Trish Traveler

The beach has an easy entry. Both sides of this bay have rocky outcroppings where we saw a variety of fish and some decent coral. Some of the fish we saw were Sargent Majors, Blue Tang, Yellow Tail Damsel, a small Barracuda, Parrot fish, Needle fish, Trunkfish, Wrasse, Starfish and more. We were delighted and snorkeled for 90 minutes. It was starting to get cloudier and looked like rain behind us, so we dried off and relaxed for a while on our loungers. After a few spits of rain, we decided to start packing up “just in case” and we were glad we did as it began to rain harder as we grabbed our gear and took refuge in a gazebo. I guess we didn’t need those chairs and umbrella after all – our bags spent more time in them than we did. While hoping for it to pass, I saw a large iguana. It continued to pour rain, so we had to ask at the front desk of the resort for them to call us a cab. The gal was nice to do that for us and it was there within 5 minutes with one other passenger for our return to the dock. We were so glad we had headed out early and got our snorkeling in before the rain.

Today we had no excursion booked and decided to head to Secret Harbor Beach to snorkel, as we have our own gear. We have been to a lot of beaches in St. Thomas and we really like Sapphire Beach, but wanted to try something different. We got an open air taxi truck with 6 people they were taking to Coki Beach first, before dropping us off at Secret Harbor for $15 per person one way. It’s a very pretty, quaint beach by a resort with a beach bar and a dive shop on the end that rents snorkel gear. They also rent beach chairs which were $10 per chair, $10 umbrella, and $5 for the guy that sets them up. It was becoming partly cloudy at this point, so we donned our snorkel gear and headed in. I had a new waterproof go-pro camera that I was anxious to try.

Review of Emerald Princess March 3-17, 2023 continued St. Thomas March 6 Excited this morning for a port day, even though we have been to St. Thomas many times, it is still one of our favorite, most scenic ports to be docked at. We were at the convenient Havensight pier.

Tonight was the first formal night (of 3). This was the evening that the Captain’s Welcome Aboard Party & Champagne Waterfall is held in the Piazza. Although it’s a fun event, we have attended on previous cruises, and did not attend as we were at dinner. The MDR had a special menu and we chose the Lump Crab Cake, Duck a’ l’Orange, Roasted Beef Tenderloin, and Lychee, Raspberry & Rose Mousse. All very delicious with great service. We even got a view of a pretty sunset while in the restaurant. Enjoyed a beautiful singer, Lovena Fox, at tonight’s Showtime in Princess Theatre.

Another Sea Day March 5 1st Formal Night Sunny and windy today. Began with a buffet breakfast in the back aft section for a made-to-order omelet which was very good. My tip is to just wait there for your omelet to be cooked (as it is roomy back there) as opposed to letting them find you and deliver the omelet to your table, which may cause delays in my humble opinion. We were able to attend an Interdenominational Worship Service this morning up in the wedding chapel (deck 16 forward) that was very nicely run by cruise ship guests. It was an inspirational service to take time to thank God for our many blessings, and all His magnificent creation we looked forward to seeing this week. It was very well attended and was moved to the Explorers Lounge the following Sunday. Another relaxing sea day with many activities to choose from. Mostly food pix today. Lunch in the buffet in the aft/Planks location had an Asian theme featuring Sushi and Sashimi, Spring Rolls, Vegetables Gyoza, Sauteed Bok Choy, Chow Mein Noodles, Beef Broccoli, Peking Duck, Sweet & Sour something, Mussels and more. All very delicious! The regular buffet section had Roast Chicken as their featured carved meat, and more varieties of salads and desserts, as well as a large variety of hot dishes, sandwiches, salads etc. Later in the afternoon we decided to try a fresh juice from the new Juice Bar menu, located at the Calypso Pool as we saw it was supposed to be included in our Plus Drink Package. We had the Immune Booster and Antioxidant which were very good and naturally quite healthy. The bartenders here were all just learning the new juicer, which is a bit high maintenance (as it kept getting clogged with pulp) and requires a fair amount of their time to prepare. They did have plastic containers that were already prepared for them of the particular ingredients and quantities for each juice which helped. I personally feel this juice should be offered inside somewhere as it really takes time for the busy pool bartenders, who often are really hustling on busy, sunny pool days. Note: the juices with ginger seemed to have way too much ginger as we sat at the bar and heard comments from pax and an officer who tried it, so perhaps they’ve already adjusted that recipe. We also attended a Barbados & Trinidad port talk with a Destination Expert, Chris Roberts.

For dinner in the DaVinci MDR we had delicious Shrimp Cocktail, Seared Scallops and Striploin Steak which was tasty, but a bit tough. The timing was a big improvement over the last evening – we only had to wait 10 minutes to be seated for our reservation for 2 people. Dinner took about one hour without dessert. We really enjoyed watching the funny Yes/No Game Show in Explorers Lounge with a tasty Lemon Martini. And lastly the Showtime in Princess Theatre was a great vocalist, Connor Bogart. Back in the cabin we our next day’s Patter along with a questionnaire - “First Impressions – How is your cruise so far?” I think it’s great that they provide this opportunity. A couple days later I used it to praise the crew, along with a critique of a few minor issues we were having.

Here is the International Cafe (IC) coffee bar menu.

Buffet Lunch in the World Fresh Market had some highlights of Cuban Sandwiches, British Fish & Chips w/smashed peas (forgot photos of these). Later enjoyed a hot tub soak, some shade chilling, snack of Tacos & Soft Serve Ice Cream. Indoors for the “Cracking the Da Vinci Code” which I thought was a game show, but turned out to be an interesting art seminar. PSA - While in the Explorers Lounge I spied a lady with her shoes up on an upholstered chair. That’s just rude. Even if you have a medical condition that requires elevating your leg, then at least bring a pool towel to set your dirty shoes on.

Sea Day March 4 A nice clear warm day at sea. Leisurely breakfast in the MDR of Eggs Florentine. I didn’t do so well taking photos this day. Lots to choose from on the Princess “Patter” Events Listings today. Some of our morning activities included Trivia, Catching the end of the Fruit & Vegetable Carving demo, and checking out the $10 sale in the shops which was crowded inside one shop and had very little merchandise for $10. I went up to see Skywalkers Nightclub (deck 18 aft) which has amazing views and is a nice quiet place to hang out indoors during the day. While up there I was surprised to hear the ships horn and then realized we were passing another Princess Ship at sea when the Love Boat Theme began to play. Fun!

Prior to the cruise I had made reservations in the APP for table of two every night on the cruise at varying times at the Botticelli and DaVinci MDRs which were the only ones being offered the day I reserved. We had a 6pm reservation at Botticelli, but when we arrived they told us that our reservation was at Michelangelo MDR. We had to hustle to that restaurant which had a long line for reservations and a short line for no reservations. They alternate taking pax from both. They constantly ask for people to share tables and then will take you out of line quicker to be seated. After waiting a while, we decided to share to get seated quicker. We were at a table of 6 with two very nice couples and enjoyed dining with them. However, the meal took over two hours which is a bit too long for us. The MDR crew was working very hard, and embarkation day can be a challenge for all cruise lines. We enjoyed Greek Salad, Shrimp Cocktail, Mahi-Mahi, Cajun Chicken, and my favorite Crème Brule. We saw later on the app that all our Botticelli reservations had been changed to Da Vinci with no notification. So be sure to check your dining res while onboard. We dined in both DaVinci and Michaelangeo MDRs numerous times all cruise which are very similar. Wait times to be seated ranged from 5 to 25 minutes. For a table of two, our dining times averaged an hour which was perfect. A few times we had an actual table with chairs, but often had the tables with a chair on one side and the upholstered bench/couch on the other side. That side was not very comfortable as you sink in and are lower, as well as too far from the table for us. I stuck DH with that seat. A few nights we ate at the buffet. We didn’t eat at any specialty restaurants. Overall, we found the MDR food was great. We like that entrée portions are smaller than typical American restaurants. We like to order several appetizers, salads or soups and sometimes a dessert. Plus you can always order a second entrée if you are not full or don’t care for a dish. The waitstaff were friendly and want to make sure you are happy with your food choices. After dinner we enjoyed the Showtime in the Princess Theatre with comedian Johnny Loquasto who was very funny. Back to the cabin to finish unpacking.

After exploring the ship a bit, we decided to enjoy a relaxing hot tub soak. Relaxing on deck enjoying a Journey concert on MUTS we decided to give the NOW app a try to order drinks. Waited 35 minutes and they never came. We then enjoyed sailaway which is always beautiful in Ft. Lauderdale.

Before 1pm the announcement was made that cabins were ready. We were in an inside cabin C621 on Caribe Deck 10 located between aft and midship. It was fun to walk up and see on the digital display that the cabin was opened. When booking we were a little concerned about what might be located in the large unmarked area next to us in case it was noisy. We never did learn what is there, but it makes a mild constant motor noise, similar to the ships engine when sailing. At first, I thought it might be annoying, but really after the first night, I never noticed it again. It was more of a white noise. Other than that the cabin was really quiet. The cabin is average in size for an inside, but what we expected. It does have nice nightstands with two large drawers for storage. The desk/vanity is a large size with lots of storage and a blow dryer. The TV was really large. They offer quite a variety of stations including TV shows (the Love Boat!), movies, ship info, account info and some of the ship entertainment replayed. Since we were in an inside cabin we would use the live ship webcam to check weather conditions and if we had arrived in port. We really liked the very large open closet and the other closet with shelves and the safe. Lots of storage and plenty of hangers. The bathroom is small but has storage room for toiletries. The shower is really small with the dreaded shower curtain rather than a glass door. There is a lack of outlets and no USB ports that we found. The only 2 outlets are by the desk, but can only hold on one item if it has a fat plug. We just stayed diligent on swapping out charging our devices through the cruise. I usually bring a few items from home I find useful including dollar store bins that fold flat, plastic hooks that fit over the bathroom door, and magnetic hooks for the walls (which are metal) of the cabin for hats, etc. I also type up a complete itinerary with our shore excursion plans and leave room to add any other daily plans so we can both see at a glance our schedule. I use flat magnets to place this on the wall. Overall, we found the cabin quite comfortable. Later that night we learned that there are motion lights located at the base of the nightstands for safety at night when getting up in the dark cabin. This was helpful, except that sometimes it would go on if you roll over in bed and the bedding moves. In addition the ceiling light outside of the bathroom and next to the closet is also motion-sensored and way too bright for us in the middle of the night. Outside of the door on the digital screen, at the bottom, are spots to indicate you want your room serviced or do not disturb, which is very helpful for your room steward. Waiting for us on the bed was our first Princess Patter. I bring a highlighter to indicate the activities we are most interested in attending. They have reduced it from two pages to one since we last cruised with them. I understand for eco reasons, the reduction, but I do miss basic info like sunrise and sunset times, port info and maps, and port agent info if you need it for an emergency while in port (that was available on TV). We also met our room steward Sonia, who did a great job all cruise!

Time for our first cocktail onboard. You won’t find many paper menus at the bars, but I saw them a couple of times or you can ask. Primarily they want you to scan the QR code on the bar to access the menu. And of course you can just ask any bartender if they make a particular drink you want. We had the Princess Plus package that included the Plus drinks. We found most all the drinks we wanted throughout the cruise were covered with that. Sometimes a higher end alcohol wouldn’t be included. We were quite happy with the variety of choices and quality of the cocktails, and that bottled water and specialty coffees were also included. The only thing we found deficient on the Plus package was the wine. We are not wine snobs, but do like a decent wine. First of all on the Plus package, they list all wines by categories, but no brand names or locations at all; such as Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio, and Chardonnay etc. I found the red wines to be just drinkable, but not that good. The white Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc and Prosecco were better. We probably should have gone to Vines and asked those bartenders for some possible wine recommendations that were better but still included on the Plus package. And we could have paid the difference for a better wine but chose not to. In comparison to our last cruise on Celebrity, who have dedicated Sommeliers in the MDR, I will say their wines in the standard package were better. We also checked out the food offerings at the International Café on deck 5 which are also complimentary and great all cruise for tasty bites for breakfast, lunch, snacks and treats. Located next to the coffee for a fee (included in Plus) and a cocktail bar.

Review of Emerald Princess March 3-17, 2023 Pre-Cruise & Embarkation Day This is our review of the 14 night “Circle the Caribbean” cruise on the Emerald Princess. Departing from Ft. Lauderdale with ports of call in St.Thomas, Antigua, Martinique, Dominica, Barbados, Trinidad & Tobago, Curacao and Aruba; with five relaxing Sea Days. This is our longest cruise yet. In the last year, we have sailed NCL (our post-pandemic return to cruising), Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. We thoroughly enjoyed all those cruises. WE prefer mid-size ships with the NCL Escape being the largest we have sailed, but it was only at 60% capacity at the time. This would be our 22nd cruise over many years. And this would be our 4th Princess Cruise, and as we have sailed their similar class of ship on the Crown and Ruby and were familiar with the ship layout. We booked this cruise about 3 months out for a decent price on the Princess Plus package. We like that Princess does offer some of the longer cruises with interesting itineraries. We learned from Guest Services onboard that this sailing was at full capacity. Being a long cruise there were not many children – I would guestimate maybe 25. While at home we had no problem downloading the Princess app, but it worked a little wonky with check in not wanting to accept my passport due to middle name which was also on my res. I tried both by typing it in and scanning it with no success. Discussing it here on CC before calling Princess Customer Service who assured me in this case, I could enter it without the middle name (it was fine at check in). I know some pax have issues with Princess customer service 800 number calls from posts here on CC, but I consider myself lucky that the 3 times I had to call, the wait time wasn’t bad, and my issues were handled pretty quickly. We chose our check in times about 45 days prior to the cruise when it became available. In regards to the APP once aboard, I found it wasn’t as easy to navigate compared to other cruise lines. Quite often, I would get kicked off and have to sign in again on my phone, which was easy once I realized this. The daily schedule was laborious to scroll through, so I am so glad they still provide the paper copy of the Princess Patter which is now renamed the Princess Event Listings. Once onboard the ship you will also find large digital screens in the public areas and elevator banks where you can scroll the daily activities. Fun to know: If you indicate on your reservation that you will be celebrating a special event while on board, you will see a “Happy…” with your first name listed as you approach one of those digital boards and it senses your medallion. It doesn’t seem to be instant though – we were waiting for an elevator for a couple of minutes when it appeared for the man who had been standing next to us. We saw a few other birthday and anniversary wishes throughout the cruise. Medallions – We indicated we wanted them mailed to our home (or you can pick them up at the ship). They arrived about 14 days prior to the cruise with lanyards. Onboard they sell a variety of accessories such as wristbands you can purchase for your medallion. We love that when you approach your cabin door it automatically unlocks! We didn’t like that our names were listed outside our cabin door (I know it’s helpful for the stewards, but can be privacy issues). When you order from a bar, they will still ask for your cabin number to verify. My medallion did pop out of the lanyard holder once, but I found it and was able to pop it back in with the help of Guest Services. This review has a lot of detail and photos. However, I didn’t get photos of every menu and I realized my plated food pictures were taken too close. These are definitely amateur photos. My ship photos focus mostly on food, drinks and sunsets. I always research a lot here on CC before I cruise, so I hope my review can also be helpful to others. I was on the Roll Call for our cruise which is always good for more helpful information. Our roll call did not have any group meet & greet arranged, but several pax on the roll call arranged to share tours ahead of time. I also didn’t list every activity we did onboard, but I will say that this cruise seemed to have even more activities of all types compared to the last three cruises I have taken (which also had plenty). Quite often I was conflicted about which fun activity to choose. Pre-Cruise We flew in one day early just in case there were any weather airline issues. We booked the Hyatt Place Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port on 10th Avenue for a discounted rate through ValueTrips. It is located very close to the port (about 10 minute ride), not far from the beach, close to restaurants and shopping including Publix and Total Wine if you want to carry-on the allowed one bottle of wine per person. They provide an airport shuttle for $5 per room (on your bill), and a shuttle to the port for $9pp payable to the driver (reserve the day before with the hotel front desk). The hotel is a nice, clean, average property. The location is great. The pool area is small. The complimentary breakfast is good. There are also tables outside in front if you want to enjoy the Florida warmth while eating breakfast. The front desk staff is great - friendly and professional. Cruise Day – Embarkation Enjoyed a quick hotel breakfast on, before attaching our cruise luggage tags. We had an 11am check-in time with Princess, so we took the quick hotel 10am shuttle to Port Everglades. After a short wait outside, we were allowed in to begin the check in process which was quick. Next we were led to the waiting area as group #1 (of course, there are other categories of pax that have their own waiting area and board first). By 11:40am we were onboard the ship! We first headed to the World Fresh Market Buffet on Deck 15, which wasn’t open yet. But I was able to get some photos of food before it opened. As it opened late at 12:10 (instead of 11am listed in the Patter) there was a rush of people and I chose to skip it at that point and avoid the crowd. We knew that this class of ships has the smallest buffet of the recent ships we have been on, but were familiar with it from sailing Crown & Ruby. The U shaped layout is confusing at first because it has two identical sides (port & starboard) although both sides are not always open. And then the back aft portion (the former Planks) also is sometimes open and may feature some specialty themed dishes. It is also easier to find seats back there, or right outside if you prefer. So we definitely found a variety of delicious food choices all week that we liked. You will not have quite as many choices, but still always a changing variety of two soups, salad bar, ready-made salads and sandwiches, make your own sandwich fixings, grilled fish, grilled chicken breast, stews, casseroles, two pasta dishes, vegetarian, Indian & Asian dishes, fresh fruit, and more. There is a daily carving section with meat like roast beef, turkey breast, roast pork, brisket, roasted chicken, and beef wellington. A variety of eye-catching desserts on display. The serving dishes/pans of food may look small, but they can swap them out quickly to ensure that you have fresh hot, food. The main entrances to the buffet have sinks to wash your hands and gel dispensers throughout the buffet for sanitizing. Passengers started out using them, but definitely got more lax as the cruise went on. I was surprised that unlike my last 3 cruises, there was no crew posted to remind passengers (although there is not one main entrance to this buffet). Luckily this cruise seemed to not be affected by any large outbreaks of any illness, but as I write this review, I am hearing reports that the cruise after ours unfortunately did have a gastro outbreak (which can happen on land just as often). Most passengers know how to politely behave at a buffet, but I am still disgusted by the few who forget basic hygiene rules and do things like lick their fingers while in line and then touch the tongs or serving spoons. YUK. We always set our filled plate down at our table and then return one more time to the gel dispenser or use the gel I always have on hand. Enough on that subject and on to the fun! Next we went to check in at our muster station and have our medallion scanned. We really like the e-muster rather that the in-person muster drills. But please people do it shortly after boarding, so they don’t have to make numerous reminder announcements. Nearby was a desk for internet so we got in that line to have them help us sign in for our included Plus internet service. Don’t forget to put your phone on airplane mode at sailaway.

Glad you all enjoyed the pix. The Equinox is definitely a great ship, with some varied, interesting itineraries. For those of you sailing soon... have a fabulous cruise!

Sorry I didn't respond sooner. For MDR we had Celebrity Select Dining and ate at various times each night with reservations. Generally, they try to keep you in the same section with the same wait staff if possible. But since we varied times it wasn't always possible. We did however have two great teams many of the nights that were wonderful: Sasparinga & Agness, and Ashish & NiNengah in the MDR. And Samyle was terrific as our sommelier. As far as bartenders, all were good. We visited many of the bars and had great service. We don't hang at a particular bar, so I can't give any specific bartender recommendations. Overall the crew was fantastic and hardworking. Have a great cruise!

Thank you. Glad you enjoyed them.

One last set of pictures to add. Most of the decor in the public areas of the Equinox was very nice and tasteful. But I wanted to add some of the unusual art around the ship on the Equinox. Most of this odd art is found in the stairwells. And although I didn't care for some of it, it did get my attention which is what art should do I guess. Crayon drawings, hankies, knick-knacks, etc.... it does get you talking about the art. The worst was the piece in our cabin with the lady's face scratched out. What mysogynist thought that was nice art for a cabin? 😲

Sure you can use it. I'm just an amateur photographer enjoying vacation.

Thank you. Have a great cruise!

Thank you. We sure did enjoy the cruise.

Some delicious Equinox buffet food and back in Port Everglades. The cruise was wonderful. Hope you enjoyed this quick, random photo review. Thanks to all the CC members who help me with my research every time I cruise!!

Equinox in port at Bonaire and the Umbrella restaurant.

Also on the tour we saw the salt piles and the slave huts.

Bonaire - We did an independent tour here also with a great company called Voyager Tours. We were on the 3 1/2 hour Combi North/South Tour. Photos show the 1000 steps beach, more fantastic wild flamingos at Gato Lake and a beautiful Christian monument on top of Seru Largu.