Cruise Review-Emerald Princes-10/27/07 (long)

[dagtoking1]

When I read negative reviews on this board, I always take them with a grain of salt. I mean, how can anyone have a bad time on a cruise? I have cruised frequently on many different lines but this was my first cruise on Princess. Last year when I cruised on NCL's Pride of America I had read negative reviews of the ship, but I found them unfounded and had a fantastic cruise. With that said, I had heard very good things about Princess but did not find this ship to be up to my expectations.

The cruise started typically enough. The information from the cruise line said to arrive at the port at 1:00pm and that at 2:00pm it would be less crowded. I live near the Port so we arrived around 12:00 noon to find what appeared to be thousands of people in line for embarkation. Fortunately, my companion was Platinum on their Captain's Circle Program so we were given priority boarding but I sure was happy I wasn't waiting in that line. The Emerald Princess carries over 3000 passengers but does not appear to have the amenities for that many. Frequently there were lines, no place to sit down and eat, and on one occasion we were turned away from a show because the theatre was full.

The sail away buffet was very nice and the first night there was a seafood buffet with lobster claws and crab "knuckles" that we enjoyed, but the buffet mostly went down hill after that. The specialty restaurants on this ship are popular for the most part because the food in the dining rooms is only adequate at best. My companion just got off the Caribbean Princess three (3) weeks before and said that the food on that ship was very good and that there was no comparison; even with the same menus. One evening at dinner we both ordered the Duck Breast and what was presented was blood red with an inch of fat around it; we both declined and sent it back choosing to leave the dining room rather than reorder as we had both lost our appetites. The food on the lunch buffets for the most part is horrible, but they do have real pizza ovens on this ship with pizza that rivals that from a pizza restaurant so at least you have that option. Lunch in the dining room is good if you have the time; I would say in most cases lunch in the regular dining room was better than dinner.

There were several things I found annoying about this ship. Every morning several of the treadmills in the gym were closed until 8:00am. I do not know the reason for this and since the remaining treadmills were full and people could not work out this is a mystery. Similarly, on at least one sea day, not all of the pools were open which I also don't get. Additionally, there is a buffet line in the back of the ship on the Lido deck with opposite ends that have different items on them. The two lines meet in the middle leaving diners not knowing what to do and the result is people cutting into the line when they get to the other side to take an item which interrupts the entire process. From the minute you walk onto this ship they are trying to sell you things. Everything has a charge attached to it, even the soft ice cream. The Internet Café is rarely if ever staffed. They offer movies under the stars but right before the last movie of the evening was to start (I think this was 11:00pm) they started removing the comfortable pads from the lounge chairs even asking people to get up so they could remove the pads which was not very customer friendly. There was no bad weather so why they did this with no explanation offered or given is another mystery. There is not much to do on this ship in the way of activities unless you want to pay extra; even for arts and crafts that would be free on most any other ship. There are not a lot of areas on the back of this ship to enjoy as they use this space for balcony cabins.

Another problem was the Purser's desk. If you are booked on this ship I would highly recommend that you ask for a statement in advance of the last day on board. We had a $200.00 on board credit that was not showing up in full that took four (4) trips to the Purser's desk, a supervisor, and an email to our travel agent to straighten out, not to mention charges for things like water that we didn't consume. When I asked to see the slip it was signed but not with my signature, and there were others with similar complaints also standing in line. It was explained to me this was probably done by the cabin steward who by the way was the world's most lazy cabin steward ever. We were lucky to get shampoo in our bathroom let alone clean towels without asking.

On the plus side there is a spacious free steam room and sauna in the spa, the production shows were pretty good, and it is easy to get off the ship in the ports. There also is an area on this ship called the Sanctuary with a “against the current” swimming pool and comfy padded lounge chairs, two Jacuzzis, and no kids allowed; a quiet zone. I loved that.

Ports:

Princess Cay: The private island is beautiful. We were on the first tender and had a great spot under a little chickee hut but when we got up to have lunch our chairs were shoved aside even though they were covered with our belongings and other people were right on top of us when we returned. The food for the island beach party was very good; burgers, ribs, chicken, fruit; the usual.

St. Thomas: We did a tour with Godfrey who we booked on line. Godfrey was doing a private tour that day so we got Euella his assistant who was great. This tour is a great value for $25.00, highly recommended. Godfrey’s tour includes shopping downtown, island tour, and two (2) hours of beach. We went to Sapphire Beach which was beautiful.

Dominica: We did another tour we booked on line with Reyno who also was unavailable. We got his assistant Matilda this time. There was no loud speaker in the vehicle so we didn’t hear a bit of the narration. Additionally, we did not make all the promised stops. Still, a nice tour for $40.00 pp, nominal entrance fees not included. On this tour we stopped at a lookout, Trafalgar Falls, Emerald Pool, black sand beach, and Mr. Nice’s fruit stand.

Grenada: Yet another tour booked on line with Mandoo. Nice tour but he kept us waiting on the bus for over an hour waiting on late passengers. The tour was $45.00 pp to go to Douglaston Spice Depot, Grand Etang Crater Lake, and Annandale Falls. Mandoo has a really nice air conditioned vehicle.

Bonaire: Any thing you do here underwater is great.

Aruba: By now we were bushed and just went shopping. There is a nice flea market next to the port with tons of bargains, and there is some very good shopping within walking distance.

The Emerald Princess is a really big ship with a lot of passengers which does impact the experience some. Since the ship is relatively new to the Caribbean they are probably still working out all the kinks. I don’t mean to say the food was bad; it just wasn’t anything special; the desserts and buffet choices need work. I’ve never seen a breakfast buffet with pork fried rice and lo mien, but why not?

[m steve]

That's just the way I love duck!

[job100lin]

we were on this cruise and had a lovely time. we were second sitting for dinner and didn't have any problem with the theatre. would like to see some photos of halloween night even from the bears,some of there costumes were brilliant. the only down point for me was to be confronted by 20'ish bears outside the nightclub with them telling me that it was a private party, a member of staff should have been their. emeralds fault not the bears.

[Colo Cruiser]

We were on this cruise also and loved everything about it, so I will take your review with "a grain of salt" too. :D

[Sunviking]

We were on the T/A 10/08 and also noticed that some of the treadmills were not in use until 8AM. When I enquired I was told that there are cabins below those pieces of equipment and in deference to the people who might be sleeping there, their use was limited until after 8AM. I thought that was a good thing and idn't mind waiting until a little later for my workout :)

 

Ann

[dagtoking1]

Colo, didn't mean to offend you, I just thought in comparison to other cruises I've taken that this just did not measure up. Maybe it's just the way Princess does things, most of my experience is with NCL, just not my preference. I may give Princess another try, maybe not.

 

Yeah, the Bears were a hoot weren't they?

[Clutterlady]

Thank you for your honest review.

 

Since you said you mainly sail NCL, just goes to show how people see things differently! I sailed NCL last year and was really not my cup of tea. Thought the food in the dining room and buffet was not edible:eek: Service was non existent. LeBistro and Cagneys was very good, but had to pay extra for decent food.

 

So just goes to show, different strokes....................

[Colo Cruiser]

Colo, didn't mean to offend you, I just thought in comparison to other cruises I've taken that this just did not measure up. Maybe it's just the way Princess does things, most of my experience is with NCL, just not my preference. I may give Princess another try, maybe not.

 

Yeah, the Bears were a hoot weren't they?

 

 

Not offended at all, I also appreciate the honest reviews. That is what makes us all human. :)

[sodostan]

Our group of six were also on the cruise. All of us are experienced cruisers with a variety of cruiselines. We prefer Princess to NCL and RCI. We are comfortable on Celebrity.

 

There are many activities on the ship, most of which are free. Just look in the daily Patters.

 

We found the food good to excellent throughout the ship. Yes, there are some rather unusual choices at breakfast, but all of the common breakfast foods are there, too. Variety is the spice of life. We never had a bad meal in the dining room. I did not order the duck, but another gentleman in our party did. He said it was excellent.

 

We had anytime dining and ate at various times in both dining rooms. Service was the best we have ever had. Very promp and attentive. Never felt rushed.

 

I used the Internet Cafe on four different occasions. It was staffed all four times.

 

I did not wait on line one time except to board the ship. This was our fault because we arrived at noon. Our friends arrived at 2 PM and there were no lines at that time at all.

 

We knew to arrive early at the Princess Theater to get a seat. We always arrived no more than 15 minutes early. There were ample seats available and we saw all of the shows. The theater was full by the time the show began and late comers were, of course, turned away.

 

Our room steward was marginal. Not terrible, but the worst we have ever had on Princess. He did not, however, ruin our cruise.

 

If you cannot have a good vacation on this ship, I honestly don't know where you could.

[bestdent]

Reading your review just goes to show some people should stay on carnival.

[737NG]

Reading your review just goes to show some people should stay on carnival.

 

Why do people get so insulted in this forum when their beloved cruise line or ship gets a bad review?? I too agree with the original post and review of the Emerald as we were on the same sailing. It was by far not our favorite. But to tell someone they should stick to carnival just because they had a negative review(which wasn't that bad at all) is just childish. Well, maybe we will stick to carnival to avoid sailing with people like you.:cool:

[dagtoking1]

Thank you for that 737NG.

 

I didn't say I had a bad cruise; in fact it was quite enjoyable. I never sweat the small stuff.

 

I have cruised Carnival but not as often as the other lines. As I stated, my companion was Platinum on Princess and had just gotten off the Caribbean Princess. She said the food on the Caribbean Princess was outstanding and that the food on the Emerald was not nearly as good, even when selecting the same items. Some of the food I had was great; like that Love Boat dessert, who wouldn't like that? The cruise did not meet my expectations, not that it wasn't good. I wouldn't book the Emerald Princess again just because the experience wasn't optimal, but the Caribbean Princess sounds great. :)

[ddance]

I need to knock off a few pounds. Maybe I'll spend dinner in the gym...

 

On the other hand, is Haagen Dasz the unofficial but readily available ice cream of Princess...Im starting to have flashbacks. Hopefully they've removed it for some generic brand.....

 

Thank you for your comments and the thread. Dot

[silvercruiser]

Can't believe anyone would fail to mention the lovely piazza on the 5th deck. For us, that was what made Emerald unique. We were on the transatlantic last month and can't wait to board again the Monday after Thanksgiving.

As on all ships, we try to work around the things we don't like and enjoy the things we do. But I'm very surprised that Princess would be lumped into the same category as NCL. I've been told that the main competition to Princess is Holland American because both are just a cut above the other mainstream lines. We certainly feel that way.

[cruzfiend]

By some of these reviews, I'm thinking you have to arrive by 11:00AM or after 2:00PM. Is that right??

We are Platinum - so can our group get on w/us even though they are not?

[Colo Cruiser]

By some of these reviews, I'm thinking you have to arrive by 11:00AM or after 2:00PM. Is that right??

We are Platinum - so can our group get on w/us even though they are not?

 

 

That is pretty close.

 

This was the longest line I have ever seen at FLL.

But we did end up arriving around 2pm.

Probably did not help that it was the first US cruise for the Emerald.