A look inside the ship that made history with short cruises, European voyages, and Cuba sailings.
Royal Caribbean’s Empress of the Seas began her story in the late 1980s under a very different name. Originally conceived by Admiral Cruises as Future Seas, the vessel was already under construction when Royal Caribbean International (RCL) acquired Admiral in 1988. With the merger, the ship became part of the Royal Caribbean fleet before ever launching. In 1990, she debuted as the Nordic Empress, notable for being the first ship specifically built for short, three- and four-night Caribbean cruises departing from Florida, catering to a younger, vacation-oriented market that was rapidly growing in popularity at the time.
The Nordic Empress sailed successfully for years under RCL before being renamed Empress of the Seas in 2004, aligning her branding more closely with the rest of the fleet. After a long career in North America, the vessel transitioned to Royal Caribbean’s Spanish subsidiary Pullmantur Cruises in 2008, where she sailed for nearly a decade under the Pullmantur banner. There, she introduced countless European travelers to cruising, operating Mediterranean and European itineraries while extending her service life in a new market.
In 2016, Royal Caribbean brought the ship back into its main fleet, reinstating her original Royal Caribbean name, Empress of the Seas. She quickly found a unique niche, becoming the first cruise ship in over 50 years to homeport in Miami and sail legally scheduled cruises to Cuba beginning in 2017. These voyages made history, offering American guests an unprecedented opportunity to explore Havana and other Cuban ports.
Combined with a weakening Spanish market for holidays, the Empress was transferred back into the Royal Caribbean fleet and started sailing to Cuba. However in 2019, Cuba voyages were banned by the US Government. Royal Caribbean had been planning be sailing her to Bermuda, offering Hamilton and St. Georges, as well as longer Canada and New England routes in 2020 however the 2019 COVID-19 Pandemic threw a wrinkle into that and sealed her fate with Royal Caribbean.
While she eventually left the Royal Caribbean fleet once again in 2020, her legacy endures as a pioneering vessel—bridging Admiral Cruises’ vision, Royal Caribbean’s expansion, European cruising under Pullmantur, and a groundbreaking role in U.S.–Cuba cruise history.
EMPRESS OF THE SEAS DECK PLANS
Lets start with the obligatory photos:
Stairwell:
Elevator Lobby and Carpet:
DECK PLAN
Deck 03 contains only cabins.
DECK PLAN
The front two-thirds of the deck contains cabins. The aft is the bottom floor of the two level dining room. Since it sits right at the stern, it features 270-degree views.
DECK PLAN
The very front of deck 5 contains the Royal Theatre.
Just past that is the bottom floor of the main atrium called the Centrum. This extends all the way to the top of the ship. Off of the centrum is the Shore Excursion desk and Guest Services.
Walking past the Centrum, you enter the Schooner Bar; a staple on any Royal Caribbean ship.
Past the bar, on the port side, is the only alternate restaurant onboard, Chops.
Opposite that, on starboard, is the ships photo gallery and future cruise desk.
Past that, at the very back of the ship, is the ships main dining room.
DECK PLAN
Deck 6 contains a fully wrap-around promenade. The views here are fantastic as these are becoming a novelty on ships now-a-days.
Inside, at the front is the second level of the main theater.
Exiting that, you’re at the second level of the atrium.
At the far side of the atrium are the Royal Shops.
Exiting the shops, you emerge at the casino.
Walking through the casino, and around a corner, is the arcade.
At the back is the Boleros lounge. This venue was a huge hit during her Cuban days. Now-a-days it still has latin music at night, but isn’t as popular.
DECK PLAN
The next deck up contains all cabins. At the forward stairwell, there’s the internet cafe. This surrounds the third deck that overlooks the Centrum.
DECK PLAN
Deck 8 is also cabins. Similar to the deck below, there are small venues surrounding the atrium.
DECK PLAN
Similar to the decks below, Deck 8 has the library that encircles the Centrum. At the very front is the bridge and aft of that are the office cabins.
DECK PLAN
Deck 10 is the topmost complete deck. At the front is the Windjammer buffet restaurant.
Past the Windjammer, the deck opens up to the pool area. Note that with this design, as sort of was common back in the early 90’s, there are no sun decks encircling the pool area.
At the back of the deck, the starboard side contains more sundeck as well as some ping pong tables.
On the port side, indoors, there’s the children’s area and the small spa just past that.
Then at the back of the deck is the Viking Crown Lounge. This staple of Royal Caribbean ships is fading fast but on Empress it’s still there.
Attached to the back of the lounge is the rock climbing wall.
DECK PLAN
Deck 11 is split into two parts at the fore and aft. Forward is a large sundeck.
Then aft, it’s the top floor of the Viking Crown Lounge. Over time, this had been transformed into the fitness area.
