tml1230

On 9/10/2024 at 1:02 PM, JGmf said:

I just wanted to report back regarding the condition of the Island Princess and share general thoughts.  I was on the last sailing of the ship (10-day med cruise, Aug 25-Sep 4), prior to the 21 day dry dock deep into September 2024.

 

Overall, I personally saw no major issues with operations or functionality of the ship. 

 

We had no issues with HVAC or water in our mini-suite unlike our friends who did have HVAC troubles in their room.  I heard others complain about the same.  In the public spaces, the only thing that I saw wasn't functioning were 2 of the 3 ice dispensers in the buffet. That's it.

 

Reading this thread I was worried about this trip; and my concerns were largely unfounded.  The staff is exceptional and the ship, yes, doesn't have the features of the newer ones, but did a fine job handling the full load of passengers.  I especially liked the size and depth of the Lido deck pool and the bar set-up (and excellent bartenders) in Good Spirits.

 

I discussed with any number of staff what they'd be doing in dry dock, and from what I was told, among other things, they are replacing carpet throughout the ship, reconfiguring the casino, and will be working on HVAC and plumbing.  The staff isn't thrilled about the dry dock, as they stay on to do support work and help handle the hordes of workers and tradespeople blitzing the ship in Palermo. 

 

Would I sail on Island again?  Yes, if driven by itinerary.....but all else being equal, I missed the larger ship, specifically the larger atrium, Bellini bar, the International Cafe, the larger casino, the availability of casual dining, the Retreat Pool, and the Wakeview bar.

 

On 9/10/2024 at 4:54 PM, beg3yrs said:

A crew friend of ours is also on the Island Princess right now. He sent a WhatsApp this morning and said there are 1,500 workers on board all over the ship. Didn't give any details as to what they're doing though.

Many thanks to both of you for your recent reports and updates. we board in 2 months and your information helps! 

Thanks for posting!  I don't think we post enough of these positive experiences.

Having a store bought knee, I feel your husband's pain....all the best

I did forget to mention ....and not for nuthin. but.....

the budget rental  staff at the airport itself leaves a lot to be desired!   our last 3 rentals there ...returning  AFTER  a cruise to our home on the Florida west coast from FLL ....have been absurdly frustrating...we could not use the cruise port office due to our early disembarkation and cruise port office was closed.

I compare those experiences at FLL airport to my most recent colonostopy.

we use it 3-4 times a year from the west coast of Florida ....picking up the rental  in sarasota and a quick  3 hour drive  to the port with a bathroom break since we are old!...

it is the perfect solution for us. The shuttle runs continuously  and we have never waited more than 10 minutes for the VERY short ( 7-10 minutes) to the port. You will be very happy with the option.

we do try to avoid the peak (10 to11 AM ) hours as it may take a little longer.....I highly recommend it! 

thanks for a really informative report! As we will be on board for a TA in February,  your thoughts have been most helpful!

safe travels!

4 hours ago, Kay S said:

What's that old saying?  Don't knock it till you try it?  My advice is to go try it.  If you find it's no different from any other experience you've had, then you don't need to go back.  I think several people in this thread have pointed out some of the ways the service is stellar, but why bother if it will just meet with resistance and denial?

4 hours ago, Colorado Coasty said:

Amen.

Some will never try it but will continue to knock it.

For us it's the only way to go.

nuff said!  actually ....very well said!

As said above, the quality of service in Reserve is what keeps us coming back to the experience. 

Our 10 year old grand daughter still talks about the incredible service! 

The only  member In our family who doesn't encourage us to book reserve class is our son. I am convinced he views it as negatively impacting his inheritance! 

53 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

Chrysalis, thanks very much for posting! incredible!

safe travels...

GREAT. news! Thanks very much for posting. I had not heard this....

1 hour ago, LACruiser88 said:

I've never tried??? 🤷‍♂️

LA Cruiser.... when's your next "live from" planned? I always look forward to them!

all the best!

17 minutes ago, BamaVol said:

Whistle for the dog. 

if that didn't work I would try breaking wind !

PT mom....just a thought...directly outside the very nice cruise terminal, with  large  elevators to the ground level. Just outside lf there is a fully manned  taxi stand. Many of the taxis I saw were capable of storing a scooter.

Québec city is beautiful and well worth seeing, even from a taxi. Its a special place.

Although we walked into town directly from the ship,  returning to the ship we took a taxi, as my hip replacement  didn't give me the milage I anticipated!

Good Luck and safe journey.

3 hours ago, PTMom1974 said:

We will be in Quebec City in late Sept.  My husband is disabled and uses a scooter for mobility I was wondering if he will be able to access the HoHo bus at or near the cruise port and whether the funicular is within a reasonable walking distance of the port. We realize there will be cobblestones everywhere and accessibility may be limited in many areas. 

last week when we arrived we docked at wharf 30. Not downtown where smaller ship dock. the dock area was in a working  marine commercial area. Princess provided a free shuttle to a drop off area. you can skip the shuttle and walk, but it's a LONG walk! The funicular in my opinion is not within a reasonable walk from the ship. I can't speak to the HoHo bus access. 

For me I would do a ship tour, even though I am not a ships tour fan....

have a great cruise!

we sailed the Island on a Transatlantic  from Rome to Fort Lauderdale last November. We hooked it to our annual Paris trip  Because of the ugly reviews I researched, I was nervous but I "considered the source " on some of those reviews..... I really dont care about "the shower curtain rubs against my hind end" or "they dont give us blue princess bags anymore".

My only two  beefs were the poor fitness center and lack of international cafe. Neither one a deal breaker.

The ship was in very good shape, and, we were totally  satisfied . We enjoyed the cruise  very much!  Enough so we booked the same cruise this year.

2 hours ago, phonejock said:

@tml1230 First, thanks for doing this review. So happy you are having a great time. 

DH and I will be doing a similar cruise on the Emerald in a couple of months and I have one quick question. We are also doing Reserve dining. When you get a chance, can you please let me know what dining room it is in? NO rush.  Thank you. All the best!

 

 

 

although it may be part of divinci on deck 6 ...its a completely separate entrance on the opposite side of ship and clearly marked as reserve class....we just had our last dinner tonight and it was no doubt the best dinner ever on 35 plus cruises....the attention to detail from dining staff is second to none ... 

On 6/30/2024 at 2:08 PM, tml1230 said:

its      info@saguenay guided tours.com

assuming I  dont get run over by a moose,  I will review it upon our return tomorrow ...it's a small bus , about 4  1/2 hours and $185 for two including taxes  .... they were very good in their communication.

regarding the tour experience.......for us it was somewhere between  OK to good....

we were happy we did it as the scenery is spectacular. the guide was knowledgeable. although we made reservations on-line, that wasn't necessary as the group had some walk up cruisers.

this is only MY opinion, but stopping for a one hour lunch break was a waste of valuable time on a 4 1/2 to 5 hour tour. the area where we stopped for lunch  had just couple of food options...

31 minutes ago, melodyina said:

HI cruisers!  I'm so thrilled to see flowers back on the items to order for the stateroom. I've always enjoyed ordering flowers and usually split the bouquet up into 2 or 3 bouquets.  I see the prices have gone up a bit, and we have 3 selections.  Anyone have any recent feedback on the mixed bouquet at $89.99? 

Is it still big and gorgeous? 

we are currently on emerald p. we got the $89 flowers for this 2 week cruise. they arrived and are absolutely incredible...

after 13 days, at least 2/3s of the flowers and still doing well. the arrangment is larger than the ones on the last couple cruises.

happy wife, happy life.... and my wife still talks to me ...its either my charm and good looks, OR,  the flowers did their magic!!

8 hours ago, Trafficgirl123 said:

Anyone on board the Emerald now, do the lamps on the bedside tables have the USB plug. I’ll be boarding on Aug 28. Thanks

not in mini suites 

11 hours ago, Denmal said:

Boarding on Wednesday so exciting...does anyone know where the elite happy hour is held nightly ??

daily from 4:30 in club fusion

32 minutes ago, joeflow80 said:

If you get a chance, can you post a link or name of tour company for this tour? I haven't had much luck finding such a tour that wasn't handled by the ship. Enjoy your travels.

its      info@saguenay guided tours.com

assuming I  dont get run over by a moose,  I will review it upon our return tomorrow ...it's a small bus , about 4  1/2 hours and $185 for two including taxes  .... they were very good in their communication.

19 hours ago, geoherb said:

Great. I'm looking forward to reading about your day in Sydney so that I can plan for when we're there in September. I did not do much there when I was there two years ago--just walked around the town and the park, went to a local crafts show, toured the Anglican church, and enjoyed a flight of ciders at the Island Folk Cider House.

this was our 2nd visit in Sydney. we did exactly (again) what you described. it was really just a good excuse for taking a long walk in a pretty little seaside town...

we have this weird thing about visiting grocery stores. we found one a few blocks off the main road an enjoyed it!

tomorrow in saguenay we booked a small bus tour on- line of a fjord and national park.  it gets good reviews and a lot cheaper than ship tours.

its cold up here!!

On 6/18/2024 at 6:39 PM, patrickmoran said:

You will be disappointed in the level of service on P, especially in the dining room. Post-covid, staffing cutbacks have left the wait staff over-extended. Getting drink refills is difficult. The food will be OK but your experiences, especially if they are pre-covid, are going to be better than P's ever were.

we have been on 4 princess cruises post covid. our experinces and opinions are completely opposite of yours. the level of service on the 4 different ships was very good to simply outstanding.

UPDATE:  

this  cruise continues to be exceptional in every way....since we were docked  in Mathattan it was very very easy to do our own thing. I even did an Uber for the FIRST time and it was great.

Boston has become our NEW favorite city next to Paris... (France not Texas).... we have been there once before ,so  we went out on our own.

If you haven't tried it , please google and consider the amphibious DUCK tour! 90 minutes land and water tour of Boston...VERY informative!  we purchased tickets on line prior to cruise ,and, just ubered (My 2nd time!) to the aquarium to meet the  DUCK tour. Our 10 year old grand daughter enjoyed it as much as we did!

The wife and little "princess" then went to the aquarium which they enjoyed very much...

me? I went in search of 2 things....a Boston Celtics championship ball cap for one of the ships incredible bar servers, and one of those ice cold amber colored beverages that I have heard good things about.

Back On board .....

we haven't seen our heard any coughing and / or hacking.

Food continues to be very good..

Currently in Sydney Nova Scotia and weather is  VERY cool to cold (for this Florida guy)

18 hours ago, Kay S said:

The Emerald is the only one of that ship class I haven't sailed on.  How is the Skywalkers?

funny you should ask! we are sitting there right now  at 9:15  reading and checking emails.

As usual its very quiet in the mornings and has that million dollar view! All the furniture is in perfect condition  and comfortable.

there is one gentleman snoring about 50 feet away....sounds like a husquavana chain saw!

this is our 3rd cruise in Reserve class ...all 3 have been great but this one is simply incredible! the staff and dining area are the best!.....so good we have not even had one meal in buffet which is VERY unusual for us.

Since we got it for free, we  went to steamers seafood place one evening....to us, just ok  but wouldn't pay $15 each for it...(the add on charge of $10 for a lobster tail and crab was only memorable moment....

the 911 memorial and museum yesterday in NYC was a very powerful and certainly worthwhile. Glad we did it on our own. 

Boston tomorrow...what a great itinerary !!

enjoy your cruise!

For folks soon to be on the Emerald Princess, we boarded last Wednesday in Fort Lauderdale and en route to Quebec City.....GREAT ports of call !

 the ship is in EXCELLENT  shape, the crew is outstanding (they always are!)

Internet speed is good and has been reliable.

room service has been good to very good,

Just the typical and routine annoyances....mostly generated/ initiated  by fellow passengers.