Photo Review: Empress of the Seas 6-06-16 to Cozumel w/Compasses etc. *WinksCruises*

[troykahack]

Where do the diamond, D+, Pinnacle go for drinks??????

 

Really. In the middle of this wonderful thread.

 

I will answer your question, same place everyone gets their drinks, the bar.

 

Some can't go through any post without getting worried about their status and where are the FREE drinks. Is that all many cruise for??

 

Thanks Winks for your wonderful write-up.

[Citymom92]

Really. In the middle of this wonderful thread.

 

I will answer your question, same place everyone gets their drinks, the bar.

 

Some can't go through any post without getting worried about their status and where are the FREE drinks. Is that all many cruise for??

 

Thanks Winks for your wonderful write-up.

 

Agree with PP-I am loving all of this review. It's been a wonderful peek into this ship. I am most impressed with all the sweet little spots to tuck away with a book or get away from the crowds. I love the photo of Mrs.Winks at the rattan aft seating area. I can't wait to experience this all for myself in a few weeks. We really, really appreciate all the time you have taken both during and after your cruise to get all this information uploaded. I know how much of a pain it is.

 

Thank you again!

[Paulette3028]

Can't wait to try out the hammock.....well I need to wait until August 25....it might be WJ on embarkation day and then hammock!

[Mrs. Winks]

Based on what you saw on the cabin crawl, would you upgrade from a 7th floor outside stateroom to a "guaranteed" junior suite? They don't seem to be hugely different in size?

 

I will field this one! My answer is "it depends". Are you traveling with children? How important is having a balcony? If you look at the pics Winks posted from our 1999 cruise you will see the size and bones of what the Jr. Suite is. The size has not changed and it is fairly small but will provide you will a little more square footage than the outside stateroom. All rooms on this ship are small! There is no tub in the jr suite and the bathroom is very small. With all that being said I would always go with the balcony room. But sitting on the balcony with a good book, watching the world slip by is a high priority for me when booking a cruise. I hope that helps.

[Paulette3028]

Based on what you saw on the cabin crawl, would you upgrade from a 7th floor outside stateroom to a "guaranteed" junior suite? They don't seem to be hugely different in size?

 

I will field this one! My answer is "it depends". Are you traveling with children? How important is having a balcony? If you look at the pics Winks posted from our 1999 cruise you will see the size and bones of what the Jr. Suite is. The size has not changed and it is fairly small but will provide you will a little more square footage than the outside stateroom. All rooms on this ship are small! There is no tub in the jr suite and the bathroom is very small. With all that being said I would always go with the balcony room. But sitting on the balcony with a good book, watching the world slip by is a high priority for me when booking a cruise. I hope that helps.

 

We have been looking for a weekend getaway for late August for a few months now.....and researched online the various cabins on Empress since we knew from sailing on Enchantment (the other weekender, available thru Royal in the Miami or FLL area) what she had.

 

Realizing that all the cabins were smaller than even on Her Majesty, we choice what was an outside cabin, but a little bigger, it was an F1 category I believe. From looking at the deck plan, there seemed to only be 6 of these cabins -- they are L-shaped and give you almost the same footage as the JS, it seemed to us, just lacking the balcony. The cost for the balcony cabin did not seem worth it to us, for a short cruise.

 

After we sail on the August 25 sailing, I will let people know more about it. These cabins are also mid ship, but with such a small ship, it is not as if anything is a far walk.

[CRUISEBOY305]

Great review. Thanks for sharing. :D

[WinksCruises]

While it’s described on the Royal website and other sales instruments as a daily brunch, Empress’s “Every Day is Sunday” cruise brunch was actually only available on sea days. Held in the lower level of the main dining, the brunch featured a free mimosa or bloody Mary per guest and a self-serve brunch which amounted to an array of heating trays filled with bacon, sausage, eggs, etc. Essentially everything you could get at a Windjammer breakfast, but consumed in a classier venue.

 

One nice feature is that it’s open from 9am to 1pm, so if you did sleep in on the sea day, you could still get in a full breakfast with which to assist the healing process necessitated by the previous night’s atrocities. In the end, Mrs. Winks and I never took the opportunity to eat there, having Chops as our brunch stop, but we did stick our head in to check out the spread.

 

The Starlight Dining Room is a beautiful venue, with its striking rear window overlooking the aft wake. Much nicer to see during the day when the view is not obstructed by nighttime glass reflection effect.

 

Brunch in the Starlight Dining Room

 

We spent the last day on the ship doing some last minute shopping and hanging out on the top deck enjoying the great weather. Oh, and keeping tabs on the ice cream machine, of course, just to verify it was still working and take pictures of it if it wasn't! After lunch at the Windjammer, where they were table-side serving mini-cupcakes, reality sunk in and we returned to our cabin to empty the closets of our belongings, pack-up our bags and fill out the US customs form.

 

On Empress, they really pushed the walk-off, self-assist program, offering two separate times when that was available. Guests who wanted to check their bags were given a few staggered times to choose from and meeting places to await their luggage numbers to be called.

 

Clamshell seating on the pool deck

 

Since we generally ate dinner late, we snuck up to the Windjammer when it opened for dinner and found they were handing out free glasses of wine and fresh baked goodies (see the Snapchat below for footage). After a snack and some drinks there, we headed off to the photo gallery to pick-up our week’s worth of pictures which we had been collecting in a separate envelope since day one.

 

Then we stopped at Chops to hand a maître d a special Wow envelope to take care of the great morning crew that had made our breakfasts so special. And then poked our head in the Royal Casino to verify that air conditioning was still a problem there, despite the use of portable cooling units. We then cashed in the 3-Free-Spins that had been loaded to our Sea Pass cards as a Diamond perk, but didn’t even win a lousy keychain.

 

We then entered the main dining room for our final dinner, which was interrupted several times by dancing and singing as the chefs and waiters danced about the floor and sang songs for us. (Footage in the Snapchat at the end of this post). Wine was also available for free in this venue that night as well.

 

The wait staff lines up on grand staircase

 

Ironically, because of the free drinks we got at both the Windjammer and the Dining Room, we ended up leaving a little OBC on the table, something Mrs. Winks still hasn’t forgiven me for because, it’s true, you really can’t have enough Cruising Queen baseball caps!

 

We turned in a little early, with hopes of rising first thing in the morning to view the arrival at the Port of Miami from our bow situated balcony. I’m surprised Mrs. Winks didn’t wake up when the Empress spun around on a dime before sliding into her berth. The whole cabin shook! We’ve experienced this vibration in all the aft facing cabins we’ve ever booked, figuring that was normal when you’re located above the engines, but it was surprising feeling it so violently way up in front.

 

Awakened by it, I grabbed a bathrobe and went out to the balcony to watch the docking crew prepare the lines and for the ship to port. (Footage in the Snapchat below). Then went back to bed to catch some sleep while the ship was cleared and the walk-off process commenced.

 

We had breakfast at the Windjammer at about 8am. Crowded, but we were able to find a table. Took a walk around the pool area to take in the Miami skyline and then headed down to our assigned meeting area, Chops to await our call to disembark.

 

Once off the ship though, we stepped into a huge log jam in the customs area. We gathered our bags and joined a very long line that took about 40 minutes to negotiate. So silly, since we spent less than 30 seconds with an actual Customs/Immigration agent who merely waved us through!

 

#Hate The Wait

 

Fortunately, Mrs. Winks’s sister, who was picking us up from the port to go spend a Saturday with her up in Boca Raton, was running late. So no one waited long once we were out on the street – watching as the next cruise’s passengers started trickling in.

 

In the end, it was a pretty good cruise, one we will never forget only because of all the drama that surrounded Empress’s rough return to the Royal fleet. Multiple cancelled cruises, reports of broken toilets, room flooding and non-functioning air conditioning etc. etc.

 

As with any cruise, Mrs. Winks and I compiled a colorful checklist of plusses and minuses. But there were no deal breakers and there were enough positives to make us happy we had chosen to voyage with “our first” again, even though so much has changed in the cruise industry, it was an exercise in comparing apples to oranges.

 

Mr. and Mrs. Winks out

 

Right now, we don’t have any other cruises booked until early 2017 – but I have a feeling that will change by autumn. Until then, happy sailing to all. Thanks for you readership. We’ll catch you on the next review.

 

Here’s a Snapchat featuring footage from our final evening aboard Empress of the Seas

 

[YOUTUBE]WqgfrGcOLCg[/YOUTUBE]

 

Bon Voyage!

 

Edited June 22, 2016 by WinksCruises

[OceansOfTravels]

Thank you much for this review! I found an unbeatable price on Empress in August and I am seriously considering booking it. I loved the pics and your review style, it was very honest and informative and comedy and sarcasm added in all the right places. Thanks for taking the time to write this! :D

[OceansOfTravels]

Question: Did you experience any trouble with pool / upper deck space? Considering that this ship only has 1 pool and is not very long, I have a bad feeling that it'll be hard to get a chair or some pool time. How was your experience in this area?

[Clarea]

Excellent review and photos!

[immjs20]

Thank you so much for sharing! Excellent review. We will be on her 7-18-16! I can't wait. We were also on her back in 1999. But I don't really remember that much. We were on the cancelled 4-30-16 cruise. Glad I rebooked her!! Woo hoo!!

[kenevenpar]

Always enjoy your reviews and photos. Thanks!

[irishgal432]

Can you go on another cruise sooner than the one you have scheduled? I want to read another review!!

 

Your reviews are one of the best ones out there who combine just the right amount of verbage, pictures and wit!

[Cel_cruise]

Thank you for a great review!

[Mrs. Winks]

Question: Did you experience any trouble with pool / upper deck space? Considering that this ship only has 1 pool and is not very long, I have a bad feeling that it'll be hard to get a chair or some pool time. How was your experience in this area?

 

We didn't actually consume any chairs near the pool deck but we did go up to scope it out during the sea days. First pool day was a little over cast to start with and there seemed to be plenty of chairs. The second sea day the weather was hot and sunny and the area around the pool was very crowded with a festive party vibe going on. As we walked around the decks away from the direct pool deck things opened up a bit and it appeared that chairs were available. Like any ship, if you want a prime spot you've got to get up early and fight for it! ;-)

[OceansOfTravels]

We didn't actually consume any chairs near the pool deck but we did go up to scope it out during the sea days. First pool day was a little over cast to start with and there seemed to be plenty of chairs. The second sea day the weather was hot and sunny and the area around the pool was very crowded with a festive party vibe going on. As we walked around the decks away from the direct pool deck things opened up a bit and it appeared that chairs were available. Like any ship, if you want a prime spot you've got to get up early and fight for it! ;-)

 

Thank you for your reply!

[Paulette3028]

We have been looking for a weekend getaway for late August for a few months now.....and researched online the various cabins on Empress since we knew from sailing on Enchantment (the other weekender, available thru Royal in the Miami or FLL area) what she had.

 

Realizing that all the cabins were smaller than even on Her Majesty, we choice what was an outside cabin, but a little bigger, it was an F1 category I believe. From looking at the deck plan, there seemed to only be 6 of these cabins -- they are L-shaped and give you almost the same footage as the JS, it seemed to us, just lacking the balcony. The cost for the balcony cabin did not seem worth it to us, for a short cruise.

 

After we sail on the August 25 sailing, I will let people know more about it. These cabins are also mid ship, but with such a small ship, it is not as if anything is a far walk.

 

 

So yesterday, Royal dropped prices on the upcoming Empress sailings for August...and we moved from the F1 outside cabin to a JS. I imagine they are having a difficult time, filling these sailings with them being already so close to sail date, and people that need to fly to S. Florida, would be paying high airfares.

 

The price drops were significant and since it was already after final payment, the thing we could do was move up to a different category cabin with balcony (JS). I am still going to be curious about the L-shaped cabin....hopefully I will meet someone who has it and get to see it....we only moved 4 cabins down from the original one we booked.

 

The extra bonus is double points, since we are now in a JS.

 

Looking forward to those hammocks though. I have never seen those on ships....could be a great thing to have on ALL ships!

[WinksCruises]

Mrs. Winks reminded me that I forgot to post our Snapchat Q&A session - but for me, it really wasn’t an oversight at all. I find the whole thing cumbersome to watch and a bit self indulgent. Snapchat imposes a 6 second time restriction on video snaps so trying to formulate answers that you could present in that time frame forced us to cram our answers through, making the whole thing look clumsy.

 

Nonetheless, here it is for you Cruise Critic review completionists out there. We asked followers of our Snapchat channel to reply with any questions they had about the Empress of the Seas. Then, the evening we sailed out of Cozumel, Mrs. Winks and I snapped our answers. Here they are… oh, plus some bonus footage of the Empress souvenir store.

 

[YOUTUBE]zmZetkl2r9s[/YOUTUBE]

Our Painful Attempt at Snapchat Q&A

 

And since we’re all here again, this is as good a time as any to post some odds and ends that we didn’t have space for in the main narrative, but still might prove helpful for those of you planning an upcoming cruise on Empress, seeing as the prices for the summer sailing just dropped to rock bottom! Lucky!

 

So on Deck 7 and 8, if you make your way past passenger cabins to the front of the ship, you’ll find a door at the end of the hallway. This door leads out to a public viewing balcony that overlooks the bow of the ship. It’s a great location for attending sail ways and port arrivals. Just know, that when you belly up to the railing for a closer look, you’ll be blocking the views of those in fore-facing Ocean Views behind you, with your butts! Note: You can also access these balconies by climbing up an unmarked stairwell from the Promenade Deck. Here’s a map of the location. And just as a friendly reminder, please don’t slam the door… on windy days it shook the whole cabin!

 

The "Secret" Doorway on Deck 8

 

The couch in our Owner’s Suite pulled out into a bed, sort of. The base slid out and you folded down the back panel to create a flat surface. It ended up being more square, proportionally, than rectangular. So why it would probably work okay for sleeping a kid or two, I’m not sure if there was really enough room for a regular sized couple. Feet hanging off the end sort of thing…

 

Also, just an odd note for muster preparation, in our cabin, the lifejackets were located under the regular bed, rather than where we typically find them, wedged in on the top shelf of the closet. Took a few minutes to locate them! PS: You can use the public balcony stairwell as a shortcut down to your muster station. That comes in real handy AFTER the drill ends when everyone is trudging up the main staircases.

 

The Fold-Out Bed in the Owner's Suite

 

During our cabin crawl, we noticed one of our hosts making use of this handy device. It’s the Squid and it serves the purpose of a power strip/bar. Since more and more frequently we’re hearing traditional power strips are being confiscated at boarding, a Squid might be the way to go - to more easily escape detection. We just like the fact it can accommodate all the odd sized plug-in configurations you run into these days.

 

Mrs. Winks and I travel with power strips without surge protectors, following the yet to be officially verified theory that it’s the surge protector units that don’t jive with the ship’s electrical system (something about reverse polarity and causing fire false alarms on the Bridge). So far, we haven’t been called out for using them. And in the Owner’s suite, we were surprised to find we had four usable outlets anyway!

 

The Squid

 

Our deck, Deck 8, featured some pretty interesting artwork choices in the hallway. Horror films and ‘60s icons. I have to report, seeing Frankenstein everyday wasn’t too comforting… but at least I didn’t run into anything from Lifeboat or A Night to Remember or that James Cameron monstrosity, so I guess that was thoughtful of them.

 

Empress Artwork on Deck 8

 

One other notable top deck feature were the several grassy knolls situated about more casual seating areas. Real grass, not mini-golf astro-turf, that combine with the hammocks and clamshell seating, gave that space a modern, HGTV, Extreme Makeover feel.

 

Take a chance to enjoy the nice touches on this ship. She’s old, small and void of those features that have made more recent Royal fleet members nothing more than amusement parks and gallerias at sea. It’s a nice cruising choice if you’re open to appreciating cruising the way it used to be.

 

The Grassy Knoll...

 

Thanks for your readership and kind comments! Enjoy you upcoming Empress Cruise!

 

Fin

 

Edited June 24, 2016 by WinksCruises

[Paulette3028]

 

One other notable top deck feature were the several grassy knolls situated about more casual seating areas. Real grass, not mini-golf astro-turf, that combine with the hammocks and clamshell seating, gave that space a modern, HGTV, Extreme Makeover feel.

 

Take a chance to enjoy the nice touches on this ship. She’s old, small and void of those features that have made more recent Royal fleet members nothing more than amusement parks and gallerias at sea. It’s a nice cruising choice if you’re open to appreciating cruising the way it used to be.

 

The Grassy Knoll...

 

Thanks for your readership and kind comments! Enjoy you upcoming Empress Cruise!

 

Fin

 

 

I am looking forward to these unique features and places that Empress has that her bigger sisters don't. I have made a point that the hammocks are going to be the second place we visit after our embarkation day lunch ritual. It will be nice to have a ship to explore after lunch, since it has been a few years since we have gone on a ship or class of ship, that we have never sailed on before.

 

Thanks for the review and photos, old and new!

[kmorg1234]

Thank you very much for this entertaining and informative review. The Q & A session was very good, and the combination of descriptions with well framed and imaginative photos was perfect. Wish I could master the art of a great review like you have!

[Citymom92]

Mrs. Winks reminded me that I forgot to post our Snapchat Q&A session - but for me, it really wasn’t an oversight at all. I find the whole thing cumbersome to watch and a bit self indulgent. Snapchat imposes a 6 second time restriction on video snaps so trying to formulate answers that you could present in that time frame forced us to cram our answers through, making the whole thing look clumsy.

 

 

I participated in the snapchat session and really appreciated being able to. While watching your snapchats, I thought of an issue that I hadn't heard updated in later cruises. So being able to ask it and your response I found to be extremely helpful. I think it was nice to send the questions in ahead of time, so you could scope out the answer, which you did! Thanks for doing it!

[Marylandteachergirl]

Hello Mr. and Mrs. Winks!

 

Thank you for the wonderful AND encouraging review of Empress. You have calmed many of my concerns.

 

Do you happen to have the e-mail for Daniella? We will be in an OS, same as you, but will stop at CocoCay (assuming winds are weather are favorable), and wanted to ask about reserving a cabana. I don't think your sailing stopped there. Or if you have any other ideas besides her email....?

 

Thank you so much!

[tbmrt]

Amazing!

 

Tx

[Jdpapillion]

Thanks Winks! Always a fun read and I think the ship shows beautifully. How would you compare to older Clebrity ships like Connie and Summit? There are very few options for Cruising in the summer months and this could be an option based on your review. Can't get into Oasis class either - why not just stay in a shopping mall. I want to know I am on the sea.

The Snapchat was a winner! Can't wait for your next adventure.

[Scotty G]

Thanks for an enlightening review. Like you we are coming back to Empress Saturday. You guys are the best!!!