Is The Emerald Princess Older, Sure, But It’s Definitely Wonderful

Emerald Princess Review: 4/5

• Princess Cruises is, I’m told, the first “traditional” cruise line that I’ve been on.
• The Emerald Princess is an older ship and it shows in places, but still offers many high quality comforts and features.
• As with any customer service experience, the staff are what make the biggest difference and the Princess Staff were excellent.

With a fleet as large as Princess’ and the age of several of their ships, I think it’s only fair that I start this review with a couple of important pieces of information.

I was on the Emerald Princess, one of the older ships in the line’s fleet. She entered service in 2007 and has received significant updates since then. Still, the age of the vessel means that there are design features that feel out of date when compared to more modern ships. The stability in rougher waters was impressive though and even more motion sickness prone people in my group never thought it was bad. As an aside, if you’re wondering, “does she know what rough waters really are?”, the answer is, yes, I do. I’ve sailed off the coast of Norway, in a ship a fraction the size of the Emerald Princess, in waves higher than 30 feet and winds greater than 90 mph.

Unlike my experience on Virgin Voyages, we did receive some additional bonuses because of a family member’s status. We received the benefit of Elite status when onboard, a benefit that we made use of. In most cases Elite status doesn’t translate to many real benefits, but there is at least one significant benefit to it that we’ll talk about. Other than receiving Elite status, though, I experienced Princess Cruises as any other guest might.

Great Itinerary

The last important thing to note is that we were on a truly unique itinerary. We were lucky enough to experience one of the line’s Eclipse Cruises, which meant that the Emerald Princess was directly in the path of totality off the coast of Mexico. The trip also saw us traverse the Panama Canal. These two features certainly brought specific travelers onboard that may have otherwise not gone on the trip. That includes us. We would not have been there if it wasn’t for the eclipse.

First Impressions; Embarcation

Our cruise left from LA and, being completely honest, there seemed to be a backup at the cruise terminal. As we arrived guests that were departing the Emerald Princess were still gathering their things and getting rides to wherever they were going. To avoid any potential confusion, on the part of the reader, we didn’t arrive early to the port. We got there at 2:30 PM, but the disembarkation process was still going on. This caused a bit of chaos and a lot of complaining from, ahem… certain guests. The reality of the situation was hardly worth all the fuming I overheard, both in person and online.

Here’s the total impact on guests that I experienced. There was a delay in being allowed into our cabins, but the bars, buffet, and quick service meals were open. Some of the stateroom amenities were not ready until the next day, namely they didn’t have enough clean robes. There was also a power cycling issue that they needed to work out before we departed, so there was a brief interruption to the internet and Medallion services. That’s really it. It was a minor inconvenience for us.

We got to leave port just before the Emerald Princess sister ship, the Sapphire Princes. They are almost identical ships, so this is a good view of what you’ll be taking.

The Crew Managed Beautifully

There’s a reason that’s all worth recounting though because it serves to highlight the quality of the crew. I figured that there was something amiss with the Emerald Princess arrival in LA. A few days later, once everything calmed down, I asked a crew member I’d gotten to know about the whole situation. They explained there was a delay in getting into the port and that they couldn’t start turning over the ship until many hours after they usually would. The entire process of disembarking the cruise before us was delayed. They didn’t say exactly what caused the delay but they, needlessly, apologized to me for it.

If the crew managed to recover from being unable to start disembarking until hours later than planned and all we really felt was a short delay before we could use our staterooms and a simple power cycling process, then I’m impressed. I worked in logistics for several years and I know how tight scheduling is these days. To be that far behind and recover that smoothly, especially for an operation like a cruise ship, that’s just impressive! Not to mention that I didn’t see one frazzled Princess crew member that whole time.

As I’ve written and said many times, there’s going to be disruption in travel and there’s no way around it. Your job as a traveler is to leave yourself a little buffer when scheduling and to stay relaxed and calm when dealing with people. If you can’t do those two things, just stay home.

I didn’t mind the hiccups in boarding, or the confusing baggage drop off (which is the port employees, not the cruise line). I found a bar, sat with my carry-ons, had a drink, and enjoyed the unseasonably cold LA air. What can I say, I like it chilly!

Princess Plus and Premier

I am well aware that most cruises are very interested in selling you packages. Drinks packages, Wi-Fi packages, gratuity packages, package packages, all of them with different “plus” and “premium” levels. Uggghhhh. The more I cruise, the more that I see of this and the more it drives me up a tree. I just want you to tell me what it costs to actually enjoy your ship!

Princess is no exception to this as there are packages galore, as well as upselling, but at least I can say they make it simple for you. Effectively you have two all encompassing packages for a cruise, Princess Plus and Princess Premier. They sell these packages HARD, both before the cruise and for the first day on the cruise. Because of that, it’s worth taking a look at any real value to be had.

These packages, respectively, cost $60 and $80 per person per day. Additionally, the package must be purchased for everyone in a cabin, so include that figure in your calculations. They both cover all non-alcoholic (NA) drinks beyond the already included still water, drip coffee, and juice. That means that lattes from the cafes, fresh pressed juices, and smoothies are all covered by both packages. Both packages include gratuity for crew as well, which makes tipping a non-issue. After that, there’s a bit of divergence, so here’s a comparison chart.

Let’s break these down one line at a time.

WiFi

• The number of devices Wifi is purely a personal use case. I would be fine with one device, but each guest has different needs or desires. As for the WiFi itself, it wasn’t fast. When compared to the complimentary WiFi on Virgin Voyages, Virgin wins hands down and when compared to the premium WiFi on Virgin, there’s no contest at all. I’m hoping Princess may be able to eek out a bit more from the WiFi on newer ships or in the future because the bar has been raised. That being said, the internet wasn’t that bad. I could watch YouTube and browse Reddit, but it was slow. Sending an email could be painful if there was an attachment.

More Plus and Premier

• Both packages provide a lot of value just in their non-alcoholic (NA) offerings. The lattes were certainly tasty, even if they weren’t anything to write home about. I also enjoyed a lot of San Pelligrino and their mocktails were surprisingly tasty.
  
  There’s, of course, plenty of value that can be had from the alcoholic offerings. The Plus package has a limit of $15 per drink whereas the Premier has a limit of $20. In both cases, if you order a drink that’s more expensive than that, the package will pay up to the maximum value allowed and then you will be charged whatever the difference is. Both plans also have a daily limit of 15 alcoholic drinks per day.
  
  Drinks, then, is one of the clearest value proposition for these plans. You can easily spend more than you pay for either plan on drinks every day, even using only NA drinks. For me, this category alone makes getting the package worth it. I didn’t look any further than this part before I decided to buy the Plus package. It’s worth noting that there aren’t many drinks that cost more than $15 on the menus, but I did have a few that were, and they were tasty, but they wouldn’t have made the Premier package worth it on that point alone.

Professional Photos

• This is a simple category to judge value. If you’re the type or person that likes to have some pictures to remember a trip by or look back on later, then this Premier benefit provides a lot of value. However, if you just like to snap an occasional selfie, then this won’t provide much for you.
  
  We had a couple people in our group that had Premier and we took a few photos together. They were nicely done, and the photographers were fun. Sure, they’re a bit corny, but that’s alright. The benefit really came into play on formal nights when we were all dressed up.

Specialty Meals

• Premier plans get 2 specialty meals per trip, while Plus gets nothing here. I’m going to talk more about food later, because there’s a lot of good to write about there, but I’m not sure that this represents much value.
  
  I personally didn’t go to any specialty meals, but the restaurants looked nice. The menu in them didn’t elicit much interest from me, which is all up top personal preference. That isn’t to say that they didn’t offer tasty options on the menu, it’s just that they didn’t offer anything that sounded better than the main dining rooms, which were fantastic.
  
  We had several people in our group that went to the specialty meals and they all reported that they were very good, but agreed that the main dining was on par with them. I don’t think that says anything bad about the specialty meals, rather it speaks to the amazing quality of the main dining rooms.

Casual Meals

• The Plus package comes with two casual dining meals included and the Premier has unlimited.
  
  Unlike the specialty meals, which I did not try, I did try a casual meal. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t worth anything extra. The quality of the food was above the buffet, but no where near the quality of the main dining halls. For me, this benefit added no value to the package.

Unlimited Premium Desserts

• I’m not going to mince words – this is worthless. I’ll talk about it more later, but I hated these things and I wish this wasn’t even included.

OceanNow Fee Waived

• OceanNow is the system on Princess ships where you can order food and drink from the app and a crew member will bring it to you anywhere on the ship, including your room. It’s very easy to use and, believe me, we used it unceasingly.
  
  If you have a drinks package, which the Plus and Premier are, then using OceanNow becomes a delightful luxury. Waiving the fee to use the service makes a lot of sense then. I see this as, nearly, the core benefit of both packages.

This space above the bridge, accessed through the stateroom hallways on deck 15 is one spot that OceanNow might not deliver to, but most places one the ship are fair game!

Unlimited Room Service Delivery

• Both packages offer this and what this really represents is the remanent of the old system, where you would order over the phone to a room service desk. That old way of doing things has been largely replaced by OceanNow, so I’m not sure why its listed as something separate here. The only reason I can think of, is that you can get breakfast in your room if you order the night before. I never did that, but maybe that’s still a standalone process. In any case, the real value is in OceanNow and this is mostly more of the same.

Fitness Classes

• The Premier gets unlimited classes, and the Plus gets two per sailing. This is something that I don’t place any value on, but others might. I certainly can’t say it doesn’t add value, but that value is going to vary greatly from person to person.

Reserved Theater Seating

• The Premier gets reserved seating in the theater and the Plus doesn’t. Again, I didn’t go to the theater. They did have entertainment and lectures in there though and, when I saw shows emptying, it was clear that they were popular! If you like going to the shows on cruise ships, this may add a lot of value for you. Based on the number of people I saw coming out of the theater each time, having reserved seating could be nice. It wasn’t a value for me, but I can certainly see how it would be for others. It’s hard to quantify that value, since there’s not a dollar amount attached to it, so put this in an experience enhancement category.

Princess Prizes

• This one is a bit odd to explain to the uninitiated. Available only to the Premier package, Princess Prizes are, quite literally, door prizes. Each time you open your stateroom door, you have a chance to win a prize. Yeah, it’s kind of silly, but it’s also fun.
  
  Here’s a list of the prizes available and the odds associated with each. Two people in our group won $250 in onboard credit and others won lesser amounts, so clearly, it’s possible to win. Like the theater seating though, it’s a bit of an intangible. You might win something, and that’s great, but you might not. Because this is just a roll of the dice sort of thing, I don’t think it’s worth attributing any value to it regarding the package. Think of this as a little extra fun on the trip or a reason to walk around the Emerald Princess and stop back by your room every few minutes to open the door and get a chance to win. That’s the best I can see from this particular benefit, an excuse to get exercise and, maybe, be rewarded for it. Which, all in all, isn’t a bad thing.

Verdict

That’s a lot of areas that the two packages cover then, and here’s my verdict on the two. Between Princess Plus the Premier Package, the Plus represents value and the Premier represents splurging.

For my money, I’d get Plus and think of it as part of the cost of the cruise. There’s not enough in Premier to make it worth my while, but Plus is easy to find value in. Yes, this feels like nickel and diming, and I really hate that, but that doesn’t mean there’s no value in it. Princess Plus makes sense to do, even if I wish that was just the base experience.

Dining

I alluded to this above, but there’s a lot of area to cover on the food front. I can’t review the specialty dining, since I didn’t pay for a meal there, but everything else will be. We’re going to go from best to worst, so hold on tight.

Main Dining Rooms

There are three dining rooms that all serve the same menu each night. Princess has announced that coming in fall 2024, one will be dedicated to walk-ins, one for people with anytime reservations, and one for people who like to have the same tables and servers each night. This will be a welcome change for those of us who prefer the third option.

Food Quality

I am still stunned by the quality of food; I mean truly amazed. Before the cruise I was told to brace myself for lackluster cuisine. But bracing needn’t be done, by me nor anyone else I would say.

Each night in the dining hall, we were met with a different menu. Each night there were unique offerings and difficult to prepare dishes. And each night the kitchen delivered nothing less than magnificence.

Lobster bisques, chilled fruit soups, souffles, an entire Italian night. Rest assured that you will have a variety each day to choose from. This is to say nothing of the flavors. Spices from all over the world, curries, peppers, rubs! If I left hungry it was my own fault.

After a couple nights on the Emerald Princess, we all noticed that the quality of the menu wasn’t an aberration. Every day we would look forward to what the dining room had to offer, excitedly browsing the menu when it was posted each morning. I know that sounds ridiculous to many, but if you had a nightly preparation of dishes that easily compared to what the best of cities like Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles can offer, wouldn’t you be doing the same?

Picky Eater? No Problem

For the more culinarily selective (picky), don’t worry, they haven’t forgotten you. Each night they also offer several consistent and safe dishes, which are no less well prepared. They have Caesar salads, fettuccini alfredo (which was genuinely a highlight), and ice cream among a few other offerings. They covered the bases quite well for less adventurous palettes, like my own father, who, I can attest, would absolutely love the food as much as I, the adventurous foodie, do. 

The style of the restaurant is a bit older, taking a page from the dinner clubs of years past. The menus also contain many offerings that would fit in well with those same clubs. You won’t find any molecular gastronomy here, which is neither good nor bad. Presentation is more traditional, with rich warm colors adorning the lower ceiling. It made for a, blessedly, quiet experience each evening, even when our neighboring tables were loud – which they could be, but only in the most fun ways.

Yes, that is lobster. It was delicious. The Emerald Princess really serves amazing food in the main dining rooms.

On the last night of the cruise, we shared a toast with the table of Scots who’d been next to us every evening. Shouting “sláinte” to one another and raising our glasses high. Another neighbor was a group of a dozen or so older women, out for a “girls trip” as they put it one night. There were happy birthdays sung to each other, without knowing their names, waving when we saw each other on deck. It was a bit of unexpected camaraderie. That is something rare these days, random people enjoying the company of others. The main dining hall seemed to call for it though, it beckoned us to a friendlier way of living life, if only for a little while.

That’s part of why I loved this place so very much. It was an odd sort of community. A completely fabricated community, purchased for a fare and certainly helped along with some clarified butter, but a community, nonetheless. Every evening, we were greeted by the staff when we arrived and, having taken the advice of our server on night two, we arranged to sit at the same table with the same servers each meal. There’s nothing like having a couple waiters that already know what you like to drink and simply ask, “Would you like the usual?”, to make you feel at home.

Why We Love to Have the Same Table and Servers Each Night

As it happened, the rest of the tables around us had done the same and it’s something that I recommend anyone do when on the Emerald Princess. We would walk in, and the host would smile, saying, “Welcome, good evening! Your table is ready,” as she would wave us through. It made you feel a bit like a celebrity or, at least, someone important and well liked. Other guests would murmur about, “How do we get that?”, and the staff would diligently explain and offer the same arrangement to them as we casually walked off to our little corner of the massive room.

For those thinking about sailing on the Emerald Princess, think about what I’ve written here. You won’t find better food or better options anywhere else on the Emerald Princess, nor most places on land. This is the sort of food and surroundings that sets a bar other lines need to measure up to. If what I’ve described sounds good to you, then I think you’ve found a good fit.

Slice and The Salty Dog Grill

Slice is pizza, wait for it, by the slice. It’s satisfying, if a bit greasy, and readily available. By far the most satisfying part for me is getting it by the slice. I know that for many people, getting pizza by the slice is easy, but it’s rare in my area. Walking up, telling them how many slices and what kind you want, then walking away with pizza is simplicity at its finest.

The Salty Dog Grill served “American” food, the ballpark classics sort of variety. You could get a burger, including a Beyond burger, fries, hot dogs, bbq, and street tacos. All of them were so much better than I expected, especially the tacos. The items served here were worth going back for. You could also get nearly the entire menu delivered with OceanNow, which was nice when I just didn’t want to walk up to deck 15.

The International Café

The International Café, sort of a European bistro, was somewhere I stopped every day, at least once, sometimes more. The food is different here, when compared to everywhere else on the Emerald Princess. They served small plates of sandwiches and wraps as well as pastries and small smoothies in the mornings. Fresh bites, without the grease, so common in cruise food, made it the best alternative when you wanted something lighter.

This is also one of the two places onboard where you could get a latte. They weren’t amazing, but they were good enough to want more. They use Lavazza beans, so the coffee is good, and the baristas knew how to steam milk better than at most Starbucks.

However, the entire ordering process at the café is a mess. Staff seemed unsure of exactly how to work the flow of orders at times. Guests aren’t given a number for their order, so when the drink is done they just have to shout out the drinks made and the name of the guest. Further, some drinks are prepared faster than others and wind up skipping the line a bit, which is natural in a coffee shop, but it doesn’t make it easier to deliver orders.

The entire design of the café is clearly meant to imitate the slower, more intimate style of European cafés. That’s fine to do, but nothing in the café itself is set up for that. The result is a clunky mix of Starbucks and local bistro, ultimately doing neither well.

I also found it odd that their blended drinks, meant to be a “Frappuccino” option, don’t seem to use an emulsifier. For those wondering what an emulsifier is, it is an agent that blends two things together that normally wouldn’t mix, in this case it’s oil and water. Espresso is very oily and water is very, well, watery. So when you blend espresso and ice together, they don’t mix and you end up with a drink that’s blended ice and espresso with some flavoring and they’re totally separated. I’m not necessarily advocating for the use of emulsifiers, given that the addition of processed additives is not something that I’m usually a fan of, but it’s something that most people would expect so it’s worth mentioning.

The International Cafe is rather frustrating. I liked so much of what this place offered, the small bites, the refreshing smoothies in the morning, the espresso drinks, but there’s myriad improvements that could be made. There’s untapped potential here and I hope they capture it, because it’s worth doing and they would have a truly top-notch experience if they did.

Casual Meals

I found this term to be odd, because all meals other than formal night are casual dress. However, they mean to allude more to casual dining restaurants, like Ruby Tuesdays or Olive Garden, at least I think. Further, these onboard restaurants vary from ship to ship. On the Emerald Princes we had the Salty Dog Pub, Planks, and Steamers.

The Salty Dog Pub is a gastropub style full restaurant that serves and expanded version of the Salty Dog Grill’s menu and offers a stylish environment to eat in. The expanded menu of the Pub over the Grill didn’t seem to merit the additional cost though. The food at the Grill was quite good, easy to get and, importantly, complimentary. The Pub did offer a more refined menu choices for a dinner offering and some bespoke drinks, but nothing looked as good as the main dining hall each night.

Steamers is a seafood focused menu and it takes over the back portion of the buffet each night. Planks, a BBQ restaurant, does the same thing, taking over some portion of the buffet. I found it weird that one restaurant of these three had it’s own place on the Emerald Princess, while these two just took over existing space. It sort of cheapened the offering by being in back of the buffet, but I get that it’s efficient.

The food in both didn’t warrant cost though, not even a little. Every night the main dining room offered better fish, lobster, etc., than what steamers had. Planks just wasn’t good. It’s true that you can’t get BBQ anywhere else on the Emerald Princess, but I am unconvinced that you can get BBQ in Planks either. Michigan isn’t known for amazing BBQ, unlike many of the southern states, but we have a few pretty darn good places around us. If you like BBQ, Planks just didn’t hit the mark. It didn’t taste like a genuine wood fired BBQ, maybe it is wood fired and I’m wrong, but I get why. It’s a cruise ship and proper BBQ takes a lot of space, not to mention wood and bringing wood onboard is an ecological disaster waiting to happen because of all the bugs that can get in there.

I want to be clear; I’m not trying to complain about these places. The people working in them worked hard and were really nice to us while we were there. We received excellent service, no qualifiers needed. But paying extra for the places on the Emerald just can’t be justified and I won’t recommend them.

Premium Deserts

I mentioned this earlier when talking about the Plus and Premier packages and now we’re going to get into it.

First thing to understand is what they are. This is a picture of one of the concoctions…

Look, I understand the Why, but… WHY!

I don’t remember what is was called and it’s not worth remembering.

Do these look good, yes. Do they taste good, no.

That chocolate on the cup? Can’t eat it. It’s not inedible, it’s just frozen to the cup and doesn’t flake off and took so much work to chip away at it that any enjoyment or satisfaction it may have brought instantly melted away.

All that candy in there is a mess. Trying to eat a piece of it is an exercise in determining which hand you want to become so sticky that it requires thorough washing immediately after. “But there’s caramel corn!” you say. Yes, who amongst us hasn’t professed our love of caramel corn made soggy from melted ice cream.

I suppose the blondie wasn’t a bad inclusion, it tasted pretty good.

During my time on the Emerald Princess, I saw lots of people eat one. The key word there is one. I never saw anyone go back for another, much like I never saw anyone actually appear to enjoy it. They’re complicated, messy, a mishmash of nonsense that’s impossible to consume without your hands becoming encased by sugar reside. Worst of all is that the ice cream isn’t even good. It was bland and tasted cheap. It reminded me of the sort of “frozen treat” desert cups you’d get at school, the kind with a wooden spoon. Both unsatisfying and wet.

More importantly for me is the pressure it puts on the crew. These visual sugar comas are awful to make and so wasteful. There’s a small lake of liquid left on a table after you finish it, just by virtue of melting chocolate in the hot weather – and they have to clean it up.

The most frustrating part of these frigid debacles is that the candy was, before being placed IN the ice cream, good. I just wanted to have the candy on its own, but that’s not something that you can order. Why? Why, can’t we just order a bit of candy? It’s all there, it’s easier to serve, and far less messy. Everything about these infuriating, frozen, piles of crushed dreams is awful.

There’s a fun and tasty twirly lolipop in there. Just give that to me instead!

By comparison, the soft serve ice cream cones were so much simpler, so much more enjoyable; not to mention much quicker to serve. In the time it takes to make one of these premium deserts, you could have ordered, been served, consumed, and gotten back in line for another soft serve ice cream. Who wants to spend their vacation standing in line for bad ice cream? I say, reach for the simple chocolate or vanilla swirl in a wafer cone, add some sprinkles to it, and enjoy life. Leave the Instagram deserts to the unsatisfied.

A suggestion for Princess–stop with these “speciatty ice creams and just include the gelato and ice cream sandwiches with the Plus package. It was annoying to spend $4 on an ice cream sandwich and nothing extra for these.

The Buffet

I hated it. I hate every buffet, so that’s not special and this was no exception. So, let me explain why I hate buffets.

• They’re wasteful. Much of the food that gets made for a buffet gets thrown away during service turnover from one meal to the next.
• They’re dirty and unsanitary. You are constantly touching the same serving utensils that hundreds of other people have been touching without washing them in between each person. Norovirus is the most common disease spread on cruise ships and it often is spread by feces. I’ll let you make the connection between those two statements.
• People bumbling about. Buffets encourage people to mill about looking at what food there is before they take any. They slowly and aimlessly wander between one island of food to another, all the while unaware of their surroundings. I can’t even blame the people for this, it’s the unintentional result of the basic design of buffets.

For these reasons and many more besides, I immediately hate all buffets I discourage people from going to them if it can be avoided. I have nothing positive to say about the buffets other than the staff in them did a remarkable job working there and being incredibly kind and helpful.

Emerald Princess’ Rooms

Aside from the food on a ship, the rooms are probably the most important element to consider. Though they did show their age in some places, the Emerald Princess still offers very comfortable cabins. Our group was quite large for the cruise and we had several types of rooms that we stayed in. Nichole and I stayed in an inside cabin, while others in the group stayed in sea view cabins, balcony cabins, and mini suites.

Beds

The beds are, to the best of my knowledge, standard across all rooms on the Emerald Princess, so we’ll talk about them all on their own. Fortunately, the standard shouldn’t be a worry to anyone because the beds are, especially for a cruise ship, quite comfortable. I’ll admit, they were a bit soft for my personal taste, but they didn’t cause any problems with my back. I have a mild case of scoliosis and it causes soreness and stiffness if I don’t have enough support at night. Thankfully, that wasn’t an issue here.

The linens used onboard are quite soft and very comfortable to sleep in, even for someone who, like me, prefers stiffer sheets. The same goes for pillows, which were plush and easy to work into shape. Although I didn’t need this, I believe if you were to ask your cabin steward for additional pillows, they would happily bring you some.

Overall, I slept comfortably each night.

TVs and Stateroom Entertainment

The TVs on the Emerald Princess were very recently updated to large, LCD panels, hung either in the corner of the room or on the wall. Mini suites and above have multiple TVs while smaller staterooms have one. There’s a remote to control everything on it, including a sleep timer, which is important to many people.

Onboard stateroom entertainment was various enough to keep just about anyone entertained. They had a variety of programing that included kid friendly shows. We didn’t spend a lot of time watching TV, but it was nice to see that there were options if we just wanted to hang out in our cabin.

Room Service

Room service, which is both a part of and not a part of the OceanNow service that Princess has created, was excellent. Nichole and I, as well as one of our friends, liked to spend our post dinner evenings together, in the quiet privacy of our room playing video games as a group. I realize that’s not the typical activity for those cruising together, but it’s what we like to do. We would order drinks and, occasionally, deserts, to our rooms and they were always quick to come. The Princess app is, politely, less than perfect, but the room service is truly top notch!

Interior, Sea View, Balcony Bathrooms

I’m grouping these together, separate from the mini suite, because they were all identical bathrooms.

One thing I’ve learned about cruising is that the bathrooms are best compared to bathrooms in a camper. Yes, the things that you pull behind a truck or SUV and park in a campground, that is the best comparison. When comparing the Emerald Princess’ bathrooms with those, well the Princess is a step up.

The Emerald Princess’ bathrooms were imperfect, but perfectly useable.

Here are the upsides:

• It’s private, obviously, so that’s nice. You don’t have to share it with anyone else.
• The counter space is ample. I had more than enough room for makeup when I did mine and I could easily make space for things like lotion and toothbrushes.
• Nice little side shelves. I know they weren’t making a lot of space, but I used them plenty. They were very hand to store shaving cream, aloe, sunblock, all those bottles you bring with you on a vacation.
• The toilet had enough room to use it comfortably. That’s not always been true on cruises, so that’s a significant plus.

Here are the downsides:

• The shower was poorly designed. All cruise showers are small, but I’ve been in more cramped conditions, regarding the bathroom, and the shower was better laid out. The cloth curtain didn’t work very well, and a lot of water sprayed out when we used the shower. I was so careful to not disrupt the curtain, but it just seemed to be ineffective.
• The onboard toiletries, especially the shampoo/conditioner combo, were not great. Any time I sail Princess in the future, I will be bringing my own shampoo and conditioner. The onboard body wash and hand soap were fine though.
• Onboard toilet paper was bad, which is very common on cruise lines. Ladies, bring some wet wipes.

There’s one more downside that bugged me so much I’m giving it a section of its own. The water in the cabin, both from the sink and the shower, would not get cool. I don’t mean cold, like 50 F or less, I mean cool, like under 80 F. It wasn’t that bad from the sink, because we could, if we really wanted, order ice water from room service. The shower, though, was a real problem for me.

I work out every day and that means I get good and sweaty. What I don’t want when I’m done with a workout is a hot shower. Not everyone is that way, but plenty of us fitness people are. I have no idea why this is the case on the Emerald Princess but everyone had the same issue in their cabins, so it was clearly designed that way. I even asked our cabin steward and he said that’s as cold as it gets.

Mini Suite Bathrooms

Although the above criticisms of toiletries and water temp remain the same for the suites, the bathrooms have a significantly different layout. The mini suites have a full bathtub/shower combo, which made for a much roomier experience. Splashing water out was not an issue here, but there is a tradeoff since the toilet was a bit more crowded with the full tub. Still, it’s a significant upgrade from other cabins.

The suite bathrooms were absolutely an upgrade on the Emerald Princess.

Interior Cabin and Sea View Layouts

These classes of room have a very similar layout with one difference between them, the Sea View can, well, view the sea, since it has a window. The interior cabin does not have a window, which would be very weird if it did, and there’s no significant difference beyond this.

Overall, I really liked sailing in an inside cabin. The room got very dark, since there was no window for the sun to creep in through, I got to sleep very peacefully to whatever hour of day I wanted to. The layout made for a shockingly good flow to the room. Nichole and I never stumbled or got in each other’s way.

You can see the desk space and the TV in the mirror’s reflection. The bathroom and closet area is just on the other side of the TV. Overall, even the most modest rooms on the Emerald Princess were quite roomy.

The closet came with so many hangers that I didn’t even use them all, which was a refreshing change from what is more common, having to few. There were bedside tables with a cubby area and two drawers. An ample desk for you to set a laptop or charging station up, as well as a chair to go with it. Honestly, finding places to store shoes and clothes, anything we had really, was not a challenge.

A Sea View cabin has the same amount of storage as an inside cabin, so if you want to have the window, you won’t be struggling to put things away.

Balcony Layout

There’s not a significant difference between interior or Sea View staterooms in terms of storage, it felt like the desk was a little smaller here, but you’ll find very similar storage space in all three types of staterooms. There is a massive difference in the presence of a balcony though.

The addition of the balcony is completely a value added proposition to you as a traveler. You either care about this or you don’t. Being completely honest about the accommodations outside of your cabin, they didn’t add a lot for me. The flooring on the balcony was unpleasant to walk on barefoot and, on deck 9, your balcony stuck out further from the Emerald Princess than the floors above you. In practical terms, that meant that everyone above you had a perfect view to everything you did on your balcony. That might not matter to some, and I’m not suggesting that you do anything illicit out there, but I just don’t like the feeling of people watching me.

There’s the other aspect to balconies on deck 9 that made them awkward, they were huge! Higher up decks had less room, but deck 9’s were weird with how much room you had out there. The pictures don’t really do it justice. The extra space didn’t make me want to be out there either, partly from the being watched effect, but partly from the fact that there was no shade out there. Again, that’s going to be something that varies from person to person, but I don’t tan, I only burn, so having no shade on a balcony wasn’t great.

The furniture wasn’t the most comfortable on the Emerald Princess and I was really wishing for something like a hammock, but it’s not bad either. The Emerald Princess needs to be repainted, which is a sign of it’s age, and I saw a lot of rust spots on the exterior.

However, there was one HUGE benefit to the balcony – the private views when going through the Panama Canal. Obviously, the Panama Canal is very specific to just a few cruises each year, but having a private view out into the world, wherever you might be, is wonderful. It’s something that can’t be quantified by dollars (although cruise lines beg to differ!) since it’s technically the same coastline or ocean from anywhere on the ship. Rather, it’s the privacy that matters.

The baclony is awkwardly large on the Emerald Princess rooms on deck 9.

Instead of being on deck 15 or 16, bumping around with other people as you all crowd to look at something, you can have your own private cabin, separated from the rest of the ship. It’s quiet and reserved just for you. Think about whether that means something to you and, if it does, maybe book a little higher up in stateroom category.

Mini Suite Layout

All the comments about the balcony space remain true for the mini suite, save for the space. The mini suite gives up balcony room to give more stateroom interior. Also, see above for comments about the bathrooms.

With the extra interior space, mini suites gain a couch, two chairs, an extra TV, and an odd sort of round area that once held older TVs. The desk space is the smallest of all the rooms, which is possibly compensated for with a coffee table, but that depends on personal use. Further, the round area in the middle of the room adds extra shelves and cabinets. The closet space is a bit larger than the small staterooms, although I didn’t really think it needed to be.

The nicest part of the suite is the sitting area though. That really made a big difference in being able to enjoy the room as a room. That’s where I think the value in a stateroom like this is, if you like to spend time in your cabin.

There’s a lot of room in a mini suite on the Emerald Princess. It’s a worthy upgrade in my opinion. (Also, that’s a mirror reflecting the TV in the left half of the image. It’s sort of confusing to look at.)

If you’re the type of person that wants to do every ship activity, hang out in the bars, go to shows, and generally do anything other than be in your cabin, this might be a waste of your money. The beds were just as comfortable in less expensive and smaller staterooms, so were the linens. If, however, you like to have quiet reading time, be away from people, or just lounge around your room, then a mini suite is an excellent option.

Surfaces and Outlets

The carpets had been refreshed recently and the bathroom floors in all the rooms were quite clean. Nothing felt “crunchy” or “slick”, indicating a well-maintained ship. The walls were also free from blemishes and scuffs.

The interior cabin had, surprisingly, the most generous desk of all the rooms we had access to. However, the only power outlets in our room were behind the TV and alongside the desk, you can see if beneath the hair dryer. Bring extension cords.

As is typical on a cruise ship, there were very few outlets in the rooms. Larger rooms had a couple more outlets, but none of them were designed with today’s electronics in mind. If you have a CPAP, you’ll need an extension cord, and I recommend at least 10 feet to ensure enough slack. Phones will not be bedside, which many of us are used to these days. There are also no USB charging ports, just U.S. configuration power outlets. Bring along some power strips.

Onboard Entertainment and Facilities

There will be plenty of people who question reviewing the entertainment and facilities together, but you can’t separate the two. The public areas are where all the entertainment takes place, they’re the skeletal structure underneath everything outside your cabin. And the condition of some places reveals the priorities of the Princess clientele and, perhaps, the line itself.

It’s such a mixed bag that it feels like the Emerald Princess has a split personality. One side is dapper, clean, with perfectly coiffed hair. The other, unwashed, odiferous, and badly in need of shampoo.

Let’s talk about the highlights first, in no particular order.

The Promenade

If anyone doesn’t know what a typical promenade on a ship is, I’ll explain. On many ships, there is a deck, usually lower on the public levels, such as deck 6 or 7, where you can walk around in open air. Often, these promenades wrap around the entirety of the ship and you can walk or run laps on them. This is the case with the Emerald Princess.

It was a lovely area to sit and soak up the sea air and sights. We watched dolphins playing in the water as we sailed, jumping and spinning around to their hearts’ content. Sea turtles could be sighted swimming along next to us and various birds liked to fly off the bow. For my money, there’s not really a nicer public space on the Emerald Princess.

The Promenade on the Emerald Princess is a lovely space most of the time.

Although I couldn’t always run or walk without interruption, it was still a nice place to get some exercise. If you are thinking about trying that yourself, be aware that many people like to slowly dodder down the sides of the ship and have little to no awareness that anyone else is moving about.

The Various Bars

A shortage of drinking establishments is not a criticism that can be levied against the Emerald. There are bars on nearly every floor that isn’t made for staterooms. Although I did notice that there was a distinct difference in drink preparation between them all, they each had their own vibe that made it fun..

Adagio on deck 17 was a favorite of mine, although I wish that they were open later in the evening. It was quiet and removed from the rest of the Emerald Princess, so I liked to chat after dinner, but I could do so for about 45 minutes or so before they closed at around 10. I’m not criticizing, 10 is a reasonable to time close, but I’m a night owl.

The Crooners bar on deck 7 was also a nice time and the bar tenders there seemed to be the most in tune with the balance of a drink. Neither heavy handed nor weak in their mixing, I got the finest quality of drinks here.

Theater

I didn’t attend many live performances on the Emerald, just one near the end of the cruise. When I did go to the theater, the seats were plush and comfortable, unlike many theater seats and they kept it cool inside, which I personally enjoyed.

It is a very large space!

The space is also massive, far larger than I expected for a ship of this size, and I can understand why. Every time there was a show the rest of the Emerald Princess felt empty. The moment that the show was over, the surrounding areas flooded with people. They spilled out onto the promenade, then into the main atrium, and everywhere else nearby. What that indicates to me is that the shows are popular, and two lessons can be taken from that.

1. If you want to see a show, best to get in line early or reserve tickets beforehand.
2. If you don’t want to see a show, take advantage of the other, relatively empty, ship facilities during the show.

Overall, the particular shows during my voyage didn’t appeal to me. That’s not to speak to their quality. Like I said, I only saw one show. As a reader of this review though, you might be able to take something away from that. What I saw advertised were largely lectures and cover artists. I’m not much for cover performances typically, but I do enjoy them in small settings, like a bar or night club, not so much in a large theater.

As for the lectures, although the topics covered interesting things, they were described as elementary level. That’s totally understandable, though, given that most people do not possess collegiate levels of education in fields like biology, astronomy, history, art, or any number of other relevant topics. If you do possess that level of education, then the lectures may be a bit repetitive or dull for you, since you likely already know quite a bit about the topic. I was informed by the crew that the lecturers change based on itinerary and are always relevant to interesting scientific or cultural points during the cruise.

I did attend smaller discussions by the same lecturers, and they were good speakers. Certainly, capable of holding the attention of their audience, and very knowledgeable in their field. But the fact remains that the lectures in the theater were designed for a very broad audience.

There’s one last thing that strikes me as I’m writing this; I can’t remember much more than a couple posters of onboard advertisements for entertainment. I’ll grant that it might be something about this particular voyage, but what’s telling is Princess’ website sure does a lot of boasting about their theatrical performances. However, if you pay attention, most of those “Broadway-Caliber” shows are exclusive to their newer ships like the Sky Princess or the Enchanted Princess.

The Emerald Princess is part of the line’s Crown Class and is one of the older ships in service, not the oldest, but older. None of the three ships in that class are mentioned on Princess’ website covering their theater shows, which rather tips their hand in this category. They aren’t highlighting all the great things onboard the older ships for entertainment, perhaps because it’s just not very eye catching.

Now, don’t for a moment think that the entertainers that are onboard aren’t amazing, they certainly are, but the theater shows just seem to lack the oomf that is worth discussing in advertising material.

Pools

There are multiple pools on the ship, 4 to be precise. Two larger pools exist midship, nearly back-to-back, on deck 15. One of them is by the Salty Dog Grill and the other sits comfortably beneath the Movies Under The Stars screen. Both are around chest deep and were popular with guests of all ages.

The other two pools are adults only. The Terrace Pool is at the far aft of the ship on deck 14 and is a bit smaller. It’s surrounded by bars on multiple floors and amphitheater style decking where people can lay about. The aft pool’s big advantage is the clear view of the ocean that gives a feel akin to an infinity pool.

The terrace pool wasn’t very busy on a cool, cloudy day.

On the other end of the Emerald Princess, the fourth pool is part of the Lotus spa area on deck 16. This pool sits just below The Sanctuary, an adults only area that costs extra, but is not part of the Sanctuary. This pool has an advantage that the others lack, and that’s a bit of shade. It sits nestled by walls on all sides so it’s a bit sheltered from the sun and other elements. It’s not covered, just sheltered. Seating is also limited here, so be ready to get there early for a seat if you want it.

All the pools were nice and comfortable to use. I never found any of them too crowded for too long, sometimes I waited until they cleared out a bit, but that’s fine. Remember, you’re on vacation, just relax and take your time. Drinks came easily to each place and tables were easy enough to find as well.

Trivia Games

Each cruise seems obligated to engage in trivia games and Princess is no exception to that. We attended several trivia events, admittedly at the request of others in our group who wanted to use our useless knowledge to win. Which indeed happened.

Pointless victories aside, the trivia was fun. The woman who often ran the events was always entertaining, quick to make herself laugh and playful with the passengers. Prizes for winning included amazing items, like coasters!

My only note is that the quizzes are a bit out of date. The animation centered trivia session, for example, was last updated around 2012. That meant that some of the answers in the host’s key were out of date. Obviously, that’s a sort of middling complaint when reviewing an entire ship, but when it comes to trivia, that sort of pedantic critique seems entirely in line.

The Gym

The single biggest failure for the Emerald Princess was the gym. Nothing, and I mean nothing, was as disappointing as what they called a gym.

Now, some may criticize me because I am not including pictures in this portion. That is to respect the privacy of people in the gym, many of whom were simply trying their best to work out and would likely not have wanted to be part of an article, however tangentially that may be.

I am not a gym rat, as many pejoratively refer to the multi hour gym users in their life. However, I do exercise daily, even when I travel, and have used hundreds of facilities around the world. To date, no hotel/resort gym has ever been in as sorry a state as this one. Let’s illuminate the worst offending issues.

• Equipment is old and worn. There’s nothing wrong with old equipment, so long as its maintained, which this equipment was not. I constantly heard squeaking belts from treadmills, rough running cables on weightlifting machines, and light grinding on stepping and elliptical machines. All of which points to poor lubrication.
• Poor layout of equipment. There’s a lot of equipment jammed into the space, but none of which is positioned in any intelligent manner. Weight machines were butted right up next to cardio machines, with people entering and exiting into the same pathway. That meant that when I was on a treadmill, the person on a lateral bar got in and out of the machine in the same space that I would have. That’s actually a bit dangerous with a device like a treadmill.
• The smell. A gym, despite what people may think, should absolutely not smell like sweat, BO, or any other fluid from a human. This gym smelled like stale sweat and smelled strongly like it. That’s a huge red flag for me because it means that the machines aren’t being properly cleaned. People aren’t wiping the machines down when they’re finished with them and their sweat gets soaked into the equipment. It’s just as disgusting as it sounds.
  
  This leads to bacterial colonies forming in the pads and leather of the machines. This can give other users rashes. Improper cleaning can also lead to the transfer of dangerous bacteria from one person to another and cause infections.
• A contributing factor to the smells is the lack of air movement. There was very little AC pumping into the space from what I could observe and the gym ran very warm for it. Temps consistently felt in the mid to high 70s (I didn’t bring a thermometer), which is warm for a gym and very uncomfortable to work out in.

The layout and maintenance of equipment as well as the AC is all clearly the fault of the Emerald Princess’s design and gym managers. Almost all of it could be corrected (I imagine that the AC is a bit more challenging to solve) and it should be addressed. If guests aren’t wiping up the equipment, Princess as a line needs to step in and do something about it. Worn-out machines need to be replaced or, preferably, refurbished. Consult some proper gym design people to reimagine the layout, because it’s a miserable use of space.

Suggestions for Gym Use

I can’t lay the blame entirely at the feet of Princess though, as many of the people in the gym seemed to be visiting a gym for the first time in years if not ever. Anyone who’s spent time in a gym learns that there’s a certain decorum when inside. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here’s a primer.

• Wipe down your equipment when you’re done with it. There’s no reason not to and if you fail to do so, you should not be in the gym. Seriously. If you cannot wipe down your space when done, leave and don’t come back.
• Give people space between workout stations when possible. I know it’s not always possible, but don’t crowd whenever you can.
• Don’t grunt or make weird noises. It’s unsettling to listen to others doing that and it isn’t necessary. I’m not talking about breathing hard or proper inhale and exhale when lifting. I’m talking about grunts.
• Conversation and tunes are both good. It’s fine to talk in the gym with friends. Keep the conversation appropriate for public. If you don’t want to talk and just listen to music or podcasts, use headphones, and listen to something. The gym is a common space but try not to talk on the phone – that usually just leads to shouting to the other person.
• Wear appropriate clothing. Loose clothing can be very dangerous in a gym, since it can get caught in equipment. Good shoes are a must. Don’t wear clothing with offensive slogans on it.

I saw all of those simple rules broken every time I tried to use the gym.

Perhaps this cruise was an anomaly, I can’t say. It’s the first time I’ve sailed on Princess, so it could be just the random chance collection of people on board. It could also be endemic to Princess as a line, so if other gym goers want to let me know, I’d be glad to get a better understanding of what the larger image is like.

In either case, the gym’s physical condition is unforgiveable and needs to be immediately addressed.

Movies Under The Stars

A simple idea, executed perfectly. As night falls and the air cools, laying down on a pool chair, with nothing but a blanket of stars above, watching a movie on a big screen is wonderful. We took advantage of this several times on our trip. They provide towels and blankets that you can wrap yourself up in. You can order drinks and food brought to you. It’s a bit like a drive in movie, in all the right ways.

It might not appeal to everyone, but I can’t think of anything that I liked quite as much as this when it comes to Princess’ onboard entertainment. Anyone of any age can get behind this. Not every movie played will appeal to you, so just pick the ones you want and go that night. I cannot say strongly enough, do not miss a chance to do this.

Laundry Room

There is a laundry room on the Emerald Princess, which you can use on your own for a “negligible charge.” I am actually quoting Princess on that. The price per load of doing it yourself in one of the launderettes is around $3.00 – each – for washing and drying. It’s an additional $1.50 for detergent. That means total cost of $7.50 per load if you buy the detergent onboard. I recommend bringing your own detergent and saving a little money.

I admit, the charge is, when compared to laundromat prices, not bad, I still wouldn’t call it negligible. The washers and dryers aren’t massive, so your load size may be more limited than doing it at home, it’s on a ship after all, so space is a premium. They’re not tiny washers either, but they are smaller than what I have at home. That means you might not fit as many clothes as usual into them.

The facilities were clean and maintained. Although, the experience of using these launderettes will depend on how polite your fellow cruisers are. I’ve experienced some very rude cruisers using these spaces. Read up on laundry room etiquette before you sail, some places even have rules posted in the room itself. And know that if you don’t follow those rules, you’re not a nice person and you shall receive a well-deserved stink eye from everyone involved.

Your use of the laundry room is totally dependent on you. You can use it or not, it’s completely optional. However, and this is a fairly large however, when you sail in the warmer parts of the world, sweating is a very regular thing. Aside from my workouts, I found myself sweating a lot and I didn’t want those clothes… perfuming… my cabin, so I washed them. But here is where that Elite status benefit, I mentioned right at the start of this review, comes in.

The Elite Benefit Elites Love: Laundry

Elite status is not something that you can buy directly, it is “earned” by spending either a minimum number of nights on a Princess ship or by taking a certain number of cruises.Most of those benefits are negligible, but a couple are nice. Somewhat helpfully, Elite status sailors get 10% off purchases made in “The Shops of Princess,” which is basically their onboard mall. Critically though, Elites also get complimentary laundry service. I don’t mean that Elite members can use the launderettes without paying. I mean that Princess will do your laundry for you. That’s a benefit that I like.

Now, there’s one big qualifier to this. I’ve heard that many Princess cruises are reported to be between 25-50% Elite member cabins, an estimate that held true on our cruise (status is displayed outside the stateroom door, so it’s easily checked). That means that the laundry can take a while, often 48 hours. So, as much as I loved this service, and I did, don’t plan on it being a quick turnaround and plan your clothes accordingly.

Still, this benefit did give us nearly $200 in complimentary laundry service. They charge by the piece, so this was two (large-ish) loads over the two weeks we sailed. Normally, that would be a rather ridiculous expense, but it was a wonderful benefit for us.

Conclusion

Is Princess Cruises worth taking? I think so. Is the Emerald Princess worth booking? Again, I think the answer is yes.

They have 17 ships in operation and their latest ones look very nice. The Emerald then may not be Princesses crème-de-la-crème, but it’s priced right. It offers comfortable rooms, excellent food, good chairs and drinks. You’ll likely find a similar experience on its sister ships, the Sapphire and Ruby. The ships might be older, but they’ve been taken care of and updated in critical ways.

I’ll admit that I don’t appreciate how the Emerald Princess clearly has little care for people that want to exercise. What they call a running track on deck 19 is a joke and the gym was terrible. But, like with everything in the hospitality industry, the staff or crew is what makes or breaks it.

I loved the crew on the Emerald Princess. From our cabin steward to the restaurant manager. Even the maintenance staff was a highlight. As they painted the ship on the promenade, they would cheer me on as I ran by. That’s something that you can’t quantify in price.

For those wondering about the latest Princess ships, I can’t really say if they’re worth it or not. The images of them look amazing, as they should, it’s advertising material after all. But I’ve looked at the pricing on them and it is considerable – much more than sailing the Emerald Princess.

There’s also one big qualifier to a Princess cruise, at least in my mind. I can’t imagine not having the Plus package. Do I think it akin to nickel and diming tactics used in much of the industry, yes, I do have that opinion. However, the value represented by the Plus package is fairly impressive. I truly believe that purchasing Princess Plus gives enormous benefit and is worth it. On competitor lines, I have seen drink packages alone exceed $100 per person per day.

Could you sail without Plus? I suppose, yes, you could – but I think it would be miserable. There’s few included beverages, mostly water and drip coffee, as well as some juices. Maybe that’s enough for some people, but not me. It also includes Wi-Fi and gratuities for the crew. I know that The last thing that I want to do while I’m cruising is worry constantly about how much to tip. And you need to tip.

Princess Plus removes that hassle and worry for you. Even if you don’t drink alcohol, like my wife, it’s still very valuable. Without it, I just don’t think you’re experiencing what Princess is really like. That’s why I think it’s a shame that they just don’t make it the standard rate and price their fares accordingly. It would make it a smoother experience.

I recognize though that being able to advertise a low fair gets people to look at your product. And since we humans have little lizard brains, that sort of thing appeals to us. After all, look at the DEAL I’m getting!

So yes, do sail on Princess, at least the Emerald Princess. Enjoy the meals in the dining room, have fun at trivia, soak up some sun. Just do yourself a favor and get the Plus Package.