Empress of the Seas Review

3.0 / 5.0
0 reviews

Just ok. Nothing spectacular.

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Empress of the Seas
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kmarlenee
6-10 Cruises • Age 40s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Dec 2016
Traveled with children

We chose this cruise because we received a really good deal, kids sail free. And we have 2 small children. We knew it was the smallest ship in the fleet but wanted to try it anyway. We loved the ports. Belize was our favorite. Such a great port to shop and wander around. The ship was quite old. You could really tell that by the layout of the public areas. They were very crowded and congested. I will say it was nice to be able to get around the whole ship in just a few moments as opposed to the bigger ships where it takes you forever. But there was definitely some traffic issues in the main areas (ie. dining room entrance, windjammer entrance, main atrium). The boat also rocked quite a bit. You could feel it anytime we were out of port. The pool was quite small. Very crowded with about 15 people in it. The kids had a hard time swimming around and playing. There was a little kids splash pad but it was only about 8 inches deep and none of the sprayers worked so it was a little boring after about 10 mins. The food was just ok. Nothing to write home about. The one really good meal was the day before we got off. When we could choose lobster or prime rib. Normally it was an additional $34.95. We preferred to eat in the dinning room for breakfast as well. The windjammer was just so crowded and the food was not very good.

Overall it was an ok cruise. Would I have enjoyed it if I had to pay more? Definitely not. But for the price, it was nice to get out of the cold and snow for a week. We'll be sticking to larger boats though for sure.

Cabin Review

Cabin Inside

Our cabin was incredibly small. The bunks didn't pull out of the ceiling like most cabins. They were fold down. Which took up quite a bit of space. To get out of the bottom bed (when pushed together) you really had to watch your head and shimmy out.

Port Reviews

Roatan

Very very small port. Would definitely recommend taking an excursion. There's no beach around the port.

Miami

We flew in the night before the cruise. Stayed at the Holiday Inn downtown/port of Miami. It was good. Right across the street from a nice pier with shops and restaurants. We were about 10 mins from the boat. We could see our ship from our room.

Costa Maya

The port was very nice. Lot's of shops and restaurants right off the boat. There was a pool in the center that my kids loved. It had a little wading area which was nice for my little one. The restaurant we ate at was RIDICULOUSLY expensive. As in $14 for chips and guacamole. $6 for a coke, no alcohol just the soda. I don't remember the name of it but it was the one attached to the pool. Super loud music. I'm not sure if all of the restaurants were this expensive but wow this one was crazy.

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