Yes, Empress is small and old, but she is beautiful. I loved all the natural light coming in through the atrium. There are seating areas everywhere to look out onto the ocean. The bigger ships do not have this as much. Our cabin was small, but workable, even with 4 people. The window helped alot! The food was overall good. Most food was very tasty, all food was the right temperature. I loved the Indian Corner in the Windjammer. My kids appreciated having hot dogs and pizza available all the time! The soft serve ice cream was also a hit in my family. My kids absolutely loved Adventure Ocean. They did not want to leave. The staff there is fantastic and it helped to have some adult time! The kids also loved the kids pool for splashing and playing. Their favorite part was going to the Key West Aquarium. It is small, but cute and interactive. We booked an excursion through Royal Caribbean for the Aquarium and the Conch Train tour which ended up being less expensive than booking it on our own. I usually don't book with the cruise ship because it is more expensive, so I was pleasantly surprised. Nassau is not my favorite port, but we walked to Junkanoo beach and the kids played for a while and then we walked back. It is a party beach, but pretty and we felt perfectly fine with our kids there.

Overall, the service was great and it was a pleasant vacation. The only two downsides I had were the taste of the water and the coffee. I know they want you to buy these things, but we are usually not picky and didn't get a beverage package. The coffee tasted like it was overbrewed and sitting too long, however, it did get better as the cruise went on and I found that if I put lots of half and half in it, it was palatable. Also, get water from the ice machine. We realized that this tastes much better than the water from the juice machines. Just two minor annoyances, but overall, an enjoyable family vacation!