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Name: Lisa Bucklin
Email: GABU@aol.com
Age: 35
Occupation: nurse
NumberOfCruises: 4
TravelAgent: No
Ship: RoyalCaribbean-NordicEmpress
SailingDate: 7/19/98
Itinerary: Coco Cay, Nassau
FoodDiningRoom: 90
CruiseDirector: 95
CabinComfort: 88
FoodRoomService: 80
CruiseStaff: 80
CabinAmenities: 85
FoodLidoDeck: 82
DiningRoomService: 98
CabinQuietness: 85
FoodMidnightBuffets:
CabinSteward: 85
ShoreExcVariety: 75
FoodVariety: 90
DeckService: 90
ShoreExcValue:
GoodForHoneymoon:
CasinoStaff: 80
PrivateIsland: 85
GoodForFamilies: 95
LoungeService: 90
TenderService: 90
GoodForSeniors:
BeautySalonStaff:
EntertainmentLounges: 85
WheelchairAccess:
ExerciseFacilities:
EntertShowLounge: 92
OverallPortsofCall: 80
BeautySalon:
EntertainmentPoolside: 95
CruiseActivities: 85
Casino: 85
AirSeaProgram:
MedicalFacilities:
ShipCleanliness: 85
EmbarkDisembark: 95
DiscoNightclubs:
DeckSpace: 80
Stabilization: 98
ShopsOnBoard: 75
SpaceRatio: 80
OverallCruiseValue: 95
Submit: Submit Review
Date: 31 Jul 1998
Time: 19:30:21
Remote Name: 152.163.213.68
Remote User:
Comments
This was my fourth cruise, my husband's second, and our first
time to bring our daughter with us. Our daughter is 5 years old.
We chose the Nordic
Empress because Port Canaveral was convenient for us to drive to,
and we wanted to try out bringing a child on a shorter cruise
instead of a week long
cruise. The embarkation procedure was very quick and painless.
There was a line, but they seemed to have plenty of help and it
went very smoothly. We
had requested first seating when we booked the cruise, but
received second, so we stopped at the Dining Room Manager's table
which was located on
the way into the ship. We were unable to change. Since there were
so many families on board, everyone wanted first seating. I was
disappointed at first,
but it actually turned out better for us to be on second seating.
Our daughter went to dinner with us the first night, and really
did not enjoy it, it was late,
and dinner takes about 1 and a half, to 2 hours. The rest of the
trip we ordered her dinner from room service, and brought her to
the kid's program
which started at seven. We were able to have some time to
ourselves before dinner, and also have a relaxing meal chatting
with our tablemates whose
child also preferred the children's activities to dinner in the
dining room.
The room service food was okay. The room service menu says to
allow 30
minutes for delivery, but it usually took about an hour, or maybe
even a little more. Our dining room service was wonderful. When
we brought our
daughter to breakfast with us, they bent over backwards for her.
They cut up her food, and even fed her bites occasionally. The
food was overall very
good. There wasn't anything that wasn't good, and some things
were excellent. The breads on the ship were one of the excellent
things. The bread we
had everywhere, in the Windjammer, in the dining room, and from
room service was just exceptional. Even the hot dog buns tasted
homemade. The
children's counselors and activities were just great. For
children ages 3-5 you receive a beeper to wear when your kids are
in the pogram. The
counselors were always upbeat and really friendly, even at 10
o'clock at night when they had been working all day. I enjoyed
Coco Cay and would
definitley like to go back there, but I think RCI should get some
more watercraft, so more people would be able to use them. They
had 2 pedal powered
glass-bottom boats, and they cost $80 an hour. That's too
expensive and just not enough for a cruise ship full of people.
The water was pretty though,
and the snorkeling was good. I did not enjoy Nassau. The shopping
was not good-too expensive and not much of it. The city itself
seemed dirty. We had
planned to go over to Paradise Island to the Atlantis, but when
we returned to the ship for lunch it started to rain. My daughter
did get her hair braided in
Nassau which was good, it looked real cute. Be sure to bring your
own comb, even though they say they sanitize, and definitely
agree on the exact
number of braids before they start. It cost $2 a braid, and the
braiders are located right next to the pier. Our day at sea was
nice. We enjoyed the Bingo,
the final pot was $3000. We spent a lot of time out by the pool.
I thought the pool area was too small. We were always able to
find chairs, but you could
barely walk it was so crowded. The pools themselves were too
small for the number of families that were on the ship. I always
felt like I was on top of
somebody.
We also enjoyed horse racing by the pool, the casino, and my
daughter enjoyed the video game room. I thought the cruise
director, Helen
Kennedy, was the best of any cruise I've been on. She was very
vivacious, and friendly to all passengers. All 3 of us really
liked the magicians they had
on the ship, but didn't get to see to much of the other
entertainment on the ship. Overall we enjoyed our cruise. This is
a great ship for families, if you
don't like kids, this is not your ship. Maybe it was just the
time of year for family vacations. I missed having a quiet spot
to sit and have a drink. I didn't find
any spots like that on this cruise. The ship was clean and
beautiful, with a few signs of wear. Our cabin was fine, small
but functional. Our daughter loved
her bunk bed. The shops onboard were tiny. The Nordic Empress
does what it does well-gives you a short cruise with fantastic
service.
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