Nancyluvs2cruise

Initially I was unhappy with the late seating as well, but it worked out just fine. Since you usually arrive back close to the first seating time, you would be rushed to freshen up and change for dinner. It was lovely going to the Paddlewheel Lounge and listening to the piano player and enjoy a light snack or popcorn with a drink, then go to the first show. The shows were great. The food is good in both the River Grill and the Main Dining room. I am a steak and lobster person so I was in heaven. I preferred the main dining room for breakfast and lunch. The food was excellent and not overwhelming, but I am not much for buffets. I prefer to be served rather than juggle a plate and go back to find a drink. After all, it's vacation!

Oh my, that movie trailer was a riot! I don't remember seeing that movie, I will have to find it somewhere. Thanks for posting the link.

I sailed on April 10, 2016 from west to east and there were no issues with docking at all. Ted was playing in the lounge on that cruise, but is now at home in The Dalles and playing locally. I don't know who is playing there now.

To answer your question, yes there are quite a few tables for two. The dining room hostess, Ann, is very accommodating.

I enjoyed the Hop On Hop Off bus in every port. The museums are incredible. In a couple of ports we were greeted by members of the local HistoricalSocieties in period costumes. I could have spent a lot longer at many of them. Don't miss some of the little ones either, they are treasures. Full of local history. There was also an opportunity to visit a home. It is the Brid a Blik home and I think it is in Lewiston, your first port. The owners dress in period clothing and your tour this pretty old home filled with antiques. They even serve coffee, juice and cookies. This is exclusive to just people sailing the American Empress. It was a fun stop on the bus tour.

I also did east (Clarksville) to west (Vancouver), then over to Portland for a couple of days. I do believe this is a good route as you get the miserable bus ride from Spokane down to the river out of the way at the beginning. My room was 322, a Deluxe double with a private veranda. I was traveling solo, so I had plenty of room. I wondered how an all American crew would be and let me tell you they are great! Service is impeccable. You can understand every word they say. How refreshing. Lynn, my room attendant kept the fridge full of water and replenished twice a day. The entertainment was also very good. I especially enjoyed the Nez Perce Indian who came aboard, the comedian--magician and the cowboy singer. The shows with just the cruise director and his wife were also good.

I used the Hop On Hop Off in every port. The narration and local guides are excellent. The museums are wonderful. The people on the boat were great

If you are really interested in Lewis and Clark, as I am, make sure you read "Undaunted Courage" by Stephen Ambrose before your trip. There are also many other books on this subject that a re newer, but that one is very detailed.

I booked the Multnomah Falls trip, the Lewis and Clark Experience and the Mt. St. Helen's premium excursions and was very happy with all of them. If you do the Multnomah Falls trip, try to sit on the "door" side of the bus to see the smaller falls as you drive by. I will be happy to answer any questions, as I just got off the boat. BTW my waiter was Smokey and he is great. Try to get him and tell him Nancy says Hi. Also Bill Ballard the chef is usually around and he is wonderful. My other waiter, John, was being promoted to The Pursers office, so that has probably already occurred. I really enjoyed the entertainment in the Paddlewheel Lounge, Ted, and the bartender there, Diamond.

The American empress is currently in The Dalles. This is a beautiful cruise. The dogwood trees and lilacs are blooming as are wildflowers. The hills are green and gorgeous. Hope it stays like this when you sail. I will definitely be posting a review on this site.

I am presently on the American Empress sealing the Snake and Columbia Rivers. Got this cruise for just a 25% supplement and a sale price. Just $2499 for a private veranda. Cruise includes wine and beer with dinner, Hop on Hop off narrated tours in every port. Water and soft drinks free. You can't beat this deal. All American crew. Snacks everyday upstairs in the River Lounge and in the Paddlewheel lounge downstairs. Many other cruises with similar deals. Check out American Queen Steamboat Company. This is my second solo cruise and I love it. I will be looking at their Mississippi and Ohio River itineraries. Very solo friendly ship and company.

Thanks for the tip about Cruiseplum. Never heard of it before. Lots of information

Anyone else going? I am going into Spokane a day early and taking the post tour in Portland. I am on Discovery Deck room 322. Going solo.

I booked my own extra pre-night hotel with Mirbeau Park Hotel in Spokane for almost $200 less than the quote from ASQC. I will have to buy my own breakfast. No brainer.

Internetwhiz, I agree. I have sailed more than 20 times, mostly longer cruises now that I am retired. Since I live here in Florida, the Caribbean is close and convenient, no flying! I have logged hundreds of days at sea, transatlantic and longer southern Caribbean. I like the reciprocity of status within the RCCI community. I achieved Elite on Celebrity awhile ago, and now get the Diamond benefits on RCL. I have only done 4 RCL cruises. It does tend to make you loyal to a brand but I am open to trying others. As I am getting older, I often just go for the ship, not the ports. In fact, I haven't even gone into port on the last two. I enjoy ship amenities and wish more were open on port days. I love those big ships for that reason. There are lots of things to do, good shows and nice places to stroll in Central Park. I agree that attitude is everything. After all, you are on vacation!

Very happy to hear that your family had a great time.

 

I do get tired of posts that suggest everyone can have a great time on every cruise. It just isn't the case. Even those who generally try to made the best of any experience.

 

What would you do if you had to spend five nights sleeping in a cabin that stunk of sewage? Would you choose to be happy? Is that really a choice?

Oh, I am so sorry this happened to you. No, I certainly would not be happy in that terrible situation. I have had good cruises on Cunard, Premiere (now defunct), Admiral (probably also defunct), and Carnival. I am planning to try Norweigan when it bring the Epic to Canaveral. It's fun to try other lines. There are always challenges on every cruise, but sewage? I remember a Celebrity Cruise where the plumbing kept getting stopped up. Less than pleasant. My sympathy.

I took my family on Oasis this summer and had a marvelous time. I contacted Royal Dining ahead of time and they made sure my family had the best table and servers on the ship. I was so happy with the experience. It was my younger son, wife and grandchildren's very first cruise! They will forever be Loyal to Royal. The older son and his wife, who have sailed many lines, thought it was wonderful. Like me, they usually do Celebrity, but I got a kick about the youth, energy and fun on Royal. I love them all. There is so much to like about sailing, the food is the least important thing to me, but my family thought it was great. This was a great time for us, and I am thankful to Royal for making it special for us. With Oasis moving to Cape Canaveral next year, you can be sure I will make this an annual tradition. People are as happy as they choose to be.

Wow. Cool chart.m where did you get that.

I had Voom on Oasis in August and it was fabulous. Celebrity needs this.

I only use this card for cruises and never use it in stores where it might be compromised by a security breach. I also use it for recurring charges like my cellphone and the like. I got tired of having to change credit card information every time Capitol One replaced my card.... Like three times! I have lots of points by now as I cruise a lot.

I've had the same problem, plus I have once again been dropped from their mailing list for Tuesday Specials. I frequently cruise with a friend and he gets them and not me. I worked with the folks at Celebrity for a year to get this fixed and it finally started sending me the info, for about six months. Now, I once again am a non-entity to them. I also cannot access my reservation for January. Can you imagine what kind of idiot would pay for their on-ship internet? $300? The Internet on RCCL is outstanding. They need to share technology. I wonder if they ever read the CC posts. If they do, one would think they would establish an IT department.

I took my family on Oasis this summer and loved it. It was the grandkids first cruise. I treasure seeing them experience this type of vacation for the first time. I did a solo on Allure last December to try out this venue and loved it. It is a different experience. I usually cruise X so it was a change of pace for me, but I liked the small venues like The Promenade Cafe, Park Place and the Mexican Food place. The English Pub was fun. I do miss Michael's since that has been taken away from folks who are not Zenith. I am a lowly Elite and do not book suites. I loved the diving show, the ice skating show, etc. It is a very fun fun atmosphere. That said, I am booked on Celebrity again, and will enjoy my more adult pleasures. Martini Bar vs. Rising Tides. Both experiences are great. Comedy Club on Oasis class is great because this gal can't stay up for an adult comedy show starting at 11:30 pm. Really Celebrity, there are tons on kids on RCL but they have adult comedy at 8 pm. You ought to be able to figure that out. The Internet is incredibly fast on Oasis. Their website even works. I love X and will sail it forever, but once a year my inner child will be back on Oasis. All,cruising is good.

I did a search on this ship just for fun. This was my first cruise back in the early 1980‘s. My husband and I did a repositioning cruise, just a few days long, from Vancouver to Port of Los Angeles. We lost an engine then! How funny is that? I did find out I loved cruising, despite the problems and delay. I thought all cruise ships just served caviar all the time. And then my next cruise was Carnival... Wow, that was a rude awakening. Now I am loyal to Royal, or more accurately, to Celebrity. I have fond memories of that first cruise. I'm glad I found this old thread.

Recently disembarked Oasis at PE and no porters to be found! I was with my family and we had a ton of bags and all the porters were forced to stand in the regular line. It took us hours to get through to customs and I was about to collapse. Some guy ahead of me dropped his unsecured duffle bag on my arm. I can't see how the porters can make a living wage if they make them stand in the regular line. At best, they could only get through twice for a single disembarkation. Who can live on $40 a day?

I was just announced that the Norwegian epic is moving to Port Canaveral in November 2016. Maybe I'll get my chance to try a solo room. since I live in central Florida that would be very convenient for me.