This was a family holiday on the Emerald Princess, which suited our required holiday dates. We thought the ship was in good order, clean and tidy - very similar to P&O's Ventura and Azura. Embarkation was first class, as was disembarkation. The staff were very good and professional throughout the ship. Some of the minus points were no tea/coffee making facilities in the stateroom and dining in the dining rooms was not as good as P&O or Royal Caribbean, in that the choice of meals was average and quality not as we have previously experienced, to the point that, we chose to eat in the buffet on a number of occasions.

Furthermore, we found that there was a hidden cost for the shuttle buses, some, for example, Barcelona, were expensive for the short distance from the ship, although we had been advised that it was a 10-15 minutes journey, but it only took 4 minutes at a cost of $10 each. Marseilles was $12, although this was a longer journey. Livorno cost $5, although this was an industrious port and was unsafe to walk. The shuttle bus in Civitavecchia was free. We feel these should be advertised when booking your holiday.

Entertainment was poor to average, with some shows only lasting 35 minutes. Some of the comedians would be better entertaining the local pub on a Friday night as most of their jokes were years old. The singers were ok (these provided the majority of the provision of entertainment), as was the on-board band. Read more