Sherry Stepleton

Age: 50
Occupation: Marketing
Number of Cruises: 1
Cruise Line: Imperial Majesty
Ship: Regal Empress
Itinerary: Bahamas

My daughter and I booked the two-night cruise as a fun add-on to our vacation in Southern Florida.

I had read the reviews before our trip and was a little worried, but figured that two nights and one day at a bargain price was an OK risk!

It was. We had such a good time; it helped knowing what we were getting into and not having luxury cruise line expectations! Boarding at Port Everglades was easy and fairly quick. The land staff wasn’t very pleasant, but as we boarded the ship, the crew’s friendliness overcame the crabbiness of the others!

We were escorted immediately to our cabins (which by the way we upgraded…I couldn’t imagine being in a room with no view to the outside…even if only for two nights). We were on M deck. The room was a fair size, with a double and a twin bed, dresser, ample closets, TV and a porthole. The bathrooms are tiny, with kind of rusty water (take bottled water to brush teeth in) but after a day of sun, sand and humidity, the shower, no matter how small and hand-held, felt great! Our steward was very friendly and saw to our every need in a timely manner.

The ship itself is old. But this in itself was charming. Lots of wood and art deco interiors. Pretty dining room, with great, friendly waiters, a nice menu selection, and we lucked out on our table companions.

The crew tried to have a lot of things for their guest to do, but they “missed the boat” somewhere on this one. There was a great trio out by the pool and spas (which they closed at sunset…mistake), a piano player in the Commodore Bar, an empty disco and a couple of very bad Las Vegas type shows. (We know they tried hard, but they really need to give it up)

The excursion to the Bahamas was organized very well, although we were a little disappointed in the private island they took us to for the day. The beach was dirty and there weren’t very many places to lie in the sun and just bask, one place smelled so bad we thought a sewer line must have broken! The lunch served was adequate; a barbeque with enough food to satisfy even the hungriest. The free time in Nassau was interesting… with a fun stop at Senor Frogs for Bahama Mamas!

Leaving the ship and getting back to our car was one big hassle. Any relaxation we experienced was just a memory after waiting in line for over an hour for the shuttle that would take us back to the car…we finally flagged down a taxi and for six bucks he ran us over to the parking garage. ($24 for two nights)… worth every penny!

Would I do it again? You bet! Just go knowing what you’ve signed up for and have a fun and casual trip!

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