Landed at 11:22 am in Miami, caught a cab to the dock, got in line for check-in & on board getting ready to eat lunch by 12:10. Carried on all our luggage. A bit of a pain having to hang on to it, but so nice to be able to get unpacked & settled right away.

Ship is nice. I really liked the decor. Staff is pleasant.

I was pleased with how quiet it was on Empress deck. We only went to one of the production shows. This was our 5th cruise, so that just didn't interest us as much as the comedy shows. We went to all 4 comedians' shows, PG & R rated. We relaxed most of the time at the adult pool, reading, enjoying the pool & hot tubs. Our cabin steward, Connie & her assistant Iwanto? were great. They don't have foam to soften the beds, so Connie put a comforter under our sheets. It helped a tad, but I probably wouldn't ask anyone to do it again. We actually told her it was no big deal & not to bother with it, but she would have none of that. Read more