“We’ve booked an inside cabin, but with a non-obstructed view” I overheard at the check in area, Um OK, you’re going to be disappointed, I thought to myself.

My love of travel extends to all forms transport and I was recently invited to take a look around the Emerald Princess, the largest of the Princess fleet to be based in Australia for the Wave Season.

While not the largest in the fleet, at 113,541 tonnes and carrying over 3000 guests, she is certainly a big girl. Just slightly bigger than the Golden Princess which I cruised on in 2014.

The Cabins

We checked out some of the 1533 cabins and found them to be nice, clean and comfortable. We saw Inside, Ocean View, Balcony and Mini-Suites. I especially liked the Mini Suites which feature a sitting area away from the bed and a larger balcony where you can relax on a sunlounge or dine from a table setting.

On Deck

On deck, there are several pools with Movies Under The Stars during the day and evening and a few nooks and crannies to escape. My favourite area was The Sanctuary where for a fee you can relax and indulge in an array of spa treatments and massages with refreshing and healthy drinks and snacks.

Entertainment

The Piazza, the main atrium, was large and welcoming and could take you to different areas of the ship for drinking, dancing or dining in one of the main or specialty restaurants such as SHARE by Curtis Stone.

Lunch At The Crown Grill

For our lunch we dined in the specialty restaurant The Crown Grill.

The starter was Black Tiger Prawn And Papaya Salpicon, Mustard Seed Aioli and it was delicious, actually this ended up being my favourite dish at lunch.

Next came the Rockfish and Sweet Potato Chowder with Blue Corn Dumpling. The large chunks of fish in the creamy velvety chowder was lovely.

Slightly on the safe side was the The Grill Salad with Grape-Balsamic Dressing and Mesclun Greens, Roasted Bell Pepper, Hass Avocado.

I chose the fish for my main, the Chilean Sea Bass and Brioche-Breaded King Prawns, Leek and Mushroom Ragout, Champagne Mousseline. The prawns were crispy and the fish cooked perfectly although I found the leek and mushroom ragout to be a little overpowering.

My friend Mary had the Duet Of Stirling Silver Medallions, Pepper Crusted Beef And Five Spiced Beef Tenderloin and of course I tried a bit and wished I had chosen this dish!

The side dish of Creamed Spinach was velvety and smooth…

..as was the Gratin Potatoes.

Desert, the Milk Chocolate And Peanut Butter Bar With Honey Roasted Peanuts was divine in both presentation and taste.

Overall the lunch was lovely and probably worth the small cover charge to dine in this specialty restaurant.

Oh, and and those inside cabins… they don’t come with a view at all!