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Empress 7/30/18 5 Nights inc. Cuba


twangster

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With Cuba on my mind and with a goal of sailing some of the older and smaller ships in the fleet I booked Empress.  With the current fleet it's hard to get any smaller.  I'm supposed to get a glass block based on my current Crown and Anchor points accumulation so as I thought which ship to 'block' on, getting a glass block from Empress seemed like a really cool idea so I booked this cruise with that other goal in mind.

It's a 5 night cruise:

Day 1 - Embark Miami

Day 2 - Key West

Day 3 - Havana

Day 4 - Sea Day

Day 5 - CocoCay

Day 6 - Debark Miami

It's been a few years since I've visited Key West but I need to get some work done so I'm not sure how far I'll venture off the ship. 

For Havana I've a booked a full day excursion through Royal.  I have an overnight cruise to Havana booked in September so I'm using this trip and excursion to discover and plan my next visit there for maximum cultural enrichment.

I have many Canadian friends who have visited Cuba.  They've been able to fly direct since, well forever.   They've given me some ideas so this full day excursion should check all the boxes for an initial Cuba experience and allow me to better plan my next visit.

I've missed a few calls on CocoCay this year so fingers crossed.

Flights were booked through Air2Sea and I'm taking a dreaded red eye flight with airport transfers to the ship by Royal.  I usually just take a ride-share but as a solo traveler the transfer isn't that bad from a cost perspective and it's for research so I know how well it works getting from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) airport to the Port of Miami and back.  I had to work this weekend so the all night flight is an "efficient" use of my time, or so I keep telling myself to justify it. 

Not sure when I might sail Empress again especially since she does mostly Cuba runs at the moment so I've splurged and booked a junior suite.  My first solo JS experience.  At the time I booked it was a reasonable price difference.

My red-eye departs at 1am local time and I haven't started packing yet.  It's only 5 nights so not a hard cruise to pack for. However I better step away from the keyboard and get started.

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11 minutes ago, twangster said:

With Cuba on my mind and with a goal of sailing some of the older and smaller ships in the fleet I booked Empress.  With the current fleet it's hard to get any smaller.  I'm supposed to get a glass block based on my current Crown and Anchor points accumulation so as I thought which ship to 'block' on, getting a glass block from Empress seemed like a really cool idea so I booked this cruise with that other goal in mind.

It's a 5 night cruise:

Day 1 - Embark Miami

Day 2 - Key West

Day 3 - Havana

Day 4 - Sea Day

Day 5 - CocoCay

Day 6 - Debark Miami

It's been a few years since I've visited Key West but I need to get some work done so I'm not sure how far I'll venture off the ship. 

For Havana I've a booked a full day excursion through Royal.  I have an overnight cruise to Havana booked in September so I'm using this trip and excursion to discover and plan my next visit there for maximum cultural enrichment.

I have many Canadian friends who have visited Cuba.  They've been able to fly direct since, well forever.   They've given me some ideas so this full day excursion should check all the boxes for an initial Cuba experience and allow me to better plan my next visit.

I've missed a few calls on CocoCay this year so fingers crossed.

Flights were booked through Air2Sea and I'm taking a dreaded red eye flight with airport transfers to the ship by Royal.  I usually just take a ride-share but as a solo traveler the transfer isn't that bad from a cost perspective and it's for research so I know how well it works getting from Fort Lauderdale (FLL) airport to the Port of Miami and back.  I had to work this weekend so the all night flight is an "efficient" use of my time, or so I keep telling myself to justify it. 

Not sure when I might sail Empress again especially since she does mostly Cuba runs at the moment so I've splurged and booked a junior suite.  My first solo JS experience.  At the time I booked it was a reasonable price difference.

My red-eye departs at 1am local time and I haven't started packing yet.  It's only 5 nights so not a hard cruise to pack for. However I better step away from the keyboard and get started.

I will be following. I was on Empress last year. Looking forward to your review.

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Safe flight, and an uneventful transfer!

Even though it’s light packing, will this be like your last short cruise in terms of bringing only your iPhone for photography? Or was that a “lesson learned” moment and you’ll be bringing some form of your usual kit in addition to your carry-on / suitcase?

Either way, we know great pictures are heading our way! You could shoot with a pinhole camera and it would come out great! ☺️

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20 minutes ago, twangster said:

My red-eye departs at 1am local time and I haven't started packing yet.  It's only 5 nights so not a hard cruise to pack for. However I better step away from the keyboard and get started.

Lol...you are packing really last minute now...like Hubster lol

Following!  As always.  Safe travels tonight!

So the RC transfer is from FLL to Port of Miami right?  How much was it pp if you don't mind my asking?

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6 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

So the RC transfer is from FLL to Port of Miami right?  How much was it pp if you don't mind my asking?

 

The Royal ship transfer was $60 round trip, per person. 

That's from FLL.  MIA (Miami) airport was slightly cheaper for the ship transfer but I almost always find FLL cheaper for airfare so overall it was cheaper flying into FLL.  

13 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Lol...you are packing really last minute now...like Hubster lol

Half packed, still have 8 hours.  No problem mon! 

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4 hours ago, Sweety said:

What camera bag do you use?

It depends.  I have a couple and a new back pack that I like.  

On this 5 night cruise I'm not checking bags so I needed a bigger pack for all my lens and a few things that overflowed from my bag went into my backpack.

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6 hours ago, JLMoran said:

Even though it’s light packing, will this be like your last short cruise in terms of bringing only your iPhone for photography? Or was that a “lesson learned” moment and you’ll be bringing some form of your usual kit in addition to your carry-on / suitcase?

Full mirrorless camera kit including 5 lens.  I missed my 'real' camera on Adventure.  A phone camera is fine outdoors in the day, but not so much in low light.  I had too many "if I had my real camera that would be a really great shot"  on Adventure.  I won't make that mistake again.   

New lens for this cruise, a 500mm f6.3  mirror lens (1000mm with a 2x teleconverter).  I'm not expecting great things from this lens, it was $99 new including the 2x converter, but a short and light 500mm lens for a full frame camera may be fun to play around with.  The Sony A7 III has good low light performance so I can push the ISO and use dark glass more.  With the in-body sensor stabilization a lens like this can be used handheld under the right conditions.

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I've made it into the Delta Sky Club waiting for my 1am red eye.  They hold the club open here in Denver until the last flight has boarded.  On nights like this that works out well.  A few extra drinks will ensure I sleep like a baby (or as well as can be expected on a plane).

I couldn't find my phone headset with caterpillar wind screen.  So I grabbed the headset from my business phone and one of the spare wind screen covers I bought from Amazon in a 5 pack and made myself another 'caterpillar wind screen ready for periscope wired Apple headset' as I sat here waiting.   MacGyver would approve.  

Checking my 'Hurricane Tracker' app and there are still no active systems.    

My inbound plane is ahead of schedule.  

I don't recommend flying the day of the cruise but since I booked with Air2Sea and my the next port is Key West that risk was acceptable.  With only carry on bags and traveling solo I can deal with last minute changes.

So far so good.

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IT'S CRUISE DAY!!!!!

I've arrived in Florida, in Fort Lauderdale using the 'FLL' airport.  This was several hundred cheaper than the Miami airport for my days of travel.

Our approach to the airport was from the West and took us over the Everglades with I-75 in the distance, also known as The Everglades Parkway, also known as Alligator Alley.

The Everglades don't look like much in this picture but that's because the whole area is shallow water with I-75 marking a distinct line across the Everglades.   It's very swampy but a very unique eco-system that is part of the larger Florida water system that starts much farther North in the state.

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I didn't check any bags so upon deplaning I made my way to the baggage claim area where I knew the Royal Caribbean ship transfer kiosk would be found.  Carnival had their kiosk setup near one exit at one end of the baggage claim area and RCCL had their joint Royal/Celebrity kiosk at the other end.  In Terminal two that Delta uses this was directly across from baggage carousel three.

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 First bus to Miami is around 10:45am.  Having landed at 8:46am I've got some time to kill.  Fortunately the FLL airport has free wifi.

Since I'm here at the tail of morning rush hour I thought I'd look to see what prices are like for two popular ride sharing services, Uber and Lyft:

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It looks like Uber has a slight edge today.  It's always best to check both because often this is reversed with Lyft being slightly cheaper.  It's morning rush hour so I'd expect these to be lower at other times of the day.

Since I'm solo a regular Lyft or UberX would suffice.  The Royal transfer at $60 round trip is still the best deal for me as a solo but it does mean waiting here in the airport and likely not being at the port when boarding (hopefully) begins.

For larger groups with more luggage an UberXL or LyftXL would be a better choice.  For two people the Royal transfer still looks like it's the cheapest way to go but if there are more people in your party this quickly changes.  

For example, with a party of four, Royal would cost 4 x $60 or $240 round trip.  The ride sharing services above are one way but even with 2 x $72 that's $144, nearly $100 less.  Squeezing 4 people with baggage into a standard Uber/Lyft can be a challenge so I used the XL version for this price comparison.

Traveling solo I'm saving around $14 by using the Royal transfer at the expense of convenience and just being able to jump into the next available car.

This has killed the first hour,  only 60 minutes to go until my bus should depart.  

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I know that people often poo-poo the cruiseship transfers but I really find them to be worth their [few] detractions for the most part.  #1, they are "guaranteed" to get you to the ship on time, which is a nerve soother.  #2, they're easy to find and you don't have to "order" them on your phone and hope someone shows up.  If you are in a hurry to get where you're going then they may not be the best option b/c you do have to wait for the bus to fill up before it will leave but I have never found this to be that big a deal.  Especially in the Twangbot's situation (arriving at one airport and transferring to a different port and vice versa) I find it reassuring to know that your ride WILL be there will get you to the ship on time.

Also, there is a little excitement factor when you walk off the plane and see that "Royal Caribbean/Celebrity" kiosk waiting for you !  When the rest of the people see you going to the cruise kiosk, you KNOW they are envious !

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Since I had ample time I had a great talk with the people staffing the transfer desk.  One worked for Royal around 15 years before they were outsourced.   Now she works for the outsourcing company.  They used to be able to cruise just for the taxes and port fees.  She has cruised a lot but that perk is gone.  

Overall guests doing transfers has declined over the years, likely the impact of ride sharing.  

More transfers are to Port Everglades, not as many transfer to Port Miami from FLL.  They don't understand that either since they agreed that FLL is a cheaper airport to use even with slightly higher transfer costs.  

On this day 11:30am is the latest flight for a guest using the transfer service.  

Around 11:15 we were led out to the bus.  Other guests from Terminal one also were being led to the bus.  Once loaded we picked up four more guests at Terminal three.  

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They placed Mariner bags in the rear bins under the bus.  Empress bags went in forward bins.  I was told to keep all my carry on bags with me on the bus.  They occupy the seat beside me.

It's a 40 minute ride to the port. At least cabins should be ready by the time I board.  

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2 hours ago, twangster said:

Both Lyft and Uber have increased in price since I first arrived, up ~ $5.

Thanks for posting those prices!  That is bad news for me though in two weeks when I have to make that transfer.  Also flying into FLL to board Mariner out of Miami....

1 hour ago, twangster said:

Around 11:15 we were led out to the bus.  Other guests from Terminal one also were being led to the bus.  Once loaded we picked up four more guests at Terminal three.  

It's a 40 minute ride to the port. At least cabins should be ready by the time I board.  

That's probably the one downside to taking cruise line shuttles...a lot of waiting around when you could be on board sooner.  But a good savings on your part.

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The bus ride down to Miami flew by quickly - on account of me sleeping most of the way.  I did wake up in time to catch our first glimpse of Empress and Mariner.  

It makes you appreciate just how much bigger (or just how small) some ships are compared to others.  Picture was taken just before we entered the tunnel to make our way onto Dodge Island where the port is.

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Empress is using Terminal F today.  Our bus pulled up here first before continuing on to Mariner. 

A short walk to the guest entrance.  No dedicated Suites/Pinnacle entrance or queue for security.  They initially objected to my extension cord (the one I was given by Royal on Adventure) but I was somehow able to talk my way through and was able to keep it.  

Upstairs was the first sign of queues based on C&A level.  Suites/Pinnacle in one, Platinum through Diamond Plus grouped into the next queue.  It's a small ship so this works.

I had to fill out a simple form authorizing Royal to charge me for my Cuba visitors card or VISA as it is also referred to.  The VISA was presented to me blank for me to fill out later.  The check in agent suggested I don't fill it in until I participate in a Cuba presentation at 4pm (or watch it on RCTV later).

As I hoped the ship was already boarding so from here I walked right on around 12:15pm.  That's when it hit me that I know nothing about this ship or it's deck plans.  I found the Windjammer and grabbed a couple of sandwiches to keep it a light lunch.

Shortly after 1pm they made cabins available.   Muster in 40 minutes, I need a nap.

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Going to hijack this blog to ask a question...if anyone would know, it's going to be @twangster.  I noticed during your scopes and pics today that the ships were facing the other direction (towards Miami).  Last week when we were there, Mariner and Empress were facing the open waters.  What dictates which way they dock on embarkation day?  Is it something that is just left up to the Captain?

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32 minutes ago, Tom Cruises said:

@twangster Which app do you use to track storms? I don't want to worry too much but given that there may be a free app to track any systems when we'll be cruising in late September, I am curious ?

Mine is called "Hurricane Tracker" by EZ Apps.  It's $4.  There are some free ones out there.  I used to live on the coast and with all the cruising I do, $4 is nothing but there are some free apps that might work for you, or just visit the National Hurricane Center's website https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

 

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Cabin Tour!

Junior Suite 9144

Empress is an older ship displacing just 48,563 GT (to put that in perspective, Mariner who was in port with us in Miami is 138,279 GT, nearly 3 times).  Being from an earlier generation of cruising, balcony cabins were a engineering challenge in those days and there aren't very many balcony cabins on Empress.  The best way to snag one is to book a Junior Suite.  

At the time the price difference was reasonable so I opted to pay the upgrade and score double C&A points.  

Opening the door to the cabin and you are presented with a small hallway.  closet on the left (mirror doors) , bathroom on the right.

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Nicely appointed and refreshed in 2016 she has the carpet similar to other ships that have been recently refreshed.

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Looking back towards the cabin door there is a small makeup area that doubles as a desk.

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Bathroom features a shower with plastic shower curtain (behind the door).  

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The closet is a walk in closet in the sense that you can walk in and there is enough room to close the doors behind you.  More than enough space for a couple.

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Lots of storage space but the only drawers are under the TV by the balcony.

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With the pool deck above me, there is cover from the elements.  I looked out while in Miami and it raining very hard at one point yet my balcony was dry.  I waited until we were at sea to take some balcony pictures.

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I've yet to be disturbed by noise on the pool deck above me.

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17 hours ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Going to hijack this blog to ask a question...if anyone would know, it's going to be @twangster.  I noticed during your scopes and pics today that the ships were facing the other direction (towards Miami).  Last week when we were there, Mariner and Empress were facing the open waters.  What dictates which way they dock on embarkation day?  Is it something that is just left up to the Captain?

I can only speculate but I imagine there are a number of factors.

It could be based on port pilot factors such as traffic in port at the time of arrival or planned departures times.  There may be restrictions on how many ships can be transiting the pier area and if another ship is waiting with it's pilot on board they might avoid using the turning basin until departure so that the other ship can follow in more closely.  Ships need to be very careful passing each other in port.  There are tremendous forces in the water just from the displaced water from a moving ship and sailing past another smaller ship or when a ship isn't fully berthed could put stress on the few lines that are secured at that point and snap them.  In that case it might be more efficient just to dock without passing other ships and accept a turn in the turning basin at departure instead.    

Weather and winds either upon arrival or forecast for departure could be a factor.

They may have scheduled maintenance like painting or routine lifeboat maintenance.  By not making the turn upon arrival they can work on the other side of the ship.

Or perhaps the local harbor pilots all play poker and the loser's ship has to dock differently.  (Just kidding)  

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4 minutes ago, Lovetocruise2002 said:

Is your JS on Empress smaller than the other JS across the fleet?  It looks more narrow.  Or maybe that's just the pictures....

I don't know that there is a fleet standard JS size.  This ship was ordered by Admiral Cruises just before Royal Caribbean acquired Admiral.  Supposedly it was built  specifically for the 3/4 night cruise market so with that in mind and given her small size some deviation from the modern ships that have evolved from these ships should be expected.  This is possibly an example of that.

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7 minutes ago, twangster said:

I don't know that there is a fleet standard JS size.  This ship was ordered by Admiral Cruises just before Royal Caribbean acquired Admiral.  Supposedly it was built  specifically for the 3/4 night cruise market so with that in mind and given her small size some deviation from the modern ships that have evolved from these ships should be expected.  This is possibly an example of that.

 

Just now, Matt said:

Impressed by the size of the JS on Empress.  More to the point, I feel it looks a lot more like a balcony room on a far newer ship.

Curiosity got the better of me and I just took a peek at other JS across the fleet....On voyager class, they are about 264 sq ft., Freedom class they are 297 or so,  Oasis class about 287.   Balcony cabin on OA class, 182.  So like @twangster said, given the history of the ship, most of those cabins on Empress, not just the JS, run smaller than the typical cabins on others in the fleet.

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Just now, Lovetocruise2002 said:

 

Curiosity got the better of me and I just took a peek at other JS across the fleet....On voyager class, they are about 264 sq ft., Freedom class they are 297 or so,  Oasis class about 287.   Balcony cabin on OA class, 182.  So like @twangster said, given the history of the ship, most of those cabins on Empress, not just the JS, run smaller than the typical cabins on others in the fleet.

For sure.  Look at the interior cabin sizes.  Empress and Majesty have some of the smallest interior cabins ever. (another factor in my choosing the upgrade) 

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1 minute ago, twangster said:

For sure.  Look at the interior cabin sizes.  Empress and Majesty have some of the smallest interior cabins ever. (another factor in my choosing the upgrade) 

We stayed in an interior room in June on Empress.  It was tight.  No couch or seating area.  Just a little stool for the vanity desk.  The carpets were not refreshed in our interior room.  Only the hallways were.  If I were to sail on Empress again, I would choose a suite. 

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Day 1 - Departing Miami

Muster was outdoors on deck 6.  At least it was covered.  Pretty quick and efficient muster, pretty typical.  There are a couple of muster stations in the theater.

Since we were pointing bow towards the West we would have to sail to the end of the channel where there is a turning basin to complete a 180° turn to head out of Port.  To my surprise we left before Mariner.

The bridge wings are not part of the interior bridge area on Empress.  Captain and crew get to experience it outdoors just like we do.

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We headed past Mariner and made our turn before passing Mariner once again as we headed out of port.

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The new Skypad has become a defining element to the ship visible from a distance.

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As we continued towards the exit of the harbor we approached the new terminal being constructed to house Oasis class ships including Symphony.

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There is a significant parking structure behind the new terminal.  That should make for a super convenient experience for anyone driving to the ship.

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A few sprinkles broke up the sail away party but it didn't stop people from enjoying the pool.

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The pool deck features these covered areas but are open to the sea which provides nice shelter from rain or sun but keeps you connected to the sea.

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Deck 6 aft behind Boleros there is a sail away party for the top members of the C&A Society.  I wanted to capture sail away and the new terminal from deck 11 so I only dropped by late to the party as it was winding down. 

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With that the cruise was officially underway.

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Day 1 - Dinner

I had made up my mind to stick with the MDR on this trip but walking past Chops Grille I talked with the host. 

My Chops Grille experiences on other ships has left something to be desired.  I had written Chops off and vowed to not eat there for a while.  However this is the only specialty restaurant on Empress.  As a Diamond Plus I get a BOGO offer on my SeaPass card so I opted to give them another try.  I'm glad I did.

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Fairly standard Chops Grille menu:

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Wedge salad to start.

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16 oz Prime Bone In Ribeye.  Cooked perfectly and good flavors.

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Dessert menu.

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For dessert Key Lime Meringue Pie.

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Bonus - I was able to use my Diamond Happy Hour drinks loaded on my SeaPass in Chops plus they served me a nicer Pinot Noir compared to the normal happy hour wines I have experienced on other ships.  

I really enjoyed this meal and for the first time in a Chops Grille both service and the meal were excellent.

My BOGO 'free' dinner is on day 2 in Chops.  That Goat Cheese Salad and the Rack of Lamb are calling my name.

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