I wanted to get from UK to Australia on an alternative to flying. This ships repositioning met the need and the dates suited.
Ive had not sailed with Princess Line before so it was a new experience and also had not done longer than 14 days so was a bit nervous on its length before sailing.
The ship was large by my past standards, 3000 passengers and fully booked so was operating to maximum ...
This cruise departed Southampton on my birthday, and arrived in Melbourne Australia on my wife's birthday. Good signs (or a good excuse!). The Emerald Princess layout was very familiar, having sailed on her sister ships. We had not had a holiday for almost 3 years due to business commitments, so we were really looking forward to the long break, and many days at sea.
The worst aspect of this ...
We chose this cruise for it's length (30 days) and ports of call. Princess does deliver on quality every time. It's not the most luxurious ship out there and the cuisine isn't outstanding but overall service is very good. The cabins are roomy and the beds large and comfortable with quality bedding. Dining is good. Unfortunately for me, I had to say no to all desserts due to my lactose ...
Although we were on the 30 day portion of this cruise there were a number of disorganized or poorly administered issues that prevented this from being a home-run. Most notably among the administration issues was the India visa fiasco. We booked months before we left home and were told we would not be able to board in Southhampton if we did not have all necessary travel documents including the ...
My wife and I chose this cruise due to the price, the duration and the departure date. Our cruise was for 30 days sailing from Southampton at the end of September, so we avoided some of the autumn at home in the UK. We considered the longer cruise all the way to Australia but given that this was our first long cruise we decided that it was too long.
Having sailed on the Emerald Princess before ...
We choose Princess as we had been told how good they were. The Ship & Crew were great, no complaints at all. The Food I found very limited and not as good as others I have been on. The entertainment on board was boarding amateurish at times. The so called party band they had were no better than a local 'pub' band, although I have seen & heard much better 'pub' bands. The 'Turns' they had on were ...
We booked this cruise fairly close to departure and as a result only had an option for a guarantee inside cabin. As per the cabin review we would not do this again on this ship. Our stateroom attendant however was wonderful. Always friendly, helpful and efficient.
Embarkation was handled very well. Probably the smoothest and easiest of any cruise so far.
This was our first Princess cruise ...
Our 12th cruise with Princess, 2nd time to Canaries and 2nd time on Emerald Princess. So the best way to do this review is a daily account:
Saturday 17/08/16: Pulled up at the Mayflower Terminal a bit early, but check in still dealt with us early. As always it was smooth, seamless and efficient. Found our own way to our balcony stateroom and waited FIVE HOURS for our luggage to arrive so we ...
Because of the price and the itinerary and a last minute booking. Enjoyed the cruise overall but not happy with the RIP OFF charges for things like shore excursions and shuttle busses plus the drink prices are a total rip off. Over $6 for a can of Boddingtons and $2.30 for diat coke, prices include the 15% gratutity which they sy is added for MY convenience.
Overall we enjoyed our cruise, ...
Liked the Emerald last time. This time very mediocre entertainment, definitely need more outside acts . Too much emphasis on trivia and silly game shows. Cabin was excellent with good service. Horizon buffet very tasty as was food from the outside grill. Very stingy on giving out prizes even refusing to give anything on several occasions. Entertainment team too female orientated with only one ...