Emerald Princess Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,874 reviews

If you like “technical issues” and low level cafeteria food in buffet, go!

Review for the Panama Canal & Central America Cruise on Emerald Princess
User Avatar
leplep
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

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

Additional details

Sail Date: Dec 2019
Cabin: Mini-Suite with Balcony

Expected a lot more for Xmas cruise; few decorations and little music/shows. Only decent production show was broken; entertainment not good except 2guest entertainers. Public bathrooms constantly dirty and toilets broken; water on floors; dangerous. Elevators not working well; I was stuck in one twice, doors close on you and some floor buttons won’t work/light up. One night all 4 engines blew and no power. We were stuck in the dark in a part of our mini-suite that didn’t have a small back up light. I had to hold up my non-walking spouse, who was “transferring” at that time. The joke/saying by passengers is “technical problems”, as we heard it announced a lot. Our cabin awful: the HVAC broken all the time; it would be too hot or too cold, and they couldn’t seem to regulate, and this affects my spouse with M.S. We were in ADA cabin, and my spouse in wheelchair couldn’t use balcony as you can’t close balcony door from outside and ramp deployment mechanism broken and old and they couldn’t fix; also the balcony door got stuck in the open position several times. Cabin toilets broke a lot. Shower drips all the time, without stopping. I injured myself, my hand, trying to show cabin attendant how to work/turn ADA shower nozzle/bar. Takes hours for someone to come and fix anything and it keeps breaking anyway. I spent 1/2 my vacation waiting for people to show up to”fix” things. Refrigerator in room broken and leaky. Front desk mostly takes 20-30 minutes to answer phone;quicker to walk down in robe. Communication poor. Example: It took me several attempts to get our disembark paperwork; I asked in person and called multiple times, and had to walk down in my PJs after 9PM the night before disembark. Problems with “Movies Under The Stars” screen; the top part had a black line across screen, affecting viewing. About 1/2 of the Guest Services Reps were snooty. Shore excursion Rep was to get back to us on two ?s and never did and trip sold out. Device to print your bill often broken (line too long to get from front desk); I suggested they put a note on machine, and they refused! (lot of passengers upset they can’t print and wasted time trying to figure out). Early in the a.m. one day, we were awoken by lots of noise outside cabin, and a Plummer had opened the plumbing closet by our door, and when I went out in hall in my PJs to ask what is wrong now, he just said “normal maintenance”; ridiculous to do this when people are sleeping. While food in dining room good, the buffet was no better than a low level cafeteria, and mostly same food each day, often cold and they ran out of food and didn’t replace. I had to ask staff there, and also in Int’l Cafe and bar to wipe up dirty tables.

Cabin Review

Mini-Suite with Balcony

Included in overall review.

Port Reviews

Cartagena (Colombia)

Nice port area

Fuerte Amador (Balboa)

Loved Panama Canal.

San Juan del Sur

Anything in Nicaragua is stunning.

Huatulco

Great whale watching.

4 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find an Emerald Princess Cruise from $598

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.