had awesome entertainment on that ship. At the time, Elvis was the CD and Flavio was the entertainment director. Not sure what happened to either of them but they were fantastic.
Yeah, it was sad to see her go. I was hoping that they would have kept Empress for future sailings to Cuba. I think that sailing on some of Royal's smaller ships such as Enchantment of the Seas, Vision of the Seas, Rhapsody of the Seas, etc. Would be very similar, seeing that they aren't much larger than Empress.
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