Embarkation and disembarkation both went very smoothly- this was about the only positive of this entire week.

The Empress of the Seas is an older ship and shows its age quite clearly. Despite the ship's recent refurbishment, there is not much that has changed in years. The old and faded red, blue, and yellow window shades on the dining room windows resemble a worn-down carnival. The ceiling in this should-be-clean room is also stained and nasty-looking. The layout of the cabins are also space-inefficient- I highly recommend NOT arranging 4 people in a room (though I've never had a problem with this before with previous cruises). The fitness area of this ship is a few machines and treadmills placed on a balcony over a dance floor of some sort, and is in no way separated from the rest of the ship. It is connected to the pool deck area..

About 85% of people on our cruise were belligerently drunk spring break college students, and therefore congestion was to be found in every area of this ship- which is small to begin with. Understandably, the food and beverage staff were overwhelmed. Sadly, this not only caused food and drink wait times to be extra long, but the staff was unfriendly and clearly ready for the cruise to be over with. Read more