Tag Archives: Nordic Empress

Royal’s Empress refreshingly retro refurb

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The pool deck on the renovated Empress of the Seas has a more airy design than the ships built more recently for Royal Caribbean International. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst
 
When Royal Caribbean International received the Empress of the Seas back from Pullmantur Cruises early this year, hopes were running high that the U.S. was on the cusp of a new era in its relations with Cuba.

Now it looks like it will get a chance to deploy the 1,590-passenger Empress as intended, following the news that Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. has received Cuban governmental permission for cruises there.

Until last week, the ship had been stuck in limbo waiting for a decision that had been expected much earlier in the year.

Royal has spent $50 million on renovations to the Empress of the Seas — known as the Nordic Empress when inaugurated in 1990 — and on a tour in July I found the ship to be a pleasant change from the style of vessels currently being built.

 
The two-story dining room on the Empress.<br /><br /><strong>Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst</strong>
The two-story dining room on the Empress.
 
Start with the top deck, where the pool area feels more airy and open than the current designs. Instead of another whole deck running around the pool to provide shaded areas, there are canvas canopies stretched on a framework, making the feel lighter and brighter than on modern ships.

The airy feeling continues inside the ship, which was designed with lots of exterior glass to enhance the connection to the sea.

The effect is noticeable throughout but particularly in the two-deck main dining room, which unlike today’s designs is located in the aft, with double-deck windows in the rear.

Part of the reason the Empress feels different from modern ships is its use of materials.

The architects employed shiny chrome surfaces as liberally as the car designers of the 1950s, particularly in the stairwells and staircases.

In other spaces there’s more wood than you would see on a newer ship, such as the trim around cabinets, vanities, dresser drawers and door frames in the staterooms.

In many cabins, travelers will find the old-style, fold-down third and fourth berths fastened to the walls, instead of concealed in the ceiling. Also notable is the paucity of balcony cabins: only 71 were included in the original design.

In upgrading the cabins, Royal has paid the most attention to the suites, which got new furniture, carpeting, drapes and linens. The suites are also the only accommodations that have bedside USB outlets.

Other improvements include the ship’s lounge, which has been updated as a Boleros, the Latin-themed bar and dance space found on three other Royal ships. A Chops Grille steakhouse has also been added.

At 1,590 passengers and 48,563 gross tons, the Empress is about a quarter of the size of Royal’s largest ships, giving fans of smaller vessels a chance to experience the Royal brand attributes without the crowds.

“It truly is our boutique ship,” said Mark Tamis, Royal’s senior vice president for hotel operations. “So many of our guests love the intimate smaller spaces. This is the ship they grew up with.”

 

Royal Caribbean history, as seen through its ship naming’s

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Anthem of the Seas Christening
By Tom Stieghorst 
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The Harmony of the Seas christening was as grand as the ship itself, an impressive feat of logistics and technology that took place within the confines of the 226,000-ton behemoth, rather than dockside.
 
It involved Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd chairman Richard Fain and godmother Brittany Affolter at the aft of the ship in the Aqua Theater, an oversized bottle of champagne rigged to the ship’s zipline in the middle of the ship, and somewhere deep down in the innards, a robotic bartender as a relay of Affolter’s signal to release the champagne.
 
Oh, and bagpipers. 
 
I’ve come to understand that bagpipers are a Royal Caribbean christening signature. In this case, it was the Dunedin Pipe Band from Dunedin, Fl., doing the honors as part of the warm up entertainment before the christening.
 
They seemed as out of place as ever on a ship, but also provided a kind of familiarity and continuity that I’m sure is part of the intended effect. If memory serves, bagpipers were part of the first Royal Caribbean christening I witnessed, the 1990 naming of the Nordic Empress at the Port of Miami.
 
That event was notable chiefly for the grit of the godmother, Miami Sound Machine singer Gloria Estefan, who was still in a back brace recovering from a bus accident while on tour three months earlier.
 
Royal Caribbean has learned a few things about christenings since then. The dockside Miami Empress event was sweltering in June. With the Harmony, although Royal took delivery in May it sailed the ship in Europe for the summer and then christened it on a picture-perfect evening in November.
 
Also, when Estefan swung the 77-pound bottle of California sparkling wine into the side of the Empress, it bounced rather than smashed. No second attempt was necessary for the Harmony’s French champagne, which exploded on cue.
 
Twenty-six years after it was christened, the Nordic Empress is sailing alongside Harmony of the Seas from South Florida, now offering 4- and 5-day cruises under the name Empress of the Seas, instead of the 3-and 4-day cruises it started with.
 
And although inflation has made nearly everything more expensive since 1990, a four-day cruise on the Empress of the Seas in January can be had for as little as $219, plus $100 in taxes, fees and port charges.
 
In 1990, a four-day cruise on the Nordic Empress started at $615, minus a $100 per person deduction for passengers who didn’t need airfare to and from Miami. Port charges ranged from $29 to $32.

Agents get reacquainted with Royal Caribbean’s Empress

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Royal Caribbean International recently spent $50 million to refurbish the Empress of the Seas. It originally joined Royal in 1989 as the Nordic Empress and had been sailing for Pullmantur until earlier this year. The 1,602-passenger ship is currently doing 4- and 5-day Caribbean cruises from Miami through Oct. 29, but Royal expects to use it for cruises to Cuba once the Cuban government gives permission. Shown here is the pool deck.<br /><br /><strong>Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst</strong>

Royal Caribbean International recently spent $50 million to refurbish the Empress of the Seas. It originally joined Royal in 1989 as the Nordic Empress and had been sailing for Pullmantur until earlier this year.
The 1,602-passenger ship is currently doing 4- and 5-day Caribbean cruises from Miami through Oct. 29, but Royal expects to use it for cruises to Cuba once the Cuban government gives permission. Shown here is the pool deck.

Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst

 
Royal Caribbean International has an unusual dilemma with the Empress of the Seas.

Because it is planning to sail the ship to Cuba when it gets approval from Cuban authorities, it can’t plan cruises very far ahead on the ship’s current Caribbean itineraries.

So, for example, it can’t sell groups early in the booking cycle to get a base of business going. It only has inventory available through Oct. 29, basically a three-month window.

Moreover, Empress is an old ship — the former Nordic Empress — albeit with a recent $50 million makeover. There’s nothing really like it in the rest of the Royal fleet.

So Royal held an open house for agents last week, in a bid to show off the improvements, help agents get a better understanding of the ship and bring it top of mind.

The ship looked remarkably good for a 27-year-old vessel. Some minds were changed.

Cheryl Scavron, a Dream Vacations franchisee in Pompano Beach, Fla., said she initially thought the ship and its four- and five-day itineraries was best suited as a party cruise for young people. “Now that I see it again, I think this would be nice for a couple,” she said.

Over the course of a couple of hours, about 200 agents got a thorough tour of the ship’s cabins and public spaces. They also got entertained by a Cuban combo in boleros; had a sample of the mixed drinks served onboard; saw snippets of two main theater shows, “Bailamos” and “Three”; and had a lunch of branzino or steak in the main dining room.

Two Royal executives, senior VP of hotel operations Mark Tamis and senor VP of sales Vicki Freed, hosted the event, but Scavron was impressed that Royal brought sales reps, not only from South Florida, but from as far away as California, to conduct the tours.

“Vicki really knows how to sell a ship,” Scavron said. “She brought in enough people, and had good entertainment. She made the ship look the best it can look,” she said.