Hello, This is odd for me. I rarely write a review if I was disappointed. I usually write one when my experience has been positive. But this time, I feel compelled to write. I have been on a four cruises. I realize not a wealth of knowledge to refer to, but I think enough to share some thoughts here.

The Emerald Princess was a disappointment from our first moments of embarkation. The process was quick enough. No problems there. We eagerly found our cabin, opened the door and were almost blown over by the stench of cigarette smoke. It was overwhelming. It was as if the last occupant had spent their entire cruise sitting in that cabin chain smoking. It was truly disgusting. We immediately opened the balcony sliding glass door and tried to prop open the cabin door to see if we could help. Our steward came by to see how we were doing. I explained to him the problem with the cabin. I have asthma and it was already effecting my lungs. He seemed mostly uninterested, but said he would try to help.

My travel companion had decided that the least offensive place to sit was out on the balcony. It was the only place that the smell was not overwhelming. The steward came in to clean, but, as I am sure you know, smoke permeates everything. There was really little that a cleaning by him was going to be able to do. I decided to try to see if we could be moved. Passenger services was already swamped with people having problems and it was not even 1:00 in the afternoon yet. I was told by Passenger services that the ship was full and there was nothing that could be done. We later found out that was false. The ship was not at its capacity by approx 300 people. Read more