Empress of the Seas Review
7 Night Yucatan cruise - OK but not Great!
Rating by category
Additional details
We have cruised 4 times before, three of which were with RC. This ship is it's smallest which isn't a bad thing depending on what you are looking for. I think for first time cruisers its probably a great time. We were a group this time, my family of 5 (3 kids 9-16) and 3 other couples.
The ship is nice, the food was great and the staff were exceptional.
Embarkation / debarkation went smooth. Getting off the ship at the ports was a breeze. Never had to wait to long. We didn't do any excursions with RC as we found them to be over priced. When you are getting away on a budget the excursions weren't our first option. When you get off the ship at almost all ports there are reputable companies that can take you places that are gorgeous and won't hurt your wallet.
Cabin Review
Cabin was small but I don't spend too much time in it. Closet could have had more room but not big deal. This ship doesn't have a formal night so I didn't hang too many things. Toilette was fully functional. Shower worked well.
Room Attendant- Fantastic!
Port Reviews
Key West
Would love to spend more time here. Beautiful place. Just walked around from Malory Square to the pier. Lot's of shops, key lime pie was delicious at Mathesons.
Cozumel
Found a reputable company and brought us to this beautiful beach resort called Buccano's Grill & Beach club. Beach was beautiful, sun was hot...snorkeling was fun. Beach chairs, snorkling gear, wifi and nice clean bathroom all included with your entrance fee. We payed about 20$/USD for transport and entrance to the beach. .
Belize City
Would have loved to see more of Belize. We want to go back. The boat tenders and brings you to shore about 20 minutes. Some shops to shop at but an excursion here probably would have been a better idea.
Costa Maya
Lots of shops when you get off the ship. The city center has a a free pool and beach chairs to lounge on. It's wonderful that there is no cost. However, drinks aren't cheap. I guess they have to make there money somewhere. They offer pool side massages. Unfortunately they have about 4-6 dolphins in a tiny enclosure where you can swim with them. I still can't believe people still pay to do that. LET THE DOLPHINS GO!! They also have a water park on the island, which costs about 90 USD to get in (insane) and we were only at this port for 5 hours. We had to leave the port by 2:30 pm. Visiting the ruins would probably be worth it.
Miami
Miami is good. Weather is hot.