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Cruise Ship Reviews : Princess Cruises Reviews

Emerald Princess reviews


Emerald Princess reviews

Average customer rating:
3.74 / 5

Average Rating based on 17 Reviews:
Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 3.53
Cabin Design = 3.47
Entertainment = 2.81
Fitness Center = 4.20
Food Quality = 4.00
Ship Maintenance = 4.06
Spa = 3.71
Specialty Restaurant = 3.78
Staff and Service = 4.24
3.53
3.47
2.81
4.20
4.00
4.06
3.71
3.78
4.24







Ozcruiser saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 1
Cabin Design = 2
Entertainment = 1
Fitness Center = 4
Food Quality = 1
Ship Maintenance = 4
Specialty Restaurant = 5
Staff and Service = 4
1
2
1
4
1
4
5
4

Very disappointed - 48-day cruise from Southampton to Sydney, December 7, 2016
Reviewer: Ozcruiser

Pros: Staff mostly great - food in Princess Grill excellent

Cons: Indian visa debacle, excursions, food & entertainment poor, no library

Date of cruise: September 28, 2016

Departure port: Southampton

Cabin category: Balcony

When we originally booked the cruise, we wanted a mini-suite but were told there were none available. While in UK, we were told by the Southampton office that mini-suite A329 on Dolphin deck was available and an approximate upgrade cost would be around AUD $2,500. We were told that we would have to contact Princess in Australia as that was where our booking was originally made. This was where we found out that if in UK or Europe, it was impossible to call Princess Australia as all calls were diverted by Princess to Southampton office. Not to be deterred, we then emailed Princess Australia who replied that the cost to upgrade to the mini suite would be AUD$11,640. When we told Princess what to do with their AUD$11,640 upgrade, they replied that they would do it for AUD$2,000 provided that we called them on a 13 number within 24 hours (Impossible from outside Australia and they knew we were then in UK). Well, by the time we did contact them (through the kind help of a Southampton offices staff members friend in Australia) Princess told us that we hadnt replied within the 24 hours demanded by them and consequently the mini suite was no longer available to us. COST OF CRUISE DEPENDS ON WHERE YOU BUY IT ! As if this experience wasnt bad enough, during the cruise a fellow passenger from UK asked how much the cruise had cost us. When we told them AUD$20,000 plus they gasped they only had to pay the equivalent of AUD$16,000 for the same cruise. An American passenger present then advised us that they had paid a little over AUD$12,000 for the same cruise that we were all currently on Theres a lesson here, never buy a Princess cruise in Australia much cheaper if you buy in UK or better still in USA ! ! ! INDIAN VISAS We were told by Princess prior to the cruise that we would be denied boarding if we had not obtained a visa for India, whether or not we planned to go ashore there. We had no intention of going ashore in India and would have been more pleased if the ship did not even call there. We then had to spend some AUD$400 to obtain the visas required by Princess but when we arrived in India, the hundreds of passengers that had not obtained their visas were told they didnt need a visa if they stayed on board as we had planned to do. It turned out we were not the only passengers who had been forced by Princess to spend hundreds of dollars completely unnecessarily (and we spoke with several Americans who had been forced by Princess to similarly spend over a thousand dollars [AUD.] to get their Indian visas that they didnt really need as they did not get off in India) To rub salt into the wound, all passengers were then hurriedly sent a letter from Princesss lawyers trying to shift the blame to the Indian government (obviously to try to avoid the class action that we have been told has been started by passengers against Princess for damages and compensation caused by Princess) Not even so much as a word of apology to affected passengers from Princess for their incompetence ! LIBRARY: Shortly after embarkation we decide to visit the library on board. There was no library attendant and there were NO BOOKS other than a few in non-English languages (see pics) just bare empty bookshelves ! ON BOARD ENTERTAINMENT: There seemed to be only a few decent shows put on by Princess and these were repeated over and over during the 48 day cruise. The other entertainment provided by Princess was of poor quality and obviously the cheapest they could get. Most of the remaining entertainment was provided (at no cost to Princess) by the passengers e.g. Fashion Parades, Choir, Talent Time etc and even those were repeated over and over. Princess even spoiled the Talent Time show by preselecting a semi-professional screamer (singer) as the winner when there were several other contestants with more talent in their little finger and who the consensus of passengers gauged to be much better than the person selected by Princess. FORMAL DRESS CODE: There were around eight formal nights during our 48-day cruise and on each of these nights at least 95% of men wore Black Tie and the majority of ladies wore evening gowns. It was rare to see a man in a suit or a lady wearing other than at her glamorous best. Princess's advertising blurb carries on about dress on formal nights but we were amazed to witness a few improperly dressed male passengers (open-necked golf T shirt, no jacket) that were allowed entry to dinner at Crown Grill on a formal night. When we questioned the matre d', we were told We cater for everyone - casual dress is OK. What about the heavily tattooed male passenger wearing a blue singlet, shorts and scuffs who was allowed entrance to Horizons for dinner ? DINING ROOMS: After trying both dining rooms (we had anytime dining) we dined in the dining rooms only a couple of times after finding the food pretty ordinary and the service not much better. On one occasion, my wife sent her meal back 3 times and in the end, we walked out in disgust and went up to Horizons to eat. Other passengers at our table had similar experiences. HORIZON COURT: We found the food here ranged from average to excellent and much better than the dining rooms. We found the staff both behind the counters and in the dining areas very good. As a result we ate here most of the time PRINCESS GRILL: We dined here on three occasions and found the food and the service excellent on each occasion. This restaurant was without peer in the dining stakes on board the Emerald ! ROOM SERVICE: Pathetic little menu - food served is terrible examples - sandwiches made with dry, stale bread without butter, requested 3-minute boiled eggs and received cold, harder than concrete 30-minute boiled eggs, etc etc all of which is obviously designed by Princess to save money by totally discouraging passengers from using room service PRINCESS EXCURSIONS: We were disappointed by the lack of knowledge or information / misinformation / (untruths) re ports and tours etc. by staff, especially the tour desk. After our experiences during the Civitavecchia and Dubai excursions, we cancelled all 11 remaining pre-booked excursions Rome excursion 3 October 2016: (winery) 3 hours in bus told would be 1 hours no vineyards taken to a shed with a few bottles of wine for sale elderly passenger unconscious after falling backwards off a stool - bus would not start to return to ship injured passenger not transferred to working bus for repatriation back to ship and forced to wait until bus repaired tour was to have ua back on ship by 2 p.m. back at ship 5:45 p.m. Dubai excursion 17 October 2016: Elderly passenger about to collapse on the street - no compassion or assistance offered by guide - fellow passenger ill trying to walk back to bus in unshaded blazing heat told by guide Come on, hurry up, we must get back to bus REFRIGERATOR: We arrived no board to find a warm refrigerator in our cabin. Although a man came to fix it, he told us that it was the best he could do. It was not even cold enough to stop butter from melting, for the entire trip SMOKING ROOM: It's one thing to restrict smoking to one room but quite another to restrict it to a tiny dirty, non-ventilated room with not even enough chairs for passengers who do smoke to sit in there (see pic) ON BOARD CLASSES EDUCATION: Apart from those talks simply seeking to sell something at grossly inflated prices (by Princess) e.g. diamonds, artwork, massages etc there was simply nothing ! What about some classes in Photoshop, Chess, Bridge, basket weaving etc. like other cruises ? Again, apart from blatant advertising talks by Princess, most talks and discussion groups were contributed by passengers who advised us that Princess was too stingy to pay them even a small fee or even present them with a small gift or certificate for their trouble ! UNSOLICITED JUNK MAIL: Finding unsolicited junk mail in our cabin mailbox daily and in also daily bulletin was a big turnoff as was being personally accosted in public areas by Princess girls trying to sell overpriced massages, etc CABIN BOYS: We had a good one. However others were not so lucky, e.g., comment one from cabin boy to another cabin boy overheard by passenger while placing room service tray out for collection They must have been hungry why cant they eat with the rest of the passengers ? STAFF GENERALLY: On a positive note there were some excellent, professional and caring staff on board who went the extra mile in Customer Services front desk, drink waiters, in Horizons, our cabin boy, the bar boys on 16th floor smoking area (Southampton to Singapore) and the manager of the Michelangelo Dining Room to mention but a few. However, there was also a really ignorant, arrogant senior staff member who had a standard reply to anything one said to him. Obviously, this person never listened to comments/questions from passengers and would simply smile and reply Im so glad to hear youre having a wonderful cruise on the beautiful Emerald Princess Im pretty sure if I said to him The back of the ship has fallen off and there are 400 passengers swimming for their lives I would get the same smile and the same reply ! SUMMARY: We cannot believe the sheer, bare-faced arrogance of Princess cruises claiming over and over to be The consummate host. We wondered whether any Princess staff even knew the meaning of the word CONSUMMATE? (i.e. showing a high degree of skill and flair; complete or perfect) Despite being in business for many years, Princess appears to have learned little if anything about customer service or skill or flair and are nowhere near complete or perfect as they so arrogantly claim. The naked and insatiable greed and grab for every possible dollar by Princess, coupled with their sheer arrogance, is really breathtaking! We have been on many cruises over the years, mostly with Princess. The first time we sailed with Princess was from Sydney to Los Angeles in 2008 and that cruise was magical when we arrived in LA 32 days later, none of the passengers including us wanted to disembark as we had all enjoyed it so much. It convinced us to cruise with Princess in future. However, after our experiences with the cruise from Southampton to Sydney, we would never sail with Princess again.


Nomad saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 1
Cabin Design = 1
Entertainment = 3
Fitness Center = 4
Food Quality = 3
Ship Maintenance = 2
Specialty Restaurant = 2
Staff and Service = 3
1
1
3
4
3
2
2
3

Not up to expectations as promoted. Fleeced!, August 7, 2016
Reviewer: Nomad

Pros: Good-looking ship and relatively good amenities

Cons: Overcrowded and small cabins. Uncontrolled teenagers wandering around late eve.

Date of cruise: July 1, 2016

Departure port: Southampton

Region visited: Mediterranean

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: A437

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: No

Cabin A437. Far too small for two adults and one child; 3rd bed is lowered by steward each evening and is immediately over the main bed. It is unsettling for the sleepers who may as well be in a small bunk bed! Balcony was in need of painting and repair with rust and broken lock to next cabin. Could not get balcony door to lock. You can hear the next cabin's toilets flush and TV, etc. Drinks packages: Overpriced for what you get! Especially the soda package that promises soft drinks and mocktails, however, there are just 5 to choose from that are basically slush puppies in a plastic child's cup. Overcrowded: The small pools are surrounded by deck chairs which are no way sufficient for the number of passengers - hence people are up very very early to unfairly reserve them :( Also, the pools were full of small children all the time (mostly unsupervised) with teenagers and adults feeling uncomfortable to enter as you feel you are in a goldfish bowl - if you have any issues about you body shape or size you won't have the confidence to enter. Many women did not go in as everyone just stared (or ogled) at! Entertainment: Even for a cruise ship the live entertainment was very poor. Any entertainer worth seeing was therefore in demand by the passengers who, just like the deckchair reservists, arrived at the venues hours before to get the limited seats. Food: As you expect from a luxury liner the food was abundant with dining rooms (fixed or anytime), specialist areas (extra costs) and large buffets. First-time cruisers will find this a good experience but others will compare the quality and variety against other cruises they have been on and realize the chooses, options and quality is less than expected. Fleeced: This ship has a fundamental business policy that is about making as much money as possible from the passengers who have already paid a small fortune already. Be prepared that every talk, event, shop, dinning room waiters, etc, will do their best to offer 'specials' that when toted up could cost you a lot of money. Staff: Most of the staff and crew will bend over backwards to assist and help. Obviously this is in accordance with the Princess training and expectations. However, it needs to be considered that their pay is low, they work long hours and work for 9 months of the year without a holiday. Their pay is also linked to a daily gratuity charge to each passenger on board. You will not see any steward, waiter, cleaner or bar tender that is British or American which seems to be unfair... could this be that they are cheaper? Not sure. Alcohol: You are not allowed to take any on board other than a 70cl bottle of wine per passenger. Any bought in the duty free shop or at shore will be kept until you disembark for home. This is the policy of all the cruise companies I've been with but is nothing more than a way of forcing you to buy over priced drinks from the bars! My tip is to buy your duty free from shops you stop at on shore. For example, I bought four bottles of 1 liter Smirnoff red label vodka in Gibraltar for 20 with the same product costing 44 on board.


jtcruise15 saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 5
Cabin Design = 3
Entertainment = 5
Fitness Center = 3
Food Quality = 4
Ship Maintenance = 4
Spa = 3
Specialty Restaurant = 3
Staff and Service = 5
5
3
5
3
4
4
3
3
5

Great for a First Time Cruise, April 17, 2015
Reviewer: jtcruise15

Pros: The staff are pleasant, professional and accommodating

Cons: The 8 yo ship's plumbing system needs some work. A pump overheated, minor scare.

Date of cruise: April 5, 2015

Departure port: Houston

Region visited: Caribbean - Western

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: B523

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

From the moment our family (9) settled in to our cabins, the assigned steward greeted us and made the group feel comfortable. Breakfast and lunch are buffet style and there are abundant choices of food, from fresh fruit and veggies, cold cuts, cheese, cereal-cold and hot, fish, meat, bread and lots of desserts. Dinner is a different experience, with an assigned waiter and assistant throughout the cruise. Two nights are set aside to dress up with photo ops prior to dinner. Photos are non-obligatory, but the professional photographers do a great job. The shows are fun and entertaining and there are various events to choose from at any given time. Each cabin receives a bulletin every day that provides events, there location and time. There are multiple pools, a quiet area called "The Sanctuary" (where you can find the Spa), game areas and a gym. Shopping on board is fun and there are special discounts on jewelry, top brands of alcohol, clothing, artwork, perfumes and colognes. At the end of the day you can watch a movie under the stars or relax in a lounge/bar with a pianist playing your favorite tunes. Don't be shy and sing along. Upon returning to home port, we all felt refreshed and relaxed. That was the reason we decided on this mode of travel and it lived up to our expectations.


Sunbern52 saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 2
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 3
Food Quality = 2
Ship Maintenance = 4
Staff and Service = 2
2
4
3
2
4
2

Princess still good, but declining, November 16, 2014
Reviewer: Sunbern52

Pros: Staff extremely friendly, helpful, accommodating

Cons: Declining quality of service and food

Date of cruise: October 25, 2014

Departure port: Southampton

Region visited: Transoceanic

Cabin category: Jr. Suite

Cabin number: D606

Good for children: No

Good for teenagers: No

The ship itself is beautiful, well designed and immaculately clean. Beds are comfortable, lots of great public venues and seating areas. Nice promenade deck. Pub Lunch on sea days is very nice. I can most definitely say the staff on this ship is amazing - friendly, helpful, and accommodating considering they have to deal with some really inconsiderate passengers. A relative newcomer to Princess should be well satisfied with this ship. However, I'm Elite with Princess having cruised for over 20 years and have noticed a steady decline in amenities, quality and service, and if this is your first Princess cruise, you may not notice. Smaller martini glasses, shorter pours, bigger price. Watered down fresh squeezed OJ. Bad coffee. Declining MDR food since the pay-for specialty restaurants arrived. Fewer waiters for more tables. Less quality in salad bar offerings in Horizon Court. Salad dressings used to be amazing, now they are awful. No more Texas hold-em tournaments. One Black Jack tournament instead of two = one winning payout but two qualifying rounds at $20 a pop = more money to Princess. No more wine sommelier. No more bridge directors. Sanctuary prices doubled. Declining entertainment quality. Crappy trivia prizes. Also a willingness to not enforce rules about MDR dress codes and children in adult pools is very disconcerting. All these equal cost-cutting for bottom line, but will eventually push loyal passengers like myself and others to another cruise line. I'll pay more to get quality. Will I cruise Princess again? Certainly, but now with lower expectations than before.


emulderrig13 saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 5
Entertainment = 2
Fitness Center = 4
Food Quality = 2
Ship Maintenance = 5
Spa = 5
Specialty Restaurant = 5
Staff and Service = 5
4
5
2
4
2
5
5
5
5

Very relaxing and enjoyable vacation, January 13, 2014
Reviewer: emulderrig13

Pros: The adults-only swimming pool

Cons: No place for smokers to SIT and enjoy a cigarette outside

Date of cruise: December 28, 2013

Departure port: Fort Lauderdale

Region visited: Caribbean - Southern

Cabin category: Jr. Suite

Cabin number: D702

Our mini-suite stateroom was just perfect. It allowed time in the room to be comfortable and enjoyable. The ship is kept very clean. The ship gives all a very relaxing feeling. Would like a little more variety outside of "Italian Flair" cuisine. New Year's was absolutely a blast. My husband and I went to three different parities, and each one was a great celebration. The duo-couple were the best for age groups 55 and up. The party in the atrium area made us feel young again. avorite port of call was Aruba.


roilion saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 3
Entertainment = 2
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 5
Staff and Service = 4
4
3
2
5
5
4

Very good value for the price - good service and nice ship, August 15, 2011
Reviewer: roilion

Pros: Bar service is made by caring and competent waiters.

Cons: Service in the shops is really poor.

Date of cruise: July 29, 2011

Departure port: Copenhagen

Region visited: Europe

Cabin category: Outside

Cabin number: P304

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

Beautiful ship, good bar service. Some waiters are efficient (not all) in anytime dining room. In general, there is a real wish to please the customer everywhere, even at the main information desk. I recommend this ship.


btrammell saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 3
Fitness Center = 4
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 4
Staff and Service = 4
4
4
3
4
5
4
4

Many great experiences onboard the Emerald Princess, July 20, 2011
Reviewer: btrammell

Pros: Found the best dining room team ever

Cons: "Anytime Dining" waiters just do not care about their service

Date of cruise: September 29, 2010

Departure port: Ft.Lauderdale

Region visited: Caribbean - Southern

Cabin category: Jr. Suite

Good for children: No

Good for teenagers: No

Embarkation was wonderful with chairs to sit in groups while waiting to be called to present our documents. Beautiful ship. Junior suite was very comfortable. Our family members were in the cabin next to ours so our stateroom attendant opened the balcony divider. Our first two experiences with Anytime Dining were a disaster (including the night of my husband's and my birthdays and anniversary -- it is all in one day). The third try we found Woody and Sakkeria (probably royally messed up that spelling!) Anyway, they were AWESOME ! We made sure to get to their table every night from then on! I was lucky enough to be served by Woody at afternoon tea also. A MUST DO activity. Involved myself in many interesting conversations there. Food was fantastic from breakfast to pizza all the way to dinner and snacks at the nighttime movie. Self service ice cream! Buffet had great crab claws one night. Comedians, hypnotists, karaoke were fun, did not see the shows. Pools and movie screen outdoors were great. Enjoyed the Casino a bit but had no great fortune. Port stops were handled efficiently . Shops onboard were OK. Liked the selection at the cosmetics vendors and the logo stores. Did not use the spa or gym but my grown stepson said the fitness center was good but needed to open earlier. Our Itenerary was fantastic ! Princess Cays was good, St.Thomas was good but the dock they put us in was ghetto. Dominica awesome, Grenada fantastic -- wish we could have been there more than four hours. Bonaire had great snorkeling and Aruba was OK - would have been better to be there on a day other than Sunday. The ship had to come back to port the night before expected because a storm was anticipated so debarkation was smooth. I would love to cruise on this ship again....


Scottydog saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 3
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 1
Fitness Center = 4
Food Quality = 4
Ship Maintenance = 4
Spa = 4
Specialty Restaurant = 5
Staff and Service = 4
3
4
1
4
4
4
4
5
4

Ship is rather boring in art and decor, elevators worked poorly., May 29, 2011
Reviewer: Scottydog

Pros: Dining room staff worked hard to maintain quality.

Cons: Purser's staff very mean and not very helpful.

Date of cruise: April 27, 2011

Departure port: Ft Lauderdale

Region visited: Transoceanic

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: B303

Staff was disorganized for shore excursions. We consistently got off the boat late. Pursers office made everything difficult, from mailing postcards to exchanging money for our entire group. The coffee was terrible (made from syrup not beans!; the only decent cup was from the International Cafe, which cost extra $. Drink prices continue to rise and the level of service on the Emerald Princess continues to drop. Tipping is now automatic and you can not remove from your bill for poor service. It would not be bad if the crew actually got the money, but they get much less then paid amount by customers. Another profit center for the cruise lines.


joe green saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Spa
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 5
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 2
Food Quality = 5
Spa = 5
Staff and Service = 5
5
4
2
5
5
5

Princess continues to provide excellent value, November 3, 2010
Reviewer: joe green

Pros: Excellent service is the highlight of Emerald Princess

Cons: None

Departure port: ft lauderdale

Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern

Cabin category: Jr. Suite

Cabin number: d702

Good for children: Yes

Wife is 84, I am 87 and both just love cruising. While we seldom leave the ship to visit the ports anymore, we still enjoy the exceptional service and food provided by the Princess fleet, with the latest being the Emerald. The staff are always there to make sure everything is the way you expect. For instance, on the second night at sea, the cabin was creaking, so much that it kept me awake. Within a short time they sent the ship's carpenter to investigate. The wooden ceiling molding in the corner of the cabin was apparently rubbing against the wall while the ship was sailing at an increased speed. He inserted a shim in the molding and the creaking stopped. Back to a sound sleep. This was our 16th voyage with Princess, and the second on the Emerald. Hopefully, we will sail on several more. For those thinking of taking a cruise on emerald princess, have no qualms. Go, you will have the time of your life.


arnoldmarc saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 2
Cabin Design = 3
Entertainment = 1
Fitness Center = 4
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 1
Spa = 3
Specialty Restaurant = 4
Staff and Service = 4
2
3
1
4
5
1
3
4
4

Real poor entertainment team; bad choice of grand theater show, October 24, 2010
Reviewer: arnoldmarc

Pros: Some of the dining personnel

Cons: The cruise director and his team

Date of cruise: October 9, 2010

Departure port: fort-lauterdale

Region visited: Caribbean - Western

Cabin category: Outside

Cabin number: E428

Good for children: No

Good for teenagers: No

The only two good musical shows were copies of Crown Princess shows. The entertainment team was never there at the right time to liven up a party, especially at the Caribbean party. They try to look good at the last day at sea only. The food were well presented and the french chef made a difference. A lot of employese are burnt out and they just want to live on the ship and it shows in their interaction with customers.


jessica saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 1
Cabin Design = 2
Ship Maintenance = 2
Spa = 1
Staff and Service = 2
1
2
2
1
2

Would never go back to Princess, October 16, 2010
Reviewer: jessica

Pros: Getting on and off the ship

Cons: The food

Departure port: ft lauderdale

Region visited: Caribbean - Southern

Cabin category: Jr. Suite

Cabin number: e725

Good for children: No

Good for teenagers: No

This was the worst cruise I have ever taken. I have been on the Crown Princess and had a great time, but now I wil not be back. We had the worst weather and I know that it was not Princess' fault, however, they could have changed where we went. The food was just awful. I have never eaten so much pizza and so many burgers on a cruise and this was my seventh. I didn't pay all this money to eat things I can eat at home. Someone needs to tell the cooks that not everyone loves mushrooms. They were in everything. If you are 65 or older and don't want anything much to do this is the cruise for you. The staff was just okay. They didn't go out of their way and I think they were bored as well. The ship needs to go into dry dock it is looking its age. The slots were the tightest I have seen. I never saw anyone win much money. If you are from the USA then I'm not sure you would like that most of the people were from other countries. I love to cruise but this was soooo boring I will not be back.


grenimle43 saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 5
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 4
Fitness Center = 5
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 5
Specialty Restaurant = 4
Staff and Service = 5
5
4
4
5
5
5
4
5

Long-time HAL cruiser surprised by excellent ship, staff and service, October 4, 2010
Reviewer: grenimle43

Pros: Fantastic service in all areas of the ship top to bottom

Cons: This ship exceeded all expectations

Date of cruise: September 19, 2010

Departure port: Ft Lauderdale

Region visited: Caribbean - Southern

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: C320

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

Again, many cruises on many cruise lines but never a Princess ship. Alhough I was disappointed by the service provided by Cruises and More through Cruise Compete we quickly forgot it upon boarding. This ship rocks! We spent many nights at Movies Under the Stars while having an ice cream cone. The gym is intense and well equipped though the 7 a.m. starting time is not suited to early risers...(poor design of suites directly beneath the treadmills). My suggestion: Do not buy the thermal suite for the week, try day passes when needed. The wave pool forward is tremendous way to spend a day or so at sea. The Piazza and Cafe are fantastic. I do, however, long for the cruise director of old not this new style, overly stylish one. Food was plentiful and well prepared and dishes did not taste commercial. Soups and sauces were well prepared which is rare.


anniemarco saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 5
Cabin Design = 5
Entertainment = 5
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 5
Staff and Service = 5
5
5
5
5
5
5

We had an amazing time, September 10, 2010
Reviewer: anniemarco

Pros: Staff is wonderful, ship beautiful and food was delicious

Cons: Nothing

Date of cruise: January 31, 2010

Departure port: Fort Lauderdale

Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern

Cabin category: Balcony

Cabin number: C503

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

This was our first cruise and what a wonderful decision we made to choose this ship. The ship is so beautiful we couldn't believe our eyes when we first walked through it. We were just walking around in AWE!!! The food was so delicious that we just stayed in the main restaurants, staff was so friendly also. There was always something for us to do. The shows were all great and when we went to see the comedians we just laughed our heads off. We had a balcony suite so we did spend some time just sitting outside on our balcony and enjoyed the views, we even saw a whale and some dolphins. That was AMAZING!!! And the ports of call (Pricess Cays, St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Grand Turk) just made our trip that much sweeter. We did some touring and, of course, shopping for jewelry is a must in St Thomas. For our first cruise this was the best trip ever and will definitely not be our last cruise. We'd been to Dominican Republic before and also went to California, Arizona and most of Northern USA but this trip was by far the best. Getting to see four differents islands on the one trip was great. We also spent a week in Fort Lauderdale before our cruise so our holidays started on a great note. When you try to book tours at every port of call, it does get a bit hectic so I would recommend to not overload. Don't book too much and you will be able to enjoy the experience that much better. On our day in St Maarten (the only day we had pre-booked a tour) we were on the island from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and our tour was from 10:30 to 2:30 but once we got back from our tour we also wanted to do a bit of touring in the downtown. We were running around to see everything and be back on the ship by 5:30. By the time we got back to the ship, we were played out. Oh, and there were five ships there so there were more than 10,000 people on the island. It was crazy busy!!!! But we would do it again in a heartbeat and would recommend it to anyone. Everyone should try this at least once in your life.


umuva saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 5
Cabin Design = 5
Entertainment = 4
Fitness Center = 5
Food Quality = 4
Ship Maintenance = 5
Specialty Restaurant = 1
Staff and Service = 5
5
5
4
5
4
5
1
5

Ship improved over previous cruise, August 30, 2010
Reviewer: umuva

Pros: Staff friendliness, cleanliness of vessel, activities

Cons: Crown Grill

Date of cruise: August 22, 2010

Departure port: Fort Lauderdale

Region visited: Caribbean - Eastern

Cabin category: Inside

Cabin number: A240

We are platinum Princess cruisers and this was our second cruise on the Emerald Princess. We previously sailed in November of 2008. The ship was much improved. Staff was very friendly and made activites fun to attend. Cabin steward Lino was excellent. Food in the dining room was improved over two years ago and service was impeccable. However, both my wife and I find the beef to be somewhat tasteless. Prefer to BBQ a steak from Publix anytime. The Crown Grill is a waste of money. My ribeye was tasteless and had a heavy sauce over it. If there were any seasonings on it, they had been cooked out. My wife's strip steak was similar. For $25 each, a lot to be desired. Princess says no shorts in dining room but it is not always enforced. It should be. Shorts are for the buffet area. Also, on formal nights it should be jacket/tie in the dining room. If you don't want to dress up fine, eat elsewhere. Soon it will be like the airlines -- deteriorating behavior, service, etc. Buffets upstairs offered a wide variety of foods and were generally quite good. Princess is excellent on its baked goods; plenty of shrimp; breakfasts always very good. Trident Grill for burgers, Vines for tapas, sushi, and wine very good. Movies Under the Stars were excellent with a wide variety of recent films. A great Princess innovation. All in all we were satisfied and will be back on the Emerald Princess in November.


sabrejobs saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 2
Food Quality = 4
Ship Maintenance = 5
Staff and Service = 5
4
4
2
4
5
5

Paid about $150/day for Mediterranean 5-country, 12-day trip. Magnificent., August 19, 2010
Reviewer: sabrejobs

Pros: Ports; wonderful feel of the ship; great cabin E703 no obstruction;great price

Cons: The long rides from port to Rome and Florence and the cost of shore excursions

Date of cruise: May 29, 2007

Departure port: Barcelona

Region visited: Mediterranean

Cabin category: Outside

Cabin number: E703

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

Barcelona is a great place to start a cruise; great, lively diverse city; loved ALL the ports. If you are courageous and internet savvy, try booking local shore excursions, esp. in places like Mykonos, Istanbul, Athens or even Naples where the ship is close to the sights anyway...no fear of missing ship's departure...cost would be about 1/2. Night life was just okay....not too much happening at night that we could see, but the ports on their 12-day Barcelona to Venice were exceptional. Any chance you can come into Venice by ship will be an unbelievable experience. Loved the ship and the cabin. They do not have the bed up against the window so you can look out anytime. Try booking an obstructed view cabin, but search their deck plan for a cabin with no obvious obstruction. We did and it paid off. You can see an example of this on Emerald Deck, Cabin E703 (ours). We paid the price of a cabin with a lifeboat in front of it, but we had no lifeboat.


valyn14 saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Fitness Center
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Spa
Specialty Restaurant
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 4
Cabin Design = 4
Entertainment = 5
Fitness Center = 5
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 5
Spa = 5
Specialty Restaurant = 5
Staff and Service = 5
4
4
5
5
5
5
5
5
5

It was a great and fantastic experience. the staff is great!, June 22, 2010
Reviewer: valyn14

Pros: The excellent staff. The ship is also very big and has everything.

Cons: No cons!

Date of cruise: June 6, 2010

Departure port: Ft. Lauderdale

Region visited: Caribbean - Western

Cabin category: Inside

Cabin number: D507

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

Everything was great. The shore excursions available are also very wonderful.


jeffmgold saw things this way:

Value For Money
Cabin Design
Entertainment
Food Quality
Ship Maintenance
Staff and Service
Value For Money = 5
Cabin Design = 2
Entertainment = 2
Food Quality = 5
Ship Maintenance = 5
Staff and Service = 5
5
2
2
5
5
5

Great food and service, fair entertainment, June 18, 2010
Reviewer: jeffmgold

Pros: Treated like royalty

Cons: Visiting Ocho Rios

Date of cruise: June 6, 2012

Departure port: Ft. Lauderdale

Region visited: Caribbean - Western

Cabin category: Outside

Cabin number: E611

Good for children: Yes

Good for teenagers: Yes

We talked to many travelers. We chose to eat with whoever they seated us with during all meals. This allowed us to meet interesting people from all around the world and make new friends. The only meal we ate at the buffet was during boarding. It was marginal. All the meals that we ate at the anytime dining room were fantastic. The service in the dining halls was fantastic. Most of the cruisers seemed to prefer Princess Cruises. None said they liked Carnival best. A few liked Royal Caribbean best. This seemed to hold for both first time and many time cruisers. We like to be casual when we eat. I think Princess finally got this. During the two dress-up nights we seemed to get by with button down shirt and regular shoes and non-jeans pants. During other meals.. pretty much shirt and shoes. Every server we had was fantastic and was 100 percent concerned that you liked the food or they would bring something else. They also handled special cooking requests with a very positive attitude on every occasion. The entertainment was fair. They needed more of it in more places around the ship. This cruise did have more and a little better than past cruises. The first port of call was Princess's private island in the Bahamas. I didn't care much for NCL's version, but think that Princess's was the best port we visited. It was beautiful, clean and had all the amenities. We rented a kayak for $29.. supposed to be for one half hour, but we pretty much went out for as long as we could paddle for no extra fee. Princess brought in a large BBQ with ribs, burgers, all the fixings, fresh fruits and lots of other food. Made for a great relaxing fun port. The water was beautiful. Our next port was Ocho Rios. I would pay not to do that again. There was lots of armed security, every second the locals were aggressive and demanding. We finally paid to use a beach...it was a nasty eperience. I would stay on the ship next time. Third port was Grand Cayman.. we got off the ship and right there were all the excursions you cared to have. We paid $25 for two to go swimming with the giant stingrays and snorkeling on a reef. my wife doesn't swim and would usually stay on the boat. She got out and was surrounded by huge sting rays all around her feet and body. I was surrounded at one point and it was like they were kissing me -- an experience not soon to be forgotten. The boat ride to the reef and stingrays was about 45 minutes each way. I would have paid the money just for the boat ride, it was beautiful. The boat owner and young man who were our tour guides were fantastic and provided all the snorkeling gear. Most of our tour loved the sting rays so we spent most of our time there. Next stop Cozumel. We got off and there were plenty of rental places. We chose to rent an automatic tranny a/c equipped car and drive around the beach side of the island. We got to stop wherever for as long as we chose.. fantastic beaches, coral reefs and scenery. Was about $56 for the rental with all insurance and we filled car with gas for another $10. No problems, nice people.

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