Empress of the Seas Review
A special time with great employees, food, and independent guides
Rating by category
Additional details
We choose this cruise solely for the destination of Cuba, The Empress of the Seas was docked at the Havana port for almost 2 days which was wonderful. Virtually all crew we encountered were helpful and upbeat. The 1800 passengers were walking around with jackets on for the first two days because the ship was far too cold and apparently it could not be corrected. The food and entertainment was better than we experienced on recent cruises.
Excursions: The first day in Havana we cancelled our 4 hour Havana bus tour ($69 PP) on the welcome advice of the excursion department since it would be duplicated by the 2nd day's 7 hour bus tour ($199 PP). We walked off the ship and were approached to take a one hour horse and buggy ride for $20 PP. We were dropped at a car lot (3 blocks from the cruise terminal) where we negotiated a two plus hour classic convertible ride with the 2 owners (Michael and Jesus) of the 1950 Chevrolet for the total price of $110. It was worth every penny. We exchanged very little money for CUCs and paid for both these with US Dollars. Since we were locked into the ships 7 hour day two excursion we took it and found it to be about 4 hours with a 2 hour $20 PP (value) lunch. We saw only 2 areas not previously seen. A reasonable price for that Cuban Government operated excursion would have been $119 PP for someone who had not seen the sites included therein.
Cabin Review
Cabin was larger than most because it was a 4 person room used by 2 passengers. Window was dirty but unsure if it can be cleaned since the ship is close to 30 years old. The shower and the entire bathroom were both very small. The temperature thermostat did not work. The stateroom was very cold the entire first day then did improve but could not be regulated by us. Many passengers wore jackets the 1st two days inside the far too cold common areas of the ship.
We enjoyed two lunches at the specialty restaurant, Chops, on the first and last day of the 5 night cruise. On the first day we were the only couple in Chops. On both occasions the service and food was spectacular. The food in the dining room was much better than that recently experienced on the Freedom of the Seas.
There was no Diamond Room on the Empress, so there was no nightly gathering which we usually very much appreciate on Royal Caribbean ship sailings.
The ship was in remarkable condition, especially considering its age. It even had a small climbing wall, which was seldom used by the passengers, which included only about 25 children. The most neglected maintenance was the windows which were likely permanently dirty from age but could have been cleaner if washed.
In the areas close to both the Key West and Havana ports we observed very little hurricane damage.