RCCL changed our ship and itinerary (Empress of the Seas to Majesty)

I just got off this boat. There were three adults in Suite 8100. The room was very small and the beds were not comfortable. Other than that, we had a really good time. Our state room attendant was wonderful and the staff in the dining room was excellent. There were lots of open public spaces and the ship, although it was fully booked, never felt crowded. The age demographic on the boat was definitely mostly mid 40s and up. I saw less than a dozen children.

They were super organized about the whole Cuba thing. There were talks in the theater the day before and they were rebroadcast on the television. Do not miss these talks. They really help prepare us for the day. I did the guided walking tour of Havana. I really felt it was a waste of money. They took us to a cigar and rum store first. Then, we walked around Havana a little bit. The guide was very soft-spoken and I could not hear her at all. Someone else we spoke with hired a private guide and I would highly recommend that.

We did a one hour tour in one of the classic cars. It was super easy to find somebody right at the cruise terminal. It was about $50 for the hour and totally worth it. It was very hot though. Also, there are no seatbelts in those classic cars. That made me a little nervous. I did end up leaving my iPhone in the car and I did not realize it until after he had driven away. He actually drove back to the market where he dropped us off and gave me the phone back. I was so impressed with his honesty and diligence.

There was a ship tour that you can take that is an up charge. It was fascinating and I think it was worth every penny. I also did a sushi making class which I thought was a waste of time. The shows were entertaining, but the performers were not up to Disney quality.

I would absolutely take this trip again. If possible, I would do the overnight and Havana so that I had time to go into the real Cuba. It was wonderful to step back in time. One of the women that I traveled with did not enjoy the trip at all. I don't think that she had A good understanding of why it was so special to be able to travel to Cuba. Also, she found a lack of amenities on the boat a disappointment. She has sailed on previous larger royal Caribbean ships and she wanted the shops and more restaurant choices. I did feel that the crew was wonderful and that the service was good.

I have been on another Royal Caribbean cruise in the past. It was a smaller boat and it sailed out of Baltimore. That **** was full of people who drank far too much and partied. I enjoyed the quieter atmosphere on this empress cruise.
 
I just got off this boat. There were three adults in Suite 8100. The room was very small and the beds were not comfortable. Other than that, we had a really good time. Our state room attendant was wonderful and the staff in the dining room was excellent. There were lots of open public spaces and the ship, although it was fully booked, never felt crowded. The age demographic on the boat was definitely mostly mid 40s and up. I saw less than a dozen children.

They were super organized about the whole Cuba thing. There were talks in the theater the day before and they were rebroadcast on the television. Do not miss these talks. They really help prepare us for the day. I did the guided walking tour of Havana. I really felt it was a waste of money. They took us to a cigar and rum store first. Then, we walked around Havana a little bit. The guide was very soft-spoken and I could not hear her at all. Someone else we spoke with hired a private guide and I would highly recommend that.

We did a one hour tour in one of the classic cars. It was super easy to find somebody right at the cruise terminal. It was about $50 for the hour and totally worth it. It was very hot though. Also, there are no seatbelts in those classic cars. That made me a little nervous. I did end up leaving my iPhone in the car and I did not realize it until after he had driven away. He actually drove back to the market where he dropped us off and gave me the phone back. I was so impressed with his honesty and diligence.

There was a ship tour that you can take that is an up charge. It was fascinating and I think it was worth every penny. I also did a sushi making class which I thought was a waste of time. The shows were entertaining, but the performers were not up to Disney quality.

I would absolutely take this trip again. If possible, I would do the overnight and Havana so that I had time to go into the real Cuba. It was wonderful to step back in time. One of the women that I traveled with did not enjoy the trip at all. I don't think that she had A good understanding of why it was so special to be able to travel to Cuba. Also, she found a lack of amenities on the boat a disappointment. She has sailed on previous larger royal Caribbean ships and she wanted the shops and more restaurant choices. I did feel that the crew was wonderful and that the service was good.

I have been on another Royal Caribbean cruise in the past. It was a smaller boat and it sailed out of Baltimore. That **** was full of people who drank far too much and partied. I enjoyed the quieter atmosphere on this empress cruise.

Thank you for your honest review. So it appears that we can do Havana on our own and don't have to be with a group? Did you have to have your Visa and Passport with you?
 
Yes, you can do Havana on your own without a group. You do have to have your passport. I think Royal Caribbean sent the visas which we filled out and presented when we went through immigration. My mother planned the trip and she had them. They wanted you to make sure that they were all filled out before you got off the boat.

The other thing that's important is money changing. You can't use American credit cards and there are no money machines. You can go into a bank if you want to. However, there was a place to change money at immigration. The exchange rate and the fees are the same regardless of where you do it. It is easiest to just do it there. The other thing to be aware of is that it is very difficult to change it back to American dollars. Bring what you want to spend.

Everything was very cheap. Rum was anywhere from 1 to 6 dollars a bottle. Lunch for seven people including alcohol was under $100. I bought several items of food from street vendors and they were all a dollar apiece. Enjoy!
 
FWIW, I sailed the Empress last year in an inside stateroom. Loved the people and the common areas of the ship. The stateroom was TINY!! I was glad to be sailing solo - even just two in the stateroom would have close quarters. It was well-laid out, though - they made the best they could of the space they had. My biggest complaint was that I ended up on top of Boleros - immediately over the band. I could UNDERSTAND every word the band sang. I wouldn't hesitate to sail the ship again, but I would not do guarantee again after that!
 


Yes, you can do Havana on your own without a group. You do have to have your passport. I think Royal Caribbean sent the visas which we filled out and presented when we went through immigration. My mother planned the trip and she had them. They wanted you to make sure that they were all filled out before you got off the boat.

The other thing that's important is money changing. You can't use American credit cards and there are no money machines. You can go into a bank if you want to. However, there was a place to change money at immigration. The exchange rate and the fees are the same regardless of where you do it. It is easiest to just do it there. The other thing to be aware of is that it is very difficult to change it back to American dollars. Bring what you want to spend.

Everything was very cheap. Rum was anywhere from 1 to 6 dollars a bottle. Lunch for seven people including alcohol was under $100. I bought several items of food from street vendors and they were all a dollar apiece. Enjoy!

How was the food? Can you recommend any restaurants? Were you also there for two days?
 
FWIW, I sailed the Empress last year in an inside stateroom. Loved the people and the common areas of the ship. The stateroom was TINY!! I was glad to be sailing solo - even just two in the stateroom would have close quarters. It was well-laid out, though - they made the best they could of the space they had. My biggest complaint was that I ended up on top of Boleros - immediately over the band. I could UNDERSTAND every word the band sang. I wouldn't hesitate to sail the ship again, but I would not do guarantee again after that!

That's why I stopped doing guaranty rooms -- that and the fact that I discovered the hard way I cannot do a forward room, so can't take the chance of being placed there again.
 
A PP sent me a photo that shows the triple room configuration with one bed on the floor -- but it doesn't list the stateroom number.

After weeks of trying to get one of these room for the three of us to avoid the overhead pull downs, one opened up just now -- room 7164. I'm so thrilled we got this room because it wasn't showing online and the inventory department was able to grab it. At least now we have a little more room!

However, I have one major question -- the deck plan shows a huge white space next to the wall of our ship that seems to go a good length of that deck on both sides. Can anyone who has stayed there tell me what is in that space? And if it is lifeboats, did it cause any noise disruption?
 


A PP sent me a photo that shows the triple room configuration with one bed on the floor -- but it doesn't list the stateroom number.

After weeks of trying to get one of these room for the three of us to avoid the overhead pull downs, one opened up just now -- room 7164. I'm so thrilled we got this room because it wasn't showing online and the inventory department was able to grab it. At least now we have a little more room!

However, I have one major question -- the deck plan shows a huge white space next to the wall of our ship that seems to go a good length of that deck on both sides. Can anyone who has stayed there tell me what is in that space? And if it is lifeboats, did it cause any noise disruption?

After looking at the plans, my guess would be that is where the life boats are stored. The rooms adjacent to those spaces have obstructed views, most likely obstructed by the life boats. Your room does not have the symbol for obstructed view. Looks like you got a cabin with a little more room.
 
After looking at the plans, my guess would be that is where the life boats are stored. The rooms adjacent to those spaces have obstructed views, most likely obstructed by the life boats. Your room does not have the symbol for obstructed view. Looks like you got a cabin with a little more room.

Yes. Thanks for the info. That's what we figured. I still cannot believe our luck in getting that room from inventory. And today the prices have gone up several hundred dollars (even though they are supposedly having a sale).
 
I got off the ship on 10/21 and totally recommend going to Havana! I did the Havana overnight itinerary. The ship was fine. I had an oceanview room on Deck 4 below the theater. It was quiet and only one night did I hear any noise but it sounded like someone dragging furniture.

I wasn't impressed by the food in Windjammer or the dining room. I ended up at Chops for regular dinner 2 nights and I did Chef's Table on Friday night. Chef's Table was awesome!

Key West was great and wasn't hit as hard by the hurricanes as further up the highway. I heard a local say mile markers 20-50 were really bad.

The first afternoon in Havana I did a bus tour via the ship shore excursion. The tour guide worked for the government and the tour was definitely pro-government with enough propaganda that I tuned out by the end. It ended up pouring down rain so after the bus tour I headed back to the ship. The next day I had a walking tour of Old Havana through a private guide. It was so much better! Our guide was able to give us the real scoop about life. We ate at a palidar (private restaurant) which was very good. The tour ended with a 30 minute convertible ride. Havana is an amazing city and the people are wonderful. When I go back, I will do as much privately in order to support the people and not the government.

I exchanged 100 Euros to avoid the penalty. I ended up only spending about 80 CUCs. I bought a liter bottle of 7 year Havana Club rum which was 20 CUCs (roughly 20 dollars). Food was included in my tour but prices are very cheap for tourists (expensive for locals.)

I hope everyone has a chance to visit before Havana gets "Americanized" or we lose access to visit again.

Jill in CO
 
I got off the ship on 10/21 and totally recommend going to Havana! I did the Havana overnight itinerary. The ship was fine. I had an oceanview room on Deck 4 below the theater. It was quiet and only one night did I hear any noise but it sounded like someone dragging furniture.

I wasn't impressed by the food in Windjammer or the dining room. I ended up at Chops for regular dinner 2 nights and I did Chef's Table on Friday night. Chef's Table was awesome!

Key West was great and wasn't hit as hard by the hurricanes as further up the highway. I heard a local say mile markers 20-50 were really bad.

The first afternoon in Havana I did a bus tour via the ship shore excursion. The tour guide worked for the government and the tour was definitely pro-government with enough propaganda that I tuned out by the end. It ended up pouring down rain so after the bus tour I headed back to the ship. The next day I had a walking tour of Old Havana through a private guide. It was so much better! Our guide was able to give us the real scoop about life. We ate at a palidar (private restaurant) which was very good. The tour ended with a 30 minute convertible ride. Havana is an amazing city and the people are wonderful. When I go back, I will do as much privately in order to support the people and not the government.

I exchanged 100 Euros to avoid the penalty. I ended up only spending about 80 CUCs. I bought a liter bottle of 7 year Havana Club rum which was 20 CUCs (roughly 20 dollars). Food was included in my tour but prices are very cheap for tourists (expensive for locals.)

I hope everyone has a chance to visit before Havana gets "Americanized" or we lose access to visit again.

Jill in CO

Great report. Yes, I hope we don't lose access before I sail next year!
 

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