My wife and I would not go on Princess Emerald again. It was geared to an older demographic in my opinion. If I am going to spend money on a cruise I want a new, ultra large ship with lots of activities to do and Internet thats decent when I am bored in my cabin.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
Worst embarkation of any ship we have ever been on and we have been on Princess plus other brands before. The Embarkation took forever, we were told we can't get on ship because of wind, we watched people out in the rain all day while Embarkation was going on. When we arrived we were told to go to an area to drop off our bags. It had some sign indicating bag drop off area. I was told I wasn't allowed in there. I was then told they were not taking bags. I walked outside and two gentlemen were out there say no bags yet, and a minute later they took our bags. The embarkation was chaos inside and outside the building.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
We stuck mainly to buffet, many times dining room items show up in buffet anyway. To be fair some buffet items were really good, such as the smoked salmon in the mornings, the prime rib for dinner, or the many times they had beef short ribs to name a few. Somehow there was a shortage of Eggs Benedict in the morning. Only one day I saw a proper eggs benedict in the buffet, it was there, I said I would get it in a minute, came back a few minutes later and no more. Strange. We went to dining rooms 3 times, twice for dinner once for lunch. Staff did the minimal interraction on all occassions, no attempt to build any kind of friendly relationship to encourage you to come back, food was good, portions small, no offer for a second anything. Two out of the three times not offerred even coffee at the end of the meal. One time offerred and no delivery. Nothing to drive us back. We didn't even have lobster once on the cruise, saw it in a crepe dish once on the dining room menu, but since we didn't go back to dining room after the 3rd time of no coffee and lack of concern for us, we never had it. Pizza area on the ship was great, really, and being from the NY metro area, I would be really critical on this. The buffet desserts were outstanding every day.
Onboard Activities
1 out of 5
Very boring cruise time, Fitness center was okay. Internet often times felt like dialup modem days although it was unlimited it was frequently slow, had some issue accessing some websites and cost a lot money in our opinion for what you get. A couple of activities were fun, but mainly we were still looking for things to do.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
They were mediocre. We found two of their shows entertaining. One was a guitar player and the other was a comedian. The production shows we were not fond of.
Children's Programs
No children traveling with us.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
In the dining rooms the staff was poor. In the buffet both the kitchen staff and the people who cleaned your table were great. Enrico our cabin steward was excellent.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Ship was old and showing its age, when we first got on, I noticed all the marks on the walls as we walked down the halls to find our room, some rust around the ship. The public venues, spa and center areas were niicely maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
The cabin was like all cabins, small, the bathroom was like cruisng 10 years back. Our room was maintained excellently by a gentleman name Enrico. He was a shining star, pleasant and efficient. It seemed like everytime we returned, we came back to a freshly cleaned room with made bed, very nice.
Ship tip
If your a younger traveller who cares about modern ammenities, likes new technology and wants activities for a younger person, I suggest you pick another ship.
We just returned from an Hawaiian Cruise on this very ship. The food was amazing, in the main dining room and the buffet. We had anytime dining and never waited long to be seated. The ship needs to be dry docked which we were told it would be shortly after our cruise for 17 days. The wifi was slow but when this ship comes back from dry dock it will have the medallion, which will have faster internet. I know that didn't help us but it is great to know that Princess is upgrading their ships and I look forward to going through the panama canal next year on this very ship after the upgrades. The staff on Princess is second to none! everyone was ready to please us, in the main dining hall, I didn't finish my meal and the staff was concerned that I didn't like my meal and they were so willing to bring me something else. I didn't finish my meal because I was too full, there is never a shortage of food on cruises! My room steward was the best we ever had. We had an awesome time on our cruise for 15 days! We ran into a lot of people who didn't like the cruise because of the wind and weather, but how can princess control that? I think a vacation is what you make of it, we had an amazing time and can't wait to cruise Princess again!
We just returned from the Emerald Princess Hawaii cruise. As is usually the case, opinions vary as to what was bad and what was good. As for the for the embarcation, it should be noted that the weather was very bad, with rain and wind. Both port and ship personell were overworked. I believe they did the best they could under the conditions. Even the Captain offered an apology in the ships newsletter the following morning, saying it was one of the worst he had seen and thanking the passengers for their patience.
I realize Princess is not to blame for bad weather. But they are working on it
Agree with WJH. We always find out about a ship and what it offers before we book. We find Princess cruises really relaxing and their crew outstanding.
If you done a good research before you booked this cruise. U will know this ship is not a huge, new with good internet cruise ship. I like princess cruises because of their service, food which makes feel relaxed. I think the reason you didn't enjoy this cruise is yourself.
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