First Impressions of Emerald…Not Great :/

[memoak]

40 minutes ago, tipofthehook said:

I too can confirm the staff and crew of the Emerald have greatly disappointed us in the past. It is the only Princess vessel we refuse to sail on again. Not ‘never again Princess’ only ‘never again the Emerald’. 

We just had a great trip on the Emerald in March. My feeling is that it’s not the ship but the captain. Our one really bad cruise was on the Toyal where the captain refused to mandate masks when there were over 250 Covid cases on board including us

[Coral]

58 minutes ago, tipofthehook said:

I too can confirm the staff and crew of the Emerald have greatly disappointed us in the past. It is the only Princess vessel we refuse to sail on again. Not ‘never again Princess’ only ‘never again the Emerald’. 

Though by the time you cruise again, 95% of the crew from your cruise on the Emerald will be on different ships. I have had bad cruises on a ship and then returned later to the ship and had a great cruise.

 

I actually was on the Emerald in November and we had exceptional crew. Though we had a ton of COVID and it wasn't my favorite cruise by any means. Ports were great but the TA portion was horrible as so many were sick.

[startedwithamouse]

2 hours ago, tipofthehook said:

I too can confirm the staff and crew of the Emerald have greatly disappointed us in the past. It is the only Princess vessel we refuse to sail on again. Not ‘never again Princess’ only ‘never again the Emerald’. 

Crews change. 

 

We sailed on Emerald Princess a couple months ago, full transit PC, and her crew were over the top amazing to us.  

[cr8tiv1]

2 hours ago, tipofthehook said:

I too can confirm the staff and crew of the Emerald have greatly disappointed us in the past. It is the only Princess vessel we refuse to sail on again. Not ‘never again Princess’ only ‘never again the Emerald’. 

Would you cite “greatly disappointed “?  What didn’t the staff and crew do?  When/where?  
 

Glad you will not let one voyage stop you from cruising with Princess.  I’m sure everyone has had a non stellar experience on one ship.  I know I did on NCL.  

[LACruiser88]

3 hours ago, tipofthehook said:

I too can confirm the staff and crew of the Emerald have greatly disappointed us in the past. It is the only Princess vessel we refuse to sail on again. Not ‘never again Princess’ only ‘never again the Emerald’. 

Wow!  I'm very surprised that your experience on the Emerald was so bad.  We have sailed on the Emerald 9 times and have our 10th Emerald voyage coming up on July 6th.  We have had only great experiences on the ship and she is one of our favorite in the Princess fleet.

 

Hope you have a better experience in the future! 🙂

 

 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

I don't understand this concept of a "bad cruise"??? Even the "worst" cruise I've ever been on (which was on Carnival) was still fine. I've had ships and experiences I liked better, but never a "bad" cruise.

[curious_st]

Currently on my first Princess Cruise on Emerald, and pretty certain already (it’s Day 3) that I will never take another Princess cruise.  The only true positive so far was the easy embarkation in San Pedro, which I’m not sure Princess even plays much of a role in.  I think a lot of people are unfairly giving the OP a hard time, because I am on this ship feeling like I’ve been ripped off by this overpriced and underwhelming trip.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

8 minutes ago, curious_st said:

Currently on my first Princess Cruise on Emerald, and pretty certain already (it’s Day 3) that I will never take another Princess cruise.  The only true positive so far was the easy embarkation in San Pedro, which I’m not sure Princess even plays much of a role in.  I think a lot of people are unfairly giving the OP a hard time, because I am on this ship feeling like I’ve been ripped off by this overpriced and underwhelming trip.

 

Well that tells us a lot......

[LACruiser88]

47 minutes ago, curious_st said:

Currently on my first Princess Cruise on Emerald, and pretty certain already (it’s Day 3) that I will never take another Princess cruise.  The only true positive so far was the easy embarkation in San Pedro, which I’m not sure Princess even plays much of a role in.  I think a lot of people are unfairly giving the OP a hard time, because I am on this ship feeling like I’ve been ripped off by this overpriced and underwhelming trip.

Wow!!!🤔

[cr8tiv1]

56 minutes ago, curious_st said:

Currently on my first Princess Cruise on Emerald, and pretty certain already (it’s Day 3) that I will never take another Princess cruise.  The only true positive so far was the easy embarkation in San Pedro, which I’m not sure Princess even plays much of a role in.  I think a lot of people are unfairly giving the OP a hard time, because I am on this ship feeling like I’ve been ripped off by this overpriced and underwhelming trip.

 

You are on your way to Hawaii.  Would you kindly share what your experiences are that you feel are unsatisfactory?  Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[Malleykatt]

We have only sailed Emerald once, August of last year for a British Isles cruise.

The shop was around 2/3 full and sections closed in case of isolation rooms if needed.  Our room steward was brilliant, happy and always around.  First stop Guernsey, we queued for the tender back to ship and behind us in the line was the captain and his wife no queue jumping allowed everyone waited their turn.We had a technical hitch leaving Guernsey but we had regular updates on arrival times for Cobh our next stop and even arriving 3 hours later than scheduled all the yours went ahead even the private ones. Regular updates on health were in the cabins, mask wearing was implemented. All the time not a single moan or complaint did we hear. Cabins were clean and well maintained, yes a bit of paint on the outside wouldn't have gone amiss, but these are not normal times. Food.....Well we all expect different things where that's concerned but never had a problem there. The crew were settling back into the job gaining routine but never had issue with them.

Post covid who knows what will be our normal standards, each to their own. We are just glad to be able to cruise this year .....many can't.

 

 

[cheezenip]

On 5/23/2023 at 1:32 PM, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

@mamamusings it seems many of your concerns stem from use of the medallion app and related medallion technology.  Unfortunately this is one are where Princess consistently over promises and SIGNIFICANTLY underdelivers.  The expectations you had pre-cruise based on their marketing are not meeting the reality of what is being delivered onboard.  Some of this is down to staff not fully embracing the technology on top of a buggy tech platform.  You are justified in your disappointment.

 

I do find the amount of daily activities and entertainment offerings to be on par with what I expect from Princess.  Comparing to NCL mostly illustrates that the NCL offerings better suit your preferences for future travel.  The two brands are designed to appeal to different market segments.

 

As far as food, NCL does the "food thing" in a vastly superior way overall, especially on their newest ships like the Bliss.  Princess has always been ho-hum in this area and travelling on an older ship design like Emerald will only highlight the differences between the brands.  Again - different products aimed at different market segments.

 

Please try to enjoy the rest of your cruise, and maybe avoiding using the app will improve your experience.  Since it seems you now know that Princess is not the right "fit" for you I hope you are able to continue cruising on a line, like NCL, that seems to better suit your preferences.  The marvelous thing is that we as consumers have choices.

A well written post!!

[tipofthehook]

22 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Would you cite “greatly disappointed “?  What didn’t the staff and crew do?  When/where?  
 

Glad you will not let one voyage stop you from cruising with Princess.  I’m sure everyone has had a non stellar experience on one ship.  I know I did on NCL.  

[tipofthehook]

Just now, tipofthehook said:

22 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Would you cite “greatly disappointed “?  What didn’t the staff and crew do?  When/where?  
 

Glad you will not let one voyage stop you from cruising with Princess.  I’m sure everyone has had a non stellar experience on one ship.  I know I did on NCL.  

[tipofthehook]

22 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Would you cite “greatly disappointed “?  What didn’t the staff and crew do?  When/where?  
 

Glad you will not let one voyage stop you from cruising with Princess.  I’m sure everyone has had a non stellar experience on one ship.  I know I did on NCL.  

 

[tipofthehook]

Caught a billing issue after having an after dinner liquor charged double the menu price. Snotty restaurant manager would make BIG deal about correcting the left side menu error EVERY NIGHT, in pen, while our 8 top table waited. Bad manners.

Could not sleep the first night out because the bed was so uncomfortable. In the morning I discovered 2 cafeteria trays under crazy thin mattress. Bad housekeeping. 

 

My travelling companion often had to remind the waiter/junior waiter for sour cream etc. for baked potato. Could we please have ketchup? Any chance there is horseradish? Sure bring them at the end of the meal we love training new staff. Bad training.

 

Then the toilet wouldn’t work….

 

A most unpleasant ship. A comedy of errors that just wasn’t funny by the end of the journey.

Edited June 4, 2023 by tipofthehook

[curious_st]

12 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

You are on your way to Hawaii.  Would you kindly share what your experiences are that you feel are unsatisfactory?  Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

Here’s a few things:

1. The cabin bathrooms are ridiculous.  When I read the shower was small, I assumed they were like the older Carnival ships but was wrong.  I’m 5’9” and only have an inch or two of clearance under the shower head.  To lather my hair, I have to step outside of the shower, because of the width of the shower does not allow me to raise both arms at once.  Not sure how I will shave my legs. Some extra towels would be nice…

2. Cabin steward - I asked for an extra blanket, and was flat out told no.  I asked for extra pillows, and was told maybe tomorrow.  I asked for extra towels, and one arrived (we were back down to 2 towels in the bathroom the next time he serviced.  (I found an extra duvet under the bed myself. He put back away the next time he serviced, and then made a comment about it to my husband.)

3. Room service and the canned coke package - I’ve spent over an hour on hold with room service, along with a crew chat on the app and a visit to guest services (who only called room service for me for room service to only hang up the phone on me) to get my canned Coke package sorted.  It’s day 4, and they’ve finally delivered part of that order.
3. Entertainment - the bulk of the schedule is unhosted events, shopping, or gambling.   The live music has all been horrendous, and I suspect made even worse by the ship’s sound system.  We walked out on the comedian the first night because he wasn’t funny, and he is the theater entertainment tonight.  We caught a few minutes of the first show of Rock Opera last night to see if we wanted to come back.  It has potential to be good, but the ship’s sound system really took away from them.  
4. Food - the food is terrible,  we had a couple of decent dishes in the MDR, but even most of that has been bad.  We’ve tried the pizza, grill, buffet, and IC.  Carnival has much better food.  And, we literally saw leftovers from the buffet lunch being served at the buffet dinner yesterday. 
 

I could go on for a quite a bit more, but I’m nursing a headache now.  The crew started doing some kind of work that involved hammering, etc near my cabin right around 8 AM, and I can’t even think straight now.

 

[cr8tiv1]

I am sorry you are having a less than ideal cruise on the Emerald to Hawaii.  It is one of my favorite itineraries.  Hopefully, it will get better once you hit the islands.  If you need any recommendations for what to do on each island, please ask.  I generally am more food oriented, but do have knowledge of the outer islands too.

 

1.  Bathtubs are only in mini-suites or higher.  The shower stalls can be very challenging.  You can request as many towels as you wish.  I leave a note for my steward if I can't find him.  The bathroom set up is across the fleet.  

 

2.  I recently requested an extra blanket for my cabin mate.  Our steward acknowledged request and said he "would have to find one".  The next night, it was on the bed.  Pre-covid, I have asked for multiple pillows.  

 

3.  Room service is slammed the first 24 hours.  This shouldn't happen on day 4.  Pick up a carton of coke while in the islands.  Much cheaper than room service.  Do you have the beverage package?  But then again, can drinks are not part of that.  Haven't tried it, but is it available via the app?

 

4.  You are absolutely correct about the sound system.  In the Piazza and Princess Theater...it is ridiculously above a tolerable level.  I am not a comedian person.  But you are pretty much stuck with this entertainment until they reach the islands and can swap out.  

 

But there should be lots of other activities:

 

* Tui and Maile should have sets in the Piazza every evening.  They have hula and ukulele lessons every sea day.

* They should also be giving port talks that are NOT shore excursion sells.

* Hopefully you have Sharon the Park Ranger Naturalist on board for enrichment lectures.  If not, there should be someone else doing lectures.

* The Cruise Director staff should be doing free activities like ribbon lei making (and fresh flower leis on the way back) plus some other arts and crafts.

* Your production shows should be Rock Opera, Blame it on the Boogie, and Magic to Do.  Be prepared to muffle the sound.  It is 100 decibels or more.  Ask Customer Service for ear plugs.

 

5.  Food is very subjective.  My taste and yours may not be the same.  Not discounting your opinion, but the food I had last week was above Princess' norm.  Meat was flavorful and cooked to perfection.  I don't do the buffet.  Didn't do Slices, but had two lunches at the Salty Dog Grill.  Speak to your Assistant Manager and see if he/she can modify your order to something that will suit your palate.  We had excellent service 

 

I do hope the worst is behind you and you will find some enjoyment in the days to come.  How adventurous are you when it comes to foods and activities?  Hawaii has so much to offer everyone.  

 

Thank you for sharing your thoughts.  It is helpful to others when specifics are mentioned.  

 

If not, Princess may not be the cruise line for you.  

 

 

 

 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

3 hours ago, tipofthehook said:

My travelling companion often had to remind the waiter/junior waiter for sour cream etc. for baked potato.

 

The horror, the horror......

[Pilot53]

10 hours ago, scottca075 said:

 

The horror, the horror......

Funny.  I’m on the July 6th to HI.  I am 6’2”. And have big shoulders.  Sounds like showers will be challenging. I have no hair, so not worried about washing it.  As long as I get my coffee in the morning, I’m good.  I hope the food is at least OK.  I will never know how good the sound systems are, mostly deaf.  To loud, turn off the hearing aids.  Guess the point is, gonna make the best of 16 days away with my family.  Not gonna sweat this stuff.  

[cr8tiv1]

17 minutes ago, Pilot53 said:

Funny.  I’m on the July 6th to HI.  I am 6’2”. And have big shoulders.  Sounds like showers will be challenging. I have no hair, so not worried about washing it.  As long as I get my coffee in the morning, I’m good.  I hope the food is at least OK.  I will never know how good the sound systems are, mostly deaf.  To loud, turn off the hearing aids.  Guess the point is, gonna make the best of 16 days away with my family.  Not gonna sweat this stuff.  

 

I've heard of passengers doing this.  Never thought to even look.

 

[LACruiser88]

9 hours ago, Pilot53 said:

Funny.  I’m on the July 6th to HI.  I am 6’2”. And have big shoulders.  Sounds like showers will be challenging. I have no hair, so not worried about washing it.  As long as I get my coffee in the morning, I’m good.  I hope the food is at least OK.  I will never know how good the sound systems are, mostly deaf.  To loud, turn off the hearing aids.  Guess the point is, gonna make the best of 16 days away with my family.  Not gonna sweat this stuff.  

We will be on the same cruise with you. I'm also 6'2 but we book mini-suites mostly because of the shower/tub enclosures.  So much bigger than the standard shower enclosures.

 

Aloha!

[Guest ldtr]

10 hours ago, Pilot53 said:

Funny.  I’m on the July 6th to HI.  I am 6’2”. And have big shoulders.  Sounds like showers will be challenging. I have no hair, so not worried about washing it.  As long as I get my coffee in the morning, I’m good.  I hope the food is at least OK.  I will never know how good the sound systems are, mostly deaf.  To loud, turn off the hearing aids.  Guess the point is, gonna make the best of 16 days away with my family.  Not gonna sweat this stuff.  

I am 6 ft and have never had a problem with the height of shower stall on any Princess ship including the Emerald. 

[krufrank]

On 5/23/2023 at 10:24 AM, mamamusings said:

Almost no ability to sit in hot tubs at night while at sea enjoying views of the stars, since most get covered up pretty early.

I can concur with your statement. Compared to other lines we've traveled (NCL, Carnival, Royal) once 10:00pm hits - or so it seems - everything on board closes up (except for casino + a few dining options). LOL. We love sitting in hot tub late at night under the stars but was surprised, on our first voyage with Princess, that they close them pretty early. 

[krufrank]

On 5/23/2023 at 10:43 AM, mamamusings said:

forgot to attach event list! Here it is. 
 

 

It is unusual, to stay the least, to only have ONE trivia event per day. We've traveled on this exact ship and sailing before and I can honestly say they had multiple trivia nights (especially on sea days) - up to FOUR a night.  Maybe customer feedback has been they are getting tired of trivia?? I dunno. Thanks for sharing!!