Emerald Princess was an epic disappointment. Never again on Princess

[thecruisingfarmer]

1 minute ago, d9704011 said:

I am currently on Emerald Princess.  Ship in good condtion, food and service good, amenities are good, entertainment fair; I am completely satisfied and I think you will be too.

That’s great to hear. Thanks for the reassurance. We like the character of the older ships as long as they are being well maintained. 

[d9704011]

Just now, thecruisingfarmer said:

That’s great to hear. Thanks for the reassurance. We like the character of the older ships as long as they are being well maintained. 

Being able to sit out on and walk around the entire Promenade deck is something I enjoy.

[thecruisingfarmer]

4 minutes ago, d9704011 said:

Being able to sit out on and walk around the entire Promenade deck is something I enjoy.

Agree! I’ve also missed my aft cabin with the sound of that beautiful wake. All the other stuff is secondary to being on the water. 

[Thrak]

We just did 63 days on Grand Princess. There were a few issues but The Wake Show wasn't one of them. We got info about each port - where the supermarket was located, how to get to the botanical gardens, good places to go that weren't a gigantic walk and info on how to get to the places that were farther away. Yes, they mentioned the art auction and Effy but not excessively and not nearly as intrusively as the paperwork they used to bury us under.

 

We haven't sailed on Emerald Princess since 2017 but, at that time, we did 28 days and it was a wonderful cruise. I wouldn't hesitate to book that ship again. We've only sailed on one of the newer ships and it was Royal Princess which is the oldest of the newer ships. We didn't care for the Piazza design and all the loud music that intruded on the upper decks of the atrium area. Our next cruise will be on Discovery Princess and we're hoping to like the layout of Princess Live much better and also hoping for good things from Take Five. We will, however, miss Vines.

[c-boy]

1 hour ago, charliedalrymple said:

We are loyal to Princess because they generally offer the best price for the itineraries we want.  We've never had a perfect cruise (though Alaska came close) but have enjoyed all of them. 

😄  say ! aren't at sea this very moment ? 

[Mississippian]

Disney cruises cost two to three times more than Princess. I would hope they are better. Celebrity tends to cost quite a bit more as well. I think Celebrity's ships are far more impressive than those of Princess, and the food is slightly better. But I like the feel of Princess, and the type of entertainment and the way it is presented suits me more than Celebrity. Out of curiousity, which cruise line has the better casino, Disney or Princess?

 

I wasn't aware that Princess was using powdered eggs, which is wretched. The solution is to not get scrambled eggs. On my very first Princess cruise 20 years ago, I enjoyed the morning talk show, as I had never cruised before. Since then, I can do without it. Upsells? Nope, nope, nope, ain't interested. Virtually every line is engaged in upsells because they need to make money and it's profitable.

 

Princess gem class ships are pretty cookie-cutterish, and if you don't like the Emerald, my guess is that you won't like any other Princess ship. After two NCL cruises, I'm desperate to come back to Celebrity or Princess.

Edited January 3 by Mississippian

[cr8tiv1]

3 minutes ago, Mississippian said:

Disney cruises cost two to three times more than Princess. I would hope they are better. Celebrity tends to cost quite a bit more as well. I think Celebrity's ships are far more impressive than those of Princess, and the food is slightly better. But I like the feel of Princess, and the type of entertainment and the way it is presented suits me more than Celebrity. Out of curiousity, which cruise line has the better casino, Disney or Princess?

 

I wasn't aware that Princess was using powdered eggs, which is wretched. The solution is to not get scrambled eggs. On my very first Princess cruise 20 years ago, I enjoyed the morning talk show, as I had never cruised before. Since then, I can do without it. Upsells? Nope, nope, nope, ain't interested. Virtually every line is engaged in upsells because they need to make money and it's profitable.

 

Princess gem class ships are pretty cookie-cutterish, and if you don't like the Emerald, my guess is that you won't like any other Princess ship. After two NCL cruises, I'm desperate to come back to Celebrity or Princess.

I don’t believe Disney ships have casinos.

[Mississippian]

1 minute ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I don’t believe Disney ships have casinos.

What! And we're complaining about powdered eggs?

[cr8tiv1]

Neither does the NCL Pride of America ( no gambling and no BINGO) while in Hawaiian waters.

[SCX22]

As of recent, every time a thread critical of Princess pops up, cost is always listed as a reason to like Princess over other (premium) cruise lines.  Low fares isn't enough reason to give Princess a pass.  Cruise lines are looking to cut every corner to save money.  I was more sympathetic towards them during the restart, but when their earnings analysis shows growth, in CCLs case over 2/3 occupancy on 2024 sailings, it's time to hold them accountable for offering more in terms of service/onboard experience/food.  If passengers don't hold Princess accountable, management will continue to nip away at the product.  If it continues, the Seawitch might as well be replaced with a whale tail funnel.  

[charliedalrymple]

6 hours ago, c-boy said:

aren't at sea this very moment ? 

 

We are indeed--and this is an awesome cruise!  Best production shows I've seen on any cruise line.

[SargassoPirate]

8 hours ago, ldubs said:

 

 

Well, putrid is about as bad as it could get I guess.   

 

I had a similar experience with the Lido deck burger grill on Crown.   They cook and complete one order before putting patties on for the next order.  Even if the first order is one burger.   I agree it was kind of poorly managed.  

Good thing they don't do that with the MDR meals!

 

Can't imagine cooking one burger at a time with a line.  I think I would seek out a supervisor.

[SargassoPirate]

7 hours ago, Thrak said:

We just did 63 days on Grand Princess. There were a few issues but The Wake Show wasn't one of them. We got info about each port - where the supermarket was located, how to get to the botanical gardens, good places to go that weren't a gigantic walk and info on how to get to the places that were farther away. Yes, they mentioned the art auction and Effy but not excessively and not nearly as intrusively as the paperwork they used to bury us under.

 

We haven't sailed on Emerald Princess since 2017 but, at that time, we did 28 days and it was a wonderful cruise. I wouldn't hesitate to book that ship again. We've only sailed on one of the newer ships and it was Royal Princess which is the oldest of the newer ships. We didn't care for the Piazza design and all the loud music that intruded on the upper decks of the atrium area. Our next cruise will be on Discovery Princess and we're hoping to like the layout of Princess Live much better and also hoping for good things from Take Five. We will, however, miss Vines.

Regarding the Piazza, it's described as "inviting" on the Princess website, but when the din from the Piazza is so loud that one cannot converse in Crooners, it to d**m loud.

[Honolulu Blue]

17 hours ago, SaltyDoggg said:

I knew of the reputation of Princess cruises was pretty legendary in the cruise world. They are the Love Boat after all. But I didn't know if they could stand up to the stellar track record I had previously sailing with 2 of the leaders in the industry, Disney and Celebrity. Let me cut to the chase... they do not. They're not even in the same stratosphere.

 

I chose Emerald Princess because it was an older ship, which I love and the Itinerary was epic! I watched every Emerald Princess ship walkthrough video, read all the reviews and I was sold that Emerald Princess was a great ship to try. I ca't begin to tell you how disappointed I was.

 

The food overall was awful, even putrid, but the food at the buffet was just horrific. The crew overall were great but everyone really lacked basic training and that rolls over to a bad guest experience. There is also a major communication problem between the crew and the guests. The language barrier is really frustrating to overcome.

 

Buffet. They were serving powdered eggs for breakfast at the buffet. You had to wait 20 minutes at the omelet station just to place your order, then another 15 minutes to get your omelet. And the Omelet was mediocre at best, not worth the wait. By day 2, I resorted to cereal and fruit for breakfast because everything else was just so awful. Same for lunch and dinner at the buffet. Items on the line looked gray and unappetizing. I ended up eating pizza and burgers outside at the Salty Grill and Slice for lunch because oddly, their pizza was phenomenal and that's coming from a NYC pizza snob.

 

The operation on how they managed that burger line at the salty grill was a joke. The idea of hot dogs and burgers are so you can get a bite quickly. It was literally keystone cops behind that line, trying to get food out to guests waiting 20 minutes for one burger with only 3 guests waiting. I would show up exactly when they opened at 11am, first person in line and still wait 20 minutes for a cheese burger because they were cooking everything to order. Not because they weren't trying, because they had no training and no backup. Management was oblivious. It was a joke. Ridiculous. No idea on how to deal with volume on a grill line.

 

Main dining room's food was Tasteless. Presentations were great but the food was just not good. Service was decent and crew were great. I only ate in the main dining room 3 times on a 14 night cruise because I was continually disappointed in the quality of food. I did an up-charge steak one night and it was terrible. You could taste the char on the steak and the vegetable, plus the texture of the steak was like mealy. The kicker??? The mashed potatoes were obviously instant. No butter, no salt. What kind of company does this?

 

Specialty restaurants were better, but bot great. Casual specialty restaurants also were better, but again. Nothing memorable. Thank God I had the Premium package because I could eat at the casual restaurant were were somewhat better but again, they had allot of issues with the quality of the food

 

Does Princess even have a corporate culinary program that ensures consistence across their entire fleet? If they do, they are failing. One ship's mistakes affect how their entire brand is perceived.

 

Entertainment sucked. Steel pan player was trying to play to backing tracks and all you could hear was steel drum with so much treble it was like sticking an ice pick in your ears. This guy was all over the ship too. I was running away from him because it was just not enjoyable. Could not find one band on the ship that played good ole rock and roll. This party band who just joined the ship with us did an 80's night on the pool deck and they were playing air guitar and lyp syncing because they did not know the material. It was pathetic. Even the guys who were mixing the band were embarrassed.

 

The constant upselling. The cruise director is so in love with himself that they have thing they do on the big screen called the wake show. Like a Good Morning America where they are constantly trying to get you to go to the art auctions, the jewelry sales, etc.. It's so in your face and obvious and ruins the chill pool deck vibe Between running from pool deck to pool deck to avoid the steel pan player and having to endure this Wake Show on the other pool deck. It was really annoying.

 

Mechanics. Everything is broken on that ship. Elevators were not working. Auto doors would close on you while you are half way through. Light sensors in the room going off for no reason in the middle of the night. etc. etc. etc.

 

Pool decks. There are 3 of them, each very narrow. It's challenging moving through those areas because all the loungers take up the space needed to walk from one end to another. Why do you need 3 small pool decks? They pack it in so tight, you cant navigate.

The ports were the best part of this cruise. Everything went off without a hitch. The excursions were so great. If it weren't for the ports and excursions, this cruise would be an EPIC fail. It's the only thing that kept me from rating it a 1.

 

In short, I would never sail Princess again. I took a chance and it really disappointed me. This cruise was not cheap either. Traveling as a single, I was paying double occupancy on a 14 night cruise in a balcony cabin. Do the math.

 

Princess does not know who they want to be either. They have this Duffy the bear character that walks around the ship waving to guests. What is that?? You're not Disney and you don't have Mickey Mouse. Plus there are hardly any kids on the ship, by design BTW. What are you doing with this character? Do you really think thats what people are looking for?

 

Also I spent allot of time getting to know some of their Elite guests with 15 or more Princess cruises under their belt. They seem forgiving of the inconsistencies on Princess because of all the rewards they are earning. That's a dangerous place to be for a brand. Princess feels their guests are happy, but they are really just complacent. Most I talked to are so brand loyal they they would never consider sailing with anyone else. Why should Princess try if their legacy guests don't care? I think Princess knows of the complacency and allows the ball to drop. It's so obvious for me where they are failing.

 

But what they are really doing is alienating the new generation of cruisers. Your legacy guests are gonna be gone someday soon and you will be left at the mercy of pulling in new blood, but i think it will already be too late by that time.

 

I'll be back on Celebrity and Disney if you need me... cheers!

Thanks for sharing your review and notes.  I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise on the Emerald.  I'm not a Princess loyalist, but I've done a few cruises with them, and I think they do some things well, and some... not so much.  

 

Perhaps I'll see you on Celebrity sometime.

[SaltyDoggg]

14 hours ago, MacMadame said:

FYI: Duffy the Bear is a Disney character. And a lot of Millenials and many Japanese people just LOVE that bear. These are two highly desirable demographics so that explains why Princess might do this.

 

I'm surprised Duffy was on a non-Disney ship though.

 

Well that's the key, isn't it? I haven't been on a cruise since the 90s and it was a Disney cruise with a Disney price. But for this trip I'm planning with my husband, I picked Princess because it has the itinerary and the price point I was looking for. Princess is not a luxury line IMO but a value line. It provides pretty good value for the money from what I see.

 

We'll see what my experience is but I'm not expecting it to match the luxury of those more expensive lines because I'm not paying the price of those luxury lines.

 

All of those things have been complained about voraciously in this forum IME. 🤷‍♀️

16 hours ago, Host CJSKIDS said:

Welcome to Cruise Critic,  I see that though this is not your first sailing, you just found CC and joined. Sorry that your first post was for such a negative experience.  Hopefully you will post after your next great experience cruising. 

 

Sorry that you did not enjoy your Princess sailing.  It's great that you. have other lines that you throughly enjoy.  As others have said, Disney is a cruise line on another level along with the price tag to follow.  I do have to say that I have never had an issue or language barrier with those passenger facing crew on any of my Princess sailings to date so that is just a surprising tidbit to read about.

 

Hope you enjoy your next cruises on either Celebrity or Disney!

I appreciate that, thank you! I am planning on writing a couple of more posts regarding my experience on Celebrity Apex, summit and constellation. In a nutshell. I love some in constellation, but Apex was just a little too modern for my taste. More to come on that topic, but appreciate, you stopping by to say hello! 

[SaltyDoggg]

7 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Thanks for sharing your review and notes.  I'm sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise on the Emerald.  I'm not a Princess loyalist, but I've done a few cruises with them, and I think they do some things well, and some... not so much.  

 

Perhaps I'll see you on Celebrity sometime.

I hope so!  

 

Will be on reflection in March. Really bummed that I did not like Princess, I wanted to love them! I think to fail on the food and entertainment so horribly is a testament of the brand itself, though I hope they figure out a way to monetize With the demographic that Celebrity has figured out how to tap. They better get themselves organized though first because they will lose everything if they don’t have the right programs in place on their ships.
 

Cheers to you! 

[SaltyDoggg]

19 minutes ago, SargassoPirate said:

Good thing they don't do that with the MDR meals!

 

Can't imagine cooking one burger at a time with a line.  I think I would seek out a supervisor.

I did find a manager but they didn’t seem to sense the urgency.  They put an additional crew behind the line with the 2 that were already there, but now you have 3 people walking in circles.  It all comes down to process and training which they both failed in.  Good luck to you!

[SaltyDoggg]

7 hours ago, c-boy said:

😄  say ! aren't at sea this very moment ? 

Have you ever cruised Celebrity ? Honestly, I find the pricing between Celebrity and Princess to be very similar. They market themselves like they are selling the same product but in reality, Celebrity has taken big steps to move forward, attracting more cruisers in their 40s and 50s while still keeping their legacy guests happy. I know that’s a delicate dance but they have done a great job of it. I’d like to see Princess follow suit. Good luck to you! 

[SaltyDoggg]

8 hours ago, thecruisingfarmer said:

Agree! I’ve also missed my aft cabin with the sound of that beautiful wake. All the other stuff is secondary to being on the water. 

The Promenade deck was my favorite part of Emerald princess in fact, the Promenade deck is my favorite part on nearly every ship. This is why I am not a big fan of celebrities, edge class, ships, and many of the other vessels that block the promenade with lifeboats. I could sit out there all day. 

[SaltyDoggg]

13 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks for the very insightful review. I agree, you will definitely have a better time over on Celebrity and Disney cruises, and they seem like a better fit for you. You may also want to try HAL as they have a Music Walk that includes a Rock n' Roll venue every night!

 

But I agree, Princess is definitely more geared towards the older crowd, especially on their longer cruises. Heck, we didn't start cruising with them until we were in our 60s! 🤣

 

Ken, appreciate the feedback. I think this is exactly my point with Princess that they do seem to exclusively cater to a much older demographic, but the reality is those guests are not going to be around forever. They need to start transitioning to people that are more my age, in their mid-50s, else lose the market.

 

Celebrity seems to have the perfect formula for attracting new blood yet keeping their legacy guests happy. They really have the perfect balance.
 

Best to you and good luck! 

[coops14]

We sailed on the Emerald Princess in November and loved every minute of it. We have previously sailed on The Royal, Sky, Caribbean, Crown and Discovery. Whilst the newer ships are all bells and whistles, we love the older more traditional ships, they have so much more character and a lot more spaces to find a seat!

The food quality has reduced, but we still found many dishes we really enjoyed. The crew on this ship was the best we have ever had. 
It’s a good job we all like different ships/ cruise lines.

We enjoyed our cruise on the Emerald so much that and booked two more cruises, we are so grateful to be cruising again. We all know nothing can be taken for granted anymore. 

[SaltyDoggg]

7 minutes ago, coops14 said:

We sailed on the Emerald Princess in November and loved every minute of it. We have previously sailed on The Royal, Sky, Caribbean, Crown and Discovery. Whilst the newer ships are all bells and whistles, we love the older more traditional ships, they have so much more character and a lot more spaces to find a seat!

The food quality has reduced, but we still found many dishes we really enjoyed. The crew on this ship was the best we have ever had. 
It’s a good job we all like different ships/ cruise lines.

We enjoyed our cruise on the Emerald so much that and booked two more cruises, we are so grateful to be cruising again. We all know nothing can be taken for granted anymore. 

I also sailed in November. It’s interesting how everyone’s experiences and expectations can be different. I’m 58 years old and really come to expect quality food when I sail. I also come to expect a really good live, amplified band, but I found that that is not, something that everyone needs. I am also not a big fan of the production shows, preferred to be on the pool deck, listening to live music. 
 

in short, I feel there is no excuse for anything, but top quality food on a brand like Princess.  
 

curious if you’ve ever sailed Celebrity and are you an elite member on Princess?

[JF - retired RRT]

12 hours ago, CanuckCurlers said:

'if the food on a cruise is the best you've ever eaten, you don't eat out enough and if the food on a cruise is the worst food you have ever eaten, you don't eat out enough.' 

Love that!! My first chuckle of the day.🥰

[JF - retired RRT]

7 hours ago, SCX22 said:

If passengers don't hold Princess accountable, management will continue to nip away at the product.  

You're right about that. In my very first "real" job (once I reached adulthood), my supervisor told me to not try to stretch myself thin trying to complete every single thing that came up. If I did, then management would pile on more to do.

[kywildcatfanone]

I've been on a bunch of Princess cruises and two celebrity cruises and I find minimal difference between the two aside from ship design.  Service is slightly better on Celebrity, but food is overall pretty equal.