Empress of the Seas Review
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We happened upon this particular cruise just because we were looking for something that would have us on board for New Years Eve. We also like to travel as inexpensively as possible. We had an interior cabin on the third deck. Probably doesn't get any less desireable in terms of location. Cabin size was adequate and we experienced no issues with noise or ship movement. Cabin was serviced just as if it were the "penthouse"; steward was terrific.
Empress of the Seas is a relatively small ship; about 2500 passengers. This has advantages and disadvantages. It's very easy to get from one place to another due to smaller size and somehow the entire atmosphere seemed more "homey/intimate". The down side for some would be smaller pools and deck area. Also only one specialty dining opportunity. The theatre was small but the shows were good. One drawback for us was that the ship could not accommodate art lectures and auctions. Some passengers seemed to think we were experiencing more rocking because of size. The degree of motion did not have any impact on us.
Service was great everywhere. Food was plentiful and good (not exceptional). All in all we had an excellent experience and made some new friends.
Cabin Review
Port Reviews
Miami
The check in experience was excellent
Cozumel
There's plenty of opportunity for excursions but we always end up shopping in Cozumel. Not much is said about the Mexican government rebate on purchase of nearly 9%. We also learned the hard way about customs and jewelry. Loose stones are not subject to duty. We bought a stone but had it mounted as an upgrade inan existing ring. So even though we only purchased the stone, the fact that it was mounted made it subject to duty.