Great value with RC kicking in forth night free. This is a very old ship with a $50 mil. new paint job. The crew is poor even for the budget cruise market. Dining staff is the best, they try but somehow manage to always miss the mark. Hotel staff rude,cabin staff clueless almost no one really understands English. Ships AC spotty in places, dealers in casino using small electric fans while dealing. Pool is to small not functional for at sea days with 2020 guests. On the up side, food itself was good above average, entertainment very good and the small ship is very easy to get around. RC rated this ship at 3 1/2 stars if you expect 5 star you'll be disappointed so don't sweat the small stuff and you'll have a great get away. I've been on 35 day cruises and I would not want to be on this ship for 35 days but for a long weekender the Dowager Empress is just great,enjoyable cruise and you really can't beat the price.