Thoughts on Emerald Princess

[happycruiser7]

So I’m booking a cruise this week and the trip I’m highly considering is on Emerald Princess. What are peoples thoughts on the ship?
 

I sailed on Discovery back in September and highly enjoyed it.

 

I know Emerald is older and I’m probably just overthinking at this point I just want to know what peoples opinions are of it before I officially book it. If not I’m considering a trip on Enchanted or Caribbean Princess. 

 

if it helps I’d be looking at interior or obstructed ocean view for a cabin. 

[EDVM96]

2 hours ago, happycruiser7 said:

If not I’m considering a trip on Enchanted or Caribbean Princess. 

Considering the Caribbean instead of the Emerald is not the best idea. 😄

[dockman]

I enjoyed the emerald a few years back...but never been on enchanted or caribbean...don't think carib gets very good reviews from what i see/read.  It is a rare cruise on Princess or Holland America that i don't enjoy.  NCL and few others...not so much.

[MissP22]

Considering the Caribbean instead of the Enchanted is not the best idea. 

 

You'll find the Emerald is just acceptable compared to the newer Enchanted (Royal class) ship. As the years progressed there have been many changes that most people have come to enjoy although there are a few that should have been included as well. I guess you can't have it all. 

[mtnesterz]

We were on the Emerald this past August.

Would not sail the Emerald again for being too crowded and the Caribbean would be worse space wise.

Mostly though, it was not being maintained. Just too many things didn't work. Not age of the ship, just keeping up with things.

The Enchanted would not have the obstructed ocean view cabin you want, but then, neither did the Discovery you were on, which you say you enjoyed.

Agree, you've got a tough choice to make.

[SCX22]

Just got off the Emerald Princess a week ago.  The ship is approaching 20 years in service and it shows.  It needs a lot of TLC.  While the spaces are functional, they are very dated.  Even the cabins are straight from the 1990s and early 2000s because of the use of mirrors in the bedroom area.  For the entire 2 weeks I was on it, maintenance could not figure out the water temperature situation.  If they turned the water temp controller the slightest bit in the opposite direction, the water would be either too hot or too cold.  Many people were complaining that all they could get was scalding hot water out of their showers, which wasn't ideal for a Panama Canal cruise where it was 90 degrees and 90% humidity most days.  Cabin toilets were a problem on Baja Deck forward.  Elevators were constantly out of service due to maintenance.  You had to push the button with all your might to get the floor to register on the port side forward elevator.  Too much gold paint caked on the panel is causing the buttons to not function.  On the bright side, the buffet has been renovated to the World Fresh Marketplace concept.  If you have a package, this ship has Steamers, Planks, and Crab Shack for casual dining, but only for dinner.

 

If Princess wants to keep these older Grand Class ships in service for much longer, they really should invest in a complete overhaul.  Celebrity did it on a few of their older ships, most notably the Millennium, and it's made a great difference in the overall enjoyment of the ship, both cosmetically and in terms of ship offerings.

 

I'd take a smaller balcony on the Enchanted Princess in lieu of the full promenade deck on the Grand Class ships.

 

Just as an example, rust has eaten away at the top trim piece of the column in the Neptune Pool but maintenance hasn't taken the initiative to replace it.  This didn't happen overnight.

[imsailin]

I love the Emerald- I really prefer the mid size ships. 

[Cruise Raider]

Over the last year, we’ve done several cruises on Royal class ships, including the Discovery, the Majestic and the Royal, as well as a couple on the Ruby and one on the Emerald.  
I absolutely love the Royal class ships and hadn’t been on the Emerald in 13 years, so I was not expecting much.  Well, we had the best time on her!  The service and food were both excellent!  
I thought the ship was in excellent shape and what they did in refurbishing the buffet area was quite a surprise.  It’s not like any buffet area we’ve seen on a Princess ship.  it was so creative and fresh looking!  We only went once but saw a crew member from the Ruby that we fell in love with.  She calls herself ‘the little one’ and understand she will be going back to the Emerald after her vacation.  We should all be so lucky!  The entire crew was just fabulous!  
I would have no qualms to sail on the Emerald again!  
 

[deja moo]

I was on the Emerald last month and had issues with the water temp in the shower. It was either hot or scalding hot. My friend who was in another cabin had no issues. Other than that I really enjoyed the ship. I like having a full promenade deck. Food and service were both excellent.

[LRY229]

I did 11 nights on the Emerald in November and had a great time.  I guess a little rust here and there doesn't bother me.  Food (even the buffet) and Service were great. I had a balcony room on 12.  No issues.  I wouldn't hesitate to sail on her again. 

 

I also sailed Enchanted Oct 2022 and yes, its much newer and fancier.  Again great food & service.  That's what matters the most to me.  I cruise to relax and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  I'm not cooking and cleaning, I'm happy. 

[happycruiser7]

9 hours ago, EDVM96 said:

Considering the Caribbean instead of the Emerald is not the best idea. 😄

Part of it is cost. Emerald for 10 days as a solo traveler with cost of cruise, airfare, hotel, Princess Plus, Lyft, and luggage will be a little less than $3,000. Which for solo isn’t that bad. I found an Enchanted but I’ve been the places it goes before and would prefer a longer trip. I’m just getting so many mixed reviews that I don’t know what to consider.

[clkelley]

We were on the Emerald to Hawaii in August last year and absolutely LOVED it. The cabin was spacious, (R747) the bed was really comfortable and our cabin steward took fabulous care of us. Our cabin was not accessible, but we had two small mobility scooters. There was plenty of room to store those in the cabin. We hopped around the dining rooms and had exceptional service each and every time. We ate at the Crown the first night and Sabatini's the last night. Both were exceptional. We had a great time in the casino and playing bingo each day. We had some challenges on the cruise and the staff handled them beautifully. (We were in the Pacific days before the Lahaina fires). They immediately canceled and refunded our excursions, rerouted us to Kona instead of Lahaina, and provided a great list of excursions for the replacement port on very short notice. We also were arriving back in LA when the hurricane was supposed to hit. They sped up, stopped in Ensenada a day early for about 3 hours for paperwork (not allowed to disembark), then we arrived in Los Angeles a day early. A lot of people left the ship the day we arrived, but as our flight home was not until the next day, we stayed on the ship. No hurricane, but it was pouring down rain, so we just chilled out on the ship, played some trivia, did some laundry, just relaxed, took the opportunity to explore some areas of the ship we had missed during our voyage, and had our fabulous final night dinner at a very empty Sabatini's (Although the view of the commercial port was not what we envisioned). We LOVED the formal nights and took the opportunity to really "doll up" (including wash and set hair/makeup appointments each time). We also took huge advantage of the professional photographers, and had a black and white custom photo session. We went to the spa introductory session, and both booked manager special treatments, and really enjoyed those.

Edited January 31 by clkelley

[vino100]

Thanks for your thoughts on the Emerald. We are booked on her in July and was a little concerned about her age. 
great picture too. 

[tulok]

If it’s 6/9, we will see you on the ship. 

[Geezer Jim]

We did 19 days on the Emerald Princess in August/September.  Enjoyed the ship, my issues are with Princess, the cruise line.

[B-Russell]

Currently on the Emerald and agree with a previous poster that ship could use some TLC.  It seems over half the washers and dryers in self serve laundromat are not working.  In a number of the ladies washrooms there is always one closed for repair.  The one by the Neptune was completely closed today.  
 

The service has been great and food good.  

[mrell345]

 

[Willwils]

We just got off of the Emerald for the 1/22/24-2/6/24 full transit Panama cruise. Found the balcony cabin on Baja deck to be fine with very little issues of being dated or worn out. That's  except for lack of any usb outlets, but we're prepared for that from other posts and had necessary adapter. From Amazon...  

https://a.co/d/gCfLPq0

however adapter, like this one, can't have a surge protector(some Princess ships will confiscate if surge protector as it messes up the ship's electr system). 

While the Fusion & Explorer lounges for the many many great games were adequate, the Piaza was too small. 

[lolane1]

On 1/30/2024 at 10:53 PM, clkelley said:

We were on the Emerald to Hawaii in August last year and absolutely LOVED it. The cabin was spacious, (R747) the bed was really comfortable and our cabin steward took fabulous care of us. Our cabin was not accessible, but we had two small mobility scooters. There was plenty of room to store those in the cabin. We hopped around the dining rooms and had exceptional service each and every time. We ate at the Crown the first night and Sabatini's the last night. Both were exceptional. We had a great time in the casino and playing bingo each day. We had some challenges on the cruise and the staff handled them beautifully. (We were in the Pacific days before the Lahaina fires). They immediately canceled and refunded our excursions, rerouted us to Kona instead of Lahaina, and provided a great list of excursions for the replacement port on very short notice. We also were arriving back in LA when the hurricane was supposed to hit. They sped up, stopped in Ensenada a day early for about 3 hours for paperwork (not allowed to disembark), then we arrived in Los Angeles a day early. A lot of people left the ship the day we arrived, but as our flight home was not until the next day, we stayed on the ship. No hurricane, but it was pouring down rain, so we just chilled out on the ship, played some trivia, did some laundry, just relaxed, took the opportunity to explore some areas of the ship we had missed during our voyage, and had our fabulous final night dinner at a very empty Sabatini's (Although the view of the commercial port was not what we envisioned). We LOVED the formal nights and took the opportunity to really "doll up" (including wash and set hair/makeup appointments each time). We also took huge advantage of the professional photographers, and had a black and white custom photo session. We went to the spa introductory session, and both booked manager special treatments, and really enjoyed those.

 

Nice happy photo.   Looks like we were on the same cruise.  So many medical emergencies, hurricane, fire in Maui, change of ports and sadly a person overboard.  However, it was one of the few times my daughter and I became very close to several of the staff.  And we had a great time despite all the mishaps.  The crew were phenomenal, warm and welcoming, especially two people in the Sanctuary and one particular bartender who created some pretty exotic non alcoholic drinks for us off the cuff.  We stayed in a mini suite and yes, she couldn't hide her age because of the old round structure where the old style TV's were placed., separating the two areas of the room.  But that didn't bother us at all.  The Emerald was a great ship to sail on.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  But, I would definitely

avoid the Caribbean Princess as I experienced plumbing issues that no amount of lipstick could fix.   

Edited February 9 by lolane1
spelling

[clkelley]

26 minutes ago, lolane1 said:

 

Nice happy photo.   Looks like we were on the same cruise.  So many medical emergencies, hurricane, fire in Maui, change of ports and sadly a person overboard.  However, it was one of the few times my daughter and I became very close to several of the staff.  And we had a great time despite all the mishaps.  The crew were phenomenal, warm and welcoming, especially two people in the Sanctuary and one particular bartender who created some pretty exotic non alcoholic drinks for us off the cuff.  We stayed in a mini suite and yes, she couldn't hide her age because of the old round structure where the old style TV's were placed., separating the two areas of the room.  But that didn't bother us at all.  The Emerald was a great ship to sail on.  I would do it again in a heartbeat.  But, I would definitely

avoid the Caribbean Princess as I experienced plumbing issues that no amount of lipstick could fix.   

 

Yes, it was eventful, but we had a blast!! It was our first Princess cruise, but definitely not our last. At least I do now know that I need to book waaaay in advance to get an accessible cabin. We had to rent scooters instead of bringing our own, as ours are too big for regular cabin doors.

[bjkTX]

We have 19 Princess cruises and three on the Emerald NOT counting the one we leave for in 2 weeks - in fact our last three cruises will have been on the Emerald - in the same cabin.  The last one was 4 months ago and we thought the Emerald was in good shape - but we aren't very critical.  I like the Grand class ships, and want smaller not larger so the new 5000 person ships don't interest me.  We are also not picky if we see a little rust on the balcony.  I guess it just depends on you - what are you cruising for, what are your expectations.  One of the great things about cruising is all the choices we have and whatever it is we are looking for - they pretty much offer it.  We cruise to be together in a more relaxed setting (hard to do when you've been retired a long time :-), see some sights we haven't seen before or wanted to see again, have a good service experience and hope we hate to leave the ship!  We accomplish that pretty much every cruise 🙂  Hope you have a great cruise whatever you choose!

[LyssaWorthy]

We sailed on the Emerald twice to Hawaii, in 2018 & 2019.  Yes, she’s older but we still had a wonderful time.  
 

The Caribbean was fun, too. It was 2006, and my DH’s first cruise.  He caught the cruising bug on it.

 

We’ve sailed on a dozen Princess Grand class cruises since then.  Every one had a hiccup or two, some small like a clogged toilet or an overcooked lobster tail.  Others bigger, like doing a grid search for a poor soul that went overboard from a sister ship, and catching Covid in Alaska, with a week in quarantine. 

Each cruise was special, and we just rolled over any speedbumps we ran into.  It’s all part of the adventure of cruising.  
 

I hope you have a wonderful time on whichever ship you choose.

 

Lyssa