We sailed on the Emerald Princess for ten nights in late December 2021.
If you follow these thirteen tips, you’ll likely enjoy sailing on her as much as we did.
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Our first tip is to make sure you’re aware of all of the complimentary lunch options
that are available for embarkation day on the Emerald Princess.
Most passengers board the ship and head straight to the World Fresh Marketplace buffet on Deck 15 aft.
However, there are plenty of other, less-crowded options available as well.
Slice is located on Deck 15 midship on the port side – or left side – of the ship.
The eatery serves up a variety of freshly made, hand-tossed pizzas.
The Salty Dog Grill is located on Deck 15 forward on the starboard side – or right
side – of the ship.
The eatery serves burgers, sandwiches, tacos, hot dogs, and loaded fries.
The International Cafe is a 24-hour complimentary eatery that is located on Deck 5 midship on
the port side of the atrium area.
For lunch, they serve a variety of sandwiches, meat pies, quiche, salads, and desserts.
Finally, look for a main dining room serving lunch.
During our cruise, the Da Vinci Dining Room – which is located on Deck 6 midship – was
open for sit-down service on embarkation day from noon until 1:30.
Speaking of food, our next tip is to check out the complimentary breakfast offerings
at the International Cafe on Deck 5 midship.
During our cruise, the cafe offered many items that were not available anywhere else on the ship.
Additionally, we were thrilled to see the cafe open on disembarkation day, so we could
grab one more cinnamon donut and egg muffin before returning to the reality of making
our own breakfast again.
Our third tip is to look for deck plan signage or emergency information signage if you’re
trying to figure out which way is forward or which way is aft.
We kept getting turned around on the Emerald Princess until we figured out that the ship
graphics on the signage are actually pointing in the correct direction!
Also, if you’re trying to find your stateroom, just remember that “port,” “left,”
and “even” are all four-letter words and the even-numbered staterooms are on the port
side of the ship, which is the left side, when you’re facing forward.
Speaking of navigational challenges on the Emerald Princess, our next tip is to be aware
that the only way to get to the Botticelli Dining Room on Deck 6 aft – at the back
of the ship – is by using the stairs or elevators.
You simply cannot walk from Deck 6 forward or midship to the restaurant because the ship’s
galley blocks the way.
Also, be aware that there are no aft elevators – or stairs – that go to the back of Deck
5, so you’ll need to go to the midship or forward elevators first to get to Deck 5 for
the Michelangelo Dining Room, the International Cafe, and more.
Our fifth tip is to be aware that not all elevators on the Emerald Princess stop at
all of the decks, which can lead to quite a bit of confusion.
The forward elevators go as low as Deck 4 and as high as Deck 16.
The midship enclosed elevators go as low as Deck 4, but only go as high as Deck 15.
The midship glass elevators also go as high as Deck 15, but only go as low as Deck 5.
And the aft elevators go all the way up to Deck 18, but only go as low as Deck 6, for
the Botticelli Dining Room.
Additionally, one of the aft elevators goes up to Deck 19 and can be specifically called
using an unmarked third button on one of the call button panels.
Our next tip is to be aware that the midship elevator lobby has two sets of call buttons:
one set for the midship enclosed elevators and another set for the midship glass elevators.
So, make sure you’re using the right call buttons for the elevator you want or make
sure you press both sets to call all of the available elevators.
Speaking of the glass elevators, our seventh tip is to walk up the stairs to Deck 5, if
you return from port on Deck 4 midship and find a long line for the elevators.
After getting to Deck 5, you can access the midship glass elevators or you can continue
walking to the four elevators at the front of the ship.
Our next tip is to check out a couple of less-crowded pools and hot tubs if the main ones are too busy.
Most passengers on the Emerald Princess will head to the Calypso Reef & Pool on Deck 15 midship,
the Neptune’s Reef & Pool on Deck 15 midship,
or the Terrace Pool on Deck 14 aft.
If those pools are too busy for you, check out the small pool and hot tub located on
Deck 17 aft, at the back of the ship.
Although both are displayed on the ship’s deck plan, they weren’t very popular during
our cruise.
Additionally, there’s a pool and two hot tubs located in the Spa on Deck 16 forward.
They are not part of the exclusive Sanctuary Retreat -- which is located one deck higher
on Deck 17 -- but they’re only available for passengers 18 and older.
You can access the pool and hot tubs through the Spa or from the stairs leading down from
Deck 17, just before the gate to the Sanctuary Retreat.
Our ninth tip is to visit Deck 7 if you want some quiet time outside.
During our cruise, there were quite a few chairs available and very few passengers on
both sides of Deck 7, even when other areas of the ship were much more crowded.
You can also check out the observation area on Deck 15 forward for some outside quiet time.
Just head all the way to the front of the ship and through the unmarked double doors.
While we didn’t check the area often, it seemed to only be open when our ship was in
port or when we were sailing the Panama Canal, so don’t be surprised if you find the area
closed off.
Our next tip is to head to the laundromat on Deck 10 to increase your odds of finding
an available machine.
The Emerald Princess offers self-service laundry facilities on each stateroom deck and most
of the facilities have two washers and two dryers available.
However, the laundromat on Deck 10 has twice as many machines available with four washers
and four dryers.
Speaking of more options, our eleventh tip is to check the not opened side of the World
Fresh Marketplace buffet if you’re having trouble finding a table and are looking for
more seating.
The buffet’s galley divides the restaurant into two sections – port and starboard – and
only one section was open at a time during our cruise.
That meant more seating was available on the opposite side from where the buffet was being served.
Additionally, Steamers Seafood at the very back of Deck 15 – behind the aft elevators
– was not operating during our cruise, so there was even more seating available in that area.
Our next tip is to enjoy the complimentary afternoon tea
at least once aboard the Emerald Princess.
During our cruise, the tea was held every day at three in the afternoon.
In addition to a variety of teas that were offered, there was also a nice selection of
sandwiches and sweets to enjoy.
Our thirteenth – and final – tip is to check out the Ocean Treks Adventure digital
scavenger hunts if you have kids or you’re just a kid at heart.
The digital scavenger hunts are available for free through the interactive portal screens
located throughout the ship and feature biologist and wildlife conservationist Jeff Corwin.
You can participate at your own pace and progress is tracked through your Ocean Medallion.
JellyBean and some ship friends had a great time following the clues, solving puzzles,
and answering riddles.
And DaddyBean and I got a lot of extra steps following them!