Just off the Empress 7-1 Bermuda sailing...

[Terry in NJ]

Here's my thoughts, in no random order:

 

The ship is still beautiful. It's very well maintained.

 

Sea days by the pool get crowded. One or two days is fine to deal with, but by the third day of wall to wall people, on the deck and in the pool, uh, I needed a break. The pool is too small. Sorry, I do not know how that can be fixed :). The hot tubs have shade covers, nice touch.

 

Our restaurant service was outstanding. We had Randy Manzano and Stanko, who was leaving today for his vacation. Nothing was too difficult or a problem. Our headwaiter "Rocky" from India, was also terrific. He came over just to chat, and even at lunch too.

 

The Windjammer, was another story. There was never enough ice in the machines outside on the deck. They would be out of silverware, or plates, you would tell an attendant and had to wait forever. They were OUT OF MUSTARD next to the hotdogs one afternoon. I told the attendant, and she said, "we won't have any for a while". HUH??? It was the 2nd day of the cruise, go to the storeroom for god's sake!!! These problems are absolutely

unacceptable on a consistent basis and it was daily. It was like there was no manager walking around checking on things. (To their credit, the attendents were good about cleaning up the tables very quickly.)

On the first night, my brother in law was kicked out of the windjammer for dinner because he was wearing a muscle shirt (not tank). That is fine, we didn't realize there was a dress code (which specifically said, no bathing attire). HOWEVER, there were 4 "babes" in their bathing suits with coverups and their bathing suit straps showing and they were not tossed. Fair is fair. I was really annoyed. I talk to one manager, and then another. Why can they stay and BIL is kicked out?

Ooooooooohhhhhh, because they are 20 and look adorable? Ok, got it.

 

Dinners? So-so, in my humble opinion. (I've cruised 16 or 17 times, mainly with RCCL and Princess.) The choices are just not exciting. The shrimp (both as a cocktail and as an entree) are like a medium size you get on those plastic black rings in shop rite, you know what I mean. Chef's selection and recommendations on two nights were pork chops and lamb shank (it was terrible). Desserts, though? Outstanding. Try the coconut creme brulee at the sitdown dining room lunch, or the chocolate cordial mousse at dinner. OH MY GOD! Some appetizers? Outstanding (the crabcake comes to mind). My duck was good and my lamb chops (the 2nd batch, the first were WAY well done) were good, but that was it in the entrees.

 

HERE'S MY ADVICE RCCL, CUT THE COSTS FOR THE FANCY MENUES AND PUT IT BACK INTO THE ENTREES.

 

Our cruise director Warren Allen was very nice, and very approachable. He came to our Meet 'N Mingle and answered all our questions. He was also a good sport. One of the guys in the bellyflop competition tossed him in the pool! Entertainment was pretty good. Rick Novell (a hysterical juggler comic) was FANTASTIC. Los Pampas Gauchos (I don't know how to describe them, high energy cultural dancing with cowboy-like rope tricks... someone else who's seen them help me here!) were also a highlight, VERY entertaining.

 

If Philadelphia wants to establish itself as a cruise port, they really should put some money into cleaning up and beautifying the environs. Much of it looks like an industrial wasteland, but hey, you're leaving on a cruise, so I guess, why should the cruisers care. I just think the city of Philadelphia should.

 

We didn't use the spa or kid's club. Didn't go to Portofino's. Didn't do any midnight buffets or late night activities... sorry I'm a wuss with a 9 year old and we were both fried by 10:30ish!

 

Oh, the stateroom (we were in 8632) could use a picture or two (There was no artwork on the walls, that was unusual I thought.) and some additional hooks to hang stuff.

 

Hello to all the friends on the boards we got to meet and chat with!!!!

 

Oh, I came in 2nd place in the slots tournament. There were only 14 entrants so the prize was only $60 and a tee, but I was happy! It was fun! We only did B-B-B-Bingo (you had to be there) twice, yesterday's jackpot was over $5,000 and only 1 guy won! Not too shabby!

 

I hope it doesn't sound like I am too critical but having cruised alot, I can't help it, I have definite opinions. HOWEVER, a cruise is what YOU make of it. We still had a wonderful time :D, Bermuda is a wonderful country to visit. It was our 5th time there, and I will keep going back.

 

Ask away if you have any questions.

 

Toodles. Terry in NJ

[Loucat]

I am sorry that you had so many issues on this ship, but I am not surprised. We sailed on EOS in March and had many of the same problems. No space on sea days around the pool. One person actually took pool chairs to his room overnight to be sure there was a place to sit the next day. Windjammer problems the same! How can they run out of basics?:confused:

Food was the quality of a fast food chain. You were fortunate to have good service! One of my greatest problems was that as a daily user of the Ship Shape area, there are so limited machines (3-4 treadmills and 3 elipticals), the ship's staff were using the machines causing some real delays for passengers.

I am not a happy camper after reading your review. I was told that the conditions on Empress would improve and it seems they are the same. I know they cannot make the pool larger, but the other problems are fixable.

YIKES!! :D

[dolfinmusic]

Thanks for the review. What did you do in Bermuda? Was it rough sailing? One more question please - did you receive paper or e-docs? Thanks! :)

[Terry in NJ]

Hi Dolphinmusic...

On Tuesday upon docking in St. Georges, we took the shuttle up to Fort St. Catherines. (To pick up the shuttle to go to the fort or the beach, walk toward the town square. Walk through the square and stay left of the City House, or Court House. You can see the van from the square.) We toured the Fort, it's a self tour, very cool.

On Wednesday am in Hamilton we did the Beach Snorkeling & Glass Bottom Boat Tour. It was nice, but snorkeling is very iffy. I ended up not snorkeling and just paddling around in the water, which was fine. And taking the boat ride was fun to do also.

Back to the ship for lunch, then SIL and I shopped downtown, gotta love it.

Wednesday am we took a cab to Horseshoe Bay which was great.

Wednesday pm we took a leisurely stroll through Harbor Nights. DD did the blow up bouncy thing and got an airbrushed horse tattoo (gasp!). SIL and BIL and I wandered over to the Hog Penny Tavern for a Dark N Stormy.

 

God I love Bermuda! :D

 

(Very troubling to hear about the continued problems with the Windjammer.

RCCL, ARE YOU LISTENING? WARREN, I KNOW YOU CHECK THESE BOARDS. YOUR SHIP DOESN'T NEED THESE COMPLAINTS AND THEY HAVE TO BE ADDRESSED! Thanks for listening.)

 

Terry in NJ

[Inshape]

Since we live in Williamsburg, VA have been thinking of doing a Bermuda cruise out of Norfolk on Empress. Just did not think that ship or going to Bermuda was kid friendly. Please let me know your thoughts on this. We have done the Voyager class ships and the kids love it. We now cruise with 2 of the 3 kids being 11( girl) and almost 10 (boy). We were thinking of doing this maybe in a year or two when out now 18 year old is older to watch the younger ones when we just go. But if I want to do this cruise any sooner taking the 2 younger kids will have to be done...any thoughts on this cruise with kids....there goes using the mopeds around the island...for sure!

[JanMD]

We had the same problem over Memorial Day sailing. We are diamond members and the food was just BAD. We realize that the chef is from India. But it was cheap food to prepare. By the next to the last night eveyone at the table said the food has gone down hill and it is food that you would get at cheap rest.

And not to have Lobster on a formal night- that was the first time we have ever had that happen.

The ship that was out at the dockyards had normal food. You tell me.

 

Oh- the other thing that we noticed in the windjammer was there was one omlet machine at each side of a row of food. How much would it be to invest in a two burner to make 2 omlets at a time. The lines were always long. Again- cheap for them not to do that.

 

Ours is the ship that we never got to St. Gerorge- medical er. And they never refunded us the port charge for St. George, normally they always do that. But, not this time... oh well-

 

As you we love Bermuda. This has been our 4th year of going over there- via land or sea. Bermuda is special.

[phillyfriends]

We made our reservation last week. After reading the write-ups, I'm a bit concerned. We have been on quite a few cruises. What we honestly enjoy on a vacation: good wholesome food and friendly people. After reading the quotes, I sort of feel that people get to know each other by discussing the poor food. Did anyone get feedback from the cruise line about changes they hope to make to improve the food? We're still looking forward to getting away, forgetting all our baggage at home, and enjoying each moment. Thank you and enjoy your summer!

[maxs mom]

Hi Terry!

 

We were on this sailing with Terry and have been on this ship 5 times. Love the family atmosphere and smallness of the ship. People remember your name and the service is quite good.

 

The food wasn't the very best, but it also wasn't that bad. Everybody at our table cleaned their plates every night. They also honored lots of special requests that we had.....my husband is a diabetic, his sister can't do gluten, I need low sodium, our nephew's girlfriend can't do dairy....so we had them hoppin' all week and they did an outstanding job for us! My husband was sick one night and they made a special dinner for him and sent it to our cabin.

 

We've missed quite a few ports in our 21 years of sailing with RCI and have never been refunded port charges!! We've received a few free drinks, but no refunded port charges. They don't do that, at least that we've ever seen.

 

The Empress is a great ship and we will probably sail on her again at some point.

[Terry in NJ]

Dolphinmusic, I realized I never answered two of your questions. The seas were just fine. Thursday night, apparently there was a storm, and things were rocking a bit. But it wasn't as bad as the 20 foot seas the beginning of May. My SIL tends to get seasick very easily and she was fine with wristbands and bonine.

Also, we did the e-docs. You fill everything out online, then print a one sheet confirmation. At check-in you present the confirmation, show your passports and give them your credit card. It was a breeze.

 

As far as the kid's club INSHAPE, I heard people saying their kids were having a blast. It truly is one of the things that RCCL is known for. Again, I can't give a firsthand opinion because DD wasn't interested.

 

PHILLYFRIENDS, my husband grabbed the Head Manager of the Windjammer and gave him a whole list of the repetitive problems (in a nice way of course, my husband is very laid back). Many of the problems are easy to fix, so there must be someone responsible. We did notice the ice machine was working better after he spoke to him on Wednesday, so maybe they had someone checking that station more regularly.

 

JANMD, very good observation about the omelette station, two burners, two attendants, twice the service!!! DUH, RCCL!!!!!!! (I just didn't bother waiting when the line was long.)

 

And I really wasn't "about" complaining about the food while I was hanging on the ship. I mean, my family knew I was annoyed, but I just ordered something else and moved on. I personally do not remember reading the other complaints about the food, so I was surprised to see the responders here echo my sentiments.

 

I still had a blast, and if your attitude is good YOU WILL TOO!

[Precoria]

Yikes. We are leaving on Saturday on the Empress. I hate having to complain while on vacation. I hope it goes smoothly for us.

[Lin14k]

My family and I will be on the 7-15 trip...I really appreciate the heads-up about the food issues...I've been known to be a bit of a nag...if there's something I don't like, they will surely hear about it early in the week:o. This is my first time to Bermuda...can't wait.

[dolfinmusic]

Thank you for the great info! :)

[sailingketch]

Empress of the Seas cruise to Bermuda, 7 days returning 7/1 was disappointing to say the least. :confused: I have to agree with Terry from NJ. To add some additional information:

There were never enough chairs around the pool. Deck 6 could have accommodated more chairs however; there were not chairs there to accommodate more than 20 passengers.

The food was mediocre at best. :mad: The first nights prime rib was nearly inedible. :eek:

If I had a reservation on this cruise and knew what I know, I would CANCEL ASAP.:mad:

There were a lots of kids on board. IMO, entirely too many unsupervised kids. Kids out of control. Kids taking up pool chairs. Kids slopping ice cream all over the windjammer. Kids riding the elevator and pushing all the buttons. Several times security would have to be called for kids from the early teens to college getting in trouble. Its like parents are using cruise ships as baby sitters any more. The foul language was so bad, we avoided the pool and bar areas for most of the cruise.

The most troubling aspect of the cruise was the vibration from the propeller shaft and/or coupling. The ship is going to dry dock in North Carolina for 7-9 days in October or November. I don't remember which. When the ship changes course or speed there is such a vibration that glasses and silverware move on the tables. Now, I know about boats and have a 40 foot boat and the captain claimed it was a harmonic sound issue and the depth of the water and this was common to cruise ships. Nonsense! I found the Captain to be condescending the dismissing of questions as if he didn't care what a paying passenger thought.

:mad:

[dolfinmusic]

Good thing I am sailing in September when the kids will just be starting back to school :D

[tweidner]

I am going on the August 5th sailing of Empress and I have some questions I would appreciate answers to;

1. What nights are the formal nights?

2. Bus vs. taxis to go to Horshoe Bay Beach and Elbow Beach? How expensive was the taxi and how long did the bus take to get to the beach?

3. Where do you get the bus in Hamilton?

4. Did anyone do the Candlelight Tour in St. George?

5. Prior to sailing out of Philadelphia was the pool open?

6. How was the parking situation in Philly, any trouble getting a spot?

7. What time did you get to the port and what time did they start boarding?

8. Anyone have a copy of the Compass?

9. How was the Kids Club?

10. How deep is the pool?

11. Were there street festivals in St. George or Hamilton the nights you were in port?

12. How was the evening entertainment on the ship while in port?

13. How much was the rock climbing wall? How often is it open?

I would be grateful to anyone that could answer these questions. I am beginning to get a little concerned about the ship and our vacation based on the reviews that I have seen. Please tell me some of the good points about the cruise.

[Terry in NJ]

Overall, I didn't see the issues you had SAILING KETCH... that's too bad, there's nothing worse than unruly children RUNNING WILD!!!

 

However, I have a FUNNY (well, in an annoying way) story. There was a family group right next to us in the dining room. At least 7 adults, at least 7 kids. Well one night, in an extraordinary amount of common sense, these adults chose to seat 5 kids, all under 8, BY THEMSELVES !!!! If it happened again I was going to complain to the Head Waiter (running around, yelling, dinging silverware on the glasses, etc.).

But it didn't happen again and I let it go....

I felt sooooooo bad for the waitstaff, they were overseeing these kids.

The nerve!

[Terry in NJ]

TWEIDNER:

 

We got to the Philly parking lot about 11:00, so no problem parking. We were able to board as soon as we checked in.

 

Yes the pool was open upon boarding. It is 5 feet, 8 inches deep.

 

Formal nights are Sunday and Thursday.

 

Cab including tip to Horseshoe Bay was $21, including a $4 tip. It took about 20 minutes. I don't do buses on vacation, too much stress for me :) !

 

Harbor nights is Wednesday, while docked in Hamilton.

 

Can't answer about rock climbing, kid's club, candlelight tour...

 

The best show (IMHO) on the cruise (Rick Novell) was while docked in Hamilton. I didn't see the two other shows while in port.

[Host Kewlguy]

There were a lots of kids on board. IMO, entirely too many unsupervised kids. Kids out of control. Kids taking up pool chairs. Kids slopping ice cream all over the windjammer. Kids riding the elevator and pushing all the buttons. Several times security would have to be called for kids from the early teens to college getting in trouble. Its like parents are using cruise ships as baby sitters any more. The foul language was so bad, we avoided the pool and bar areas for most of the cruise.

 

If you are going to sail in July you are going to have to deal with unsupervised out of control children. This is one of the main reasons we choose not to sail during the summer.

[tweidner]

Terry in NJ,

 

Thank you for all of the very useful information.

[mikesterr]

I was on the 7/1 - 7/8 cruise with Terry and have to agree with the Windjammer complaints. One Morning they ran out of syrup and only had sugar free syrup we were complaining and someone leaving said they complained about the same thing 20 minutes ago and there still wasn't any. After about 5 min they did bring some out to our table but that means the problem existed for at least 25 minutes and probably more. I didn't even try the omelet station as the line was usually 6 or 7 deep. they need a full griddle that can do 3 or 4 at a time 1 cook can make 4 at a time without a problem. if they have the right tools.

As for the dining room I did not have a bad meal in there. I wasn't crazy about the selections but what I did choose was very well prepared. And the staff in the dining room was excellent.

As for the kids well, kids will be kids. If you want to avoid kids but still want a summer time vacation then I suggest early June or Early September. If not then you will have to deal with kids. I don't think Empress was great for the kids though I'm sure they had fun but I think the bigger ships like Voyager have more to offer them especially the tweeners.

 

A word of caution about St. George. with Empress You arrive in the early afternoon and if you have an excursion booked like the helmet diving (which was awesome by the way) you will wind up back at the ship in time for the main seating dinner but, the shops are all closed by 5 or 530. There really isn't anything to do after 5 in st George unless you want to visit a local pub.

We rushed out of dinner to see if we could find anything open but it was all closed. I really would have liked some time to explore st George. Next time I will not book an excursion in St George.

 

SailingKetch - As for Empress being scheduled for Dry dock, Are you sure about that. It was just completely over hauled in 2004. Seems odd that it would be scheduled again so soon for some type of refit. Warren told us that the vibration happens when the Captain rotates the propeller shaft up closer to the hull when in shallow water. And I didn't notice the vibration in the open seas. Only when we were in the Delaware or near the island. So I have to assume they were telling the truth. Maybe the captain meant that type of cruise ship with the positionable propeller shaft.

Whichever it was. I agree it was a little annoying during dinner. But better than running aground like the other ship did 2 weeks ago.

 

All in All the cruise was a good time. And a better cost for fun and food than any of the all inclusive places. The Wind Jammer just needs a little organization and they will be fine. I will sail Empress again some day, but I think the next one will be Freedom. My G/F really wants to see what all the Fuss is about, and so do I.

 

Remember to keep checking the prices. If you see a price drop call them or your agent ASAP.

We booked a standard ocean view on deck 6. We wound up in a Junior Suite on Deck 9. And still got a small refund. All because I called and asked about the new prices. So keep your eyes open.

 

And Bermuda is Beautiful probably the Best place on earth.

[dolfinmusic]

IRemember to keep checking the prices. If you see a price drop call them or your agent ASAP.

We booked a standard ocean view on deck 6. We wound up in a Junior Suite on Deck 9. And still got a small refund. All because I called and asked about the new prices. So keep your eyes open.

 

And Bermuda is Beautiful probably the Best place on earth.

 

 

Thanks for the info. We are sailing 9/16 and checked the prices last week - they have gone up! :eek:

[Jazzfman]

We thought the whole stern of the Empress was gonna vibrate off.....in the dining room leaving Bermuda about 3 hours out!!!!! the captain spotted a distress signal from a sailboat racing to Rhode Island and had to slow the ship to turn around...the rescue went well....crew were very well trained....but until we knew what was goiing on it was fn Scary! Our waiter smiled through it all and just said we are "changing speeds" so it was nothing new to him.....still would consider Empress again if it had balconies (spoiled)

[Jeepers385]

Hi Terry, glad you had a good trip overall.

When we sailed in early May we had 2 omelet stations and even with that, one of the cooks wasn't very experienced in making omelets but it was still good but not as pretty looking.:D

I know someone mentioned not having Lobster on their formal night, we had it I wonder what happened.

As for the vibration it's always been there and I don't think going away. This was our 3rd time on her (twice as the Nordic Empress and once as Empress). Actually this year it wasn't as bad as previous trips and it always seemed to be as we were leaving ports.

We didn't take taxis to any of the beaches, buses were always available and only took about 1/2 hour from Hamilton to Horseshoe Bay.

Yes the Empress is a small ship but we still love her and would sail her again. A vacation is what you make of it and as long as I can relax, drink and enjoy our friends I'm happy.;)

Remember summer is when most people with families are going to vacation but it's also up to their parents to keep them in line and when they don't everyone else suffers. On a whole I would hope most do but their's always those exceptions.