Empire Supper Club - Any reviews yet?

[JimnKathy]

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!

[Srp431]

2 hours ago, JimnKathy said:

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!

Same here , very curious on peoples opinion on this venue

[ScottD]

 here ya go, there's a review from @Mattin here:

https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2024/01/31/8-things-i-love-about-icon-of-the-seas-and-3-i-didnt

 

[Doug_Texas]

We attended ESC on the Inaugural and it was all we had hoped for and more.  Upon arriving they recognize you and address you by name.  Your waiter personally attends to you like a butler for the entire evening.  A word of caution, the alcohol flows.  I would recommend not having drinks before you go.  The food is beyond compare.  While the regular specialty restaurants establish a nice gap in food quality from the MDR this is a whole new ballgame.  We had the Wagyu beef and it was fantastic.  The dishes and preparations are phenomenal.  If you ever attend ESC you will know that you really can’t ever compare this to a specialty restaurant - apples and oranges in quality and experience.  The only negative at all that I heard was from those that ordered the rabbit entree.  If others post the menu online ignore it.  You chose your entree and desert, everything else is programmed and departs from the menu.

The evening starts with Moët Champagne and caviar.  It flows too.  I think I was at 3 glasses before the next cocktail was presented.  To be honest, I know I really liked all of the unique cocktails but don’t remember what they were.  In our stateroom the next day was a gift “mixology kit” in a nice engraved bag.

The entertainment that was meant to throw back to the 1930s was perfect.  The singer matched the dress, mannerisms, and style of the era.  The male guests were all tuxes and suits with women stunning in gowns and accessories.  I heard several men say they had stopped packing tuxes years ago but packed one for this and were glad they did.  If you show up in a casual shirt and pants it will be a problem.

This venue isn’t for everyone even aside from the pricing.  I hope they leave the pricing where it is to ensure the experience and quality continues.  We went thinking this was a “once in a lifetime” experience - it is not.  We’ll be back.

[swimking1]

It was fantastic.  The music was the cherry on top of  the good food.  Now that I have done it once, I probably would not pay $200 for it again, but I am glad I did it once.

[smokeybandit]

I have zero interest to dress up on formal night in the MDR.

But I would happily wear whatever they asked for in  ESC.

[Jill]

I bit the bullet and booked it for our April cruise. We have the UDP but I don’t want to wait until we board to book for fear of it selling out. My birthday is in April, hubby turns 60 in may and our 35th anniversary is in August so that’s how I justified the price

[GJ_123]

On 2/9/2024 at 12:47 PM, Doug_Texas said:

We attended ESC on the Inaugural and it was all we had hoped for and more.  Upon arriving they recognize you and address you by name.  Your waiter personally attends to you like a butler for the entire evening.  A word of caution, the alcohol flows.  I would recommend not having drinks before you go.  The food is beyond compare.  While the regular specialty restaurants establish a nice gap in food quality from the MDR this is a whole new ballgame.  We had the Wagyu beef and it was fantastic.  The dishes and preparations are phenomenal.  If you ever attend ESC you will know that you really can’t ever compare this to a specialty restaurant - apples and oranges in quality and experience.  The only negative at all that I heard was from those that ordered the rabbit entree.  If others post the menu online ignore it.  You chose your entree and desert, everything else is programmed and departs from the menu.

The evening starts with Moët Champagne and caviar.  It flows too.  I think I was at 3 glasses before the next cocktail was presented.  To be honest, I know I really liked all of the unique cocktails but don’t remember what they were.  In our stateroom the next day was a gift “mixology kit” in a nice engraved bag.

The entertainment that was meant to throw back to the 1930s was perfect.  The singer matched the dress, mannerisms, and style of the era.  The male guests were all tuxes and suits with women stunning in gowns and accessories.  I heard several men say they had stopped packing tuxes years ago but packed one for this and were glad they did.  If you show up in a casual shirt and pants it will be a problem.

This venue isn’t for everyone even aside from the pricing.  I hope they leave the pricing where it is to ensure the experience and quality continues.  We went thinking this was a “once in a lifetime” experience - it is not.  We’ll be back.

 

Great to read so much detail, thanks for sharing this. We have ESC booked and are going in a couple of weeks time. Really looking forward to it