We are a couple in our early 60's who have enjoyed cruising to many destinations. Although we have sailed on RCCL, H.America, Celebrity, NCL and Crystal, our favorite all around performer is Princess. Being from California, we flew into Ft. Lauderdale a day early and stayed at the Renaissance located conveniently across from Port Everglades. Our room was comfortable and clean. We had a nice dinner at BRAVO which is across the parking lot from the hotel and would be considered a family place with modest prices. We arrived at the port at noon and were on the ship in 15 minutes. Everything was well organized and problem free. Our mini-suite cabin was located midships on Dolphin deck. The cabin was spotless and fresh smelling. We walked around a bit and had lunch at the buffet which took about an hour. Our luggage was in the cabin by that time and we unpacked and had our luggage stowed under the bed by 2:30. The closet and storage units were very spacious. The bathroom with its shower over tub is a great improvement as compared to a balcony cabin with shower only. We chose "personal choice" dining. We like to eat alone and once we find a waiter that we like, we reserve that table for the rest of the cruise. This is the best of both worlds. We have our own special time and table and also develop a relationship with our servers. We have always been successful in doing this. We found the food to be delicious with nice choices of entrees. They always arrived piping hot. The coffee is excellent and the desserts yummy. We used the Lido Buffet for breakfast and lunch. We like a light breakfast and mostly ate cereals and fruit although we had made-to-order omelets a couple of time....again yummy. The breakfast pastries were fabulous. We found the salad bar was filled with a good selection of very fresh offerings for lunch. We always find a place to sit first and then each would take a turn at getting the food. We usually ate a bit later than most so had no problems finding a table. We liked sitting in the Carib Bistro. We ate dinner once there and found the offerings diverse and delicious. We attended several of the shows in the Princess theater and found them to be typical of cruise offerings. It is best to arrive at least 30 minutes prior to the show to get a good seat. We thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment in the Explorer's Lounge. The stand-up comics were excellent. The string quartet and the pianist in the Piazza were pleasurable to just sit and listen to. It is a lovely spot to relax. The pools were most always busy. If one likes lots of activity, it is a fun place to be. I like sitting on the Promenade watching the sea or reading a book....a nice shady spot for fair-haired people. We do not like cigarette smoke and so do not use the casino. Emerald did have two smoke free nights, but the residual is there even then. The Wheelhouse Lounge has always been a favorite with us, but on this cruise we found that the smokers seemed to have dibs on it so stayed away. The "movies under the stars" is a fun addition on a warm Caribbean night. Shore excursions: Antigua-Best of Antigua is a good one. St Lucia-Certified scuba (husband)...excellent diving! I took a land tour and didn't like the long windy road trip. The sites were just OK although the foliage is nice. Barbados: Best of Barbados...excellent tour with "Rooster". St. Kitt: I suggest just booking at the port with an independent operator. We toured the whole island that way and saved $50! St. Thomas: Certified Scuba dive (husband) good but reefs have been damaged by too many divers. Emerald was docked at Crown Bay which is a long walk to town...I don't suggest it. Take the transportation for $4 each way. The shopping is good there, but St. Maarten is better! We had no problem with tendering into Princess Cay, but we chose to go early and were on the second tender. We wanted to have a nice day on the beach before it got too hot. The lunch/BBQ was well-done by the staff. We did find they have a fly problem on the island especially at lunch time. We rented a cabana, but found there was plenty of shade and liked a different location than where the cabanas were so left the cabana for someone else. We found the service friendly and gracious on the ship. Everyone tried very hard to please. Our waiter Luis from Portugal was one of the best we have ever had. He did everything he could to see that we had a wonderful dining experience. Our cabin steward, John, always made sure the cabin was clean. He was never obtrusive, but always was available when we needed him complete with a smiling face. We made friends with several of the wait staff in the buffet area.....lovely people who were eager to please. Disembarkation was complete for us by 8 a.m. We had a long day of waiting so took a post cruise excursion around Ft. Lauderdale by land and sea. It was very interesting and we arrived at the airport at 1 p.m.

Our overall experience on the Emerald Princess was outstanding. The ship is beautiful. The staff is well-trained and professional. The attention to cleanliness and security is everywhere. People enjoyed dressing nicely even on casual nights. It was very refreshing to see. Many of the complaints that I read from other cruisers, I recognize as their own experience. We as Americans often forget that dining in Europe takes the better part of three hours so we shouldn't be impatient to have overly quick service in the dining room. If we are in a hurry, we should eat at the buffet. Land travel can have it's issues too. We have all had a bad experience at one time or another. Therefore, go and enjoy your cruise.....and note that it is the best way to have a packaged vacation free of worries. Happy cruising to you!