Empress of the Seas questions

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YoureMoving

Guest
DH, myself and another couple are sailing Empress on 10/6 for DH's 40th birthday. I'm having a heck of a time finding menus for this cruise - tried Cruise Clues already, but nothing there for the Empress - does anyone know which cruise might have the same menus so I can look them up from another ship? Does anyone know when formal night is? We want to do Portofino's one night, but I like to look at the dining room menus ahead of time so we can choose the night to eat in Portofino's. Ya know, now that I think of it, I guess the only night that we'll eat in the dining room is on formal night. We're in port in Cozumel one night and will have dinner at Portofino's one, so that only leaves one night in the dining room anyway. Ok, long question short - what night is formal night? Also, does anyone know how the shows are on this cruise? Thanks!

Gina
 
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saabgal

Guest
It looks like you are not taking the 11 day Exotic Itinerary my family and & took on the Empress last Christmas. (We didn't go to Cozumel). On that trip we had 3 formal nights. Needless to say, by the third one we were finished with formal nights! We ate at Portofinos on that night instead. It was great. The staff in the dining room even went to "fetch" our bottle of wine that was open and being stored. I would suggest you make your reservation for the restaurant ASAP so you are not disappointed with availability.

The ship was very nice, take along sea-sickness pills because it is smaller and you will feel it rocking if the seas get rough. Our trip from Aruba to Puerto Rico was a little rough--10-12 foot seas. Ugh. The staff wasn't even feeling that good.

One more EOS tip, bring hangers, there was enough closet space, but only about 6 hangers. Pretty funny considering our trip was 11 days long and there were 4 bunks in our room.

Have fun!!!
 
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YoureMoving

Guest
Thanks for the info - my husband and I don't get seasick, but the other couple traveling with us has never cruised before, so we'll be sure to let them know. Our cruise is only 4 days from Ft. Lauderdale to Key West and Cozumel. Guess I should have mentioned that! :)

Gina
 
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randy

Guest
Just got off the Empress 4-nighter yesterday. Formal night is second night out (between Key West and Cozumel) First night is casual, second formal, and the other two are casual, although the reservation confirmation card you will get from Portofino says, "coat is recommended for gentlemen." The night we were there, most men did wear coats. Portofino is very nice, with great food, a more extensive wine list and good service. It's not the SS United States or Normandy restaurant on Celebrity, but very nicely done. The food and service aboard the Empress is great. We found it to be better than the Sovereign of the Seas, which we were also on for a short cruise just three weeks ago. The improvements to the Empress since the last time we were aboard are wonderful. The ship is in very good shape, and the crew is very pleasant. Let me know if there are any other specific questions you have. As far as menus go, first night featured (among other things) prime rib, second night had filet, third night was Mexican and last night was Italian food. All was very good, although we went to Portofino on the last night, so couldn't comment for sure on the chow in the main dining room. For a short cruise, I wouldn't bother with Portofino. The service and ambiance in Portofino is great, but it isn't shabby in the beautiful Carmen dining room, either! Just a bit noisier and more crowded! LOL! Have a great time.
 
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YoureMoving

Guest
Hi Randy;

Thanks so much for your comments. It's funny, but I keep thinking that this is a 3 night, 4 day cruise rather than a 4 night, 5 day! I really wish I could find menus, but we'll just wing it if we don't. I think we will still do Portofino - we had dinner at Nick and Nora's on Carnival Miracle and the food and service were such a treat, we can't miss trying out Portofino. Since we're celebrating Dave's 40th, we thought we'd have a special birthday dinner there one night. Does anyone know if the menu would be the same as on another ship that offers a 4-night itinerary? Majesty, maybe? Did you see any of the shows while you were on board? Any other insight that you'd like to share would be great - things not to be missed, etc. Thanks!

Gina
 
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randy

Guest
Hello, Gina-
Funny you should compare the Empress 4-nighter to the Majesty. We were on the Majesty in May, and yes, some of the menus were the same. The order was different, and the Mexican menu was only in its second week of trial aboard the Empress. While I recognized at least two of the menus, the way in which the food was prepared and served differed ( for instance, the sirloin on the Majesty was a whole "steak", while the sirloin on the Empress was sliced a la prime rib and laid on top of the potatoes and asparagus in an artsy-schmartzy manner). All in all, the flavor and presentation in the dining room was great. The Windjammer was fine for lunch if you are hanging out by the pool, but I wonder why so many people prefer to do that for dinner when the experience in the dining room is so pleasant. Breakfasts we only ate in the dining room, so can't comment on the Windjammer fare. The cruise director got on the same day we did, but seemed enthusiastic. The pool band was wonderful, and the piano player who started the first hour of dinner in the dining room (and played in other venues as well) was terrific. The singers and dancers were very talented, and the comedian was hilarious. We didn't get to his midnight "adult show," but the entertainment was great. The Love and Marriage show was a lot of fun--see if you can get picked! There really wasn't a problem getting deck chairs, although we usually got an early start (by around 9:00) to ensure the "prime" location in front of the pool. Since we have been to the ports before, we just hung out on the ship and relaxed rather than rush around Key West (ship leaves at 3:00) or Cozumel (ship arrives at 1:00, departs at 10:00). They still had a full range of excursions even with the odd port call hours. Have a great time!
 
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Terrimcc

Guest
Just back from the Empress 5 night. Formal night was Key West night. Best night to go to Portofinos is the Costa Maya night. This is when we went on our waiters reccommendations. He told us their Mexican Fiesta menu wasn't the best and that is when we should do Portofinos. They have just redone the menus. and that is probably why you can't find them anywhere. We did have lobster on the last night, (very unusual for a 5 night). Make sure you do the fiesta on the pool deck later that night. The food is great and the glasses they have really cool. There is a limit of one per person and they are very small. This limit is enforced. As far as the shows go - they were ok. My husband and sons (22 & 20) loved the adlut comedian, he did 2 shows. We missed the first and I was packing while they saw the second.
Terri


Sovereign of the Seas 4/2002
Majesty of the Seas 11/2002
Grandeur of the Seas 3/2003
Sovereign of the Seas 12/2003
Splendour of the Seas 04/2004
Empress of the Seas 01/17/2005
Empress of the Seas 08/15/2005
 
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YoureMoving

Guest
Thanks for all of the great information! Being a really picky eater (give me my filet, potatoes and chocolate and I'm a happy camper!) I like to check out the menus ahead of time so I can pick which night to stay away from the dining room and do the specialty restaurant. Hopefully someone will post a menu at some point before I leave! If not, I'll try to make sure that I get copies so I can scan and post them! Thanks again!

Gina
 
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tarheels20000

Guest
We were on Empress last week. Second night was formal night also midnight buffet. Last night was lobster night. Excellent menu on this ship. Prime Rib was great also. Mexican menu was quit spicy.

Service on this ship was excellent. Our only complaint is the pool is small. The shows were great. Be sure to go early for the farewell show to see the cruise and review video of your cruise. The Love and Marriage show is a do not miss also. In the Berlous lounge go to the Adult game.

Small ship with a lot of heart!!! Hope you enjoy your cruise on her as much as we did.

Linda

Rhapsody 1999
Monarch 2001
Explorer 2003
Empress 2005
 
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saabgal

Guest
Hi again,

Now that I have read that you say you are a picky eater, I should point out, if they have something you want onboard, they will make it for you. My youngest ordered something that wasn't on the menu almost every night. If it is available, they will do it for you, talk to your waiter. Of course my son's request was usually spag & meatballs or chickenfingers, but if you let them know, they do their best. They told us that the Empress has the highest satisfaction rating in the fleet, and I know they want to keep it.

Boy, I wish I were counting down the days to another trip--but instead I'm counting down the days that my oldest goes to college--cha ching. Keep your fingers crossed that she goes on a golf scholarship and we can hit the high seas soon!!!
 
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randy

Guest
We had the same experience--my DW likes shrimp cocktail, and mentioned to the waiter that she was disappointed it wasn't on the first night's menu. Every night thereafter, he produced a shrimp cocktail for her, ex-menu! Is there any wonder that the waitstaff and headwaiter got extra tips?
 


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