Having cruised 6 different cruise lines including a European river cruise, my wife and I tried not to have high expectations for the Emerald Princess sailing out of the Houston Bay Port Cruise Terminal. We were pleasantly surprised at how it turned out.

Parking at the terminal was a breeze. There was no covered parking but we were able to rent a canvas car cover for our vehicle ahead of time from the Port Authority of Houston (and get a small discount).

Once inside the check-in went speedy and you were given a boarding slip. There was plenty of seating and after about a 15 minute wait, our section was called aboard. The Emerald Princess is a medium size ship (by today's standards) but seemed well kept up and very clean. Our cabin had a large 4 person balcony and we especially liked the closet area to hang clothes and store luggage. Read more