We choose this cruise to visit Cuba! However, the Empress of the Seas turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. Clean, nicely decorated, great food at the windjammer (which we prefer over the dining room experience), very friendly crew, and great shows! Being a small ship was no issue at all. Overall, a great experience and I highly recommend it! In Cuba, we walked around on our own in Havana, there is no need to take a shore excursion. It is a magical place. We spend a few hours exploring Havana in the morning, went back to the ship for lunch, waited for a thunderstorm to pass, and head back out to walk around some more. Key West was fun too, although the ship is only there for the afternoon, and it was very hot and humid in Key West. I hope to be able to visit Cuba again one day, and would next time take the cruise that stays overnight in Havana.