Empress of the Seas Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We usually cruise with larger ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet. This was the first time we cruised on the smallest ship. We had great service and attention to detail on this cruise. This was one of the best experiences we had with Royal Caribbean. Their larger ships could use to take some lessons from them. We are Diamond Plus members and even though the ship was small, the staff made up for the niceties we get on the larger ships by being more attentive. The visit to Cuba went smoothly. We did a local tour and were very please with Fertours out of Havana. Our tour guide Lee was excellent and very informative. The people on the Empress were a nice mix of young and older. The only drawback was that the buffet "Windjammer" was small and a little confusing to get around and very congested. Dining in the dining room as very good. The theatre was nice, instead of being just auditorium seats, they had a mix of small tables and chairs and bench seats. The pubs were larger than the larger ships pubs. When we got home, we were so pleased, we checked to see where else the Empress sailed. Just Cuba combo trips for now. We would and have highly recommended this ship to our friends and strangers.
Cabin Review
Ocean View Stateroom
Pleasantly surprised that the obstructed view was not very obstructed after all. Prompt receipt of robes upon request. Excellent room attendant Lydia.
Port Reviews
Miami
Parked our car in Safe cruise parking 3rd st. They are very good about parking and are very efficient in handling such a large group of people. On the flip side, when we came back into port, It took 40 mins and 2 phone calls for them to pick us up. The driver also picked up people and dropped them off at a hotel. A little money under the table? Would not use them again
Cozumel
We have lived in Playa del Carmen before, so we knew Cozumel well. We shopped and had lunch there. It was unnerving to see a couple of trucks of military personnel at the Ferry pier. We noticed that the cruise line and people on Cozumel did not recommend going to the mainland. It is very sad, having lived in Playa del Carmen, to see that it is no longer safe to travel there.