Over all this was a good cruise. I was, however, disappointed with some of the crew in that I didn't always feel like they really cared about the passengers. I also was turned off by the Lotus Spa employees. They were too overbearing and almost insulting to one of my friends. They attempted to pressure her to commit to more services than she wanted. High pressure sales doesn't belong on a ship where passengers are trying to relax and have fun. The condition of our cabin when we first arrived was not the best. All mirrors were smudged and the bedspread was ripped. The bathroom had a distinct urine odor. The television never operated properly during the entire cruise. The volume would increase without anyone touching the remote. Seemingly minor problems but it's a new ship so better detail is expected.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
We preferred the DaVinci dining room. Seems like they ran out of menu ideas--many times the menu was almost a complete duplicate from the previous night. It must be very difficult to prepare and serve thousands of passengers. However, I thought the food in general was mediocre.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
This was my second Princess cruise--the first was about six years ago on the Star Princess. I honestly feel the crew of the Star went above and beyond taking care of passengers. I felt that was often missing with the crew of the Emerald Princess. I was sad that this aspect of cruising (being really catered to) was not as evident on this latest cruise. The passenger photographs taken are of poor quality and way overpriced.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Our stateroom bathroom had a "urine" odor that never completely went away even after we notified our cabin steward. In speaking with other passengers we learned others had the same odor in their bathrooms. Kind of hard to understand given the Emerald Princess is a new ship. Also, one afternoon all power to the ship suddenly went completely out for several minutes. Many seasoned "cruisers" said they had never experienced anything like that on any other Priness cruise or on any cruise line for that matter.
It was raining and cold the day we were to tour Florence and Pisa. We were forced to get off the bus and be out in the cold weather. None of the passengers were prepared for the rain or cold wind. We had to buy overpriced umbrellas from street vendors. Our tour guide, Tuja, was a disappointment. She didn't keep control of the group and many of us resented being treated like children because she insisted we had to leave the bus and face the bad weather. Florence is a beautiful city. I'm sorry I didn't get to enjoy it.
Beautiful island. Only in photos have I seen the beauty of Greece. We chose to walk up and back down the donkey path. My companions and I didn't approve of the way the donkeys are treated. We never saw any water available for the animals and it was very hot that day.
Naples is an extremely busy and very dirty city. I've never seen that amount of graffiti, even on the cathedrals and government buildings. However, experiencing the traffic and people made the trip memorable. You take your life in your hands just crossing a street. The people were delightful though.
We only drove through Monte Carlo. What a beautiful area. I would love to return and really see it. Out tour guide for Nice and Cannes was Monique. What a beautiful and intelligent woman. She made the excursion lots of fun and memorable.
I loved this port. I was surprised at how clean it was. The people are beautiful. The vendors can be overbearing but leave you alone if you politely decline them. I would love to see more of Turkey.
Just a beautiful place in general. The views from the Monastery are breath taking. The bus ride to the Monastery alone is worth the visit. The bus drivers come within inches of each other on very narrow roads and never miss a beat.
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