15-Day Caribbean Cruise Aboard the EMERALD PRINCESS

Our problems started with Princess wifi system that did not work half the time. We found that if you are 55 or older you should not sail on Princess especially if you cannot climb stairs. Management was clueless and had people climbing up and down several flights of stairs to get off the ship. We were once required to meet at 12:35 to get off the ship and no manager showed up where they sent out message to our rooms after 2:00 and text at 12:45. Managers finallly showed at 1:30 and had everyone go up to the next level via the stairs where they later required everyone to go down 2 levels to get off the ship. The issues continued with the Princess food that was no better than warmed over cold and tuff. I can say that the management and staff over the dining room went the extra mile.

7-day Alaska Cruise out of Vancouver Canada.

The positives were the staff and the food at the Specialty restaurants for dinner each night, as well as the staff and food at Reserve dining for lunch. It rained at each port, and the Endicott arm scenic cruising was cancelled. I can't complain about the weather as is what it is.

The big negative resulting in less than 5 stars was the lack of hot water in the mornings to shower. On two occasions, including disembarkation morning when we had to be out of the stateroom by 8am, nothing but cold water coming out of the shower. Despite multiple reports to customer service to fix the hot water, the only response was too many people taking a shower at the same time, running out of hot water. Having hot water to shower is a basic expectation that Emerald Princess failed miserably. I can't recommend this ship.

Beautiful Alaska cruise — but seriously disappointing for families with babies and toddlers

This was my first cruise, and while we had an enjoyable time overall, I honestly left the Emerald Princess feeling like young children were an afterthought.

I travelled with my two children, both under 3, and if you're considering this ship with babies or toddlers, I would seriously think twice.

The biggest issue? There is virtually nowhere for young children to just BE children with their parents.

I understand Princess has kids’ clubs. But here's the thing: I didn't take a family vacation so I could put my kids in daycare. I wanted to spend time with them. I wanted them to play, explore, and have fun with us.

Why isn't there a family playroom that's open 24 hours with some toys, books, and age-appropriate activities? Why isn't there even a small outdoor playground for toddlers?

Instead, parents are essentially expected to either entertain a toddler in a relatively confined cabin or hand them over to a kids' club.

And personally, I am not comfortable dropping my toddler off with a group of strangers and then being unable to sit there and watch them play. That's not what I want from a family vacation. Parents should have the option to stay with their children and supervise them.

And even if you are interested in the kids' club, I was shocked by the amount of screen time. There were movies and video games being used as entertainment/babysitting. I don't bring my young children on vacation so they can spend more time in front of screens. I would expect a children's program to involve actual play, activities, and interaction with staff.

Then there were the basic things that should be obvious on a ship carrying families:

No change tables in the public bathrooms. Not even the accessible bathrooms. How is a parent with a baby supposed to deal with that?

High chairs weren't readily available. One time, we waited over 10 minutes for one to be brought up from downstairs.

The dining experience wasn't very toddler-friendly either. There wasn't really a family-oriented restaurant space where kids could safely play with a few toys while parents ate.

And the dining room was particularly frustrating. We ordered gluten-free noodles for our child and waited over 30 minutes. At that point, we had to leave because it was nap time — and we never even received the food.

These things might sound minor individually, but when you're travelling for seven days with two children under 3, they add up quickly.

To be fair — some crew members were AMAZING.

I absolutely want to recognize the people who went above and beyond for our family:

Restaurant Manager Eric was incredibly helpful and made a genuine effort to accommodate us.

Waiter Jeffyboy was also fantastic and went out of his way to help us and make things easier with the kids.

And Mark, our room steward, was wonderful. He kept our room clean and made our stay much easier, especially travelling with two little ones.

Those three deserve recognition because their individual efforts really stood out.

There were also other crew members who made small but meaningful efforts — one employee offered to help me get food from the buffet when I was managing the kids, and several crew members made a point of saying hello to the children. Those moments were genuinely appreciated.

So this isn't a review saying the crew was bad. Quite the opposite. Some crew members were wonderful. My criticism is much more about the ship's overall design and policies for families with very young children.

The bottom line

We had fun. Alaska was beautiful. The views were incredible. We enjoyed the food. And there were some wonderful people working on the ship.

But would I take children under 5 on this ship again? Probably not.

Princess has clearly put thought into childcare for children who are old enough for drop-off programs, but there seems to be a huge gap for families with babies and toddlers whose parents actually want to spend their vacation with them.

It shouldn't be this difficult to find a place to let your toddler play.

It shouldn't be this difficult to find a change table.

It shouldn't take 10+ minutes to get a high chair.

And families shouldn't have to choose between sitting in their cabin and dropping their young children off at daycare.

A simple 24-hour family playroom with toys and a small playground could have completely changed my experience of this cruise.

For couples without young children, or families with older kids who love kids' clubs, this may be a completely different experience. But if you're travelling with babies or toddlers under 5, especially if you don't plan on using drop-off childcare, I'd seriously reconsider this ship.

Beautiful destination. Good food. Some exceptional crew members.

But for a family cruise, the Emerald Princess has a LOT of room for improvement.