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Life Aboard Empress of the Seas: My Journey Begins
- Cecy Del Razo
- Nov 5, 2025
- 3 min read
Before I start about my adventure on the Empress of the Seas, I must mention that I was originally supposed to join the Splendour of the Seas (another fantastic contract) and help close the ship. By closing the ship, I mean it was sold, and everything needed to be packed, cleaned, and prepared for whatever process it undergoes when transferred to another company. I won't deny that I was really excited about that opportunity, but I was called to serve on the beautiful Empress of the Seas. Although I missed the Splendour of the Seas, I had the chance to travel on the beautiful and smallest ship of the fleet: Empress.
Arrival and First Impressions
I have to admit that I do not remember how I got to Cadiz haha, for sure I flew, but I have no recollection of the airport, and been driven to the port. What I do remember is arriving to the port. I believe it was maybe 4 or 5 pm, and the ship was still not 100% Royal.
I recall stepping out of the car that brought me to the port and seeing the beautiful ship. It seemed small but lovely. Exhausted and jetlagged, I walked towards the gangway, lugging my baggage. I'll never forget the sight of those steep stairs; I nearly fainted at the thought of carrying my luggage up them. I grabbed my suitcases and began the daunting task, making perhaps two trips up and down. Once I was finally settled, we were informed at the gangway that we couldn't board the ship. I was seriously annoyed, as were other crew members. It seemed they expected us the following day, as the ship was still under Pullmantur. After about an hour, something was sorted out with the HR teams, and we were allowed to board, but we were told to wait in the Theatre since our cabins weren't ready. So there I was, waiting to receive a cabin. Eventually, after maybe one or two hours, I got a cabin. I must say I ended up with the best cabin among all the senior staff, though it was taken away by the Marine Department years later.
I'm uncertain whether it was the same day or the next when I met an amazing person who became one of my close friends during my time on the Empress. Her name was Emma. I learned a lot from her, and we also shared some great moments. After I arrived, the ship gradually began to fill with crew members from every department. Initially, it was somewhat chaotic due to the transition, and there were times we didn't know who was arriving or when. We had to check the gangway or email shoreside for guidance. I recall we had a list of names of people who were arriving. We would look them up on Facebook and message them to find out their arrival times so we could greet them and give them a royal welcome. As Emma taught me, it's important for teams to have the best first impression, making everyone feel welcome and as if everything is under control, even though we were often improvising.
The initial phase of my journey on the Empress focused on organizing fire watch schedules, rehearsing for upcoming onboard parties, planning activities, programming the cruise compass, and managing storage and inventory. However, it wasn't all about work; we also enjoyed leisure time in Cadiz, exploring sights, dining, and bar hopping, blending work with pleasure.
During this time, I assembled my wonderful team, and it was perfect. They complemented each other beautifully, were excellent for the ship, and, most importantly, got along well. Isaac, Felipe, Greta, Mark, DJ Shane, and my sports staff member Vinnie formed a small but strong family. We supported one another, kept each other's spirits high, and persevered through challenges together.
There is so much more to tell about that first part of my contract onboard the Empress, I 100% miss my team, the laughs, frustrations and yes, why not, the parties haha . . .
If you want to see more pictures of this first part of my Empress time, and dry dock, and some rehearsals follow me on Instagram on: cc_cruising
Stay tuned for my second time onboard Empress of the Seas.
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