My thoughts on the Emerald Princess

[ourlol]

Let me preface this by saying this is not a review of the Mediterranean Ports visited during our recent cruise aboard the Emerald Princess… more my personal thoughts about the ship itself. As always any comments made are subjective and what might be my opinion; may not necessarily be that shared by others.

 

As a little background we were a party of 15 which consisted of 3 families of 5. My own family are fairly experienced cruisers; the others I would describe as relative novices to this type of vacation.

 

 

The Ship:

Obviously as a brand new ship everything was in pristine condition. Nevertheless, rather than rest on their laurels, Princess had routine maintenance already much in evidence. An example of this was that hand rails etc. were being varnished as we arrived… I know because I leant on one!

 

Our past cruises have always been on the Grand class of ship. The passenger capacity of the Emerald Princess was larger therefore than we have previously encountered. Personally I didn’t notice any difference, the staff to passenger ratio if anything seemed greater than before. I suspect the opposite is true but it didn’t ‘feel’ it.

 

The layout of the ship is slightly different and I felt there were positives and negatives to these changes.

 

The pluses:

I loved the addition of the Adagio Bar next to Sabatinis on Deck 16. This proved to be one of our favourite bolt holes and the only reason I think it was under utilized was because people didn’t realise it was there. Staff working here were extremely attentive and friendly; often offering suggestions when I struggled to choose from the variety of cocktails on offer. The pianist also added to the general ambience of this venue.

 

Crooners. I felt the relocation to a larger dedicated area for the piano on Promenade Deck better than on the Grand Class of ship where the flow of passenger movement has often been restricted due to people wanting to listen to the music.

 

The Wheel House Bar, always popular, and now larger appears to have been a good move on the part of Princess.

 

Finally, the introduction of Street Entertainers in the Atrium also seemed to go down well and I think this will be well received when it is rolled out across all Princess ships.

 

The minuses:

In my opinion I felt that some of the evening entertainment venues were not being maximized to their full potential.

 

Personally I did not like Club Fusion at all and greatly missed the old Vista Lounge. Club Fusion was dark (dare I say gloomy) and its location at the aft of the ship meant that it was often sparsely occupied by passengers. When we did visit and sat away from the immediate dance area the lighting was very poor and sound levels made it difficult to hold a conversation. As a family we have previously enjoyed some of the trivia quiz events. Normally held in Explorers these events have always been well supported. In Club Fusion however they struggled to get maybe 10 or 12 teams of 6 to participate in these activities (and I’m probably being quite generous with my figures here). Previously, when held in Explorers, there have been too many participants to count ~ which has only added to the general atmosphere and ‘friendly competitiveness’ of these events.

 

How sad also that Opus (one of the resident bands) one night found themselves performing to no more than a dozen people in Club Fusion.

 

In the same way, Explorers lounge was often unoccupied during some parts of the evening… maybe a handful of guests at most. This area has the benefit of being in a very central location with people walking to and from the photo galleries. It seemed that when it did have a captive audience in place, the scheduling of alternative entertainment meant that it quickly emptied.

 

I didn’t visit the Sanctuary and with the intensive nature of our itinerary suspect that this area of the ship would not have made any revenue for Princess aside perhaps from the two sea days. I do wonder whether the inclusion of this area is a positive one.

 

Not a minus as such but, strangely, I missed having the partial covered roof to the Neptune Pool. Previously I have used the padded loungers that were found on the level above.

 

Movies under the Stars! A first for us and one I would not hesitate to repeat if the right film was on. Viewing from one of the tiered decks immediately in front of the screen was slightly obscured by the glass panels in front. Whilst this was not necessarily a problem, the panels themselves were quite water marked so we ended up passing towels along to clean them. If that could have be addressed before everyone sat down that would have been very helpful.

 

Staff:

Unquestionably this appears to be a “very” happy ship. Never before (in 6 previous cruises with Princess) have I received so many hugs and well wishes from staff members on the last night. Without exception we received service with a smile and often a friendly wave when passing through some of the venues.

 

We all ate in the Michelangelo dining room each night (two tables ~ one for 6, the other 9) and our wait staff were Annamaria and Amado. At the time of our sailing they were working at table 252 if anyone is interested. Both were outstanding and pre-empted our drink requirements by day two of the cruise. Similarly they quickly noted that the younger members within our group had ‘hollow leg syndrome’ and were likely to order multiple plates from the menu… if only to keep them going until they hit Café Caribe in the early hours! I don’t know where they put it. Alas I only had to look at the menu to feel my waistband getting tighter… and before you ask on my return it would appear that my clothes have shrunk!

 

It is also worthy of note that one of the Head Waiters, Konrad, made a point of passing by our table each evening to check everything was okay with our meals, how was our day etc. This gesture was refreshing and much appreciated, particularly as this hasn’t happened to us in the past.

 

Due to swollen feet on my arrival in Barcelona I made an impromptu decision to visit the Spa. Deb from the UK gave me an excellent foot massage and the symptoms were almost immediately alleviated. Later during the cruise I chose to take advantage of one of the port specials and met a wonderful woman ~ Mirla from the Philippines ~ who introduced me (her very wary guest) to the benefits of massage. Seriously I floated out of the Spa… it was wonderful. Contrary to what is often reported here on CC neither gave me the hard sell to purchase products.

 

I also visited the hair salon on both formal nights. Again I left with the sense that this was a cohesive group who were enjoying their time working on the Emerald. It was a nice touch to see the Salon Manager handing out complimentary chocolates to staff and guests alike.

 

Food:

No complaints here at all. Having previously sighted the new menus I wasn’t sure I would like the changes. My fears were, thankfully, unfounded and unless you are really picky, had something on offer for even the most discerning of guests. I particularly liked the pasta and often asked for one of the vegetarian main meal options as a ‘small plate’.

 

The food in Horizon Court was well presented and varied and although I only visited the International Café on one occasion it seemed to have a good selection of things to tempt. My kids also took advantage of room service and I was struck at how beautifully presented these meals were. Even a simple hamburger was garnished with a tomato rose on the side! “NO” don’t expect that at home folks!

 

Having somehow ‘forgotten’ our Silver Wedding Anniversary 5 months ago our children (in an attempt to make amends I think... that, or try to re-secure their inheritance) arranged to surprise us with an Ultimate Balcony Dinner one evening. Details of the meal itself are well documented elsewhere on Cruise Critic… needless to say it was a wonderful evening, with great food and great company (hey I’ve got to say that haven’t I J)

 

Entertainment:

We only saw one show in the theatre and it was fine. Not a West End performance necessarily but did what it said it would do on the packet… namely it entertained.

 

As previous stated the Atrium performances that I saw were very good.

 

Worthy of mention are Opus who did a sterling job in the circumstances and I only wish they had had the opportunity to showcase their work in a different venue in the evening. When working by the pool their music couldn’t fail to have you tapping your feet… even if you have two left ones like I have!

 

The idea to offer passengers the opportunity to see a Venetian Orchestra when docked in Venice was inspired. One of the best hours I’ve spent on board in a long time. Brilliant!

 

Skywalkers – my first, and possibly last, visit to the disco… I’ll perhaps relate that tale another time… unless, of course, my kids get the video onto You Tube first!

 

Cabin:

As in previous cruises we chose a stateroom on Caribe Deck. This location suits us because we often travel as a family of 6 and the extra balcony space is a real bonus. The beds were fine. No obvious gap or join in the middle of the bed and I personally liked the duvet cover (as opposed to sheets and blanket).

 

Internet:

As others have reported… it is SLOOOOOWWWWW. Luckily we have reached Elite status so this did not present the same issues that might otherwise have been the case had we been paying for it. I believe this is something that should be addressed at the earliest opportunity. One might argue it is caused by the geographic location at the time, but on previous Med itineraries it was never THIS bad.

 

Anyway, that’s it… back to the washing and ironing (only 3 more cases to go)

 

Laura

[C 2 C]

What a wonderful review. We have enjoyed Venice and the orchestra performance on Golden Princess several years ago.

We will be on Emerald in November and, thanks to your review, not completely lost.

I hope you don't mind if I add a link to my Rollcalls... I would like others to read a good review.

[Coolmama_1]

Thank you for sharing your thoughts of your cruise. It sounds like you had a wonderful time!

[GloriaF]

Loved the review! Now I want to sail the Emerald. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

[Coral]

Laura - thanks for the review! I also don't understand why they switched to Club Fusion. It seems like a bad change IMO.

 

Glad you had a nice cruise!

[regnig]

Laura many thanks for you review of the "ship". We are scheduled to take her in March '08 and I have not been overly keen about the "bigger is better" attitude. We simply wanted a 10 day of the Carb. and that was our (well really the other 7 people sailing with us) only choice. Your words have made me feel much better and I'll stop worrying about it.

 

Now more details about Skywalkers! ;)

 

Barb

[mii]

Thank you very much for the review. I am just curious about something. You mentioned that you had 6 previous Princess cruises and you also mentioned that you are Elite. Were your cruises longer by the days rather than the cruises? I will be taking my 8th Princess and am still Platinum. I am just wondering what you are doing to be Elite status.:D

 

Marilyn

[ourlol]

Hi Marilyn,

 

Whoops... I'm Platinum!

 

I can't think why I said Elite. It must be my age (I use that excuse a lot these days).

 

Maybe it's because I had been counting up number of days spent cruising. On average our cruises with Princess have been been about 13 days duration. We have also previously sailed with P&O and these also count towards our tally too.

 

Even so... a mistake on my part.

 

Laura

[mii]

Laura thanks for telling me you are platinum. I was thinking that I sure have been missing something with my 8 cruises and still being platinum. Anyway I thoroughly enjoyed your review. The good and the not so good.

 

Marilyn

 

P.S. I use age as my excuse too.;)

[DameAtSeaII]

Thanks for the great review.

 

One possible reason for the underused venues/events is that this itinerary is so port intensive. We did the MED last summer and will return yet again next summer. After a full day of taking in as much as possible in every port, we were frankly POOPED. DH even skipped dinner one evening and went to bed.

 

Having done the Baltic twice and the MED, anytime you have such a port intensive trip, you will find less participation and underused venues in the evening......it's the nature of the beast.....but OH SO WORTH IT.

[LARGIN]

Thanks for the great review.. Did you have a chance to meet Generoso?

[ourlol]

Larry,

 

The name isn't familiar to me. Is he a Maitre'd? If so, our experience of the dining room was a very positive one.

 

Laura

[Lynda90]

Laura, thank you so much for sharing your cruise with us. As always, it was a delight to read. Sounds like you had a wonderful time. :p

[bdjam]

Thanks for the great review, Laura...welcome home and I hope the laundry goes quickly ;)

[Poulsbo Cruisers]

Thanks for the great review.

 

One possible reason for the underused venues/events is that this itinerary is so port intensive. We did the MED last summer and will return yet again next summer. After a full day of taking in as much as possible in every port, we were frankly POOPED. DH even skipped dinner one evening and went to bed.

 

Having done the Baltic twice and the MED, anytime you have such a port intensive trip, you will find less participation and underused venues in the evening......it's the nature of the beast.....but OH SO WORTH IT.

 

What a great review. It brings back memories from last year when we did this same cruise on the Grand. I agree with DameAtSeaII as to why the venues are under utilized. We found that since the cruise was so port intensive with very long excursions we ended up doing nothing when we returned to the ship other than to drink beer on the pool deck, go to dinner and relax. We never went to one show, which is unusual for us.

[Esprit]

We were on the same cruise and enjoyed Emerald so much we have booked it for next year.

 

We really enjoyed the Wheelhouse Bar, The Latin Quartet played some great dance music and always got people on the dance floor. There weren't many of us in there so it felt like we were having an exclusive party.

 

It was such a shame Explorers was so quiet. We had the band to ourselves on two occasions and they happily played our requests for the particular dance we wanted to do. You'd have to pay a lot of money for something like that elsewhere.

 

We thought the CD James Ley did an excellent job and throughly enjoyed his dance classes and the Ballroon Blitz competition at the end.

 

We were on any time dining but we soon settled into a pattern and ended up having the same table at 8.30 for the last week.

 

The Santuary was well worth the $10. The Chez longs were so comfortable. It was like having your bed out in the sunshine and the Stewards were very attentive.

 

We had no gripes about the cruise, food or service but did make one mistake doing the Princess Istanbul excursion.

 

Next year we'll be back on board with friends we met on Grand Princess last year so we have high hopes it will be an even better cruise.

 

Cheers

Peter

 

PS Wasn't the CC meet and greet well attended?

[Colo Cruiser]

Very good review, thanks. :)

[sunsetbeachgal]

Laura,

 

Thank you so much for an informative review-I also have sailed on Grand class almost exclusively, so was interested to see the comparisons and can't wait to sail myself on Emerald in January.

[ourlol]

Whilst I agree with previous comments that the port intensive itinerary is one reason why the ship is not a hive of activity at night, I have based my report on my own previous experiences. This was our 4th Med cruise ... other cruises (with very similar itineraries) having been made in 2001, 2003, and 2005. I must like it, because I can see myself going again in the future... 2009 sounds good to me.

 

Although the adage early to bed, early to rise applies, we've previously found that some "mid" evening events have been well supported e.g. Triva, Jeopardy etc. My issue with this trip was not so much the lack of participation, but the entertainment venues used. Club Fusion, IMO, did not endear itself to quiz type events. I suppose I felt that Explorers was a more appropriate venue.

 

Another thing I forgot to mention earlier was that we found the dress code far more relaxed on this sailing than in the past. I definitely don't want to enter into a discussion into merits for or against here, because I know that long tours don't necessarily go hand in hand with having to get changed in the evening.

 

Nevertheless it was nice to hear strangers commenting on how nice it was to see a group of the younger generation dressed up each evening for dinner. It was particularly heartening as one of my sons can often be described as very scruffy. Actually in truth he is normally unkempt for 50 weeks of the year! ;)

 

Laura

[haggis]

Hi Laura,

Great review. Glad your trip was a great success,

Jimmy

[qsuzi]

Staff:

Unquestionably this appears to be a “very” happy ship. Never before (in 6 previous cruises with Princess) have I received so many hugs and well wishes from staff members on the last night. Without exception we received service with a smile and often a friendly wave when passing through some of the venues.Laura

Thanks for your review. We we on the second sailing of the Emerald and agree with your pluses and minuses. What also made this voyage special to us was the staff and their eagerness to please. We definitely will sail the Emerald again.

[Ethel5]

Thank you for taking the time to post your thoughts.

[happyvalley]

Thanks for the info! We're planning to get a balcony cabin on the Emerald. Which of the Baja and Caribe decks on the Emerald has the most privacy and which has the most space? Thanks!

[treesah]

Laura, thanks for a great review. We're doing the transatlantic on the Emerald in October. Tell me more about the Venetian orchestra. At what time was the performance, exactly where it was held and the length. Was the repertoire varied or mainly Vivaldi? Thanks.

[bdwyer]

Baja deck balconies have more privacy as they are completely covered by the deck above, but are about 1/2 the size of the balconies on the Caribe deck. The Caribe balconies are 1/2 open and 1/2 covered. We always opt for the larger sized balconies on the Caribe deck if we can.