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| Reviewed By: Luckham, Hartford on 2nd Oct 2007 |
| Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean Cruises |
Times cruised before: 3-5 |
| Cruise Ship: Empress of the Seas |
Sailed:
September,
2007 |
| Destination: Bermuda |
Age: 46-55 |
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This was our 4th cruise in 4 years, having previously sailed with Celebrity, P&O and Thomson. The 7 day itinerary took us from Philadelphia, to Bermuda; we had 2 days and nights in Hamilton and a 3rd day & night in St George before a 2 day return to Philly. We had an ocean view stateroom which compared favourably with the same type of cabin on the Celebrity Mercury. The cabin attendant was excellent and nothing was too much trouble.
We ate all of our evening meals, including the 2 formal nights, in the main (Carmen) dining room. We split breakfast & lunch between the main dining room and the windjammer cafe on the pool deck (10). Food in the main dining area was excellent and on a par with Celebrity. The casual dining was very American oriented; this is to be expected, since 1500 of the 1700 passengers were Americans, with only 28 Brits onboard. On sea days, the daily BBQ provided an adequate standard, especially if supplemented with rice and/or salad from the windjammer.
Waiting staff in the Carmen dining room were excellent and were keen to provide good service. We noted that their attitude to some American passengers, especially when "please" and "thank you" were in short supply, was markedly different to how we were treated.
The main limitation we found was the single (and small) swimming pool which seemed crowded with 8 people in it. RCI do not allow the "saving" of sunbeds, so we never had a problem there. The pool deck also has 3 good size hot tubs. I would not want to do more than 7 days on Empress, since there are limited activities for passengers who prefer a bit of exercise; there is no real sports deck, golf nets/simulator, basketball/football/tennis court or other outdoor facility. She does, however, have a 3 bay climbing wall at the stern of the ship.
Although we did not experience the pushiness of the drinks staff, mentioned by other reviewers, the calls of "bar service" every 2 or 3 minutes by waiters wandering round the sun decks was a bit annoying.
Bermuda is a wonderful island with its warm waters and lovely beaches, as well as the quaint olde English outlook. All in all, a very pleasant cruise on a very comfortable ship.
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| Quality of Food |  |
| Carmen dining room. Steak and seafood | | Entertainment | |
| Empress dancers & singers | | Shore Excursions |  |
| Candlelight tour of St George with Michael, former Mayor and Town Crier | | Staff | |
| Allwyn, waiter, Carmen dining room. Nothing was too much trouble | | Children's Facilities | n/a |
| | Onboard Activities |  |
| Limited outside activities | | Cabins | |
| Perfectly adequate for a 7 day cruise | | Overall Rating | |
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