Empress Review 3/13/06 Southern Caribbean

[Isaac]

Posting my journal from our recent Southern Caribbean cruise on Empress of the Seas. A little background on us... We're 29 and frequent travellers. This was my 12th cruise, my wife's 7th. Previous sailings have included Sitmar, Princess, RCCL, Celebrity, American Hawaii, and NCL. We go mostly for the itinerary. We don't cruise to make new friends, play bingo, or buy lithographs so I can't comment much on those aspects of the cruise. For us, it's about the ports and the dining experience.

 

SAN JUAN

We arrived in San Juan around 3:45 p.m. two days prior to embarkation. Upon collecting our luggage, we proceeded to the airport taxi stand where we waited approximately 10 minutes to get to the front of the line. Taxi rates are done by zone in San Juan. The fare to Old San Juan was $19 plus $0.50 per bag. The ride took ten or 15 minutes. We stayed at the Sheraton Old San Juan, which I had read mixed reviews on before traveling. We are Starwood Preferred Guest Gold and redeemed Starpoints for our stay. The going rate for our dates of travel was $255 per night. We had a standard room reserved, but were put on the 8th floor with a view of the harbor and a faux balcony. The views of the ships in port were great, though the noise from the air conditioning unit on the roof below made opening the balcony doors tolerable only for a short time.

 

I had stayed in Old San Juan about 15 years ago and really enjoyed it. Since then, I’ve read many traveler reviews that included complaints about a lack of activities and concerns about safety. We found neither to be true. While not the place to stay if you’re looking for beach time, Old San Juan is the beautiful, walkable place I remembered. El Morro and San Cristobal forts are amazing sites right out of Pirates of the Caribbean (the ride, not the movie) and we were surprised to see that El Morro seemed to be the hangout of choice for many local families on Sunday. Old San Juan is also filled with numerous plazas and promenades that were filled with locals late into the night. We had several excellent meals, including dinners at The Parrot Club and Amadeus and lunch at Jibaritos. The hot dogs and milk shakes from local vendors in one of the plazas were also delicious.

 

On Sunday, our group of six hired local tour guide, Tony Sanchez of Island Tours, to take us to El Yunque Rainforest. He picked us up shortly after 10 a.m. in his relatively new Isuzu Ascender SUV. Tony was knowledgeable, well spoken, and enthusiastic about Puerto Rico. As we drove East, he taught us about the history of Puerto Rico while pointing out the sites along the way. Our trip included a short stop at the Rainforest visitor center ($2 fee per person) for restrooms and snacks. The highlight was a 1.5 mile roundtrip hike to a waterfall and swimming hole. The area was filled with locals enjoying the weekend, but Tony led us to his “secret spot” above the waterfall where there was a smaller waterfall and swimming hole. We were the only people up there. Tony taught us a lot about the rainforest during the hike, pointing out different trees and plants, showing us the results of the different tropical storms and hurricanes, and even demonstrating the flammable qualities of the sap of the Candlewood tree. On our return trip to San Juan, we made a short stop at a lookout tower before proceeding down the hill. We all worked up an appetite on the hike so Tony promised us a stop at a roadside quiosco (kiosk) so we could sample some of the local cuisine. We stopped at one of Tony’s favorites and ate Bacalaitos (cod fish fritters), rice, blue crab, and blue crab fritters. Our order of seven fritters, a plate of rice and crab, and one fresh coconut (for the coconut water) came to $12. We thought it was worth twice that. In all, our trip to the rainforest lasted over six hours. At $55 per person, it was more than worth it as we enthusiastically declared we must return to Puerto Rico to utilize Tony’s services again (he offers a wide variety a trips including bioluminescence lagoon, observatory, caves, and fishing).

[Isaac]

EMPRESS OF THE SEAS

The six of us took a minivan taxi to the Pan American Pier. With all of our luggage, the fare came to $28. We arrived at the pier around 2:30 p.m. After checking our luggage with the surly luggage handler, we proceeded inside where there was no wait to check-in. We were on the ship and in our cabin within 5 minutes.

 

The Ship

The ship was well laid out and in nice condition in our opinion. We’re partial to smaller intimate ships and were very happy with this one. There were several small sitting areas in the upper parts of the Centrum and in the faux atrium at the aft staircase. Empress was equipped with one our favorite traits, a true wraparound promenade with teak decking and numerous chairs for enjoying sea time. The promenade was crowded on sea days and there were no chairs to be found at peak times. It was also a popular location for smokers, which made for a less than healthy “walking track.” Up on top, she had all the major accoutrements, including the pool, wading pool, three spas, pool bar, calypso band stage, and lounge chairs. The only time the ship seemed a little crowded was up here on sea days or right around sail time. Lounge chairs were a premium commodity during sea time, something I’d partially attribute to the fact that Empress lacks a full second deck up top (deck 11 is only accessible above the Windjammer Café at the forward part of the ship. With the port intensive nature of this itinerary, the space issues up top were rarely an issue.

 

Lounge-wise, Boleros and Schooner Bar were the primary spots. Both were nice, though Schooner seemed to be a favorite spot for smokers. We never made it to the Viking Crown at night, but I imagine it was a little more high energy. It should be noted that this cruise was carrying a large number of European passengers, which made for fun conversations at breakfast and lunch, but also seemed to account for a higher than usual smoking rate. Being from California, this was a bit of an adjustment for us. Ironically, the casino was less smoky than many other public places and it rarely seemed crowded when we walked through. All announcements on the ship were made in Spanish, German, French, and Italian in addition to English. It made for lengthy announcements, but we enjoyed the diversity.

 

We’re not big “show people” so we didn’t spend any time in the Strike Up The Band Lounge. We did however enjoy the music of the Calypso band, Latin band, and the Liza Hendrix band—a great cover band that did a lot of blues, rock, and oldies. Schooner often had a piano player that sounded like he was doing karaoke and dinner was usually accompanied by live piano for the first hour or so.

 

The gym was located on the second level of the Viking Crown lounge and appeared to have been an afterthought. What seemed like a weird mix (lounge and gym) worked pretty well—at least as a gym. The views from the workout equipment were some of the best from anywhere in the ship. The rock climbing wall was added immediately aft of the Viking Crown, which robbed it of some of the view, but there really weren’t many places they could have put it. We climbed the wall many times throughout our voyage and got to know the crew running the show, Gustavo and Darren, quite well. In addition to teaching us to rock climb, they gave us suggestions on what to do in some of the ports we were unsure about. We were initially concerned about crowds at the wall, but never had to wait to climb. In fact, we accounted for four out of the first six climbers over the course of the first two days of cruise.

 

Cabin

We were in cabin 3542, outside Starboard side just forward of the forward stairs. We had read all the warnings of tiny cabins and were amply prepared to be under whelmed, but were pleasantly surprised upon arrival. Drawer storage was minimal (6 very small drawers), but there was considerable closet and shelf space. The bathroom was pretty standard as far as ships go, with plenty of shelves for storage. The most noticeable effect of the limited square footage was the small space (about 1 foot) on each side of the bed. Luckily, our room lacked the upper berths that each of parents had in their cabins. Coupled with the limited floor space, the upper berths made for a nice place to bump their heads. Our only real complaint about the accommodations was the thin walls. We had a neighbor who spent most of the cruise in her cabin smoking cigarettes. In addition to stinking up the hall around our room, she was coughing day and night (what a surprise). We heard every hack, choke, spit, etc. On one night, we think there was a crew party below us as the sound of dance music and yelling seemed to resonate from our mattress. The rest of the time, it was only the Emphysema Queen bothering us. Our steward was like the tooth fairy. We almost never say her, but she was there. For the most part, she did a great job, though she was slow to replace our soap on a couple of occasions and on the last night she took our soap and we couldn’t get it replaced even after calling. Thank goodness for the shampoo dispenser.

 

Dining

All the port time on this trip meant we didn’t have much time on ship around breakfast and lunch time. We ate those meals in Windjammer more than we normally would have, but found the dining experience to be quite good. Breakfast buffet was pretty standard, but we did find that the 7:00 a.m. start time was a little late for those of us with early excursions. When in St. Kitts, our excursion met at 7:15 a.m. on dock, leaving us only a few minutes to grab a bite. We made time for breakfast in the dining room on a few occasions and found the quality to be much better than Windjammer, as expected. The french toast and breakfast meats were excellent, though the eggs benedict were overcooked. Lunches at the Windjammer included the pizza, burger, and hot dog station as well as the more formal buffet area with salads, pastas, meat dishes, etc. The pizza was very good when fresh and not so good when not fresh. Timing is everything. The hot dogs were better than the burgers. On a few occasions, they barbecued out on deck, which was very tasty. For dinner, we had a table for six on the upper level of Carmen dining room. Our waiter, Sanjay from India, was friendly and efficient—sometimes too efficient as he had a tendency to rush the pace of the meal. We didn’t blame him entirely, as that seemed to be the preference of guests at surrounding tables. After we mentioned it to him, he did slow down some for a day or two before going back into hyperspeed. Sanjay was nice, but very serious, which made for many awkward moments with our goofy table. Our assistant waiter, Sinan from Turkey, seemed to be picked from the assistant waiter tree as he had a great sense of humor and was full of great table tricks and jokes as many assistant waiters seem to be. Food was usually excellent, with an occasional miss. Our biggest complaint was lack of originality. During the first week, cod, salmon, sea bass, duck, and lamb all appeared on the menu twice. We really would have like to have seen more creativity and variety as the menu sometimes bordered on boring and never left us saying “wow.” Definitely better food than our last two cruises on NCL, but not nearly as good as our sailing on Celebrity Galaxy three years ago.

[Isaac]

PHILIPSBURG, ST. MAARTEN

We were cleared to go ashore around 9:30 a.m., about half an hour earlier than anticipated. The dock in St. Maarten is a bit of a hike from Philipsburg, but there is a water taxi that takes about 5 minutes to get to town. The cost is $3 one way or $5 for an all day pass. Philipsburg is known for its shopping, specifically jewelry. We weren’t in the market for any, but walked Front Street anyway. We did come across a small open air market down the West end of Front Street where some local vendors were selling trinkets and hand made jewelry. We did pick up a couple of necklaces and a pair of earrings made from local shells. We walked back along the beaches and it didn’t take long for us to figure out why many of the crew spoke highly of this port due to it’s easily accessible beaches. It would be very easy to get off the ship and spend the whole day at the beach in front of town. We scampered back to the ship to grab a quick bite to eat before our 12:30 ATV excursion.

 

Our tour began with the compulsory signing of waivers and we were then bused about 15 minutes from town to the ATV company’s property. Along the way, our bus driver, McIntyre, pointed out a few highlights and talked about the two sides of the island. Upon arrival at ATV headquarters, we were given a short safety briefing and mounted up. The ATVs were on the small side and lacked any markings denoting manufacture or model. The ride started on paved highway and stayed that way for most of the duration. We headed for the coast and crossed over to the French side of the island. Cruising along at a snail’s pace, we made a brief stop at a coastal lookout for photos and refreshments. The tour than continued along the coast—still moving very slowly. We turned off the highway onto some gravelly terrain that then turned to dirt with mud puddles intermixed. Our final stop was at a beach area that had a few bars and some vendors. The beach was nice and the water was beautiful, but the surrounding area was rather depressing as it was littered with trash. We had about 45 minutes at the beach—time enough for a quick dip. Wave runners and parasailing were available, but we did not partake. The beaches were clothing optional and we saw a few ladies going topless and a couple of men showing off their wares. When our time was up, we re-mounted for the return trip along the same road. My ATV wouldn’t start so one of the guides traded with me and had to be towed back by someone else. The delay left us running late, which made for a more entertaining ride back as we were allowed to ride much faster. All in all, this was a fun way to see a few different parts of the island and some great scenery (along with some litter). However, if you are looking for a true off-road adventure, this is not it. We had ATV’d three times prior to this and this was by far the poorest run operation. There were about 35 people on the tour (we were combined with passengers from the Jewel of the Seas), which is about three times that of any other ATV ride we’ve been on. The quality of the ATVs was also poor and they lacked power (only 150cc). The fact that we spent most of our time sharing public roads with motorists made the trip frustrating at times. If we return to St. Maarten, we will probably book the America’s Cup Regatta, which my parents did and absolutely loved. We’ll save the ATVing for Kaua’i.

 

Other ships in port:

• Jewel of the Seas

• MSC Opera

[Isaac]

BASSETERRE, ST. KITTS

We were cleared to go ashore around 7:00 a.m. We walked off the ship around 7:20 with very little company as most passengers seemed to be sleeping in. We had to meet on the pier for our 7:30 Volcano Crater Hike. This was the first excursion we booked as it jumped out at us as one of the most adventurous offerings. We joked about all of the warnings in the excursion description as it repeatedly cautioned guests against going on this excursion unless they were in very good shape. We spoke with Gustavo at the rock climbing wall the night before and he told us he had done the hike and was lost on his own for about half and hour. His stories were quite descriptive and a little alarming—so much so that my Dad backed out of going on the hike after hearing them. My Mom was not scared off by the warnings and took on the volcano with us.

 

We were picked up at the dock shortly after 7:30 a.m. by two drivers in Land Rovers. We headed west on the coastal road, passing through a couple of towns where we saw many local children walking to school in their uniforms. Our driver and guide, Oliver Spencer, pointed out some highlights along the way, including abandoned sugar cane fields and schools. Eventually, we left the paved road and began to climb. The bumpy road was quite the adventure as we were thrown around the back of the Land Rover, sans seat belts. The road wound through old sugar cane and then became more lush as we neared the rainforest. The road dead ended and we exited the vehicles and were issued bottled water. Our guide, Oliver, briefed our group of 14 on the trek were about to take, telling us that we would hike to a volcano, but we were there for the journey, not the destination. We quickly learned what he meant as we trekked into the darkness under the canopy of the rainforest. The trail started off relatively smooth and we kept a viscous pace, stopping occasionally for Oliver to point out different trees and ferns. About an hour into the forest, the terrain grew steeper as we climbed rocks and tree roots, struggling to keep up with Oliver’s grueling pace. One of our younger hikers (a 12-ish boy who seemed to have emotional issues) added to the excitement, as he continually complained about the hike, saying he wasn’t going to make it. This elicited a lecture from Oliver about life and responsibility that was especially interesting. Approximately two hours after we began hiking, we reached our destination—a small area on the top of a ridge, with views of the volcano caldera on one side and the coast in the other direction. We stayed for about ten minutes before moving down the mountain to a larger area where we broke for lunch. We munched on sandwiches and raisin rolls and quickly began our journey back down the mountain. The upper part proved to be much more challenging on the descent and our tired legs struggled to keep us upright at times. I slipped on the damp earth several times, falling on my rump on one occasion. As the trail flattened, our speed increased considerably and we were back at the Land Rovers before 1:00 p.m. The ride back to the ship was just as bumpy as the ride in and felt even worse as we nursed our sore legs and battled the urge to catch a nap. We were quite impressed with this hike. It lived up to the description (and the cautions and warnings) and the scenery did not disappoint. The statistics of the hike were a little unclear, but we believe we covered about 2,000 to 2,500 vertical feet over a distance of 1.5 to 2 miles each way in about four hours. It seemed like much further, but no one knows for sure. I would highly recommend this for those in good shape who are up for a challenge. If not, stick with the railway tour because this was one strenuous excursion.

 

We were back at the pier around 1:30 p.m. and headed straight for the ship to load up on food and drink at the Windjammer. After that, we hopped back off the ship to take in Basseterre. There are no beaches in near the pier. In fact, much of the coast near town was covered with a rock sea wall to protect the island from storms. We walked the town in about an hour and caught many pictures of the locals going about their business. There was not a lot to do in town, which is why it appealed to us so much. It is a working town that seems designed to serve the needs of the locals, not the tourists—the polar opposite of Philipsburg, St. Maarten. Our exhaustion and soreness from the hike took hold and we slowly headed back to the ship, where we proceeded to take a 2-hour nap.

 

Other ships in port:

• Van Gogh (http://www.travelscope.co.uk)

[Isaac]

ST. JOHNS, ANTIGUA

We arranged for a sailboat charter and were scheduled to meet our captain at 9:30 a.m. at the dock. Since we arrived in the early morning, we started with a quick walk around town. Most of the shops were closed, but we cruised around and took a few pics before returning to the Empress to pick up our gear for the sailing trip. Our charter was on the Jabberwocky, a 50 foot sailboat. We made arrangements via the internet through the owners of the boat, Paul and Kate Smith. The cost for six of us was $680 U.S. for six hours including lunch and open bar. Our captain, Tom, picked us up at the dock on a small zodiac-type boat and took us out to the Jabberwocky, which was anchored in St. John’s harbor. After boarding, we met our first mate and chef, Marge, and Tom went through a safety briefing. We had mentioned we were interested in snorkeling when we planned the trip so Tom pulled out a chart to discuss options for our trip. He suggested Carlisle Bay on the southern part of the island for its clear water and lack of touristy catamarans. After some struggles getting the anchor up, we set sail…with some assistance from the motor. The winds were not particularly cooperative during our visit, so we sailed most of the way with the screws turning. Tom and Marge, who are from Scotland, crew the Jabberwocky during the winter and return to the U.K. during the summer where he teaches sailing. Despite the fact that they were only on their second winter in Antigua, they seemed to know everything about the island (and surrounding islands) and were great about sharing it with us. It took us about two hours to reach Carlisle Bay, but the time flew as they pointed out highlights including beaches, resorts, old lighthouses, and the newly renovated home of Giorgio Armani. We were able to see the islands of Redonda, Nevis, and Monserrat during our journey. We anchored in Carlisle Bay and Marge pointed out some turtles in the water and advised us on where the good snorkeling spots were. We took to the water, which didn’t provide the best snorkeling in the world, but we did spot some huge starfish, sand dollars, some beautiful coral. We also saw numerous fish, mostly on the small side, but still very colorful. Marge had told us to look for turtles and rays, but we were unsuccessful. Upon returning to the Jabberwocky, we were served a lunch of salad, fresh burger patties, tomatoes, oranges, and locally grown pineapple. The highlight was Marge’s homemade barbeque sauce, which stole the show. She gave us the recipe:

• sauté 1 onion and at least 10 cloves of garlic

• add 1 can of chopped tomatoes and bring to simmer

• add equal parts:

o Soy sauce

o Worchester sauce

o Honey

o Balsamic Vinegar

o Ketchup

 

After about an hour and a half in Carlisle Bay, we lifted anchor and began the trek back to St. John’s. We were dropped off at the pier around 4:15 p.m., which gave us 15 minutes for shopping in town. Just enough time to buy a watch. An unexpected highlight of the trip occurred around 7:30 that evening as we were sailing for St. Lucia. The captain made an announcement around 7:00 that we would be passing Monserrat and there was some volcanic activity on the island. He had decided to divert the ship so we could pass closer to the island to view the eruption. It began as a faint orange blip in the sky, but evolved into quite the spectacle. At one point, we could clearly make out the lava splashing high above the peak and running down the sides of the slope. The show lasted for about 30 minutes and entertained the people lining the starboard side of the ship. Unfortunately, if proved difficult to photograph.

 

Other ships in port:

• MSC Lirica

• Lili Marleen (Holiday Kreuzfahrten)

[Isaac]

CASTRIES, ST. LUCIA

For our trip to St. Lucia, we booked the Aerial Trek excursion, a zip line adventure through the canopy. The tour was scheduled for 1:00 p.m., which gave us plenty of time to explore Castries in the morning. Given the choice of a water taxi across the harbor or a 15 minute walk to the shopping district, we chose the walk. Along the way, we encountered many a taxi driver looking for business, but all were friendly and backed down when we explained we were not interested. Along the way, we met a man named Columbus (not Chris) who was selling his coconut carvings. We told him we’d talk to him on our way back to the ship. We liked the markets in Castries, which seemed to be a fun mix of local crafts and tourist trinkets and a fully functioning farmers market where locals bought their fruits, vegetables, and meats. We picked up some spices ($8 small basket, $10 large), an “authentic” Sean Jean tropical shirt ($15), and a couple of island girl dolls ($5 each). We also met a guy on the corner who made things with palm leaves. He made us an angel fish and a grasshopper so we bought a palm basket from him for $15. We probably wouldn’t have stopped at a store or market stand to buy it, but watching him work was fascinating and he was good for a nice conversation too. We made our way back towards the ship and made good on our promise to Columbus, returning to check out his selection. We picked up a large pirate carving to go with the coconut monkey we’ve had for a while and settled on a price of $15. Columbus also made us a bookmark from a palm frond.

 

Back at the ship, we picked up a quick bite to eat in the Windjammer and gathered our stuff for our Aerial Trek. Our group of 22 boarded our bus for the 1 hour trip to the east side of the island. Along the way, our guide named Gideon, pointed out the sites and gave us plenty of information on the economy and culture of St. Lucia. He threw in a few jokes as well. Our trip took us along some bumpy roads and through several banana fields and small towns before we left the paved road for mountainous dirt road. On arrival at the zip line site, we were outfitted with our harnesses and helmets and given brief instructions on how to safely navigate the course. The first line took a while as there were 22 of us, but after that things moved at a nice pace. There were several guides along the way to keep things from getting too congested. The course took us over six lines ranging from 80 feet to nearly 500. A couple of stops along the way were on tree stands, which gave great views of the forest around us. Before we knew it, the zipping came to an end and it was time to go, but all of us found ourselves wishing for another time through the course. We had done a zip line course prior to this in Kauai and found this one to be equally entertaining. This course had just as many, if not more safety measures and was very well run by the professional guides. Everyone in our group loved it and other guests seemed just as satisfied. As it became time to drive back to the ship, we joked that it was now time for the dangerous part of the excursion…St. Lucia traffic can be a bit frightening. Upon returning to the dock, we browsed around the duty free shops before boarding the ship.

 

Other ships in port:

• Van Gogh (http://www.travelscope.co.uk)

• Easy Cruise One

[Isaac]

BRIDGETOWN, BARBADOS

When it came to making plans for Barbados, just one excursion wouldn’t do. So…we booked the Swim with Turtles, Snorkel, and Beach excursion for the morning and the Green Monkey 4x4 excursion for the afternoon. Our snorkel adventure required us to meet around 8:00 a.m. so we got an early start to our day. Things at the cruise terminal were a little hectic as the Royal Caribbean and Princess excursion crews tried to sort out their passengers. We had to wait for ten or 15 minutes before we were escorted to our bus. We were driven to the marina, which is only a couple of minutes from the cruise terminal. We waited a few more minutes there before boarding our boat, which looked a bit sad, but did the trick. It was a catamaran with benches around the first deck and a small wheelhouse on deck two. The front of the boat was a ramp that could be lowered for entering the water or transfer to the beach. We headed up the west coast of the island towards our first stop to snorkel with turtles. When we arrived at the site, we were given our safety briefing and issued bright yellow snorkel vests that could be inflated for flotation if needed. We entered the water with a guide who was equipped with fish to attract the turtles. About half a dozen turtles of different sizes were swimming in the area and snacked on the fish. They were extremely tame and hardly seemed bothered by the two dozen snorkelers watching them eat. They swam right up to us and we came face to face with them a few times. Things got a little crowded as all this was occurring in a relatively small area and the fact that we used food to attract the turtles made the whole thing feel a little artificial—kind of like Stingray City in Grand Cayman, but with a few thousand less people. We reboarded the boat and continued up the west coast to our second snorkel site at a shipwreck and reef. This site made for a much less crowded experience as the groups was much more spread out. We started above the shipwreck, which was teaming with coral and many varieties of fish that swam all around us. The depth of at this site was only about 20 feet, making it very easy to make out the remnants of the ship, especially the large screws. As we floated about the wreck, we were surrounded by hundreds of fish. We made our way towards shore, where the reef was located. The reef was in only about ten feet of water, which put the large, colorful coral formations right below us. We saw a wide variety of fish and coral, including some fish we’d never seen before. Our favorite was a small, brilliant blue fish with small sparkly dots that looked almost like rhinestones. We spent quite a while in the reef before passing back over the shipwreck on our way back to our boat. We sailed back towards Bridgetown and the bar opened for business. They served complimentary beer, soda, and the most popular drink—rum punch. We stopped at a beach in front of Paradise Village, an old abandoned resort and spent about 45 minutes lounging there and swimming in the ocean. I spent some time wandering around the old resort buildings, which was a little creepy. The building that looked like it had served as the restaurant was mostly cleared out, but had a few damaged tables and signs of a fire. The punch continued to flow onshore and many were feeling no pain for the return trip to the ship. We arrived back at the Empress shortly after noon, which gave us just enough time to grab a bite at Windjammer before heading back out for our second excursion at 1:00 p.m.

 

For our second excursion, we boarded pickup trucks that had been outfitted with two benches in the beds. They held five people on each side and were covered with a canopy, which was a good thing as we were hit with a downpour as we left the terminal. We first headed to the Green Monkey Reserve, which took about 30 to 45 minutes to get to. Our driver, Czario, gave us the standard tour along the way. We booked this excursion because it sounded like an adventure that would allow us to see these monkeys in the wild. Unfortunately, the “reserve” was very zoo-like. The monkeys are free to leave the walled compound, but hang out there because of the masses of food they are provided with. We saw tons of them very up close, but it felt like cheating. The reserve was also filled with turtles, an aviary, deer, and a large rodent that looks kind of like a jackelope. They also had a reptile exhibit with a python and Cuban iguanas. Again, very much like a zoo. Before leaving, we were loaded up with more rum punch, though not as good as Andrew’s recipe on the snorkel boat. We drove to the east coast which was much more rugged than the west. Parts of it resembled the California coast and the strong surf was very evident. We stopped on a beach and watched some guys surf and were given more punch. This time we chose to forgo the rum part. When it became clear we were about to get rained on, we headed out for the return trip to the ship. We took a different route than before, passing one of the last two functioning sugar refineries on Barbados. We were able to see the raw cane being ground from the road as we drove by. The return trip was uneventful and we were back at the cruise terminal a little after 4:00 p.m. We shopped around the terminal shops, picking up a children’s book and stuffed monkey for gifts before returning to the ship.

 

Other ships in port:

• Sea Princess

• Delphin (Hansa Kreuzfahrten)

• Freewinds

• Easy Cruise One

[Isaac]

MARGARITA ISLAND, VENEZUELA

Our original plans for Margarita Island called for us to spend the day lounging at the beach adjacent to the pier. We had read on the internet that it was decent and figured it would be a cheap, relaxing day. After talking with Darren and Gustavo who run the rock climbing wall, we changed plans. They said the beach at the pier was “pretty crap” and had a lot flies and recommended going elsewhere. So…we booked the $19 beach transfer that bused us to Playa de la Agua, which was billed as the nicest beach on Margarita Island. The beach by the pier looked pretty decent, but we were happy with our decision because we got to see a lot of the island going to and from the beach (about 45 minutes to an hour each way) along with some history and information from our guide. I also suspect that pier beach may have gotten a little crowded, especially with two other ships in port. Our bus was pretty cushy, a brand new Mercedes Benz with plenty of AC. We made a 25 minute stop along the way at La Aldea, an artisan market that was likely manufactured solely for cruise passengers on their way to the beach, but it was cute nonetheless. We didn’t buy anything, but got some nice pictures of the architecture and the toucan they had on site.

 

The beach area was not your typical Caribbean beach, nor was it the nicest beach we had been to, but it did the trick. We were taken to a restaurant called La Isla that had beach chairs and umbrellas in front of it. As part of our tour, we were allowed to use the chairs. The beach was pretty crowded with a mix of locals, cruise passengers, and what seemed to be European tourists. We were given three hours to stay there so we sunbathed and walked the beach in both directions. The beach was lined with an array of restaurants like La Isla with chairs and umbrellas covering the sand. The surf was pretty big and we were warned not to go too far into the water because of rip tides, but the water was fairly shallow, giving plenty of room for wading. We were warned to expect plenty of vendors pushing their wares on us and they did not disappoint. As soon as we were seated, we were met with locals offering sunglasses, hats, scarves, jewelry, buckets of oysters, and even massages. One particular lady seemed to have quite a system as she started the day offering massages, then went to selling jewelry, and finished by selling oysters. The vendors were a bit of a nuisance at first, but seemed to back down after the first 30 minutes. I did pick up a couple of wood carvings from a man. He had snake carvings that moved and were done well enough that we thought they were real. We bought one for a gift and also picked up a wooden puzzle. We got both for $20.

 

The return trip to the ship was along the same route. We got back with about 45 minutes to spare so we browsed the pier vendor stands, which had anything from pearls to cigars and everything in between.

 

Other ships in port:

• Sea Princess

• AIDA Vita

[Isaac]

WILLEMSTAD, CURACAO

Before arriving in Curacao, we had read about how beautiful it was to sail up the narrow harbor to the cruise ship dock. So, we were a little disappointed when we discovered we were docking outside of the channel. Winds were high so we initially believed that was the cause, but one of the crew informed us that it was the normal docking location. This was the only port we did not book an excursion or make plans for, which turned out to be a great move on our part. We actually arrived around 10:00 a.m., about an hour earlier than scheduled. As usual, the only information provided by the ship was the map of Diamonds International locations. Fortunately, it Willemstad signage is great and it quickly became evident where to go. We followed the walkway along the water and through the walls of the old city fort. The fort was being used as a very clever retail location with small shops built into the arched openings in the thick stone walls along with new, modern construction inside the fort walls. We continued through the fort and along the channel on the Otra Banda to the free ferry dock. The ferry ride across to the Punda afforded us fantastic views of the colorful buildings and cafes lining the water. We walked back and forth along the blocks and blocks of shops, picking up some colorful sea shell jewelry at a reasonably priced little shop. We worked our way over to a secondary canal that housed the floating market, which featured a wide variety of tropical fruits and freshly caught fish. After working up an appetite, we picked up lunch at a restaurant on the waterfront. We sampled some Dutch cuisine, including Brudjes and Tostis (both types of sandwiches) before wandering the streets of the Punda for a little while longer. The Punda is a photographer’s dream come true as it is packed with detailed Dutch-style buildings painted every imaginable tropical color.

 

Mid-afternoon, we jumped on the ferry back to the Otra Banda where we explored the streets. The architectural style was the same as the Punda, but this was clearly the less touristy, less affluent, and more local side. Many more locals wandered the streets and the shops carried non-touristy items like appliances and toilet paper. Many of the buildings on this side of town were in disrepair and even abandoned. We saw several that had been filled with cinder block walls that covered the windows and doors. We hiked all the way to the beautiful church towards the edge of town. We were unsure of the denomination of the church as we didn’t see any signs and the doors were shut, but we enjoyed its architecture nonetheless. We made our way back towards the waterfront, winding through the residential parts of town. Before boarding the ship, we stopped for a frozen concoction with Blue Curacao at a daiquiri stand in the old fort, where we were witness to some amusing fellow cruisers. The two women told the bartender they wanted a drink made with “that blue ca…stuff.” They tried making reference to it on three different occasions, leaving us to wonder if they knew what island they were on. Needless to say, the bartender seemed less than pleased with their stupidity.

[Isaac]

ORANJESTAD, ARUBA

A good chunk of our time in Aruba was planned out for us as we had booked the all day 4x4 off-road adventure, which included touring a large portion of the island by jeep and about two and a half hours on De Palm Island for lunch and snorkeling. We were bused to the De Palm Tours headquarters, which was only about a five minute ride from the cruise terminal. At De Palm, we filled out the customary waiver before mounting up in our bright yellow Jeep Wranglers. Our tour consisted of six jeeps with four people each and our guide, Juan the Number One, who led us in a pick up truck. This worked out well for us as we were in a group of four and all able to ride together in one jeep. Juan led us along the Aruban roads, pointing out highlights via an innovative sound system that allowed him to speak to us via the stereo speakers in our jeeps. The audio tour was intermixed with bad jokes and themed music (i.e. Dust in the Wind, We Will Rock You as we went off-road). Our first stop was the California Lighthouse, where we had about ten minutes to explore and then we had our pictures taken in our jeeps in front of the lighthouse by someone with the tour company. We later had the opportunity to buy the pics for $15 or a package of picture plus two t-shirts for $20. After the lighthouse, we headed off road, where we followed the rugged coast on bumpy dirt roads for a good chunk of time. Along the way, we stopped for photo opps and made stops at a former gold mine and the natural bridge site. Ironically, the largest natural bridge on Aruba collapsed last September, but the tourist trap store and restaurant seemed to be doing just fine. We made another stop at a small church that was recently refurbished by employees of Valero Oil Company before continuing on across the island towards the desalinization plant where we picked up our ferry to De Palm Island. The five minute ride took us over some of the bluest water we’ve ever seen. The island is reminded us of something out of a 1980’s summer camp movie, with its series of oddly constructed buildings and fabricated looking beach areas. We had about two and a half hours on the island to get lunch and snorkel in the reef area. The lunch, which was part of our tour, included burgers, hot dogs, chicken, and ribs, as well as unlimited non-alcoholic drinks (soda). The food wasn’t half bad. After waiting the obligatory 30 minutes, we hit the water for snorkeling. The island was even equipped with stairs that led straight into the sea. Snorkeling was decent, despite fairly choppy seas. We saw a lot of large blue parrotfish, which were definitely the highlight. Unfortunately the water was only about four to five feet deep, which made the snorkeling challenging, especially near the rock and coral formations. After snorkeling, we spent the rest of our time sunning ourselves before ferrying back to “mainland.” De Palm seemed pretty popular, especially with what appeared to be Venezuelan tourists. Our tour concluded with about a 20 to 30 minute drive along paved roads back to the tour company offices where we caught our bus for the five minute ride back to the ship.

 

We finished off our stay in Oranjestad by walking around town. We walked the waterfront towards the Renaissance hotel and hung out at the marina where we saw iguanas and bright blue lizards sunning themselves by the water. We continued through the Renaissance and traversed the streets, checking out as many shops as possible before the 6:00 p.m. closing time. We decided to finish our time in the Caribbean off right by having a Margarita at Carlos ‘n Charlies. It was still early evening so the place was pretty quiet, but still a nice way to finish off a great trip.

[zotzer]

Wow, incredible review!

 

Odd point, but I noticed you were in port with Easy Cruise One. Did you meet any easy cruisers? I think this is a pretty clever idea (although not my speed, personally). Just curious about the ship and passengers....whether they are really the young port-junkie, relaxed, world-travellers the marketing makes them out to be.

 

Tracy

[Isaac]

Didn't meet any easy cruisers. Their ship pulled in after us both times we were in port with them. I think they do stay in port until 11 every night. EC1 is a great looking small ship (very small) with lots of deck space, though the orange paint job and advertising for the web site could be considered just a little tacky.

[wallygator]

Didn't meet any easy cruisers. Their ship pulled in after us both times we were in port with them. I think they do stay in port until 11 every night. EC1 is a great looking small ship (very small) with lots of deck space, though the orange paint job and advertising for the web site could be considered just a little tacky.

 

Wallys old, his eyes are old, his mind is a bit slower than back in the day. My question in a nut shell is this did you like the Empress of the Seas?

 

Thanks so very much

[Isaac]

In a nutshell, yes we liked Empress. We tend to be partial to smaller ships and don't need the latest, greatest gimick to get excited about a ship. I think I only have two real complaints about the ship itself.

 

1) For her small size, her capacity is large. Decks were crowded on sea days and Windjammer seating could be hard to find.

 

2) Thin cabin walls (more noticable than on any other cruise we've been on).

 

Other than that, we were happy campers.

[ckrobyn]

Thanks for the comprehensive and detailed review. I have been wanting to book this cruise, but DH is not a fan of smaller ships. Sounds like althought this is a smaller ship, it is well laid out. Maybe I have to do a little more convincing with my DH :rolleyes: I really like the itinerary.

[Isaac]

Thanks for the comprehensive and detailed review. I have been wanting to book this cruise, but DH is not a fan of smaller ships. Sounds like althought this is a smaller ship, it is well laid out. Maybe I have to do a little more convincing with my DH :rolleyes: I really like the itinerary.

 

 

The itinerary is fantastic. My parents and in-laws were both on this cruise and my parents loved the itinerary so much, they booked a very similar 11-night on Celebrity Galaxy for next January at about the same price they paid for this one. The only difference is the itinerary is reversed and St. Maarten and Antigua are replaced with Dominica and Tortola. You might consider Galaxy if the smaller ship concerns you (or your husband) as Galaxy is bigger (~77,000 tons vs. 50,000) and much nicer in my opinion. Having done both ships, I'd definitely go with Galaxy, but either way, the port offerings are great.

[nigelsmom1]

:) Hi Friendly Bartender:

 

Great review! The volcano tour sounds like a real workout!

 

I will be in PR for a cruise in Sept. Will arrive a couple of days early. Can you give me contact info for the tour? I've heard that PR's rainforest is just beautiful and I'd like to experience it with a recommended guide. Oh yeah, how far in advance do you recommend I book the tour?

 

Thanks.

 

-K

[Sassy Chassis]

Great review! It helps me get ready for my "mini" version of your cruise (we are doing Tortola, St. Kitts, & St. Maarten).

 

Thanks :)

[albertiger]

i loved your review as im thinking about re-visiting the Empress for this itinerary next year. I loved the ship but did not have the same problems as you with the soundproofing. (was on deck 7 outside). also liked the many seating areas in the rear stairwells. did you find the secret areas on deck 7 and 8 forward? we referred to them as our "private" verandahs!;)

[Isaac]

I'll try to get Tony's contact info this evening and post it.

 

Yes, decks 7 and 8 forward were great areas and usually very private. I enjoy it when ships have quirky little areas that take a little work to get to.

[wolfcathorse]

Who was your captain? Last I knew it was Capt Manolis Kasselas

[Sassy Chassis]

I'll try to get Tony's contact info this evening and post it.

 

Yes, decks 7 and 8 forward were great areas and usually very private. I enjoy it when ships have quirky little areas that take a little work to get to.

 

Do you go to the front by the cabins and there is a door to the area? Just asking because I don't really see anything mentioned on the deck plans.

[albertiger]

thats one way, but if they're locked go down to 6 and outside forward where there are stairs going up!;)

[terri23]

isaac - thanks for posting! very helpful for my trip planning :D

[Sassy Chassis]

thats one way, but if they're locked go down to 6 and outside forward where there are stairs going up!;)

 

Ah ha! I see :D