Empress of the Seas Review 1/31/05

[skydawg]

Just some quick background:

We are late 30s, early forties. This is our 9th cruise together (hubby and me)and my 11th overall. Most of our trips have been with RCI on all sizes of ships. Here goes.

 

Day 0: Meet friends from home at restaurant in San Juan (Ajili Mojili). Excellent food and the company could not have been better. Stayed at the newly remodeled Wyndham Old San Juan that we booked back when it was something else. Decent room but the view was of the gravel courtyard in the middle of the triangular hotel. Paid $180 on Expedia in August. Would stay there again but would definitely try to stay cheaper (have stayed at Caribe Hilton before and rate it higher).

 

Day 1: Embarkation: No real problems. Got to port before noon, met friends, entered terminal. Must wait in chairs...ship must be decontaminated (found out after we got home that the Empress has had at least one Noro outbreak). Sitting in the white chairs we notice something strange...very strange...

[pconkli1]

Reads like a novel ......but has the true sense of a horror-suspense.

 

How bout just two more lines.

 

Cheers,

 

P&V

[skydawg]

We look around in the cruise terminal and discover to our shock and awe that we are the youngest people to be seen. Not by years either. We are talking decades! No children (kid haters rejoice...we found the cruise for you!). We are taken aback but not dissuaded from the mission: fun at all costs. They let us on board around 1:30 or 2. Be advised: the duty-free shop you remember if you sailed on Adventure of the Seas is NOT in this particular area...make your booze arrangements elsewhere. Up to Windjammer and lunch (Dh's head is beginning to spin). The ship is lovely, all the charm of her former self (the Nordic Empress) but updated in many ways. We had room 8128 (no balcony but a window). It has gobs of storage but no safe. Our friends had a cabin 2 doors down and theirs had a safe (go figure). Can't complain. Got our bags a few hours later and unpacked. It all fit well. Sailing out that night was a bit rough. There was wind from the northeast and a swell from the northeast of about 10 feet. It really made the ship bob quite a bit (not much side-to-side just back to front mostly). I am really motion sick so I loaded up on ginger tabs from GNC and wore Sea-Bands (I love them!). The rum helped too:)

[mwsrccl]

Please keep it going me and wife are 30 and going on this cruise in April. Thanks!

[skydawg]

Day 2: St. Maarten: Yeah! No tender! They had told us we would tender there but we docked instead. We 4 took off and shopped for a while (DH got a watch) and then back on board for lunch. A quick note here: the unique demographic on this boat was very odd. They wouldn't book shore excursions (many were cancelled for lack of participation) but they would darn sure not miss a meal! The lines for the buffet, dining room before doors were opened, and the shows were ghastly. Don't get me wrong.I like old people. My paretns and in-laws are old. But they get off their butts and have fun. They know how to play and they don't complain that their "drinks are too strong"...yes, I actually witnessed two old ladies complaining to the PURSER their drinks were too strong. Whatever. There was lots of complaining on this boat. You would think many of them would just be happy to have woken up. Anyway, rant over. We were docked next to the Navigator of the Seas. It was chartered by an all gay travel agency! These guys were having a ball (no pun)! Gorgeous...what a waste to womankind. In the afternoon, we did the America's Cup Sailing Regatta. We had all four done this excursion before and loved it again as much as the first time. Hoofed it back to the boat for cocktails and the first formal night Rented DH a tux so we wouldn't have to pack suits. Saw wild goats up on the hillside on the walk back.

A small aside here: Our friends we were traveling with had several excursions to the medical facilities onboard (not Noro). I will let her fill you in on her insights with that. Very educational.

We decided amongst ourselves that night why so many people get sick on cruise ships. You people don't wash your hands! Ok, not all of you...but alot of you! We witnessed dozens of people leaving the stalls (we know what you're doing) and then just walk out the door. Nasty B****rds!

 

Day 3: St. Barts

 

Tendering was not a major problem here. Got tender tix the night before so no problemo. Walked past the yachts (oh my gosh! the yachts!) and tried to find Shell Beach. Took some doing but finally found it (just ask...oh wait; the people are French and not that friendly...just look for signs). Spent several hours on beach. Good shells. Great people watching (some nudity here most not good though). Back to ship later. DH and I came back in the p.m. for walkabout. Be advised: most shops here close in the p.m. from 1 or 2-4 just like Europe. Also, the Post Office closes Wednesday at noon (ships info on this is wrong!).

 

Day 4: St. Kitts

 

I love St. Kitts! We took the Fant-a-Sea Catamaran to Nevis trip and it was awesome! We didn't actually make it to Nevis due to surf and wind condtions but the place they took us to snorkel was good (lobsters everywhere) and the lunch and beach were great. The Carib beer is cold and flowing and the rum swizzles are great. The crew on this boat is awesome and work their cans off to make sure you have fun. Do gain!

[maxs mom]

Well, this is good. Where is the rest? Keep it coming.

[screagan]

We look around in the cruise terminal and discover to our shock and awe that we are the youngest people to be seen. Not by years either. We are talking decades!

 

Oh no...skydawg you just broke my heart; I'm 24 and will be on the empress soon. Heah, I wonder if I'll be the "kid" of the group :(.

 

Please tell me that you've seen at least a few others in their twenties?

[skydawg]

Another note here...the nightlife on the ship...shows were okay as far as we knew. We watched Hal Frazier (seen him before) but the old folks lined up so far in advance that if you strolled up 15 minutes before showtime, you couldn't get a seat anywhere. The disco was always wide open and the other lounges are yours for the taking. We commandeered the Viking Crown on several occasions and kept the poor DJ from sleeping (we were the only ones there). Casino was wide open and $5 tables plentiful.

 

Day 5: St. Lucia

Because the ship gets there at a strange time (11) they had a hard time putting together the scuba excursion. They put us on a taxi to Marigot Bay where we picked up a boat to Soufriere. We dove right at the base of the Pitons (awesome scenery). Good diving. After 2nd dive, they took you to Anse Chastenet Resort for lunch. You must have some dry clothes to be admitted to the restaurant! Then we got back on the dive boat. At some point we had to transfer to another boat (on the ocean mind you...tricky) with all our gear, just to make it back to the ship for departure. Another lecture coming here.... if you are a once a year diver and don't quite have buoyancy mastered, stay off the darned reef! We saw amateurs kill lots of coral because of their inept abilities. If you're not that good, stay above the coral at a healthy distance till you get good. You are killing it! End of lecture.

 

Day 6: Barbados

 

Our friends chartered a private dive boat here and it was great (not for weak divers though---current here is tough). Big sea turtles, huge sea fans. Very nice. My friend will post her review if you want to have operator info. Jolly Roger Pirate Cruise cancelled due to lack of participation. Made our own party.

 

Day 7: Grenada

 

Wow. Poor Grenada. Hurricane really did a number (5) on it. The people there were very nice though and show a hardy spirit! We thought to ourselves...wouldn't it be nice if RCI did a shore excursion where you pay $100 and help a family in Grenada put a roof on their house? I'd do it! Others would too I know. We hired a taxi (Sebastian) to give us a tour of the island ($50). While we were out, he took us to a house where a lovely woman showed us about the spices that grew there (we bought a bunch) and then to a waterfall where guys jump off for money. Off to Grand Anse Beach (gorgeous!) for a quick photo and back to the ship. God Bless you, Sebastian.

 

Day8: Margarita Island

 

Our friend speaks fluent Spanish (thank God!). In Margarita, most don't speak English. She hired us a taxi to Playa el Agua on the NE shore for $100 RT (AC in car). Don't pay cabbie till you come back to ship! The beach was great! Cold Polar Ice beers (dozens)and lunch on the beach for us four for $69. 2 chairs and umbrella for $10. Good tour of island. Don't get off the beaten path here. Ask for Carlos and Ruiz for a cab. Nice folks. Ruiz waited at the beach for us for 4 hours.

 

Day 9: Curacao

 

More diving. We took a boat over to the Marine Park and we made our shore dives there. The folks at Toucan Diving run a nice operation but we definitely witnessed some more coral killers (as well as those who are so out of control in the water that they jeopardize those around them----again learn your bouyancy or don't participate!).

[Dannie2177]

Oh no...skydawg you just broke my heart; I'm 24 and will be on the empress soon. Heah, I wonder if I'll be the "kid" of the group :(.

 

Please tell me that you've seen at least a few others in their twenties?

 

Im starting to wonder the same thing. My husband and I will be on the Empress soon too. I am in late 20's and hubby is in mid 30's. Hopefully, there will be some people in our "age group"!!!

[skydawg]

Day 10: Aruba

 

We opted out of diving in Aruba. DH and I both wore ourselves out and got mild colds so diving wasn't attractive anymore. We had booked the Kuku Kunuku but again it got cancelled due to lack of participation (I'm telling you, bartenders on this Empress were not making any money either). We took the Rhino Riders and it proved fun. They are small boats that you and one more get in and take for real ride! We went past the airport and over by the desalination plant. Snorkeling was supposedly very good there (we did not) and then you took them (zoom) back. Nice little tour. Back for showers and lobster night (sorry Gini). Afterwards, we blessed Carlos and Charlies and were the last ones back on the ship at 10:30 for sailaway. WOOOOHOOOOO!

 

High points:

1) love the ship! She's a Beauty still. RCI, never sell her!

2) great itinerary. New islands to explore. Would do again.

3)time with friends. Great traveling companions!

4) staff eager to please . Poor cruise director staff trying to get people motivated...they worked so hard and the old folks wouldn't play.

 

Low points:

1) coral killers

2) non hand-washers

3) rude people (all ages but mostly old since most of this boat was old). They pushed in front of us in line, ran us over at the buffet and spent hours playing cards at the Windjammer tables while we walked around with plates of food and nowhere to sit. They jammed the elevators (there is a limit you know....let me outta here!!!!!). We saw many people be unspeakably rude to the staff. If you are older, active, and polite, I'm not talking about you!!!!

 

If you're offended by any comments here, sorry. It is a review. Therefore it is subjective. Your opinion may be different than mine. That does not make me wrong or you right. Your mileage may differ.

[skydawg]

We met several others that were in our age group. Lovely honeymooners from Aussie land (John and Sonya) and we had a ball! I think it was just this cruise this time of year (one older lady told me they had to offer big senior discounts to fill the boat). It will be better for you, I swear!

[skydawg]

The older folks that were "with-it" were really a hoot. I'm really not prejudiced against older folk just stagnant folk of all ages.

[wallie5446]

Skydawg,

 

Outstanding from top to bottom, great review.

[Spanky My]

Thanks for the review. It was much appreciated. All reviews accepted here with good and bad comments . Thanks for taking the time to do this. Couple of questions. What time did you actually get tendered into ST barts? Were there plenty of lounge chairs to sit on away from the pool to relax? We are going on the same excursion in St kitts as you did, how many folks on the boat and would you do it again if given the choice? Thanks in advance for your response....

[GiniB]

I'm hurt Skydawg! My review didn't get as many cool comments as yours did (of course I'm not as witty and bright as you are!)

 

One thing she forgot to tell you about is the Trivia game. Apparantly they played several times a day in the Schooner lounge, but we were always too busy playing elsewhere to notice. On the "at sea" day, we were running out of trouble to get into and decided to play trivia. Well, we creamed the old folks and won the prizes. So when we saw trivia being played again a few hours later, we thought, "what the heck?" When we showed up, two of the teams that were waiting to play pulled up their stakes and left, mumbling and whining about the 'young people' winning all the prizes. We laughed our butts off and wished we had been playing all along. Geez, old folks really get touchy about not winning plastic key chains and water wallets! Whoda thunk?

 

It was a great time all around and I'd go again in a heartbeat! I agree 110% with everything Skydawg said (except that my Spanish is barely passable, let alone fluent!).

 

:D

[radiofreebc]

Just wondering if you've had a chance to look at my virtual tour of the Empress. Here's the URL:

 

http://www.radiofreebc.com/empress/

 

Hope you enjoy it!

-Jeff

[GiniB]

There were literally dozens of empty lounge chairs at all times on the boat...all in the sun! This was the first cruise where I've seen people fight over the chairs in the shade! And poolside chairs were plentiful too. It was like being in a parallel universe!

 

 

Seemed like there were about 20-25 people on the St. Kitts boat, but it could have held many more. We were not crowded at all.

[Spanky My]

Thanks for the prompt response. In general MOST folks enjoyed the empress trip it sounds like, only with a few complaints. We are looking forward to this port intensive trip,but may need to take a vaction when we return to rest HA HA!!!

[skydawg]

GiniB., yeah what she said...about 20 or so on the Fant-A-Sea boat. Most fun! We think our St. Barts tender was 9ish (maybe earlier). We always seemed to get to port earlier than scheduled. You'll love it!

[screagan]

When we showed up, two of the teams that were waiting to play pulled up their stakes and left, mumbling and whining about the 'young people' winning all the prizes. We laughed our butts off and wished we had been playing all along. Geez, old folks really get touchy about not winning plastic key chains and water wallets! Whoda thunk?

 

Was there a table tennis tournament? If so, what will I (err...I mean can I)win? :)

[maxs mom]

Sounds like you might be able to win a walker!

 

Hey, you guys are great. Can I go on the next cruise with you? What a hoot! We sail on March 14th. We are in our 50's but we love to party and tour hard. Can't believe the Jolly Roger was cancelled. We were planning on doing that one for old times sake. We've done that a couple of times back in our younger days and had a ball.

 

Thanks for the great review.

[GiniB]

Max's Mom,

 

As the old singer said, "if you got the money, honey, I got the time." We were a pretty fun group to travel with, if I do say so myself.

 

You're going to have a blast...wish I could go!

[GiniB]

Want to know what you win on the Geriatric cruise?

 

Depends!

[gamomluvs2cruise]

Thanks for the great review!:) My hubby(41) and I(37) will be on the Empress(5-day) cruise in May. :D

[JTJ]

skydawg, went on the Zandaam last year out of PC, and the ship was full of oldsters. Not a problem, table conversation centered around grandkids and ailments, but many many people were not very mobile using walkers, wheelshairs, and O2 tanks. Every port the ship went to (2) had ambulances at the dock to take people off. Twice on the way to St Thomas and Half moon cay had to divert to meet with emergency shore boats to take sick folks off. And the late show was canceled one night because someone had a heart attack waiting for the start. We got there late and everyone was leaving, don't know why the show had to be canceled.