Empress of the Seas Review
Great little ship (This is a VERY long review)
Rating by category
Additional details
My wife and I have been on one cruise before with Carnival and wanted something geared more towards a laid-back adult lifestyle rather than the constant 'booze-cruze' party that we found on Carnival (not that it's a bad thing, just not our speed)
The empress is the smallest ship they have in the fleet, and one of the older ones. It has a lot of heart and is rather comfortable. There aren't as many fancy extras as the larger ships - but having a lot less space to cover makes for easy walking to and from the various parts of the ship. Also, having less people leads to less crowding at the pinch points during shore time, embarking/disembarking.
Our server and assistant server in the main dining room were a hoot - they were very attentive, had a great attitude, made great recommendations and even brought out different food items just for fun. Being that only my wife and I were traveling, we were placed at a table with two other couples (the one couple never showed up, so only one other couple was with us) We're always happy to converse with new people, so we had a great time talking to them. I'm not sure if they offer the ability to be seated alone (if you're looking for a more romantic/intimate meal experience or just don't want to socialize with others) but again, that wasn't a problem for us at all.
Cabin Review
The stateroom was small, we didn't find it to a be a problem but it should be noted for those who may have an issue with a smaller space. We stayed in 7606, which is listed as a partially obstructed ocean view. We found that only about 30-40% of the window was obstructed. This was fine considering we could still see quite a bit, and we had natural light coming in - which was fantastic.
Two negatives that should be noted - there was a very slight sewer smell (not fresh stuff, the fermented sewer smell) which may note a plumbing vent leak or similar. The other is that you can hear the entertainment going on in the Centrum - they stop the music etc by 11pm so that isn't terrible. However, if you like a bit more peace and quiet or go to bed early I'd recommend moving further away from the midship section. Sound isolation was otherwise pretty good, you could very rarely hear your neighbor flush the toilet or loud talkers, but you wouldn't really be disturbed by it if you're used to hotels or living in an apartment.
Otherwise the stateroom was clean and cozy, the HVAC worked well, there was lots of lighting options for nighttime usage. The bed(s) was a bit firm, but doable.
There was no mini fridge, but ice was offered. There is no customer laundromat - that was a bit surprising and put a bit of a pinch to ration our clothing. They offer to do your laundry for you, but its $35 USD flat rate for what amounts to a grocery bag full. That is a bit excessive in my books.
Joseph was our room attendant; he was great, never obtrusive but always at hand to answer a question or fulfill a request. He always had the room top notch and ready for us.