seconds thoughts about emerald princess

[floridalover5623]

Looking forward to our first ever cruise that will be on the Emerald Princess in May.

As most have said, Someone usually finds something to complain about. I take a neutral view on it.

 

It's like looking through a review site about any hotel, No Holiday or very few will be perfect, there is always the odd little gripe I just try not to go looking for faults.

I'm not looking for perfection by any means but if my cabin doesn't have AC or a working toilet for our cruise I might get a little testy.

[Barosx2]

I'm not looking for perfection by any means but if my cabin doesn't have AC or a working toilet for our cruise I might get a little testy.

No, You would expect at least that, I suppose it does depend on the issues raised, I have been reading some reviews and find some to be what I would call trivial, but each to there own I suppose.

 

A non working toilet would annoy me, a scuff on the carpet wouldn't. As for the AC not working, It would make a change to be warm, coming from the UK. but would be uncomfortable at night

[floridalover5623]

No, You would expect at least that, I suppose it does depend on the issues raised, I have been reading some reviews and find some to be what I would call trivial, but each to there own I suppose.

 

A non working toilet would annoy me, a scuff on the carpet wouldn't. As for the AC not working, It would make a change to be warm, coming from the UK. but would be uncomfortable at night

Also I disregard the comments about food altogether. After many cruises I know Princess food is always good (in my opinion) and sometimes great but never lousy. I also disregard comments about service. I don't expect the waiters to fall over me & if dinner takes to long with one waiter we won't see him again the next night. We get out own items in the morning so who cares about room service? As far as the shows, we've seen them so many times it really doesn't matter all that much to us any more.

[Cruiserkenn]

I had E730 on the Emerald's Transatlantic in October.

 

It was wonderful! No plumbing or AC issues.

 

A wonderful room steward too!

 

The Morocco side of the Pillars of Hercules was quite a sight, at 11pm. Lots of lights in Morocco! I was impressed!

 

The food at the buffet was great! The food at the special Lunch buffets at Cafe Caribe was totally wonderful.

 

Pizza on 15 was fab, too.

 

Enjoy the Emerald:)

Edited December 31, 2015 by Cruisin'Rabbit

[shredie]

I have found that if you go on a cruise expecting problems, you will be sure to find them.

[kruisey]

On the whole I like that ship.Very important to me is that it has a full promenade deck.

One area which I personally felt was too small and overcrowded was Coffee and International Cafe Area.Thought very pokey for the amount of folks wanting that area.It is a kind of a meeting place and many times too overcrowded.

Apart from that I loved everything else including the great crew.:)

[mamaboss]

I too have been lurking around the Emerald threads. I am hoping our cabin won't be affected by AC or toilet issues but truth be told even if I knew I would I would go anyway and deal with it. It is a very lovely ship that will hopefully have the issues fixed soon.:D

[arlee]

if the ship was in dry dock for 2 weeks I should hope that the a/c and water issues were repaired

Does anyone know if the cabins were refurbished?

I received an email saying that the mattresses will be changed in February starting with the emerald and another ship. they looked really comfortable!

[floridalover5623]

It seems that from what I've been reading getting a bad cabin is hit or miss.

[jerseyaxn]

Sounds like things are improving thanks for the updates

[mellon1]

I'm not looking for perfection by any means but if my cabin doesn't have AC or a working toilet for our cruise I might get a little testy.

 

I agree with you. We are not picky about food, etc. These things some may like and others not so much. However, having hot water and cold water, toilets that work and don't overflow and flush correctly and good beds are important. The ship could be the best ever and I would not want sewage in my room or have to take cold or scalding hot showers. That just is not acceptable. Those are main things that you just expect to be there without asking.

 

We are doing Emerald in Jan and Feb and are concerned about those items I mentioned. In my opinion I don't think expecting to have those items is much to ask at all.

[pcsunlover]

We were on the Emerald for the 1st time for the 5-day Thanksgiving cruise just before the drydock. We had a balcony cabin on the Caribe deck and had no problems with the toilet or AC. Our room steward was excellent, as were our waiters in the MDR. We observed that the service was fair to poor in the morning in the Horizon court (based upon our previous Princess cruises) and service on the pool deck was virtually non-existent. We also thought the entertainment was lacking, and the disorganization to disembark the ship was disgraceful. I would probably go on the Emerald again, but never right before or after a drydock.

[rob2102]

Thanks. The reason I ask is that we'll be on the ship in Feb & I'm keeping track of which decks had the most problems.

 

Any thing you can tell us about your research so far. We will be on her Feb. 20th. But we have no worries at all about her over all condition. I been on plenty of princess ships that were picked apart on this here site. But hey thanks for your efforts. You are to be commended.

 

Cheers

Edited January 2, 2016 by rob2102

[shutterbug12]

To the OP: We had a similar situation last January when we were booked on the CB and it seemed almost every comment/review was negative. We decided to go with an open mind and frankly, any day on a cruise is better than a day at work! Bottom line - we had a nice time, enjoyed the ship, and didn't experience most of the issues we were worried about and I'm glad we didn't let the negative warnings scare us from going. And, we are booked on the Emerald in February - can't wait!

 

I echo this response. I was also nervous about a cruise on the Caribbean Princess last January after reading many negative reviews about that ship. However, DH and I had a great time and didn't have any issues.

 

We are booked on the Emerald in 2 weeks and I'm not letting anyone's comments spoil my excitement for the vacation.

[Seafoam Green]

The Emerald is a good ship - we enjoyed sailing on her almost 2 years ago. DH and I don't look for the 'latest and greatest' or the 'biggest' when it comes to cruise ships. The Emerald is probably the largest size that we would sail on now, as we prefer ships that have an aft pool and terrace and fewer passengers than the latest offerings from many lines.

 

Have a great cruise!

 

:D

[jerseyaxn]

Sounds like most things are fixed now let's hope so 37 days to our cruise

[MJC]

We read similar poor reviews of the CB before we went on her, but we ended up liking it so much that we booked the Emerald last March, which we also enjoyed very much. We've been thinking of adding on a California Coastal to our Christmas vacation next year, mostly because it would be on another Grand Class ship. Sometimes complaints are justified, but there is also a lot of nit-picking that we just ignore. I think some people have extremely high expectations, like when taking your kids to Disney for the first time, or for the perfect Christmas Day, that are just really hard to meet.

 

You are already being proactive about trying to avoid problem areas. Doing your research is an important part of choosing a ship, cabin, and itinerary that suits you, IMO. There certainly is a lot of info here on CC about bad cabins. The search function is an important one to master.

 

The vagaries of travel cannot always be managed -- bad weather, missed ports, even the occasional plumbing problem -- but from your posts I'm sure you've already discovered that with a little reading you can avoid the problem cabins on any given ship.

 

 

Enjoy your cruise. I would love to be sailing on the EP again!

[jerseyaxn]

I agree we go February 6th I'm looking for a great cruise. I know some post negative stuff in every post they do you just have to take the good with the bad and make a decision for yourself

[Colo Cruiser]

We love the Emerald.

[cruisequeen4ever]

We had a most fabulous cruise on the Emerald 12/14/15-12/27/15! Please don't be dissuaded from taking your cruise. The atmosphere onboard displayed happy cruisers having a blast!

[jerseyaxn]

Sounds great we are looking forward to it

[mellon1]

OK, please don't flame me. We love the Emerald...our favorite ship of all; however, if our toilets are overflowing in our room and there is not hot water whatsoever or cold whatsoever...this is not acceptable. We are OK with the "occasional problems with the toilet; however, if for the entire cruise...not acceptable. I find it hard when others say they can handle the difficulties...sorry we bathe and don't know anyone who can handle scalding water or freezing cold. Just our opinion.

[Happy2cruise]

We had a most fabulous cruise on the Emerald 12/14/15-12/27/15! Please don't be dissuaded from taking your cruise. The atmosphere onboard displayed happy cruisers having a blast!

We just booked the Emerald for February and having sailed her before, we are so looking forward to being on her again.

[floridalover5623]

OK, please don't flame me. We love the Emerald...our favorite ship of all; however, if our toilets are overflowing in our room and there is not hot water whatsoever or cold whatsoever...this is not acceptable. We are OK with the "occasional problems with the toilet; however, if for the entire cruise...not acceptable. I find it hard when others say they can handle the difficulties...sorry we bathe and don't know anyone who can handle scalding water or freezing cold. Just our opinion.

One thing you'll never see on a Princess ship is freezing cold water in a shower.

[jerseyaxn]

We go February 6 looking forward to it