Emerald Princess Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,873 reviews

A great bargain package

Review for Transatlantic Cruise on Emerald Princess
User Avatar
barante
First Time Cruiser • Age 80s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Oct 2008
Cabin: Balcony

This was our eighth cruise, the first one on Princess. We had a Baja balcony cabin, which we liked a lot. Calm seas and warm temps enabled us to use it more than any previous balcony. We paid $2,000 pp for the 18-day cruise, a bargain. That said, we are likely to resort to cheaper alternatives in the future. For a cruise in January from Fort Lauderdale to Buenos Aires on Carnival we have booked an inside, our first. We are in our mid-60s, have traveled a lot around the world. We had been to Italy and France before. I had been to Spain and Portugal, my wife had not. I am sure that the following statement will be greeted with sneers and flaming but people are nuts who go on a seven-day Mediterranean cruise, visiting a different port each day. In our opinion, it's just too hectic. We like a slower pace and found the sea days most agreeable, particularly the Atlantic crossing. But to each his own. Overall, a terrific bargain. Here are some random comments. We flew from BWI to JFK and then nonstop to Venice on Delta. Highly recommended. We arrived in Venice around 9 a.m., checked in, had lunch on the ship and started sightseeing. There has been some previous discussion as to whether the $15 pp Princess water shuttle from the ship to St. Mark's is worth it. Absolutely. Wouldn't recommend any other way. It was particularly useful when we returned from looking at Venice the first night, tired enough about to collapse. (We slept very little on the plane due to a passenger with a nervous condition sitting in front of us. Every 20 seconds or so he made a loud grunting sound that could be heard nearby despite considerable engine noise). We also did Grand Canal using a regular shuttle boat. Worked fine, enabling us to see lots of ordinary Venetians going about on their daily business. Did not visit any museums. Since we had lived in the Soviet Union for five years, we found it fascinating to discover how much St. Petersburg had been influenced by Venice. Similarly, buildings in parts of old Moscow look copied from Rome. No wonder. The czars used Italian architects in both cities. Naples: We had planned to take a hydrofoil to Sorrento but could not find the landing. Thinking we had found it, we bought tickets in the port area that turned out to be bus tickets. (The bus terminal is some 200 yards left of ship on the waterfront, immediately after you exit the port). Parts of the drive to Sorrento were scenic, giving us an idea about what one would see in Amalfi. After strolling around in Sorrento and having sandwiches, we took the Circumvesuvio train to Pompeii and then back to Naples. At the station there, my wife said she was tired and we took a cab back to the ship. It was not worth 10 euros. You can easily walk to the port from the train station. Had we known it, we probably would have taken a bus from the port area to Amalfi, instead of Sorrento. A Chinese couple from Canada, who were extremely well prepared, did so. Certainly the cheapest way to see the Amalfi coast. Rome: We liked Civitavecchia. Took the train on our own to Rome, where we did sightseeing from the upper deck of a HO-HO bus. An incredible city. Livorno: We had planned to go to Florence but decided we were too tired. Tried to look around Livorno, but it was a disappointment. Cannes: We had been there before so we just took city transit buses to look around. In the afternoon, I took a dip in the Mediterranean from a beach just a few yards from the tender pier. Refreshing. Barcelona: We made a big mistake. We started from Las Ramblas, which to our world-weary eyes was little more than a freak show. We then walked to the cathedral without realizing that it was not Gaudi's but an older one. It was a perfectly nice one, though, with geese parading in the inner courtyard. Cadiz: I had been to Cadiz before and will return. This splendid port city was used in a James Bond movie featuring Halle Berry as an ersatz Havana. Unfortunately, everything was closed due to Columbus day. We took a Ho-HO bus. Later in the day I strolled through the labyrinth of the old city's narrow streets and alleys and got hopelessly lost. By that time some bars were open and the city was starting to wake up. Lisbon: We took a private group tour arranged by Evie Almeida, a CC fellow traveler. Even though Antonio, with his halting English, turned out to be little more than a driver, the tour was a highlight of our trip, packing quite a bit into the few hours we had available. I had been to Lisbon decades ago. So it was fascinating to see how one-time cork forests had been replaced by suburbs and shopping malls. We got to the palace in Pena while the morning mist was still quite thick. This gave the visit an ethereal storybook quality. The tour then continued along the coastal road to Cascais, where the group had lunch at the Albatroz, a hotel/restaurant overlooking the sea. My wife and I opted for a short lunch, using the time instead for a stroll around the neighborhood. Lots of cheaper (and less scenic) eating spots. We also chatted with Antonio, the driver, who told us about his life. The tour continued with a quick drive-through of downtown Lisbon. This majestic city is a favorite of mine. Ponta Delgada: Our favorite. Colonial Portugal in Hawaiian setting. Strolled around. After lunch on the ship, I returned downtown and took a regular city shuttle (25 cents) to get a better idea. That shuttle, known as B, goes by the hospital as well as a big shopping mall. It was standing room only, but enable a dirty old man to enable the cleavages of pretty Portuguese girls of all hues. Overall: No complaints worth registering. We had a Baja balcony cabin which we used more than on any previous cruise. Warm temps and calm seas made that possible. Indeed the seas were so calm that I managed to complete the cruise without getting seasick, a predilection that I have on big bodies of water regardless of wave conditions. The Emerald's pizza on Lido deck was the best I have tasted on any ship and the grill's braunschweiger wasn't bad either. Except for one night of Indian food (which was somewhat disappointing), we took all our dinners in the Boccacio dining room. I don't think that food quite measured up to Celebrity's or HAL's level. As to entertainment, we saw the production, two MUTS. The Emerald orchestra was first-rate, a treat at the dinner dance. A final food note: My wife thinks I am nuts but I chose a cold soup each night mostly to make sure that that option stays in the menu. The Emerald's cold soups were mostly like smoothies. None rose to the level of HAL's Noordam; in fact, several attempts were quite disappointing. Our dining room servers were Gary and Mercado from the Philippines. They did as good job as can be expected from guys who have to serve a minimum of 20 people each dinner shift. Kudos to the hardworking Princess staff.

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin BA
previous reviewnext review

Find an Emerald Princess Cruise from $578

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.