My wife and I chose this cruise as a lifetime opportunity to visit Havana, Cuba. We enjoyed the shipboard activities as well as the two excursions purchased from Royal Caribbean. The Tour Guides on the Walking Tour of Havana and The Best of Havana Excursions provided a great deal of information on the sites visited including historical and cultural information. Using the information we obtained during the excursions, we would not mind taking the cruise again and exploring Havana on our own.

Embarkation went very quickly. Debarkation was very organized and went quickly. All passengers getting off the ship needed to go through Cuban Security and have all their belongings go through an X-ray scanner before and after obtaining passport stamped by Cuban immigration personnel. Food in the Main Dining Room, The Starlight Dining Room, was very good. Food in the Informal Dining Room, The Windjammer Cafe, was very good if you wanted to eat quickly. The Nightly Shows were fantastic. The Empress of the Seas may be a small ship, but it has a great spirit and heart due to the dedication of the ship's staff and crew. One recommendation for Royal Caribbean would be to add authentic Cuban dishes to the menus and food offerings to give the passengers additional exposure to their Cuban experience.