Recently Off Emerald Princess - Thoughts

[flhokie]

We recently completed a 7 day Coastal California cruise on Emerald Princess (disembarked 6/24). I'll share my thoughts and feel free to ask questions....

 

Traveling Party - me (40's), mom (70's) and daughter (12 1/2). Mom has mobility issues (can't walk more than 5 minutes, at most) and traveled with a rollator walker that converts to a wheelchair. 

 

Pre-Cruise - We flew to LA from FL a few days early for sightseeing and to visit family. The morning of the cruise we returned our rental car to Long Beach Airport and took a taxi to the port ($51 flat fee).

 

Embarkation - The only negative part of the entire cruise and it was awful. There were no announcements/information and the terminal was hot. We needed assistance for my mother to board. She had a rollator walker that converts to a wheelchair. With the gangway, we really needed her to be pushed on in a regular wheelchair (had a scooter arranged once onboard). There was no assistance until after security and check in (different than other cruises). At check in we asked about the priority embarkation that came with suites (and Elite, which my mom also was) and were told that it doesn't apply if anyone in the party needs assistance with boarding--"but you'll get all your other benefits once onboard." We went to the waiting area and got in a line with my mom sitting on the walker/chair. The regular seats were full with people who needed assistance, but didn't have a chair or walker to sit on. After about 20 - 30 minutes, the line started to move. There were no announcements/communication, but passengers started sharing what information they could find out with each other. That's when we found out that they were allowing those who could make it on without port staff helping (had their own chairs, etc.) to board. All others would need to sit and wait until they were eventually called. Since it was so hot in the terminal, I decided I'd just try to push my mom. The chair is not as sturdy as theirs, but I would give it my best shot so we could get out of the hot terminal. After another 20 minutes or so, we made it on the elevator up to where the gangway was. After a wait there, we were able to board. Luckily the gangway wasn't very steep so I was able to get her onboard. There were no embarkation photos since we needed assistance which was disappointing. We had the photo package and really would have liked to have one. Once onboard, passengers would push people with disabilities out of the way to get an elevator and close elevators with space available in their faces. Princess really should have a crew member assigned to an elevator during embarkation for those with disabilities that must use the elevator--it could still be a wait, but at least they'd eventually be able to get on one. 

 

Luckily, things turned around after that....

 

Cabin - We were in a full suite, midship deck 14 (R409). We were a bit concerned before the cruise about noise since we were right below the pool deck, but that was not an issue at all. We were initially going to do a mini-suite, but changed to a full suite because of only the tub/shower combination in mini-suites which would have been an issue for my mom.  The room as very nice. It was a little dated, but in good condition. The split bathroom was nice. 

 

Teen Program (Beach House) - Daughter did the teen program on Royal Caribbean last year and was a bit disappointed that, at age 12 1/2 and in her second year of middle school (also nearly 5'8" tall), she'd be with 8 year-olds on our cruise. We went the first day and the crew in the 8-12 room were adamant that she be in that group unless she had an older sibling in teens. I mentioned that the website said teens was 12-17 when we booked (had a screenshot on my phone), but we'd respect their call on it--she just would do things with me instead of any kids program (she looked at the activities before we went and told me that was what she'd want to do). One of the ladies took us to talk to the teen group leader who immediately said that she could age up (just had to fill out a form). Daughter had an amazing time in the teen program. They had great activities planned, a great space for hanging out and the crew was involved with them. She said it was a much better experience than Royal Caribbean (which she really liked). 

 

Food - The food was excellent throughout! It was much better than Royal Caribbean (who we've cruised most often recently) and a highlight of the cruise. We ate at Crown Grille twice, Reserve Class dining room twice for dinner (and some breakfast), Sabitini's once (and a few times for suite breakfast) and the buffet. The only issue at all with food was the speed of service in Sabitini's for dinner (we also didn't love their new menu). We did tea one sea day afternoon. I wish they offered some of the food (sandwiches and scones) at the buffet as the line got really long for tea in the dining room (but it was really good).

 

Service - Service was excellent! The crew always had smiles and a warm greeting. Stateroom service was excellent and so was dining. I think they had some new crew in bar service as they sometimes weren't sure on how to make some drinks, but they tried really hard. When my mom got off/back on the ship, she needed assistance and the crew was always willing to help. They had staff (with blue vests) available to assist quickly and always with a smile. 

 

Ship - It's older and the layout is a bit chopped up, but it was great. They were doing painting, etc. and it seemed to be in good condition overall. Some areas, like mini golf could use some updating. Loved the pool decks with the artificial grass and non-slip surfaces!

 

Ports - Dock locations in San Francisco and San Diego were so convenient!

 

San Francisco was a lot of fun. We did it on our own--Alcatraz, Pier 39, Fisherman's Wharf, Chinatown, Union Square, Ghiradelli, cable car, etc. We never felt unsafe and had a great time (thank goodness for Uber later in the day--walking isn't for the faint of heart there). 

 

San Diego - Family took us around and we saw so much (Barrio, Coronado, Old Town, Balboa Park, La Jolla, Mt. Soledad, Point Loma, Belmont Park).

 

Ensenada - Daughter and I took a Princess tour to La Bufadora (blow hole) which was great (except for the major traffic jam coming back, but they can't control that). We had plenty of time to see the blow hole and shop in the market. We even had great seafood tacos. Once back in town we went to their cultural center for a tour and a margarita (coca cola for the kids).

 

Disembarkation - This was probably the easiest disembarkation we've experienced (in our many cruises). After breakfast at Sabitini's, we went to the lounge for those needing assistance off the ship. They had someone immediately take my mom, transferred her to a port worker in the terminal who pushed her the rest of the way. Got our bags (and porter) and then did facial recognition for customs/immigration. We were getting in a taxi within 15 minutes of arriving in the disembarkation lounge. 

 

 

[LACruiser88]

Thank you for taking the time to tell us about your experience.  We board the Emerald next week for a 16-day Hawaii cruise.  The Emerald is one of our favorite "older" Princess ships.

[Cruise Raider]

We board in a couple of days and so appreciative of the time you took to write about your experiences.  
we haven’t been on the Emerald in almost 13 years so, wasn’t really sure what to expect.  Sounds like we may have been overthinking it.  Thanks again! 
 

[victory2020]

I'm getting on this Saturday. Did you have the drink package? If so, were most drinks included? Don't know if they raised the prices recently,

[flhokie]

2 minutes ago, victory2020 said:

I'm getting on this Saturday. Did you have the drink package? If so, were most drinks included? Don't know if they raised the prices recently,

We had the premier package and most drinks were included. I'd think that most would be included in plus as well (except for some high end spirits and wines). I don't know about recent price increases for drinks, but their drink prices were much more reasonable than Royal Caribbean....most seemed in the $8-12 range (Royal was more like $14/drink).

[cr8tiv1]

Thank you for your succinct posts.  I came off the Emerald in May.  I, too, experienced the same "assisted boarding" you went through.  That actually has little to do with Princess.  The port people are responsible for getting you from the ground level up to the waiting area post security.  Then Princess takes over.  

 

Our wait for a wheelchair on street level would have taken us an hour (for 5 people in front of us...long story).  We made it up to check in and the agent "found" us a wheelchair attendant that took us through security.  But it would have been another hour to get us on board.  We took it really slowly and just walked it.  

 

There really isn't a good reason why they could not have allowed you to wait in the suite/elite lounge.  Did you get there before 11 ?  Or had boarding already started?

 

Glad the rest of the cruise went well.  

[Atarangi957]

We got on the Emerald Princess on June 24. We have only been on 3 other cruises, 2 Celebrity and 1 Disney. We mostly have been impressed with Princess but their internet is as bad as most of the comments say. We are on Plus and have found lots to choose from. One of my favorites reds is a Chilean Carmenere from Errazuriz. I have also enjoyed some wines that are more than Plus since you just pay the difference plus gratuity. We have 2 days to go. Da Vincini MDR reserve has been great. As you mentioned service great. I really wish the Plus wine list named the producers.

[sunviking90]

Thank you for your report. We were on the Emerald last November and will be again in August for 19 days. One of our favorite Princess ships. 

[skynight]

Nice report. I will mention that boarding at each port is a little different, but you should have be provided with all the HCP assistance you required plus priority boarding.

"At check in we asked about the priority embarkation that came with suites (and Elite, which my mom also was) and were told that it doesn't apply if anyone in the party needs assistance with boarding-" Something is not correct here. Being in a full suite plus requiring assistance you should have been provided kind double the boarding priority. 

[jimdee3636]

@flhokie

You say that the "speed of service" in Sabatini's was a problem. But do you mean it was too fast or too slow?

Jim

[cr8tiv1]

7 minutes ago, skynight said:

Nice report. I will mention that boarding at each port is a little different, but you should have be provided with all the HCP assistance you required plus priority boarding.

"At check in we asked about the priority embarkation that came with suites (and Elite, which my mom also was) and were told that it doesn't apply if anyone in the party needs assistance with boarding-" Something is not correct here. Being in a full suite plus requiring assistance you should have been provided kind double the boarding priority. 

 

It was not an option for my friend either.  But we arrived around noon and boarding was already underway.  I agree.  Priority boarding should be extended to wheelchair passengers.  

[Princessfan20]

This has always amazed me how at all the ports we have boarded a Princess ship they do not use a public address system to tell passengers what the boarding procedure is and how to proceed.  Princess reps just start south to the crowd,  It just creates confusion and usually a very disorderly boarding experience in what we have witnessed.  

 

[Doug R.]

4 minutes ago, Princessfan20 said:

This has always amazed me how at all the ports we have boarded a Princess ship they do not use a public address system to tell passengers what the boarding procedure is and how to proceed.  Princess reps just start south to the crowd,  It just creates confusion and usually a very disorderly boarding experience in what we have witnessed.  

 

South to the crowd?

[Princessfan20]

4 minutes ago, Doug R. said:

South to the crowd?

"shouting"

[flhokie]

29 minutes ago, jimdee3636 said:

@flhokie

You say that the "speed of service" in Sabatini's was a problem. But do you mean it was too fast or too slow?

Jim

Extremely slow. 2 hours after being seated we did not have our entrees (took 45 minutes before we had anything other than bread). Also took forever to order & receive beverages.

[neverbeenhere]

What about the shows and piazza musical groups? 
 

as one gentleman said; “The Pizzazz” 

(and he thought he had it correct)

[JoRoy218]

We too were on the same Emerald cruise. We also booked a suite, a Vista on

deck 8. We have quite a few Princes cruises under our belts, don’t even look at other lines. Was sorry to hear about your embarkation difficulties, the procedure seemed to be a “cluster” with staff shouting out instructions and very few listening/following. It was hot and crowded, got there around 1045.  
Lunch in DaVinci was perfect, as were all the meals in MDR, staff excelled. On most cruises, there are “hits & misses” but we did not experience any “misses.”

We spent quite a bit of time in Sabatini’s, love to go on every ship. Ate bfast there almost every morning, and two dinners.  Maybe because we ate later we did not experience the delay you described. The courses were spaced nicely and it seems we were departing within 1.5 hrs, more or less. Staff of course was top notch! Loved Stefan from Romania, his enthusiasm was contagious. 
Yes, the ship is older but it seemed in very good condition. We noticed new

 carpeting in quite a few areas.
We also spent one afternoon in the Sanctuary. It was almost full, staff kept busy, nice, peaceful day.

Shows were good though “Blame it on the Boogie”

was not our favorite, “Rock Opera” was outstanding and probably the best show I’ve seen on a ship.  They also had two comedians (who did two shows each), 

who were also very good.  All in all, probably the favorite cruise at this point.

Itinerary was just right with two sea days thrown in. 
Just my two cents…

Edited June 30, 2023 by JoRoy218

[Thunderbird19]

2 hours ago, JoRoy218 said:

We also spent one afternoon in the Sanctuary. It was almost full, staff kept busy, nice, peaceful day.

Shows were good though “Blame it on the Boogie”

 

 

Interested in trying the Sanctuary.  Do you make reservations ahead of time or can you just visit the day off?  What was the price and is it for full day, halfway or hourly?  Thanks.

[JGmf]

My family was on this cruise as well.  Jumping on your thread as didn't want to compete with two different Emerald threads.  Here's my take:

 

Overall

We were first-timers on Princess after about 15 cruises on NCL  We plan on spreading our wings and cruising on Princess again....especially b/c we see they're sailing out of NYC soon.  Good job Princess! 

 

Overall, it was a very good cruise.  We stayed in a full suite - the room, the steward, the mini-bar (which we swapped for all Diet Cokes), and the daily canapes were terrific.

 

Food

I liked the buffet.  It had very good variety and definitely appreciated the fact that they stayed open all day and deep into the night.  NCL has mid-day transition closures and are done serving all-together rather early.  That is bad. 

 

The pizza place, Slice, on the Emerald was outstanding.  It was hands-down the best pizza I've ever had on a cruise ship.

 

The Reserve Dining in the MDR was good, actually better than Sabatini's and Crowne, in our opinion.  Nothing in these two specialty restaurants blew us away.  The ones on NCL are better in that department. 

 

Drink

We had the Plus drink package and there was nothing we ordered that exceeded the limit....and we ordered a lot of variety in cocktails.  Loved how the package includes coffees and juice/smoothies as well.  The International Cafe is awesome.  Overall, the drink package is way better than NCL's "Free at Sea" package.  I suppose the only downer is the 15 drink limit...that became an (minor) issue when we did specialty shots for a group (it was one woman's 75th birthday with her family) -- dividing-up who pays for how many got cumbersome....

 

The Ship

Loved how many pools there are on the Emerald.  I'd compare the Emerald to the NCL Gem with regard to age and size - and the layout of the Emerald beats the Gem with regard to sheer number and quality of pools and loungers and available pool-side bars.  Shoot, the pools on the Emerald even blow-away the pools on NCL's newest ship, the Prima.

 

Wish, however, that the Emerald had better wayfinding signs.  Putting directionals in the carpet pattern (like NCL's swimming fish) to remind you are walking forward versus aft, would be great.  Same thing for the elevator/stair lobbies on the floors - are we in the aft, center, or forward?  You can't tell at a glance.  Maybe it was just me - I didn't take an elevator once, so maybe it's just a fluke for stair people.

 

Entertainment

Regarding entertainment, the comedians were good; and the cruise director staff did a fine job with the game and trivia shows.  We attended a lot of them; and had a good time.  Especially liked the "Yes or No" game show!  However, we thought the full-scale show entertainment was rather horrible, at least compared to NCL shows.  That "Rock Opera", to us, seemed like a comedy spoof of some European song contest.  Very cringey.

 

The Port

Embarkation was odd.  Arriving at the LA port, the porters weren't actively taking luggage; and there was no sign on where to line-up...so we dragged our luggage into the tent thing and lined-up behind others.  Then I started asking where to drop-off luggage (no way I'm dragging it on board with me) and found some porter to take it, confirming, too that the tent thing (with NO SIGNAGE) is where to line-up.  C'mon LA and your "World Cruise Terminal", spend 10 bucks and put up some signs please.

 

Disembarkation was a breeze.  Self-assisted walk-off, quick facial recognition with Customs, and to the curb for an Uber ride to LAX within 20 minutes. No issues.  I wish all disembarkations were as easy.

 

The Casino

I spent a lot of time in the casino and lost less than I was prepared to lose...so that's a win!  I had a good time, but wished there were more tables, more video poker, and more machines.  Certain tables (I'm looking at you WPT Texas Hold-em and 3-Card Poker) had very long waits to get a chair....if you could get a chair, that is...  Odd, too, that there is no bill-breaker equipped ATM in the casino.  I wanted to break some 20's to provide tips to staff, but their ATM is bodega-sized.  Seems amateurish to me  (Nope, I'm not waiting in a long line at the casino cage to break a $20...and, plus, the cage is closed during port days).

 

The Sanctuary

As soon as we boarded, I sprinted up to the 19th (or was it 18th deck?) to ensure we could get spots.  After getting totally lost and turned-around (first time on this ship, from a guy used to NCL ships), I finally found it and learned that I didn't need to abandon my family in the dust and run up all those flights in such a hurry - there were scores of spots to be reserved.  The weather, however, didn't cooperate on this cruise, so my wife only used it (not me) on the Ensenada day.  To the credit of Princess, they didn't charge us for those days we didn't use it (but had reserved it). 

 

The Itinerary

Doing the California Coastal was a great way to get a taste of the Golden State on a floating hotel.  SF was the highlight for us, especially Muir Woods, the cable cars, and walking around Chinatown.  Ensenada?  No gracias.  I literally walked-off the ship and walked back on just to say I was in Mexico.  The highlight of my 7 minute private excursion was getting sniffed by the security dog on the way back in.

 

Overall, again, it was a quality cruise with terrific staff on a well-maintained ship.  Looking forward to the experience sailing on larger Princess ships.

[cr8tiv1]

@flhokie and @JGmf

 

Just in case you do another Princess cruise in a suite.  You can always change (break a $20 or any denomination) at the Customer Service Desk.  They used to have a designated line for suites and elites.  I noticed on my last Emerald cruise that it was hap hazard.

 

Also, suite breakfast is more than what is on the menu.  You may request most items off menu...if they can get it on the ship.  I have had a crab avocado omelette with Pico deGallo.  Specialty coffees are complimentary.  Something you want in a different dining room?  Just ask.  I've requested cowboy (minute) steak.  

 

There are lots of signage in the elevator lobbies.  Each wall has a ship map.  In the middle will have 2 signs.  They point to port or starboard.  I still am not able to discern movement of the ship to figure out bow and aft.  This is why I won't cruise on a different line...I know my way around Princess ships.  All of the Grand class ships are basically the same.  A few ships have different colored carpets.  Wish they would make that standard.  

[JoRoy218]

9 hours ago, Thunderbird19 said:

 

Interested in trying the Sanctuary.  Do you make reservations ahead of time or can you just visit the day off?  What was the price and is it for full day, halfway or hourly?  Thanks.

Unfortunately (at this time) one cannot make advance reservations. Suggested to go straight to the Sanctuary upon boarding for your reservation. Yes, there are plenty of loungers but the “prime” seats near the windows, are taken quickly.

it is $40. for a half day (1-5). The afternoon treats include “tea time” with a very generous selection of finger sandwiches, sweets, scones (including clotted cream and raspberry preserves - yum), and of course hot tea. You can order food off

a limited menu but that is extra $.  Staff is very attentive, but not intrusive.

[LACruiser88]

21 minutes ago, JoRoy218 said:

it is $40. for a half day (1-5)

Unless they raised the price during the past 3 months, a half day is $30 pp and the full day is $40 pp.

[JoRoy218]

38 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

Unless they raised the price during the past 3 months, a half day is $30 pp and the full day is $40 pp.

Oops, I stand corrected! 😉

[neverbeenhere]

The singers on this ship can actually sing the songs they are given. Which is a rarity on cruise ships. Rock/Opera(Yes, I inserted a slash) had great singing, good dancing, and of course, no real story line. The "Opera" part was cut into the middle of the soft rock, basically not working with the rest.

 

The pre-show music was Guns and Roses, but the show was "soft rock". With one reasonably good attempt at actual rock.

 

The Emerald band was good as most ship bands. The Party Band was the same. Pacho and Olivia were the worst thing on four legs. The Guitarist, Piano player and strings were fine.

 

The comedians Oscar Carlos and "the other guy" were good.

 

 

 

 

[JoRoy218]

 

 

We spent a short time in the Wheelhouse, wanted to like them but…

actually  felt sorry for them. 

Edited June 30, 2023 by JoRoy218