Empress of the Seas 8/5/06 Newbie. First cruise for our family.

[JohnT106]

Hi everyone!! :)

We are new to the boards. This is going to be our first cruise for our family. Our daughter just graduated High School and this is our present to her. She is off to college in September.

We are not well off financialy, so if we ask some basic questions it is just so that we can get the most our of our trip.

With that said, we still want to do as much as our budget will allow us. With the kids growing up it just might be the last family vacation we get to go on. So we want to do it right.

Are we excited?? absolutely !! Are we nervous that we might miss out on things?? Yes... So I hope these board will be helpful.

So if you have any suggestion about the Empress of the Seas, Bermuda or just travel tips, let us know. We plan on checking the boards daily. Thanks so much!!

[bajsf]

OMG, I'm so thrilled for you! This will be the vacation of a lifetime! We are cruising on th Empress (7night) on July 8th. It will be our first time in Bermuda(5th cruise, 3rd with RCI). The boards here are great, lots of info.

Will let you know our views when we return...:D

[JohnT106]

OMG, I'm so thrilled for you! This will be the vacation of a lifetime! We are cruising on th Empress (7night) on July 8th. It will be our first time in Bermuda(5th cruise, 3rd with RCI). The boards here are great, lots of info.

Will let you know our views when we return...:D

 

Yes please let us know about your trip!! I hope you have a great time!!

[jmsway]

Just curious - why would anyone choose to cruise Bermuda on the Empress when they can cruise on the Explorer?

[JohnT106]

Just curious - why would anyone choose to cruise Bermuda on the Empress when they can cruise on the Explorer?

 

• The only time we could go is the end of July through the middle of august. The only cruise in that time frame on the Explorer is for only 5 nights.
  
• Got a great deal on the cruise through a friend of ours so it is cheaper.
  
• We have never been on a cruise so granted a larger ship might have some advanteges, being we haven't been on a cruise before we probally woun't miss them.
  
• Larger ships may offer more things to do, but probally at a cost. We are on a tight budget so 'extras' on the ship are not on our list.
  
• When we used to vacation at the Jersey Shore, we always picked the smaller bungalow over the newer beach house.
  
• We didn't want to cruise anywhere else but Bermuda because it is a shorter trip and we can spend more time on the island if we want to.

[MikeT718]

For me the primary reason for sailling on one of the smaller ships is getting the smaller ports like St. George & Hamilton...These you will not get on Explorer:confused: as it docks only at the Royal Navy Yard!!!! you spen too much time trying to get to Hamilton and St. Georges

[bajsf]

Just curious - why would anyone choose to cruise Bermuda on the Empress when they can cruise on the Explorer?

 

The Empress offers 7 nights and Explorer 5 nights. As MikeT718 stated is also another reason, docks in Hamilton and St. George.

 

OK JohnT106,will let you know when we return....Happy Cruising:D

[Gingee]

I am currently looking at the seven day cruise on the Empress next year when our youngest (and the last one at home) graduates from high school also. Since this is our only child we will be taking and she will be too old to be in the teen club on ship, is this a good location to go to? I hear it is party island.

[dolfinmusic]

Just curious - why would anyone choose to cruise Bermuda on the Empress when they can cruise on the Explorer?

 

 

Because I live 20 mins from Philly's pier! :D Plus the reasons that the others gave.

[denred04]

i looked into the Explorer, and for two less days it was more $$$. plus, I live right outside Philly-1/2 hour drive. I just met someone who was on Empress in April and loved it. she said the ship is not small. I also was looking at pictures of the Freedom-I don't want to vacation in a shopping mall! so I am not upset about the size of the Empress...Will let you know more upon return. we leave on Saturday!

 

For OP--check the royal caribbean website for a price drop...go on as if you were booking...if your cabin type is still available, and dropped in price...you'll get a refund. but you have to call your travel agent to have him/her do it. there are 6 in my family, so it really helped us a lot!

[bajsf]

Because I live 20 mins from Philly's pier! :D Plus the reasons that the others gave.

 

 

Hi

We will be coming on July 8th from upstate PA.about a 2 1/2 hour drive..how easy or hard is it to find the port. Will be coming from the Allentown area, HELP...can you post some directions? I did Mapquest, but found it sometimes to be unreliable...THANKS

 

Barbara

[vikielynne]

Just curious - why would anyone choose to cruise Bermuda on the Empress when they can cruise on the Explorer?

 

Aside from what everyone else has already said...having cruised both big and very small ships I am looking forward to being back on a smaller ship, you actually stand the chance of seeing the same face a second time on a smaller ship. I really enjoy meeting new people while on vacation & that's easier on a smaller ship.

 

Bigger isn't always better - I learned that years ago at Christmas - what I thought was going to be a great something turned out to be a Litter Maid, so I didn't have to clean the cat litter box, UGH!!!

[dillybar92]

Here's a link to the Philly Port which will give you directions. http://cruisephilly.org/ We are sailing in August and live in Central Buck and think it will only take us just over an hour to get there. If you don't want to do the NE ext of the TP you can come down 309 S. Let me know if you have any questions.

[bajsf]

Thanks for the link! As long as SHORE traffic isn't heavy, we should be OK.

[cynbar]

Bermuda is a great place to go on a budget , as long as you eat your meals on the ship and avoid taxis!! You can buy a combined bus and ferry pass --- I believe it costs $13 for one day, they have rates for more days but unfortunately I can't quote those for you. Between the bus and the ferry, you can get anywhere in Bermuda. The beaches are just lovely, Fort Scaur is worth a stop, the Swizzle Inn is great for a quick stop and a rum swizzle, and I'm pretty sure that the Bermuda Perfumery is free. The ferry ride from Hamilton to the Dockyard is lovely, you cross Hamilton harbor and get a great view of some of the waterfront homes.Price for the ferry ride alone is $4.00 each way --- a real bargain! You can buy a guidebook or go to either the Fodor or Frommer online sites for more info about the sights in Bermuda, so you can all plan out what you want to see. Have fun!! And P.S.--- Make sure you see a moongate, they're unique to Bermuda. There is a very nice one on the grounds of the Hamilton Princess (that's the big pink hotel to the left of the pier in Hamilton,very easy to find.) It's on the harbor side of the hotel grounds , and makes for some terrific pictures.

[ozland]

JohnT:

 

I've done both big ships and small ships and found that both have advantages and disadvantages. That being said, I've done a 10 night on the Empress to the southern Caribbean and really enjoyed it. I travelled with five of my in-laws and they all enjoyed it too.

 

Bermuda will be great, I'm sure. That's where I wanted to go on our next cruise (leaving next week) but couldn't get the right ship at the right time.

 

Happy cruising -- you'll love it.

[wench58]

Bermuda is a great place to go on a budget .Make sure you see a moongate, they're unique to Bermuda. There is a very nice one on the grounds of the Hamilton Princess (that's the big pink hotel to the left of the pier in Hamilton,very easy to find.) It's on the harbor side of the hotel grounds , and makes for some terrific pictures.

 

What is a moongate???:rolleyes:

[cat616]

Hi Linda,

 

Here is a webpage that has an entry on Moongates.

 

http://www.bermuda-online.org/traditions.htm

 

Happy Travels

 

Cindy

[tinker]

JohnT106:

 

You will love the Empress and Bermuda! What a special gift for your daughter!

We have been on 6 cruises and the Empress to Bermuda is our all time favorite cruise and vacation to date.

 

My tips:

Buy the $27 pp three day bus/ferry pass as this is the best way to get around.

 

Ride the Ferry in lieu of an excursion to see the beautiful homes on the water.

 

Pack a twin sized flat sheet to use when going to beach to save $ on renting chairs which can be $30 or more for 2 and an umbrella.

 

Take the bus to Horseshoe Bay.

 

When in St. George, walk to St. Catherine's Beach.

 

Take a travel type coffee mug to take to the Windjammer for morning coffee and use for lemonade or iced tea on sea days when by the pool.

 

Don't pack a lot of clothes as you won't wear half of them.

 

Since you have never cruised buy Bonine (a non-drowsy form of Dramamine) and take daily BEFORE sea sickness sets in. Once you are sick, it will not help.

 

Most of all ENJOY and take lots of pictures. You are going to have a great time!!

[Tony O]

Just got back form Bermuda and have posted some pictures. Check them out if you like. Just look for the link below and go to the Bermuda album

[cynbar]

Here is the moongate from the grounds of the Hamilton Princess -- they're supposed to bring good luck!!

[bajsf]

Just came back yesterday from the EMPRESS..what a wonderful ship. Its the smallest ship we were ever on, but its BEAUTIFUL. The crew is very friendly and found the passengers to be the same. Most from Philly and NJ, but some from Texas, Ohio, yes! and even Florida. Bermuda was quite warm, but the nights were on the cool side. There is a street fair on Wednesday night, right in front of the ship, native food and crafts. Docking in St.Georges and Hamilton, you were right on the pier. On and off the ship as many times as you wish, no problems. Getting a taxi was very easy, even at the beaches. Did the trolley tour and found them very interesting and would do them again.

 

Food on the ship was more than you can eat. Dining either in the Windjammer or Carmen dining rooms was great. Part of the Windjammer is open till 2am with pizza, hotdogs, hoagies(subs), fruit, cookies, cakes, ice cream, lemonade, ice tea, hot tea, coffee, orange and apple juice.

 

The pool area chairs were hard to come by. It was very crowded on sea days, but dock days, you had your choice.

 

Hope I covered what info you were looking for, if not, just ask while its fresh in my mind. Just watch out for the smallest bathrooms in the world on ship. Enjoy your cruise!:D

[denred04]

I was on the same cruise as Barbara--My family loved it too. my daughters, 20 and 19 had a blast. met up with some nice people their age and hit the bars every night. (not sure if that was a good thing, but they had fun) I am working on a review...should be finished soon.