The Empress' motto is "the smallest ship with the biggest heart", and it is an apt and accurate description. This was my first cruise, and I never expected to enjoy it as much as I did. Literally every single staff member, from Juan our very attentive stateroom attendant, to Chandan, our exceptional server, was kind, accommodating, and professional. My girlfriend and I never passed by anyone without a sincere hello and smile; we were so enchanted by it, and she was relatively more experienced with cruises (though she always told me Royal Caribbean was the best for a reason). We really felt catered to and genuinely cared about, and needless to say it was a nice feeling.

The food was great and variable. Not everything was gold of course, but with so many options available at almost any given time, there was always something for everyone. We especially enjoyed the Starlight Diner and our servers Chandan and Jose, who went above and beyond to spoil us with more food and attention to detail than we knew what to do with!! It was something we looked forward from the moment we woke up.

As far as we saw, the ship was always clean and well maintained, and we never had issues getting around exploring all the fun activities and social spaces. We especially enjoyed the various events hosted by Elvis and Angelle, who seem genuinely enthusiastic and energetic about their jobs; we even enjoyed watching them on the cruise channel in our room! Read more