this was a rare 7 day cruise for empress, from the check in to the last day everything was great !!!!!!!the staff went out of their way to be accommodating, food was good..comedians were very good....I didn't know what to expect because we are big fans of bigger ships but I was very very impressed...the only downside, our suite was right below the pool deck, so late night and early morning you could hear very loudly the deck chairs being dragged around for quit a long time...the room had no refrigerator, but not a big deal...I definitely give this a rating of 9 out of 10..took 1 shore excursion from ship..ruins in Cozumel, was ok...not enough time and one through shipmate..excellent...never lines at guest services...room service was excellent....it is an older ship but everything worked and was very happy with all the staff, they couldn't have been any friendlier..excellent value for the money