Emerald Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
I was very pleased with the Emerald Princess 5-day cruise to Cozumel and Costa Maya. The staff was outstanding, as they worked so hard and very incredibly friendly as they served our every need. The entertainment was a blast, and even rain at the ports didn't stop a great day. I found some great snorkeling on my own at both places. We utilized Tropicante in Costa Maya and The Money Bar in Cozumel, along with a tour at the Kaokao factory.
The food was out of this world good. My only complaint was the meals in the dining rooms took a long time (1.5-2 hours), though the food was worth it. The pizza was homemade and tasted like it...very yummy.
I didn't know what to expect as a first time cruiser, but I was pleasantly rewarded with an experience that exceeded my expectations. The staff service had a lot to do with that.
Cabin Review
Balcony
We were upgraded to a balcony and loved it. The rooms were sufficiently big and the service was outstanding. We enjoyed the view from the balcony on the 12th deck.
Port Reviews
Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)
We had an extra day before the cruise in Fort Lauderdale, and stayed at the Quality Inn because it had a free airport shuttle, free shuttle to the port, and free breakfast. We rented a car for $50 on site (Honda Civic) and had a great day at two beaches.
Costa Maya
We set up a reservation ahead of time with Steve at Tropicante. He was very hospitable and told me a couple of places to snorkel, as I brought my own gear. There was great snorkeling on a reef, though it was a long swim from shore (150 yards). It rained off and on, but he let me set up a hammock, and they served good food. We enjoyed walking the Malecon as well. Having a free phone call home was also a nice perk. We enjoyed our day at Costa Maya, and my wife had an hour massage for $30!
Cozumel
It rained a lot this day, so we went in the morning by taxi to the market area to see more genuine Cozumel life. We then walked to the Kaokao Factory and took a tour, which was very interesting as we made our own chocolate and tasted a lot of different kinds of REAL stuff. We then took a taxi to Money Bar, where there is outstanding snorkeling right from shore. Very easy for beginners, and several paid snorkel boats dropped their passengers off right at this spot. Money Bar had great food and it was a nice place to sit as it rained. I appreciated having a free place to sit (though of course we purchased food from them). We also bought some yummy homemade flour tortillas from Lucy's Tortileria, which were amazing.