My family of four chose this ship and itinerary because we have always wanted to see Key West, Cuba, and Cozumel, but never wanted to fly to these places and spend more than a few days. I have to say had a terrific time! We only cruised one other time on the Oasis of the Seas, so we were a bit nervous about scaling down from one of the largest ships to one of RC smallest ships. Nevertheless, we loved the Empress! It was (literally) smooth sailing. The ship is certainly much smaller and does not have all the bells and whistles, but it was no less fun. Our interior rooms (we had two) were tidy thanks to Manuel G. He did a great job keeping up with our teenagers' room, which is no easy feat! Chandan and Milton took great care of us in the Starlight main dining room; Chandan even went out of his way on a few occasions to say hello to us in the Windjammer. The nightly entertainment was terrific each night - we really laughed. Hugo Arenas, the Cruise Director was terrific ("yes or yes") and really set the tone for the entire time. We navagated Key West on our own, which went well (it is walkable). The two excusions we booked for Cozumel and Cuba (Best of Havana Express with Heminway House & Mayan Runins w/Chocolate Tasting) were great. Cozumel was not what we were expecting as far as the port was concerned and I will say that of all of the ports we have been to now we were harrassed the most at Cozumel. Those who run the excursions at Cozumel and Cuba also had no problem asking for tips for just about every one that is encountered! We even had to pay a dollar to use the rest room in Cuba.