chill6x6 Posted December 30, 2019 Report Share Posted December 30, 2019 I've got it booked. 8 day cruise out of Miami. Goes to Puerto Plata, DR; San Juan;, Virgin Gorda BVI; and St Thomas. I've never been to Virgin Gorda OR Puerto Plata. I like the itinerary. Last four cruises was on the Silhouette CS, Oasis OS, Rotterdam PS, and lastly Getaway H6. I'm spoiled. Rotten, Ruined. The Getaway Haven area for lack of a better term was something else. I liked it. I have an OS booked on the Empress. It's a pretty good looking cabin from what I can tell. My main question is what are the suite amenities aboad the Empress? I believe we will be able to eat breakfast in Chops. I'm not sure if there is a suite lounge or not. I don't think so. Would some other area serve as the suite/concierge lounge? I'd appreciate any info that would help me. Thanks! SpeedNoodles 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpeedNoodles Posted December 30, 2019 Report Share Posted December 30, 2019 1 hour ago, chill6x6 said: I've got it booked. 8 day cruise out of Miami. Goes to Puerto Plata, DR; San Juan;, Virgin Gorda BVI; and St Thomas. I've never been to Virgin Gorda OR Puerto Plata. I like the itinerary. Last four cruises was on the Silhouette CS, Oasis OS, Rotterdam PS, and lastly Getaway H6. I'm spoiled. Rotten, Ruined. The Getaway Haven area for lack of a better term was something else. I liked it. I have an OS booked on the Empress. It's a pretty good looking cabin from what I can tell. My main question is what are the suite amenities aboad the Empress? I believe we will be able to eat breakfast in Chops. I'm not sure if there is a suite lounge or not. I don't think so. Would some other area serve as the suite/concierge lounge? I'd appreciate any info that would help me. Thanks! Oooh, I have this same itinerary on Empress and also have an OS (Jan 23, 2021) - might we be on the same sailing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathyC Posted December 30, 2019 Report Share Posted December 30, 2019 Head over to the live blog section of these boards. There are some great posts on Empress. chill6x6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisinUpinLife Posted December 30, 2019 Report Share Posted December 30, 2019 I think asking others if they think you will like the Empress is challenging for others to answer. A lot of why you may/may not like a ship will depend on what you are looking for in a ship. Empress is very different than Oasis of the Seas. There are some great blogs that highlight what makes Empress great and how it's different than the larger class ships. I'd look for @twangster blogs because he does some great pictures and writing. I'm sure he'd answer any questions you might have. One of the best things about a smaller ship is what you've already highlighted-itineraries to places larger ships cannot get into or places that cannot support the volume of visitors that larger ships would bring. chill6x6 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted December 30, 2019 Report Share Posted December 30, 2019 Empress is the smallest and oldest ship in the fleet. Let's get that out of the way. It doesn't have an ice skating rink, zip line, central park, laser tag, suite lounge or Coastal Kitchen. It's a small ship with a big heart. I met a well established OS guest on one of my Empress sailings. He had a number of upscale cruise lines on his cruise resume so I asked him about his time on Empress. He really like the ship. Of course he wasn't paying what he paid on those upscale cruise lines so with the proper expectations he was quite happy. Some of my Empress live blogs: https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/14213-empress-b2b-14-nights-on-the-biggest-little-ship-july-2019/ https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/14700-empress-8-night-eastern-caribbean--oops-i-booked-it-again-/ https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/boards/index.php?/topic/8865-empress-73018-5-nights-inc-cuba/&tab=comments#comment-79026 There is something about small ships. The service is better and crew interaction goes a long way to making them a better experience. The Cruise Junkie, Sweety and chill6x6 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hagar Posted December 30, 2019 Report Share Posted December 30, 2019 I have customers that are also friends so I trust their judgement. The wife "vurped" when I even suggested sailing on her again for a repo cruise. Yet I am booked on her for an 8 night run based on the value, itinerary and a wonderful aft JS. I know I won't be as spoiled as I usually am as a double pineapple but when we dock, I'll go get my big ship fix on the "Allure" for the next 7 nights WAAAYTOOO and chill6x6 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chill6x6 Posted December 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2019 Thanks for the info folks! Our cruise is Nov 28, 2020! So I think I'm just gonna stick with it. For sure the price is right and it has a nice itinerary.. I may have to adjust a little with the other stuff! Anyone know if there is a concierge club or some other venue for the typical 5-8pm drinks/hor doeuvres? SpeedNoodles 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twangster Posted December 31, 2019 Report Share Posted December 31, 2019 15 minutes ago, chill6x6 said: Anyone know if there is a concierge club or some other venue for the typical 5-8pm drinks/hor doeuvres? No, not on Empress. Just the regular three free drinks for Diamond and higher members. However I found that tipping the bar staff is greatly appreciated. My glass didn't run empty after 8pm. On my cruises the Schooner Bar was the place to hangout. I met a number of top tier friends on Empress at the Schooner Bar that I have inadvertently sailed with again and again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chill6x6 Posted December 31, 2019 Author Report Share Posted December 31, 2019 3 hours ago, twangster said: No, not on Empress. Just the regular three free drinks for Diamond and higher members. However I found that tipping the bar staff is greatly appreciated. My glass didn't run empty after 8pm. On my cruises the Schooner Bar was the place to hangout. I met a number of top tier friends on Empress at the Schooner Bar that I have inadvertently sailed with again and again. Thanks for the info! So no free drinks for me! I'm emerald so we will just have to pony up I suppose! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickinSTL Posted December 31, 2019 Report Share Posted December 31, 2019 For me Empress was a no frills cruise.. I loved it!! I found it to be more relaxed than any other cruise I've been on.. You really get to know people when sailing on her since shes a smaller ship. The Cruise Junkie and PRebecca 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Cruise Junkie Posted December 31, 2019 Report Share Posted December 31, 2019 32 minutes ago, RickinSTL said: You really get to know people when sailing on her since shes a smaller ship. Cant Agree More. RickinSTL 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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