twangster

Another hidden discovery is that Wow! bands can be used to access your cabin.

Unfortunately when used in this fashion anyone on the ship can use your Wow! band to access your cabin.

Okay, that's a lame joke but I was enjoying drinks at the Schooner Bar up to this point...

Crown and Anchor sail away party deck 6 aft, Diamond and higher.

I ran into the IT Manager and asked him if his O3b upgrade came through.  Nope.  The contractors I saw working are doing some routine maintenance replacing some components with a goal to improve reception when one set of antennas is blocked.  That's an issue at CocoCay with other larger ships beside us - they block one set of satellite antennas.  
We talked about Voom and I learned a few new things.  Empress shares transponders with a few other ships.  Navigator and Mariner use the same transponder.  Other groups of ships share different transponders.  For this legacy satellite system a different satellite covers the Western Caribbean compared to the Eastern Caribbean.  We'll use the same satellite for the entirety of this cruise.  On the last cruise in the Western Caribbean we switched satellites during the cruise.  
In terms of rain fade he pointed out something I should have thought of.  What goes up must come down.  Speedcast and O3b have their primary earth station in Miami.  Our data traffic comes down in Miami as a gateway to reach the internet.  If Miami is encountering bad weather like a line of strong thunderstorms that can impact every ships Voom even if the ships are in sunny skies a thousand miles away.  It was obvious when he said it but I had never thought about it.
The bridge has some data feeds that use a different satellite platform but if the Captain wants to stream Netflix in his cabin that uses the same Voom the rest of us use.
With the darkening skies over Miami as we pulled out I wonder if some ship somewhere is experiencing a Voom slow down.



Rain moving in.  Time to move to the Schooner Bar.

Another hidden discovery is that Wow! bands can be used to access your cabin.

Unfortunately when used in this fashion anyone on the ship can use your Wow! band to access your cabin.

Okay, that's a lame joke but I was enjoying drinks at the Schooner Bar up to this point...

Cabin Tour!
As we waited for cabins to become available at 1:30pm I was waiting in the elevator lobby near my cabin.  As the hall door was opened by crew moving luggage, James my new cabin attendant spotted me.  He was servicing the block of cabins right beside my last cabin so he recognized me.  He waved me through telling me my cabin was ready.  Nice touch.
Junior Suite 9600 Starboard.

This JS is the reverse layout from my last JS.

Pretty much identical with the same "efficient" bathroom and shower.


Walk in closet.

I waited until we had left the port to take balcony pictures.  This cabin is the most forward JS on deck 9 so the balcony doesn't have a divider on the forward side.  You do lose a small corner and the elevator lobby can see this balcony but the forward view is better.
The better sea views can also be enjoyed when sitting on the sofa inside the cabin.



The pool deck above narrows so the overhang is slightly smaller.  The view aft.

The view down.

Something I forgot to mention in my last Empress thread are the USB outlets.  They are found on the bottom of the lights on each side of the bed.  It's a great hidden feature.


It's really nice having USB outlets on both sides of the bed.

Guilford the Inventory Manager came through for me.  On my last cruise he promised there would be Guinness and it was there waiting for me.

Some of the other beers available.

Some of the wines available.

Empress has a Coffee Shop near the entrance within Boleros.

While the items on the menus are common across the fleet, the order and combination they appear can change.  If the last cruise didn't eat a lot of chicken they might adjust the menus next cruise to offer chicken entrees more frequently. 
The food and beverage manager and head chef can also adjust menus depending on how much food budget has been consumed that week.  Each cruise has a specific budget.  If they have surplus budget they will offer more expensive items into the rotation.  They don't want to to fall too short of the budget or the budget will be reduced by corporate over time.  If they are constantly $10k under budget, the food budget will be reduced by $10k.  This is why the menus listed in the Royal app are often different than what actually appears in the MDR on any given night.  
Things you learn when you take the galley tours...

Crown and Anchor sail away party deck 6 aft, Diamond and higher.

I ran into the IT Manager and asked him if his O3b upgrade came through.  Nope.  The contractors I saw working are doing some routine maintenance replacing some components with a goal to improve reception when one set of antennas is blocked.  That's an issue at CocoCay with other larger ships beside us - they block one set of satellite antennas.  
We talked about Voom and I learned a few new things.  Empress shares transponders with a few other ships.  Navigator and Mariner use the same transponder.  Other groups of ships share different transponders.  For this legacy satellite system a different satellite covers the Western Caribbean compared to the Eastern Caribbean.  We'll use the same satellite for the entirety of this cruise.  On the last cruise in the Western Caribbean we switched satellites during the cruise.  
In terms of rain fade he pointed out something I should have thought of.  What goes up must come down.  Speedcast and O3b have their primary earth station in Miami.  Our data traffic comes down in Miami as a gateway to reach the internet.  If Miami is encountering bad weather like a line of strong thunderstorms that can impact every ships Voom even if the ships are in sunny skies a thousand miles away.  It was obvious when he said it but I had never thought about it.
The bridge has some data feeds that use a different satellite platform but if the Captain wants to stream Netflix in his cabin that uses the same Voom the rest of us use.
With the darkening skies over Miami as we pulled out I wonder if some ship somewhere is experiencing a Voom slow down.



Rain moving in.  Time to move to the Schooner Bar.

Cabin Tour!
As we waited for cabins to become available at 1:30pm I was waiting in the elevator lobby near my cabin.  As the hall door was opened by crew moving luggage, James my new cabin attendant spotted me.  He was servicing the block of cabins right beside my last cabin so he recognized me.  He waved me through telling me my cabin was ready.  Nice touch.
Junior Suite 9600 Starboard.

This JS is the reverse layout from my last JS.

Pretty much identical with the same "efficient" bathroom and shower.


Walk in closet.

I waited until we had left the port to take balcony pictures.  This cabin is the most forward JS on deck 9 so the balcony doesn't have a divider on the forward side.  You do lose a small corner and the elevator lobby can see this balcony but the forward view is better.
The better sea views can also be enjoyed when sitting on the sofa inside the cabin.



The pool deck above narrows so the overhang is slightly smaller.  The view aft.

The view down.

Something I forgot to mention in my last Empress thread are the USB outlets.  They are found on the bottom of the lights on each side of the bed.  It's a great hidden feature.


It's really nice having USB outlets on both sides of the bed.

Another hidden discovery is that Wow! bands can be used to access your cabin.

Unfortunately when used in this fashion anyone on the ship can use your Wow! band to access your cabin.

Okay, that's a lame joke but I was enjoying drinks at the Schooner Bar up to this point...

Guilford the Inventory Manager came through for me.  On my last cruise he promised there would be Guinness and it was there waiting for me.

Some of the other beers available.

Some of the wines available.

Empress has a Coffee Shop near the entrance within Boleros.

Welcome aboard cake.

Up on deck 11 I noted they were working on the satellite antennas.

The nature of the internet interruptions I experienced on the last cruise had the feeling of maybe an amplifier or LNB overheating and failing before coming back into service.  I'm hoping this new component might help.

Who knew two full grown men could fit into the dome?  They were contractors on the ship for the day.

In this Miami heat it's got to be hot in there.

Welcome aboard cake.

Up on deck 11 I noted they were working on the satellite antennas.

The nature of the internet interruptions I experienced on the last cruise had the feeling of maybe an amplifier or LNB overheating and failing before coming back into service.  I'm hoping this new component might help.

Who knew two full grown men could fit into the dome?  They were contractors on the ship for the day.

In this Miami heat it's got to be hot in there.

Day 1 Embarkation
A first glimpse of Empress at Terminal G from my Uber.

Terminal G


The entrance to the building normally has some signage but in this early hour you had to know where to go.

Terminal G check in area.

Suites and Pinnacles have a small waiting lounge.

Boarding started at 10:45am.  

Woohoo!  I am officially on a cruise!

Guilford the Inventory Manager came through for me.  On my last cruise he promised there would be Guinness and it was there waiting for me.

Some of the other beers available.

Some of the wines available.

Empress has a Coffee Shop near the entrance within Boleros.

Day 1 Embarkation
A first glimpse of Empress at Terminal G from my Uber.

Terminal G


The entrance to the building normally has some signage but in this early hour you had to know where to go.

Terminal G check in area.

Suites and Pinnacles have a small waiting lounge.

Boarding started at 10:45am.  

Woohoo!  I am officially on a cruise!

Day 1 Embarkation
A first glimpse of Empress at Terminal G from my Uber.

Terminal G


The entrance to the building normally has some signage but in this early hour you had to know where to go.

Terminal G check in area.

Suites and Pinnacles have a small waiting lounge.

Boarding started at 10:45am.  

Woohoo!  I am officially on a cruise!

I can't count beyond my fingers and toes.  

August 10, 2019
You know what that means?
IT'S CRUISE DAY!
Like a kid on Christmas morning it's 6am, I'm awake and ready to go.  It looks like the C&A team has been busy putting presents in my account.  Overnight my points from last week have posted, including the solo-in-a-suite gift.

When cruising in hurricane season I always keep an eye on the tropics.  While only early August this is a great thing to see.  Tropical cyclone activity is not expected during the next 5 days.

Looking at the MarineTraffic.com app I've caught Empress gliding past Symphony as she arrives into the Port of Miami this morning.

I'm here.  The ship is here.  There are no tropical storms on the radar screen.  Phew!
Can you tell I'm bored with nothing to do?  Tick tock.  Tick tock.  Is it time yet?

Plans for this Cruise
Only one excursion booked so far.  A day trip to Jost Van Dyke in the BVI from Tortola.
My last visit to Jost Van Dyke occurred when I lived on St Thomas.  It's one of the smaller islands of the Virgin Island chain but she has a beautiful beach and is home to the Soggy Dollar Bar right on the beach.  Boats anchor off the beach and visitors swim to land hence they have soggy dollars. 
The hurricanes that impacted San Juan and the US Virgin Islands did a number on Jost Van Dyke but I understand they've rebuilt.  Time to contribute to the local economy again.  
I brought my snorkel gear this time and hope to snorkel at CocoCay if the weather is good.  Then I'll jump in Oasis Lagoon to enjoy the fresh water and swim up pool bar.  No CocoCay excursions purchased (so far).  Lunch at the Snack Shack for another Shack Crispy Chicken Sandwich.   Yum.
With our late arrival in San Juan the plan is to wander around and take pictures during golden hour assuming there is no more civil unrest.
St Thomas will be a boring work day for me.  

Quick update.  
Uber to port had me there just before 10am.  I took the opportunity to take some pictures of terminal G, I’ll post those soon.  
Boarding started at 10:45am.  First on board.  I ran into the Pinnacle doing a B4B who was with me on my B2B.  Julie our Hotel Director saw me and came over to chat greeting me by name.  There will be 12 pinnacles on this sailing.  It’s also the last cruise of her current contract.  Jorge the Guest Services Manager saw me and welcomed me back.  
Right now I’m sitting at the Schooner Bar where Wayan and Roland recognized me and welcomed me back.   
Just like that I feel like I’m home.   

Quick update.  
Uber to port had me there just before 10am.  I took the opportunity to take some pictures of terminal G, I’ll post those soon.  
Boarding started at 10:45am.  First on board.  I ran into the Pinnacle doing a B4B who was with me on my B2B.  Julie our Hotel Director saw me and came over to chat greeting me by name.  There will be 12 pinnacles on this sailing.  It’s also the last cruise of her current contract.  Jorge the Guest Services Manager saw me and welcomed me back.  
Right now I’m sitting at the Schooner Bar where Wayan and Roland recognized me and welcomed me back.   
Just like that I feel like I’m home.   

Interesting story from the previous 8 night Eastern Caribbean Empress cruise.  
A guest on my Empress B2B last week had been on for a month and she told me this story.  Empress has a 2pm departure from CocoCay in order to make San Juan a day after a sea day.  On the last run of this route, several guests missed the ship in CocoCay.  Apparently they didn't note the 2pm departure.
In one case a couple were enjoying CocoCay.  Oblivious to the ship's whistle the woman went to get something to eat while the man went to a bar for a drink.  When he presented his Empress SeaPass card they informed he was about to miss the ship and whisked him away in a golf cart.  Unsure where the woman had gone he got back on board, she missed the ship and it left (late now) towards San Juan.  
Once she figured out she missed the ship, they put her on Mariner and she was taken to Port Canaveral.  She then had to make her own arrangements to get to San Juan which she did at her expense.  The problem is San Juan had some civil unrest and Empress skipped San Juan as a result.  So she missed the ship again.  This time, since Royal cancelled the call on San Juan they paid for her hotel and airfare to Tortola.  Tortola doesn't have an airport so she flew to a neighboring island and had to take a water taxi over to Tortola where she finally re-joined the cruise. 
From what was explained to me they stated the excursion they booked said it ended at 3pm so they thought they were good until 3pm.  
A total of five guests missed the ship at CocoCay.  Unsure what happened to the rest other than being put on Mariner for the ride over to Port Canaveral.  
Lesson learned.  Even at CocoCay, don't miss the ship!
Side note - when Empress skipped San Juan they had already taken on the San Juan pilot when Miami decided they should skip San Juan.  Because the pilot had already boarded they were on the hook for the ~$10k pilot fee.
Hoping we don't skip San Juan but an overnight in Tortola does sound very tempting.
 

In the words as sung by Britney Spears...  ? Oops, I Did it Again ?
For those who are wondering what is he talking about?  (or thinking I've enjoyed one too many happy hour drinks)  I just finished 14 nights on this little beauty last week.  You can read about that B2B experience here:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/14213-empress-b2b-14-nights-on-the-biggest-little-ship-july-2019/
Those cruises were great but they were Western Caribbean and this 8 night cruise is Eastern Caribbean including a stop at Tortola in the British Virgin Islands.  Royal hasn't visited the BVI very much in recent years so when I saw the BVI added to the itinerary in the wake of the Cuba cancellations I knew I had to do it.  Icing on my cake comes courtesy of another visit to Perfect Day at CocoCay. 
Itinerary
Miami Perfect Day at CocoCay Sea Day San Juan Tortola St Thomas Sea Day Sea Day Miami Our Perfect Day ends at 2pm so we can make it to San Juan for a 3pm arrival after a day at sea.  We stay until midnight in San Juan so if all goes well I hope to get some evening and night pictures around San Juan.
Sailing in a Junior Suite I have scored one of the most forward deck 9 JS cabins this time.
I love this small ship and her big heart.  It's a good thing I love this ship because this will be my fourth cruise on her.  My Crown and Anchor points haven't been posted yet from my last cruise on her so with the "paint still wet", I'm heading back to the love of my life, or at least the love of my life right now. 
Because I'm flying I don't like taking just one cruise so with a night off the water in between, I'm doing a side-to-side over to Majesty right after this cruise.  A few years ago I started dreaming about a tour of the small ships and this marks another step towards completing that goal.  
I think I set a record this time having packed my suitcase a full two days before the cruise.  Basically I took my cruise clothes from the dryer and put them right back into my suitcase.  
      " You see my problem is this
       I'm dreaming away
       Wishing that heroes, they truly exist
       I cry, watching the days
       Can't you see I'm a fool in so many ways
       But to lose all my senses
       That is just so typically me
       Oh baby, oh "
Okay that doesn't make total sense but it's the only part of the lyrics that somewhat fit so I'm going with it.  

Quick update.  
Uber to port had me there just before 10am.  I took the opportunity to take some pictures of terminal G, I’ll post those soon.  
Boarding started at 10:45am.  First on board.  I ran into the Pinnacle doing a B4B who was with me on my B2B.  Julie our Hotel Director saw me and came over to chat greeting me by name.  There will be 12 pinnacles on this sailing.  It’s also the last cruise of her current contract.  Jorge the Guest Services Manager saw me and welcomed me back.  
Right now I’m sitting at the Schooner Bar where Wayan and Roland recognized me and welcomed me back.   
Just like that I feel like I’m home.   

While the items on the menus are common across the fleet, the order and combination they appear can change.  If the last cruise didn't eat a lot of chicken they might adjust the menus next cruise to offer chicken entrees more frequently. 
The food and beverage manager and head chef can also adjust menus depending on how much food budget has been consumed that week.  Each cruise has a specific budget.  If they have surplus budget they will offer more expensive items into the rotation.  They don't want to to fall too short of the budget or the budget will be reduced by corporate over time.  If they are constantly $10k under budget, the food budget will be reduced by $10k.  This is why the menus listed in the Royal app are often different than what actually appears in the MDR on any given night.  
Things you learn when you take the galley tours...