vikielynne

I was on for NYE and found the ship in good condition, wonderful crew, good food and great entertainment. This was my first Celebrity cruise and I was pleasantly surprised with things almost daily.

I love the Empress, never felt any movement / rocking. I did feel like the bed / mattress was really hard - I mentioned it to one of the bartenders in Boleros and he asked what deck I was on - that night my cabin steward had added another comforter to my bed to add more padding. The crew are outstanding throughout the ship!

Just off the Infinity from  NYE  and had a wonderful time. Balloon drop in the Grand Foyer and Constellation Lounge with a party on the pool deck. As it was warm outside I stayed in the Grand Foyer area hanging out mostly in the Martini Bar (grabbed a seat and stayed put). I did venture to the Constellation but it felt more crowded so went back to the Martini Bar. No charge for seats and pretty easy to find one without too long a wait. There were a number of families with kids, mostly seen poolside during the days. The ship is really nice, still kept up good for her age and crew most places were great. Food in the buffet much better than I expected and service very good (no problems getting wine with lunch or dinner). Lots of entertainment - games throughout the day and evenings, really impressed with the live music, several performers that moved over the venues on the ship with a wide range of musical styles. 

Following as well.

Just off Independence last week and the only British item was fish and chips one night. You can download RCLs app and it shows menus. In my past 3 cruises the menus were right on the app just in a different order than it showed. Have a wonderful cruise, she’s my favorite ship with out of this world crew!

Just off Independence 6 night sailing and it was offered on day 4 or 5. Not advertised anywhere but the bar. I did notice they had Bloody Marys from 7am - 10 or 11am at the Plaza and pool bars for $4.99 $2.00 more for Titos. I think they may have been struggling to hit sales target as I also saw bar waiters with trays of drinks for sale by the pool on both sea days.

I always give 4 hours from ship arrival time to flight departure.

We are totally on Team Crew Welfare Fund and give to that on every cruise we take (on every cruise line). Also, we are sure to mention specific names of those who have gone above and beyond in the written reviews - both in the middle of the cruise and at the end (and we keep the list short - maybe 3-4, so that it actually meaningful). The only time we did tip an individual was our butler on the Spirit. We had sprung for a suite and there was an occasion to have a party. Our butler did a great job of handling all the food, drink (and clean-up - what a thrill to leave for dinner and come back to a sparkling suite!). So, I wrote him a nice thank-you note and put cash in the envelope as well.

Can you please tell me how / where you can contribute to the Crew Welfare fund?

Thank you!

Norcalman, does your “My Silversea” show any formal nights for our cruise?

 

And I’ll tell John (hubby) your suggestion. I think that’s where he was going with his tux jacket idea. Are you wearing a regular tie or bow tie with your tux jacket?

Napria,

I think something may be going on with My Silversea. I'm on the transatlantic voyage right after yours and it only shows 1 formal night out of 14. That just isn't normal.

For those on the Wind now, can you advise if it has interactive TV or just dvds from the library? I was hoping to enjoy some lazy movie time on my cruise and am curious about what is offered.

Thank you all for the information and tidbits.. excitedly counting down to sailing.

Absolutely loving your review!! Took my first solo cruise last year (have cruised tons and solo-ed through Europe) and loved it. Counting down till Sunday when I run away from life's insanity to relax and recharge on the Freedom of the Seas. Your review is saving my sanity until then!

Hi Terry,

Bon voyage! Looking forward to your posts. My best friend and I are on a shortened version of the next sailing so can't wait to hear all about your trip.

Vickie

I wanted to say a big thank you for all of this great information. I just booked the Spirit for 01 July so have been in research mode high gear. This thread is great - answered almost all of my questions.

I've been on the Empress twice in the last month and it was only one bloody Mary or mimosa for brunch.

If I can have 2-3 mimosas or bloody's with brunch then I'd skip poolside beers and end up buying 3-4 drinks per day. If the brunch drinks aren't good then yes, the beverage package would be better. I've heard conflicting info regarding if brunch is one complimentary drink or bottomless, looking for anyone with recent experience.

My best friend was on the Empress sailing Nov 11th and I was on the Nov 17th sailing - 1 mimosa or bloody mary per person at brunch. They did have specials in the casino some days where mimosas were $1.00. My friend didn't do a package but was ok as they offered a 10 drink punch card for his sailing. I did the package and was happy I opted to as there were no punch cards offered on my trip.

Vikielynne, do you have any photos of your cabin? We are trying to pick a cabin on Empress and 8664 is one we are looking at but cannot find any photos online. Any photos would be awesome. Thank you!

I'm not sure if this will work but give it a try.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzDmkCCNcBE6ckpXekI5NTNIN1k/view?usp=sharing

It's wonderful to hear she looks good and has a fantastic crew! The last couple reviews have been a little down on her.

 

Can you let me know how busy the pool is on sea days? And if many lounge chairs seem free? Are there just the two hot tubs?

 

Enjoy your trip! I'll be in your shoes in six days!

 

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There are 3 hot tubs all grouped together on the center of the pool deck. Yesterday was the first season day and by about 12:00 it was a bit crowded. You could get an odd empty chair but that was it. I generally find a spot in the pool and camp out there. The good thing I noticed was we don't seem to have chair hogs - people come and when they go they take their stuff so you stand a chance of getting a poolside spot. There were plenty of seats at chairs and tables so that's an option as well.

Does the water taste good? :confused: I really wouldn't have an issue with it, but I'm sure my mother will.

It's seems to have an odd taste so I've been sticking to bottled water or iced tea.

So, did you hear if we can legally purchase real cuban cigars and if there is a limit ?

 

It is on the news here that you can now bring them state side.

 

Thanks

I was told yes but they didn't know if there was a limit so will see if I can get more information.

Do you remember what the names of the menus are that you had and which nights? Also do you have any copies of your cruise compass. I am taking a 5 day cruise of January and trying to plan ahead, thanks any infor will help.

I have pictures of the menus for last night and tonight but can't figure out how to post them here. I'll work on that and the cruise compasses when I get home.

Who is the cruise director? Elvis or Carlos?

 

Have a great cruise!

It's Elvis.

We are on this cruise soon. Our main concerns are that our JS cabin is right under the pool deck (worried about noise) and AC in the cabins. Any feedback on that would be great. Thanks and hope your cruise is going great.

 

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I have an outside cabin on deck 8 so can't say about noise on a balcony but I haven't heard any noise so far.

My cabin is freezing - no problem with AC. I actually turned it as warm as I could get it last night.

Overall it's been wonderful! Everyone, crew and passengers are all great. I think passengers all have the same thoughts - to enjoy this great little ship and relax.

I see you are D+. I know there is no Diamond Club or Concierge. Do they have a lounge reserved for cocktail hour, or are you just restricted to the 3 drinks/day on your Seapass Card during that time?

 

Thanks! Have a great trip!

No lounge (just the three drinks ) but they did a little get together last night - 4:30 - 5:15 behind Boleros. It was nice to be back there for sail away.

Great to hear the ship is in good shape !

 

How's the crowd ? Do you feel crowded at all up on the top Deck ?

Restaurants ? Public areas ?

 

And to find seating for the shows at night ?

 

I booked a 7 day in December , can't wait to board her !

Not crowded at all. We are sailing at capacity and I keep wondering where everyone is. I went to the theatre early last night as I was concerned about seats and it wasn't an issue even right before the show started.

Hello Cruise Critic Family,

I'm sailing the 5 night Key West and Cozumel route. Happy to answer any questions you may have. I didn't purchase voom so will have somewhat limited access but feel free to ask away and I'll do my best to get answers.

So far the ship is in great shape, the crew awesome and my room unbelievable - F1 8664. Looking forward to a wonderful trip.

Vickie

I must have been lucky the last few times, they've done dresses, pants and button downs for me. I'll remember that for future trips. Thanks for the information.