The Emerald Princes is a beautiful large ship that may not be for everyone. We sailed on the Barcelona to Venice Mediterranean 12 day cruise. This itinerary only has two sea days so those expecting a slow paced vacation may want to skip some shore excursions to make it a more relaxing trip. Those wanting to see it all should be expected to need another vacation after this cruise.

Embarkation in Barcelona was a simple and pleasant experience. The terminal is clean and spacious. The trip from the airport to port by cab is worth it as you may find yourself on a lot of buses if you take Princess shore excursions. Check-in and greeting at the ship was by a friendly staff - and made for a nice welcome aboard.

The ship is spotless. I'm a bit of a neat freak and found that every public space was in great condition. Typically the dining rooms were also spotless as well. The buffet eateries - well that's a different story that I'll get to later. Read more