I chose this cruise because i was booking last minute and did not have any knowledge of cruises. Judge me if you will, but I did not even know that there was different ships, and I thought there was only two cruise lines, being carnival and RCCL. We booked last minute, a four day cruise, and it was cheap. Not even over $1,000 for two people total. We flew to miami and stayed in a hotel before hand, MIAMI WAS BEAUTIFUL. I loved it. we got there about 1230 and we did not even know to have luggage tags or any paperwork whatsoever, but everyone was extremly helpful. It honestly took about 30 minutes from getting out of the taxi to getting on the ship, and since i was expecting a long wait time, this was a good thing. Empress of the seas is a beautiful ship, BUT i would NOT reccomend for families with children. this ship did not have much for children. I think only one pool and a few hot tubs. it is small; take that into consideration. everyone on this ship was drinking. every. single. person, which i assume was because it was cheap so a bunch of college kids could afford it, I.E- myself. another thing (the reason i rated only 4 stars) was the food. i am a picky eater as is, but the food was NOT fantastic. I was expecting wonderful yummy food, great variety. but no. the dining room experience was alright. nothing amazing. but i loved this cruise because of the meories and the amazing people we met while on board. all that being said, you can have fun anywhere, and at anytime.