Empress of the Seas Key West/Cuba August 26-30, 2017 Review

We (DW, 11 year old son and I) recently completed this cruise and are providing a review for future Cuba cruisers. I am a technophobe when it comes to including photos, So be forewarned, no photos. We flew to Tampa early Saturday morning (6 am flight from Islip through Baltimore on Southwest). We were unable to leave a day early as we are accustomed because our son had a dance performance on Friday night. We arrived in Tampa a little early at 11:15 am and got an Uber to the pier. We arrived at the pier a few minutes after noon and the lines (even the suites and diamond) were fairly long. I think the extra paperwork requirement (medical and passenger affidavits) slowed down the process significantly. When we arrived at check-in, we found that selecting Part C (educational activities including people-to-people) was unacceptable. I had to redo the forms selecting Part A or Part B people to people. Since we had no RCCL excursions selected we chose Part B. We finished check-in and boarded the ship at 1 pm. Staterooms were ready so we dropped off our hand luggage and went to the Windjammer for lunch. The variety was very good and we enjoyed lunch. Just a note about the WJ. The serving set up was kinda weird. There were 2 entrances, one on each side of the elevators, each leading to a serving line (Hint: the entrance to the left of the elevators was usually less crowded). Also the seating arrangement was strange and in some areas was very crowded.

We explored the ship for a while until muster. We found Boleros (quite a large, nicely decorated venue) and the coffee bar at it's entrance. I had a Dark and Stormy (I was the only one with a beverage plan) while sat outside Boleros and watched the activity at the dock and nearby Tampa. Muster was at 3:30 pm and was the most disorganized and least informative muster I've ever participated in. The leader's biggest concern was that we out shouted our station number to other muster stations.

After muster we returned to our stateroom, 8500 with forward ocean view. There was open viewing area in front of our cabin with access from the hallway. We went out there (along with about 20 others) to watch sail away. Great vantage point. Also went out there as the ship approached and passed under the Skyway bridge. Another excellent view.

We returned to our cabin and the luggage arrived a little after 5 pm. We were able to store some items in the closet and bathroom (we also bring an over the door shoe holder for bulkier bathroom items). The suitcases also fit under the beds and we slid them out when we wanted to retrieve items still in them. The room itself was small with 2 Pullman beds. We had the beds put together as a king and that left little room to exit the bed especially on the side with the Pullman down. But once out of bed access to the desk area and the bathroom was easy (easier that the Jewel with the pull out couch extended). The cabin was not huge but suitable for the 3 of us for a 4 day cruise. Probably would choose to make them twins with the walkway down the center of the cabin next time.

We had made a 7:15 pm My Time dining reservation in the Starlight Dining room. We were seated immediately at a table just in from the windows. Sidnye and Lulu were our wait staff and they were excellent. They especially catered to our 11 year old son. He ordered a Shirley Temple the first night and each succeeding night it was delivered without asking. The same for my request for savory bites.

For dinner our son had his favorite RCCL soup, Minestrone and my wife and I had the French Onion. DW also had a Caesar salad and I had Beef Carpaccio. Our son had the pepperoni pizza from the kids menu (the staff had no problem mixing and matching from the adult menu and kids menu for our son). My wife had the Mushroom Risotto and I had the Rosemary Lamb shank (my favorite, fall off the tender). Only my son and I had dessert and we both chose the Royal Chocolate Cake after having seen it on a dining neighbor's table. Sidyne added a scoop of vanilla ice cream to each cake. The cake was good but on the dry side and the ice cream was a welcome addition.

Since we had gotten up at 3 am to catch our flight, we returned to our cabin after dinner and crashed.

Next: Key West

Looking forward to the complete review. We sail on the 23rd. No word yet on if they will change our Itinerary thanks to Irma. So until then I'm hopeful we get to go to Havana.

Day 2 - Key West

We were scheduled to arrive in Key West at noon so wife and son slept in. I, on the other hand, went to the coffee stand in Boleros for my early coffee fix. I tried a Mocha. Coffee was strong but good. Not a lot of mocha flavor (too strong for my son). Just a note, if you want something sweet with your coffee, you need a side trip to the WJ.

During the morning there were two sessions about in the Coral Theatre. At 10 am there was a presentation on Cuba's history. Quite interesting. At 11 am there was a Cuba Q&A (immigration, money changing, etc.) with the Hotel Director and the Cruise Director. Since this was available on ship's TV for the rest of the day, we skipped this and went to brunch. Brunch was in the main dining room from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm and included a complimentary Mimosa or Bloody Mary. It was a buffet that included breakfast and lunch foods. I was able to make my own eggs benedict with breakfast meats and potatoes. There was also smoked salmon and regular salmon and a chicken dish. My wife got he fill of fruit and salad. My son had his usual sweet cereal, bacon and pastries. Very nice spread.

The ship was cleared about 1 pm and we headed out. We had purchased tickets for the Key West Old Town Trolley, a hop on, hop off trolley. Originally we had purchased the RCCL excursion for $50 for the 3 of us (son was free) but when I went to the trolley web site, I saved $5. Not much but enough for a piece of Key Lime pie.

We got off the trolley at the stop for the Hemmingway house and the lighthouse. The Hemmingway house was interesting but pricey at $14 per adult. My son was enthralled with the 6 toed cats. Also a cute story about the pool. We walked over to the light house. Nowhere near the water. Next on the agenda was a walk to the southern most point and an obligatory photo op. You have to wait in line for your turn. We then walked the two blocks to the trolley stop to complete the tour. There was some very interesting architecture throughout Key West (hoping it survived Irma). We got off the trolley at Mallory Square (first and last stop). We walked around, did some shopping and went to the Key West Key Lime Pie Company (Marcus Lemonis from The Profit on CNBC) for our pie. Wife enjoyed her regular pie. I had the chocolate covered pie and while good, I thought the chocolate overpowered the pie. We walked back and reboarded the ship (and no, we didn't stop at Sloppy Joe's or Hogs Breath).

We went back to the cabin to get ready for dinner. We had toyed with the idea of the WJ for dinner but instead made a reservation in the dining room. Once again, the service was wonderful. Our son had chicken noodle soup and a grilled cheese from the kids menu. My wife had the vegetarian chili and I had the Cuban style pork loin (good but hard pressed to say what made it Cuban). Royal Chocolate cake with ice cream for desert (again). We did some shopping in the Royal Shops and since we were still beat, we went back to the room to rest up for Cuba.

Next: Day 3 Cuba

Looking forward to the complete review. We sail on the 23rd. No word yet on if they will change our Itinerary thanks to Irma. So until then I'm hopeful we get to go to Havana.

Just read that RCCL is changing the itinerary. Only stopping at Key West to drop off humanitarian supplies and then will be a day at sea. Still planning Havana. Offering 100% for FUTURE cruise if you choose to not take your cruise.

If you go, please post how Havana was after the hurricane and if it was worth going on the cruise.

We are scheduled for October 2, right after you. Waiting to see what they will be doing then. Might take the credit as who knows how Havana will be.

Just read that RCCL is changing the itinerary. Only stopping at Key West to drop off humanitarian supplies and then will be a day at sea. Still planning Havana. Offering 100% for FUTURE cruise if you choose to not take your cruise.

 

 

 

If you go, please post how Havana was after the hurricane and if it was worth going on the cruise.

 

 

 

We are scheduled for October 2, right after you. Waiting to see what they will be doing then. Might take the credit as who knows how Havana will be.

Yes we received notice from RCI of the change in our itinerary. It looks like we are still stopping in KW but wont be able to get off the ship. We have 9 days between now and the KW stop. Hoping things change by then..

In any event we get to go to Cuba. Now more than ever, the "people to people" exception will be put to great use. I can't wait to meet the people of Cuba.

I'll provide a report on Havana.

Cheers.

Day 3 - Cuba

We got up early this morning to watch the sail in to Havana harbor. We used the deck area in front of our cabin as our vantage point. We were able to see Morro castle, the lighthouse, Cristo de la Habana and downtown Havana. Great views and lots of photo ops. Don't miss it! After we docked, we went to the WJ for a quick breakfast and then back to the cabin to get our "stuff" for Havana (passport, visa, hats, sunscreen, water). We went down to the departure deck and were off the ship shortly after 8 am. No hassle. Next was immigration. A line but it moved quickly. We turned in our visas, had our pictures taken, passport stamped and we were on our way. Next was the currency exchange. Another line but this too moved fast. We exchanged $300 USD and got 261 CUC. I tried to get some CUP (Cuban currency with faces on them) but no luck. We were out of the pier area and in the Plaza de San Francisco by 9 am.

We had reserved a 3 hour convertible tour with Old Car Tours. It included a driver and English speaking guide for 120 CUC (cheaper than the RCCL bus tour for the 3 of us). Our meeting point was the Russian Orthodox Church, a two block walk. I had scheduled the tour for 10 am, not knowing how long it would take to get off the ship. We arrived at the meeting point at 9:30 am and checked in with the Old Car Tours representative there. We were early, but no problem, our car and guide would be there shortly. Ten minutes later a candy apple red 1957 T-bird pulled up. When I made our reservation, I saw this car listed but requested a 1952 Chevy Deluxe. I thought it would provide more room for our full figured American bodies. But the T-bird was so cool, we decided to keep it. But I was right about the difficulty getting in and out. We had prepared a list of places we wanted to see. We visited Morro Castle, the lighthouse, Cristo de la Habana (great views of the city), Plaza de la Revolucion, Cenmenterio de Christobal Colon, Parque Central, Parque Lennon, National Capital and the Malecon. Not bad for 3 hours.

On our stop at Morro Castle, we visited a cigar shop. This seemed to be a required stop for all car tours. My wife wanted to buy some cigars as gifts. She got 18 cigars (6 each Cohiba Maduro, Monticristo, and Hoya de Monterrey) and paid 176 CUC. She was able to use USD at the shop. We were told that for every 5 cigars we bought, we would get one free. Since I am not a cigar smoker, I have no idea if we got a good deal. They also had rum at the shop but I decided I did not want to carry it with me and would buy it later.

At the end of the tour, we were dropped off back at the Plaza de San Francisco. Darwin, our guide, was very informative and easy to understand. No question was out of bounds. Would recommend Old Car Tours highly.

Day 3 - Havana (continued)

After being dropped off from our car tour, the original plan was to begin exploring Old Havana. But since we were so hot and thirsty, we decided to go back to the ship to cool off and rehydrate. No problem going through immigration to get back on the ship. We decided to get lunch at the WJ. They had typical American fare (burgers, dogs, fries, chicken) along with some Indian and Cuban dishes. And, of course, salad and fruit for my wife. I think between the 3 of us we drained the ice water container. We were disappointed that we were unable to try authentic Cuban food but the heat got the best of us.

After lunch and our cool down, we proceeded to start our planned walk around Old Havana. No problem with Immigration. Show your passport with the Cuba stamp. Done. We toured Plaza de Armas and Plaza de la Catedral. We went inside the lovely cathedral building. My wife wanted to visit a perfume shop that made scents from local flowers but neglected to write down the address. Leaving the Plaza de la Catedral, we walked down Calle Mercaderes and lo and behold, what do we smell? Habana 1791, the perfume shop she wanted to visit. She bought two perfumes and some great smelling (and this is from a guy!) potpourri. She was thrilled with the shop and her good fortune finding it. Further down Calle Mercaderes, we stopped at Café Havana, diagonally across from the chocolate museum. While my wife and I were sampling a mojito and a daiquiri (3 CUP each), my son tested out the sidewalk churro stand across the street. .5 CUP for hot, fresh churros. My son pronounced them better than Costco (inside joke, you'll have to read my Mediterranean cruise review to get the meaning). As we walked further down Calle Mercaderes, we toured Plaza Vieja and Café Escorial (great coffee, take home too).

The only thing I was disappointed we missed was Almacenes San Jose, the huge local market. Oh well, something for the next visit.

By then, it was time to head back to the ship. My plan was buy the rum in the shop at the pier. But when we returned, the shop was closed. The clerk was still there and I was able to convince her to let me buy two bottles of rum. Can't leave Cuba without rum! Interesting that the rum was not confiscated and we were able to take it to our cabin.

Tonight was lobster night in the MDR. We had or 7:15 pm reservation and took our usual table. As would be expected, most of the dinner chatter was everyone's day in Havana. I had Gravlax and Vidalia Onion Tart as starters. My wife had French Onion Soup and a Caesar Salad. Of course, I ordered the Lobster Tail but my wife, surprisingly, chose Roasted Stuffed Zucchini (which she enjoyed a lot). Our son had his usual Chicken Noodle Soup and Caesar Salad. He also "ordered" a Lobster Tail. When the entrée was served, surprise surprise, my plate had 2 tails. What a guy that Sidnye! And the Lobster Tail that our son "ordered" also found it's way to my place. Now that's a lobster dinner. I had Profiteroles (baby cream puffs) for dessert and I'm sure you can guess what our son had.

So that ends a long, HOT day in Cuba. We went back to the cabin to relax. Just as a side note drink cards were offered today for $65.

Next - Sea Day and Disembarkation

Day 4 - Sea Day

Today was a welcome sea day after all the walking in Key West and Havana. Once again DW and DS slept in while I went for my coffee at Boleros. Had a very good cappuccino and stopped in the WJ for a couple of Danish. Sat in the Centrum and watched the waves go by. Very relaxing. Just another note, Empress has a lot of nice, comfy seating areas (inside and out) for relaxing and gazing at the sea.

Ten o'clock was the magic time for us this morning. My son and I had signed up for the sushi making course and DW would make her required visit to the tee shirt sale on the pool deck. DS and I headed to the Viking Crown Lounge for our sushi class. We signed in and were offered mimosas (plain OJ for DS) while we waited. The class began promptly at 10 am and lasted a little over an hour. We made 2 rolls, a nigiri and a temaki each. At the end of the class DW joined us after her successful visit to the tee shirt sale and we all ate our self made sushi. Yum. There was no other sushi offered on the cruise since the is no Izumi on the Empress. The sushi aroused our appetites so we went to the MDR for brunch. Again a very nice array of breakfast and lunch foods. I was able to make my own tutti salad from the items on the buffet.

The afternoon consisted of rest and relaxation (aka nap) in our cabin. Many reviewers have complained about the air conditioning on the ship. Considering how warm it was outside during the cruise, we were very comfortable in our cabin (AC up high) and the ships common areas. I walked through the casino (another heat complaint area) several times and did not notice any increase in temperature.

We again had dinner in the MDR. I had Maryland Crab Cake and Pastrami and Cheese Turnover for appetizers. Another disappointment was that no escargot was offered during the cruise. DW had Corn Chowder and Cobb Salad. And DS had, you guessed it, Chicken Noodle Soup. I had the Braised Short Rib (supposedly from Nebraska but I didn't see a license plate on it) which was very good. DW had Vegetable Pot Pie (she is not a vegetarian, but is not a big meat eater). DS had the Fried Chicken. He did a good job on the mashed potatoes, corn and cranberry jam but picked at the chicken (not crispy enough). So I got to sample the chicken. Sidnye saw me picking at son's chicken and brought me a full chicken entrée (which I didn't really need). And thanks to Sidny and Lulu, I wound up with 4 glasses of red wine for dinner that night. Good thing I wasn't driving back to the cabin that night! DS son and I went back to the Royal Chocolate Cake again for desert.

Just some random thoughts about the MDR. Food was very good, more American than international (no Indian in the MDR but I never asked). Most cruises I have the strip steak once or twice when I can't find something on the menu to order. Not on this cruise. Always found something I liked/wanted. As you can tell from my wife's choices, vegetarians should have no problem on the Empress. We did 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches in the WJ. Food was good with enough choices for all, even though breakfast was slightly repetitive in its offerings (which is positive when discussing smoked salmon). There was no fresh squeezed OJ in the WJ. Eggs fried to order are available in the WJ at breakfast but omlettes (cheese and ham and cheese) are in warming trays. All in all, food is somewhat better than other RCCL ships.

Next: Disembarkation and Final Thoughts

Day 5 - Disembarkation

We put our luggage out last night after dinner. We were assigned Group 7 for disembarkation even though we did not have a flight to catch. We went to the WJ for breakfast and then to the cabin to round up the rest of items. We went down to deck 5 and were sent through the Coral Theatre to depart, We had to wait in 2 lines after we left the ship. The first was on the same level as we had departed the ship. We were funneled down the escalator 20 or so at a time to another line that led to customs and immigration. The reaon for the two stage waiting is the inability of the lower level to handle everybody at once. It took about 20 minutes total to get through customs. The agent looked at our passports and welcomed us home. No form to complete. No questions about what we brought back. The next step was luggage retrieval. We got a porter and were outside the building in no time. We had a rental car reserved and called the office for a pick up. It took about 10 minutes for the van to arrive and away we went. We were to the rental office by 9:15 am. Easy.

Conclusions

Overall we had an excellent trip. We were pleased with the ship, the food and the service. Just a comment about the service. On other RCCL cruises, the staff (especially the dining staff) would go around the last night asking for good surveys (whether they deserved them or not). The Empress staff never did that. They earned their good surveys by providing good service.

As you figured out if you read the review, we did not use the pool or partake in any of the entertainment. So I can't comment on chair hogs or the quality of the entertainment. And adding mini golf, a flow rider or ice skating venue would not have made the cruise any better for us. The ship was fine and never seemed small. Not that I was looking for it but I found no sign of her age. I would recommend the Empress and a cruise to Cuba (with an overnight if you can arrange it.

Any questions?

Great review. Thank you. Can't wait for our Sept 23 cruise.

Starrcards,

Thanks for the great review! We leave in a few short days and I'm super excited.

Few questions. Where is Almacenes San Jose? And

was the coffee from the coffee shop in Boleros including in the drink package?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

,As I remember it, the marketplace, Almacenes San Jose, is about a ten minute walk from the pier. Just turn left when you exit the pier. And yes coffee is included in the deluxe beverage package.

Almacenes San Jose is south along the waterfront from the cruise port terminal. It is a very large covered craft market. It had basically the same stuff you can buy at the souvenir shops downtown.

Thanks for the info

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I was excited when I saw you had an 11 year old because I was hoping to hear some information on the kids club and rock climbing wall. Did your son do any kid activities?

Day 3 - Cuba

 

We got up early this morning to watch the sail in to Havana harbor. We used the deck area in front of our cabin as our vantage point. We were able to see Morro castle, the lighthouse, Cristo de la Habana and downtown Havana. Great views and lots of photo ops. Don't miss it! After we docked, we went to the WJ for a quick breakfast and then back to the cabin to get our "stuff" for Havana (passport, visa, hats, sunscreen, water). We went down to the departure deck and were off the ship shortly after 8 am. No hassle. Next was immigration. A line but it moved quickly. We turned in our visas, had our pictures taken, passport stamped and we were on our way. Next was the currency exchange. Another line but this too moved fast. We exchanged $300 USD and got 261 CUC. I tried to get some CUP (Cuban currency with faces on them) but no luck. We were out of the pier area and in the Plaza de San Francisco by 9 am.

 

We had reserved a 3 hour convertible tour with Old Car Tours. It included a driver and English speaking guide for 120 CUC (cheaper than the RCCL bus tour for the 3 of us). Our meeting point was the Russian Orthodox Church, a two block walk. I had scheduled the tour for 10 am, not knowing how long it would take to get off the ship. We arrived at the meeting point at 9:30 am and checked in with the Old Car Tours representative there. We were early, but no problem, our car and guide would be there shortly. Ten minutes later a candy apple red 1957 T-bird pulled up. When I made our reservation, I saw this car listed but requested a 1952 Chevy Deluxe. I thought it would provide more room for our full figured American bodies. But the T-bird was so cool, we decided to keep it. But I was right about the difficulty getting in and out. We had prepared a list of places we wanted to see. We visited Morro Castle, the lighthouse, Cristo de la Habana (great views of the city), Plaza de la Revolucion, Cenmenterio de Christobal Colon, Parque Central, Parque Lennon, National Capital and the Malecon. Not bad for 3 hours.

 

On our stop at Morro Castle, we visited a cigar shop. This seemed to be a required stop for all car tours. My wife wanted to buy some cigars as gifts. She got 18 cigars (6 each Cohiba Maduro, Monticristo, and Hoya de Monterrey) and paid 176 CUC. She was able to use USD at the shop. We were told that for every 5 cigars we bought, we would get one free. Since I am not a cigar smoker, I have no idea if we got a good deal. They also had rum at the shop but I decided I did not want to carry it with me and would buy it later.

 

At the end of the tour, we were dropped off back at the Plaza de San Francisco. Darwin, our guide, was very informative and easy to understand. No question was out of bounds. Would recommend Old Car Tours highly.

What time did your ship dock.? Our ship docks at 8:00 will we have enough time to meet old car tours for a 10:00 tour?

What time did your ship dock.? Our ship docks at 8:00 will we have enough time to meet old car tours for a 10:00 tour?

We docked at 8 am also. Was about 30 minutes early for our 10 am tour. It was only a 5 minute walk after leacving the port.

I was excited when I saw you had an 11 year old because I was hoping to hear some information on the kids club and rock climbing wall. Did your son do any kid activities?

Now you're taxing my senile memory. I do not believe Empress has a rock climbing wall (having said that, he loved the one on Oasis). The only day our son went to kids club was the sea day. But, in general, he loves the kids clubs on RCCL ships and generally makes some new friends each cruise..