I chose this cruise mainly because I sailed Empress 21 years ago (then "Nordic Empress") and I wanted to see how the fair lady was doing. In some ways, I was disappointed.
Despite sailing during spring break with hundreds of drunk and rowdy college students on board, the cruise was nice. I pitied the crew, whose patience I'm sure was stretched to their limits. Some were passengers ejected and a few were under cabin confinement. The college kids clogged the bars & pools, pressed multiple buttons on the elevators, littered the stateroom gangways with cups, glasses and dishes (severe tripping hazard) and occasionally vomited in some areas. Seriously... I'm surprised the housekeeping staff got anything done at all, but they performed admirably.
I also had a major complaint about disembarking at the end of the cruise. All passengers were told that we could not take our own luggage off for express departure, but those who did got to leave early. Instead, those of us who set our luggage outside our staterooms (as we were told to do) experienced a two hour delay, sitting in the theater watching cartoons, unable to leave. Next time, I won't follow the instructions either.
Empress' inside cabins were always cramped, but a lack of attention to detail and shortcuts in maintenance shows a lot of wear, especially with the bathrooms. There were actually two screws that fell out of the bathroom door latch. Luckily, I had my Leatherman pocket tool with me and firmly tightened the screws back in their proper places.
The doors on the closet didn't shut properly due to misalignment. The lamp fixture in the ceiling had paper wedged between it and the ceiling to stop vibration. Rust was apparent along the bottom of the bathroom door. The carpet in the cabin was in need of a shampoo.
Hey Royal.... Have any maintenance positions open? I could easily do a better job of repairs!
Beaches still show signs of erosion from the last hurricane.
Always a good time just to explore and visit favorite places. Kermit's of Key West is always a must!