Emerald Princess April 6, 2012 Short Review

[Travelrd]

this was probably one of the best cruises i've taken. everything was fabulous!

the ship's crew is extremely friendly and eager to please. they must put something in their water everyday to make them so happy to do their jobs. the following categories were very fabulous: the cabin (e731), the food, the itinerary and shore excursions, the cleanliness of the ship and the weather. i was very impressed with the commodore. he would walk around various places on the ship every day and talk to the passengers and was really happy that we were sailing on "his ship". and i finally got to meet godwin and now i know why everyone thinks so highly of him. he took very good care of me in the michaelangelo dining room. after the first night in the boticelli dining room, i switched from traditional to anytime dining. did i mention the food? i never had a bad meal. i always had breakfast in the da vinci dining room. it was great! i also ate in the crown grill one night and it was good, but not as fabulous as the pinnacle grill on hal. did not care for the sabatinis menu, so i didn't try it. the pizza was the usual fantastically wonderful pizza. the international cafe was superb. did i mention how fabulous the food was on this cruise?

of course, i did not leave the ship without kicking and screaming. i even threatened to lock myself in the cabin so i wouldn't have to leave. i have wonderful memories from this cruise and met some very interesting people, some of whom i'll probably be friends with for a long time. thank you princess for providing me with this experience.

 

any questions? just post here and i'll be glad to answer you.

 

cheers

[sunsetbeachgal]

Thanks for your review...enjoyed reading it!

[chubbypiggy]

this was probably one of the best cruises i've taken. everything was fabulous!

I finally got to meet godwin and now i know why everyone thinks so highly of him. he took very good care of me in the michaelangelo dining room.

 

Any questions? just post here and i'll be glad to answer you.

 

cheers

 

David,

 

Thank you for the review.

 

I will be on the Emerald for the TA cruise (in less than 10 days :)). I do have a few questions for you:

 

1. The balcony has the old furniture (larger table) or the new furniture (very small table)?

2. If you happened to see a Caribe balcony, did it have the old set up (4 chairs) or the new set up (2 chairs)?

3. With Anytime dining, you probably didn't have the same table every night, was Godwin still able to make sure everything went well for you?

4. Who was your cruise director?

5. Did the ship embarked from Pier 2 in FLL?

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

[MrJulius]

this was probably one of the best cruises i've taken. everything was fabulous!

the ship's crew is extremely friendly and eager to please. they must put something in their water everyday to make them so happy to do their jobs. the following categories were very fabulous: the cabin (e731), the food, the itinerary and shore excursions, the cleanliness of the ship and the weather. i was very impressed with the commodore. he would walk around various places on the ship every day and talk to the passengers and was really happy that we were sailing on "his ship". and i finally got to meet godwin and now i know why everyone thinks so highly of him. he took very good care of me in the michaelangelo dining room. after the first night in the boticelli dining room, i switched from traditional to anytime dining. did i mention the food? i never had a bad meal. i always had breakfast in the da vinci dining room. it was great! i also ate in the crown grill one night and it was good, but not as fabulous as the pinnacle grill on hal. did not care for the sabatinis menu, so i didn't try it. the pizza was the usual fantastically wonderful pizza. the international cafe was superb. did i mention how fabulous the food was on this cruise?

of course, i did not leave the ship without kicking and screaming. i even threatened to lock myself in the cabin so i wouldn't have to leave. i have wonderful memories from this cruise and met some very interesting people, some of whom i'll probably be friends with for a long time. thank you princess for providing me with this experience.

 

any questions? just post here and i'll be glad to answer you.

 

cheers

 

I booked E731 just today for a Caribbean cruise in 2013. The rave reviews of that balcony won me over. Now the question...Is it that good :)

[Orangefan]

David, I was just going to read Pia's daily journal from the Diamond from Singapore to Vancouver and noticed your post. I am glad you enjoyed the Emerald. I was on the Emerald last November and loved the ship and people. Your trip had different ports and more south eastern. Mine went to Dominica, Grenada,Bonaire and Aruba. I would do mine again or try your itinerary. I was surprised when you said you changed from traditional to anytime since you seemed pretty determined to do traditional. I have been watching the Port Everglades parades with special interest on the Crown. April 21st it will be me on the Crown going to Aruba and Curacao. My M & G group is quite active and anxious to meet them. If you want to see an active group check out Royal Princess- the 18 day maiden Venetian voyage. The trip isn't to Oct. 2013 and I think it is basically sold out. They already have almost 3,000 posts and 50,000 people viewing their site !!

Glad you enjoyed your trip and now you can plan your next one.

Sali

[BLS]

I booked E731 just today for a Caribbean cruise in 2013. The rave reviews of that balcony won me over. Now the question...Is it that good :)

In one word YES!!!

We had that very balcony on a Venice to Ft Lauderdale Transatlantic sailing.

 

Bev

[Travelrd]

David,

 

Thank you for the review.

 

I will be on the Emerald for the TA cruise (in less than 10 days :)). I do have a few questions for you:

 

1. The balcony has the old furniture (larger table) or the new furniture (very small table)?

 

i never learned how to choose a different color so i'm answering your questions in black ink, ok?

the balcony had the old furniture. it's wonderful especially on this balcony.

 

2. If you happened to see a Caribe balcony, did it have the old set up (4 chairs) or the new set up (2 chairs)? sorry, i did not.

3. With Anytime dining, you probably didn't have the same table every night, was Godwin still able to make sure everything went well for you?

the first night, my table was perfect and my two waiters were wonderful. I had a table for myself and godwin saved it for me the entire cruise.

4. Who was your cruise director?

the cruise director is a british chap named tom but i don't remember his last name. i had no contact with him nor his staff as i don't participate in many events.

5. Did the ship embarked from Pier 2 in FLL?

i don't know the pier numbers. this was only my second sailing from fort lauderdale. we left from a pier further away from where we arrived. we were right across from where the maasdam departed the same day and time as we did, if that's any help. we arrived right at the princess cruise offices and actually docked into a little space. there was jet way to use to get off the ship.

 

Thank you in advance for your assistance.

 

hope i've helped a little bit.

 

cheers

david

[Travelrd]

mr. julius, yes its that good. it's the only cabin i'll have and if i can't have it, i won't go! that's why i booked the cruise for september 2013 to alaska. i got the same cabin on the grand but it's e729 on that ship. you'll love the balcony, i assure you.

 

cheers

[Travelrd]

sali, the first night was a fiasco for me and the waiters at my table. i decided after that dinner to switch to anytime dining and loved it. yes, i was determined to have traditional but now it's not important to me anymore.

have a great cruise!

 

cheers

[RET_REF]

Hi David,

 

First off, it was a pleasure in meeting you, both Nancy and I enjoyed our talks during our two excursions with you as it made them worthwhile and thanks for your tips regarding USAA. I have to echo all of your sentiments of our cruise, the captain and his crew were so nice, the food was great, the ports of call were great, and overall it was a great time had by all that I'm sure of. But like anything else everyone has an opinion, and those criticisms from past cruisers of the Emerald may not agree with us, but we both know that our cruise was fantastic. We hope your puppy remembered you when you arrived home. It would be nice to sail again together on a future cruise and hopefully one day we will be able to do it again.

 

Cheers,

Jim & Nancy

[Travelrd]

good morning jim,

 

hope you and nancy had a good trip home. it's always so difficult the first few days after the cruise ends. i never want it to end. but at least i have another cruise next year to look forward to.

first of all, let me say that i wish we could sail again on the same cruise. i thoroughly enjoyed meeting and talking with you an nancy. it was a real pleasure meeting you both.

 

yesterday morning, i drove down to tucson to get my puppy, charlie and yes, he remember me and went wild went i came through the front door. i'm sure he thought he would never see me again. he was extremely well taken care of so i have no complaints. he had two other dogs to pal around with even though one of them is 12 and didn't want to play much at all. it's so good to have him with me again. we just got in from our walk. it's going to be 92 degrees here today and by sunday in the low 100s, so i guess summer is early this year.

 

i did start a roll call for next year's cruise so if you need me for anything, you can find me there. have a great week and my best regards to nancy.

 

cheers

[Coolmama_1]

Glad that you enjoyed your cruise. We are also big fans ofE730 E731!

However, sometimes that balcony,as awesome as it is, can be very windy! We were on the Emerald last fall and experienced an aft balcony for the first time. Nice to have choices!:)

[chubbypiggy]

hope i've helped a little bit.

 

cheers

david

 

Thank you David.:)

[marcjan]

Thank you for a great review. We are going on the Emerald in February 2013 and we were torn between the 10 day Celebrity Equinox and Emerald's 10 day. I was worried about the negative reviews for Emerald but I am ready to judge for myself. Your review gave me a measure of comfort knowing we have chosen the right cruise ship. Thank you!

[centralcalicruzer]

Thank you for a great review. We are going on the Emerald in February 2013 and we were torn between the 10 day Celebrity Equinox and Emerald's 10 day. I was worried about the negative reviews for Emerald but I am ready to judge for myself. Your review gave me a measure of comfort knowing we have chosen the right cruise ship. Thank you!

 

Here is a link to my review from our January/February 2012 cruise:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1573864

There is also a photo link at the end of the review.

As I've admitted before, I'm biased since our daughter is a Princess employee, but we had a fabulous cruise with only a few minor complaints. I think you will enjoy the Emerald.

[sailor'swife]

Hey there, David. Mac and I agree 100%--this was a great cruise, on a beautiful ship, with a wonderful crew. We always enjoyed the Commodore's "reports from the bridge" and seeing him at all hours as he strolled the various decks, stopping to chat with pax and asking how their cruise was going, etc.

 

We had anytime dining, and arranged with Godwin after first evening to have same time (7:15pm) at same table in the Michelangelo. It was best of both worlds--having traditional dining at your preferred time vs early or late seatings. Food always good--most nights it was delicious!

 

Have to agree, after having E730, will always try for that or E731!! We have the counterpart - E729 - on the Golden to Hawaii in April. Thanks for clueing us into that!:D Oh, and our queen bed was wonderful--think we had a pillowtop mattress, or a 3 inch think foam pad. Very comfy!!

 

It was nice chatting with you the couple of times we ran into you. Hope the cold you thought you were getting was a mild one. Happy future sailings.... Fran

[simbasmom]

I'm interested in what you thought of the entertainment schedule. Princess apparently is testing a new schedule of having 3-30 minute shows a night instead of 2-45 minute shows (I think those are the details of the change). I know that some hypnotist-type shows are complaining about the length of the show being too short. Frankly, I've heard from more who don't like it than from those who do. Our son is joining the Emerald June 1st in entertainment, a musician in the ship's orchestra, and is interested in how the change goes-a permanent change or temporary? He's reserving judgement, but is very interested in passengers' views on it.

[Travelrd]

simbasmom....i'm not able to answer your entertainment question since i didn't go to any of the shows. perhaps someone else who sees your question will be able to answer you.

 

cheers

[Tralynn]

Thank you for taking the time to post your review. We'll be on the Emerald again in November.

 

How did you like their new set up for the shows?

[sailor'swife]

We saw 4 of the evening shows, all at the 10:15 showing, during our recent (4/6) Emerald cruise. We really liked the 3 shows/evening schedule, as there were seats available right up until showtime. That made it no longer necessary to get there 30 minutes before shows started - even for the very good "Beatlemania" show.:) Thanks, Princess!

[Tralynn]

We saw 4 of the evening shows' date=' all at the 10:15 showing, during our recent (4/6) Emerald cruise. We really liked the 3 shows/evening schedule, as there were seats available right up until showtime. That made it no longer necessary to get there 30 minutes before shows started - even for the very good "Beatlemania" show.:) Thanks, Princess![/quote']

That's so good to hear. Thank you!

[Sandy Sails]

Hi David (and Fran)! It was great meeting you David - Fran, was that you or Judy that I met in the International Cafe?

 

Was that the famous Godwin that helped everybody get their seats in Michaelangelo? He was so great! Such a happy man!

 

We had a fabulous time on this cruise - love the Emerald! Disagree with ALL of the negative comments I've read in the past. Even the bed wasn't as bad as I had feared. Wasn't great, but wasn't horrible.

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your review, glad you had a good cruise.

[sailor'swife]

Hi David (and Fran)! It was great meeting you David - Fran, was that you or Judy that I met in the International Cafe?

 

Was that the famous Godwin that helped everybody get their seats in Michaelangelo? He was so great! Such a happy man!

 

We had a fabulous time on this cruise - love the Emerald! Disagree with ALL of the negative comments I've read in the past. Even the bed wasn't as bad as I had feared. Wasn't great, but wasn't horrible.

 

Hi Sandy. That was me, and wasn't that a coincidence? Of course, sitting at the IC/coffee bar was one of our favs! Yes,Godwin helped us get assigned time and table for duration of cruise, after our request the first night. It was nice meeting you and Dan! :) Fran

[gaelan]

My opinion of the April 6th cruise on the Emerald will decent slightly in that it was a good cruise but not a great cruise. While there was no major issue overall we found a number of things that detracted from the experience.

 

The Horizon and Caribe Grill were problematic, stations opened and closed randomly, not enough cups, forks and food was luke warm. Coffee stations opened and closed also randomly. Our room was not cleaned one day and another we had cleaning supplies left behind. Room service food was cold and heard this from a number of people. We ordered a bottle of wine in the MDR which was bad and it took until desert for the Sommelier to show up and agree,("No wine for you".... with dinner that night) the wait staff would not offer an opinion as apparently they pay for a mistake. BBQ lunch on Princess Caye closed at 1:30pm and many people were upset as they got no lunch. We went to Sabitini's twice and were charged for three visits. It took 45 minutes waiting at the Pursers's desk for the staff form Sabitini to come down look at the bills go back and then agree that they were wrong. Again each in themselves not a big deal but kind of a degredation by a 100 paper cuts.

 

The good things were anytime dining and food in the Michelangelo Room was very good and we met many interesting and fun people. Ship was clean and sapcious. Love the new Smoking policy. The best balconies on a line we have cruised to date.....which were hugh and easlily could accomodate six on our Carbe deck stateroom. Sabitini's was good but heavy on the salt....asked them to tone down for the second night which they did without issue. Crew overall friendly and helpful. Finally a wonderful itinerary.