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East and West Caribbean
0 of 1 people found this review informative
 
Reviewed By: Lynn, Cardiff on 5th Sep 2010
Cruise Line: Princess Cruises Times cruised before: 3-5
Cruise Ship: Emerald Princess Sailed: August, 2010
Destination: Caribbean Age: 36-45
Cabin: Outside Occasion: Wedding anniversary
Overall we had a great time spending 14nights on Emerald Princess crusiing the Caribbean in August 2010. The ship was excellent and we enjoyed the sun and five-star service. There was plenty to do on board the ship and the staff (particularly the waiters) were very friendly and couldn't do enough for you. A member of staff was always on-hand if you needed one.
The Caribbean is great if you love swimming and sun-bathing and not too worried about quality shopping and the history of the islands you visit. If you like to see something different in every port you may be disappointed as we found the islands very similar or at least the bits we got to see.
We found that the price of the tours was expensive which maybe down to the poor exchange rate from £ to $.
We always have an outside stateroom "cabin" which was adequate but a bit cramped with a 15yr old son with us in a bunk bed. Don't try and swing a cat in the shower room/toilet.
We were very dissappointed with the quality of the theatre shows on-board which were quite ordinary when compared to our previous cruises to the Med. We put this down to the fact that its probably easier to fly-in professional entertainers in the Med compared to the Caribbean (or are we being too kind?). The major issue for us was that Princess and all the staff treated the cruise as two 7-day cruises. As a result we believe that the restaurant menu was identical from week 1 to week 2 and the shows were virtually the same. We were even told we had to get off the ship on day 8 because the cruise was technically over. It was also a bit irratating when the cruise entertainment director seemed to keept telling us it was the end of our cruise on day 6 and kept repeating himself. We then had to listen to the same welcoming "stories" and jokes from day 8 onwards that we'd heard on day-1. There appeared to be very little appreciation that we were staying on the ship along with many others (apparently around 200 people). Other families we spoke to were equally irratated and felt unimportant. We were fed up of the continual promotion of Diamond International at EVERY PORT and at Cozumel for example (which was a best location by the way for meeting the locals) the taxi even dropped us off outside the store and you were immediately bussled into the store for a free plastic "silver coloured" bracelet charm. Since returning home to UK we also learned from friends who travel to Caribbean frequently that prices in the ports are hugely inflated when ships are in port. We guess this is because the towns in each island port are so small that the cruise ship passengers dominate the towns for a day unlike the Med where they blend in with the crowd far more easily. Also, watch out for the automatic tipping which goes on your bill automatically even though you ask for it to be removed three times before it happens.
If American "confidence" is something that you find OTT then don't go on an American ship out of Ft Launderdale. We like meeting people from the US but on occasions the confidence sometimes becomes arrogance and you find yourself wishing there were a few more Brits on board.
We were extremely dissappointed with Bahamas where we docked at Princess Cays/Island which seemed nothing more than a beach with a few huts and not much more than a burger buffet. Do we feel we saw the Bahamas? answer "no, not really".
Our favourite destinations were Grand Cays and Cozumel. Why? Because we felt we got to meet the locals and it was a safe enviormental. Our least favourite destination was Ocho Rios where we were hassled from the moment we got to the public road off the ship until the moment we got back. We will be striking Jamaica off our list of future destinations.
In summary, great ship, expensive but friendly and great if you want to get away and do as you please for 2 weeks but there are some things to avoid andoh yeah......hope you like spending plenty of time at the beach.
Quality of Food2
Entertainment1
Shore Excursions3
Staff5
Children's Facilities3
Onboard Activities4
Cabins2
Overall Rating3
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