The itinerary for this 7 day cruise originally included stops in Havana, Santiago, Nassau and Cococay (Royal Caribbean's private island). Two weeks prior to sailing, the stop in Santiago was cancelled and an overnight stay in Havana was substituted. While we were disappointed, all in all it worked out fairly well with the exception of our dinner reservations.

Specifically, with the unexpected overnight stay in Havana, we asked the Maitre d' to change our late seating to an "anytime" seating just for one night so that we could leave the ship for an early show at the Tropicana in Havana. For some reason, they couldn't accommodate us.

I must say, however, that the entertainment on the Empress of the Seas was terrific! Their nightly shows included dancers, a magician and a comedian. In our opinion, the shows were even better than what we saw at the expensive Tropicana! Read more