JimnKathy

Same on our Canada & Maine cruise on Voyager in Oct 2022. 

While the same menu wouldn't be exciting to repeat, the 6 glasses of wine they poured for us would make me care less about what they served.   

Hello fellow cruisers!

Anyone have any reviews they're willing to share on the Empire Supper Club?

My wife and I are foodies who enjoy elevated cocktails and good wine...just want to get some opinions and see if it's a truly elevated experience for the price.

Thank you all!

On 1/8/2024 at 10:05 PM, Traveling Mike said:

I don't know if it is just me or it is a normal process, but I just ask my room steward for the beach towels.  I will let them know how many days I will be off the ship and in water and they always bring me that many towels.  Then I just leave the wet ones in the bathroom for the room steward when he cleans the room.

That's a terrific idea. Thank you for the tip.  

I hope the OP understands this blog isn't affiliated with RCL in any way.

OP should get their TA involved in getting some assistance from RCL.

On 12/22/2023 at 4:36 PM, JS514 said:

Anything would be better than Johnny Rockets.   A decent burger and fries would be great.

I agree. JR is a cute concept, but the burger and fry experience is very average on a good day.

Definitely an opportunity to rebrand it into something better.

Our experience at 150 Central Park has been plenty of everything but a limit of one entree per visit, but we find that when we spot our waiter with a $20 handshake at the beginning of the meal, the service level improves dramatically.   Suddenly we're offered extra entrees and wine "tastings" to pair up with these bonus dishes...but your mileage may vary.

Happy Sailing to all!  

A good TA not only gets you as good if not better deals and extra OBC, but take care of any snafus that come up between the time of original booking and the actual sailing.

I cannot imagine NOT working with our TA when going on a  cruise.

8 hours ago, JFCruise said:

I was once in the one in Allure, which is on the boardwalk. It was empty and sad. I don't know if it gets much action during summer when more kids are on, but it's easy to imagine it's not really profitable.

BTW - there is ice cream as a dessert option in the MDR every single day. It's super basic, but between that and the one in the pool deck, it makes paying for ice cream (albeit, much more elaborate) a bit "too much".

The ice cream served in the main dining room is actually pretty good...I sampled a few bites here and there on our last cruise with the grandkids.  

There are MANY super premium ice creams available...some of which won't require the branding costs of Ben & Jerry's.

On 11/17/2023 at 10:02 AM, smokeybandit said:

I tried to book Empire but they wouldn't let me. For some reason you have to have a cabin booked in Icon first. What killjoys.

Wouldn't it be epic for some wealthy couple to land their private helicopter on on the helipad, jump out dressed for success (thinking James 007 Bond) to eat at the Empire Supper Club? 

Anywhere except at a standalone Starbucks location.

23 hours ago, steverk said:

 

1. Ask your travel agent if they have any special group rates available.  This works best with travel agents that are affiliated with a large company. MEI does this. So does Cruise Planners.

VacationsToGo does this as well.

You'll love Giovanni's.

While you can order as much as you want, I always find it nearly impossible to eat a 4-course Italian meal no matter where the place is located. 

Happy Sailing!  

This illustrates a solid reason to obtain a passport.

15 hours ago, JLARZ said:

Update: Never give up…. Called today, 2 weeks later, they added the 4th guest no problem.

Good to hear you got this resolved.

Yet another reason why we always use an experienced travel agent rather than booking directly with a cruise line.

On 11/25/2023 at 5:53 AM, Ditchdoc said:

We have done a central park balcony and liked it. Its a nice view and allows you to people watch.

There was very talented acoustic guitar player that would play some evenings in central park and it was very nice to just sit on the balcony, listen, and enjoy a glass of wine.

All in all, I think central park is one of the most amazing things ever put on a ship.

Kathy and I love the CP balconies for all of the above reasons as well...our favorite decks are 10 and 11.

Just keep your shade drawn at night to maintain your privacy and you'll be good to go.

Happy Sailing!  

Assuming this isn't a bot post, they need to know that this is a RCL fan blog and not affiliated with the company.

Mark (assuming you're real), we've never had any issues with Internet service on our cruises...did you happen to speak with guest services while you were sailing?

Also, it makes zero sense if you paid your cell provider for International access while also paying for the Internet package on the ship...hmmm?

6 hours ago, Matt said:

I use a travel agent every single time. 

It’s not about booking the cruise.  It’s about who’s there to fix it when a problem occurs.

I concur.

There are just so many potential moving parts with cruising.

It's a true blessing to have an experienced travel agent help maximize our time and fun.

On 11/14/2023 at 4:32 PM, PeloAl said:

Tell me you’ve got too much time on your hands without telling me…

My suggestion is a quick and easy way to help effect change.

1 hour ago, Peter D said:

I bet if you had said 'nevermind, I am not going to buy my arm full of t-shirts, magnets, and key chains'... they would have given the bag.  Frankly, as consumers, this probably what we all need to do.    

I would then follow-up with an email to the company leadership, FB and Twitter posts to let them know they lost out on a xxx.xx amount of sales due to the nickel-and-dime attempt to charge for a bag at the point of sale.

I thought the embarkation and debarkation processes were terrific on our Allure sailing this past May. We parked several blocks from the port in secured parking and shuttled back and forth...easy peasy.

As others have mentioned, use a good TA and have a great time!  

19 minutes ago, Cakemeister said:

I think they could bump D+ to 340, Diamond to 175, and Emerald to 80.

Raising the point levels while retaining the same benefits would be a negative marketing move. It would encourage folks like us (currently at 70 points and only a cruise or two away from Diamond status) give up being loyal to Royal and simply focus on other cruise lines.

12 hours ago, PPPJJ-GCVAB said:

Wow…and yet I am dreaming of the day I might finally become Diamond and get to experience how it feels to just earn a few vouchers!   

We're right there with ya.  

4 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

We will also be able to go to Chop's for breakfast starting next week and that's one of the perks I'm most excited about.  No more WJ or MDR mania...for breakfast, at least.

I want to hear about the amazing Chops breakfast for the cool kids in school.