Emerald Princess cruise ship: where it sails and who it suits

Emerald Princess at a glance

Line

Princess Cruises

Class

Grand

Entered service

2007

Gross tonnage

113,561

Guests

About 3,090 (double occupancy)

Crew

About 1,200

Part of the Princess Cruises fleet. Sister ships: Grand Princess, Caribbean Princess, Diamond Princess, Sapphire Princess, Crown Princess, Ruby Princess. Home ports: Los Angeles / Long Beach, Vancouver, San Juan, Puerto Rico, Bridgetown.

Emerald Princess was built by Fincantieri at Monfalcone, Italy, and sailed its first cruise on April 11, 2007. It is one of three near-identical ships with Crown and Ruby Princess, a stretched version of the original Grand Princess design. It is about 951 feet long with about 1,200 crew. Its last scheduled drydock was at Fincantieri’s Palermo yard in April 2025, for maintenance and class inspections. It sails for Princess Cruises on US West Coast, Alaska and Caribbean routes through 2028.

Where does Emerald Princess sail in 2026–2027?

From autumn 2026 to spring 2027 Emerald Princess sails from Los Angeles, mostly on 16-day Hawaii round trips with a late night in Honolulu. In summer 2027 it moves to Vancouver for 7-day Alaska cruises. From November 2027 it is based in the Caribbean, sailing from San Juan and Bridgetown, Barbados.

• Winter 2026–27: Hawaii from Los Angeles. Princess runs 16-day Hawaiian Islands round trips on it from September 2026 to March 2027. See our Hawaii cruise guide and Los Angeles cruise port guide.
• California coast and Baja. It also has 7-day California coast sailings in November 2026 and March 2027 (the March dates cover spring break), and a 10-day Baja Peninsula and Sea of Cortez voyage over New Year, leaving December 30, 2026.
• Summer 2027: Alaska from Vancouver. A full season of 7-day cruises that visit either Glacier Bay National Park or Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, plus two 16-day Inside Passage round trips from Los Angeles with Glacier Bay, one in spring and one in autumn. Our Vancouver cruise port guide covers the terminal.
• Autumn 2027: back to Los Angeles, with another Hawaii round trip and a Panama Canal crossing listed for October 2027, which takes it to the Caribbean.
• Winter 2027–28: the Southern Caribbean. Six- to nine-night sailings from November 2027 to March 2028, round trip from San Juan or Bridgetown, with calls such as Dominica, Tortola, St. Kitts and Antigua. CruiseBound also lists 14-night combinations. See our San Juan cruise port guide.
• Summer 2028: Alaska from Vancouver again, on 7-day cruises, according to the sailings already on sale.

Sample Emerald Princess sailings. From-prices per person, checked October 2026.

Departs	Line and ship	Nights	Itinerary	From	Link
Nov 8, 2026	Princess Cruises, Emerald Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from Los Angeles California)	$2,540	Check price
Nov 24, 2026	Princess Cruises, Emerald Princess	4	4 Night U. S. Pacific Coast Cruise (from Los Angeles California)	$792	Check price
Nov 28, 2026	Princess Cruises, Emerald Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from Los Angeles California)	$2,642	Check price
Dec 14, 2026	Princess Cruises, Emerald Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from Los Angeles California)	$2,647	Check price
Dec 30, 2026	Princess Cruises, Emerald Princess	10	10 Night Mexican Riviera Cruise (from Los Angeles California)	$1,116	Check price
Jan 9, 2027	Princess Cruises, Emerald Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from Los Angeles California)	$2,544	Check price
Jan 25, 2027	Princess Cruises, Emerald Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from Los Angeles California)	$2,544	Check price
Feb 10, 2027	Princess Cruises, Emerald Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from Los Angeles California)	$1,529	Check price
Feb 26, 2027	Princess Cruises, Emerald Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from Los Angeles California)	$1,609	Check price
Mar 14, 2027	Princess Cruises, Emerald Princess	7	7 Night U. S. Pacific Coast Cruise (from Los Angeles California)	$589	Check price
Mar 21, 2027	Princess Cruises, Emerald Princess	7	7 Night U. S. Pacific Coast Cruise (from Los Angeles California)	$559	Check price
Mar 28, 2027	Princess Cruises, Emerald Princess	7	7 Night U. S. Pacific Coast Cruise (from Los Angeles California)	$601	Check price

Who it suits

Retirees and travelers with time. A 16-day Hawaii round trip from Los Angeles has many sea days in each direction. That suits people who enjoy the ship itself and want to skip the flight to Honolulu.

First-time Alaska cruisers who fly into Vancouver. The 7-day round trips start and end in the same city, and some weeks include Glacier Bay. Compare all of Princess’s options in our Princess Alaska guide.

Couples who want a mid-sized ship. At about 3,100 guests it is much smaller than Sun and Star Princess, which carry about 4,300.

Who should look elsewhere: families who want water slides, and anyone who wants new hardware. For a newer Princess ship from Los Angeles, Discovery Princess sails 7-day Mexican Riviera cruises from the same port.

Is Emerald Princess a good ship for Alaska?

Yes, for a classic 7-day Alaska week. Emerald Princess has balconies on many cabins, an adults-only Sanctuary and the outdoor Movies Under the Stars screen, and its Vancouver round trips alternate Glacier Bay and Endicott Arm. It lacks the newer venues of the Royal-class ships, so it suits people who choose on itinerary and price.

If a Glacier Bay day matters to you, check the itinerary before you book: only some of its Vancouver weeks go there. For other lines, see our best cruise lines for Alaska.

Standout features

• The Piazza: the central atrium styled on a European square, with the International Café and Vines wine bar.
• Movies Under the Stars: an open-air poolside screen.
• The Sanctuary: an adults-only outdoor retreat.
• Two Bedroom Family Suites: sleep up to eight, for groups and multi-generation families.
• Bars and nightlife: Crooners, O’Malley’s Irish Pub, Skywalkers Nightclub, Club Fusion and the Princess Theater.

Cabins to pick, cabins to avoid

Cabins run from interiors (about 158 to 162 square feet) and oceanviews (about 146 to 206 square feet) to balconies (about 214 to 222 square feet including the balcony), mini-suites (about 323 square feet) and suites (about 460 to 932 square feet).

Pick:

• Family suites at the front of the ship if you are a group: two balcony cabins with a shared living area.
• Aft cabins next to the Terrace Pool on Riviera deck (R744 to R751) if you want quick access to the aft pool.
• Midship cabins on a lower deck if you get seasick; they move least.
• Inside cabins if you mostly want the itinerary; they cost far less than a balcony.

Avoid or think twice:

• Riviera deck cabins under the Lido pool deck (R311 to R525), where deck chairs are moved early and late.
• Forward balconies such as L106, L107, R201 and R202, which are often too windy to use at sea.
• Obstructed-view oceanview cabins on Deck 8, where lifeboats block the view, and L101 to L104 on Deck 14, blocked by the bridge.
• Cabins next to the guest laundries (A628, C312 and D720) and near the forward crew stairwells.
• High aft balconies (R748 to R751, A750 to A753, B748 to B757) if soot from the funnel would bother you.

Dining and activities

The main dining room offers traditional, flexible or walk-in dining. Included casual food covers the World Fresh Marketplace buffet, the 24-hour International Café, Slice Pizzeria, The Salty Dog Grill and Coffee & Cones. Extra-charge dining includes Crown Grill, Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria, the Chef’s Table Experience and Ultimate Balcony Dining.

Kids’ clubs cover ages 3 to 7 and 8 to 12, with a teen lounge for 13 to 17. Drinks, Wi-Fi and gratuities are extra unless you buy a Princess Plus or Premier package; our Princess line guide explains what each covers.

Sister ships

Emerald Princess has two near-identical sisters: Crown Princess (2006) and Ruby Princess (2008). Ruby Princess sails from San Francisco, and Crown Princess also sails Alaska from Vancouver in summer 2027, so if Emerald’s dates don’t fit, the onboard experience is close to the same. The older Grand Princess is the original, smaller version of the design.

Emerald Princess FAQ

Does Emerald Princess sail to Hawaii?

Yes. From September 2026 to March 2027 it sails 16-day Hawaiian Islands round trips from Los Angeles, with a late-night stay in Honolulu. CruiseBound also lists Hawaii sailings for autumn 2027.

Does Emerald Princess do Alaska cruises?

Yes, in summer 2027. It sails 7-day cruises from Vancouver with either Glacier Bay or Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, and two 16-day Inside Passage round trips from Los Angeles with Glacier Bay.

How big is Emerald Princess?

About 113,561 gross tons and 951 feet long, with about 3,090 guests at double occupancy and about 1,200 crew.

Where is Emerald Princess in winter 2027–28?

In the Southern Caribbean, from November 2027 to March 2028, on six- to nine-night sailings from San Juan and Bridgetown, Barbados.

Is Emerald Princess a good ship?

We don’t publish ratings for ships. It is a 2007 ship, last drydocked in April 2025, with a traditional Princess layout, but it has fewer restaurants and newer-style cabins than the Royal-class ships. Book it when the itinerary and price suit you, and compare Princess with other lines on our cruise line rankings.