Empress of the Seas and Havana Tours

Hello. I will be saying on the Empress Of The Seas to Havana in August. I have 2 questions: 1) What are some of the most popular (best) shore excursions? 2) Any must-dos on the Empress? I really like the older, smaller ships, so I'm really looking forward to this trip. Thank you.

we sailed on the Empress last November on the five night cruise,are you doing the five night with over night,We took the five hour Havana tour and were really inpressed with it,the guide spoke very good English.After the tour we went back to the ship for a quick dip in the pool and relax.

On day two[the ship didn't leave till four o clock]we just walked around the square and had a beer.The square is just across the street from the dock.We didn't go out till about ten o clock.

Just to let you know you have to go thru custom getting off and coming back.

I hope this helped you a little bit.

If there is a tour to Las Terazas (maybe Terrazas?), take it!! Gorgeous part of the land, beautiful people - many are artists. A little bit of heaven.

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We took an RCCL all day tour last year on Empress. We rarely take ship sponsored tours ( we like to book private tours) but this tour was very well done and worth the money. It included many sights and included a nice local lunch.

As for the must do's - walk back past Boleros and there is a nice open deck area - facing aft.

M

Thanks for the responses. I am going on the 5 night Key West and Havana-with 2 full days in Havana. Interested in what the best nighttime activities are. Thanks also for the tip for the back sun deck.

Thanks for the responses. I am going on the 5 night Key West and Havana-with 2 full days in Havana. Interested in what the best nighttime activities are. Thanks also for the tip for the back sun deck.

Not a sun deck - but an open portion of Boleros lounge.

enjoy

M.

We just got back from the Empress last Friday. We thoroughly enjoyed the ship. Just a few thoughts from the top of my head:

1. Be prepared. The rooms are small, because that’s the way they built them in the early 1990s. It’s also why the ship can go to Havana, and literally dock right at one of the old squares.

2. The water, as we’ve found on older ships of several different lines, has a slight iron/rust taste. It’s not at “mineral springs” level and after 6 days we noticed it much less, but it’s there when you brush your teeth.

3. The ship’s band and the production shows are amazingly good. The amount of money RC spends on entertainment over other lines shows even on this, their oldest and smallest ship.

4. Our cruise director was Hugo. We don’t normally worry too much about who the cruise director is, but he is remarkably good and very well matched for the itinerary and the passengers who take the Cuba cruises. He presents a Havana Q&A program which should not be missed--it was EXTREMELY helpful for knowing what was going on as we went through immigration. I can still hear him saying “HELLO, my Beautiful People!!!”

5. In our early cruising days we always took ship tours, but have become more adventurous as we become more seasoned. IF you are interested in independent tours in Havana, look up Blexie-Havana on Facebook or Trip Advisor. He is a local tour guide who taught English at the University before becoming a guide so he could make more money. He gives some real insight as to what life is like in Havana--both the good and the bad. He’s good about replying to email when he gets it, but it’s important to remember that the internet in Cuba is not like the internet in the US. After a day of giving a tour, he has to go to a park for WiFi in order to correspond. There are times emails seem to be in limbo for several days if you check the time stamps, so if this sounds like something you want to do don’t try to set it up three days before you sail. He has a loyal following, though, and has clients booked as far in the future as February 2019.

6. In Costa Maya we went with an independent tour company called “The Native Choice”. It was another great tour. Take the tour that gives you lunch in the Mayan Village.

Numbers 1 and 2 above are really the most negative things I can think to say about our experience, and we understood why things were the way they were. RC has spent a lot of time and money on larger ships, and they do a very good job on Empress of trying to give the Royal experience on a smaller ship. Almost everyone on our cruise, though, was there for one reason--Cuba. If I’d been going for Cozumel or Costa Maya, I’d have been on a different ship but I’d do Empress to Cuba again in a heartbeat. Not everyone is comfortable taking independent tours, and the ship offers an impressive array of options. They will cost a little more, but everyone should do what they are comfortable doing.

For your own tours, we had an excellent one from Tour Republic. Amazing day driving around Havana.

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We have booked FerTours for our Havana tour in Mid-June. Fernando gets great reviews here on Cruise Critic. Looking forward to the Empress - good to hear the ship is in good shape!

We were on Empress in May 2017 when it was going out of Tampa to Key West & Cuba. Absolutely loved the ship!!! We're going back again in August to Cuba on RC, but on Majesty of the Seas this time. Sorry the moved Empress to Miami, but good for you all.