Regal Empress: Imperial Majesty's Classic Liner offers the best of two eras

Cruise Travel, March-April, 2005 by Peter Knego

We stood on the forward Sun Deck of Imperial Majesty Cruise Line's Regal Empress as she departed Ft. Lauderdale on a late December afternoon. Her unique stature as the last vintage passenger vessel in U.S.-based service became all the more apparent as a series of squared-off megaships maneuvered past with azimuth- and thruster-enhanced agility, reflecting the pinkish sunset in their endless acres of glass balcony paneling. Above us, the gracefully sweptback arc of the Regal Empress's open bridge wing was abuzz with navigation officers exchanging commands with an assisting tug.

A short walk aft along a fully encircling teak deck under a canopy of traditional lifeboats found us on a terrace overlooking the rounded stern. The pool and adjacent lido were lined with passengers enjoying the sailaway festivities, which included horse-racing and steel-band music. With a faint stream of diesel exhaust flowing from her finned funnel, the Regal Empress picked up speed as she entered the channel. On her portside, landlubbers lined the balconies of some of Ft. Lauderdale's most expensive condominium towers, saluting us with improvised horns and flashing lights. Moments later, our former ocean liner was gently rolling in the balmy Atlantic, her native waters for more than 50 years, setting a course for Nassau.

In 1953 the General Steam Navigation Company (also known as Greek Line) introduced its 23,800-gross-register-ton/21-knot steamship Olympia. Built on Scotland's River Clyde by Alexander Stephen and Company, she was designed to carry 138 first-class and 1,169 tourist-class passengers between Germany and New York. By all accounts, the new Greek flagship was a handsome vessel with a sharply raked, knuckled bow, trendy tripod radio mast, cone-shaped funnel, and classic cruiser stern.

The Olympia was transferred to the Mediterranean run from New York in 1955. She was converted into a full-time cruise ship in 1970. When the fuel crisis in 1974 bankrupted Greek Line, she was nearly finished off as she was laid up near Piraeus. In 1981 the still very solid Olympia was purchased by Effjohn and converted into the 904-passenger cruise ship Caribe (later Caribe I) for its Commodore Cruise Line division. Her fuel-hungry turbines were replaced with more efficient Deutz diesels, and her public rooms and accommodations were refitted. The Caribe I became a fixture in Miami-based, seven-night Caribbean cruise service. In 1993 she was sold to newly formed Regal Cruises and renamed Regal Empress. In 1997 she was brought into compliance with new SOLAS (Safety Of Life At Sea) international ship regulations during a refit that saw the addition of balconies to her Promenade Deck suites and the installation of a new lido cafe (La Trattoria) and internet center.

In 2003 the Regal Empress was bought by Imperial Majesty Cruise Line as a replacement for its popular OceanBreeze on year-round two-night cruises from Ft. Lauderdale to Nassau. The Regal Empress has a healthy repeat passenger factor due to her high-value-for-the-fare service, food, and entertainment. Those who have never sampled cruising can enjoy a slice of life at sea, all for about what it would cost to stay two nights in a Ft. Lauderdale hotel. Many of the basic activities one would find on the large cruise ships (rock-climbing, ice-skating, and exotic spas aside) can be experienced in an informal way with Imperial Majesty.

The Regal Empress's labyrinthine passageways and broken-up layout may confound people used to today's cookie-cutter ships, but those who survey their surroundings are in for a special treat. There are etched-glass panels, solid-brass and nickel fixtures, and painstakingly executed marquetry--all hand-fitted by artisans whose skills vanished with the advent of the jumbo jet.

The maple-paneled Caribbean Dining Room--with its Art Deco-style sconces, mirrored panels of oceanic fantasies (featuring whimsical mermaids, galleons, and octopi), and evocative oil paintings of Europe and New York--provides a stunning backdrop for a first-rate culinary experience. The Library (which can be secured for use as a conference room by the group department at booking time) is a throwback to Edwardian times with its dark-walnut bookcases and elaborate cornice work. Look closely and you will find four Greek Line "crowns" carved into the paneling. The Commodore Club, originally Olympia's Aegean Club, sports sunken burl-paneled alcoves overlooking Sun Deck. From these intimate nooks (framed by Art Deco-style brass balustrades), a cocktail and lively conversation can be enjoyed before or after dinner, much as it was 50 years ago.

Other appealing physical features of the Regal Empress include a special terrace for cigar smoking, a glass-enclosed promenade, sheltered sunning space on aft Sports Deck, and a covered, wooden horseshoe-shaped bar adjacent to the pool on aft Promenade Deck. The popular 175-seat Mermaid Bar adjoins the Commodore Club, and features a glass ceiling and tinted glass-brick motif. There is an Internet Cafe plus a Coffee Bar, dedicated Children's Room, and a small Card Room on Promenade Deck.