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Nordic Empress - 12/20 sailing, any families?

Nordic Empress - 12/20 sailing, any families?

Old Mar 21st, 2004, 06:20 AM
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Nordic Empress - 12/20 sailing, any families?

Hi there, Looking for info on this ship - anyone been and what was their experience. Rooms are smaller than what we are used to and also anyone booked with kids for this 12/20th sailing seems a little early for families???? Any info, opinions or help would be appreciated!!!!
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Old Mar 23rd, 2004, 06:33 AM
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topping - someone must have been on this ship? anyone!?
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Old Apr 23rd, 2004, 01:18 PM
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I'll be going on May 29 for 8 nights to Bermuda so I'll let you know once I come back. I heard they just renovated the ship and renamed it Empress of the Seas. I'm also concerned about the small roomms. Hope its good for both our sakes!!!
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Old Apr 24th, 2004, 04:44 PM
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Hi. I was on the Nordic Empress in March, 2001 round trip from Puerto Rico. I don't know what the ship is like since it's been refurbished, but, when I sailed on it, there were several things I did not like.

First, I guess because it sailed from Puerto Rico, my friend and I were among the minority of people who spoke English. The majority spoke Spanish or other languages. Our first night at dinner, we were seated with 10 other people, NONE of whom spoke English. It was extremely awkward and uncomfortable for everyone. After much commotion, we were seated at a table (the only table) of all english speaking Americans. We all felt the same about the language situation and were glad we could communicate with each other at least.

Second, our cabin was VERY, VERY small. We were two small women and the cabin was not big enough for us and our luggage. Granted we booked this cruise about 1 week in advance at a reduced rate, but our first cabin was an inside cabin on the lowest deck. Can you say claustrophobic? Two hard, stationary, single beds against the walls with about 3-4 feet of space in between, one small built in dresser and a bathroom barely big enough for one person to stand in. I'm 5'2", and the shower head was too low for me. It reminded me of my freshman dorm room with no window. After much complaining (there was no way I could sleep in that cabin for 3 nights), we were moved to a cabin on the same deck, about one foot wider and on the outside of the ship, so it had one small porthole half covered by water. This was just tolerable.

The ship itself felt tired and worn. There were tons of kids, most not well behaved. Every meal except dinner was buffet, food was average at best and service was non-existent. The ship felt very crowded and the buffets were often low on food and were a mess. The the rugs and fixtures around food areas all felt tacky and sticky. Not clean at all.

Overall, this was not a good experience. We would disembark at various ports and would actually consider not getting back on the ship. This was my first cruise and it turned me off to cruises completely.

I don't mean to be negative or disenhearten you about your upcoming trip, but I thought I should be honest. I would find out if they did in fact refurbish it and what was done. Then, MAKE SURE that you get a larger size cabin on an upper deck, especially if you're bringing kids.

Good luck. I hope everything works out well. Feel free to post back with any questions.

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Old Jun 7th, 2004, 09:17 AM
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Just got back from a 8-day cruise to Bermuda on the Nordic Empress and overall, it was a good experience. However, the rooms are tiny! There are 2 twin beds that you can push together and there is a about 2 feet of space to the wall. And if you get an inside cabin, it can be a bit claustrophobic. Its gets so dark at night that you can't even see your hands in front of your face and when you wake up in the middle of the night, you have no clue whether its 3 in the morning or noon. The ship was completely redone, so the carpeting and common areas are nice and clean. There were a few families on board and all the kids were well-behaved. The gym is small. Only 4 treadmills for the 1500 guests on board. The pool is also small and didn't look very clean or inviting. The food was very good and the service was good. The shows were a bit campy but the latin band at Boleros, the new nightclub was pretty good. It's definitely one of the smaller ships but generally a good experience. Enjoy
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