Island Hopping in the Eastern Caribbean: An Emerald Princess 5/2/10 Review (w/photos)

[Hollybelle]

I laughed when I read about not realizing people you knew were in the background of your pictures and your words and pictures of Orient Beach.

 

After we got home from St. Marten, we were looking through the photos we took at Orient Beach and, surprise, one of our tablemates topless and a woman from the table next to us, also topless!

 

Keep the words and pictures coming!

 

Yeah, Brett totally does it on purpose... and what was even funnier is he purposely made himself look creepy with that telephoto lens! That's funny that you unknowingly ended up with pictures of your tablemates of all people. So much for a little anonymity! :eek:

 

did the oil spill affect the places you were at? and how is it now? Thinking of taking a cruise from Miami to Princess Cays, Bahamas, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Grand Cayman, Islands and Cozumel, Mexico this July. Wife and I were just worry about the water condition due to the spill.

 

Thanks

 

Hi, bakjong! Welcome to Cruisecritic. I know Andy jumped in to answer your question and there's really not much for me to add. I'm not sure how it's affecting the Western itineraries, but I figure you should be fine.

 

I'm loving your review and pictures. I'll be on the same cruise on the 30th. Can't wait:D

 

Oooh, the 30th isn't all that far off. Have fun! And thanks.

[Hollybelle]

HOLLY POST 169 PIC 1 is breathtaking. It could be a postcard!

 

Aww, thanks Heather! There seemed to be a lot of haze in the air that morning, so I'm glad it turned out!

 

Thank you Holly, been waiting for this for what seems like eternity :D. You see this picture was taken, what, 16 days ago?

 

This is where our threads cross paths.

 

I am re-living the cruise all over again. Thanks Holly.

 

Hah...I never claimed to be quick at writing reviews, just long winded!! You're lucky; my NYE review came out two months after the fact. :eek: 16 days is a vast improvement for me.

 

If I think your camera is pointing to South South East, than that would be Saba Island (part of St Kitts and Nevis Island chain). If you were pointing the camera more to the West, than that would be the island of St Croix. I think the chances are the former due to the proxmity.

 

 

Well, both you and cherylandtk think it's Saba Island, so we'll go with that!!

[Hollybelle]

Hi Hollybelle!

 

Your review and beautiful pictures made me book the Emerald Princess for September 12. That's my story and I'm sticking to it! LOL!

 

Favorite part of the cruise or ship?

 

 

Least favorite part of the cruise or ship?

 

Thanks! Tammie

 

Woohooo... you booked the Emerald!! I don't mind taking the blame. :D You are going to have soooooooo much fun. I loved this ship and itinerary!

 

Hmmm favorites and least favorites... that's hard. My quick general response would be that the ports were my favorite part of the whole cruise (but it's no secret that I LOVE the ports). On the ship, I'd have to say I loved the number of pools/hot tubs. We could always find room for ourselves in these; whereas, on previous cruises this has been an issue.

 

Least favorite, and I'm grasping at straws here because I LOVED this cruise... but I'd have to say that I really hated that the Emerald didn't have a legitimate jogging track. And I also found the Piano Bar (Crooner's) to be lacking a bit.

 

Hey u- great review so far-haven't even begun mine yet, thanks for taking such great photos and writing such vivid details because I'm reliving it through you. :) I just grabbed a cold Corona and thought of our laugh together!

 

DH & I took a cab to Orient Beach- price depends on the number of people- $18 if just 2, but can go down to $6 a person if more than 6. I believe the government dictates the pricing. It was the most relaxing day... and yes my top came off :D-been doing it since we started doing AI's, my philosophy is you only live once and you better enjoy it because it will pass you by. ;)

 

Happy Sailing!

 

Hi, Monique! Thanks for stopping by my review. I'm totally impressed that you went topless. Mom and I were actually talking about how nice it was to see the people on Orient Beach loving life. I totally agree that you only live once. We need to cruise together again sometime... and actually hang out!!

 

Hollybelle - great review, absolutely amazing pics. Like you, I just snap away at random pictures and see what I end up with when I upload everything to the mac once I return home. What kind of cameras do you use?

Looking forward to more info, I am on the Emerald with my family (total of 11) last week of June!

 

Thanks, traic73. Yep... I took 1500 shots. Some were at random, but most of the time I try to be cognizant of composition and get things right in-camera. I use a Canon Rebel Xsi (entry level DSLR).

 

The last week of June will be here before you know it. Have fun with your family.

[Hollybelle]

Wow, I haven't been on Cruise Critic much this week and am just seeing your thread. Very fun and glad to hear you and your parents enjoyed your Princess cruise

 

We really did love it and will be booking with Princess again in the future. Thanks for dropping in and posting!!

 

Holly...great review and great pics. I feel like I'm there with you. You are a great writer...and photographer. Thanks for the review.

 

Wonderful... because my goal is for you to feel like you're along for the ride!! And thank you for the kind words, NYGirl!

 

Hey Hollybelle, Buffalofirsttimer4, CruiseCheers, kittikat and kittikat_sister etc, etc:

 

Have your credit cards been billed by Princess yet? My bar bill still have not shown up on my card yet and it has been almost 2 weeks since I got off the ship. I wonder if they forgot:D

 

I'd say it has to do with your statement cycle, no? Brett and I settled ours out when we left so I can't help you here. Sorry.

[Hollybelle]

Could not resist to ask - What side of the beach did you take this picture from? The way you cropped the picture makes me wonder:eek: :eek:

 

I am cracking up as I type. Especially looking at the caption below this picture that you took (at Orient Bay of all places) !!

 

Hah... I didn't go taking pictures of folks on the right side of the beach. This guy was just in front of Pedro's. But just to satisfy your curiosity, I can tell you he was wearing, what I can only describe as, "booty shorts."

[7x5090g]

Hah... I didn't go taking pictures of folks on the right side of the beach. This guy was just in front of Pedro's. But just to satisfy your curiosity, I can tell you he was wearing, what I can only describe as, "booty shorts."

 

What a speedo?

 

:eek:

[7x5090g]

Hah... I didn't go taking pictures of folks on the right side of the beach. This guy was just in front of Pedro's. But just to satisfy your curiosity, I can tell you he was wearing, what I can only describe as, "booty shorts."

 

What a pair of speedos?

 

:eek:

[7x5090g]

Least favorite, and I'm grasping at straws here because I LOVED this cruise... but I'd have to say that I really hated that the Emerald didn't have a legitimate jogging track.

 

I agree but the best jogging track is actually on the Promenade Deck. It even includes a couple of flights of stairs as you get to the bow of the ship. It'd be a great workout as the deck is so under utilized.

[Hollybelle]

What a pair of speedos?

 

:eek:

 

Not exactly... but close!

 

I agree but the best jogging track is actually on the Promenade Deck. It even includes a couple of flights of stairs as you get to the bow of the ship. It'd be a great workout as the deck is so under utilized.

 

Yes... but whether or not cruisers should run on the promenade is a hot topic around here. :eek: And one I don't want rehashed in this thread. :D

[angelsbaby1]

Not exactly... but close!

 

 

 

Yes... but whether or not cruisers should run on the promenade is a hot topic around here. :eek: And one I don't want rehashed in this thread. :D

 

LOL...I totally agree! That one got a little heated didn't it?! No need to relive that drama! Not that we're runners or anything, but I have heard that the track is very small. Looks like the choices are limited...I guess there's always the old treadmills! :rolleyes:

 

DP & I sail in 21 days on the Emerald on the same itinerary. This review (as well as Andy's) have been great for us. We are taking my mom on her first cruise and my sister is also going with us and she hasn't been on a cruise in over 14 years.:eek: I copied and emailed the links for your (and Andy's) reviews for mom & sis to look at so they could see the ship and the places that we will be visiting on our trip. We plan on writing an extensive review similar to yours. I only hope to come close as this one has been truly outstanding!

 

Thanks so much for the details and AWESOME PICS!

 

Angel & AnitaMarie

:) :D

[Hollybelle]

LOL...I totally agree! That one got a little heated didn't it?! No need to relive that drama! Not that we're runners or anything, but I have heard that the track is very small. Looks like the choices are limited...I guess there's always the old treadmills! :rolleyes:

 

DP & I sail in 21 days on the Emerald on the same itinerary. This review (as well as Andy's) have been great for us. We are taking my mom on her first cruise and my sister is also going with us and she hasn't been on a cruise in over 14 years.:eek: I copied and emailed the links for your (and Andy's) reviews for mom & sis to look at so they could see the ship and the places that we will be visiting on our trip. We plan on writing an extensive review similar to yours. I only hope to come close as this one has been truly outstanding!

 

Thanks so much for the details and AWESOME PICS!

 

Angel & AnitaMarie

:) :D

 

Wooohooo... 21 days. I'm green with envy! :D The four of you are going to have so much fun. And what a great ship/itinerary for your mom's first cruise and your sisters "welcome back." I look forward to your upcoming review... I only wish there were more of the "extensive style" reviews to read. Thanks for the compliments!

[Hollybelle]

We were back on board at 4:30 pm and were absolutely STARVING. Therefore, we ruined our dinner by heading up to the grill for burgers and fries. But it was worth it! Then we wandered around the upper decks for a bit. I was in love with the view we had of St. Martin from our vantage point atop the ship. Swoon! The Bay was very open and inviting. What’s even better is we weren’t scheduled to leave until, I think 6pm, which allowed for some shots of the island with great lighting.

 

This is the view from the walkway on deck 16 that goes out in front of the ship and looks over the bridge. The windows to the left are the gym:

 

 

Don’t look down!

 

 

Hello, gorgeous...

 

 

 

A very empty shot of Great Bay Beach:

 

[Hollybelle]

Brett headed in for a nap, while I continued to play with my camera. Icon was the band responsible for sailaway today. They played in the Wheelhouse Bar a lot, so we didn’t see as much of them throughout the week. This is the only time I can recall them doing the sailaway, instead of Evolution. But I may be wrong.

 

I spy my parents in the hot tub again!

 

The Sea Witch:

 

Eventually, the pier between the two ships was emptied of all passengers. Looks like everyone is aboard and ready to set sail to St. Thomas!

 

The Liberty of the Seas headed out first, where to, I don’t know. Love this shot because you just can’t beat the beauty of natural light:

 

[Hollybelle]

I love the little red boat in the lower right of this next shot. I think it may have been the pilot boat. Not sure though.

 

I think this is my very favorite of the panoramas. St. Martin is such a gorgeous island:

 

[Hollybelle]

By this point, my parents had found me and we decided to figure out how to get out on top of the bridge. We went all the way forward on deck 14 and through a door marked “exit only” or something like that. Sometimes this door is locked. When it’s locked, you clearly can’t get out on the bridge. However, tonight it was open so we walked right through. Had two people not walked out of it right in front of our eyes, we may have been a little afraid to try it.

 

The views from up here are incredible... especially during a sunset!

 

Looking back at St. Martin, with all that delicious light falling on the Emerald's starboard side:

 

View of the crew deck:

 

 

Sunset!

 

 

 

[Hollybelle]

After the sun set, Mom and I decided we were craving cookies from the International Café! Big surprise. So the two of us ran down there and grabbed cookies and some other tasty desserts. OMG... the cheesecake was the best:

 

We also kind of decided to skip dinner. This is the first time in all my cruises that we’ve done this. At first I was a little unsure of it, but eventually I came to like the idea. It had been a tiring day and we just didn’t have it in us to spend two hours at dinner. So instead the four of us went up to the Horizon Court to find something to eat. The more relaxed atmosphere was exactly what we were looking for this night. We had a great dinner, laughing over the day’s events.

 

After dinner Brett and I found one of the hot tubs. We actually ended up in the Calypso pool area. MUTS this night was a medley of concerts so they didn’t have the pools/hot tubs netted over, nor did they have coverings on the chairs. Ahhh the hot tub and Barry Manilow, what more can you ask for? Okay, maybe someone other than Barry Manilow, but we can’t have it all!

 

And Brett, part of the Colbert nation, cursed Barry Manilow for stealing Stephen Colbert’s emmy in 2006 :eek::

 

We spent some time relaxing and reading in our stateroom before turning in for the night. After all we had an early morning date with the Castaway Girl snorkeling crew. We were asleep by 11 pm.

 

 

Up next: snorkeling at Buck island and some drunken fun in St. Thomas!

[painfree]

Hi Hollybelle..

 

I have enjoyed your pictures of the Emerald Princess along with the Eastern Caribbean Itinerary review..I'm glad you 'found' your way to the observation deck above the bridge..My cabin steward told how to access the area during my Med cruise on the Emerald in 2007..While I don't have the photographic skills which you possess, I did get an awesome picture of Naples bay with Mount Vesuvius in the background from that location..Anyway, we, my son, his GF and granddaughter will be doing this cruise in late June..and I will be sharing your review and pictures with them...Thanks again for taking the time to share your experiences and pictures..Awesome..

 

 

I want to upgrade my camera from Canon Elfi but I'm not ready for a Rebel..Considering a Canon 20IS..12x with wide angle options..

 

Carol

[CruiseCheers]

Could not resist to ask - What side of the beach did you take this picture from? The way you cropped the picture makes me wonder:eek: :eek:

 

Funny you should ask, a picture from the right side of the beach did mysteriously appear on my camera.:D C'mon Andy, you know that that guy was posing for us...he was even smiling for the camera.

[tequilasunrise]

Hi Hollybelle,

 

I've been "lurking" (reading but not responding) through your thread and enjoying it more than you know during our gray Seattle area days. You bring back some great memories!!! Thanks for the time you have devoted to giving us a great read and for the fab pictures! You are very talented!

[maun]

Hollybelle,

I am just loving your review and photos. The pics you took leaving St. Maarten and your sunset pics are breathtaking. I too love taking pics on vacation and take lots in the hopes just a few will come out good. I'm not much of a photographer so I'm blow away when I see the beauty you have captured. You are also so kind to take the time to respond to everyone who has questions or comments. Looking forward to your next installment.

~~Maun

[CruiseCheers]

After dinner Brett and I found one of the hot tubs. We actually ended up in the Calypso pool area. MUTS this night was a medley of concerts so they didn’t have the pools/hot tubs netted over, nor did they have coverings on the chairs. Ahhh the hot tub and Barry Manilow, what more can you ask for? Okay, maybe someone other than Barry Manilow, but we can’t have it all!

 

 

This is the first time I have seen this picture, I can't stop laughing!! Brett, I know that your Mama taugh you not to make fun of your elders.....my very first concert.:eek:

[jagsfan]

I can smell the salt air and I've gained 3 pounds looking at desserts. I'm having so much

fun between your and Andy's reviews. I would rather cruise vicariously than just wait

and wait for Sept to roll around. I'm so sorry I have to leave you to get ready for a

Pampered Chef party. With wine, so it will be bearable.

When I get back, I'll enjoy St Maarten. Probably more than I ever have before!!!!

[CruiseCheers]

Looking back at St. Martin, with all that delicious light falling on the Emerald's starboard side:

 

 

Okay so if you haven't figured it out yet, I'm seeing some of these pictures for the first time too. I'm just a tad apprehensive about what is still to come.

[CruiseCheers]

ld

 

oops...as I was saying, I think this is my favorite photo so far. I love the glow of the sun beaming down the side of of the ship.

I'm sure that you could "Photo Shop" those nice people right off of the balconies, and enter this one.

[CruiseCheers]

DH & I took a cab to Orient Beach- price depends on the number of people- $18 if just 2, but can go down to $6 a person if more than 6. I believe the government dictates the pricing. It was the most relaxing day... and yes my top came off :D-been doing it since we started doing AI's, my philosophy is you only live once and you better enjoy it because it will pass you by. ;)

 

Hey Monique! Have you been playing "I Spy Monique" with all of the Orient beach pictures? :D