Just Back from Emerald..just my experience

[sueb]

Just a quick overview/observations/opinion. Been on 16 cruises (4 with princess).

 

Had a nice time, not the best, but good. Loved the ports which was the main reason we chose this particular cruise. LOVED the Americas Cup Regatta in St Maarten. We don't usually do ship excurtsions anymore, but this is a Must do!

We met many great and interesting folks on this cruise. That was one of the high points!

 

Loved the majority of the staff. Margarita, the Barista in the International Cafe in a Gem! Enjoyed the Sanctuary one day and loved it. A true Oasis on this ship. Ate at the Crown Grill..it was good. Enjoyed a lovely Balcony dinner for 4...the best lobster I have ever had. This really is a bargain at 50.00/pp. FYI it is a huge amount of food so come hungry!

 

We were under code red for the first several days as the cruise before us had a Noro outbreak. It was lifted day 4, I believe. This did slow the Buffet down to a snails pace during breakfast in particularand I heard a lot of grumbling about it. Being in the medical profession I personally thought they did a great job in doing what they could to prevent a further breakout, but it did make for a terrible traffic flow problem until lifted.

 

Did not care for this particular cruise director or his staff (with a one or two exceptions). All I can say is I found him and his assistant really odd in a way. My DD even mentioned how strange some of their behavior was including drinking and acting drunk during one of the shows (pub night). Might have been an act although they were going into the audience and drinking beer from the audience. Thought that was pretty unprofessional. There were other odd behaviors I wont bother going into...in general just didn't feel this group at all. DD did enjoy the island night party up on deck. That was fun.

 

I felt the ship was looking worn in many areas including our stateroom (E731). The main atrium area looked great, but the skywalkers (furniture), deck pads, woodwork, exterior needs some help. Hopefully a drydock is scheduled soon. Our stateroom walls were 'touched up' in multiple areas where it had been damaged, carpet had runs in it, rusty areas on balcony. Mildew all over bottom of shower curtain that we had our Steward change out. Just looked like it needed a bit of an overhall. And, Fyi....yes you do feel vibration on the back of this ship(similar to driving in a car) and YES you CAN hear noise from Club Fusion until around midnight. Neither of these things really bothered us, but it is noticable and audible from this room. Loved our extended balcony (also had this room on the Grand Princess during it's first year).

 

Smoke smell in our hallway was awful at all times of the day and night. I really think someone in several of the cabins had a lit cigarette at all times. It was really bad. Same thing on the balcony except that was cigar smoke 24/7.

 

Thermal spa was OK. Heard so much about it, that I thought I'd give it a try. They say they only sell 40 spots, but each time I went There were 8 or 10 people in there and I don't think I saw the same people twice. I finally started to wonder if people were sneeking down there (could be done if you know where it is) Only got to enjoy the beds twice. I finally gave up the last couple of days, so pretty much was a waste of money. Would not suggest this area.

 

Had a cabana massage. Not so great and will explain if anyone is interested.

 

Embarcation and Disembarcation was totally painless. Princess does a great job with this.

 

Just my honest opinion on this particular cruise so please do not flame. Not sure why this one didn't click with us because the folks we met we really enjoyed. The general feel was pretty much universal with those we spoke to. Overall it was good/ not great by any means. My DD and her friend had a great time and met new friends (18-20 group) which we are thankful for. We had a good break and didn't have to cook or clean so I'm not complaining...just observations. I think next trip we are going to plan a land vacation to St John for a change of pace. Would most likely not sail on this ship again.

 

Please throw out any questions...back to real life...

[1 HappyCruiser]

Not all the people seem to think that location on the Emerald, Crown & Ruby had the vibration that you describe but it sure does. Not that it's real bad, but after a week of being jiggled it gets tiring. I couldn't talk my wife back into that location for any discount. Funny thing is that if your located around the aft elevators the vibration disappears.

[sueb]

Not all the people seem to think that location on the Emerald, Crown & Ruby had the vibration that you describe but it sure does. Not that it's real bad, but after a week of being jiggled it gets tiring. I couldn't talk my wife back into that location for any discount. Funny thing is that if your located around the aft elevators the vibration disappears.

 

It was sort of a strange vibration...sort of like a car. I'm used to feeling the thrusters and some vibration with aft cabins on other ships and when docking, but this was constant. Didn't feel this on the Grand at all. It would be enough to prevent us from booking this location again on these ships.

[Toddy709]

I appreciate you taking the time to write your review. I thought it was fair.

 

Seems like I've read somewhere else recently about a CD and asst. CD behaving strangely -- can't remember if it was the Emerald or not. I know I wouldn't be happy with them coming into the audience and drinking my drink!!

 

Sorry you had problems with the smoking. This seems to be popping up more and more with Princess ships. My biggest concern is that Princess seems to be inheriting more smokers as other lines cut back.

 

Glad your DD and her friend had a good time. The 18 to 20 age group seems to fall into a difficult category to entertain on a ship -- too old for teen activities and too young for adult activities.

[cherylandtk]

Thanks for posting your honest opinion, and thanks also for the reply/update over on the passport thread.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the comments.

 

Do you have names of these crew members?

[jkocpa]

Who was the CD on this cruise? We are on the Emerald later in the year, and just want to keep an eye on when they change CD. We tend to do alot of trivia, and games like that, so do have quite a bit of interaction with the CD staff. Thanks.

[sueb]

Who was the CD on this cruise? We are on the Emerald later in the year, and just want to keep an eye on when they change CD. We tend to do alot of trivia, and games like that, so do have quite a bit of interaction with the CD staff. Thanks.

 

Tim Donavan was the CD...His assistant was a woman and for the life of me can't think of her name...darn...

We only hit 3 trivia games this time as the times didn't jive with what we were doing. Trivia was alway fun. We had diffent staff at each game. One was Mark who was feeling a bit under the weather (after 'Pub night' I might add). All were just OK. But, keeping that in mind, The Trivia was Fun!

[1 HappyCruiser]

When we were on the Emerald we lucked out not having smokers near our room & the hallways smelled OK but if you have a couple of in-cabin smokers nearby it can be stinky as we found on previous cruises.

[sueb]

Thanks for posting your honest opinion, and thanks also for the reply/update over on the passport thread.

 

You are welcome! These boards have been a big help over the last many years. I have always taken the good with the bad and tried to make the best decision for our family. This just happened to be a little bit of a Miss. It happens.

[Colo Cruiser]

Who were the MD/Capt etc?

 

 

Normally it does not bother me.....

We had a guy next door on the Ruby that chain smoked 24/7.

I think he smoked in his sleep.

The hallway was filled everytime you walked past.

[sueb]

Who were the MD/Capt etc?

 

 

Normally it does not bother me.....

We had a guy next door on the Ruby that chain smoked 24/7.

I think he smoked in his sleep.

The hallway was filled everytime you walked past.

 

Sorry, my recall of names seems limited today. I do not know the MD name, we had anytime dining that worked for us. Did buffet one night , room service pizza one night, Balcony dining and Steak house so limited experience with the DR. Did have Breakfast lunch and dinner in the DR and all were possitive experiences. I'll have to look up the name of the captain. He was pleasent. The staff overall seemed very happy, so I think that says a lot about how the ship is actually managed.

[StLouisCruisers]

Maitre'D is Daniele Saredi, according the the email recently sent us. We board the Emerald Aug. 8.

[Luvsprincess]

The Asst CD is Collette

[TracieABD]

Thanks for the honest review. It sounds as if parts of your cruise were a bit underwhelming... It happens.

I hope the next cruise exceeds your expectations!:)

[snowskier]

I felt the same way after our cruise on the Emerald about 6 weeks ago. The behavior of the CD and his staff was quite odd and at times the CD and the lady that I can't remember the name of either was quite rude.

 

In addition, our cabin was not serviced, not cleaned, never had ice delivered, etc. Before everyone jumps on me, yes I called the first couple times and attempted to get this corrected -- which really didn't work. Had better things to do with my time on vacation than try to get this kind of stuff fixed, so made my own bed, used towels more than once and enjoyed my vacation.

 

The whole week was a bit off.

[veggie59]

Now I am getting alittle nervous. We are sailing on the Emerald mid September.....and it is our first Princess cruise. I have read many threads that posters have said the Emerald was in great shape. I hope this isnt like our cruise on the Explorer OTS in 2006. That ship was pretty worn. I wont get into all the issues we had.........oh my.

 

I hope that the CD is changed by our sailing......it seems like maybe he should be working somewhere else.

[Shelly97060]

Thanks for the review. We will be on Emerald in about a month and I appreciate hearing your experience.

[Luvsprincess]

Dont be nervous. I just came off this sailing and it was great.

The CD asst name is Collette. I didnt go to any of the trivia, activities so I didnt get to speak to any of the cruise staff. I had great service all the way around, from waiters, bartenders, pursers desk, people cleaning tables, pizza guys, icecream girls, room steward, coffee bar (my fav)...and if I forgot anyone else....ooppsss sorry.

 

I really couldnt find anything to complain about

I had anytime dining and thought that I got in quicker on deck 5 than deck 6. I never waited anymore than 10 min on deck 5 but waited 50 min on deck 6.

[sueb]

Now I am getting alittle nervous. We are sailing on the Emerald mid September.....and it is our first Princess cruise. I have read many threads that posters have said the Emerald was in great shape. I hope this isnt like our cruise on the Explorer OTS in 2006. That ship was pretty worn. I wont get into all the issues we had.........oh my.

 

I hope that the CD is changed by our sailing......it seems like maybe he should be working somewhere else.

 

I agree with luvsprincess...don't be nervous. A cruise is what you make it. This one was a little 'bumpy' for us and we didn't hate it or anything. Everyone will experience something different. We loved the majority of the staff on this ship. They were all very happy which can make a big difference. They were not fake happy, but appeared genuinly happy. We met some great fellow cruisers from all different countries and background.

Some things we didn't love about this Princess experience, but they may not bother you. Our last few cruises have been on newer RCCL ships so perhaps we were comparing. Not sure. We have decided to take a 'cruise break' and experience an island for a week to mix things up.

Go and enjoy! Did not mean to scare you away or make you nervous.

[Clutterlady]

Now I am getting alittle nervous. We are sailing on the Emerald mid September.....and it is our first Princess cruise. I have read many threads that posters have said the Emerald was in great shape. I hope this isnt like our cruise on the Explorer OTS in 2006. That ship was pretty worn. I wont get into all the issues we had.........oh my.

 

I hope that the CD is changed by our sailing......it seems like maybe he should be working somewhere else.

 

Don't be nervous....the Emerald is a beautiful lady!!! You will have little hicups no matter where you travel....enjoy:)

[Hunwolf]

We were on the Emerald last month and thought it was in pretty good shape overall. A few obvious "issues" here and there...but not bad for a ship 3-4 years old. The only thing I would note is that the miniature golf area could use a little work.

 

Having said that...we all thought the CD was pretty much a phoney. Didn't care for him at all. But...we didn't notice much in the way of "over the top" behavior from the assistants to be honest. And we did go to a lot of the afternoon and evening activities in Club Fusion. They did get pretty chummy with the passengers (compared to some other cruises I've been on)...but I didn't notice anything obviously out of line.

[Cruise Raider]

Now I am getting alittle nervous. We are sailing on the Emerald mid September.....and it is our first Princess cruise. I have read many threads that posters have said the Emerald was in great shape. I hope this isnt like our cruise on the Explorer OTS in 2006. That ship was pretty worn. I wont get into all the issues we had.........oh my.

 

I hope that the CD is changed by our sailing......it seems like maybe he should be working somewhere else.

 

We are on the same cruise as you will be on and this review also makes me a little nervous, as we booked a room in the mini's on the Emerald deck. We have cruised a lot so don't take all complaints as an exact science ...and think the original post was very fair in his/her assessment....thank you for that!!

 

I also wanted to book a cabana massage so am interested in why this may not to such a great option. I can always get a massage here at home for $40 for an hour, so don't want to just throw my money away on something that may not be worth it. To the original post, any feedback on this would be most appreciated.

 

I also hate the fact that you are able to smoke on Princess balconies. It is the luck of the draw I guess. I have had very considerate smokers next door, but also some non-considerate chain smokers. It does feel a bit like a waste of money for a nice room if you cannot spend any of your time out on the balcony. One time our neighbor was kind enough to ask if the smoke bothered us. I told him that it did but he paid for his vacation as well, so maybe just work out a schedule, which we did quite successfully.

(I know just the person that is going to flame me for posting this complaint....wait for it....)

 

I only hope the vibration and the noise from Club Fusion a bit further forward will not be too intrusive....usually the rocking of the ship is very soothing to me, but vibration might not feel like rocking, so just a little nervous about that. We have been in many aft cabins before and noticed the jolt of the ship when docking ...one popped us right up out of a deep sleep at 6 AM several mornings....but felt it was worth it for having such a nice aft cabin. I don't ever remember feeling a vibration, but then again, probably on higher decks than the Emerald deck.

 

Thanks to the original post for your fair assessment. Again, any feedback on the cabana massage is most welcome.

[Cruise Raider]

Just a quick overview/observations/opinion. Been on 16 cruises (4 with princess).

 

 

 

I felt the ship was looking worn in many areas including our stateroom (E731). The main atrium area looked great, but the skywalkers (furniture), deck pads, woodwork, exterior needs some help. Hopefully a drydock is scheduled soon. Our stateroom walls were 'touched up' in multiple areas where it had been damaged, carpet had runs in it, rusty areas on balcony. Mildew all over bottom of shower curtain that we had our Steward change out. Just looked like it needed a bit of an overhall.

 

 

Almost forgot to ask, how was the room steward in this area? As stated, we will be sailing on the Emerald in one of the mini's on this deck. Were the room stewards good in your opinion. I only had a mini once before and also had mold/mildew on the bath mat...gross. Also, had half used lotions and shampoo left from the previous in that room and no robes, no ice and those pool towels must be made of sacred fabric, very come to come by. ha!! I have also had excellent room stewards, on Princess and other lines. Some are definitely better than others. How were the ones in this area on the Emerald in your opinion? thanks!!

[blondietoo]

we were on the Emerald the first week in June...just hubby and me and had a fabulous time(6th Princess cruise). We could not find a thing to complain about. Had a balcony on Caribe deck....never smelt any smoke outside or in. Food was very good as was all the service. Tim Donovan the CD is British and sometimes we Brits can be a bit over the top and misunderstood. I spoke to him at least 5 times that week and he was lovely, in fact he had quite a little fan club going. I must say that some people(not a reference to OP ) are what i call WC's....whingers and complainers and always find something to complain about. Just wanted to tell upoming cruisers of our positive stay on the Emerald.