E
Einstein
Guest
NO major review here or surprises for that matter but here is my take on our 10 Days onboard.
The ship is in Gr8 shape which is to be expected for a ship less than 1 year old. the layout is a bit funky as seems to be with ALL the newer ships these days. In a few areas it requires a up ... over and down to get to where U want to be.
The Princess Theatre offers EXCELLENT sightlines with only 2 obstructions. The pool areas are VERY nice but IMO MUTS (Movie under the Stars) should be changed to Movie on the High Seas because this was in operation from Noon to 2 AM EVERY Day.
This was quite annoying after a few days because it was NOT an area where one could get some relaxing pool time because of the constant noise. Add into the equation that the NEW Sanctuary area takes some area away from the lounging areas for the Lotus Pool and that the Aft Terrace Pool is a smaller area with fewer loungers than the original Grand Class ships and U get fewer loungers available for MORE people. Add into the thoughts here that the pool and Hot Tubs are closed down at 6 PM so as to NOT interfere with the MUTS and another outdoor area is lost.
While the Aft Pool is still a delightful area to spend lazing the day away its design certainly does have to be questioned IMO. There is a TREMENDOUS amount of wasted space with the kids areas and Sabatini's and Adagio being located here. It was noted that EVERY night Sabatini's was was like a deserted ghost town. Perhaps the enigma is beginning to wear off and folks are realizing that a TRUE Italian meal is FAR from what one would expect from this specialty restaurant.
The staple interior bars ( Wheelhouse & Crooner's) offering a nice relaxing atmosphere for a drink but do expect some crowding around dinner hours as these centralized bars fill up quickly.
The kids area is state of the art and has 2 areas for the younger crowd. They offer quite an array of activities and games to keep the youngsters occupied. With only 50 kids onboard however this area exhibited the similar ghost like appearance of its neighbor (Sabatini's) one deck above. A shame to waste such a glorious viewing area is about all that rambles thru my head at this time. =shrug
The Promenade is a reduced promenade with loungers NO longer available and they have been replaced by padded chairs. A TRUE shame to once again loose another relaxing outdoor area where one could snooze a few hours away or indulge in their reading frenzy.
The Internet Cafe offers a nice grouping of computer stations for those wishing to keep in contact while at sea. The speed issues are still there but seemed to be less aggravating than our other experiences. For the Platinum and Elite cleints Princess now makes U register for their 250 minute ($100) package on your 1st visit. There after every visit only requires a swipe of the card and your account is credited until U use up the 250 minute package.
The Caribe Cafe is a nice addition to the aft area of the Horizon Court which seconds in the evening as alternative dining option of a buffet with a different cuisine offering nightly.
The International Cafe in the atrium is a nice alternative option for lunch with specialty sandwiches, quiches, and salads. They also offer different tasty delicacies for dessert each day and the FRESH cookies right out of the oven are to die for. Be forewarned however that as strange as it sounds they charge for REGULAR coffee and tea.
For those in search of an outdoor bar for that late evening cocktail in the Caribbean breezes U are in luck on the Emerald. The Outrigger Bar servicing the Aft Terrace pool stays open until the wee hours of the morning because it services the Caribe Cafe which is the late night bistro option.
The food offerings on Princess are still IMO VERY good and there is always something that can be found to fill that empty void we ALL experience while on the High Seas. :grin
Those pizza fanatics remembering the good Princess pizza may be a bit disappointed as it was detected that Princess seems to be going the rout now of Domino's and while mixing in imitation cheeses with their REAL cheese for the pizza.
The Horizon Court is still the same layout and becomes more of a traffic jam with the increased paxs load than ever with its circular design. =shrug Its still a servicable area but DO expect to get jostled from time to time by another pax going the opposite direction. On a good note the food was VERY good and for breakfast they have instituted beverage service tableside. Once U are seated U will be greeted by one of the waiters asking what juices U may like and if U would like coffee or tea. Once they have your desires noted they will return promptly with your preference.
Another concern noted which we had heard about on the Amigos was the shutting down of the pools and Hot Tubs by 10 PM. We inquired about this and it was mentioned that this is NOW a Princess fleetwide policy. This of course is a MAJOR disappointment for anyone wishing to take a dip after dining and wishing to spend their evening outside in the warm Caribbean breezes. Go figure is my response to why ALL the deck loungers are put up by 7 PM and ALL the hot tubs and pools are closed by 10 PM. =shrug
It does NOT take a rocket scientist to figure out why however as there is little $$$ being generated when paxs are outside and NOT in a bar or the casino. I for one will be writing to the Customer Service Dept. of Princess expressing my displeasure and hopefully anyone else disturbed by this with do the same.
In conclusion while perhaps it may come across that there are FAR more negatives than positives we indeed did have a Gr8 time on the Emerald. It is evident however IMO that Princess like MOST of the other lines are indeed cutting corners in areas to reduce costs. To the 1st or 2nd time cruiser this might NOT be quite as evident but in my eyes there is NO doubt that is the case. Perhaps some of these findings are due to the Emerald being a NEW ship and still getting broken in. Time will be the telling factor if this is the case since we will return in 75 days for a 2nd encore.
For those wishing to take a walk thru our eyes here is a Link to Our Nov 2007 Emerald Princess Photos
.
The ship is in Gr8 shape which is to be expected for a ship less than 1 year old. the layout is a bit funky as seems to be with ALL the newer ships these days. In a few areas it requires a up ... over and down to get to where U want to be.
The Princess Theatre offers EXCELLENT sightlines with only 2 obstructions. The pool areas are VERY nice but IMO MUTS (Movie under the Stars) should be changed to Movie on the High Seas because this was in operation from Noon to 2 AM EVERY Day.
This was quite annoying after a few days because it was NOT an area where one could get some relaxing pool time because of the constant noise. Add into the equation that the NEW Sanctuary area takes some area away from the lounging areas for the Lotus Pool and that the Aft Terrace Pool is a smaller area with fewer loungers than the original Grand Class ships and U get fewer loungers available for MORE people. Add into the thoughts here that the pool and Hot Tubs are closed down at 6 PM so as to NOT interfere with the MUTS and another outdoor area is lost.
While the Aft Pool is still a delightful area to spend lazing the day away its design certainly does have to be questioned IMO. There is a TREMENDOUS amount of wasted space with the kids areas and Sabatini's and Adagio being located here. It was noted that EVERY night Sabatini's was was like a deserted ghost town. Perhaps the enigma is beginning to wear off and folks are realizing that a TRUE Italian meal is FAR from what one would expect from this specialty restaurant.
The staple interior bars ( Wheelhouse & Crooner's) offering a nice relaxing atmosphere for a drink but do expect some crowding around dinner hours as these centralized bars fill up quickly.
The kids area is state of the art and has 2 areas for the younger crowd. They offer quite an array of activities and games to keep the youngsters occupied. With only 50 kids onboard however this area exhibited the similar ghost like appearance of its neighbor (Sabatini's) one deck above. A shame to waste such a glorious viewing area is about all that rambles thru my head at this time. =shrug
The Promenade is a reduced promenade with loungers NO longer available and they have been replaced by padded chairs. A TRUE shame to once again loose another relaxing outdoor area where one could snooze a few hours away or indulge in their reading frenzy.
The Internet Cafe offers a nice grouping of computer stations for those wishing to keep in contact while at sea. The speed issues are still there but seemed to be less aggravating than our other experiences. For the Platinum and Elite cleints Princess now makes U register for their 250 minute ($100) package on your 1st visit. There after every visit only requires a swipe of the card and your account is credited until U use up the 250 minute package.
The Caribe Cafe is a nice addition to the aft area of the Horizon Court which seconds in the evening as alternative dining option of a buffet with a different cuisine offering nightly.
The International Cafe in the atrium is a nice alternative option for lunch with specialty sandwiches, quiches, and salads. They also offer different tasty delicacies for dessert each day and the FRESH cookies right out of the oven are to die for. Be forewarned however that as strange as it sounds they charge for REGULAR coffee and tea.
For those in search of an outdoor bar for that late evening cocktail in the Caribbean breezes U are in luck on the Emerald. The Outrigger Bar servicing the Aft Terrace pool stays open until the wee hours of the morning because it services the Caribe Cafe which is the late night bistro option.
The food offerings on Princess are still IMO VERY good and there is always something that can be found to fill that empty void we ALL experience while on the High Seas. :grin
Those pizza fanatics remembering the good Princess pizza may be a bit disappointed as it was detected that Princess seems to be going the rout now of Domino's and while mixing in imitation cheeses with their REAL cheese for the pizza.
The Horizon Court is still the same layout and becomes more of a traffic jam with the increased paxs load than ever with its circular design. =shrug Its still a servicable area but DO expect to get jostled from time to time by another pax going the opposite direction. On a good note the food was VERY good and for breakfast they have instituted beverage service tableside. Once U are seated U will be greeted by one of the waiters asking what juices U may like and if U would like coffee or tea. Once they have your desires noted they will return promptly with your preference.
Another concern noted which we had heard about on the Amigos was the shutting down of the pools and Hot Tubs by 10 PM. We inquired about this and it was mentioned that this is NOW a Princess fleetwide policy. This of course is a MAJOR disappointment for anyone wishing to take a dip after dining and wishing to spend their evening outside in the warm Caribbean breezes. Go figure is my response to why ALL the deck loungers are put up by 7 PM and ALL the hot tubs and pools are closed by 10 PM. =shrug
It does NOT take a rocket scientist to figure out why however as there is little $$$ being generated when paxs are outside and NOT in a bar or the casino. I for one will be writing to the Customer Service Dept. of Princess expressing my displeasure and hopefully anyone else disturbed by this with do the same.
In conclusion while perhaps it may come across that there are FAR more negatives than positives we indeed did have a Gr8 time on the Emerald. It is evident however IMO that Princess like MOST of the other lines are indeed cutting corners in areas to reduce costs. To the 1st or 2nd time cruiser this might NOT be quite as evident but in my eyes there is NO doubt that is the case. Perhaps some of these findings are due to the Emerald being a NEW ship and still getting broken in. Time will be the telling factor if this is the case since we will return in 75 days for a 2nd encore.
For those wishing to take a walk thru our eyes here is a Link to Our Nov 2007 Emerald Princess Photos
.
