Back from Emerald 1/18/16

[Seacreature101]

Hello:

 

Just back from Emerald and here is my take. Just my opinion as I am entitled.

 

Here we go.

 

Very nice looking ship. Most all staff had excellent attitude.

 

Dining: We ate in Anytime Dining Room Michelangelo, Buffet on Ship, Buffet on Island and Crown Grill. We are not picky and have been on 36-ish (lost count) cruises. Filets in Crown Grill had a wang to them (both dh and mine)and lobster was so salty! Food cold in many locations. Anytime dining was unorganized and had to wait one night over an hour. We are accustomed to Anytime Dining style on most of our cruises. Service was always very slow throughout meal in dining room although staff cheery with exception of Mario the Maitre D.

 

Entertainment: It was okay. There were a lot of people on board that would get to the theater very early so you had to arrive early as well just to have a seat somewhere. Bar service was usually one side or the other - not throughout.

 

Cabin: E730 Excellent mini-suite with extended balcony and straight shot down to the water as we have had in the past. Would have preferred E731 as it was not over the stage but it was not available. Could hear music slightly on occasion, but not a big deal. Would still recommend.

 

Fellow Guests: Many passengers were later in years and we are in our late fifties. The vibe on board catered to the older generation throughout. Nothing to do with age as it was various people but I will also mention that manners were much appreciated by those on board that used them. Met several throughout who mentioned the same. A simple "excuse me", "please", or "thank you" will take you a long way in life.

 

SISTERS???? You know who you are if you read this. You were one of the highlights on our cruise when you did Karaoke! Thank you for livening things up. DH and I told you same on an elevator. Loved your spunk!

 

So that is my take on an overall good cruise.

[RetiredNTraveling]

Thank you for the good and informative review! Much appreciated!

Just Mike

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the comments.

[floridalover5623]

Just a few questions & comments;

Filets in Crown Grill had a wang to them I'm not familiar with the term. Wang?

Anytime dining was unorganized and had to wait one night over an hour. We find that typical on lots of ships. Did you mean an hour to be served the main course or the complete meal?

There were a lot of people on board that would get to the theater very early so you had to arrive early as well just to have a seat somewhere.

Again typical of many ships.

All in all it didn't sound to bad a trip. :)

[mamaboss]

Thank you for posting your cruise experience. I am also not familiar with the term "wang".

[Seacreature101]

Wang Talk:

 

Ha ha ha. :) Maybe it is a southern term? Maybe something from my past? A "wang" in this situation means a non-flavorful taste. A "pooky" kind of flavor although they were still tender.

[floridalover5623]

Wang Talk:

 

Ha ha ha. :) Maybe it is a southern term? Maybe something from my past? A "wang" in this situation means a non-flavorful taste. A "pooky" kind of flavor although they were still tender.

 

Pooky.....oh yes, that explains it all. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Seacreature101]

Just a few questions & comments;

Filets in Crown Grill had a wang to them I'm not familiar with the term. Wang?

 

*See "wang" explanation above. :)

 

Anytime dining was unorganized and had to wait one night over an hour. We find that typical on lots of ships. Did you mean an hour to be served the main course or the complete meal?

 

*Hour waiting with pager. Have never waited that long before on any ship. And then, it was over an hour in the dining room without dessert.

There were a lot of people on board that would get to the theater very early so you had to arrive early as well just to have a seat somewhere.

Again typical of many ships.

 

*Never have seen it this bad on any of the ships we have sailed. We are not newbies.

All in all it didn't sound to bad a trip. :)

 

*It wasn't. It was okay. Not one of our best but still had fun.

 

See above and hope all have good trips wherever you go.

[Seacreature101]

Pooky.....oh yes, that explains it all. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

 

I am so glad you understood my humor using "Pooky". That is a non-flavorful taste. Perhaps a mild rancid beef flavor would be more specific?:rolleyes:

[floridalover5623]

I am so glad you understood my humor using "Pooky". That is a non-flavorful taste. Perhaps a mild rancid beef flavor would be more specific?:rolleyes:

 

Whoa now ! :eek: That says a lot. I'll have to check out the Filet in Crown Grill in a few weeks & let you know about that. ;)

 

Thanks for your honest review in any event. I get so tired of reading that everything was just so wonderful.

[jennybenny]

I had not thought about it until your review. We went to the Crown Grill 2-3 times our last cruise and my husband did comment that food was oversalted there. I did not find that to be the case in the MDR, but yes in the Crown. Still loved it though. Got a different steak each time.

 

I finally realized after 41 years of life, that I like filet mignons rare. All other cuts, medium rare. I didn't want to deal with sending my steak back, and it's no fault of the Crown grill, but for some reason Filet mignon is too cooked when medium rare. Rare, it's delicious... I NEED TO REMEMBER that!!

[ceelei]

I was also on the emerald for this trip (01/18-01/23) and actually found it very enjoyable.

 

We had anytime dining and never waited more than 10 min (on formal night) otherwise it was practically no wait. We had dinner around 8PM if that makes any difference. Service was good and food came out quick, witch the exception of our last day at sea. Waiter seemed to be flustered and we waited longer than usual for plated to come out...but nothing to complain about. Found the food in the dining room and buffet to be pretty bland, but didn't expect much. Thoroughly enjoyed afternoon tea and wish we attended it everyday.

 

Our meal at the crown grill was so good we booked for a second night. I got the ribeye and it was very juicy and tender. The first night my boyfriend got the NY strip and said that he liked my ribeye better. I tasted his and it was on the tougher side. The second time around he ordered the ribeye. We did notice that whatever the cook preference we asked for on our steak, it was exactly that when served. The boyfriend asked for a medium rare and got a perfect medium rare, I asked for medium and got a perfect medium every single time.

 

We found that all the soups (no matter the location (crown grill, dinning room), were VERY salty.

 

Items offered at the international cafe were amazing and we visited at least twice a day. And thanks to suggestions from here, we also enjoyed many slices of pizza on the lido deck.

 

Entertainment in the theatre seemed very popular. The one night we really wanted to go, seats were filled.

[floridalover5623]

Over salting seems to be one of the biggest complaints about Princess's food- our included. I suppose it's that we hardly use any at home other than what's added by the manufactures in canning.

We've tried the no salt options on the ships and it didn't taste all that great so we just accept what they serve as a regular meal.

[kimstonepost]

thanks for your review was there gelato in the international café?

[clueless34]

What time did you go to dinner when you had to wait so long? I remember we waited for awhile one night on our last cruise but I think it was a timing thing.

[graphicgal]

I was also on this cruise and enjoyed it. My favorite part of the cruise was the comfortable new beds. Wow, they really did a good job on this one! New linens too, but I think the pillows are not new and need to be looked at. They were sort of tired-looking (pun intended).

 

We had early traditional dining and had a great experience at our family reunion table for 8. Our food was very good, though there were some items I would not order again. The Curtis Stone plates were unremarkable and much smaller than the Princess offerings. Nothing seemed oversalted. Meats were cooked perfectly, though others commented on the fish being overcooked.

 

Embarkation and debarkation went very well and we came home with good feelings toward Princess. My only problem overall was the size of the ship. I learned that I do not like cruising with 3,000 people. Next cruise will be on a much smaller ship.

[floridalover5623]

I was also on this cruise and enjoyed it. My favorite part of the cruise was the comfortable new beds. Wow, they really did a good job on this one! New linens too, but I think the pillows are not new and need to be looked at. They were sort of tired-looking (pun intended).

 

We had early traditional dining and had a great experience at our family reunion table for 8. Our food was very good, though there were some items I would not order again. The Curtis Stone plates were unremarkable and much smaller than the Princess offerings. Nothing seemed oversalted. Meats were cooked perfectly, though others commented on the fish being overcooked.

 

Embarkation and debarkation went very well and we came home with good feelings toward Princess. My only problem overall was the size of the ship. I learned that I do not like cruising with 3,000 people. Next cruise will be on a much smaller ship.

 

Have they changed the bath & hand towels also?

The ones we had on the Royal were terribly rough and we would up using the pool towels to dry off after a shower.

[emtjen79]

My husband and I were also on this cruise. We were in room E735 which was a balcony room. Enjoyed the view out the back of the ship. We enjoyed the cruise but yes it was a lot to cruise with that many people! We are in our mid 30's and felt we were the "younger" ones on the boat.

We did anytime dining. I found it odd we called to make "reservations" and it didn't matter, we got there and they just seated us. Never asked about the reservations we had made. Crown Grille was good, but not amazing.

 

This was our first cruise so I don't have anything to compare it to. But would I cruise again, yes!

 

I thought the beds were great! I found it very comfortable.

[emtjen79]

thanks for your review was there gelato in the international café?

 

Yes there was, I think it was 1.50?

[floridalover5623]

Princess's gelato is not like what you would expect to get elsewhere. It's certainly OK but not worth the extra cost by any means. It's just comparable to the ice cream they serve in the dining room, no better. IMO.

[Seacreature101]

What time did you go to dinner when you had to wait so long? I remember we waited for awhile one night on our last cruise but I think it was a timing thing.

 

The very worst time was 5:30. We also tried at 5:00 to be early in line but already long. Others with reservations were in same line which is crazy. I still don't get the reservation deal with Anytime but just my thought. One waiter said best to come around 8:00 but that messed us up trying to get to the shows.

 

Towels mostly seemed good. Just one night might have had an older set.

 

Don't forget to ask for your robes. They will bring them to you if you ask if not in cabin when you board even when you complete Personalizer.

[Posaune]

I was on the four day and found the food to be very good. Our service in Anytime was better than on most of our cruises. We never had to wait for a table, but we did agree to join others. There were very long waits for two tops. I do not understand reserving tables being allowed in Anytime Dining. The tables sit empty far too long being held for specific times.

 

Magic to Do is a must see and for this show you do have to arrive quite early. The comedian (Miguel Washington) also deservedly drew a large audience.

[graphicgal]

Magic to Do is a must see and for this show you do have to arrive quite early.

 

I agree about the new show. It was excellent. I heard some did not like it but I thought it was very imaginative and the music was great. They only had the show on one night of our 4-day sailing and the theater was absolutely full. Arrive very early.

 

The announcer mentioned that this is the first of 4 shows he is developing for Princess.

[Colo Cruiser]

thanks for your review was there gelato in the international café?

 

 

Yes and its excellent! :)

[enyliram]

i was also on the 1/14-18 cruise.4 nights. i sailed solo.anytime dining i got to the dining room by 5;20 night and there was availability for a two-top table on 2 nights which seemed to have only 1 table still left. i joined others for the other 2 nights.no waiting. i wanted to catch the early show. the service, presentation and quality of the food was very good.

dinner service, even for solo, takes minimum of an hour.early dinner for most people but perfect for me.