Hi!
Currently on the Emerald Princess 1 to 13 August British Isles cruise, just wanted to post some thoughts and take any questions.
The Good!
Embarkation was a breeze. We had our medallions, COVID tests, passports, etc. all ready to go, so we made it through in record time!
The ship is in pretty good shape. Yes, it's showing it's age in places, but overall very clean with crew constantly wiping down and cleaning everything.
Service is also really good considering they are operating with a reduced crew. Haven't had to wait more than a minute or two for a drink or food. Our cabin stweard is also amazing!
The food is better than expected. Yes, this is subjective, and yes, we've had a few misses, but overall the quality has been pretty good!
The Unlimited Beverage Package is a lot of fun!
The Medallion App is also a great tool, once you get it too work properly. Please see below.
The Bad!
Due to the reduced crew, live evening entertainment options are very limited. No fancy shows in the theater, just a few musical reviews.
The internet is just ok - sufficient for checking emails, surfing the internet, and writing posts on Cruise Critic. But not fast/reliable enough for anything more taxing. For most people, this is ok, but if you're expecting to stream Netflix on your sea day, you'll be dissapointed.
Tendering - yes, I know it's a neccessary evil! Guernsey was fine because Princess used local boats to help out, but Dublin was painful. Just six ship tenders, a long ride out to the boat, and a very rough/windy day made for a very long day of tendering. So long we left Dublin almost two hours late! Looking forward to Edinburgh tendering.....
The Medallion app is garbage! Until you figure out how to use it, that is. If you log in with your Princess account, it's a hit or miss proposition, and most of the time nothing works properly. BUT - if you log in with your cabin number - BINGO - works perfectly!
The Ugly!
The mask policy. Now - before anyone starts a reply, please hear me out!
On Embarkation Day there was a huge sign saying masks required in the cruise terminal. We were also given a letter saying masks are required on board. Ok, that's fine with us - but the only place it was enforced was in the buffet!
Setting aside the whole maks or no mask discussion, my problem is the lack of enforcement of any policy. Another example are the adult only pools full of kids, and the deck attendents look the other way. If Princess is going to require something, shouldn't they enforce it????
And in case anyone is wondering -
There's about 2,600 folks on board, and I think 1,100 crew (please don't quote me)
Masks - about 1/3 of the folks are wearing masks. Yes, they are required for tendering, and so far everyone is wearing one on the tenders.
Deck 12 is the quarentine deck, I don't know if anyone is up there or not.
Weather is cooperating so far, but looking ahead it's going to be cool and rainy in Kirkwall.
Overall a good cruise so far. Just happy to finally be here after 3+ years of booking and re-booking!
Feel free to ask any questions, I will try to reply internet willing!