Great Value - Great Entertainment - Acceptable Service - Acceptable Food - Acceptable Cabin - Acceptable Activities - Poor / Inconsistent Ship Board Systems (AC, Plumbing, Electrical) - Poor Maintenance & Cleaning in Common Areas

Last minute, inexpensive get away with low expectations. The good news is that while the ship did catch fire briefly, it didn't sink or break down at sea. The downside was intermittent problems with the air conditioning, plumbing and electrical. The entire staff was pleasant and considering the cost of the cruise, the food was acceptable in the main dining room. While it was slim pickings in Windjammer Buffet, we by-passed the ever present hot dogs / burgers and were able to find a few things to eat. We ate at Chops twice and it was very good. Our waiter Terrance provided the best service we received on the whole trip. We found the entertainment in the main theater to be outstanding. We caught 4 of the 5 shows and really enjoyed the presentation and overall quality. Our cabin was standard issue with a dated interior, but clean. Our cabin steward was excellent. We found the common areas of the ship to be dirty and suffering from deferred maintenance. The gym is clearly an afterthought, located in a night club mezzanine area with limited equipment. The furniture in the main dining room is quite old, perhaps original (26yrs old?). The mattress was lumpy and challenging to live with for 5 nights. In all fairness they have only been operating the ship under the Royal Caribbean flag for 5 months now and it might have been worse. I'm not sure what they've done or what they plan to do to the Empress of the Seas to improve it's general condition. Should they bring it up to the same standards we've enjoyed on their other ships, I believe that this alone would improve the rating from a 2/5 to a 4/5.