Empress of The Seas- Royal Caribbean?

Question

Has anyone ever been on this ship. Particularly to Bermuda from Norfolk VA?

Does Royal Caribbean do anything for Second Time Cruisers or only 5X Cruisers?

Answer 1

I was on the Empress last year - it is a GREAT little ship.  Not all the bells and whistles as the larger Royal Caribbean ships, but the crew members are friendly and the service and food was great.  Bermuda is wonderful - we sailed out of Philadelphia when we went.  Make sure you go to Horseshoe Bay in Bermuda- beautiful beach.

Answer 2

I have been to Bermuda twice, once on the NCL's Dream and the last time on the Royal Caribbeans' Empress.  People who join the RC Crown and Anchor Society, their frequent cruiser club, get some perks immediately.  First of all if you book another RC, or Celebrity cruise line (their sister line) cruise while you are on ship you will get a discount and/or an on-board credit for that future cruise of $50 to $100 per person, depending upon how many days the cruise is for.  Then as a C&A member they will give a member's cocktail party while you are on ship with free drinks, usually champaign and rum punch.   You can also sign up to rerceive C&A Society emails of special cruises where there are discounts for members, or you can get these by regular mail.  So there are some immediate benefits.

Bermuda has some of the best beaches anywhere; pink sand beaches that you can easily find a deserted spot on. In my two visit it seemed to me that the majority of the people visiting the island were those on the two or three cruise ships which docked there during my stay. There are a few hotels in the town of Hamilton and about a dozen other properties/beach hotels, but they are nice. There are NO slums and ghettos in Bermuda like you may see on other islands. All of the houses are well maintained and painted in pastel colors. All of the public beaches are great. Be sure to go to Elbow Beach and Long Beach. Royal Caribbean, NCL and Holland America have cruise to Bermuda from many cities on the each coast. When you cruise there its less expensive than flying and staying in a hotel because, you stay and eat on the ship. You will probably want to eat on ship anyway because meals (and everything else) are expensive since everything has to be imported.

A five, six, or seven day cruise to Bermuda is plenty enough time to see and enjoy everything there. There is not a lot to do in Bermuda other than water sports and golf. There are two main towns Hamilton, the largest (where most cruise ships dock for at least a day) and St George (also a port stop) which is like a small town and has just a few shops. The third place ships may dock while there is The Kings Dockyard.. The Dockyard is on the far end of the 22 mile long island and has a small mall with shops and a museum. The Crystal Cave and Fantasy Caves are worth visiting as a tour, or on your own. I also visited one of the lighthouses, for lack of anything else to do. You can visit one of the many forts on the island like Fort St Catherine if you like that type activity.

In the town of Hamilton we took a walking tour which took us to the Cathedral of the Most Holy, a maritime museum and a nice garden/park a few blocks from the port. There is shopping in Hamilton and restaurants, but not much else. The best way to get around in Bermuda is to buy a transportation pass (may be able to get it on ship) which will let you take the buses, and the ferry, all over the island. There is a big bus depot just a couple blocks from where ships dock in the town of Hamilton. You can take the buses to the beach, they are not very far away and easy to get to from the bus stop. You want to go to Elbow Beach and Long Beach, both open to the public.  If you want to snorkel, the Tobacco Bay Beach near the town of St George is great, and its walking distance (about 3/4 mile)( from town.

www.bermuda.com  

http://www.bermudatourism.com/index.aspx

Answer 3

I"ve never been on Royal Caribbean. I always cruise with Carnival. They do upgrade for repeat cruisers.

Answer 4

I have never been on the Empress but I do love RC - they usually offer upgrades, a cocktail party, etc for anyone who cruises with them a second time - but give them a call they can help you out.

Answer 5

Very nice ship.  Not one of the newer ones but you will definitely enjoy it.  Join the Crown and Anchor society online before you cruise.  You might get some perks on the cruise.  I have never cruised to Bermuda but have been there two times.  Very clean island.  No poverty.  High prices.  If you eat at a restaurant watch out on the bill because they usually add in the tip before presenting the bill to you.