Our cruise got off to a very unpleasant start, but it never stopped getting better once we were aboard the ship. An alarm turned off the air conditioning to the main waiting room in Port Everglades and since it was Sunday there was nobody around to fix it. We all felt like cattle being herded to market. One of the agents was missing from our assigned embarkation desk for a while so it took longer to get aboard; I wouldn't have minded so much if not for the heat.

Once we got aboard and settled into our cabin I went down to the Purser's desk to confirm our arrangements for our transfer to the airport at the end of the voyage. The agents there were extremely friendly and helpful; they answered questions I didn't know I had. Everything we needed (shore excursion and transfer tickets, etc) for the entire cruise was delivered to our stateroom when we needed it; there was no leg work for us to do. I was impressed with the lengths Princess goes through to make absolutely certain that all arrangements are handled so its guests can truly relax and "escape completely".

Having sailed on ships of varying size (this one being my largest) I wondered if the food quality would be as good as the smaller ships. I must say that Emerald Princess had the best food that I've ever had at sea. From the casual dining at the horizon court to the anytime dining in the Michaelangelo dining room everything was top notch. We especially enjoyed the English pub lunch on our days at sea in the Wheelhouse Bar. There was so much variety that we didn't get to sample everything; there simply wasn't time to do it all! Read more