Emerald Dec 20-30, 2008

[griswalds]

This was our 6th cruise on Princess. Overall it was a good cruise with great weather and no near death experiences. My comments are just that and yes we would cruise with Princess again. This was a Christmas cruise with lots of kids on board but there were not a problem that we could see. We stayed in a mini-suite D622, as we like to have a bathtub. The balcony is exposed for all to see which was no concern to us but the openness is a concern to many. The bed is not great, but we liked the duvet.

 

We had early fixed seating and found the service good (Anatoly and Maria). They both worked hard throughout the cruise. We did private dining at the crown grill and found the menu not as good as on RCI or Carnival. The buffet setup is odd. They have 4 stations that would be adequate if they opened 3 or 4 of them at any time. However there was usually only 1 or 2 stations opened which created considerable gridlock. We had an out break of the Norwalk Virus which resulted in really slowing down the food lines as you could no longer serve yourself. Pizza was good and so were the burgers.

 

The Emerald Princess has a major smell problem on deck 6 and 7 at the back stairs and elevators. It was awful and got worse at the cruise went on. We assumed it was an accumulation of garbage? The ship was generally clean however the cleanup on the sun decks needed some improvement. We understood some of the crew had the virus and perhaps this affected the service levels on this cruise?

 

Entertainment on the ship was good and bad. The singers and dancers seem to be missing something…not sure what is was, but no wow factor. There were some good comedians and the usual magicians, all good fun. There was one late night “adult” hypnotist show but we missed it. Comments from other family members who did attend the show advised us that the show was awful. They have street entertainers around the dinner hour who were very good.

 

There were the usual deck chair hogs, but we managed around it. Many would drop their towel on a chair and then disappear to for hours only to be astonished when they found the chair occupied upon their return. Seasoned cruisers are learning to just ignore these “land claims” and enjoy the empty chairs with considerable support of their fellow passengers.

 

The CD – Neil was good. This is the first time that I have watched the CD’s morning show on the TV and found it fun. The CD staff were good and most things ran fairly smoothly.

 

We chose to carry our luggage off and we were well on our way to our hotel before 8 a.m. We were to meet in the dining room on deck 5, which was not large enough to handle everyone so the hallways and elevator doorways were jammed. The cruise person handling this area could have been more proactive in assisting the passengers with this poor arrangement.

 

Happy cruising - Griswalds

[Chas N Keith]

We are off to the Emerald on 19 Jan 09 for the second time.

 

I agree the buffet is very messed up and confusing.

 

I am a little disappointed that CD Neil is still there or returned. He was a little over the top for me compared to some other CD's I have seen in the past.

 

Did they offer the Ultimate Ship Tour yet on the Emerald?

[Perky1]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. WE enjoy reading them all.

[csss]

We were on the Emerald from Nov 30 until Dec 20, and I do agree that the entertainment was not as good as I remember from last January. Many of the entertainers were repeats, but we still enjoyed them even though the acts were exactly the same as in January, but there did not seem to be anyone that was really memorable. We always love the hypnotist shows, but we did not have any onboard during our stay this time around. There was one pianist/comedian that we really felt bad for, as many audience members actually walked out during his show in the Princess Theatre, and even though he was not my favorite, I would never walk out.

 

Too bad about the norovirus slowing things down. We were lucky to not have that be an issue last month...

[griswalds]

Yes it was offered for around $175 PP, we passed. It was limited to a small number.

 

 

Griswalds

 

 

We are off to the Emerald on 19 Jan 09 for the second time.

 

I agree the buffet is very messed up and confusing.

 

I am a little disappointed that CD Neil is still there or returned. He was a little over the top for me compared to some other CD's I have seen in the past.

 

Did they offer the Ultimate Ship Tour yet on the Emerald?

[Times Prince]

We were on the Emerald from Nov 30 until Dec 20, and I do agree that the entertainment was not as good as I remember from last January. Many of the entertainers were repeats, but we still enjoyed them even though the acts were exactly the same as in January, but there did not seem to be anyone that was really memorable. ...

We were on the Emerald Princess Dec 10-20 and found the main entertainers in the production shows to be the best out of our 14 cruises especially the lead singer Regina. We made an effort to see all the shows, and even those we had seen before (e.g. Motown) were far superlative due to the quality of the four main singers who took it to a higher level.

 

There also was a magician/comedian (with dog) who was really good.

The piano player/comedian was good, but may not be everyone's cup of tea as he poked some fun at himself for age related stuff like memory... If I were dealing with that sort of thing I would have had an issue, if I remembered... :rolleyes:

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review.

As far as the garbage smell around deck 6/7 aft this is where the vents near the Promanade deck. This is the case on all the Grand Class ships.

It has to vent somewhere.

[rdsqrl]

Thank you for writing a review. I'm certainly glad to hear there were no near death experiences, although that's setting the bar pretty low for a vacation, but hey, you know your family better than I do . . . ! Glad you had an enjoyable enough time to cruise once again with Princess.

[RvrCrzr]

Thanks. Sure is funny how so many people can view the same exact thing and have a different point of view. :)

It's all good....we love reviews and opinions.

 

Were there lots of sick people with Noro?

[scorpioncrawl]

We have been cruising for 11 years straight now and have tried all the lines except for this one. It is not a line we would hurry back to. The itinerary was fabulous! Getting on and off the ship was flawless. Our room (Emerald Deck) was about the same as other lines, just very very stuffy and warm. We mentioned this and it was dealt with immediately, but still the same result. We felt the overall tempertature of the ship was very warm.

 

Food on the Lido deck was well below average. We are not picky eaters and usually always find something to our liking. Not this time. We found ourselves eating burgers and the fantastic pizza!! truly the best pizza we have eaten on any cruise ship.

 

This was also the most passengers we have ever sailed with, 3,080. As long as we were in ports or milling around at nite, you could not tell there were that many passengers. Sea days are a whole different subject. The lounge chair hording is absolutely insane. You always see people holding down their chairs on EVERY line, but this by far was the most insane ordeal I have ever witnessed. There were people arguing, cussing, yelling, screaming, calling security every 15 mins just over the chairs!!! I feel if you have to worry about saving a spot by 7a.m. and not coming to your chair by noon???? Come on, this is ridiculous. The signs cleary say NO HOLDING OF CHAIRS. My advice is if it is only saved by a towel then go for it!!!!

 

I am all about the shows/entertainment. I agree with what was written earlier about something was missing with the dancers. Their shows how no WOW factor and the theater is like a sauna, very very stuffy and warm. Also, we happen to be on the elevator several times with the singers/dancers and no one went out of their way to say hello or even acknowledge you were on there. The staff members were just the oppisite always friendly and asking how your day has been.

 

We were a family of 4 that was just disappointed overall with the ship and how very little it had to offer. If you werent in the casino after the show, there just wasnt anything to do and the same goes for during the day. They dont seem to offer a full day of "happening things to do" like the other lines offer. The age of most of the passengers i would compare to Holland, 60 and up!

 

Lay out of the ship was very different and chopped up. The ship is actually sectioned in thirds. MUTS was nice, and we were able to watch the panthers football game the first nite we sailed out. They bring around the cookies and milk and popcorn is popped throughout the movie/game.

 

I believe in posting the positives with the negatives so this was just our view of things. The most fun we had was in Ft Lauderdale BEFORE we sailed away!!! I can honestly say this was our first cruise EVER where we were ready to get off the ship!

 

We had rough seas several days. Overall, the weather was perfect. Curaceo was the best port ever!

[sherman931]

Thanks for taking the time to write a review. Appreciate it.

[pablo222]

I am all about the shows/entertainment. I agree with what was written earlier about something was missing with the dancers.

 

One dancer was out for three days with Noro.

 

WRT ports -- I was really disappointed with not going to

Aruba. But, it was my own fault, as I knew quite early

that Curacao was being substituted.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Thanks for all the reviews. We're counting down and can't wait.

[cruzinchris]

Thanks to those of you who have reported your experiences on the Emerald. DH and I will sail her again on 1/19 and look forward to escaping Michigan weather for a while.

 

Does anyone know who is Maitre d' on the Emerald?

 

Only 17 more days!

Chris

[Clutterlady]

Thanks to everyone for their review of the Emerald. Good or bad, can't wait to board the Emerald. If this cruise is anything like my past Princess cruises, I will enjoy:)

[Seapixie]

Thanks to those of you who have reported your experiences on the Emerald. DH and I will sail her again on 1/19 and look forward to escaping Michigan weather for a while.

 

Does anyone know who is Maitre d' on the Emerald?

 

Only 17 more days!

Chris

 

The Maitre d' on the Emerald Princess is the fabulous Nicola Furlan.

 

My DH and I were on the same cruise (12/20-12/30) and I will be posting my review later today.

 

Seapixie ~

[cruzinchris]

The Maitre d' on the Emerald Princess is the fabulous Nicola Furlan...My DH and I were on the same cruise (12/20-12/30) and I will be posting my review later today. Seapixie ~

 

Thanks for your rapid reply :) Do you know if Nicola Furlan will be staying onboard for a while? When we were on the Star in September, we heard that Silvio Zampieri would be joining the Emerald in early 2009.

 

I'll look forward to your review.

Chris

[Seapixie]

Thanks for your rapid reply :) Do you know if Nicola Furlan will be staying onboard for a while? When we were on the Star in September, we heard that Silvio Zampieri would be joining the Emerald in early 2009.

 

I'll look forward to your review.

Chris

 

Sorry. That I can't tell you. Have a great cruise!! I'll try to post my review as soon as possible.

[sing2sas]

WRT ports -- I was really disappointed with not going to

Aruba. But, it was my own fault, as I knew quite early

that Curacao was being substituted.

 

Was the port substitution only for your cruise, or is it a permanent thing? We are sailing on March 10.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for all the comments. :)

[Shogun]

Hi folks, Thanks for posting reviews,

 

Can I put in a good word for Neil the CD, last Christmas I requested a slot on the big screen MUTS, I gave him some photos he got the folk on board to turn them into a short video, added music and a messages, along with the PSD set my wife up to be in front of the screen to see these private show, along with ships photo bloke to record the event. ~Now as I understand things there is a policy of not doing such things but as our bags had been lost my wife being ill and we were doing b2b Neil went out of his way to bring a smile to wifes face.

 

I like the Emerald, however I think like most Princess ships you need to do your home work, Princess are not good at telling you about everything you can do or get while onboard.

 

Where to get free ice cream, or things at the International cafe being free, I have talked to people who did not go there because they thought you had to pay for everything.

 

yours Shogun

[griswalds]

The awful smell was not outside the ship on the promanade deck but as you walked down the stairs or took the elevator on decks 7 and 6 on your way to supper on 5. If the venting was outside, it would have been understandable. The smell of garbage on your way to dinner was not ideal. We were on the Grand and the Island and never noticed such a smell.

 

Griswalds

 

 

Thanks for the review.

As far as the garbage smell around deck 6/7 aft this is where the vents near the Promanade deck. This is the case on all the Grand Class ships.

It has to vent somewhere.

[pablo222]

Was the port substitution only for your cruise, or is it a permanent thing? We are sailing on March 10.

 

Apparently, because of the holiday ship schedule, there wasn't

room in Aruba, and Curacao was substituted.

 

...just for one cruise.

 

I'm sure you'd know by now. I think we got an "emergency

notification" in Feburary for the December cruise.

 

And, my pet peeve -- I don't think princess understand the

work 'emergency'. One of the 'emergency' notifications was

that sometime in 2009, passports might be required. That's

an emergency? I guess they've never read "Chicken Little".

[geoherb]

We were on the Emerald for Christmas 2007. I was hoping to be able to go again in 2008, but things did not work out for us to take another 10-day cruise.

 

I heard from the friends we met in 2007 that this Christmas's noro outbreak was not as bad as when we were on the Emerald. According to the CDC's report, there were 156 passengers who got the norovirus on our cruise. I'm betting the number was at least double since some people don't report their symptoms.

 

I tracked prices of Christmas cruises, starting last summer. The Emerald's prices never came down after the final payment date. It was the only cruise I tracked that did not have a decrease after the final payment date.

[Colo Cruiser]

The awful smell was not outside the ship on the promanade deck but as you walked down the stairs or took the elevator on decks 7 and 6 on your way to supper on 5. If the venting was outside, it would have been understandable. The smell of garbage on your way to dinner was not ideal. We were on the Grand and the Island and never noticed such a smell.

 

Griswalds

 

 

Sounds like a backed up system somewhere. :)