twangster

Just avoid studio cabins if you want the solo multiplier.  For solo guests, studio is single points only.  

8 minutes ago, bonoriffic said:

In photos of CocoCay prior to becoming the makeover it is now there was a couple of inflatable obstacles, climbing tower, play thing about 20 feet offshore. Did that survive the makeover and is it still there for guests to use?

The water park was not free in the past.  Access was purchased by the hour typically.  Labadee has a similar setup.  

CocoCay also had an inflatable slide on land.  Both are no longer available as far as I know.  I’m going next week and I doubt the water park is still there. 

31 minutes ago, Matt said:

Looking forward to following along! Can't believe you didn't start this live blog super early, as you pioneered!

I know right?   She has a 2021 cruise booked and already started that one   

 

19 minutes ago, Michelleroman88 said:

Thank you so much for this blog. I am cruising on the Empress on August 10th for an 8 night East. Carribean. I had heard some very negative things about the ship so I feel so much better seeing your positive experience.

I’m looking forward to that cruise.  It’s been several years since I’ve been to Tortola and Jost Van Dyke.  

In general negative reviews often come from improper expectations.   In some ways negative reviews help to keep expectations in check so  people are pleasantly surprised when it isn’t as bad as some people report.  

Make no mistake, Empress is a small ship.  If you understand that when you board you won’t be surprised with her size.  She has all the essentials requirements for a great experience.   She might be the smallest in the fleet but she has the biggest heart.  

17 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Can you check your vault for what it says about renting the Beachfront and OTW cabanas?  Did it always say for Star Class?  I checked mine but this was the first time I noticed that wording.

Nope.  No mention of any resource reserved for Star Class only.

I'm sure a Star Class guest couldn't get one for at least one cruise so the Genie's lobbied for this change.  

Some business will enjoy revenue from day trippers,  some will not.  Hotels for example see little revenue from a day trip visitor.  Restaurants, transportation services, some types of stores will gain revenue.   

Hotels could be very vocal out of fear that too many day trippers will drive away visitors who will stay in their hotel.  To this end they will commission reports and lobby against day visitors.

There are always at least two sides and here we see only one side.

3 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Interesting letter.  I have never received a Concierge letter that long !!

I noticed that 3 separate times the letter indicates that certain amenities are for suite guests only, NEVER mentioning Pinnacles at all.  I find that very misleading.  I am not one of those [non-suite paying Pinnacle] haters from over at CC but I do find it interesting that the Concierge does not include the fact that Pinnacles ARE absolutely welcome in the Suite Lounge, Coastal Kitchen, Barefoot Beach and the reserved seating areas.

I just looked over an old Harmony email.  Pinnacles were only mentioned once with reference to Barefoot Beach.  Pinnacles were not mentioned in reference to lounge or sundeck access.  Going back to 2017 on Allure and 2016 on Oasis, Pinnacles aren't mentioned at all in the email.  So it seems like it's always been that way. 

When I boarded I was glad to see Louis Soomaroo back on board as Loyalty Ambassador.  Louis took very good care of me on my last Empress cruise and there's little doubt that he was responsible for the Diamond Plus pin left in my cabin last night.

I actually made Diamond Plus 17 cruises ago but I had never received a pin.  It's not a thing for me, I don't tend to wear pins so I never pursued it.  Leave it to Louis to figure it out.  

A pod of dolphins provided some entertainment for us but it was hard to time the pictures right as dozens of them jumped around in front of the ship.

Pool deck on a sea day:

World's Sexiest Man contest.

The crowd seemed to really enjoy it.

As we reached the end of Cuba and entered the Caribbean Sea we picked up a gentle swell coming up from the South hitting us broadside.  There is a very gentle rocking of the ship occasionally.  Not bad, just a slight pitch now and then.   The bridge crew have kept us out of the rain as it passes us on both sides (or we just got lucky).

With that past us we are back into sunny skies.

1 hour ago, Bethlehem_GA_Cruisers said:

From what I've seen - there's no specific Comedy Club venue on Empress - and most activities are in the Main Theater.  Are there 2 shows/activities most nights?  Comedians each night or just some nights? 

And have participated in a Quest-type scavenger hunt on a Fun Ship - but have heard that they are more random and not the same repeated items on RC - is that true?  And which night is it normally held?

Most Royal ships don't have a dedicated Comedy Club venue.  Often a comedian will do a family friendly bit during the welcome aboard show and an adult only show in the main theater one night.  Depending on ship and cruise length sometimes there will be comedy on another night.  

Royal Caribbean ships tend to have an adult oriented Quest event typically towards the end of the cruise.  I don't recall Carnival offering the same when I last sailed them but that was a few years ago now.  

Day Three - Sea Day

I woke up feeling like the ship wasn't moving and I thought we might be stopped or at a pier for a medical diversion.  Nope.  Opening the drapes the sea conditions are very flat this morning.  The itinerary channel on the TV system has us going ~15 knots.  Very smooth, it feels like we are going 4 or 5 knots.

The full breakfast menu choice in Chops this morning.

Chops has a private dining area contained within it.  I suspect this is where the Chef's Table would be held. 

While at breakfast I noticed some marine life popping up here and there.  Back in my cabin I saw some more.

Looks like dolphins, quite few of them but spread out for 15 minutes here and there.

Voom Surf and Stream this morning:

Our progress so far...

Day Two - Key West, continued...

We arrived as the first ship into port and we hit the jackpot with the primary Mallory Square berth.  A Carnival ship would arrive later and end up behind us.

It grew hot pretty quickly so I ventured off to grab a few pictures in between work activities.  I am working a bit on this cruise so I took advantage of the strong cellular connection towards that goal.

Back on board we sailed away at 5:30pm and I made my way to the Windjammer for dinner.  Jerk night.  Yum.  

The WJ is forward facing on this ship.

The band Mass Effect was playing in Boleros.  Pretty good and one Mojito turned into another. 

A sunset was looking promising but some clouds on the horizon stole the show away from me.  From the pool deck;

The Viking Crown Lounge is different on Empress.  It is aft facing, not forward facing like the VCL is on most other current ships.

Empress does have a rock climbing wall.

Movie night.  Tonight's movie was Captain Marvel.

This picture doesn't do golden hour justice.  Sunsets at sea are often some of the best.

Kim Kincade was on the piano and singing in the Schooner Bar.  Ballroom dancing display in the Main Theater didn't grab my attention so I hung out in the Schooner Bar for an hour, or two, or three.  Kim is from Nova Scotia and he is pretty good.  

Late night adult comedy hour was good and the theater was packed.  A couple had their 5 or 6 year old daughter with them.  This show was not appropriate for that age and the comedian didn't hold back.   She doesn't speak english was the couples response.  I don't buy that.  Some people.  

9 hours ago, jagnew said:

My question to you is, as you walk around her is do you think it is "worth it" to go past the Junior Suite level for 2 adults?  I know that is a personal decision, but without a suite lounge it may be silly to go for a slightly bigger room unless the on board service finds ways to make up the gap.

I've only booked "full" suites (grand or better) on Oasis class.  For my situation, particularly when cruising solo, a grand suite or higher would be excessive.  For me, I would rather put that extra money towards another cruise.  I'm not one that must sail in a balcony or in a suite.  I've gone from a loft suite on Allure to an interior on Grandeur and I had a blast on both cruises.  

It's a great question but ultimately as you noted it's a personal decision.  

9 hours ago, Bethlehem_Cruiser said:

Twangster - enjoying the photos from your Empress cruise.  We are long-time cruisers of the "Fun" ships but have booked our first RC cruise this fall on the Empress.  The "other guys" have their FunTimes daily planner - wondering if there's something similar on the Empress - and if so could you post photos?  We're excited about spending Thanksgiving on Grand Cayman.

Thanks in advance!

The Royal Caribbean version of "Fun Times" is called the Cruise Compass.  Like the Fun Times it's delivered daily to your cabin.

This site has a collection of Cruise Compasses that previous cruisers have been kind enough to collect and send to Matt Hochberg who runs this site.

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass

Specifically for Empress the following Cruise Compasses have been posted:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/cruise-compass?ship=1195

I am collecting them for this sailing and I'll be sending them to Matt after I have collected them for the entire cruise.  In fact I'll likely do that for both cruises of this back to back.

6 minutes ago, JLMoran said:

Is it my imagination, or is the color scheme in your cabin on Empress different from pretty much all the other royal ships? Specifically looking at the blue "luggage rest" and throw pillow covers, but even in the public areas the color scheme seems brighter and more vibrant than I recall seeing even on post-AMP ships.

Empress was refreshed when they brought her back into fleet for Cuba.  She has decor in places that ships like Navigator just received.  Carpet, drapes, upholstery are more consistent than different.  

30 minutes ago, flipflopper said:

Puerto Rico’s Governor seems dug in at the moment, and protests are ramping up. I have a stop scheduled there in a few weeks aboard the Symphony, and was wondering if an alternative port is being looked at by RCCL, or we will just have 2 ports on a seven day cruise. Seems like there is time to make a contingency plan.

Likely the sort of thing that keeps folks at Royal HQ up at night.  Royal isn’t alone.  Other cruise lines are mulling over the same issue.  With so many ships visiting a finite number of ports it’s a delicate game of musical ships. 

I’m confident they are aware of options but those change over time and there are contracts and other financial considerations.  Ships can only go so fast and so far.  

I’m also going in a month but am hopeful it’s resolved by then.  Only time will tell.  

It's a situation that's occurring more and more in society.  Part of the challenge for any company is that they have limited ability to challenge a guest's assertion they have a disability that requires a service animal.  No company on land or at sea can require anyone to prove a disability.  I could sit in a wheel chair and make all sorts of claims about a disability and no store, or theater, or amusement park or cruise line can legally challenge me.

As many people note when flying that an airplane can solve many disabilities.  Some people claim the need for assistance to board and/or priority boarding for their ailment then miraculously by the end of the flight they can jump up and walk off the plane like a fully abled body person can.  The miracle of flight.  This is what our society has come to.  

Airlines and cruise lines have noted the abuse of the service animal policy and are trying to deal with it as best they can but people will go to great lengths to fake a need.  It is really unfortunate because there are truly valid needs that are being impacted by the fakers.

Princess has them too.   

3 minutes ago, FloridaCruiseGirl1210 said:

 

... did you mean you have no regrets or you are regretting booking 14 nights?

Oops.  Fixed.

No regerts.  

8 minutes ago, CruisinUpinLife said:

But the points you are earning.......the points!

The points are icing on the cake.   I'm on a cruise on a ship I enjoy.  It may not be the newest or biggest ship, but I'm on a cruise while @Matt is sitting at home thinking and talking about being on a cruise.  That itself proves I am winning.  The points are just icing at this point.   

55 minutes ago, FloridaCruiseGirl1210 said:

I love smaller ships because of all of the windows to the sea. I miss sitting at dinner and being able to look out and actually see the ocean (or the pier runners depending on time). 

I was hesitant about wanting to book empress without a Cuba sailing but its definitely more appealing now. 

The secret to enjoying any cruise is having the right expectations.  Empress is not a large ship.  It doesn't have the bells and whistles that newer and larger ships have.  

However if you are looking for a core cruising experience she provides all that and more.  She only accommodates 1,840 passengers which makes embarking and debarking easy.  

She has a main dining room and a windjammer.  She has a Chops.  She has Boleros and a Schooner Bar.  A pool and hot tubs and a pool bar.  A casino and a theater.   All the basic components of any Royal Caribbean cruise are present.  

The cabins are small, especially the OV and interior cabins.  But if you understand that when booking you will have proper expectations set.  

Day two of fourteen for me and I have no regrets or second thoughts about booking her.  

Empress may be the smallest ship in Royal's fleet but she has many open areas that make her feel like she isn't small.

This is where photos are displayed.  The casino is up the stairs to the left.

Schooler Bar with windows to the sea.

Aft elevator lobby and stairs has sitting areas.  With the large open areas like this it doesn't feel like a small ship.

A nice perk for Diamond Plus members is to be included in the Chop's breakfast normally offered only to Gold card suites and Pinnacles on other ships.

Despite the size of Empress Chop's is a good size.

Chop's Breakfast menu.

Fresh fruit was very tasty.

Eggs Benedict.

What a great way to start the day.

Day Two - Key West Approach

Day two started early for me given the early bed time.  Still dark I could see lights from shore along the Keys.  Thunderstorms in the distance provided a cool lightning display.  Later I ventured up to deck 11 as we got closer to Key West to take in the sunrise.

With our pilot on board the pilot boat cruised past us.

I checked out the Welcome Aboard show in the main theater.  It's always nice to see the cruise director and pick up any essential last minute details about the cruise.  Comedian was good.  Might have to check out his adult show later in the cruise.

Given the late night arrival into Miami the night before I called it quits after the show and headed to bed early.

I made good use of the beverage package on day one but didn't keep score.

Lacking a pub the beer choices on Empress are a little lacking beyond the large scale brands.  At the Schooner Bar I asked for a Guinness.  They have only a small stock on board and it was being saved for a beer tasting event.  #disappointed  

Returning later the bartender had asked the food and beverage manager and obtained special permission to offer me Guinness.  Outstanding!  #winning   

Dinner in Chops on night one.  

Chops on Empress is one of the nicer Chops with windows to the sea.

A deconstructed Wedge salad because I forgot to take a picture when it arrived and jumped right in.  Oops.  

Nine oz. filet cooked to perfection.  My mouth is watering as I write this recalling the flavor.

Missed taking pictures of the sides.  Oops.  Must be the drink package effect.  

Key Lime Meringue Pie

The pie was a bit of a let down with sugar grains in the meringue creating a weird texture.  Flavors were good but the chewing on sand effect of the sugar was a miss for me.  Given the otherwise great experience I'll give them a pass on the pie.

Excellent service and great tasting steak, Chops on Empress did not disappoint once again.