Emerald live from. July 1-6 holiday cruise

[HaveDogWillTravel]

We’ve been onboard just over 24 hours now. @CruiseRaiderand I were saying how really lovely everything has been that “we” should start a “live from”. So here we go. 
The crew has been simply outstanding.  @CruiseRaiderand I had a bet about who would reunite with a crew member we knew first. crew you what’s ap with don’t count!  I won, lol. Within a minute of being on board I saw Michael. He was my Outrigger bartender on the Sapphire Hawaii sailing I took last November. He was so kind and treated us just like family then and of course now as well. 

We had dinner in crown last night and the lobster, sea bass, steaks and sides were excellent. Service was exemplary. 
 

DH and I are in a mini suite. It has fresh carpet, the tub looks brand new, the shower curtain still has the folds from being taken out of the package. It’s really a spotless room in excellent repair just like the rest of the ship. 
 

we went to MDR for breakfast this morning and DH had the eggs Florentino. The eggs were true poached eggs.  I wanted pancakes and asked for blueberry pancakes even though they weren’t on the menu. Our sweet waiter did not blink an eye and I had an excellent plate of ham steak and blueberry pancakes.   It was like being in Sabatini’s for suite breakfast. 
 

We’ve been lazing the afternoon away at the retreat pool.  Order now on the ap is working great!  It’s quiet and the padded loungers are super comfy. 
 

I’ll post more as we go!  

 

[LACruiser88]

Thanks for doing the "Live."  We board on Thursday, are you staying on to Hawaii?

[HaveDogWillTravel]

5 minutes ago, LACruiser88 said:

Thanks for doing the "Live."  We board on Thursday, are you staying on to Hawaii?

I would love to. But I’ve got 34 days on the Sapphire this Dec that has severely drained my budget. 

[Ken the cruiser]

Thought I’d tag along to see how life is on a different Grand Class ship before we fly to Japan on Saturday to board the Diamond the next day!
 

Here’s hoping you have a great cruise!! 😁

[LACruiser88]

Just now, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I would love to. But I’ve got 34 days on the Sapphire this Dec that has severely drained my budget. 

Enjoy your cruise!  Happy 4th of July!

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Just now, Ken the cruiser said:

Thought I’d tag along to see how life is on a different Grand Class ship before we fly to Japan on Saturday to board the Diamond the next day!
 

Here’s hoping you have a great cruise!! 😁

I loved the Diamond this past January/February.  
 

Embarkation at pier 92 was a bit different than the usual pier 93 but it was effortless.  At 10:13 we gave our bags to the porter and in 45 minutes we were enjoying our first glass of wine at Vines. The elite lounge was well stocked with juices, coffee and pastries. They were making sure you had an elite boarding pass to stay there. The elite boarding passes were given out one per cabin so all in the same cabin could wait in the lounge together. 
 

There was a big notice that ONLY CARRY ON SIZE LUGGAGE WAS ALLOWED THRU SECURITY.  I wanted to take a photo of the sign but the line moved too fast. Also a sign that no liquids or food allowed. 
 

The selection of whites and reds at Vines is actually great. First time I’ve said that since forever!  Aldrin, the vines bartender and his assistant Jaymes are an incredible asset to Princess. 

[Ken the cruiser]

1 minute ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I loved the Diamond this past January/February.  
 

Embarkation at pier 92 was a bit different than the usual pier 93 but it was effortless.  At 10:13 we gave our bags to the porter and in 45 minutes we were enjoying our first glass of wine at Vines. The elite lounge was well stocked with juices, coffee and pastries. They were making sure you had an elite boarding pass to stay there. The elite boarding passes were given out one per cabin so all in the same cabin could wait in the lounge together. 
 

There was a big notice that ONLY CARRY ON SIZE LUGGAGE WAS ALLOWED THRU SECURITY.  I wanted to take a photo of the sign but the line moved too fast. Also a sign that no liquids or food allowed. 
 

The selection of whites and reds at Vines is actually great. First time I’ve said that since forever!  Aldrin, the vines bartender and his assistant Jaymes are an incredible asset to Princess. 

Thanks for the heads up! Sounds like another reason we can’t wait to make Elite on our upcoming Canadian B2B cruise on the Caribbean Princess this Fall! 😁

[LACruiser88]

6 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

 Aldrin, the vines bartender and his assistant Jaymes are an incredible asset to Princess. 

It doesn't sound like we know them?  But, we will be best friends after our Hawaii cruise!  🍷🍷🍷

[cr8tiv1]

Someday, "WE" will be on a cruise together.  Thanks for the live.

[blizzard44ca]

48 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

There was a big notice that ONLY CARRY ON SIZE LUGGAGE WAS ALLOWED THRU SECURITY.  I wanted to take a photo of the sign but the line moved too fast. Also a sign that no liquids or food allowed. 

If there were no liquids allowed, how would you bring aboard your allowed canned beverages or wine?  Also, I’ve never seen food not allowed - seems odd (packaged not fresh, which could be a customs issue).

[Ellipooh]

51 minutes ago, blizzard44ca said:

If there were no liquids allowed, how would you bring aboard your allowed canned beverages or wine?  Also, I’ve never seen food not allowed - seems odd (packaged not fresh, which could be a customs issue).

This caught my attention, too.
I hope this isn’t a change in policy that I haven’t heard about yet. 

[milogurd]

12 minutes ago, Ellipooh said:

This caught my attention, too.
I hope this isn’t a change in policy that I haven’t heard about yet. 

Princess = Consistently Inconsistent.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

1 hour ago, blizzard44ca said:

If there were no liquids allowed, how would you bring aboard your allowed canned beverages or wine?  Also, I’ve never seen food not allowed - seems odd (packaged not fresh, which could be a customs issue).

There was a sign and there was a person who said it as you entered the security line. I hate to say it but it all happened so fast. I had my one allowed bottled of wine, some distilled water for sinus rinses and some fresh cherries in a see thru ziplock.  All were in a bag clearly visible as it was open and not closed in anyway. I was put thru so quick I didn’t have time to react. I’ve never heard of these restrictions and was still processing “What?….What?….. What?” And done. None of those items were taken or remarked upon. Perhaps folks who showed up later had a different experience? IDK. 

Edited July 2, 2023 by HaveDogWillTravel

[neverbeenhere]

1 hour ago, blizzard44ca said:

If there were no liquids allowed, how would you bring aboard your allowed canned beverages or wine?  Also, I’ve never seen food not allowed - seems odd (packaged not fresh, which could be a customs issue).

I believe that NCL also uses this pier. And perhaps the signage was left from a NCL cruise???

[flhokie]

2 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I loved the Diamond this past January/February.  
 

Embarkation at pier 92 was a bit different than the usual pier 93 but it was effortless.  At 10:13 we gave our bags to the porter and in 45 minutes we were enjoying our first glass of wine at Vines. The elite lounge was well stocked with juices, coffee and pastries. They were making sure you had an elite boarding pass to stay there. The elite boarding passes were given out one per cabin so all in the same cabin could wait in the lounge together. 
 

There was a big notice that ONLY CARRY ON SIZE LUGGAGE WAS ALLOWED THRU SECURITY.  I wanted to take a photo of the sign but the line moved too fast. Also a sign that no liquids or food allowed. 
 

The selection of whites and reds at Vines is actually great. First time I’ve said that since forever!  Aldrin, the vines bartender and his assistant Jaymes are an incredible asset to Princess. 

I had an empty refillable cup from Knott's in the outside pocket of my backpack. The woman staffing by that sign ran after me screaming "does that have anything in it?" I was focused on my disabled mother and my 12 year old daughter so didn't hear her at first. When I realized she was screaming at me I told her it was empty. Overall, she was quite nasty about it. Had never seen that before in many cruises. That terminal needs an overhaul, especially on staff (I know they're Port of LA Staff, but still). 

[that]

Currently onboard as well and enjoying everything.  No disappointments, No glitches with medallion class app, No lines at Botticelli at 7pm…

The Emerald is in beautiful condition, the staff is warm and welcoming.  Princess product on this cruise meets our expectations…

“there is nothing better than being on a cruise ship”

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

We are also onboard.  Saw both @cruiseraider and @havedogwilltravel onboard!  Fabulous crew and experience!

[cr8tiv1]

San Pedro has always made you empty your liquids out of open containers.  Doing a back to back, they wouldn't allow coffee from the ship or opened water bottles.  New to me about foods. 

 

But then again, NCL "stole" my pork chop plate lunch in Kona.  Princess has always allowed me to bring back local favorites for the ship's crew when doing an island run.

[Cruise Raider]

Ahhhh … my friend @HaveDogWillTravel told me about this cruise and there is no better place to watch the fireworks than from the ship in San Francisco.  
 

So, we are having the best time on this ship.  I haven’t been on the Emerald in almost 13 years.  I have to say, they have done such a great job on maintaining and updating this ship.  She is absolutely beautiful!  
 

Of note, our friend, @HaveDogWillTravel and I have a bet on how many crew members we’ve traveled with in the past … I’m full well in the lead although, she did win with the first one that was a past friend that we know.  J .. we just met another dear friend up in the buffet so we are up to 4 not counting Jo and Pamela.  
 

I just want to comment on how much we are enjoying this cruise.  The crew has such a cohesive relationship.  They are absolutely wonderful.  
The food, so far, has been fabulous.  Our cabin and steward are also great!  The entertainment and music is also outstanding!  
The ship is so clean and fresh.  They’ve really given life to the look and offerings of the buffet.  

Oh .. and wine choices are phenomenal.  We upgraded to the premier package and it was well worth it to do so. 
All in all, we are so happy to have booked on this ship again after so many years.  
I want to add they have upgraded the WiFi on this ship and there is really awesome connectivity.  Very impressive!  

This is where @HaveDogWillTravel will differ .. I didn’t care at all for the Diamond Princess.  That’s ok, we still had a fabulous cruise thanks to our friends that were onboard with the most fabulous entertainment and excellent food.  The service and cleanliness of the ship was lacking on that ship for us.

 

Now, for the things we’ve noticed that might be cons for this ship … 

we were going to order a pizza .. $3 for a whole pizza delivery was great in the past.  Them they eliminated the charge .. a.though we still tipped.  But now, we’ve noticed they’re are only 3 kinds of pizza instead of 4 and the charge is now $8.50.  I’m not complaining … just surprised to see it.  They are more gourmet so, I think they are probably worth the extra charge but we just went up to the buffet instead of ordering one. The food in the buffet was really good.  I just got a salad and some roasted chicken but all looked fresh and appetizing.  The interior has all been refurbished and looks very impressive for a buffet.  
The other con might be that the premium desserts that are offered on the package are only available up at Coffee and Cones on the Lido deck.  I’m not a sweet tooth so it matters not at all to me but they really should offer the gelato that is available in the international cafe to those that have the premium desserts in their package.  

 

Today, we went to the talk by Leo Rossi in the Explorers Lounge.  While we’ve seen most of his talks before, this one was the best.  If you enjoy stories about classic rock, family ties or even just the life and times of the baby baby boomer generation, you will love this event!  
 

That’s really all my comments for now.  We are having an excellent cruise so far, even though we’ve yet to visit the MDR or the Princess theater for a show.  


 

 

 

 

Edited July 3, 2023 by Cruise Raider

[HaveDogWillTravel]

4 hours ago, AnyMajorCruiseDude said:

We are also onboard.  Saw both @cruiseraider and @havedogwilltravel onboard!  Fabulous crew and experience!

Hi there! 😊Next time say hello. Would love to connect. 

Edited July 3, 2023 by HaveDogWillTravel

[HaveDogWillTravel]

28 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Hi there! 😊Next time say hello. Would love to connect. 

Let’s connect at the meet and greet tomorrow. 10:30 wheelhouse

[HaveDogWillTravel]

I agree about Leo Rossi’s talk. We thoroughly enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next one today.  

 

I wonder if all the ships’ have this new pizza offering for room service. I’m sad to see the price go up so much but even sadder that they only have what I would call weird choices. I’d like a cheese pie please for room service. I am not a fan of these options. 

[marden1970]

16 hours ago, flhokie said:

I had an empty refillable cup from Knott's in the outside pocket of my backpack. The woman staffing by that sign ran after me screaming "does that have anything in it?" I was focused on my disabled mother and my 12 year old daughter so didn't hear her at first. When I realized she was screaming at me I told her it was empty. Overall, she was quite nasty about it. Had never seen that before in many cruises. That terminal needs an overhaul, especially on staff (I know they're Port of LA Staff, but still). 

Yes, it pertains to things like an open can, refillable bottler or cup of soda or water etc.  Your bottles of wine or cases of soda or water are ok.  That was our experience twice in San Pedro in the last 9 months.

[LACruiser88]

46 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I agree about Leo Rossi’s talk. We thoroughly enjoyed it and are looking forward to the next one today.  

Leo is very interesting, we took him to lunch in Mazatlan last year and heard many great stories!  @HaveDogWillTravel  Are you saying that a cheese pizza is no longer available via room service?  If so, our granddaughter will be very upset next week. 🤥

[theloo]

@HaveDogWillTravelthose flavors actually sound interesting, but I wouldn't want to pay for room delivery.  Do they have them at Slice?