Emerald tips and suggestions

[srice]

If you want to know what is currently happening on the Emerald Princess take a look at http://pescadoamarillo.blogspot.com/.

[Ginnyfyr]

1) We've never booked the Sanctuary - just doesn't look to be our thing.

 

2) Probably depends on the sailing, but we were on the New Year's cruise on the Emerald last week and you definitely wanted to get there at least 20 minutes before the movie started to get a decent seat. If you wanted one of the cozy plaid blankets, you needed to get there 30 minutes early as they didn't have many (once they ran out, they just handed out pool towels to keep you warm. Definitely NOT as nice!)

 

3) For us, Crown Grill is a must - the food is absolutely better than the MDR and well worth the $25 upcharge (a similar steak dinner out at home would cost us considerably more than $25 per person). We also tried the new Saltydog Gastropub and felt the $19 per person charge was completely justified - we were stuffed when we left. Also tried Share and it was nice, but not worth the $39 per person charge (for us, anyway). I would do the Crown Grill twice before I would go back to Share. Oh, if you're a seafood lover, they also section off part of the buffet for the Crab Shack one or two nights. The food is fantastic and it's something fun and different to try. I think it was $20 each (we spent a lot of extra money on food on this trip, lol).

 

4) As others have said, Princess Cays is absolutely a beach day. Save your money and just relax. We've only been to Grand Turk once (this last cruise) and we just stayed at the beach right off the dock. We did pay $20 to rent two chairs and an umbrella, but there are lots of free chairs available too. The water was a little rocky and mossy underfoot but it was fine. If you wander farther down the beach to the left of the dock, the water looked less rocky. We were going to take a cab to Governor's Beach, which I believe is probably walkable from the pier, but once we were on shore and saw how nice the beach right at the dock was, we decided to just stay put. Margaritaville is a popular spot to visit but I'm told it gets crowded really fast, especially if more than a couple of ships are in port (and there is a fee to get in).

 

5) I believe everything in the fitness centre is free. Never been myself, though, so can't say for sure :p

 

6) The only hot item available through room service is the egg sandwich, which never arrives hot. If you really want one (think a less yummy Egg McMuffin), you're better off to run down to the International Cafe and pick one up yourself. We never bother with breakfast in the MDR because we like to eat quickly. When we do have breakfast (sometimes we're still full from dinner the night before!) we usually just hit up the buffet. Plenty to pick from, including made to order omelettes, and you can take as much (or little) time to each as you like.

 

7) Visit the International Cafe for your coffees and lattes - so much better than any other spot on board. Vines is fantastic if you're a wine fan at all, and you can get delicious sushi or tapas plates when you order a glass. Try the 50th anniversary Prosecco - very tasty. If you miss a movie at MUTS, they're usually shown the next day around 1 pm in the Princess Theatre. No popcorn but definitely less windy, lol.

 

Have a wonderful trip, and happy 10th anniversary! Hubby and I just booked a Pacific coastal cruise to celebrate our 10th this September; cruising is definitely a great way to celebrate these milestones :)