How Princess Cruises made themselves the consummate hosts

DAY THREE of our guest blog from CruiseMiss Danielle Fear, from her recent Canary Islands cruise from Southampton, aboard Emerald Princess (above)

One thing I noticed on Emerald Princess was how fast the crew managed to get passengers off the ship in port. Rather than sit at a stationary computer, the security staff had portable scanners that were clearly pin-point accurate as not once did I see them having to call a passenger back.

A huge queue that wrapped itself around the atrium several times was dispersed within mere minutes. It was a breath of fresh air given the size of the vessel and the number of passengers  on board.

Boarding again after a day ashore was not quite as fast, which is to be expected because of security checks, but at least getting off in the first place was far from a stressful experience. I was very impressed.

My time with Princess Cruises was certainly something special and I would recommend you give one of the Princesses a try for your next cruise – they were indeed the consummate host.

My cabin steward on Emerald Princess was the best I have ever had on any cruise ship in more than 20 sailings. Nothing was too much trouble for him and several times he really did go above and beyond, and without me or my travelling companion having to utter a word. Now that is what you call good service.

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Pizzas the size of a small country and the best steaks ever - all together on board Emerald Princess

Steak selection in the Crown Grill on Emerald Princess

Day Two of our guest blog by CruiseMiss Danielle Fear. Today she turns her attention to the food on board Emerald Princess

Food is a big deal with Princess Cruises, that was evident within just a few minutes of stepping aboard and wandering through the buffet, and I visited the Pizzeria several times during the cruise. The Pepperoni was by far my favourite and the slices were HUGE, but I did make the mistake on day one of asking for a “Margarita pizza” and wondered why the chef looked at me oddly, I then leaned over the counter and realised that an entire pizza was in fact the size of a small country – his reaction was truly warranted! 

I can also highly recommend the Crown Grill and Sabatini’s, both of which incur an additional charge of $25 per person, but they are worth every single cent! 

The Crown Grill was superb and the choice of meat and seafood was second to none – the lobster looked delicious, although in the end I opted for a 12-ounce New York strip steak. It was cooked perfectly and was incredibly juicy; the vegetables to accompany it were also very good (I could have easily eaten more of the creamed spinach) and dessert was a filling affair. 

Sabatini’s offers a wonderful selection of Italian dishes and during my visit I tried calamari for the first time and I finally got my lobster, which was cooked three ways. I have to say that although both restaurants were very good indeed, Crown Grill was my favourite and I wish now that I had visited more than once.

TOMORROW: Coming and going the Princess way.

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It's the little touches that make a big difference on CruiseMiss's Emerald Princess voyage to the Canaries

Sunset seen from Emerald Princess's top deck

Enjoy the first part of a guest blog from World of Cruising contributor Danielle Fear, aka CruiseMiss, who has just cruised from Southampton to the Canaries on board Emerald Princess

I embarked my first voyage with Princess Cruises aboard the stunning Emerald Princess. Our itinerary lined us up for 12 days sailing from Southampton to Madeira, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and finally, Vigo. It was a great excuse to head off for some last minute sunshine, although we did get our fair share of torrential rain too.

My first impressions of Emerald Princess were very good. Her atrium was absolutely stunning and led off in numerous directions, calling at several different public spaces including the International Café, Wine and Tapas Bar, Crooner’s Lounge, Boutiques, Reception and a pretty impressive Casino and Cigar Lounge.

The outer decks were ideal, lots of space and lots of sun loungers. I particularly liked the fact that for every pair of sun loungers there was a table, so you would have two beds, then a table, then two beds and so on. Perfect use of the space in my opinion and it was echoed across the entire ship.

Other public areas included Skywalkers, Lotus Spa and The Sanctuary, Wheelhouse Pub, Crown Grill, Sabatini’s, Explorer’s Lounge and of course a whole aft deck on which you could leave the kids! Music to every parent’s ears, I am sure!

I am a big fan of the small touches and Princess Cruises are full of them. Every passenger received a lightweight branded Princess bag – ideal for the beach - and I also had added benefits of being an Elite member of the Princess Cruises Captain’s Circle (my points were transferred across from P&O Cruises). Having experienced the Elite benefits first hand, I have to say Princess Cruises offer one of the BEST loyalty programmes at sea! Complimentary internet minutes, complimentary laundry services, canapés on formal evenings, complimentary wine tasting, and one free mini-bar set up, priority embarkation and a dedicated lounge for disembarkation - these were just some of the benefits available to me!

To extend on my mention of small touches, I also liked the free popcorn which was available even to passengers not watching the movie on the big screen over the pool. The sandwiches and cakes in the International Café on deck 5 were all free of charge as were the tapas plates in the Wine Bar – both being features many other cruise lines charge for.

The drinks measures were also larger than they are on some other cruise ships (had to squeeze the important bit in there!) and I was NEVER charged extra for a “splash” of Diet Coke with my Southern Comfort. As I said, the little things can often make the biggest difference and in this case, they certainly did.

TOMORROW: Danielle turns her attention to the food on board Emerald Princess

Time Spent at Sea has moved and can now be found at World of Cruising. You can follow World of Cruising on Twitter and Facebook for the very latest in cruise news.

If you haven't already, subscribe to the World of Cruising magazine today.