On board Emerald princess now

[lion1956]

We are currently on board Emerald princess California coast Cruise this post will be somewhat short cuz we're only into day three of our cruise we have enough facing cabin and I must say the balcony seems extra large and it's great to watch the wake a little about us we have traveled extensively and have been on several cruises but not for the last 5 years

I booked this Cruise because I wanted to see San Francisco and San Diego which I have never been to

I will try to be as accurate as possible in my intention is not to offend anyone but to enlighten and future cruisers on this itinerary and

Believe me when I say this I do not wish to cause a conversation about this but the accuracy of the statement is 100% on this Cruise 80% of the cruisers are 60 years of age or older many in their 80s at least 15% to 20% of the cruisers are obese at least 15% of the cruisers are mobility impaired having to use wheelchairs walkers canes or scooters this is not a reflection on them because they have an infirmity but just something to be aware of if you booked this Cruise because they definitely slow down the elevators and the lines to the food courts

My impression of the food so far is it is only moderately Fair we went to a specialty restaurant sabatinis and it was good the main dining rooms Botticelli Michaelangelo and DaVinci's have hit and missed dinners we ate at botticelli's tonight and it was really really bad

Sorry for the negatives and I don't want to depress people who are looking at this Cruise but my view is princess has gone downhill the entertainment has also been hit and miss some good shows and some really boring shows the music singers in pianos some have been good some have been terrible

As I said at the beginning the review or post is inconclusive because I'm only in my third day but we paid a lot of money for a product that seems to be lacking in several areas the one area where they are really really good is the service of the employees top notch all the way all right further as my cruise goes along oh and by the way the long talked about discussion about what to wear at dinner time I can tell you no men wear suits and jackets much less ties during non-formal nights in the dining rooms on the formal night which was last night about 50% of the men had either a Tie

suit or jacket the rest had smart casual I would not bother with a suit or jacket on this type of cruise

 

[MissP22]

It sound typical of a Princess cruise. 

[mrstmaxx]

How does someone over 60 affect your cruise?  I honestly think you are being unkind for complaining about us older folks - we are 70.   And why do you find it necessary to make any comment about someone’s weight?  That is a very unkind thing to say regardless of what country you are from.  

[Skai]

Due to my keen sense of perception and astute observational skills, I've deduced that the '1956' in your handle represents the year of your birth, and if my math is correct, that would also place you among the 80% >60 y.o. bracket.

 

More than 1 out of 7 fellow passengers using walking aids (such as: wheelchairs, walkers, canes or scooters) seems like an extremely high ratio.  I've personally yet to have experienced that many mobility impaired passengers on any of the numerous cruises that I've taken; even on the one sailing with Holland America -- which is commonly known to be a cruiseline that appeals to the octogenarian crowd.

 

I suppose that I will have to take you at your word per the accuracy of your statement being 100%.

[startedwithamouse]

39 minutes ago, Skai said:

Due to my keen sense of perception and astute observational skills, I've deduced that the '1956' in your handle represents the year of your birth, and if my math is correct, that would also place you among the 80% >60 y.o. bracket.

 

More than 1 out of 7 fellow passengers using walking aids (such as: wheelchairs, walkers, canes or scooters) seems like an extremely high ratio.  I've personally yet to have experienced that many mobility impaired passengers on any of the numerous cruises that I've taken; even on the one sailing with Holland America -- which is commonly known to be a cruiseline that appeals to the octogenarian crowd.

 

I suppose that I will have to take you at your word per the accuracy of your statement being 100%.

Mic drop 

[BamaVol]

I am not at all depressed by your review, as it lacks the details that would generate any sort of emotional response.  The food is moderately fair, the shows are boring and your fellow passengers are slow due to age, weight and infirmity.  Care to elaborate?  What food was served?  What were the shows?  Is it your weight, age or infirmity that keeps you from using the stairs to avoid your slow fellow passengers?

[c-boy]

I too have been in similar situations.Thinking if the ship could sail a little closer to the shore. I could jump over board and swim to safety.... 

[Nicole&Pete]

Just now, lion1956 said:

We are currently on board Emerald princess California coast Cruise this post will be somewhat short cuz we're only into day three of our cruise we have enough facing cabin and I must say the balcony seems extra large and it's great to watch the wake a little about us we have traveled extensively and have been on several cruises but not for the last 5 years

I booked this Cruise because I wanted to see San Francisco and San Diego which I have never been to

I will try to be as accurate as possible in my intention is not to offend anyone but to enlighten and future cruisers on this itinerary and

Believe me when I say this I do not wish to cause a conversation about this but the accuracy of the statement is 100% on this Cruise 80% of the cruisers are 60 years of age or older many in their 80s at least 15% to 20% of the cruisers are obese at least 15% of the cruisers are mobility impaired having to use wheelchairs walkers canes or scooters this is not a reflection on them because they have an infirmity but just something to be aware of if you booked this Cruise because they definitely slow down the elevators and the lines to the food courts

My impression of the food so far is it is only moderately Fair we went to a specialty restaurant sabatinis and it was good the main dining rooms Botticelli Michaelangelo and DaVinci's have hit and missed dinners we ate at botticelli's tonight and it was really really bad

Sorry for the negatives and I don't want to depress people who are looking at this Cruise but my view is princess has gone downhill the entertainment has also been hit and miss some good shows and some really boring shows the music singers in pianos some have been good some have been terrible

As I said at the beginning the review or post is inconclusive because I'm only in my third day but we paid a lot of money for a product that seems to be lacking in several areas the one area where they are really really good is the service of the employees top notch all the way all right further as my cruise goes along oh and by the way the long talked about discussion about what to wear at dinner time I can tell you no men wear suits and jackets much less ties during non-formal nights in the dining rooms on the formal night which was last night about 50% of the men had either a Tie

suit or jacket the rest had smart casual I would not bother with a suit or jacket on this type of cruise

 

We often use the stairs rather than the elevators, in some cases they are just as quick!

[Ombud]

I'm getting on the Emerald Princess Saturday and hope for a better result. @lion1956 question about the food court:: are they still loading up their plates as if they are grocery shopping? I noticed that on my last coastal cruise. I mean there's plenty of food .... can anyone really eat that much? It's very off-putting.  And yes, I only went to the buffet once so maybe that was just a 1 off thing but it put me off

[MissP22]

28 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I mean there's plenty of food .... can anyone really eat that much?

They provide entertainment during dinner . 

[Ombud]

2 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

31 minutes ago, Ombud said:

I mean there's plenty of food .... can anyone really eat that much?

They provide entertainment during dinner

I guess but I walked out without getting anything and walked down to IC for a sandwich & cookie. 

[Daniel A]

I was truly impressed by OP's detailed sampling of the passenger demographics with inclusive percentages.  It must have taken a lot of research.  The one percentage I noticed missing was the percentage of chronic complainers on the cruise.  🤷‍♂️ 

[JimmyVWine]

I mean no disrespect to the OP, but I cleaned up the original post so that it is easier to read. Hopefully this will foster greater discussion with more people reading it and participating.
 

We are currently on board Emerald princess California coast Cruise.  This post will be somewhat short cuz we're only into day three of our cruise.
 

We have an aft-facing cabin and I must say the balcony seems extra large and it's great to watch the wake. A little about us. We have traveled extensively and have been on several cruises but not for the last 5 years. I booked this Cruise because I wanted to see San Francisco and San Diego which I have never been to. 
 

I will try to be as accurate as possible and my intention is not to offend anyone but to enlighten future cruisers on this itinerary. Believe me when I say this. I do not wish to cause a conversation about this but the accuracy of the statement is 100%. On this Cruise 80% of the cruisers are 60 years of age or older, many in their 80s. At least 15% to 20% of the cruisers are obese at least 15% of the cruisers are mobility impaired—having to use wheelchairs, walkers, canes or scooter. This is not a reflection on them because they have an infirmity but just something to be aware of if you booked this Cruise because they definitely slow down the elevators and the lines to the food courts. 
 

My impression of the food so far is it is only moderately fair. We went to a specialty restaurant, Sabatini’s, and it was goo. The main dining rooms, Botticelli, Michelangelo, and DaVinci's have hit and miss dinners. We ate at Botticelli's tonight and it was really really bad. 
 

Sorry for the negatives and I don't want to depress people who are looking at this Cruise but my view is Princess has gone downhill. The entertainment has also been hit and miss—some good shows and some really boring shows. Some of the music singers in the Piazza have been good and some have been terrible. 
 

As I said at the beginning, this review is inconclusive because I'm only in my third day but we paid a lot of money for a product that seems to be lacking in several areas. The one area where they are really really good is the service of the employees—top notch all the way. I will write further as my cruise goes along.
 

Oh, and by the way, the long talked about discussion about what to wear at dinner time, I can tell you no men wear suits and jackets much less ties during non-formal nights in the dining rooms. On the formal night which was last night about 50% of the men had either a tie, suit or jacket the rest were smart casual.  I would not bother with a suit or jacket on this type of cruise. 

[Abercrombie2019]

Thank you for taking the time to add punctuation to the original post.  It has made it much easier to read, but you did change the meaning (probably unintentionally 🤣) in one location:

 

1 hour ago, JimmyVWine said:

"We went to a specialty restaurant, Sabatini’s, and it was goo."

I think "it was good" was the original post - but I'm sure that some people will insist the food was goo. 🙂

[startedwithamouse]

5 hours ago, Ombud said:

I'm getting on the Emerald Princess Saturday and hope for a better result. @lion1956 question about the food court:: are they still loading up their plates as if they are grocery shopping? I noticed that on my last coastal cruise. I mean there's plenty of food .... can anyone really eat that much? It's very off-putting.  And yes, I only went to the buffet once so maybe that was just a 1 off thing but it put me off

We had 30 days on the Emerald earlier this year, and had the best experience. Much better than anything on the Discovery (LA is our home port).  

[JimmyVWine]

35 minutes ago, Abercrombie2019 said:

but you did change the meaning (probably unintentionally 🤣) in one location:

That'll teach me to do something like this on my phone while sitting through a boring meeting!

[Thrak]

8 hours ago, Ombud said:

I'm getting on the Emerald Princess Saturday and hope for a better result. @lion1956 question about the food court:: are they still loading up their plates as if they are grocery shopping? I noticed that on my last coastal cruise. I mean there's plenty of food .... can anyone really eat that much? It's very off-putting.  And yes, I only went to the buffet once so maybe that was just a 1 off thing but it put me off

 

At least Princess did away with the platters and now only offers "regular" round plates. The enormous amounts of food people used to pile on those big oval platters was mind boggling.

[MissP22]

3 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

At least Princess did away with the platters and now only offers "regular" round plates. The enormous amounts of food people used to pile on those big oval platters was mind boggling.

I had forgotten about those large plates until you mentioned it.

I was wondering why I have to go back 5 times to get my fill. 😆

[Lady Arwen]

We haven’t done buffets in years.  We just don’t get the attraction.  Is it because you can fill up the plates?  Is it because if you don’t like it, you don’t eat it and just get something else?  We would much rather sit down and have someone serve us what we want.  Nobody has handled the serving utensils a hundred times.  Nobody has dipped their fingers in the sauce to make sure they like it.  Nobody has picked up a plate and then put it back in the stack.  So many reasons to go elsewhere.  I realize that some people enjoy the buffet and that’s great for them.  I’m glad we all have so many choices when it comes to dining.

[BamaVol]

5 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

We haven’t done buffets in years.  We just don’t get the attraction.  Is it because you can fill up the plates?  Is it because if you don’t like it, you don’t eat it and just get something else?  We would much rather sit down and have someone serve us what we want.  Nobody has handled the serving utensils a hundred times.  Nobody has dipped their fingers in the sauce to make sure they like it.  Nobody has picked up a plate and then put it back in the stack.  So many reasons to go elsewhere.  I realize that some people enjoy the buffet and that’s great for them.  I’m glad we all have so many choices when it comes to dining.

You might be surprised since it’s been so long since you visited the buffet.  We were not allowed to touch serving utensils.  There are crew members manning each station and serving you.  The chances of finger dipping are greatly reduced.  
 

I'm not a big fan of buffets myself.  We are usually satisfied with a single plate of food but the variety is one appeal beyond those who simply wish to “get their money’s worth”.

[Ombud]

1 hour ago, MissP22 said:

4 hours ago, Thrak said:

 

At least Princess did away with the platters and now only offers "regular" round plates. The enormous amounts of food people used to pile on those big oval platters was mind boggling.

I had forgotten about those large plates until you mentioned it.

I was wondering why I have to go back 5 times to get my fill. 😆

😲

Edited May 24, 2023 by Ombud

[Lady Arwen]

42 minutes ago, BamaVol said:

You might be surprised since it’s been so long since you visited the buffet.  We were not allowed to touch serving utensils.  There are crew members manning each station and serving you.  The chances of finger dipping are greatly reduced.  
 

I'm not a big fan of buffets myself.  We are usually satisfied with a single plate of food but the variety is one appeal beyond those who simply wish to “get their money’s worth”.

The buffet on HAL ships is strictly no touch and has been for years. I assume Princess changed things after the shut down.   We occasionally visited HAL ships  for lunch, but even then it just wasn’t appealing to us.  I doubt if we’ll bother on our Princess cruises.

[Happiest when cruising]

54 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

We haven’t done buffets in years.  We just don’t get the attraction.  Is it because you can fill up the plates?  Is it because if you don’t like it, you don’t eat it and just get something else?  We would much rather sit down and have someone serve us what we want.  Nobody has handled the serving utensils a hundred times.  Nobody has dipped their fingers in the sauce to make sure they like it.  Nobody has picked up a plate and then put it back in the stack.  So many reasons to go elsewhere.  I realize that some people enjoy the buffet and that’s great for them.  I’m glad we all have so many choices when it comes to dining.

The attraction is that you don’t need to spend so much time sitting the MDR, or put on pants or a dress or whatever it is you think is suitable for the MDR. I like to be able to grab something quick in my casual daytime attire. 
 

[Lady Arwen]

1 minute ago, Happiest when cruising said:

The attraction is that you don’t need to spend so much time sitting the MDR, or put on pants or a dress or whatever it is you think is suitable for the MDR. I like to be able to grab something quick in my casual daytime attire. 
 

Thank you for your reply.  I’m glad there is a dining venue that suits your needs.  To each their own and luckily we all have choices.

[Happiest when cruising]

Just now, Lady Arwen said:

Thank you for your reply.  I’m glad there is a dining venue that suits your needs.  To each their own and luckily we all have choices.

That’s for sure. I think on the last 21 day cruise we were on, we had a quick buffet dinner 3 times. One of those nights was a formal night, where we just didn’t feel like putting on what we think is appropriate clothes for the occasion.