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Name: Harry Johnston
Email: HBJohnst@SouthernCo.com
Age: 46
Occupation: Accounting Manager
NumberOfCruises: 6
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-NordicEmpress
SailingDate: Aug. 9, 1998
Itinerary: 4-day Bahamas
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 90
FoodRoomService: 95
CruiseStaff: 90
CabinAmenities: 90
FoodLidoDeck: 90
DiningRoomService: 95
CabinQuietness: 100
FoodMidnightBuffets: 95
CabinSteward: 100
ShoreExcVariety: 90
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 95
ShoreExcValue: 85
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 90
PrivateIsland: 90
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 95
TenderService: 95
GoodForSeniors: 75
BeautySalonStaff: 80
EntertainmentLounges: 80
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities: 85
EntertShowLounge: 90
OverallPortsofCall: 85
BeautySalon: 85
EntertainmentPoolside: 90
CruiseActivities: 90
Casino: 90
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 100
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs: 80
DeckSpace: 90
Stabilization: 95
ShopsOnBoard: 95
SpaceRatio: 85
OverallCruiseValue: 90
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 14 Aug 1998
Time: 14:08:53
Remote Name: 146.126.61.240
Remote User:
Comments
We just returned from a 4-day Bahamas cruise out of Port
Canaveral with our two teenagers on RCI's Nordic Empress. My
wife, Rebecca, and I are both
46, and have cruised 5 times before, including NCL (Windward
& Norway), RCI (Grandeur), HAL (Veendam), and the pre-NCL
Royal Majesty. This was the
kids’ first cruise.
The best things: 1) Beautiful ship, one of the nicest we’ve
seen. 2) Friendly, lively crew. 3) Absolutely no hassle about
bringing or buying liquor on board
for use in your cabin. The worst things: 1) No complimentary
beverages available except at meal/snack times. 2) Inconsiderate
smokers (though the
dining room and main show lounge are smoke free).
We drove from Atlanta (about 500 miles; 8 hours of fast driving).
We actually drove down a couple of days before and stayed at a
nearby beach. Parking
at the port was convenient and cost $7 per day. The port
facilities at Canaveral are very nice. Embarkation was about as
good as any we’ve seen. They
were already boarding when we arrived at 11:30, and we were on
board in about 30 minutes.
The Empress is a beautiful, glitzy, well-maintained ship. The
grand "Centrum" makes the ship seem bigger than it is.
Crowds weren't as bad as I had
feared with almost 2000 passengers on a 48,000 ton ship. For a
few hours on the sea day, all the lounge chairs by the pool were
taken (not really
occupied, but 'reserved'), but there were other chairs available.
The pool area is large and attractive, with a kiddie pool and
main pool separated by a
group of three nice hot tubs. I like the fact that the glass
enclosures along the pool deck are just waist high; it seems less
confining that the full-height
enclosures on many ships. There's some teak around the pools, but
it would be nice if it were all teak instead of the aqua-blue
carpet. The all-teak
promenade deck is truly beautiful.
Our standard outside cabins on deck 8 were smaller than any
we’ve had on other ships, and the bathrooms were tiny. But
the rooms were well laid out
and decorated, and really very comfortable. It made us wonder why
we need anything bigger. Cabin service was great. The twin beds
that serve as
couches during the day can be made into a king size bed. But then
it’s normally left that way during the day, making the room
much less usable. When
we asked, our cabin steward agreed to change it back and forth
for us. We realized that was extra work for him, and we tipped
him extra for it. I looked
at the veranda cabins on deck 9, and they were also smallish
(same tiny bathrooms), but very nice, with sofa & chair
sitting areas.
The beautiful, 2-level main dining room didn't seem unduly
crowded or noisy. Food and service were very good overall. Our
busboy was charming, but
new and didn’t speak English very well, so he occasionally
missed requests. The Windjammer (buffet) dining room was also
very attractive, and the food
there was as good as you can expect on a buffet. The midnight
buffets were good, though we ate very little. The grand buffet
was truly a work of food-art
on a grand scale, as impressive as any we’ve seen. Room
service was prompt and efficient. We had coffee and rolls most
mornings (before breakfast in
the dining room), and the kids loved ordering afternoon snacks.
The clientele was the youngest we've seen on any ship, probably
due to the 4-day itinerary. Lots of families with children and
teenagers. Also lots of
young couples. Activities were clearly geared toward this crowd,
like I'd expect to see on Carnival. This included beer-chugging,
belly flop, and (men’s)
sexy legs contests by the pool. At least the kids got a kick out
of it. Also lots of 'horse racing' and bingo. The exercise gym
was well equipped, but small.
The Steiners’ spa attendants were snooty, as usual.
Evening entertainment was also unsophisticated, but upbeat and
fun. It was concentrated in the main show lounge, emceed by
ultra-perky cruise director
Helen Kennedy. I thought the song & dance troupe was less
professional than others we’ve seen, but Rebecca disagreed.
The next biggest attraction
was karaoke in the Carousel Pub. Other lounges were
under-utilized, sadly including the RCI-signature Viking Crown
Lounge, which was mostly idle
and/or empty. There was a decent pop/rock band on board, but they
played at odd times to near-empty rooms.
Nassau was OK, a lot like most busy Caribbean ports. We shopped
and took a pretty good Sail & Snorkel excursion ($38 pp).
Coco Cay was nice; not
horribly crowded, especially if you’re willing to walk a
half mile or so from the tender dock. You can also find some
shade if you look for it. I felt a little
ripped off by the $25 pp charge for snorkel gear, especially when
it turned out to be a 'swimming with the jellyfish' experience.
They say it’s just a
problem in the summer, and we didn’t see any at NCL’s
adjacent Great Stirrup Cay when we were there in March. At least
we learned not to fear just one
or two jellyfish, after trying to dodge literally thousands at
Coco Cay. We also learned that their sting isn't all that bad.
Clearly, this cruise was not for the sophisticated cruiser. But
it met our needs in this case very effectively. I enjoyed it, but
wouldn't choose it again unless
it was for the kids. I wonder if the atmosphere is the same in
the winter, when they do short cruises out of San Juan. RCI plans
to move the Empress to the
NY-Bermuda run next summer. The ship will be great for that
itinerary, assuming they adapt the entertainment and activities
to a more sophisticated
clientele.
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