With the major cruise lines launching and ordering a passel of giant new ships (see the news round-up and Carnival feature), we thought it'd be fun to take a look at the oldest cruise ship currently serving the American market, Imperial Majesty's (tel. 954/956-9505; www.imperialmajesty.com) 51-year-young Regal Empress.
Built by Glasgow shipbuilders Alex. Stephen & Sons, Regal Empress was launched on April 16, 1953, not long after the first presidential inauguration of Dwight Eisenhower. She was delivered to the Greek Line in October of that year, where she was named Olympia and began regular service from Bremerhaven to New York, later transferring to the Piraes (Athens) to New York route. In 1970, long after air travel killed the transatlantic trade, she switched to cruising, but by 1974 ended up mothballed at a pier in Piraeus, Greece, where she languished until 1983. In 1984, after a major refitting, she sailed as the Caribe I ("The Happy Ship") for now-defunct Commodore Cruise Lines, then as Regal Empress for also-defunct Regal Cruises, which operated her from New York and Florida for the next decade.
In 2003, after legal disputes forced Regal into bankruptcy, the vessel was bought by short-cruise operator Imperial Majesty for the bargain-basement price of $1.8 million. She now sails quick 2-night runs from Ft. Lauderdale to Nassau, year-round. Not an exciting itinerary, I'll admit, but here's the hook: Regal Empress represents one of the few chances you'll ever have again to sail on a real, old-fashioned ocean liner. By 2010, new international SOLAS (Safety of Life at Sea) regulations will prohibit Empress's kind of woody interiors, chunky steelwork, and charmingly illogical hall plans. After that, you'll only be able to see them in the movies or as a permanently docked museum -- the fate of Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA (www.queenmary.com), Holland America's former flagship ss Rotterdam in the Netherlands (www.ssrotterdam.net), and maybe even Regal Empress herself, if recently-launched preservations efforts succeed (www.ssmaritime.com/olympiacampaign.htm).
For now, Empress is still in service and going strong. More over-the-hill vaudeville trouper than glamorous star, but she's a real ship-ship, totally unlike today's steroidal, hotel-like megaships. Former owners Regal Cruises kept her in good shape, initiating several well-planned refurbishments that ripped out bad, glitzy 1980s additions and reemphasized the classic elements of her decor. Outside, her nautical navy-and-white hull is a throwback with its riveted hull (all modern ships have welded plates) and long, graceful bow. Inside she's a hodgepodge, with classic elements coexisting with some cheap lounge furnishings. Put on the blinders and only look at the good stuff: the rich wood paneling that covers the main stair landings, the dining room, and the purser's lobby; the sunken seating clusters port and starboard in the cozy Commodore Lounge (one of my favorite rooms aboard any ship); and the little-used but delightful old-fashioned enclosed promenade. The ship's layout is peculiarly charming, owing to years of alterations and also to the fact that she was originally built as a two-class ocean liner, carrying 138 first-class passengers and 1,169 tourist-class, with a layout configured to keep the two mostly separate. Today, with the areas merged for use by everyone, the Regal Empress is full of odd little stairways leading from deck to deck, doors that go where you wouldn't think they would, and corridors that twist and turn like an English hedge maze. It's like an old house: quirky and unique, and as different as can be from the open design of most modern ships.
Let's not be dishonest, though: Empress shows her age, and for every classic element there's a worn one to balance it, like scuffed cabin walls, stained or sagging ceiling tiles, and a "been at sea too long" smell in some areas. Cabins in general are motel quality at best, but who cares? You'll only be aboard for two nights, and if you're a lover of old ships you'll be wandering around the ship all day anyway, gawking at her old-time design.
The onboard experience is surprisingly good, considering Empress's low rates, which range upward from $129 per person to only to $499 for the best cabin, at high season. Dining in the Empress's attractive, wood-paneled Caribbean dining room is a 1950s time warp, with its original etched glass, ornate wall sconces, oil paintings, and New York mural oozing ocean liner charm. The cuisine, while not gourmet in any way, is decent and served professionally by a fleet of waiters and their assistants. Outside, a semi-covered buffet serves breakfast and lunch. Activities and entertainment are limited, since you're only aboard for two nights, but expect a small-scale show in the not-very-grand Grand Lounge, a piano player in the Commodore Lounge, dancing in the disco and the sternside Mermaid Lounge, bingo, gambling, karaoke, and a complimentary champagne reception with the captain on day two. At port in Nassau, the line offers several extra-cost shore excursions to Blue Lagoon Island, including simple beach runs, parasailing, snorkeling, glass-bottom boat tours, and stingray swims.
At any given time, about 50% of passengers are aboard as part of land-sea package deals, often sold via telemarketers. The other 50% are generally South Florida locals and vacationers looking to add a quick Bermuda hop to their Florida vacation. A fair number are sampling the cruise experience for the first time.
Head to our Cruise Message Boards to talk with fellow travelers about the Empress.