Recent Empress Cruisers, please advise

[Bell Ringer]

I know the first night will be casual for dress for the DR. Sunday would then be a formal night as will Thursday as we head home:( . What are the other night's dress codes? smart casual, or some other title? Smart casual on Voyager this year, was more pants outfits, than "church type dresses" from years ago. I do hope they don't accept shorts and t shirts in the DR for dinner on this cruise but that is IMHO.Please clue me in!

[judynorth]

We just got back on the Empress. Formal nights were Sunday and Thursday, Tuesday was smart casual, and the other nights were casual. I was a little surprised that the formal nights were not that formal. Very few men wore tuxes and very few women wore evening gowns. I didn't see inappropriate dress in the dining room at night but that doesn't mean that there wasn't any. I didn't see shorts in the DR at night. We chose to eat most of our meals in the DR rather than in the Windjammer. I liked it much better than the buffet.

[Bell Ringer]

We have a group that would normally "dress up " much more, so I will have to tell them, they don't have to pack as much. Casual to me means more pants outfits or capris, so that is easier to pack.

Did you go to any of the Evening Festivals ? Did you use the busses and ferries? Any details you can share are appreciated!:)

[judynorth]

If you enjoy dressing up, by all means do so. We saw every manner of dress on the ship so you will fit in no matter what you decide. I was a little surprised that people didn't seem to dress up quite as much on this cruise. Of course, our last cruise was on the Sea Princess which had predominately Brits. They seem to dress up more than we Americans do.

 

We didn't go to the street festival in Hamilton since we were docked in St. Georges on Wednesday night. I am sure that some from the ship did go but I didn't hear any discussion about it. We bought bus/ferry passes on the ship ($20 for 2 days or $28 for 3 days). Definitely buy them on the ship. They cost the same and it is more convenient. If the weather had been nicer we probably would have used them more. You can get almost anywhere on the busses or ferries and they run frequently. If you want to go to the Dockyards then I hightly recommend the fast ferry from Hamilton even if you don't buy passes. It is much quicker than the bus.

 

If you are interested in taking a private tour of the idlands, I can highly recommend the couple who took my husband on the tour. He went on a birding expedition so I didn't go along. However, they give standard tours also. If you are interested I can give you information by email.

 

Here is what I had to say about our cruise:

 

"Well, it was an interesting trip. The crossing to Bermuda was quite rough since we were going along the edge of the storm. We heard that we had 50 knot winds on the way over. I do know that I couldn't open the balcony door because the wind was too strong. We arrived in Bermuda on time on Monday but it was foggy, windy, rainy, and cold. Many of the excursions in Hamilton were cancelled because of the bad weather.

 

On Tuesday morning we bought bus passes on the ship (you can buy them at Guest Relations) and rode the ferry to the dockyard. Again the weather was cold, rainy, and windy. There isn't much at the dockyard but I think in good weather the ferry ride would be nice and seeing the sights at the dockyard would be worth the trip. We returned to Hamilton by bus. If you do this be sure that you take the number 7 bus from the dockyard to Hamilton. That bus goes along the south shore and you could stop at some of the beaches along the way. We took the number 8 bus and went by the middle road. I was a nice, scenic ride but we never had a chance to go to any of the beaches. By Tuesday afternoon the weather was better and we were able to take the glass bottom boat excursion. The guide was great and it was a nice scenic boat trip out to the reef. I was very disappointed in the reef though. We saw very few fish and none of the beautiful fish that we had seen on our previous visit to Bermuda. It looked like the reef was deteriorating.

 

Wednesday my husband took a private tour that he had arranged with local guides. He was interested in photographing birds so I didn't go along with him. He had a great time and thought that his guides were great. I met the couple and they were extremely friendly and knowledgable.

 

Wednesday was also the day that we moved from Hamilton to St. Georges. I liked St. Georges much better than Hamilton. It is much smaller and less crowded. It is more of a quaint village than a bustling town. Be sure that you are on deck when you go into St. Georges. You pass through a very narrow channel to get into the harbor.

 

The Bermudians were very friendly and helpful, always willing to answer questions or give directions.

 

We loved the ship. She is small and she doesn't have all the glitz that the big ships have but the crew was very friendly, our cabin attendant (Veronica) was great, and our waiters (Aries and Wesley) were great and lots of fun. The entertainment was the best that we have had on any of our cruises and the cruise director (Keith) was a hoot! The food ranged from very good to excellent. We ate most of our meals in the dining room but the buffet wasn't bad. Several days they had specialty buffets outside by the pool and there was a big gala midnight buffet the last formal night. The cabins were quite small. Even the junior suite that we had was small. The bathroom was tiny as was the shower but the shower head was good and there was plenty of hot water all the time.

 

I advise you to get to the terminal by 11 or 11:30 but not before. If you plan to park your car then do that first and ride the free shuttle to the terminal. Porters will take your luggage at the parking lot and deliver it to your cabin. That isn't what they suggest on the website but that is the way that it works best. I wouldn't wait until the suggested boarding time of 1 PM. Going early means that you miss the crowds and you get on the ship in time to eat lunch. Your cabin won't be ready until 1 PM though so be prepared to haul your carryons around with you. You can check them in one of the lounges if you prefer (I forget which one).

 

If you have any questions just ask. I'll try to answer them for you."

[judynorth]

Mary Lynn, I see that you play handbells. Where? We have a handbell choir at our church and they recently led the service in place of the Sanctuary Choir. I don't play bells but I sing in the choir.

[Bell Ringer]

DH and I have been to Bermuda twice before on cruises. We feel we know our way around, but we are "kinda" leading a group, that is mostly from our Couples group at church and other friends- total 25 on this cruise. Some have traveled with us before ( S. Carib.-03, and Alaska 05) , but none have been to Bermuda.

Most of us are coming down on a bus from Salisbury MD that I arranged, so we don't have to worry about cars and parking. We do have a couple, from Sandston VA with our group ( DD's inlaws) so they may need to know about parking.

I already decided that the minute we get to Hamilton, we are heading for the ferry dock to go to the Dockyards! I will be hunting for the schedules shortly, but think we can do all we want out there that first afternoon. I would like to go to one of the street festivals, but know we would have to skip dinner on the ship that night because they are in the wrong towns for this itinary. ( last year the schedule was reversed, and those that sailed got to go to both of them! darn it.)

About Handbells-:) I have been playing in our church group for over 20 years. I'm the only "charter "member left, and could be the parent to all except one ringer. We are known as the fun group to belong to according to our director! I am not great, but very dependable and am known to recruit new members pretty well, so I guess I will keep ringing till I can no longer see the notes. I tell people that I can't carry a tune in a bucket, and the choir director has not made me prove that. My sister got the lovely alto voice.....

We are just so excited to be only 4 1/2 weeks away from heading to the ship. I got to see it on the Nauticus website last Sat.- both watching them fill up the deck for the muster drill, and then watched them sail away!

If you think of anything else to share , please do!:D