Just off Empress- never again!

[shoafmom]

We just got off of Empress this morning & by the first full day of cruising we knew we would never book on Empress again. The abundance of issues break down into two categories: 1- issues from being a first sailing that will probably be resolved within the next couple of cruises and wouldn't have stopped us from future cruises on this ship. Some of the issues included; broken air conditioning that wasn't fixed in our cabin for the first 3 days, our only electrical outlet & TV that were out for over 24 hours no matter how many times we called guest services & our room steward, the sound on the poolside movie screen that never worked, the cruise compass that listed things like a Ping pong tournament that never happened since there are NO ping pong tables on the ship, constantly broken toilets, running out of food in the windjammer, no ice cream on the ship for 3 days because their ice cream maker for the dining room & the poolside one were both broken, the 2 hour wait in line to get off the ship, & probably several other issues that I can't remember. Yes, these issues were completely frustrating but if some compensation would have been offered we would be willing to overlook this less than stellar experience. We have sailed a lot with Royal & really enjoyed the experience overall. We have also sailed with other cruise lines & have noticed that Royal is really starting to slip in the last 10 years. We have always suggested Royal to people but that is about to change. My husband is ready to chuck Royal completely if nothing is done. We have been really happy with other cruise lines so why put up with this?

The second category of problems with Empress cannot be fixed- she is simply too small to have the facilities to support the number of passengers on board. We brought our kids on a cruise with us for the first time ever & after this experience they prefer our family vacations to be something else. The only pool on the ship has a maximum capacity of 20 people & is packed with over 40 people at all times. If you're an active family & don't want to just lay in a chair all day there is really nothing else to do! The rock climbing wall is packed because it's the other thing offered, but only at select times. The ship is too small for ping pong tables, the only shuffle board court was covered with some huge boxes till day 4 & even after that, there is only one of them. The Adventure ocean consists on two rooms; the room for 3-5 year olds is 8 by 15 & cannot handle kids any younger & the larger room for all other ages was 10 by 20 & the kids are confined to this room the entire time they are there. From 12:00-2:00 & 5:00-7:00 it closes & so does the rock wall so the kids have the option to swim in the pool if they can get in to it or watch the silent movie on deck, which by the way, was the most interesting thing for them to do. We ended up playing a lot of board games that we brought. My kids are too young for trivia, napkin folding or dance classes & they were the only other things offered. There was a scuba diving instruction class & a belly flop contest that took over the pool during part of those two hours when everything else was closed as well (great timing RCI). The work out facility is crammed into the little loft that is open to the Viking Lounge & the Viking is the best path to get to the rock wall so it really wound up being a hallway for both. Since the ship is too small for multiple offerings for entertainment, if you don't care for Broadway type productions (which we don't) then you are out of luck for evening entertainment.

Over all the ship is just too small to support the number of people on board. It would be bearable if there were no days at sea but as it is it's terrible, especially with kids.

The staff are top notch as usual & were trying their best to make it enjoyable. They are trying to make lemonade out of, well, I'm not sure... The Adventure Ocean staff were doing a fabulous job of trying to entertain all the kids in that tiny little room (that might have exceeded capacity). The maintenance crew was doing their best to get through the HUGE to-do lists that they were all carrying around. The Guest Services people were inundated with duly upset people who seemed willing to "shoot the messenger". Those poor GS workers looked like deer in the headlights the whole time. They were doing their best to try & figure out what to tell people since they didn't know much about the way the ship worked either.

Our only worker complaint came the first day at sea. Our party of 8 decided to go to the main dining room for brunch. Other than being too hot in the room it stared off well. We got our drinks, we were offered rolls & they took our order- that was the end of the good times. Both our waiter & assistant waiter for our section were gone for the next 45 minutes. After the first 20 minutes or so of no refills on coffee or water people from other tables in our section got up & stared serving the drinks & rolls that were left in our section. It was funny at first but after a while I got really frustrated with the servers in the sections right next to ours who watched us all serve ourselves for 25 minutes without offering to help, check on our waiter, or get the head waiter to see what could be done. Apparently there was an issue with the omelette makers that was holding things up, but why did not one worker stop to check on the section of over 30 people serving coffee, water & rolls to each other in that hot room? We waited for over an hour & then got cold food (unless you ordered an omelet). The table next to us got great, timely service & we had to excuse ourselves around their waiter so we could get ourselves drinks. Something is wrong with that.

Overall, we would never book on Empress again & may be done with Royal in General since their are so many great cruise lines out their to choose from.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[shoafmom]

Sorry for the appearance of text. We're just off the ship & trying to type on my phone (which looks fine).

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[ZoeyVictoria]

We just got off of Empress this morning & by the first full day of cruising we knew we would never book on Empress again. The abundance of issues break down into two categories: 1- issues from being a first sailing that will probably be resolved within the next couple of cruises and wouldn't have stopped us from future cruises on this ship. Some of the issues included; broken air conditioning that wasn't fixed in our cabin for the first 3 days, our only electrical outlet & TV that were out for over 24 hours no matter how many times we called guest services & our room steward, the sound on the poolside movie screen that never worked, the cruise compass that listed things like a Ping pong tournament that never happened since there are NO ping pong tables on the ship, constantly broken toilets, running out of food in the windjammer, no ice cream on the ship for 3 days because their ice cream maker for the dining room & the poolside one were both broken, the 2 hour wait in line to get off the ship, & probably several other issues that I can't remember.

 

Yes, these issues were completely frustrating but if some compensation would have been offered we would be willing to overlook this less than stellar experience. We have sailed a lot with Royal & really enjoyed the experience overall. We have also sailed with other cruise lines & have noticed that Royal is really starting to slip in the last 10 years. We have always suggested Royal to people but that is about to change. My husband is ready to chuck Royal completely if nothing is done. We have been really happy with other cruise lines so why put up with this?

 

The second category of problems with Empress cannot be fixed- she is simply too small to have the facilities to support the number of passengers on board. We brought our kids on a cruise with us for the first time ever & after this experience they prefer our family vacations to be something else. The only pool on the ship has a maximum capacity of 20 people & is packed with over 40 people at all times. If you're an active family & don't want to just lay in a chair all day there is really nothing else to do! The rock climbing wall is packed because it's the other thing offered, but only at select times. The ship is too small for ping pong tables, the only shuffle board court was covered with some huge boxes till day 4 & even after that, there is only one of them. The Adventure ocean consists on two rooms; the room for 3-5 year olds is 8 by 15 & cannot handle kids any younger & the larger room for all other ages was 10 by 20 & the kids are confined to this room the entire time they are there. From 12:00-2:00 & 5:00-7:00 it closes & so does the rock wall so the kids have the option to swim in the pool if they can get in to it or watch the silent movie on deck, which by the way, was the most interesting thing for them to do. We ended up playing a lot of board games that we brought. My kids are too young for trivia, napkin folding or dance classes & they were the only other things offered. There was a scuba diving instruction class & a belly flop contest that took over the pool during part of those two hours when everything else was closed as well (great timing RCI).

 

The work out facility is crammed into the little loft that is open to the Viking Lounge & the Viking is the best path to get to the rock wall so it really wound up being a hallway for both. Since the ship is too small for multiple offerings for entertainment, if you don't care for Broadway type productions (which we don't) then you are out of luck for evening entertainment.

 

Over all the ship is just too small to support the number of people on board. It would be bearable if there were no days at sea but as it is it's terrible, especially with kids.

 

The staff are top notch as usual & were trying their best to make it enjoyable. They are trying to make lemonade out of, well, I'm not sure... The Adventure Ocean staff were doing a fabulous job of trying to entertain all the kids in that tiny little room (that might have exceeded capacity). The maintenance crew was doing their best to get through the HUGE to-do lists that they were all carrying around. The Guest Services people were inundated with duly upset people who seemed willing to "shoot the messenger". Those poor GS workers looked like deer in the headlights the whole time. They were doing their best to try & figure out what to tell people since they didn't know much about the way the ship worked either.

 

Our only worker complaint came the first day at sea. Our party of 8 decided to go to the main dining room for brunch. Other than being too hot in the room it stared off well. We got our drinks, we were offered rolls & they took our order- that was the end of the good times. Both our waiter & assistant waiter for our section were gone for the next 45 minutes. After the first 20 minutes or so of no refills on coffee or water people from other tables in our section got up & stared serving the drinks & rolls that were left in our section. It was funny at first but after a while I got really frustrated with the servers in the sections right next to ours who watched us all serve ourselves for 25 minutes without offering to help, check on our waiter, or get the head waiter to see what could be done. Apparently there was an issue with the omelette makers that was holding things up, but why did not one worker stop to check on the section of over 30 people serving coffee, water & rolls to each other in that hot room? We waited for over an hour & then got cold food (unless you ordered an omelet). The table next to us got great, timely service & we had to excuse ourselves around their waiter so we could get ourselves drinks. Something is wrong with that.

 

Overall, we would never book on Empress again & may be done with Royal in General since their are so many great cruise lines out their to choose from.

 

I took the liberty of inserting a few blank lines.

[BekkaW]

I'm sorry your cruise was not up to standard. You seem like a pretty sensible person with reasonable expectations, and I too would be unhappy about the way things turned out. Many others have reported similar issues. Hopefully compensation is offered to those affected. I love Royal but I feel Empress will not be on our 'to do' list :(

[Clarea]

Thanks for the feedback, sorry the cruise was unpleasant.

Edited June 2, 2016 by clarea

[beachnative]

THANK YOU for posting your review.

 

We were scheduled to cruise in May but ours was cancelled and after reading the many negative reviews I am glad that it was.

 

Because we have not personally experienced the problems on the Empress we will most likely book her in the future (not near future) after the kinks have been worked out.

 

Royal Caribbean certainly has stretched its self thin and the result is not pretty.

 

Hopefully, they will get their house (ships) in order and will rise to their normal level of service.

 

Thanks again for posting the review.

[TravlGrl]

Shoafmom -- I am also just off the Empress today and everything you stated was also experienced by my husband and I (except Adventure Ocean, as we have no kids). Remember also that this was not to be an inaugural, and was only an inaugural because RCCL kept canceling the previous sailings. Honestly, they should have canceled ours too.

 

We've been talking about this TERRIBLE cruise over on our roll call, as it seems we all experienced the same poor sailing:

 

• Broken AC
  
• Broken toilets (not just in our cabin, but the public toilets as well)
  
• No audio on the movie screen
  
• VERY limited MDR menus (I guess the galleys must be too small to offer a full dinner menu??)
  
• Broken ice cream machine (my husband looks forward to soft serve on every cruise)
  
• Ridiculously long lines everywhere -- Buffet, MDR entry at all times (and it didn't matter if you scheduled a reservation), Guest Services, Loyalty Ambassador
  
• Running out of some menu items on the Room Service menu for the entire sailing!
  
• Systems not in place for all bars to accept the drink package cards on Day 1, requiring us to wait in the long Guest Services line to have the charges reversed, only to find out that their systems were down also (on Day 4!)
  
• No fitness center (just a platform -- we tried to work out but had to walk through a yoga class just to get to the free weights and the sweat towels). They could have built a ceiling to the Viking Crown Lounge/floor to the fitness center, and voila...look at the space they could actually call a fitness center!
  

 

To us, it felt like there were too many passengers and too few crew. It feels like a ship this size should be maxed out at 1200 passengers or so, not 1800!

 

And why oh WHY was the kiddie pool placed right next to the pool bar, right in the middle of everything where the hot tubs are??? And what was up with the construction of the outdoor shower there? Every day (and night!), workers were constructing a shower there. That couldn't have been done during dry dock?

 

This whole cruise ranks in my worst 3 or 4 of 37 cruises. On the flip side, I like that the toilet in our cabin had a "slow close" lid, but that's where the compliments stop.

 

Empress should have never sailed May 28, 2016.

[Paul65]

Thanks for the review. Have you been on newer RC ships before? I can imagine that, in comparison to the newer ships, the Empress would seem tiny. My first cruise was on Monarch of the Seas, which at the time was one of the largest cruise ships around, and she seemed huge compared to others we saw. These days, the Monarch is considered small, though, and Empress is even older and smaller.

 

Sounds like they didn't quite get all the renovations up to par, but I would still sail on her in the future, after the bugs are worked out, if it involved an interesting itinerary that you just can't get on the more modern and larger ships.

[FLSteve11]

Thanks for the review.

 

We had thought about Empress as well, and might do it for a short term cruise if it's available (or Cuba in the future), but it won't be out first choice. That's the thing with the smaller ships, once they start putting in too many people, there's nowhere for them to go. Especially if the weather is bad outside.

 

Even with out of dry-dock hiccups, there are some things (like the dining room) that should not really happen, especially to the extent it did. You can let some things slide, but they still should be able to handle some things. (Especially after all those cancellations).

 

I did have to laugh at one thing though (and sorry, not meaning it as a criticism), but after all those great family friendly cruise ships you've done over the past couple of years, THIS is the ship you decided to bring your kids on for the first time ever? *sly grin* Just from the description and size you could tell it wasn't going to be really a kid-friendly ship, compared to what you've already done.

[shoafmom]

Very true, there are a lot of other ships that I knew would be SO much better, this just happen to work best for dates. We've been on Majesty and Sovereign

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[shoafmom]

Ok, the phone thing is not working for me today. We've been on Majesty and Sovereign and thought it would be similar but we had forgotten that both of those had been stretched. It doesn't sound like much of a difference but it really is!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Firefighterhoop]

Ok, the phone thing is not working for me today. We've been on Majesty and Sovereign and thought it would be similar but we had forgotten that both of those had been stretched. It doesn't sound like much of a difference but it really is!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Majesty and Sovereign were never stretched - they are the same size as when they were built. Not sure why RCCL put Empress in to the same class as Majesty as they aren't the same size at all. Majesty is 73,000GRT and Empress is only 48,000GRT.

 

Empress is a small ship compared to anything currently in the RCCL fleet. The only ships I have been on that small were the NCL Majesty and Carnival Jubilee and while I had fun on those ships, I don' think I'd go back on anything that small!

Edited June 2, 2016 by Firefighterhoop

[loubetti]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again.

 

They transferred the ship from Pullmantur, and had a lot more work to do on it than (or as some prefer, "then") they expected.

 

They are breaking her in for her potential Cuba runs possibly starting this Summer and they are solving problems along the way.

 

I can't wait to see what the Cuba fares will be like! :D

[Rosy1013]

Thanks for the review! Found it very informative.

[loubetti]

Majesty and Sovereign were never stretched - they are the same size as when they were built.

 

Empress is a small ship compared to anything currently in the RCCL fleet. The only ships I have been on that small were the NCL Majesty and Carnival Jubilee and while I had fun on those ships, I don' think I'd go back on anything that small!

 

 

Quite correct, only the earliest class of RCCL ships, like Song of Norway were stretched

 

As to Empress; she's still larger than Titanic, and carries less people than the former did! For many, she can still be a very agreeable ship to sail on.

 

For me, I'd take 48,000 tons any day of the week, even much less. Just watch how many you try to stuff on board. :D

[shoafmom]

My fault, someone told us they were. Funny what you believe when you're on board & can't google what someone says to see if it's true. What ships have been stretched?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Clarea]

My fault, someone told us they were. Funny what you believe when you're on board & can't google what someone says to see if it's true. What ships have been stretched?

Of the current ships in service sailing under the Royal Caribbean name, only Enchantment.

Edited June 2, 2016 by clarea

[Citymom92]

Thanks for all these reviews.

 

I am not booked on the Empress until July 18th, and as a first time cruiser, did not realize how much of a disaster the Empress could be. I based my decision on wanting a smaller ship for my family of five (2 adults and three teens, 13, 16 and 19) but also took into consideration that this would be a Royal ship, with extensive food options, and basic cruise entertainment, including shuffleboard, ping pong, exercise room (I knew the pool would be small and crowded-that wasn't a big deal to me.) Little did I know in March that Royal was throwing all their traditions and standards out the window with the Empress.

 

Now that I am past the final payment, is there nothing I can do to get off this ship? I'd switch to a lesser cabin on the Enchantment sailing out of Miami on the same day, but my TA says I'll have cancellation fees and then have to rebook. :(

 

I can't believe this is going to be our first cruise. I'll never talk my family into a cruise again.

Edited June 2, 2016 by Citymom92

[Fouremco]

OP and TravlGrl, it sounds like you have every reason to be very disappointed. There's simply no excuse for the problems you experienced. RCI should never have allowed the Empress to sail under these conditions.

[ryano]

Thanks for all these reviews.

 

I am not booked on the Empress until July 18th, and as a first time cruiser, did not realize how much of a disaster the Empress could be. I based my decision on wanting a smaller ship for my family of five (2 adults and three teens, 13, 16 and 19) but also took into consideration that this would be a Royal ship, with extensive food options, and basic cruise entertainment, including shuffleboard, ping pong, exercise room (I knew the pool would be small and crowded-that wasn't a big deal to me.) Little did I know in March that Royal was throwing all their traditions and standards out the window with the Empress.

 

Now that I am past the final payment, is there nothing I can do to get off this ship? I'd switch to a lesser cabin on the Enchantment sailing out of Miami on the same day, but my TA says I'll have cancellation fees and then have to rebook. :(

 

I can't believe this is going to be our first cruise. I'll never talk my family into a cruise again.

 

Hopefully they will have the issues worked out by then. Just try and relax. I know it's hard as my first cruise was on Carnival Holiday which was their oldest and smallest ship the had at the time. Sound familiar? :). I joined CC and quickly felt the same way you did.

 

Holiday was hated by even some of the most loyal Carnival cruisers. She was 22+ years old, small, outdated, tired and I read some of the same horror stories! :eek: Sewage smells, hot cabins and on and on. I was worried sick!

 

You know what? I experienced NONE of what I read! We had a wonderful first cruise and that's what hooked me!

 

Your TA would have to do any begging and pleading with the them to switch cruises for you. If you booked direct at least you could call and ask. All they can say is no :).

Edited June 2, 2016 by ryano

[Clarea]

... Now that I am past the final payment, is there nothing I can do to get off this ship? I'd switch to a lesser cabin on the Enchantment sailing out of Miami on the same day, but my TA says I'll have cancellation fees and then have to rebook. :(....

You can try having your TA call Royal and ask if you can move to another cruise. Very low probabilty this will work, but maybe if you offer to pay more (like book a better stateroom) they will cut you some slack.

[Citymom92]

Hopefully they will have the issues worked out by then. Just try and relax. I know it's hard as my first cruise was on Carnival Holiday which was their oldest and smallest ship the had at the time. Sound familiar? :). I joined CC and quickly felt the same way you did.

 

Holiday was hated by even some of the most loyal Carnival cruisers. She was 22+ years old, small, outdated, tired and I read some of the same horror stories! eek: Sewage smells, hot cabins and on and on. I was worried sick!

 

You know what? I experienced NONE of what I read! We had a wonderful first cruise and that's what hooked me!

 

Your TA would have to do any begging and pleading with the them to switch cruises for you. If you booked direct at least you could call and ask. All they can say is no :).

 

Thank you so much-this truly helps me so much.

 

I know it won't be perfect, but when you're the family's travel agent, the pressure is unreal. Add to that a husband who can never take time off, a college student halfway out of the house forever *sobs* and another teen about to graduate and you end up with feeling like THIS IS THE LAST VACATION EVER AND YOU'VE RUINED IT!

 

I am going to breathe deeply and ride it out. (I may also start building my alcohol tolerance.) I do find that some of the only vacations we remember are the ones that were the absolute worst ("Remember that time we rented a cabin for a week and the roof leaked and the toilet didn't work and the raccoons ate and and then pooped all over our food? That was SO FUN!") So if nothing else, this will be a memory-maker, right?

Edited June 2, 2016 by Citymom92

[TravlGrl]

You can try having your TA call Royal and ask if you can move to another cruise. Very low probabilty this will work, but maybe if you offer to pay more (like book a better stateroom) they will cut you some slack.

 

I agree with this option. Citymom -- Knowing what I know now since I sailed Empress, I would encourage anyone I know to change their sailing to another ship. There are items they can (if they choose to) work out before your sailing, but there are items that just won't change (poor construction, for example)...a small ship is a small ship, but they've just tried to cram too much into tiny spaces.

[Citymom92]

You can try having your TA call Royal and ask if you can move to another cruise. Very low probabilty this will work, but maybe if you offer to pay more (like book a better stateroom) they will cut you some slack.

 

He has called, but he says it's a no-go, unless we pay a lot more. If it continues with more horror stories, I may try again. Thanks so much for your help. I know CC isn't perfect, but honestly, it's helped me a great deal. I wish I had discovered it BEFORE I booked the Empress.

[coaster]

I understand the disgust with lack of a/c, food, and plumbing issues. No excuse with Empress being almost three months out of service.

 

The lack of facilities for children and fitness is something else. This is not as understandable. We cruised with children on ships half the size and similar size to Empress on NCL and Celebrity when our children were younger. They used conference rooms for children areas on some occasions. The attention they received was first class and better than our only Disney cruise. CD on one NCL cruise had us stand up and say the 'boys' are back during a show as there were only about 600 people onboard and less than a handful of children. The lack of facilities was more than compensated for as they were treated so well and the better connection to the sea a smaller ship provides.

 

Fitness areas were also a second thought in the early 90's. I will still take a smaller ship any day. You really need to spend the extra bucks on a newer and larger ship if you need all the extras that many newer cruisers are used to. Lack of research is to blame if you expected similar amenities on a 26 year old ship.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited June 2, 2016 by coaster