Empress of the Seas

[Big_G]

What info and facts are you looking for?? Something like 2+2=4 and 2x2=4? Was that what you are looking for? As for the generator comment that was for all of the people who took pictures of the carnival ships when they had them on the top deck. You think empress's infrastructure has had a major overhaul in the last well........since it was launched? It would take months and months to bring the ship up to recent standards and with the new maritime laws requiring alternative and backup power I can see a nice shiny yellow CAT generator strapped to the top deck of empress in the very near future. [emoji108]🏻[emoji102][emoji83]

 

Now that's the CaribSailor I'm used to. By the way, the Carnival ships required strap-on generators because of engine room design and not age. There are plenty of ships out there just as old as Carnivals that don't require them. As for the CATs, they camouflaged them with white paint and a Carnival logo. You won't even notice. :rolleyes: :D

[CaribSailor]

Now that's the CaribSailor I'm used to. By the way, the Carnival ships required strap-on generators because of engine room design and not age. There are plenty of ships out there just as old as Carnivals that don't require them. As for the CATs, they camouflaged them with white paint and a Carnival logo. You won't even notice. :rolleyes: :D

 

 

Yeah I hear ya... There are new laws for retrofits after 2015.

[Tapi]

I don't sail on Carnival, but those have more of a Patrick Nagel painting feel to me from the photos/videos I've seen. This is just old and tired.

 

 

From someone who has sailed on Carnival many times, believe me. I'll take the Empress' "old and tired" decor that you reference over most Carnival ship's decor and overall condition (except for a few of their newer ships). As mentioned above, the Carnival Sensation sails from Miami on the same day and for the same number of nights as my Empress sailing but for twice as much. Talk about a tired and old looking ship, with its tacky "Old Vegas" 90's purple neon decor that hasn't been updated in years. There is NO way in hell I would sail on the Sensation over Empress at those prices, and even if the price was identical, I'd still have a hard time choosing it.

 

I booked the Empress with very realistic expectations, just like when I booked the Enchantment after sailing on the Allure. Taking my expectations down several notches ensured that I had an absolutely wonderful time on the Enchantment and I will adjust expectations accordingly once again to sail on Empress.

[wblynch]

I don't remember reading anywhere but does anyone know if they will install a movies under the stars on Empress? That would be fun.

[wblynch]

I also noticed there is nothing showing for Empress past June 2016. I wonder what is planned after June?

[SheehanDJ]

I also noticed there is nothing showing for Empress past June 2016. I wonder what is planned after June?

 

That's what I'm wondering too....

 

Just a quick dry-dock before the March thru May cruises then a total refurb in June?

 

Cuba opening sooner than anyone thinks?

 

Re-selling or scraping her?

 

Dedicated private ship?

 

None of those really make any sense.

[LMaxwell]

Could be trying to secure an additional berth space in Bermuda and do a FL to Bermuda run?

[razzinger]

There is about a 5 week window between the last Empress cruise for Pullmantur, before its first RCL cruise March 30. Depending where the refurb is scheduled, seems like they could do some pretty hefty cleaning in that time frame.

[OfTheSeasCruiser]

That's what I'm wondering too....

 

Just a quick dry-dock before the March thru May cruises then a total refurb in June?

 

Cuba opening sooner than anyone thinks?

 

Re-selling or scraping her?

 

Dedicated private ship?

 

None of those really make any sense.

 

There's Empress booking at Key West past June, so probably same itineraries. They could always alter them for Cuba, however.

[Ocean Boy]

Could be trying to secure an additional berth space in Bermuda and do a FL to Bermuda run?

 

Empress used to dock in Hamilton and St. George. I would think that there would not be much competition for the space since it is mostly larger ships going to Bermuda now and they have to go out to the Dockyard.

 

I think it would be great to have Empress on the Bermuda run again and docking in Hamilton. That was such a convenient location to be in. I would consider booking Empress for a Bernuda cruise though I highly doubt that I would even look at it for a Caribbean cruise.

[Morecruisesplz]

Empress used to dock in Hamilton and St. George. I would think that there would not be much competition for the space since it is mostly larger ships going to Bermuda now and they have to go out to the Dockyard.

 

I think it would be great to have Empress on the Bermuda run again and docking in Hamilton. That was such a convenient location to be in. I would consider booking Empress for a Bernuda cruise though I highly doubt that I would even look at it for a Caribbean cruise.

 

Oh come on Doc. I'll book it if you will.

[Retired LEO]

And about holding off, you could've booked right away and canceled later with no penalty if the drydock doesn't live up to your expectations. Looking at current pricing, it seems like those that held off and took a "wait and see" attitude will be paying considerably more than those of us that acted quickly. Our sailing is currently pricing 50% higher than when I reserved, and the C&A discount is gone. Not only that, but our price is less than half what a similar Carnival sailing (on the same exact day out of the same port and length) is currently pricing at! [emoji33]

 

For $104.00 per person per night I just couldn't pass it up.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Retired LEO

[John&LaLa]

I hadn't been on Carnival in many, many years, but I recently bit for itinerary and price. It was fine. But a lot of the ship was very tacky/gaudy and the pool deck and buffet were most definitely ghetto to the max. I thought the pool deck area was pretty bad actually. I couldn't believe how trashy it looked, and I don't just mean the guests. Empress looks head and shoulders above the Carnival Victory, at least to me, in these videos. Patrick Nagel would have been a step up.

 

The dining room and theater look dated to me on Empress; but those are areas easily spruced up with soft goods which is something I'd expect in dry dock. I definitely would NOT expect infrastructure changes or any major changes from what it shown in the video beyond easy to replace decor.

 

Someone, can't remember who, said they think peoples memories of this ship won't match what they get, and I agree. But I think it will look and feel like Royal Caribbean; it just won't have a lot to do or different areas.

 

I sailed on Legend of the Seas and once was enough. The ship just didn't offer a lot of amenities; and that was a significantly larger ship than Empress. For the record, for the right price I'd like to sail on Empress, I'd just adjust my expectations accordingly. I think for 3-5 days it's fine.

 

Sounds like something I said. In my opinion, 2016 cruise expectations are way different than 2002 expectations. And I wasn't impressed in 2002. ;)

 

Biggest issue is tiny cabins and limited balconies. Also, they seem to be marketing her as a constant party, which is fine, but not what a lot of the seasoned veterans are going to wax nostalgic on.

 

I'll wait until she's ready for Cuba or somewhere exotic, not Nassau and Cozumel

[adjoankora]

For $104.00 per person per night I just couldn't pass it up.

 

We are sailing Empress on October 24th to celebrate my birthday for a total of $575.00 for the two of us including port fees and taxes. From our signature, you can tell we like to mix it up -- sometimes on larger/newer ships and sometimes on the smaller/not so new ones. Never sailed a ship we didn't like and don't expect Empress will be any different. Looking forward to sailing on her.