Emerald Princess B2B cruise review 6/20/10-7/4/10

[sempronialou]

This a basic overview of our back to back on the Emerald Princess 6/20-7/4. I just wanted to get the overall ship impression first.

 

We had a blast on this cruise. Even though I got socked with a migraine the second week for 3 days, I still had a wonderful time. It was fun and relaxing. We met some great people along the way.

 

Embarkation was very smooth and quick. The only problem was that we were there too early, so we had to wait until they were ready to have us check in and get on the ship. It was no big deal since they had barely gotten the previous passengers off. Once they had us check-in and get our cruise cards, we were on board lickity split. It was fast. Our luggage arrived probably an hour or so after we boarded.

 

Over all I enjoyed the food, but there were a couple meals I didn't enjoy very much. Everything else was very tasty. We tried the Ultimate Balcony Dining for our wedding anniversary on the 21st. There was a lot of food to eat and it was wonderful. Our waiter was great. Everyone involved made the dinner special. We didn't realize that our picture was going to get taken, so we hadn't dressed up for the event, but that was okay. We had late seating traditional dining. Each week we had a different waiter/junior waiter despite being at the same table both weeks. The waiter the first week was off for a couple months after the first week. Marian was his name and Ivan was our junior waiter. The both were very nice and did a great job. The second week they switched our junior waiter to another part of the dining room. Jeffrey was our waiter that week and Javier was our Junior waiter. We loved Jeffrey, he had a good sense of humor and was always making sure we were all happy with our food/service. Javier worked so hard and we always saw him upstairs in the morning by the horizon court working outside at the tables. I do have to give kudos to all the dining room staff the end of the first week on the last night. Because the gastrointestinal problems that started 6/24 or 6/25, they had to break everything down (and I mean EVERYTHING) to have it be super duper cleaned before the next set of passengers came on. I believe they worked into the wee hours of the night. I highly suspect someone ate the food on shore somewhere around Jamaica or Cozumel and got sick which started the high level of handling restrictions in the dining rooms. Anyway, Princess did a great job of making sure we were all healthy and safe.

 

Our room steward, Gerald, was awesome. He really kept the room clean and a steady supply of beach towels. Last year we cruised on the CB and I found myself using beach towels 2-3 times before they were replaced or I'd have to ask to have them replaced. This time, the minute they were off the shelf, I swear they were replaced. He even gave us 3 bath towels after he discovered I had swiped one from the Lotus spa one day because I like having one towel for my head and one for my body. He was just that good. When we saw him, he greeted us with a warm smile/greeting.

 

We loved the overall design of the ship and thought it looked like it was in great shape. I do apologize if the next person in C305 finds a red wine stain on one of the upholstered parts of the wall. I knocked a glass over while packing the last night and tried to clean it up quickly. Most of it came out, but some the stain still remains. Anyway, we liked the set up of the Emerald much better than the Caribbean Princess even though they are similar. The layout of the international cafe, coffee area, and vines in relation to each other was less awkward. Having spent 2 weeks on the ship, but I figured out that the ship isn't that confusing. The front of the ship goes up to deck 16. Mid ship goes up to deck 15. Aft goes up to deck 18 plus there's a hidden set of stairs when you get up the skywalker's level which will get you to the cyber golf and jogging track. Margarita and Josephine who worked in the coffee/bar area in the Piazza were such gems. We loved them. They always had a smile and a good sense of humor despite the long, hard hours they worked. We went there and had a coffee before dinner just about every night or we'd go to vines. The vine's staff were also very friendly and worked hard.

 

We did go to some of the shows. Steve Morris was hilarious. Then he did a bonus show at the end of the first week upon request with just his music. He encouraged the audience to sing along with him and we certainly did even if we might've annoyed a couple people. He sang the sweetest little song he wrote called "Dirty Hands" about his 6 year old song. We also saw the physical comedy guy (whose name escapes me at the moment) and had a great time. I didn't like how they organized the karaoke. You had to sign up ahead of time and it was only an hour. In real life, you need a drink or 2 and an hour to get up the courage to sing in front of people. Anyway, it didn't quite fit in with our late seating schedule. I think Tim Donovan and Colette did a good job as cruise director/associate cruise director. I have no major complaints with them. I loved Colette's taste in shoes. The bands, Evolution and Fusion were very versatile and sounded great together. We didn't like the Polona String quartet as much. I felt they kind of just played. There was no heart behind it. The weren't a lot dynamics nor were they always in tune. This is coming from a someone who is a mediocre musician herself. The rest of the soloist musicians were enjoyable as well. I loved the jazz pianist and the jazz ensemble in the piazza.

 

We did the thermal spa both weeks. I'll admit that we got the same special price for both weeks. Apparently the specials change from week to week and everything was higher the second week. I don't know why the change it either. We always managed to get there when it wasn't that busy (usually around early dinner hour or tail end of a port day, but the last day of the second week, it was booming the time we went. Unfortunately 3 people decided to camp out on the heated loungers for the hour we were in there in various rooms. I thought it was very rude since it was clearly busy and people wanted a turn on everything. We didn't stay very long on the loungers since other people were hoping to use them. My favorite rooms were the aroma therapy steam room and the dry sauna with heated benches. The staff at the Lotus spa were also very nice. Sarah, the acupuncturist, was very sweet. I wish I could take her home. She was helpful in relieving my migraine headache. We did a couple's massage which was nice and relaxing. The massage therapists made sure we were comfortable the whole time. My only quam with the spa services is that they heavily push their products after services are rendered. The products are expensive not to mention the spa services. I really don't like being pressured into buying their products. That really bugs me, but I'm sure the staff are pressured to sell the products. So beware of that. Don't be afraid to say no if you don't want to buy them.

 

Here's something I learned. Code Sierra means there's a fight, so if you hear that announced that's not good or good if you enjoy witnessing that sort of thing. Four fights broke over the course of the last sea day 6/26. Two of those were because of the World Cup soccer match between the same groups of people. The other were some people not happy when they saw their final bills at the purser's desk.

 

The weather was beautiful. I couldn't have asked for better weather.

 

When we went into the second week, we did have to disembark from the ship, but they had us off and on quickly. Our new cruise cards and in-transit passes were sent to us the night before. They sent us through immigration who barely looked at our passports and sent us on our merry way to the ship or shore if we chose to. It's a very efficient system the have set up for back to back cruisers.

 

I'll go into detail about each island later since this is getting very long. I just wanted to give the overall impression for now. I hope this was informative. We loved the ship and the itinerary, and had a wonderful time.

[TracieABD]

Thank you so much for your review...

I look forward to the next installment.:)

[Colo Cruiser]

A great review, thanks. :)

 

I don't believe Noro has anything to do with food poisoning. :(

[Tweedy]

My coworker, two of her sisters and her mom were on the ship with you the week of June 20th. She's still on holidays but I talked to her today and she said she had a great time and wished she did a b2b. She liked the ship and found the layout very easy (didn't get lost). The three sisters did karaoke. She didn't like Jamaica and found it quite scary (one of the vendors selling braids grabbed her by the hair and started braiding it).

 

Can't wait to read more from your review.

[sempronialou]

I apologize for taking so long to do the second installment.

 

Princess Cays: We were there twice, but went on the island once. Catching the tender was painless and easy. The island is beautiful. All we did was walk around and hang out on the beach. We didn't get very far in our walking before we were stopped by the cabana guard when we tried to go past the reserved cabana area. All we wanted to walk on by, but the cabana guy said we couldn't go any further unless we had a reservation. We weren't planning on camping out there, but being the compliant people we are, we went back the other way. Then we found a spot under a couple of palm trees and stayed there. The food spread was good and the drinks was good. When we stopped at Princess Cays the second week, we didn't get off the ship. I was feeling too lousy with a migraine. The ship was nice a peaceful during that time.

 

Jamaica: It is a beautiful island. We did a ship excursion to the Green Grotto Caves and Dunn River falls. The caves were really cool. I loved caves in general. We say a few creatures in there mostly bats and snakes. The bats don't bother people and the snake was harmless. It was funny because some people were really scared of the snake, so the tour guide covered it up with his hat so they could walk by. There tour guide was a lot of fun. Then we went to the Dunn River Falls. I swear every ship was there. I'm glad I climbed it, but I never ever want to do it again. I don't know whose bright idea it was to have people climb up slippery rocks with rushing water coming down to throw you off balance while you all form a daisy chain with people. Afterwards we get hassled a bit by the people peddling their wares. We just said no thank you plus we didn't have any cash on us. If they hand you something and say it's free, they really want you to give them money. The people are friendly, but like a used car salesmen. They want to make money in the end. Our tour guide during the whole excursion kept us safe and was very nice. Overall I felt comfortable in Jamaica. You just have to be assertive.

 

Grand Caymen: Again, tendering went quickly and was painless. We did a snorkel tour at "cheese burger reef" and saw a shipwreck. It was very beautiful. The fish were so colorful and the water was so clear. Our snorkel guides were great. After we returned back from snorkeling, there was a torrential downpour. So we hid under places to stay a bit dry. I'm not sure why since were kind of wet anyway. We stopped at the tortuga rum cakes shop to sample some of the cakes and bought something called patties. I had chicken, my husband had the beef. They were similar to what we call Pasties and they were so good. Then we ducked in and out of shops before making our way back to the ship. I finally did get an emerald ring that I've been wanting for years. It was a good deal, so I bought it.

 

Cozumel: We did another ship excursion to the Coba Mayan ruins. The ship was late getting in because it was storming, so that set everything in motion to late. We were late getting off the ship. Then they had the close the gangway while RC's Liberty of the Seas docked in. Luckily they let all the tour people out before that happened. They tendered us to the mainland that's by a resort in Playa del Carmen. Playa del Carmen is gorgeous and we intend on going back there someday. Then we boarded a coach bus to Coba. Our tour guides were very informative and awesome. They even fed us lunch (subway sandwiches) even though the tour ticket said it was not included. There was on stop in a local village for shopping and then on to the ruins. The ruins were so interesting and we did get to climb the tallest ruin and it was so beautiful once you reached the top. It was hot as all get out though. Our tour guide said they get 2 seasons, hot and hotter. Since everything was late, we were late getting back. They held the last tender for all the tour groups to get back to Cozumel. We were supposed to be back on the ship by 6, but we weren't back until 6:50. Thank goodness it was a ship sponsored tour. We were back on the ship and I watched the last of the Liberty of the Seas passengers board who applauded their return and immediately pulled up the gangways. Then they left right way. We pulled out after them. Then they poured on the gas that night to get us out of there because Alex was forming up. The dining room was really vibrating that night. We really enjoyed our tour.

 

St Marteen/Martin: We hung out on our own there. We took a taxi to Philipsburg and walked around for a while. I did get a couple t-shirts for my nephews and a kite for myself, but otherwise we were into taking pictures. Then we went to Marigot on the French side which is less crowded and busy. We walked around and shopped in the open air market. Nobody was aggressive, but they were very encouraging if you touched and looked at something. My husband got the loudest island shirt for island night on the ship that night. It was a cool place to hang out. We didn't get a chance to go to the beach, but we want to come back to this island again most definitely.

 

St Thomas: We did a full day sail snorkel/beach tour. We've done it before and had a blast. The snorkeling at turtle cove as beautiful We saw quite a few turtles as well as fish and a couple sting rays. Then we went back on "The Cat" to Honeymoon beach on water island. The painkillers were flowing on the way to the beach. At the beach which is seclude, they had a BBQ lunch for us. The food was great and we had fun just hanging out in the water throwing a frisbee. "The Cat" staff were lots of fun. We had a wonderful time. I highly recommend this tour. It's a lot of fun. Honeymoon beach is beautiful (in fact that is my avatar picture). The next time we go to St Thomas, we are doing something different. We'd like to see the more of actual island. It still is one of my favorite islands.

 

Grand Turk: This is our second time there. We got a taxi to Cockburn Town to see if they had rebuilt more since our visit last year. Apparently they didn't do much except straighten a lamp post a little bit. There isn't much to see or do down town. This is definitely a beach or snorkel stop. Then we went back to the cruise terminal. We walked a little ways down the beach past Margaritaville to Jacks Shack. It is a shack bar and a lot less busy/commercial. We recognized just everyone hanging out there, and it wasn't passengers. Then it dawned on us that it's the crew. So now we know where the crew hangs out. They were having a good time. I discovered a drink called a Pink Flamingo to be very tasty (coconut rum, cranberry juice, and amaretto). It was very hot that day. A dip in the ocean felt really good. I still don't know what is so wonderful about Grand Turk. It's very flat and about the size of the town I live in. The local people are very friendly and they were never pushy. So overall it's a pleasant, peaceful island. It's not a place I really want to go visit on my own.

[Coolmama_1]

Great review. Thanks for sharing.

[Esprit]

Not much I can add.

 

It was a pleasure to meet you and Ian and spooky that we were next door neighbours for 2 weeks. Gerald was indeed excellent. Our towels too were always replenished.

 

We enjoyed the two bands particularly when playing in the the Wheelhouse bar. That Morris guy was just brilliant but I didn't get the humour of the guy who ends up in a totoo.

 

As you say, Tim and Colette were OK but not brilliant. I liked James and Mark better! (wonder if it's because they are both gay!!!)

 

It was our third time on Emerald and would be happy to sail on it again.

 

Peter

 

PS I'm missing the gorgeous desserts and pastries the International cafe served up!!!

[WildLodgeFan]

 

St Thomas: We did a full day sail snorkel/beach tour. We've done it before and had a blast. The snorkeling at turtle cove as beautiful We saw quite a few turtles as well as fish and a couple sting rays. Then we went back on "The Cat" to Honeymoon beach on water island. The painkillers were flowing on the way to the beach. At the beach which is seclude, they had a BBQ lunch for us. The food was great and we had fun just hanging out in the water throwing a frisbee. "The Cat" staff were lots of fun. We had a wonderful time. I highly recommend this tour. It's a lot of fun. Honeymoon beach is beautiful (in fact that is my avatar picture). The next time we go to St Thomas, we are doing something different. We'd like to see the more of actual island. It still is one of my favorite islands.

 

 

Sounds like you had a wonderful time! Can you tell me if this tour was a shore excursion by Princess or something you booked on oyur own? And if you booked it yourself, could you tell me who it was? Thank you!

[Nana G]

Thanks for the great review! The Emerald is my favorite ship. Sounds like your time was well spent and enjoyable.

[mtaylor04]

Thanks for the review, we will be on the Emerald in November and we are really looking forward to it.

[Woobstr112G]

Thanks for taking three time to post your thoughts.....:):):)

 

Bob

[sempronialou]

Sounds like you had a wonderful time! Can you tell me if this tour was a shore excursion by Princess or something you booked on oyur own? And if you booked it yourself, could you tell me who it was? Thank you!

 

We did the tour through the ship, but you can book it on your own. The catamaran was called "The Cat" and there's also one called "The Dancing Dolphin" that we did before. I'm more partial to "The Cat" because the captain used to be on the Dancing Dolphin and is now on The Cat. I also think it's a little nicer. Here's the website that give you the informational: http://www.thevicat.com/About__The_Cat_.html

 

Half way down the page, it tells you that you can book for a private event and that they also offer the full day snorkel/BBQ.

[sempronialou]

Not much I can add.

 

It was a pleasure to meet you and Ian and spooky that we were next door neighbours for 2 weeks. Gerald was indeed excellent. Our towels too were always replenished.

 

We enjoyed the two bands particularly when playing in the the Wheelhouse bar. That Morris guy was just brilliant but I didn't get the humour of the guy who ends up in a totoo.

 

As you say, Tim and Colette were OK but not brilliant. I liked James and Mark better! (wonder if it's because they are both gay!!!)

 

It was our third time on Emerald and would be happy to sail on it again.

 

Peter

 

PS I'm missing the gorgeous desserts and pastries the International cafe served up!!!

 

It is rather eerie how we ended up neighbors. I didn't like the tatoo guy with the pink tutu very much either. We remembered seeing him last year while on the Caribbean Princess and weren't thrilled with him then.

 

We've only ever experienced Tim Donavan as CD. He was on he CB last year. I hope he doesn't follow us to the next cruise whenever/where ever we take it. He was a little more subdued this time. Last year he was a bit over the top. I would just like it experience someone different next time.

[Colo Cruiser]

It is rather eerie how we ended up neighbors. I didn't like the tatoo guy with the pink tutu very much either. We remembered seeing him last year while on the Caribbean Princess and weren't thrilled with him then.

 

 

The pink tutoo and tatoos reminds me of comedian James Michaels act.