Emerald Princess Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,874 reviews

Wonderful TransAtlantic

Review for Transatlantic Cruise on Emerald Princess
User Avatar
Sunviking
First Time Cruiser • Age 70s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Oct 2008

Emerald Princess 10/03/08 TransAtlantic

We did basically the same cruise last year and liked it so much we sailed it again this year. We spent 2 nights pre-cruise at the Hotel Al Ponte Antico on the Grand Canal very close to the Rialto Bridge. We had a Junior Suite overlooking the canal and the bridge. The hotel is not inexpensive (hotels in Venice are pretty pricey in general), but it was an excellent choice. It is family run and you are treated as a member of the family from the moment you arrive. We enjoyed it enough that we are booked for a stay there next October (2009). I will not comment on Entertainment Shows or the Casino because we did not go to either. Embarkation was simple and quick and we were on board before 1 PM. I will not say much about the physical aspects of the ship since much has been written about those except to make a comment about our cabin. We had a PH suite R 406. I was apprehensive about this suite because so many people have written about the noise levels from the Lido deck above. My fears were unfounded. We occasionally heard some walking overhead during the day, but at night it was quiet. Perhaps it's louder on a Caribbean cruise but even though I am a light sleeper I had no problems AT ALL. Service on board was uniformly excellent. We had one of the best cabin stewards we've ever had. In all the dining venues we had excellent and prompt service as well. We thought the food was also very good. We ate most breakfasts and lunches in the Horizon Court and we found there to be something for most any taste. We had no difficulty finding a place to sit. We liked that silverware and napkins were placed on the tables and that your beverage order was taken and brought to you. That meant less juggling of things for us. As for dinner, we only ate in the Dining Room (we had Anytime Dining) five nights. We like the ambiance in Sabatinis and the Crown Grill better so we ate there multiple times. At Sabatinis we begin by telling the waiter that we only want the things we order, not the whole "experience" so we never leave feeling like stuffed turkeys. We found that even the menus in both places are fixed, we had enough choices that we didn't get bored eating there several times. We did not attend any shows and the only entertainers we heard were the musicians playing in Adagios, Crooners or in the Atrium. All sounded very good. Our favorite lounge is Adagio on the Emerald. The only activity we participated in was Trivia. Our impression was that there were plenty of activities available for people during the sea days. On most of the days crossing the Atlantic we spent the afternoon in the Sanctuary. We love the lounge chairs there and the place is conducive to relaxing which was just what we wanted. Tours: We took three ships' tours and did three private tours. In Naples we took the Elite tour to the Amalfi Coast (the same tour we did last year). Although it is expensive we thought it was worth it to go with a small group. As we did last year, we had lunch at Le Sireneuse Hotel in Positano which is one of the most beautiful places I can think of and the lunch was excellent too. We didn't regret taking the tour again. In Civitavecchia we took a ship's tour to city of Orvieto. The drive through the countryside was interesting and Orvieto was spectacular! The city is a naturally fortified medieval town with dramatic views of the surrounding countryside. The streets are narrow with lots of little shops, many of them selling magnificent ceramics for which Orvieto is known. The Duomo is renowned for its mosaic façade. The tour included lunch in a local Osteria and we had braised rabbit stuffed with olives and herbs, evidently a dish that the city is known for. We thoroughly enjoyed this tour as well and would recommend it to anyone wanting to try something other than Rome itself. In Livorno we took a ship's tour to Florence where we visited the Accademia to see "David" and then did a whirlwind walk to the Duomo, the PonteVecchio, past the Uffizi, Santa Croce and had a few minutes for shopping before proceeding outside the city to a beautiful Villa Hotel on the Arno for lunch. After another excellent meal we drove on to Pisa to visit the Leaning Tower and Field of Miracles. While it was great to see the Tower, I have to say that the carnival atmosphere of vendors outside was not to our taste. I had been to Pisa many years ago as a child and I didn't remember it quite the same way. Nevertheless it was worth seeing. In Cannes, I had booked a private tour for 8 of us with Revelation Tours. We had the same driver as last year, Cecile, and as last year she did an excellent job. This year we stopped first at the market in Antibes, which had just opened up as we arrived. I have never seen such fresh produce. The most interesting thing to me however were the spice vendors with their open bins of spices and herbs for sale. The smells were a symphony for the nose. Next we drove away from the coast to the village of Tourettes sur Loup, noted for its production of violets. The town sits perched on a mountainside with the houses forming a wall down the side of the mountain. The streets are reminiscent of Eze I think without being so steep. After a short stay we were on to St. Paul, my favorite. We wandered the streets and had a lovely lunch on a sun drenched terrace. We sampled some of the local wine which was excellent. I'm not a fan of rose wine, but the Cote de Provence rose we had was very dry and crisp and I loved it. Our final stop was Eze, another medieval village. Eze is spectacular but very hard on the legs since every is built on a steep hill. After a ride along the middle Corniche road we were back to Cannes and the tender dock after a wonderful day ashore with great companions. In Barcelona I had arranged for a car and driver to pick us up at the pier and take us to Montserrat. Last year we took the ship's tour there and we noticed then that there was a funicular going to the top of the mountain and a cog railroad going down, neither of which we had time to try last year. The driver took us up to the Monastery and dropped us off. We bought our ticket for the Funicular and took a nearly vertical ride up a couple of thousand feet to the top of the mountain. The view was to die for. When we went back down to the monastery level we stopped and bought some local cheese from one of the vendors there. We had bought some last year and brought it home. It was great so we had to replenish our supply. Next we boarded the cog railroad for the ride down the mountain to our waiting driver. The train ride also afforded great views. It was an expensive trip, but we wanted to do it one time.

In Cadiz we had the only rainy day of the trip. It was Sunday and Columbus Day so the tour we wanted to take to Jerez was unavailable. Instead we wandered around the city which is eminently walkable. There is a very pretty cathedral and nearby is the sea wall from which you can get a nice view of the city. We stumbled upon the market area (the market was closed) but the area was bustling anyway with people going to Tapas bars and shopping at the local supermarket. As it started to rain harder we made our way back to the ship. Lisbon was our next port and it's one of my favorite. I had arranged a private tour for 8 of us to Sintra, Cap da Roca, Estoril, Cascais and back to Lisbon. We did the same tour last year and liked it enough to go again. When we arrived at the Palace of Pena in Sintra it was foggy and it lent an air of mystery to the turreted castle perched on the top of the hill. The town of Sintra was bustling with visitors. The ride out to Cap da Roca, the westernmost point on the European continental mainland was interesting and scenic as were the rides through Estoril and Cascais. Back in Lisbon we stopped at the cafe that serves the pastais de belem and all had one (am I obsessed with food or what) and visited the Belem Tower and the Discoverers monument. It was a great day with another great group of fellow tourists. Finally we stopped at Ponta Delgada in the Azores. The new terminal is right on the downtown waterfront and very convenient. The town is easy to walk around with lots of interesting shops and wonderfully friendly people. There is a lovely church to visit, an old fort and enough to keep you busy for a few hours. The last five days were spent chilling out as we transited the Atlantic. It was calm and fairly warm all the way. We passed within 275 miles of Omar during one night and I woke up at some point and we were doing some bouncing, but it wasn't bad. One day we passed some rain squalls off in the distance and we saw a rainbow. The last four cruises I've been on I've seen rainbows so I consider that to be a good omen. All in all it was an absolutely fantastic cruise with great shipmates. We liked it enough that we are doing the same cruise on the Ruby next year. I already have in mind some different things to see so I know we won't be bored.

Cabin Review

Cabin PH
previous reviewnext review

Find an Emerald Princess Cruise from $578

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.