citymom92

Jeepers I had a mini panic attack just reading this story. Three cheers for you and wife for rolling with all that and making your vacation happen. I hope there were lots of adult drinks when you got on the ship!

I did realize from monitoring the different boards that I could call and try to switch, but I am pretty happy with this assigned cabin, so don't think I'll do that. I'm just seeing if anyone else has stayed there and can give me first hand info. I keep telling my husband we should drive up to Baltimore and check it out one day while she's in port, just for fun! He thinks I'm nuts!

Allow me to clarify: Yes, I understand that the balconies have partitions and cannot be shared unless removed by staff upon request with groups traveling together. What I meant to convey (and I didn't articulate that adequately in my post) is that the last balcony on this side of the ship *appears* to be a single balcony. I found an image (shown below) online that kind of shows what I am talking about. The red arrow is pointing to what I think should be our balcony, but I'm not sure. You'll see that from here it seems that the balcony is different than the others, in that it is not a double looking balcony. The opening looks different. This is why I wondered if it is a "dummy" balcony, as in there's perhaps a staff access door or something (maybe even a continuation of a aft suite? I don't know) on the other side for whatever reason. It also looks smaller in terms of railing and viewshed, because it looks like it has a rounded upper metal overhang. I'll know firsthand soon enough, of course, but it's just been kind of an interesting thing to wonder about as I get closer to sail date. I'll do an update and maybe a review of the cabin too when I finally get there! Thanks for indulging me in this silly distraction from daily boring land based life! Best, Gina

Has anyone stayed in Cabin 7144 on the Grandeur of the Seas or one in a similar location? It's a Superior Ocean View with Balcony and we were assigned this cabin a few weeks ago after we booked a balcony guarantee in October. We'll be in it for our 9 day next month, and I'm really curious since it's all the way aft, but not directly a rear stateroom. It's the last balcony cabin in that side, but also has a connecting door to the next cabin. From some pics I can see, it looks like it's an unshared balcony, but then others it looks like that very last balcony is perhaps a "false" balcony and we're really in the next one over, which is shared. It's no big deal of course, and I'm just excited to finally have a balcony, but it has just piqued my interest to find out. I'd also love to know if we'll be able to see any of the wake of the boat like those lucky true aft cabins. (Not being an experienced cruiser, I don't know how much wake the boat puts off from the side or if it's contained completely behind the boat?) Thanks all!

Thank you so much for this good info Waaaytooo. As a first time cruiser, I am getting very cold feet having read about all the broken promises, cancelled trips, limited reimbursements, etc., that Royal Caribbean has done to all their loyal customers. We were hoping that RC could be solution to family vacations for the future, not to mention getaways with my hubs, but they are not winning points with me. Hopefully, our cruise with RC will be okay, but I'm pretty nervous about it now, honestly. We cruise the Empress July 18th. :o

Thanks for your response. I guess I just have to wait until she is ready for her close up end-April. The suspense is killing me.

I know there's lots of folks waiting with baited breath for the Empress to move out of dry dock and back onto the schedule, but as a first time cruiser with the Empress as our first experience I am hoping someone can answer a few questions: 1. Did they install (or did they have before) a movie screen at the pool for evening movie nights by the pool? 2. Do they show movies anywhere on the ship in case of rainy days at sea? We sail July18-23 and have two full sea days, and I am getting nervous that my older teens won't have enough to do. What do people do on a small ship like the Empress if it's raining or otherwise bad weather? I think I did see that they had ping pong and pool tables, will this still be the case? Obviously, the kids won't be drinking or gambling, ha ha. 3. I think I saw some place that the Cafe Lattetudes (sp?) has been removed, but is there another coffee shop that will be put in it's place? What is the difference between Cafe Lattetudes vs. a regular coffee shop? 4. Post renovation, what dining/lounge/hangout options will there be? I thought Windjammer Cafe and the Main Dining room were the same thing, but it seems like they are two separate places. Where options do you have for meals and snacks throughout the day? 5. I know they were supposed to install VOOM, but are there any public places where they will have internet access for free? If I bring a internet pack from my cell phone provider, will that work, or is it strictly VOOM package or nothing? Sorry for all the questions, I am just trying to figure out what we will be doing and if I may need to downplay expectations, I guess. Citymom Washington DC

it was very interesting for me to read of your experience with Michelle as your cruise travel agent. We got a recommendation from a friend, and our agent seems okay, but he is not terribly responsive to me. I have sent numerous emails with questions (first timer) with no response and even when I've asked for a phone call, I haven't heard anything. If we don't lock this 5 day cruise for my family of five (Is $3000+ not that big of a deal to get some attention? I don't know. Seems like a lot of money to me) down in the next day or two, I'm calling Michelle!

Thanks so much everyone for the tips! Keep them coming! We are very excited. Taking our kids with us they are 19, 16 and 13 (we have two cabins). I think it sounds like they should have enough to do on the days at sea, even if it's a small ship. Glad to have the info on the hop on tour in Key West! Definitely going on the itinerary.

Just booked a 5 night cruise on the Empress of the Seas for the Miami-George Town-Key West sailing with my family of five (3 teens, one husband two cabins) Any tips? Words of caution? Must sees? I was a little worried when I heard the Empress cancelled early cruises because it's still in dry dock, but guess that it will be ready by July. We've always been intimidated by cruising and too many options, but excited we finally got it figured out! Thanks for any info!