seconds thoughts about emerald princess

[arlee]

we are sailing on the princess in March. we were looking forward to this vacation, now we're very uncertain about it, having read some very disappointing reviews. this is our first time on princess. we've sailed twice on NCL. I've read that there were many problems on the emerald - water A/C service not up to par,food not good etc etc. not want you want to read after you booked your cruise! I thought that since the ship was in drydock for 2 weeks, they would refurbish the cabins and have new wonderful mattresses - don't know if this is correct

is there anyone who's recently sailed on the emerald give me some insight. we were going to sail on the regal since it's a newer ship. now I think we've made a bad decision!

[Te Aroha]

Recent as in May/June of 2015 before it was refurbished we did four back to back cruises on her around the Med. The Emerald is a great ship. We found amazing food, great staff and good entertainment. We are regular cruisers with Princess.

 

Please remember that people will write bad reports and complain if they didn't have the best cruise more than those who had a great cruise at the same time, so read bad reports as a smaller group of people not the majority.

 

Cruises are what you make of them, the company you share and the memories that stay with you once back home.

 

I hope you have a great cruise :)

[Kamloops50]

As prevoiusly said "most people find something to complain about "

We did a B2B on Princess in Alaska last summer . We heard people complaining all the time on board . The complains were of a ridiculous things . To much rain, ship to hot and the biggy "They couldn't get free gelato" . The ship didn't any gelato on board.

I went to CC review later . Out of 10 reviews 8 where bad , one neutral and 1 good. The many of the bad ones where from people with many cruises under their belts with Princess or another cruise line.

[arlee]

Thanks for the replies! I certainly wouldn't be upset about not having gelatto on board it's the other issues I'm concerned about unfriendly wait is not a good thing. it's true that there are complainers everywhere. we have friends sailing on a 10 day carribbean on the emerald next week so they will fill us in

once you're spending a fair amount for a cruise, you want to be special.

[capecruizin]

We are going out on the Emerald next week, and chose this particular cruise because we wanted to be Emerald again! We are Platinum level,have sailed with her a few times, and find her to be wonderful--our favorite Princess ship by far! Time to get excited! You're going to have a great cruise!

[Griller]

Thanks for the replies! I certainly wouldn't be upset about not having gelatto on board it's the other issues I'm concerned about unfriendly wait is not a good thing. it's true that there are complainers everywhere. we have friends sailing on a 10 day carribbean on the emerald next week so they will fill us in

once you're spending a fair amount for a cruise, you want to be special.

 

I don't really understand why you would ask about Emerald on here if you have friends going on the ship next week who will give you information you will feel you can rely on.

But anyway IMHO Emerald is generally the same as any other Princess ship in as far as food, service, etc.

I was on Emerald straight after drydock and there were plumbing problems for some reason but this can happen on any ship, old or new, maybe more likely older though. But the crew were getting it sorted out as fast as they could.

As far as feeling special is concerned unfortunately Princess head office have been busy cutting costs and made it all feel not as special as it used to be. Princess is a mass market cruise line and you will be one of thousands on the ship, if you are spending a fair amount on a cruise and wanting special treatment then you need Crystal or another upmarket line.

Unfortunately Princess like many cruise lines spend a lot on glossy brochures depicting uncrowded decks and pools and promising the cruise of your life, well it just ain't so.

If you don't pay too much and don't expect too much then you won't be disappointed.

I love Princess and keep coming back to them after trying other lines they still are the fit for me.

[RASHOPPER2]

We were on the Emerald on the cruise just out of dry-dock, and there were many problems. But having sailed on 23 Princess Cruises and the Emerald in April, I would say that the problems stemmed from it being just out of dry-dock. By March these problems will have been cleared up and you will have wonderful cruise. The Emerald is a beautiful ship.....the crew is marvelous...do not hesitate to cruise on her.

[flamomo]

I am a Princess fan with 30+ cruises with them to my credit, and have cruised on the Emerald a few times. I really liked the ship and was very satisfied with the accommodations, food, service, and entertainment. I'd be only too happy to book another cruise on that ship.

 

Rather than allowing negatives posted by others to influence your anticipation of your upcoming cruise, I would encourage you to board her expecting to have a wonderful time, rather than presuming that there will be problems. A positive attitude goes a long way toward making your cruise what you want it to be .... fun and relaxing, or whatever you are hoping for. I hope you will be pleasantly surprised and happy with your choice.

[Clampram]

We were on the Emerald Dec 14- 19 and I posted my review yesterday. I think it will take a few days to appear. I was getting worried having seen negative reviews however, we were both pleasantly surprised and really enjoyed our cruise. Not everything was perfect of course, but our expectations were exceeded. I wouldn't change anything based on what you read.

It seems that reviews are very polarized...either really great or really bad.

The best that I can say is that we are now considering another Princess cruise next year.

[arlee]

Griller - the reason I asked about enerald is the fact that many people have previously cruised with her before and I like to get different opinions. This is why I joined cruise critic many years ago. as far as our friends sailing they are also interested in feedback. your response was a bit harsh

[weedpindle]

Seems like you have already decided that the Emerald is not the ship for you, so don't go. Trying to convince yourself that it will be OK is not the way to enjoy life. I loved the ship, but some people are naturally miserable and find all sorts of things wrong with everything. Believe nothing of what you hear and only half of what you see.

[arlee]

we are already booked on the emerald. I was just concerned about the poor reviews - that's all

[davekathy]

I would never book or not book a Cruise or a certain ship based on reviews here posted here on CC. I consider the positive and negative reviews to be only the opinion of the poster. And that's my opinion.

[floridalover5623]

We'll also be on the Emerald in Feb and I have been keeping up with all the reports as well. There seem to be problems mainly with the AC (which we experienced 2 years ago on the Emerald). I though by now that all would be taken care of but it seems that it's an ongoing problem.

The AC & water problems seem to be scattered in different parts of the ship so pinpointing the exact location isn't really possible although some decks seem to have more problems than others.

As far as the people who complain about the food- it's hard to say since what I consider great you might hate but Princess has so many choices it's hard to give a blanket statement that it's all bad. We consider most of it above average.

As long as our cabin has AC & a toilet that works I won't complain. I can live with the rest & still enjoy the cruise.

Note- cabin E327 and E330 have had bad AC for years & as recently as a cruise 2 week ago it still exists.

[Relax Cruiser]

We are virgins when it comes to cruising having just completed our first cruise with NCL earlier this year. And like others said people will find fault with everything. We had heard bad reviews about NCL buffet but we found it more tastier than MDR. We are due to travel on Emerald (same one which was out of dry dock) end of January (2nd cruise) and didnt bother to read any of the reviews prior to travelling because travel is an individual perspective. What others may like, you may not and what you like others may not and so on. It is what you make of it. We once booked a hotel with lot of bad reviews on TripAdvisor but found it to be good for us. Go on the cruise with an open mind and you'll have a great time; if not for sure you'll find ways to complain! Have fun!!

Edited December 31, 2015 by Relax Cruiser

[rob2102]

I don't really understand why you would ask about Emerald on here if you have friends going on the ship next week who will give you information you will feel you can rely on.

But anyway IMHO Emerald is generally the same as any other Princess ship in as far as food, service, etc.

I was on Emerald straight after drydock and there were plumbing problems for some reason but this can happen on any ship, old or new, maybe more likely older though. But the crew were getting it sorted out as fast as they could.

As far as feeling special is concerned unfortunately Princess head office have been busy cutting costs and made it all feel not as special as it used to be. Princess is a mass market cruise line and you will be one of thousands on the ship, if you are spending a fair amount on a cruise and wanting special treatment then you need Crystal or another upmarket line.

Unfortunately Princess like many cruise lines spend a lot on glossy brochures depicting uncrowded decks and pools and promising the cruise of your life, well it just ain't so.

If you don't pay too much and don't expect too much then you won't be disappointed.

I love Princess and keep coming back to them after trying other lines they still are the fit for me.

Think you make a very good point. Princess ships are generally in good conditions, and service and shows good as well. Princess does hype its service in its brochure but so do other lines. Expectations seem to be out of lie with reality in many cases causing dissatisfaction.

 

Any body who is unsure of princess needs to go to the cruise critic Disney cruise lines page. their is a strand their that compares Disney cruise with princess. Its amazing how well princess cruises compare with Disney. DCL cruises are typically twice the cost of princess with very little value added. With the exception of better show reviews princess holds up very well in the comparison. Most commented that the buffet was big and better laid out and the piazza and atrium far superior to Disney lay outs.

Odd Disney passengers think they are not getting real value for their money. Princess passenger don't think they are getting real value. Perceptions are hard to quantify.

I know that Disney charges for that perfect Disney experience and you pay for the mouse. So for them that's part of the issue and the pricing.

 

Getting back to the original question. I am a seasoned princess cruiser, doesn't make me special or elite (although I have a black card ) . my advice approach the cruise with an open mind, its cool to be excited and or anxious, but I think your going to have a great time. Proofs in the pudding, why are their so many repeat cruiser if they didn't deliver a good product every time.

[cruiseintoheaven]

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!

[partybarbie]

we are already booked on the emerald. I was just concerned about the poor reviews - that's all

 

DH and I just spent three weeks on the Emerald in October. We had a really good time. Our toilet worked and so did the air conditioning. I'll be happy to share some tips with you that will hopefully make you feel special and pampered on your "Mass Market" cruise.

 

1) Upon boarding, go directly to the Sanctuary and book half-days in the afternoons for all of your sea days. On the Emerald at least, you don't have to stand in line every morning to book partial days. The cost will be $20 per person, per day, but it is well worth it. The waiter will also bring you afternoon tea, with little sandwiches and pastries.

 

2) Go to the Crown Grill at least once. IMHO, the Emerald has one of the nicest Crown Grills, and the steaks were huge and of better quality than the ones we had on the Grand Princess in November.

 

3) Go to the Adaigo bar and order a Tiramisu martini. They are to die for.

 

4) Go to the Promenade deck and sit in the loungers and watch the sea go by. Hardly anyone uses those chairs and the views looking out over the water are amazing.

 

5) Go check out the live music in the Vista Lounge after dinner. On our cruise, the live band would often play in the evenings. Hardly anyone was there, so plenty of room to dance and no crowds.

 

The only negatives that we experienced were when DH was charged for drinks, or they forgot to take the 40% off the bottles of wine, even though he had purchased the AIBP. We were also charged $50.00 for our visit to the Crown Grill, even though we had vouchers for a free meal. A couple of trips to the Passenger Services desk took care of reversing the charges.

 

Have a fabulous cruise.

[arlee]

Thank you for the tips partybarbie! we're definitely going to the Crown Grill. as for the sanctuary, is the pool there under a "cover?"

I understand there is an adult pool as well that is complimentary?

[partybarbie]

Thank you for the tips partybarbie! we're definitely going to the Crown Grill. as for the sanctuary, is the pool there under a "cover?"

I understand there is an adult pool as well that is complimentary?

 

The pool isn't under a cover, but it's very shaded and there's no charge to use it. There are some padded loungers around the pool, but not very many, so you would need to get there early.

 

There's another area just outside of the Sanctuary, it's free to use, but mostly full sun.

 

There's another adult pool in the aft area, but that fills up pretty quick too. Our cabin was back there, so it was pretty easy for us to get loungers. The Horizon Court was just one deck up and there's a bar back there too.

[floridalover5623]

DH and I just spent three weeks on the Emerald in October. We had a really good time. Our toilet worked and so did the air conditioning. I'll be happy to share some tips with you that will hopefully make you feel special and pampered on your "Mass Market" cruise.

 

What deck & cabin were you on?

[partybarbie]

What deck & cabin were you on?

 

We were in R720, Riviera Deck, aft.

[floridalover5623]

We were in R720, Riviera Deck, aft.

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.

[Barosx2]

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.

[partybarbie]

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.

 

Well you what they say about stuff rolling downhill ;). For whatever reason, it seems like Emerald deck has the most problems, at least in my experience.