The Biggest Little Ship Around: An Empress of the Seas Pictorial!

[irun5k]

She looks like a beautiful, well maintained ship. Given than we live here the Tampa Bay area I'd be more than willing to give her a try....

 

The gym in the "loft" of the VC lounge is a bit odd though. I think this change was made in ~2005 timeframe. I'm not sure where the old location was but the new location was considered an upgrade.

[DarthGrady]

Great review... Hope your review of my ship is as nicely done when you sail on it July 2nd.

I'll give it an honest one, hopefully there's good bar service.

[DarthGrady]

Is it me, or are those dining room chairs ridiculous looking? They look like old-fashioned barber chairs with that weird round circle thing.

 

Can you get a quick trim with your prime rib?

Yes, they didn't do a lot of modernization in the main dining room. From watching old YouTube videos it looks to mostly be in its original configuration.

[ShipsInBergen]

Thank you for creating this treasure trove of photos and information :D I've always been very curious about Empress OTS, and would love the chance to sail on her. At least your posts offer the next best thing :)

[luvdisney2010]

Thanks for the pics. It makes me feel better about our decision to go on the Empress to Cuba in June.

[johnjen]

We loved Empress on our cruise to Bermuda out of Norfolk. Back then she looked great and with your pics she looks even nicer. I don't understand some of the negative reviews about her being aged or that pullman tours didn't take care of her, she looks so nice we may consider our next cruise on her. The smaller ships are far better than the bigger ones, IMO. You get more attention.

[Canadian Tyler]

Is it me, or are those dining room chairs ridiculous looking? They look like old-fashioned barber chairs with that weird round circle thing.

 

Can you get a quick trim with your prime rib?

 

Agreed, those weird chairs caught my eye. But the Schooner Bar looks pretty modern compared to other ships.

 

Great pics and review!

[RoLoHa]

We are headed on our third Empress cruise, 5/25. Our first first out of Tampa. We loved it last year and from your pics, everything is more or less just how we left it!

 

 

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[Snit13]

Enjoyed reading your excellent review. Would you happen to know if there are saunas and showers in the gym/fitness area? DH is a big fan of saunas.

 

We are overnight in October in Havana and looking forward to meeting the Empress.

[cleophus12]

How smooth does she sail? We sailed on the Nordic Prince to Bermuda years ago and it was not a smooth sailing. Nor was our trip on the Monarch. I know most of the ships have those all important stabilizers now, but were they added to EotS in her refitting? A smooth sail is important to me and the smaller size concerns me that motion may be an issue.

[LMaxwell]

Very true, I enjoyed the talk that the Captain gave at the past guest party. I've heard similar sentiments from other Captains as well. I think many of them realize that much is being lost as the companies chase the theme park crowds.

 

Great photos and write ups. The soaring Centrum is really beautiful as well; something being removed from many new designs in order to put in more cabins.

[easyboy]

Enjoyed your review and nice photos!

[MrFunInTheSun]

Great look at the ship and photos as usual. Thanks for sharing!

 

 

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[DarthGrady]

We loved Empress on our cruise to Bermuda out of Norfolk. Back then she looked great and with your pics she looks even nicer. I don't understand some of the negative reviews about her being aged or that pullman tours didn't take care of her, she looks so nice we may consider our next cruise on her. The smaller ships are far better than the bigger ones, IMO. You get more attention.

 

Royal Caribbean did have to invest a lot into her after bringing her back from Europe. There are some areas that look dated, the cabins and main dining room are examples. But overall I think for a nearly thirty year old ship, she looks pretty good!

[DarthGrady]

Enjoyed reading your excellent review. Would you happen to know if there are saunas and showers in the gym/fitness area? DH is a big fan of saunas.

 

We are overnight in October in Havana and looking forward to meeting the Empress.

 

I asked about that since I also enjoy the sauna. Unfortunately Empress does not have either. The gym is upstairs in the VCL and isn't even connected to the spa which is one deck down and further forward.

[Clarea]

I asked about that since I also enjoy the sauna. Unfortunately Empress does not have either. The gym is upstairs in the VCL and isn't even connected to the spa which is one deck down and further forward.

Are there gym showers up in the VCL area near the gym equipment?

[DarthGrady]

How smooth does she sail? We sailed on the Nordic Prince to Bermuda years ago and it was not a smooth sailing. Nor was our trip on the Monarch. I know most of the ships have those all important stabilizers now, but were they added to EotS in her refitting? A smooth sail is important to me and the smaller size concerns me that motion may be an issue.

 

We had calm winds and seas throughout our cruise, so it was very pleasant. Yes, she does have stabilizers. I would assume she was built with them, as they were pretty standard equipment on passenger ships by the 80s.

 

Great photos and write ups. The soaring Centrum is really beautiful as well; something being removed from many new designs in order to put in more cabins.

I agree, I was surprised at how similar the Centrum is to the Vision Class. I like how it's open at the top to allow sunlight in, unlike the Sovereign Class ships.

Great look at the ship and photos as usual. Thanks for sharing!

 

 

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Thank you!

[DarthGrady]

Are there gym showers up in the VCL area near the gym equipment?

I didn't see any, and there didn't seem to be any way to access the spa area from the gym like there is on most ships.

 

There are two exterior doors up there, one (starboard side) is crew only and appears to go to the crew bar.

 

The other (port side) goes out to a staircase that leads down to an area by the spa. But those spa doors are now crew only, so all you can do is walk back into the VCL.

 

It's a very odd setup, you can tell they've fiddled with the design a lot over the years.

[jmb4534]

That's it folks! If you have any questions please feel free to ask!

 

Thank you for sharing your photos. We are in the May 29 sailing out of Tampa. Are there any outdoor dining areas? On a lot of ships you can access tables outdoors from the buffet area. (but on those ships the Windjammer was aft) Thanks!

[DarthGrady]

Thank you for sharing your photos. We are in the May 29 sailing out of Tampa. Are there any outdoor dining areas? On a lot of ships you can access tables outdoors from the buffet area. (but on those ships the Windjammer was aft) Thanks!

Yes, there is a dining patio area between the Windjammer and the main pool.

[Nadey]

Thanks for the review and pics - going in october to cuba- have been on the allure and now will be on the smallest- will be nice to have ocean views in the ship- that is gone on the big ships like allure

[FLSteve11]

I couldn't agree more with these observations, as I have come to appreciate the feel I get when aboard the smaller class ships and their outward views. Great review and pics. We also noted that the Schooner Bar was much larger than we had anticipated - a great gathering place for groups. Our second cruise on Empress is in Oct, and for sure not the last.

 

When we sailed Empress we were told by staff that it's actually the largest Schooner Bar in the fleet. Which I can believe, it looked larger then any one I've been in.

[Gordo]

Thank you for all the wonderful photos. In a way it brings back some memories for us on our first RC sailing on Song of Norway.

We are definitely considering Empress for a future sailing. Thanks again for sharing.

[tamilyn]

We docked at the International Pier.

Is the International Pier the one closest to Carlos and Charlies in "town" or is this the newer pier close to Senor Frogs, etc.?

[DarthGrady]

Is the International Pier the one closest to Carlos and Charlies in "town" or is this the newer pier close to Senor Frogs, etc.?

The International pier is one of the two that are a few miles from downtown.