Our cruise to the Panama Canal on Emerald Princess did not disappoint, it was a great ratio of at sea days vs port days. The embarkation and disembarkation both ran smoothly. The staff were exceptional, especially our cabin steward. On day 1 he got extra hangers for me and removed the small table, replacing it with an extra chair. Our balcony stateroom was faded and the age really showed but it was clean and very functional (wish that Princess put sofas in the cabins but it was manageable with the extra chair I requested), the storage/closet space was more than adequate and the balcony was spacious.

Room service coffee came every morning on time (give or take 10 min) and I enjoyed ordering flat white with cinnamon. One morning I also ordered a fruit plate with coffee that offered a nice selection. Breakfast and lunch was usually at the buffet. The only thing I didn't care for at breakfast was the oatmeal (too watery and mushy for my taste). For the buffet lunch, I appreciated the wide variety of proteins, varied salad options and one day they even had breaded deep fried cauliflower (ok, so that is not completely low carb but how could I not try that?). Another breaded deep fried lunch option I loved was the pineapple. I enjoyed all the fish and chicken dishes. I avoided the buffet desserts, preferring to indulge at the International Cafe (peanut butter cookies) in the afternoon or in the main dining room for dinner. My hubs ate at the Salty Dog Grill often, loving the burgers, hotdogs and fries. On our last day I indulged in the thin crust 4 cheese pizza and pepperoni pizza which to my delight was delicious and not too greasy. We had the Princess Plus pkg which allowed us 2 specialty desserts per day. We ordered twice and each time the staff were very slow and disorganized but the ice cream concoctions were worth the wait, they were so decadent. I only had a few bites but my hubs ate all of his.

Dinner service was exceptional. The wait staff (especially the hostess whose name I can't remember, Fernando, Richard and Bevan). I appreciated that fish and chicken (jerk chicken...yum) were available most nights (I'm not a big beef fan and really enjoyed the lobster and escargot). I often ordered an extra protein and declined the starches (potato, rice, pasta). The appies were so good that often I ordered 2. My table mate had the chilled soup each night and declared them all delicious. Loved the tandoori prawns. For dessert, the love boat dream, flourless cake and cheesecake were my faves but my hubs would say it was the ice cream sundaes that you could tailor to your liking. My table mate ordered a sundae with extra butterscotch sauce which made it even more decadent, along with all other toppings. Read more