Just off Empress of the Seas

Hi, I just got home from our cruise on the Empress of the Seas and wanted to pop in and share my experience. Hopefully it will ease the minds of some of you that are scheduled to sail soon as I know that most of the reviews since her refurbishment have not been stellar.

I booked this cruise for myself and my 14 year old step-daughter. I'll admit that after reading the reviews on cruise critic from the first few cruises, I was really nervous about taking this trip. I can honestly say that I worried for nothing.

This was the fastest/smoothest embarkation I have ever experienced. We pulled into the parking lot about 12:10 and were eating lunch at the windjammer by 12:35. It seriously took us longer to walk from the car to the terminal than it did to check in and board.

The buffet was crowded when we arrived, mainly just due to the small size and cafeteria layout, but the line moved quickly and we didn't have an issue finding a table. The food in the buffet was good, pretty typical cruise fare. It was hot and there was plenty of it. I do have to say that the Empress had the BEST cookies I've ever eaten on a cruise ship. Bad news for my diet. LOL The lemon-sugar cookies were my favorite, although I ate plenty of oatmeal as well. My daughter favored the chocolate chunk.

We had my time dining, our wait team was fantastic! Even the maître'd came by to visit every night. We also chatted with her and out assistant waiter in the wind jammer on several occasions. We were able to get the same time/table every night except one. The night we ended up having to sit in a different server's section, both our normal waiter and assistant waiter made a point to come visit with us in the adjoining section. The food was good to very good. They had the best bread ever. The rolls were still hot when they served them. The pumpkin seed were my favorite and my daughter liked the cheese rolls. The deserts were for the most part. yuck. typical cruise deserts. look really pretty, but not much taste.

The ship looked great, she's a grand ol lady. I know lots of people will dislike the ship just based on the size, but we really enjoyed it. Very easy to get around. The staff was always cleaning, polishing, vacuuming etc.. I have to also say that the staff is probably the friendliest I've ever encountered on any ship. Every single staff member from the guys bussing the table to the ship officers acknowledged you every time they passed. They always smiled, and asked if there was any way that they could help us. Even my 14 year old daughter commented on how nice every one was and I think that says a lot.

Our room steward was great. She kept our cooler filled with ice and always addressed us by name when she saw us out in the hallway.

I love the fact that there are so many little out of the way sitting areas to read or just watch the ocean go by. When you are going up or down the stairs by the main dining room there is a small sitting area at each landing. This was one of my favorite places to sit and read.

There was live music in every venue most nights as well as the band playing poolside during the days. The dance parties in the atrium appeared to be well attended. The production shows were absolutely awesome. Better than a lot I've seen on much larger vessels. We also had a couple of comedians and a singer. I'm not much of a night owl, and never made it to the crown Viking lounge, so I can't say what the disco or Bolero's had going on late at night.

I only have a couple of negative comments, keep in mind they are just observations and didn't ruin our vacation or anything, but here they are.... The ship doesn't have a dedicated teen "hang out". The various teen activities moved to a different venue every day. Not really a big deal if your kids are outgoing, but my daughter is really shy, normally she will kinda just hang around the teen area until someone strikes up a conversation with her. That didn't happen this trip and it was kinda a hassle to keep up with WHERE the teen events were being held on a particular day. I think a lot of times they were just not well attended. She did finally make a few friends on the last day, but I think it would have been easier with a set teen spot.

The AC still doesn't work wonderfully well in the casino, I'm not a gambler, so it didn't really affect me, just to let you all know that it is still warmer there than the rest of the ship. It wasn't unbearable or anything, just warmer that most other public areas.

The door on deck 10 that leads out from the elevator lobby to the windjammer on the port side SLAMMED constantly. It needs a soft close thing or something. It drove me crazy one night when I was sitting in the library on deck 9 right below that door. I kept hearing slamming and couldn't figure out what the heck it was. Next time I went to the buffet, I discovered where it was coming from. It wasn't that big of a deal, but I'm sure that any cabins on deck 9 forward on the port side could hear it in their rooms.

I guess that's all for now. I just thought some of y'all that are sailing in the next few weeks would like to know that they seem to be getting the kinks worked out.

 

The buffet was crowded when we arrived, mainly just due to the small size and cafeteria layout, but the line moved quickly and we didn't have an issue finding a table. The food in the buffet was good, pretty typical cruise fare. It was hot and there was plenty of it. I do have to say that the Empress had the BEST cookies I've ever eaten on a cruise ship. Bad news for my diet. LOL The lemon-sugar cookies were my favorite, although I ate plenty of oatmeal as well. My daughter favored the chocolate chunk.

 

Question about the buffet on embarkation day -- did they have paella? It is a tradition for me to have on embarkation day, a nice plate of paella...so hopefully it is there!

Thanks for the review.

It's wonderful to hear that things are moving along smoothly. :)

Question about the buffet on embarkation day -- did they have paella? It is a tradition for me to have on embarkation day, a nice plate of paella...so hopefully it is there!

Yes there was paella on the buffet on embarkation day. Didn't try it though.

Thanks for this nice review!

We also just got off the boat, and that is pretty accurate. We were actually impressed. Ironically, we had our 14 year old son with us. He stayed under us for the 1st 24 hrs. Finally he made a couple friends, and then that group doubled and eventually there were 6-8 kids aged 12-15 hanging out. We wouldn't see him for hours at a time. Too bad we didn't meet up. We could have found your kid some friends to hang with.

Hey, Dave, glad you had a good time on your cruise.

I had to give you a hard time about your name because they call the Atlanta Falcons (my most despised team) the Dirty Birds.

You take it easy, and it's good to know things are improving on the Empress.

No problem. I'm not a big NFL guy (prefer college football), but I'm about halfway between Charlotte and Atlanta.

The production shows were absolutely awesome. Better than a lot I've seen on much larger vessels. We also had a couple of comedians and a singer.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. We were on the May 28th cruise and also thought the Empress was a beautiful ship!

Was one of the Production shows "Sequins & Feathers"? It was the show on the first night of our cruise. We all thought it was a wonderful show but then heard it wasn't performed on the second or third sailing. Hope they continue it!

My wife and I were also on this cruise, we arrived at the dock at 10:40am on 6/11/16 and was aboard at 11:05am. ...This was impressive. We then walked the ship where we got our first drink from the pool bar which was quick this time and went to the windjammer for lunch which was not crowded at this time. We were walking on egg shells at first due to the previous post but we're suppressed with great service and a clean ship. I will put together a review in a few days as well.

Thank for the Post was getting ready to write up the will lol will be sailing on 6-25-16. Hope the Ice Cream is working!!! :D

DD

We also just got off the boat, and that is pretty accurate. We were actually impressed. Ironically, we had our 14 year old son with us. He stayed under us for the 1st 24 hrs. Finally he made a couple friends, and then that group doubled and eventually there were 6-8 kids aged 12-15 hanging out. We wouldn't see him for hours at a time. Too bad we didn't meet up. We could have found your kid some friends to hang with.

That would have been great. DD is so shy around people she doesn't know. She finally made friends on the last day with a family that had 5 teens. I think I'll shoot for a bigger ship with a dedicated teen hang out next time I take her. but for myself, I really enjoyed the Empress.

Thank for the Post was getting ready to write up the will lol will be sailing on 6-25-16. Hope the Ice Cream is working!!! :D

 

DD

It was definitely working on our trip. Think good thoughts. LOL

We also just got off the boat, and that is pretty accurate. We were actually impressed. Ironically, we had our 14 year old son with us. He stayed under us for the 1st 24 hrs. Finally he made a couple friends, and then that group doubled and eventually there were 6-8 kids aged 12-15 hanging out. We wouldn't see him for hours at a time. Too bad we didn't meet up. We could have found your kid some friends to hang with.

DirtybirdDave I have a teenage son about the same age and he was no doubt part of that group of kids hanging out with your son. They seemed to be a nice group and my son had a great time meeting new friends!

If you are reading this thread because you have an upcoming cruise on Empress, do not worry, it will be great! I echo all the good things the OP had to say.

Embarkation was easy. We practically walked right on.

The Windjammer was somewhat crowded at times, but that's true of other larger ships I have been on as well. The food was good. The second day they had amazing Mexican food. The guacamole was so fresh and yummy!

The food in the dining room was good too. I never had any trouble finding something I liked. I recommend the crab cakes and the potato / jalapeno soup. They were very good. Also on our five day sailing they served lobster. It was bigger than I've received on other cruise lines, and on lobster night they also served FREE wine! Our dining staff was excellent. They were friendly and very accommodating to those traveling with us that had food allergies. As mentioned above, the maitre'd came by every night to check on us. Service was great.

There was lots to do on the ship, rock climbing, arcade, pool, ping pong tournament, trivia, scavenger hunt, karaoke, etc,etc... I felt like there was always lots going on, and a fun party atmosphere.

The nightlife was good shows, comedians, 70's party, white party, and dance club. However one of our favorite spots was the piano bar. Billy the piano player is great. He starts playing around 9pm. Most night the place was packed by 9:30 and lots of people were dancing and having fun. One night there was a huge congo line started at the piano bar and went all the way out to the Atrium area. It depends on the passengers, but the 6/11 sailing was filled with great people who loved to have a good time!

We visited the Casino for a few fun hands a couple of nights. The staff there was great as well. It was a tad warmer than the rest of the ship, but nothing terrible.

The younger kids were in and out of the Oceans adventure Club. They were old enough to check themselves in and out, and enjoyed the freedom of choosing their own activities. The ship was small enough that we always knew where they were. My teenage son (as noted above) met up with a group of teens and the group grew each day. They did some of the ship scheduled teen events, and played ping pong, hung out by the pool or just "hung out". I agree a dedicated teen space would have been nice.

Tendering at Grand Cayman was easy, very little waiting to get on or off.

Ice cream worked the whole time, and the audio by the pool worked great too! There were no A/C problems or plumbing problems that I was aware of, with the exception of the Casino which wasn't even that bad.

Bottom line. Our 6/11 sailing was great! We had a great time. If I hadn't been following the "dry dock" issues, I doubt I would have thought this cruise any different than any of the other 7 cruises I've been on. So do not worry, the Empress is a great ship with a wonderful staff. If you have a cruise coming up, enjoy...I wish I was going with you.

I agree with everything above. The ship looked great. The crew were very personable and helpful. MDR staff were amazing. The sea day brunches in the MDR were very good. We loved it! We also brought a group of 3 first time cruisers with us and they love it as well. So many quaint little areas with great views to sit all around the ship that bigger ships just don't have. We would absolutely sail her again!

DirtybirdDave I have a teenage son about the same age and he was no doubt part of that group of kids hanging out with your son. They seemed to be a nice group and my son had a great time meeting new friends!

 

If you are reading this thread because you have an upcoming cruise on Empress, do not worry, it will be great! I echo all the good things the OP had to say.

 

Embarkation was easy. We practically walked right on.

 

The Windjammer was somewhat crowded at times, but that's true of other larger ships I have been on as well. The food was good. The second day they had amazing Mexican food. The guacamole was so fresh and yummy!

 

The food in the dining room was good too. I never had any trouble finding something I liked. I recommend the crab cakes and the potato / jalapeno soup. They were very good. Also on our five day sailing they served lobster. It was bigger than I've received on other cruise lines, and on lobster night they also served FREE wine! Our dining staff was excellent. They were friendly and very accommodating to those traveling with us that had food allergies. As mentioned above, the maitre'd came by every night to check on us. Service was great.

 

There was lots to do on the ship, rock climbing, arcade, pool, ping pong tournament, trivia, scavenger hunt, karaoke, etc,etc... I felt like there was always lots going on, and a fun party atmosphere.

 

The nightlife was good shows, comedians, 70's party, white party, and dance club. However one of our favorite spots was the piano bar. Billy the piano player is great. He starts playing around 9pm. Most night the place was packed by 9:30 and lots of people were dancing and having fun. One night there was a huge congo line started at the piano bar and went all the way out to the Atrium area. It depends on the passengers, but the 6/11 sailing was filled with great people who loved to have a good time!

 

We visited the Casino for a few fun hands a couple of nights. The staff there was great as well. It was a tad warmer than the rest of the ship, but nothing terrible.

 

The younger kids were in and out of the Oceans adventure Club. They were old enough to check themselves in and out, and enjoyed the freedom of choosing their own activities. The ship was small enough that we always knew where they were. My teenage son (as noted above) met up with a group of teens and the group grew each day. They did some of the ship scheduled teen events, and played ping pong, hung out by the pool or just "hung out". I agree a dedicated teen space would have been nice.

 

Tendering at Grand Cayman was easy, very little waiting to get on or off.

 

Ice cream worked the whole time, and the audio by the pool worked great too! There were no A/C problems or plumbing problems that I was aware of, with the exception of the Casino which wasn't even that bad.

 

Bottom line. Our 6/11 sailing was great! We had a great time. If I hadn't been following the "dry dock" issues, I doubt I would have thought this cruise any different than any of the other 7 cruises I've been on. So do not worry, the Empress is a great ship with a wonderful staff. If you have a cruise coming up, enjoy...I wish I was going with you.

Great to hear....we sail on her August 25th.....looking forward to it.....well we always look forward to cruising.

Thanks for all positive comments. That makes us feel less worrying. Our 5 nights/6 days cruise to Grand Cayman and Key West will be on board on 6/25. This is our first cruise ever and to celebrate my big 50 on 6/25 as well. The most concerns are toilet flushing problem, A/C and clean environment, also seasick and the weather on the week of 6/25 is not so good. I'm little nervous. We cannot afford the fancy suite so our interior stateroom is located at 8/F, not many choices.

I was surprised people said no formal night in dining room for 5 nights, really? We didn't drink much so we didn't buy any package but would like to know if we can buy couple of drinks there with our on board account, or it would be nice if they offer a free drink, lol!

Hi, I just got home from our cruise on the Empress of the Seas and wanted to pop in and share my experience. Hopefully it will ease the minds of some of you that are scheduled to sail soon as I know that most of the reviews since her refurbishment have not been stellar.

 

I booked this cruise for myself and my 14 year old step-daughter. I'll admit that after reading the reviews on cruise critic from the first few cruises, I was really nervous about taking this trip. I can honestly say that I worried for nothing.

 

This was the fastest/smoothest embarkation I have ever experienced. We pulled into the parking lot about 12:10 and were eating lunch at the windjammer by 12:35. It seriously took us longer to walk from the car to the terminal than it did to check in and board.

 

The buffet was crowded when we arrived, mainly just due to the small size and cafeteria layout, but the line moved quickly and we didn't have an issue finding a table. The food in the buffet was good, pretty typical cruise fare. It was hot and there was plenty of it. I do have to say that the Empress had the BEST cookies I've ever eaten on a cruise ship. Bad news for my diet. LOL The lemon-sugar cookies were my favorite, although I ate plenty of oatmeal as well. My daughter favored the chocolate chunk.

 

We had my time dining, our wait team was fantastic! Even the maître'd came by to visit every night. We also chatted with her and out assistant waiter in the wind jammer on several occasions. We were able to get the same time/table every night except one. The night we ended up having to sit in a different server's section, both our normal waiter and assistant waiter made a point to come visit with us in the adjoining section. The food was good to very good. They had the best bread ever. The rolls were still hot when they served them. The pumpkin seed were my favorite and my daughter liked the cheese rolls. The deserts were for the most part. yuck. typical cruise deserts. look really pretty, but not much taste.

 

The ship looked great, she's a grand ol lady. I know lots of people will dislike the ship just based on the size, but we really enjoyed it. Very easy to get around. The staff was always cleaning, polishing, vacuuming etc.. I have to also say that the staff is probably the friendliest I've ever encountered on any ship. Every single staff member from the guys bussing the table to the ship officers acknowledged you every time they passed. They always smiled, and asked if there was any way that they could help us. Even my 14 year old daughter commented on how nice every one was and I think that says a lot.

 

Our room steward was great. She kept our cooler filled with ice and always addressed us by name when she saw us out in the hallway.

 

I love the fact that there are so many little out of the way sitting areas to read or just watch the ocean go by. When you are going up or down the stairs by the main dining room there is a small sitting area at each landing. This was one of my favorite places to sit and read.

 

There was live music in every venue most nights as well as the band playing poolside during the days. The dance parties in the atrium appeared to be well attended. The production shows were absolutely awesome. Better than a lot I've seen on much larger vessels. We also had a couple of comedians and a singer. I'm not much of a night owl, and never made it to the crown Viking lounge, so I can't say what the disco or Bolero's had going on late at night.

 

I only have a couple of negative comments, keep in mind they are just observations and didn't ruin our vacation or anything, but here they are.... The ship doesn't have a dedicated teen "hang out". The various teen activities moved to a different venue every day. Not really a big deal if your kids are outgoing, but my daughter is really shy, normally she will kinda just hang around the teen area until someone strikes up a conversation with her. That didn't happen this trip and it was kinda a hassle to keep up with WHERE the teen events were being held on a particular day. I think a lot of times they were just not well attended. She did finally make a few friends on the last day, but I think it would have been easier with a set teen spot.

 

The AC still doesn't work wonderfully well in the casino, I'm not a gambler, so it didn't really affect me, just to let you all know that it is still warmer there than the rest of the ship. It wasn't unbearable or anything, just warmer that most other public areas.

 

The door on deck 10 that leads out from the elevator lobby to the windjammer on the port side SLAMMED constantly. It needs a soft close thing or something. It drove me crazy one night when I was sitting in the library on deck 9 right below that door. I kept hearing slamming and couldn't figure out what the heck it was. Next time I went to the buffet, I discovered where it was coming from. It wasn't that big of a deal, but I'm sure that any cabins on deck 9 forward on the port side could hear it in their rooms.

 

I guess that's all for now. I just thought some of y'all that are sailing in the next few weeks would like to know that they seem to be getting the kinks worked out.

Thanks so much for the great update. Am doing a B2B in July.

Thanks for all positive comments. That makes us feel less worrying. Our 5 nights/6 days cruise to Grand Cayman and Key West will be on board on 6/25. This is our first cruise ever and to celebrate my big 50 on 6/25 as well. The most concerns are toilet flushing problem, A/C and clean environment, also seasick and the weather on the week of 6/25 is not so good. I'm little nervous. We cannot afford the fancy suite so our interior stateroom is located at 8/F, not many choices.

 

I was surprised people said no formal night in dining room for 5 nights, really? We didn't drink much so we didn't buy any package but would like to know if we can buy couple of drinks there with our on board account, or it would be nice if they offer a free drink, lol!

While there is no dedicated "formal night", most people dressed up for the last night. I think it would be perfectly fine for you to pick that night if you wanted to. We also are not big drinkers so we did not purchase a beverage package. They provided lemonade, tea, punch throughout the whole cruise and that was fine. On the last night they provided complimentary glass of wine and that was pretty cool. We also did a few bar drinks and they are just added to your account. No issue with that. We were in a regular outside cabin (deck 3), they are small but no major issues with the cabin.

Question about the buffet on embarkation day -- did they have paella? It is a tradition for me to have on embarkation day, a nice plate of paella...so hopefully it is there!

I saw in other reviews that they had seafood paella AND honey-stung chicken. My former favorite meal, up until they got rid of the honey-stung chicken on most embarkation day buffets.

Thanks for the great review! For those of you sailing on 6/25, check out our roll call for our sailing! My family and I are really getting excited!!

How was disembarking? I need to set up a shuttle time pickup to get us back to FLL, I am in no hurry. I'm sailing in later July.

Is 10:00 ok? Do they kick you off super early? Or is it a slow process? Thanks

Thank you BusyBlond for your review. It certainly have relieved my concern as my wife and I will be sailing on July 23.

The most important thing I (just me, not my wife) looking forward to: Karaoke and piano bar. Need to do some serious singing. No kidding.

How was disembarking? I need to set up a shuttle time pickup to get us back to FLL, I am in no hurry. I'm sailing in later July.

Is 10:00 ok? Do they kick you off super early? Or is it a slow process? Thanks

We did the walk-off and were off the ship and through customs by 8:15.

Did you get a staggered check in email for Empress? First time we've had one of these come in. It is check in by decks. Decks 8 & 9 check in at 11-12:00, so not a problem for us. Feel bad for deck 3 folks; check in at 2-3 pm! :(