Live from the Emerald Princess 11/16-11/26

[wrongwaywatson]

I didn’t see a thread, so I started one!   Man, it feels good to be back!   We flew in this morning from Chicago. We don’t like to fly the day if, but work gets in the way! Lol. We had no issues at all, security was quick and the plane left on time and landed a few minutes ahead of schedule.  We did get a Princess transfer, which we probably won’t do again, as it was much slower than getting a taxi or Uber

 

check in was painless and we were eating lunch in no time.  Sail away was delayed until 5:30, due to fueling.  There was a slight mixup with our dining reservations, but it was fixed and quite enjoyable.  Contrary to what I had read, we received 5 shrimp in our shrimp cocktail, not 3.   The grilled garlic shrimp appetizer was 3, though

 

We went to the comedy show at 7, Mike Gaffney.  Seating was plentiful and we got there right at 7.    It was possibly the worst comedian I’ve seen onboard.   Bad

 

I’ve heard that there are only 900 aboard, and it definitely seems to be the case. No waiting, no crowds

 

Princess Cays tomorrow!  If you have questions, please feel free to post here. I will check back tomorrow night!  If you are onboard, please post your thoughts!  It feels so good to be at sea!

[iamaqt2]

1 minute ago, wrongwaywatson said:

I didn’t see a thread, so I started one!   Man, it feels good to be back!   We flew in this morning from Chicago. We don’t like to fly the day if, but work gets in the way! Lol. We had no issues at all, security was quick and the plane left on time and landed a few minutes ahead of schedule.  We did get a Princess transfer, which we probably won’t do again, as it was much slower than getting a taxi or Uber

 

check in was painless and we were eating lunch in no time.  Sail away was delayed until 5:30, due to fueling.  There was a slight mixup with our dining reservations, but it was fixed and quite enjoyable.  Contrary to what I had read, we received 5 shrimp in our shrimp cocktail, not 3.   The grilled garlic shrimp appetizer was 3, though

 

We went to the comedy show at 7, Mike Gaffney.  Seating was plentiful and we got there right at 7.    It was possibly the worst comedian I’ve seen onboard.   Bad

 

I’ve heard that there are only 900 aboard, and it definitely seems to be the case. No waiting, no crowds

 

Princess Cays tomorrow!  If you have questions, please feel free to post here. I will check back tomorrow night!  If you are onboard, please post your thoughts!  It feels so good to be at sea!

Very excited to follow along.  Will be on the Sky in 2.5 weeks.  Can you let us know Covid protocols for tendering and what food is being served at the BBQ on Princess Cays?  Thanks!

[wrongwaywatson]

Will do!  The patter said you had to wear face masks in the tender and they are carrying fewer people, but I will let you know how it goes!

[srpilo]

Following 

[Ombud]

I'm boarding the Emerald Princess in 3 weeks. I asked for an upsell but was told none were available (plenty of premium balconies .... I'm in a regular balcony). Has anyone asked for an upsell onboard?? Also whats your impression of The Salty Dog?

[Lucky TGO]

Thank you I will be following along. I hope you like the Emerald Princess as much as I do it’s one of my favorite ships. 👍
Tony

[NaplesKnitter]

Hi, We are going to enjoy your thread,  we are on the Emerald just after you with our family.  If you get a chance, could you post any of the bar / wine menus from Crooners, Vines etc.  Thanks

[geoherb]

Bon voyage! I look forward to reading about your cruise. The Emerald is one of my favorite ships. Adagio is a fabulous space for before-dinner drinks.

[abqmommyof4]

Hubby would agree with you. He was awful

[Hlitner]

11 hours ago, iamaqt2 said:

Very excited to follow along.  Will be on the Sky in 2.5 weeks.  Can you let us know Covid protocols for tendering and what food is being served at the BBQ on Princess Cays?  Thanks!

Since we are talking about "Princess" you can bet there will be burgers, hotdogs, and chicken.  If you were cruising on Seabourn you would have lobster :).   I can just imagine all the mass market lines trying to control their food budgets (which are normally based on a specific cost per passenger/day) with food prices these days.  Yesterday we were in Wegmans and I noticed that decent lobster tails were $35 per tail, Prime beef (not used by Princess) was $40 - $50 a pound, etc.  A true shocker.

 

Hank

[MissP22]

11 hours ago, wrongwaywatson said:

Will do!  The patter said you had to wear face masks in the tender and they are carrying fewer people, but I will let you know how it goes!

This is when priority boarding will really be worth something. 

[puggymom]

12 hours ago, wrongwaywatson said:

Will do!  The patter said you had to wear face masks in the tender and they are carrying fewer people, but I will let you know how it goes!

I hope you are enjoying the Emerald as much as I did

 

When I took the tender at Panama Canal they packed us in to shuttle us over to the buses. 

[Ombud]

How many people are in the shore excursions? I booked one that says 40. In that I've never been in one of the large group tours I'm not sure how they would physically distance 40

[phabric]

Following along.  Which ports do you have?

[jwattle]

6 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Since we are talking about "Princess" you can bet there will be burgers, hotdogs, and chicken.  If you were cruising on Seabourn you would have lobster :).   I can just imagine all the mass market lines trying to control their food budgets (which are normally based on a specific cost per passenger/day) with food prices these days.  Yesterday we were in Wegmans and I noticed that decent lobster tails were $35 per tail, Prime beef (not used by Princess) was $40 - $50 a pound, etc.  A true shocker.

 

Hank

And paying accordingly🥂

[Ken the cruiser]

As this appears to be a 10 day cruise, is Princess requiring you to wear a mask everywhere onboard from the time you leave your cabin or just in designated areas? The reason I ask is because we’re on an 18 day PC cruise on the Caribbean Princess in April and I can now only find on the Princess website what I listed below.

 

However, I “thought” I recently read a few weeks back that they had made a clear distinction regarding wearing a mask between cruises less than 10 days and more than 10 days. Has that changed again? Being that you’re on the 10 day cruise, you might be able to shed some light on my dilemma. We have no issues wearing a mask, though, whenever it’s required.

 

Masks and Physical Distancing

We strongly encourage guests to wear face masks when in public spaces indoors. To protect our guests and crew while on board, new requirements are being implemented. ALL guests will be required to wear a face mask – with no exceptions – in the following areas/situations:

• Elevators
• Designated indoor entertainment areas
• Retail shops
• The casino, except when eating or drinking
• Prior to being seated in our main dining rooms and in the buffet area
• Occasionally in other designated areas where larger number of guests may congregate
• During embarkation and disembarkation in the terminal
• During the disembarkation process on board

We always recommend guests wash or replace their mask daily and choose a good quality, ideally medical grade, standard mask. Please note that visors and face shields will not be accepted as substitutes for a face mask.

Note: Unvaccinated guests will be required to wear a face mask at all times while indoors, in accordance with health authority requirements.

 

 

[Steelers36]

6 hours ago, puggymom said:

I hope you are enjoying the Emerald as much as I did

 

When I took the tender at Panama Canal they packed us in to shuttle us over to the buses. 

With enforced mask-wearing, they should not be limiting number taken per trip.  After all, masks are for when social-distancing is not possible - they aren't supposed to be an anytime/anywhere panacea.

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, Ombud said:

How many people are in the shore excursions? I booked one that says 40. In that I've never been in one of the large group tours I'm not sure how they would physically distance 40

Who cares if they make everyone mask up?  That should be why masks are worn - when you cannot social distance.

[Ombud]

1 hour ago, Steelers36 said:

5 hours ago, Ombud said:

How many people are in the shore excursions? I booked one that says 40. In that I've never been in one of the large group tours I'm not sure how they would physically distance 40

Who cares if they make everyone mask up?  That should be why masks are worn - when you cannot social distance.

JMHO I didn't like crowding before pandemic which is why I never took Princess excursions unless they were sold as small excursion experiences. I have only 1 of those on my 12/9/21 cruise (Getsemani and the Old City in a minibus) but I care if local guides mask up and I have space to stretch out in a vehicle. I got used to the masks on everyone walking around in certain areas of Japan on multiple cruises (2017, 2018). And I liked it on the sidewalks in Alaska after the July restarts (8/15/21). I'm not going to hazard a guess as to how uncomfortable it was for you when you cruised after July 25, 2021 but I preferred it in August. JMHO

 

You do you, I'll do me

Edited November 17, 2021 by Ombud

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, Ombud said:

JMHO I didn't like crowding before pandemic which is why I never took Princess excursions unless they were sold as small excursion experiences. I have only 1 of those on my 12/9/21 cruise (Getsemani and the Old City in a minibus) but I care if local guides mask up and I have space to stretch out in a vehicle. I got used to the masks on everyone walking around in certain areas of Japan on multiple cruises (2017, 2018). And I liked it on the sidewalks in Alaska after the July restarts (8/15/21). I'm not going to hazard a guess as to how uncomfortable it was for you when you cruised after July 25, 2021 but I preferred it in August. JMHO

 

You do you, I'll do me

NP.

[iamaqt2]

12 hours ago, Hlitner said:

Since we are talking about "Princess" you can bet there will be burgers, hotdogs, and chicken.  If you were cruising on Seabourn you would have lobster :).   I can just imagine all the mass market lines trying to control their food budgets (which are normally based on a specific cost per passenger/day) with food prices these days.  Yesterday we were in Wegmans and I noticed that decent lobster tails were $35 per tail, Prime beef (not used by Princess) was $40 - $50 a pound, etc.  A true shocker.

 

Hank

I like hotdogs and hamburgers.  I'm set.

[wrongwaywatson]

On 11/16/2021 at 10:01 PM, Ombud said:

I'm boarding the Emerald Princess in 3 weeks. I asked for an upsell but was told none were available (plenty of premium balconies .... I'm in a regular balcony). Has anyone asked for an upsell onboard?? Also whats your impression of The Salty Dog?

I haven’t heard of anyone getting an upsell. There are only 900 on board, so lots of empty cabins   I haven’t eaten at the Salty Dog, and probably won’t, but hopefully someone else can answer you!

[Ombud]

Thanks @wrongwaywatson. I always book a room I like so an upgrade is nice but I've got a great room anyway 

[wrongwaywatson]

I will get the pic from Crooners tomorrow.  My phone wouldn’t sign in until now

 

im not sure about how crowded the excursions are, we really haven’t done any yet. We have 2 sea days coming up next snd then Cartegena, Columbia, so I will let you know 

 

as for masks, it hasn’t been too bad and I hate wearing them.  I haven’t went into the shops and I take the stairs mainly. The few times I’ve rode the elevator, people wore masks.  On the stairs, no.  When I went to the gym, no.  The Princess Theater, everyone wore them in and partway thru a lot came off.  We didn’t have anyone within 10 feet of our party, so it really wasn’t an issue.  The impersonator was GREAT!!!  Highly recommend!  
 

the water ferry tender into Princess Cays ran quickly.  With only 900 on board and a large percentage staying on the ship, the beach area was not busy at all.   Very nice.  We snorkeled, because we brought our own stuff

 

hopefully I don’t have login issues tomorrow.  I will try to answer questions

 

oh, gad a hot dog from the grill for lunch and it was fantastic!!

[beg3yrs]

7 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

....

However, I “thought” I recently read a few weeks back that they had made a clear distinction regarding wearing a mask between cruises less than 10 days and more than 10 days. Has that changed again?

 

 

 

The Princess web-site has been pretty clear that the protocols change for cruises that are less than 10 days and for those that are 10 days or more. A ten day cruise falls in the more restrictive category. The way you stated it above, the rules for a 10 day cruise are undefined.