In July we embarked on a much-anticipated cruise of the Baltic on the Emerald Princess. We had done considerable research on the ship, the specific cabin, the ports of call and Princess cruises itself and were confident we had chosen the best 'product' for our needs. We were wrong. In the late sixties I was an employee of Princess cruises which was then known as an innovator with excellent service. Things have changed. What follows are our impressions of the ship and of Princess cruises, and we'll start with the 'positives'.

Positives:

Embarkation in Copenhagen was extremely well organised and we were on the ship in no time. Once on the ship our cabin was immediately ready ... which is not the norm on most cruise ships. Our cabin was FABULOUS. It was at the stern of the ship and on the side. It had a simply enormous wrap-around balcony giving us a 270degree view. The sound of the wake was like a soothing waterfall, but if you wanted to shut this out all you had to do was go inside and shut the sliding door, at which point the cabin was silent. Vibration was virtually non-existent. The cabin was spacious and the amenities well thought out. We had to ask for the 'egg crate' for the bed as the bed was VERY hard with no 'give', but once that was arranged it was perfect. Our cabin steward was a joy ... always friendly, always willing to assist and always available. As a matter of fact, we encountered many instances of brilliant service from individual employees. As to dining (more on that later) Sabatini's was excellent ... great service and wonderful food. Disembarkation in Copenhagen could also not have been easier - extremely well organised. Read more