Our sixth Princess cruise was the October 9th sailing of the Emerald Princess from Fort Lauderdale, a 10-night voyage they call the Southern Caribbean Medley. Overall, the medley was sweet - however there were a few sour notes that were hit along the way.

I must say that embarkation day went flawlessly. Princess Air, airport transfers, boarding the ship, luggage and tux delivery to the cabin all accomplished with no muss, no fuss - they've got it down to a science. We even got the table for two that we'd requested at 6 PM Traditional Dining. But because our flight to Florida left home at 5:45 AM, by the time dinner was over we were dog tired and ready for bed. The bed, by the way, I found comfortable enough, but the pillows are awful. They give about as much support as a bag of dryer lint. Even three of 'em stacked together wasn't enough for comfort.

The Emerald Princess is decorated in a warm, classy and inviting style. The cabins are standard Princess in size, layout and decor. Our mini-suite on Dolphin deck was roomy and well-situated near mid-ship. It showed some hard use. Someone must have tried too hard to clean scuff marks because there were places where the pattern was scrubbed right off the walls. Wear and tear was in evidence everywhere, and I was somewhat surprised to see so much of it on a three-year-old ship. I know, she sails in a heavy-duty environment but the Emerald looked at least twice as old as she is. I wondered if the maintenance schedule was rigorous enough. Our cabin steward did an adequate job, but I don't like to have to ask for items he'd miss almost daily, like refilling the ice bucket or replenishing the shampoo supply or replacing the drinking glasses. Read more