Emerald Uncertainty

[Sea4sea]

We did our first cruise last year on the Crown in the Mediterrranean and had an incredible time, so much so that we booked this June aboard the Emerald and this time we're bringing our young adult kids along(20, 22). It's been tough seeing all the consistently negative reviews for the Emerald. Can some seasoned cruisers shed some light. We know our cruise will be port intensive which may change the dynamics of the trip but we are feeling like we made a mistake by booking this ship. The last few months have so much of the same issues from subpar food to lack of or poor entertainment. We enjoyed the Crown last year because the relaxing atmosphere was perfect for recovering from all the excursions but we are certainly not liking the sounds of a snooze-fest. Can the Emerald be that bad now?

[reedprincess]

49 minutes ago, Sea4sea said:

We did our first cruise last year on the Crown in the Mediterrranean and had an incredible time, so much so that we booked this June aboard the Emerald and this time we're bringing our young adult kids along(20, 22). It's been tough seeing all the consistently negative reviews for the Emerald. Can some seasoned cruisers shed some light. We know our cruise will be port intensive which may change the dynamics of the trip but we are feeling like we made a mistake by booking this ship. The last few months have so much of the same issues from subpar food to lack of or poor entertainment. We enjoyed the Crown last year because the relaxing atmosphere was perfect for recovering from all the excursions but we are certainly not liking the sounds of a snooze-fest. Can the Emerald be that bad now?

No, the Emerald is not that bad now, at all. Remember that there's over 3000 people aboard any particular sailing and maybe one person writes a review due to their perceived negative experience, meaning there's still over 3000 people who had a perfectly fine to great time. 

Emerald is having a drydock in a month or so for a fairly decent overhaul, updating the technology, etc.  She'll be fresh and ready to go for your June cruise. 

We has a fantastic 33 nights on her this past fall, good to great food - of course with a few not so good things along the way. Cabins were fine - typical Princess cabin. Staff were fantastic .  Entertainment was normal Princess entertainment.. good bands and such 

 

I have no doubt you'll enjoy your cruise - unless you go into it with a negative attitude and looking for things to complain about.  

[Sea4sea]

Thanks reedprincess for the reassurances. We were so pleased with our first cruise on the Crown we figured going on a sister ship would be a safe bet. We are not hard to please people and always look for the positives. We try not to get caught up in the reviews but there did seem to be quite a few stating alot of the same issues. Our cruise in June will have us ashore nearly everyday so we definitely won't be bored.

[Micahs Grandad]

Just back from Emerald and was a fine cruise. Was a very old crowd but on a port intensive itinerary that should not matter so much. See the review I posted the other day.

[MTJSR]

Having just sailed the Emerald over Christmas and New Year's, and after 15 Princess cruises I can say with some authority that the biggest problem was the amount of people (holidays) the new menu choices, luke warm food and very odd tasting/no taste dishes. And this time the food issue was widespread, not just our group. The staff was very well aware of the passenger grumblings and our waiter even told us, he had never seen it this bad.

 

Now having said all that, the head waiter we talked to reported that changes were underway and it was an "all hands effort" so have fun and I trust Princess will get a handle on whatever was the cause.

 

[Cruiserkenn]

Here's a thought...  OP: You liked the Crown.  Not long ago, there were many, many negative reviews here about the Crown.  Really worrisome reviews, including frequent noro incidents.  Yet, they seem to have fixed it, and you had a great time.  I am confident that the Emerald will be fixed, too.  I have been on the Emerald three times, before, and I am going again, soon.

 

Enjoy! 🙂⛴🌝🛳🐋🐟🐠🌅☺️

[spyro1952]

You will always find a few negative reviews of certain ships or cruises.  I wouldn’t let a few disgruntled pax deter your plans.  I have been on the Emerald numerous times and always had excellent service, food, crew etc.

[MTJSR]

2 hours ago, spyro1952 said:

You will always find a few negative reviews of certain ships or cruises.  I wouldn’t let a few disgruntled pax deter your plans.  I have been on the Emerald numerous times and always had excellent service, food, crew etc.

Since every cruise can be very different, I am not sure such a rule is realistic. I was disappointed, not disgruntled this cruise, when the overall product fell far short of expectations. And for 8,000, I had some expectations!

Edited February 26, 2019 by MTJSR

[Thrak]

We sailed 28 days on Emerald in October of 2017. Loved the cruise and loved the ship. I have absolutely zero negative things to say about that cruise or about Emerald Princess. We're booked on a TA on Emerald in November.

[Cruiserkenn]

Yes, I respect your views, MTJSR, as I have often read your posts.  I am hopeful that Princess will take action to fix the problems.  I will follow up in April, with how it worked out.

[Scottygirl1]

We are on the Emerald in May from Rome to Athens.  We've been on two port intensive cruises around the Mediterranean before (not on Princess) and we are not worried at all about any aspect of the ship because it has always been the experience of sailing into the amazing ports that has been the highlight.  I'm certainly glad that the Emerald is going into dry dock before our cruise - that is a bonus for sure!  

[4cats4me]

We were worried about the Crown due to so many negative reviews here , and we loved the Crown. Great ship, food, service.  

Sometimes there are issues, but go in with a positive attitude, and all will be well. 😀

Edited February 26, 2019 by 4cats4me

[MaineCruiser243]

We were on the Emerald in 2015 and the Crown in 2016 and preferred the Emerald. Of course that was a few years ago, things may have changed.

[MTJSR]

41 minutes ago, Cruiserkenn said:

Yes, I respect your views, MTJSR, as I have often read your posts.  I am hopeful that Princess will take action to fix the problems.  I will follow up in April, with how it worked out.

Thank you! I hope so too and I look forward to your review. Mark

[paradiselivin1]

10 hours ago, Sea4sea said:

We did our first cruise last year on the Crown in the Mediterrranean and had an incredible time, so much so that we booked this June aboard the Emerald. It's been tough seeing all the consistently negative reviews for the Emerald. Can some seasoned cruisers shed some light. We know our cruise will be port intensive which may change the dynamics of the trip but we are feeling like we made a mistake by booking this ship. The last few months have so much of the same issues from subpar food to lack of or poor entertainment. Can the Emerald be that bad now?

I would take some of the comments with a grain of salt.  Are the complaints (other than food) from cruisers who are/were on a Caribbean cruise? I have been on the Emerald in both the Med and the Caribbean and the experiences are not the same at all. Also, if they are recent posts it may be due to the fact that Emerald is about to go into dry dock and things may be slipping a bit. We were very unhappy on our last cruise on the Royal where this was the case but later learned that it was the last cruise before dry dock ~ not sure if crew was changing out but it sure felt that way in the main DR.  We haven't been on the Emerald since late 2015 but we like our Black Sea cruise on it so much that summer that we booked while on board for a Caribbean cruise 2 1/2 months later ~ same cabin ~ same steward & could no have been happier.  Loved the Emerald!  

[Grburkart]

I’ll chime in here by saying don’t worry about the negative reviews. Princess is in the “make people happy” business and you’ll be fine. 

My disgruntledness comes from CC itself. SOME people are just negative nellies and they are going to have a miserable cruise no matter what. SOME come on here and bash  Princess and try and promote other cruise lines as the saviour of the industry. 

If there’s a fault with the Emerald, it’s brought up here and exaggerated ten fold and it leaves us thinking how in the world the thing could even float. 

So don’t fret about what you read on CC. Look at the brochures and photos and dream big! It’s your holiday and you WILL have a great, life altering adventure. 

 

Glenn

[Sea4sea]

Some really helpful comments, Thanks everyone. We are thinking along the same lines as Scottygirl1. We will be in such amazing ports, the destinations are our main focus. We'll just go in feeling positive and keep the excitement building. Hopefully any issues they've had in the recent past with food will be rectified. Haven't found much info yet on what may be done this drydocking. I remember when we booked the Crown( it had a drydocking coming up as well), Princess actually sent us an email mentioning some of the drydocking plans for her.

[LAS!!1414]

13 hours ago, Sea4sea said:

We did our first cruise last year on the Crown in the Mediterrranean and had an incredible time, so much so that we booked this June aboard the Emerald and this time we're bringing our young adult kids along(20, 22). It's been tough seeing all the consistently negative reviews for the Emerald. Can some seasoned cruisers shed some light. We know our cruise will be port intensive which may change the dynamics of the trip but we are feeling like we made a mistake by booking this ship. The last few months have so much of the same issues from subpar food to lack of or poor entertainment. We enjoyed the Crown last year because the relaxing atmosphere was perfect for recovering from all the excursions but we are certainly not liking the sounds of a snooze-fest. Can the Emerald be that bad now?

We will be on the Emerald just after drydock April 15 from Vancouver, BC  --  will update with info. 

[tawlaw1526]

We were on Emerald in 2016 and 2017.  Loved both cruises.   Enjoyed the entertainment thoroughly and all the food was delicious.    You are going to totally enjoy your cruise.   

[Wisconsin Travelers]

13 hours ago, Micah's Grandad said:

Just back from Emerald and was a fine cruise. Was a very old crowd but on a port intensive itinerary that should not matter so much. See the review I posted the other day.

 

We were on this same recent cruise on the Emerald.  Were there some issues that we hope will be addressed when the Emerald is in drydock?  Certainly!  The Emerald is an older ship and in many ways she is showing her age.  I'm confident Princess will spruce her up nicely.  Did the little bits of rust we saw on the balcony, the tiny cracks in the bathroom tile, or the really poorly lit areas in the MDR mean our cruise was bad?  Most certainly not! 

 

This wasn't our favorite cruise, but it was far from the worst one.  Just keep a positive attitude and enjoy the things that make cruising fun for you.  Even a "bad" cruise is better than staying at home, cooking and cleaning, paying bills and watching crummy TV!  Have a great time! 

[gwhitti]

10 hours ago, Thrak said:

We sailed 28 days on Emerald in October of 2017. Loved the cruise and loved the ship. I have absolutely zero negative things to say about that cruise or about Emerald Princess. We're booked on a TA on Emerald in November.

 

We were on that same cruise and second those remarks. In fact we like it so much we have booked the same cruise on the Emerald in 2020 b2b with the Panama Canal cruise before it. Love the Emerald.

[floridalover5623]

8 hours ago, Wisconsin Travelers said:

Just keep a positive attitude and enjoy the things that make cruising fun for you.  Even a "bad" cruise is better than staying at home, cooking and cleaning, paying bills and watching crummy TV!  Have a great time! 

Yes & no.

Suppose you had lousy AC in your cabin and they told you there's nothing that can be done?

Or the food wasn't anywhere near what you had experienced prior?

Or the cabin steward never gets to your room till afternoon after his break?

Sometimes anther ship can be a better option. 

 

[phabric]

23 hours ago, Micah's Grandad said:

Just back from Emerald and was a fine cruise. Was a very old crowd but on a port intensive itinerary that should not matter so much. See the review I posted the other day.

 

Does the Emerald have a covered pool?

[Micahs Grandad]

15 minutes ago, phabric said:

 

Does the Emerald have a covered pool?

Sorry do not remember. 

[satxdiver]

1 hour ago, phabric said:

 

Does the Emerald have a covered pool?

 

No it does not.  The Caribbean, Crown, Emerald, Ruby and royal class ships do not have a covered poot.  Only the original grand class ships have the conservatory.

 

We were on the Emerald last year for a 16 day cruise and found the ship to be as good as we remembered from prior cruises.  There was a time on here where the Caribbean was being berated by a large group of pax on a constant basis.  We were on the CB in November and found the complaints to be unfounded.  I have found that the people who are unhappy will yell it from the highest mountain while those who are content will say little or nothing.  Always take criticism with a large grain of salt.