Embarkation was great. We arrived at the pier by noon. We were on board by 12:15 pm. Dropped our carryon off in our cabin and were having lunch in the formal dining room before 1 pm. I am sure Princess designates times to keep a smooth flow going but it was unnecessary on this embarkation. Our ship was full and no one we talked to had any delays getting aboard and people were boarding by 11:15 am, we found out later. Recommend the formal dining room for lunch on embarkation if it is open. Not crowded at all and better food.

The Emerald Princess is a fine ship and you can tell that it had been refurbished in the last 1 ½ years. Everything seemed in good condition and well kept. It is not one of the new mega ships but still plenty big. We were very pleased with it. The crew and staff was very accommodating. We enjoyed the anytime seating for dinner and got great tables every night, always by a window. We did have dinner at the Crown Grill, one of the specialty restaurants. It was excellent and that particular specialty restaurant was recommended by other cruise staff including our cabin steward as the best of the three. I would recommend it.

While on board, you can be as busy as you want or as relaxed as you want. We used the fitness center every day. Plenty of equipment but you can only use the treadmills between 8 am and 8 pm. A bit of an inconvenience for early risers but I realized the reason for it is there are cabins right underneath the treadmills. Some tried to use them earlier but it is a strictly enforced policy by the fitness center staff. With that in mind, I wouldn’t book anyone on deck 15, the Lido deck. We loved the naturalist who was on our ship. Her name is Shelley Gill and she was very informative and one of the most interesting people you will ever meet. Read more