Entertainment in the theatre was first rate every night, worth the price of the cruise alone. The 7 piece house band were excellent musicians. Buffet had a wonderful and varied selection. Main 3 dining rooms had the same tired menu virtually every day. Most of the bars were empty most of the time. Where were the 3000 passengers ? Piazza always had good entertainment especially the great violin duo. Staff very friendly & helpful. Excursions were good, tour guides very knowledgeable and likeable. Lots of people seemed interested to buy expensive jewellery, art, perfumes, etc. Seemed a waste of money to us. Embarkation was the worst disaster anyone of the 3000 passengers had ever experienced as we waited outside in the LA heat while they fixed a computer failure. The proverbial Black Swan. Disembarking however was well organized and a breeze in Ft. Lauderdale. It was worth the money ! Read Less

decided to join friends who were already booked on this cruise. Panama Canal was on our bucket list so we thought "why not" There was a technical issue on embarkation which had us feeling very relieved to be Elite status as many passengers waited several hours to get on board. As it was, we did not get our cabin key cards until almost midnight on day 1. We ended getting an excellent price on the cruise by watching the sales and contacting our cruise planner when we came across a better deal. Loved our cabin - odd shape/layout but spacious and nice view. The cruise was very enjoyable, despite the current world situation. We had some very nice shore excursions: Beach getaway; Two bay snorkel; Sabana Safari adventure. Transit through the canal was cool to experience. The new production show "Rock Opera" was one of the best I have ever seen on Princess - loved all the numbers from "The Greatest Showman" All in all, a very good cruise. Read Less

My father wanted to see the Panama Canal. It was 5 adults - my father, my sister and husband, myself and husband. Our entertainment was poor. The best was the comedian next to last day. The service was horrible in internet. We talked to him. He gave us info. We tried it and it didn’t meet with our expectations and wanted to change it two hours later and were denied. The beverage service was ridiculous. You spend over $1000 for the package and they wanted my husband to pay for a can of coke. They nickel and dime you to death. Embarking was ridiculous. They knew the night before there were problems and still had people embarking at 7 pm. Disembarking was also ridiculous! People coming in doors they weren’t suppose to. No one watching. We are platinum members are will not be using princess again. So very disappointed in Princess Cruises! Read Less

There was a glitch getting on the ship, which caused us to not start off the best, we waited in line outside the ship for hours & were never told why we were not allowed to board, and then once inside, more long lines- we heard it was a computer problem. Once we were onboard, they gave us temporary room cards, which meant we had to find the room steward every time we wanted to get into our room, finally received our keys at 9:00 that night. But, from then on Princess did not disappoint! Entertainment was good, especially two of the singers and the ventriloquist, Michael was terrific! One of the most entertaining shows was put on by the Master Chef and Maitre D- so funny and two of their staff sang and they were fantastic! Our waiter in the Botticelli dining room was Yulia and her assistant, Daniel and they were EXCELLENT! Always had a smile and went above and beyond to make our dining experience the best! We also tried the specialty restaurants, Crown Grill was excellent and Crave was also very good! Our balcony room was very nice, closet space was plentiful. Our room steward, Savio was really good and anticipated what we needed without even asking. my husband has a C-Pap machine and Savio got us a bottle of distilled water without us ever Mentioning it. Aaron, the Cruise Director was hilarious and his staff were so great, we enjoyed most of the activities. We also enjoyed the Escape Room, which you have to sign up for, there is a small charge-$8.00. In light of all that was going on in the world with the virus, we enjoyed our time on Emerald Princess! Read Less

I’ve always wanted to sail to the Panama Canal. What a great trip this was. Despite the worlds fears of the corona virus our crew selflessly cared for our needs, making sure the trip was a success. Even though we did not get to go through the old Locke as planned due to the Panamanian government not giving us access until to late we were still able to go through the new lockes and enjoy them from our balcony. Our room steward kept the windows of the balcony so clean our view was spectacular. Princess crew went out of their way to make the cruise exactly what I had hoped for despite extra requirements being added on to them. The sunsets and sunrises were so beautiful. The food so delicious, not one disappointment. The ventriloquist was way to good, singing for his dummies. The sax player was amazing, loved the whole show. Thank you Emerald Princess Captain and crew. Job well done. Looking forward to cruising again with you. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the itinerary and for our past experiences on the Emerald Princess. We love the live music and entertainment on the Emerald Princess. Princess Cruises are our favorite. We had a hiccup during embarkation, but that was put aside as the cruise got underway. I enjoyed the ports, but to be honest our best time was had on the ship. A little disappointed we were not allowed to get off in Columbia, but understandable considering the world conditions. The cruise staff was awesome at keeping us safe and healthy. The ship was in a continuous state of disinfection and I loved that the staff in the Worldplace Market began serving the buffet about halfway through the cruise. Extra work for them, but a bonus for us to help keep us healthy. We maintained a healthy ship and with all of the challenges in the cruise world I would not hesitate and look forward to cruising again. Read Less

The Panama Canal was on our bucket list. Just the week before we set sail the Coronavirus scare began. We chose to go ahead with our plans and are so glad we did. There was a major computer glitch that delayed our boarding for 2-3 hours. Area was packed. No food or drink offered. Toilet facilities were out in the parking lot. Very uncomfortable. Once we boarded things went exceedingly well. Our steward, Danny, was welcoming and helpful. Our room was clean and ready to go. We ate most meals in the DaVinci Dining room with Giovani as our Maitre ‘d, Roderick, waiter, and John as his assistant. Enjoyed them as well as the food. Ate one night in the Crown Grill. Excellent service and food. Ate one night in Share. Excellent food and service once again. Just way too mush food for us to eat (6 courses). Had breakfast on our balcony once. Very special, indeed. We arranged our port tours with other cruisers through Cruise Critic. Highly recommend: Puerta Vallarta, Vallarta by Road Food tour Puntarenas, Thumbs Up Tours Panama City, Conozca Panama 5 hour City Tour We were denied entry into Cartagena, Colombia (by direct order of the mayor.) No illness on board with staff or passengers. Entertainment was absolutely wonderful. In our second week Princess Cruises announced they were closing down operations for 60 days due to Coronavirus Pandemic. I want to give a shout out to Princess. They were transparent throughout. Even though employees had this uncertainty (60 day layoff) facing them, they remained cheerful, courteous and helpful to the very end of the cruise. Thank you for a wonderful experience! We WILL be back!! Read Less

For us this was the cruise of a life time for us. Celebrating a Birthday, 45th wedding anniversary and retirement Cruise. We live on the east coast. And proberly will not go west ever again. So we picked this one. The itinerary was great. The island of Moorea was the most beautiful island we have ever seen. True paradise. We have seen every island in the Caribbean,nothing even comes close. Oh well the ship. This is the 5th cruise line. Our 10th cruise. Our first and (last) on Princess. Top to bottom I can complain about everything. It would be to long and nobody would read it. I will try to keep it short. You have to understand a 28 day cruise is for older people. A lot of snobs. Just rude. For the most part their head was up their ...!! Average age 70 to 80. We are 66. They think they had money. Well if they did they wouldn't be on this cruise. They would be on the high end lines or they would go to there villa. The ship had a bad layout. Food not good. Entertainment terrible. Nothing to do on sail days. Could't wait to get of that ship. Most of the staff was new on their first contract. So most of the service was not good. Language barrier was a problem. Most of the workers did not seem happy. Internet was a problem. The good- Casino,International Cafe,Wine Bar. We did meet some good guest. 9 Read Less

After sailing to Alaska on Princess with family and friends for our 50th we knew we would sail with Princess again. We've wanted to go through the Panama Canal and one 6 of us found we could during the first two weeks of March we jumped at the chance. A computer glitch messed with what we know to be a generally efficient check in. Though, conditions were less than ideal, I applaud the individual who made the decision to move us from standing outside in the sun to an inside seating area that was air conditioned. We thoroughly enjoyed our balcony stateroom and assigned steward, Rommel. Both were superb. We enjoyed eating at the Michelangelo where our server, Sebastion, always brought a smile, cheer, and great food. Eating at DaVinci with our server, Lucio, was also a delight. Shall always remember one of his jokes!! Special treats were eating at Crown and SHARE by Curtis. The food in each location was excellent; however, the portions at the SHARE were simply too large! Never thought I'd say that! The entire cruise staff was wonderful. Even after Princess announced that it would be suspending cruising for 60 days, and with the staff uncertainty of what lay before them, they maintained a professional, courteous, and cheerful presence among us. For sure, for that composure alone, Princess can be proud of how its staff serves the needs of its guests and of the company. Princess, we'll be back, and soon we hope! Read Less

This was the first time we had a two week break as we had just retired. As we booked late we only had the choice of two rooms we ended up with room A333 with an adjoining door. We have done other cruises with luxury liners so i was full of apprehension but we wanted to do a full transit of Panama. The room was adequate bed really comfy. Extremely clean. Plenty of hanging space.Fridge for our champagne . Housemaid Anna first class. Food was of a high standard . I have worked in the hospitality industry so i know how hard it is to please the public. The staff in the world market restaurant were hilarious. Loved the outside cinema. Watching a new release sunbathing in 86 degrees drinking bubbles wonderful way to relax. Entertainment was mixed except for the two violinists called LADO they were spectacular. Booked whale excursion via princess cruises was truly amazing .Costa Rica and Columbia via cruise 118 great value. I would recommend catching a taxi in Nicaragua the local tourist guide in the port found an english speaking taxi driver who showed us some breathtaking sites and gave us the history of the country. My gripe is the horrendous costs of the drinks , wifi and gratuties. They need to look at more affordable packages for these items. Most guests were american who had paid on average $1300 for two weeks which is so much cheaper. Read Less

We really wanted to see Apia and PagoPago but these were substituted for Hilo and Kona. Had we wanted to see more of Hawaii we would have just booked Hawaii. We were also somewhat disappointed in the food, not what we expect from Princess. The Crown grill was a disappointment, filet was burnt, we didn’t say anything, by the time we saw the waiter, my wife had finished her meal. Share restaurant was delicious. Our cabin steward was very efficient and friendly. Crooners bar waiters were very efficient and friendly. Guest services is hit and miss, conflicting answers to questions, it’s in a bad location in the piazza (but then it’s like that on all Princess ships), when there’s entertainment in piazza it is difficult to communicate with crew - can’t hear them and I have excellent hearing but with accents it’s even more difficult and waiting in line, the smell from the casino is horrible. I’m especially disappointed and I understand why but when crew see people picking food from the buffet with their fingers eg French fries and eating it then going for seconds, or licking their fingers because a spoon dripped it disgusting, this should be better surveyed and passengers approached. Read Less

I loved the itinerary offered on this cruise. I had not sailed on Princess since 2005 so I was looking forward to my cruise. Even though we were not able to get into Samoa, we had a couple of extra days in Hawaii and one in French Polynesia. The ship is 13 years old but I thought for the most part it was very clean. The staff was outstanding and the Captain was amazing interacting with the passengers and leading a couple of interfaith services in the theater. There were plenty of activities to choose from and impossible to do everything. I love going to the casino but I have to say whatever product they use to mask the smoke smell really irritated my throat. I did notice the casino was not a popular venue during the times I was in there but maybe because there were not many people winning anything on the slot machines, This was probably the worst casino on a cruise ship that I have been on for the payout reason. My husband thought the food was terrible, particular the buffet.The traffic pattern at the buffet was a nightmare, no organization for passenger traffic. My husband actually lost weight on this cruise and who does that?? I managed to find things I liked for the most part but we have different likes. Entertainment was hit or miss but you can't please all of the people all of the time. The volume in the theater is almost unbearable. Overall we really enjoyed the cruise, particularly the itinerary. Read Less

Well, if 28 days aboard a beautiful cruise ship, being catered to, sailing to Hawaii and Tahiti - AND not getting sick isn't Fantasyland for the Senior Set, than I'll have what you're having. Embarkation was uneventful, after a night at the Long Beach Hilton and a Princess arranged transfer. We enjoyed the cruise card again, perhaps for the last time, as the Medallion era is now upon us. The ship has begun the refitting for the medallion - no more name tag and mail shelves outside the rooms. Captain was the imitable Steven Lewis accompanied by his lovely family. Captain Lewis's noon-time positioning announcements and "something completely different" observations became an amusing must and were talked about by many throughout the cruise. The original itinerary has us going to Samoa, in addition to Hawaii to Tahiti, but on the 2nd or 3rd day, Captain Lewis made the call that we would abort the Samoan ports due to the Samoan authorities insistence that all crew and passengers would undergo a comprehensive health screening to eliminate any threat of the virus du jour - the coronavirus. Naturally this was not possible so we extended on the heretofore not included Big Island with calls in Hilo and Kona, and some additional time in Tahiti. This unfortunately eliminated the dateline crossing but did reinstate Valentine's Day to the calender. We found the Enrichment lectures by Mike Raick and Sharron Faff quite good. We also had the wonderful Hawaiian "hosts" Kino and Lokelina aboard entertaining us with Hawaiian song, teaching us to hula and play ukelele, and just plain spreading joy throughout the ship. Five stars across the board for those four! We had a fair number of comics aboard, mostly very good - Gary Delena, Carlos Oscar, and Mike Wilson notably. The Emerald Princess orchestra was well-staffed with the typical Princess sharpshooters on horns, bass, guitar, drums and keyboards. Great band! We caught the three (3) jazz shows fortunately, since there were only three this time cruise. One up in the way under-utilized Adagio Bar, one in a Explorer''s Lounge show, and one in the Piazza with the fantastic Michael "Banjo" Young accompanying them. Other entertainment was very good as well: a terrific Piazza/Lounge pianist Marius Beatica whom also played a fine electric violin, Arny G was our Crooner's pianist, the Charme Duo were quite good - a male keyboardist and female vocalist, a folk-rock duo Char & Philly held court most nights at the Wheelhouse, and the LADO strings brought the classical genre forward with style, blending in some pop classics. My favorite though was Heather Sullivan a songwriter, pianist, and one heck of performer. Ms. Sullivan was a Crooner's pianist ten years back and was now onboard as featured performer. She was a knock-out! More please! Food was very good throughout. We loved the new format World Fresh Marketplace which replaced the outdated Horizon Court mess. Well done, Princess! Entrees in the MDR were consistently good if you are an adventurous diner and will at least try something other than beef or lobster. The fish dishes in particular (mahi, snapper, cobia, etc.) were all delicious. Our servers in Botticelli late sitting, Victor & Hendri were superb. Kudos also to the area's Heard Waiter, George who thoughtfully stopped by each table in our area every night to check on us. We tried Share, Curtis Stone's new venture which curiously replaced Sabatini's space next to the Adagio. The restaurant is decorated nicely, but we found the decor more interesting than the very limited cuisine. It was good, but not return good. We also ate in the Crown Grille as is our custom and thoroughly enjoyed the Veal Chops - too much food though! That brings me to my latest pet peeve on Princess, which has been simmering for the last few cruises: the wine service. We enjoy wine - with our meals mainly. We also generally travel with the Beverage package. That would indicate that our best bet is wines-by-the-glass. And that's where Princess just doesn't do very well. My primary complaints about this are the availability in the MDR, the main place to enjoy a glass of wine with one's meal. Aside from the paltry selection (in comparison to a well-thought out bottle selection), Princess has an annoying tendency to run of the by-the-glass selections in the MDR, some very early in the cruise. The Chablis was gone in Week 1 of a 4 week cruise. This was closely followed by the Mondavi Cabernet, the Pinot Grigio (absurdly featured on the menu on the night I tried to order it), and ultimately the Poully Fume (which became my go-to white by default). There were probably others that I never ordered. Now I get the argument that we're at sea and so on, but what I don't understand is 1) Some of these very wines were in stock at other bars - one at another MDR, necessitating the overworked Asst. Waiter's run to go get it, unasked by me). 2) Why not replace the stock outs by opening up other similarly priced wines by the bottle? Additionally, my wine peeve extends to the rose bud vase that Princess apparently thinks is one size fits all wine glass in the MDR. This is really poor, considering that the water glass would serve as more appropriate wine vessel, let alone using one Holy Grail Rieldels under lock and key at the Vines. Want a glass of real Champagne? That sir, is only available at the Crooner's Bar. Want a glass of the excellent and popular Embruix Priorat red wine offered at the Vines? Not in the MDR, but it was also found available at the Explorer's Lounge - no other bars. This is nonsense, IMO. Standardize your wine lists - AT LEAST to the extent that ALL wines-by-the-glass available on the ship are made available in the MDR. Frankly I shouldn't have to plea for this on a revenue conscious operation such as Princess. You'll sell more, if you haven't figured that out yet. And bring back the wine stewards while you're at it! Four stars. Read Less

Tough to review what you have as a bucket list check off. But, the mold on this ship is out of controll. My eyes burned, my throat burned. I have no doubt this was the real cause of so many being sick on this ship. It was visual and the smell so strong in halls that I had to run through the halls. The consistent overcharging by Princess was a constant visit to the front desk. That said, many staff members are so wonderful that really made this trip very special I give 5 stars to many in Vines, casino staff and my cabin steward. The energy of the dance aerobics instructor was inspiring not unhealthy. To the best Room service delivery at sea I’ve seen in over 30 ships I’ve been on. Don’t place that on the food, it was the great staff. In the end bucket list checked Staff in many ways saved this trip Would I go on this ship again. Hard to say yes. My health is important too, the mold is beyond. And they know it. Read Less

We selected this cruise in order to escape some winter in Michigan. The sixteen sea days appealed to us. The schedule was changed in route and we were unable to visit American Samoa which meant we spent more time in Hawaii, Bora Bora and Papeete. Still a restful experience. The response time of the Internet was reasonable but the system was unstable at times causing people to lose their minutes. For some reason the Internet policy was to deny restoring minutes if minutes were lost more than once. Yes, I lost my minutes twice due to a system problem. This provoked a confrontation with the Internet Manager who wouldn’t restore my minutes even though the problem was caused by the system's instability. This provoked a confrontation between Guest Services and the Internet Manager. I was told that my problem would be directed to higher authority for review. The next day I was informed that I would be granted unlimited minutes for the remainder of the cruise. I confess that as the dispute developed and I was getting the round around I became angrier and angrier. Clearly this problem could have been handled very easily if common sense had been applied. The Internet Manager might ha e been technically qualified, but he was woefully prepared for dealing with customer service interactions. Based on what I learned subsequently, neither he or Guest Service Staff had the authority to solve what should have been an easy problem to resolve. The quality of the food in the dining room on the hole was fairly good. Some entrees excellent, other entree’s not particularly up expectations. The menu would benefit some new dishes. With the exception of the problem previously cited, service staff did a very nice job. Entertainment on the ship was very good to excellent. Read Less

Sailing on Emerald Princess was a great experience. Captain and staff were great communicators and provided great service. Dining room food choices were great and no repeat menu items although some choices were repeated . . Choices were mixed up in future menus so it was no duplicated. Jay our room Stewart was excellent. Spoke fluid English and was always helpful. No room problems. Shore excursions were organized but over priced. Shore excursions operators were excellent except for the bus driver/guide in Tahiti. Would not recommend Island Tour with Museum tour. Poly Cultural Center tour in Honolulu was excellent. Bora Bora 4 wheel drive tour was excellent for getting the high photos of Bora Bora. Lanai ROAD TO HANA was a great day tour away from the city of Maui. This tour featured great waterfalls and scenery. On ship visit the Club Fusion Bar as the bartender Micheal was great and the Bar Manager Maria is a great communicator. We really enjoyed spending time in this bar. The Explorers bar has a dinging bartender named Jonathon. Ship theatre entertainment is good and bad. Singers struggled with some songs. But they were excellent in the production type shows. Do not miss those shows. Also must do Crab Shack and Planks . . They charge $12 and it is worth much more. A MUST. GAVE A 5 star because I had a great overall cruise that I will never forget. Read Less

We have done a variation of this cruise before and are seniors so we knew we could enjoy this trip without worrying if we might miss something. It is a wonderful cruise and very friendly people on the Islands. Embarkation and disembarkation went well. We had a balcony suite which was just fine for us. Although we were on starboard I would book port if doing it again as the sun was alway on the port side. We did AnyTime dining which gave us options as to when to go for dinner. We sometimes ate up in the Lido deck for dinner if we wanted stay in shorts. We did one tour from the ship which was a whale watching tour. On Bora Bora we wore swimsuits to see if there was a bus or taxi that would take us to a beach. But when we got on shore we saw a sail and snorkel tour which was half the price of Princess Cruise tour at $70. It was a fantastic tour, we went around the Island and into the Lagoon. We made three stops to snorkel, two were in deeper water and one was waist deep. We swam with Black Tipped Sharks and Stingrays. All in all I would recommend this cruise, it is longer than most at 29 days. There were a lot of seniors and wheel chairs but everyone seem to treated well. Read Less

On the good side, the staff or crew was very friendly and courteous. Food was good as well as entertainment. On the bad: 1) the wait to board the cruise was ridiculous 2) once in our room, hours later, we found a dirty bathroom and carpeting, beds not put together. We complained. 3) went to wait until the room was cleaned, beds put together, carpet vacuumed and were told the room was sanitizer but carpet would be shampooed when at the next port. It never was. 4) there was a second set of bunkbeds folded against the wall, right under the left and right side of our bed, every time we got up from the bed we bumped our heads until we got used to them, except at night when waking to go to the bathroom. 5) when we complained We were told we would be moved, never happened. 6) the entire ship was very cold but guess that's to prevent viruses. However, that should be told in advance for those who packed to go to warm climates! 7) tours where expensive as where salon services and photos. Read Less

We chose this cruise because of the itinerary. We wanted to go from Fort Lauderdale FL to Los Angeles CA through the Panama Canal. We were not disappointed. The best part, by far, of this cruise was Bill Fall. This incredibly knowledgeable man held several presentations, sharing slides that helped us understand the history and construction of the canal far better than we ever expected. Next to Bill Fall, the best part was our cabin steward, Jonathan. We have cruised many times on various lines and he is at the top with his genuine helpfulness and positive nature. Our dining experience was average to better than average overall. Crown Grill was exemplary for a specialty restaurant on a ship - best steaks ever. Anytime dining very helpful to our schedule, though we didn't have the advantage of the same server to accommodate our tastes. The food was better than average overall. We appreciated having outdoor options as well. Entertainment was as expected. Some shows very fun and others not so. The cruise staff personalities varied to such an extent that we found ourselves picking the evening activities based on who was hosting. Ports very interesting overall. Huatulco is a beautiful sleepy beach town but if you choose a "Highlights of Huatulco" shore excursion, please note that there aren't many highlights in Huatulco. Stick with sitting on the beach as that's the best part. Our favorite shore excursion sponsored by the ship was the La Paz waterfall trip in Costa Rica - well worth it! We also went off the ship's excursion list with a Vallarta Food Tour in Puerto Vallarta (10 stars!) and a segway tour in Cartagena (another ten!). And top marks to Princess for having a texting service that allowed my family to stay in touch while on the ship. You put your phone in airplane mode, select the ship MedallionNet wifi option and add your family names as contacts. This was wonderful for us to be able to know where all six of us were at any given time. The best part was going through the Panama Canal - I think everyone should do that at some point in their lifetimes! Read Less

We wanted to experience the Panama Canal and go somewhere warm in January so we booked this cruise and had a fabulous time. We arrived in sunny Fort Lauderdale and stayed at the Marriott North for a couple of days Pre-Cruise. It is a nice Marriott and a good price since it isn’t on the beach. We took Uber to the port and it was very easy. We arrived at 11:30 and we were boarding soon after. The embarkation couldn’t have gone smoother. We are Platinum next cruise and will speed things along even faster. We had lunch in the DaVinci dining room and they announced the staterooms were open before 1:00 which was a nice surprise. This was our third trip on the Emerald and she didn’t disappoint. We have had some fun cruises on the Emerald and the ship isn’t brand new anymore but still very pretty and in good shape. We always seem to have a good crew on this ship and the staff seems happy and eager to please. We had a wonderful stateroom steward, probably one of the best we have ever had. He was friendly and anticipated our every need. We had traditional early seating at 5:15 which was a little early but the late seating is too late for us. My husband is on a very low sodium diet and the head waiter gave him the menu every night for the next night so he could Pre order and they prepared his meals low sodium. We ate in the dining room all but two nights and really enjoyed our waiter and assistant. We thought the food was good in the dining room. I always am amazed that people complain on these reviews about the food. If I don’t have to shop for it, cook it or clean up after then it is great for me. We certainly found something on the menu to eat every night and didn’t come home lighter! The buffet was good as were the hamburgers by the pool. We had escargot, lobster, beef tenderloin, steak, lots of shrimp and scallops and enjoyed every bite. The entertainment was enjoyable. The new Rock Opera which debuted on the Emerald this sailing (it is also on the Sky I believe) was absolutely superb! The singers and dancers on this cruise were tremendous. We had some other really good guest performers that were very talented and some good magicians and comedians. The Princess theater was packed every show and for the 7:30 show you had to arrive at least 30 minutes early to get a seat. I really think it would help if Princess would add a third showtime or repeat the shows because every passenger seemed to want to go to the theater every night. I noticed lots of people brought books to read while waiting. We also had Medallion Net Wifi and we were able to text, email and call if we wanted. It is really a game changer if you need WiFi. Most of the basketball games that my husband NEEDED to see were on a ESPN channel in the stateroom but one that wasn’t on ESPN he was able to keep up with it online. I however went to the theater since I don’t require basketball at sea. We had a balcony booked but this cruise was over sold so they offered us an amazing deal to give up our balcony and move to an inside cabin. Well that was ok but the inside they moved us to had two more berths that fold down from the wall. These extra beds just stuck out from the wall and made the room seem so much smaller and we both cracked our head on them a couple of times. That was a bummer. Fortunately we were aft Riviera deck so it was a quick escape to the terrace pool and bar and outside seating which helped us to not kill each other in that cabin for 15 days. We really enjoyed the ports since they were all new to us. We did a couple of private excursions (in Cartagena and Nicaragua) and a great Princess excursion to the Starbucks Hacienda Coffee Plantation in Costa Rica. We had an awesome guide and a delicious lunch. It was a small group of 10 in a van which made it so nice. It was well worth the money. Starbucks gave us the VIP treatment too. We were on our own in Huatulco which was ok. There isn’t much at the port (some restaurants and shopping) so I would book a tour if I went back. Puerto Vallarta was beautiful and we took a taxi (7.00 each way for the taxi not per person but you need exact change and we tipped a couple of dollars) to the Malecon boardwalk and it was fine with lots of shopping and restaurants and walking along the ocean and downtown. The day of the Panama Canal crossing was an all day event and was fantastic. We were up at 6:00 am with the other 3000 spectators but there were plenty of places to watch the crossing. The most popular spot was Lido deck all the way forward where they opened the unmarked doors to the very front of the ship. They even served mimosas up there which was festive. We went through the new locks and it was a marvel. There was a commentator that talked us through the Canal and he was very interesting. He did a number of port lectures as well which we didn’t attend but watched them in our stateroom later. His name is Bill Fall and he was very knowledgeable and interesting. The first two sea days were really bouncy. I think we were having high winds so I don’t think it was normal. When we arrived in Cartagena it was calm and stayed very calm until we left Puerto Vallarta and headed toward LA. The seas were not quite as calm and the temperature dropped to the 60’s for the two days back to Los Angeles. Disembarkation was also very organized and we were off by 8:30 then took an Uber to LAX and were there in plenty of time for a 12:10 flight. We enjoyed this cruise very much. We found the majority of the staff and crew to be very friendly and efficient. We went to a Meet and Greet with our roll call and enjoyed meeting the Captain and several other officers that attended and spoke. They were warm and approachable. The Captain was really delightful and we saw him often around the ship. He seemed to enjoy talking to passengers and answering questions. Read Less

We are in our late 40's and we are a very active couple. Sitting around and watching movies is not our forte'. The entertainment on this cruise was horrible. When you have 8 days of "Sea Days" and the most exciting thing for that day is going to a lecture about arthritis, something is wrong with that cruise line! I would not recommend Princess for our age group. We were so ready to get off this cruise and get home to our kids. The ship is showing her age, the staff is just there... nothing outstanding, and the choices for entertainment were not well thought out. There were not enough seats for the activities that were worth going to and you literally had to get there an hour before it started to even get a seat. We don't go for the food, but it was decent. The ship is clean, the staff is there to do their job - and that was about it, and the food was edible. Nothing fancy and not worth the money that we paid. Read Less

My wife and I have multiple things to celebrate (35th anniversary, both healthy after medical scares, etc...) and decided that a two week cruise through the Panama Canal was just the ticket. We enjoyed everything about the cruise. Both embarkation and disembarkation went smoothly and the staff was very friendly and helpful. Our last 2 cruises were on RCL and the staff on those ships treated us like we were annoying if we asked for anything. On this trip on the Emerald, the staff treated us wonderfully, from the front desk to our steward, the dining room, and bar staff. We spent a lot of time at the back of the ship by Terrace Pool. The bartender and staff learned our names and called them out whenever we walked out onto the deck! We splurged more than normal on this cruise and had a mini-suite. We loved the extra room and spent quite a bit of time on the balcony. The only minor complaint would be that the couch in our room seemed quite old and uncomfortable. It should be replaced. The food was pretty good. I found it to be more of a variety than other cruises I've been on, but still got to be repeated too much on a 15 day cruise. But, we did not go hungry! We had some wonderful excursions, and the trip through the canal was awesome! The commentary offered was really great. We also met some really nice people from all over the world. All-in-all, we had a great 15 days! Read Less

We had been on the Emerald Princess before, and enjoyed it. Since the last time it has been update and some areas remolded. Very nicely I might add. Biggest noticeable difference is the Market Place on the Lido deck. More open and bright, and the eating area seems larger and much nicer. We enjoyed the ports that we stopped at, all of them. On previous cruises there were some ports we did not enjoy. Our cabin was on the Lido deck, and it was so convenient to just walk down a hall and be out on the outside deck and close to the pools and Market Place. They also have a hamburger, hot dog, fries and chicken tacos eating place-all delish. Enjoy the open atrium area on deck 5,where they have the International Cafe and entertainment. You can get a salad, Panani, soup and desert while listening to music. The ports were lovely, warm and humid, but very enjoyable. Can't wait for our next cruise....... Read Less

Starting at embarkation sitting in an overcrowded hall for the better part of 3 hours - we were not off to a good start! No credible explanation from Princess; no bother to greet the arriving pxs when they finally made it on board. Balcony stateroom was okay but was very shocked to find torn sheets and stained pillowcases on the bed (replaced 2 days later). Room steward was great as were a few bartenders and waiters, but the vast majority of staff were not engaged, sullen, and in a couple of cases - obnoxious! Food in all venues was pretty horrible for anyone with a palate (I only had 3 meals which were "good"). Buffet selection was the worst we have ever seen after being on multiple cruise lines. Restaurants were kind of dirty with the worst being the steakhouse where I accidentally knocked about 3/16" of dust off the railing beside our table - ick factor 10. Likewise I ruined a brand new shirt when I leaned against a bar railing and got a large brown stain for my efforts. For a so-called high end, large ship, the entertainment was, for the most part second rate, and most activities were pretty lame for an older crowd. Shore excursions offered by Princess were okayish, except for in Panama city where we had to stand in line for 1.5 hrs in the sweltering heat to get on a tender back to the ship without so much as a hint of concern from staff - it is a wonder some of the frailer people didn't collapse! At long last we come to disembarkation - it was a bit better than the start, but once again no one from Princess directing you where to go for transfers. We got lucky and chose the right line up. If they can do a reasonable job in ports of call, why can't they make the same effort for leaving? Is it because they no longer care about you? I would say so. We will never use Princess again - there are so many better cruise lines that they can't hold a candle to! Sure, it may be one bad experience, but they are supposed to have corporate standards, so we can only assume that this is what we can expect on other Princess ships too. Read Less

Because I am generally a really positive person that tries to see the good in everything, I will start off with that. Edward the cabin steward was fantastic and just a great guy. He genuinely cared and worked hard. The food was generally pretty good in the dining room and the dining room staff was fun to interact with and they worked hard. Although - it makes no sense how we can be travelling through Mexico and Central America and get literally none of the amazing fruits of those countries on ship (papaya, mango, plantains etc..). Also great were the ports (specifically Huatulco and Punta Arenas)...but I am reviewing the ship here because of the large amount of sea days. I did learn that the US has a flight to Huatulco and I plan on doing that in the near future. Now to the negative - the entertainment was terrible and I found myself watching movies in the room most nights. At least the movie selection in the room was good. During the day there was no discernible entertainment. The 'entertainment' at night mostly consisted of Frank Sinatra singers and the like. While I may be relatively young for this cruise, I do know that 'old' people like a little more fun and variety than that. Trying to find something to do or eat after 9 PM, there was literally nothing. The one bar that was open (on the top level) had nobody there other than the bartender and cocktail servers. As a poker player, I figured that I could at least play poker for fun in the casino...but the poker table had an absurd 18% rake which took all possible fun out of it because statistically you are going to lose even if you play extremely well. I've been on other cruise ships and the entertainment on them was awesome, so my review isn't naively written. Also the customer service left a terrible taste in my mouth. I received a $100 Princess gift card for my birthday from a relative in light of the upcoming cruise (after the cruise had been booked). I tried to use the gift card online for excursions and internet but that was not possible as it only accepted credit card payments. I called customer service twice and they acted like they tried to help but stated that the gift card could only be used on the ship and that I couldn't use it to pay for internet and excursions. However, when I attempted to use the gift card on the ship, the person I spoke to on the ship said that I could not use it on that cruise but laughingly said that I could apply the amount to a future Princess Cruise. He literally didn't give a damn. I just had a terrible time on board the cruise ship, why would I want to go on another cruise with Princess? So now I have a worthless gift card that a family member spent good money on as a birthday gift. I didn't even know how to reply when they asked how I enjoyed the gift card for fear of hurting their feelings. Shame on Princess for its gift card scam!! Read Less