Onboard the Emerald Nov 25th 14 days

[BeeeJay]

39 minutes ago, MissiCruzs said:

We spent the morning at the Sanctuary. It's $20pp from 8:30-12:30 or 1-5 or you can book the whole day for $40pp.  I attached the menu of complimentary food you can order and in the afternoon they do a complimentary tea. It's best to book when you board but you can check throughout the cruise if they're booked up. People do cancel. We booked the whole day and canceled the second half when we got there so that freed up 2 seats. The Pros and Cons of booking a port day are port noise... we had a little early on but it stopped. It's Sunday and then there's crew drills. One started at 9:45 and lasted an hour so constant alarms and announcements. But I had the pool to myself early on and there were only a handful of people in the Sanctuary. Overall it was a lovely morning. 

must have just missed you!  Been working my way through that menu!  Well the drink section at least 😂

[canadarocks]

Lovely view!

[obendus]

55 minutes ago, MissiCruzs said:

We went to lunch in the Lido which continues to disappoint with it's food offerings. 

 

Some Corporate peeps showed up with Carnival IDs and laptops. They got some lunch and settled into one of the tables. They had on polo shirts that read Operation Ocean Alive. Curious if we'll find out what that's about. 

 

Operation Ocean Alive .  You read it first here everyone!

[memoak]

34 minutes ago, obendus said:

Operation Ocean Alive .  You read it first here everyone!

This has been around for several years it is Carnival Cruises name for their environmental policy to cut things like one use plastic use, food waste, discharge issues etc.

[XBGuy]

1 hour ago, mk-ultra said:

 

Vigorously seconding La Mar.  It's high-end Peruvian food and (natch) heavy of the seafood.  Landlubbers will be happy as well with their Lomo Saltado.  Small warning: it ain't cheap.  Prepare for a wallet biopsy.

 

It is always our first choice on San Francisco port stops.  Regarding the cost, we feel that the return is commensurate with the investment.  Our standard mid-day order is the Ceviche sampler, the Empanada sampler and a bottle of Albariño.  😋  I suppose we could look at a South American wine, but we both really enjoy Albariño.

[mk-ultra]

On 11/28/2023 at 3:07 AM, BeeeJay said:

not everyone 😉 and just after we were debating if the machines were rigged cause no one had gotten a 4 of a kind.  Guess not.  Completely agree casino kinda empty and older machines.  However I do kind like it! 😂

 

 

 

 

 

 

Did they give you the dreaded/welcomed 10-40G form to claim your winnings?

Edited December 3, 2023 by mk-ultra

[obendus]

1 hour ago, mk-ultra said:

 

Did they give you the dreaded/welcomed 10-40G form to claim your winnings?

That's an interesting question, being that the vessel is flagged under Bermudian registry.

How they can employ crew and circumvent US employment laws, and then turnabout and require compliance with US tax laws will be unique. The casino doesn't open until they're in international waters, if I'm not mistaken.

[BeeeJay]

5 hours ago, MissiCruzs said:

We went to lunch in the Lido which continues to disappoint with it's food offerings. 

 

Some Corporate peeps showed up with Carnival IDs and laptops. They got some lunch and settled into one of the tables. They had on polo shirts that read Operation Ocean Alive. Curious if we'll find out what that's about. 

 

 

ordered a drink and waited 45 minutes, went down to bar, they said they were out of the liquor and the girl had come up and called my name, I said i'm directly beside the stairs and I asked each time she came up about my drink and she had no idea.  Then they said I kept moving around.  I said I haven't moved since before my LAST order came.  LMFAO.  Overall great service....but not always.  I've had two app orders no show.

[BeeeJay]

5 hours ago, canadarocks said:

Do they still charge $3 for food delivery in the Sanctuary? Is it $3  per delivery or per item?

 

I asked the lady beside me who doesn't have a premier package and ordered food, but they forgot her order and never brought it so couldn't find out.  Sorry.  

[canadarocks]

If possible can you find out which days Planks and Steamers are open? I know they alternate, but I'm wondering which day has which one open (ie - Day 2 Steamers, Day 3 Planks). 

[MissiCruzs]

Stepped out on my balcony this morning to this beautiful rainbow on our way to Martinique. 

 

P.S.  I kindly ask you to take your casino discussion elsewhere unless it happened on this ship. This is a live hopefully informative thread about the Emerald. Thank you. 

[MissiCruzs]

12 hours ago, canadarocks said:

If possible can you find out which days Planks and Steamers are open? I know they alternate, but I'm wondering which day has which one open (ie - Day 2 Steamers, Day 3 Planks). 

Embarkation Day - both closed

Day 2 - Steamers 5-9

Day 3 - Planks 5-9

Day 4 - Steamers 5-9

Day 5 - Planks 5-9

Day 6 - Planks 5-9

Day 7 - Planks 5-9

Day 8 - Steamers 5-9

Day 9 - Planks 5-9

 

We're only up to Day 9.  Day 6 might be a misprint because our first day said it was Day 7.🙄  I did over hear a conversation from someone who went to Planks and didn't like it... said the meat was tough. 

[canadarocks]

Thanks so much @MissiCruzs!

[MissiCruzs]

I will scan and post all the Event Listings...aka Patters to us regulars... after I get home. 

[MissiCruzs]

1 hour ago, MissiCruzs said:

Stepped out on my balcony this morning to this beautiful rainbow on our way to Martinique. 

 

P.S.  I kindly ask you to take your casino discussion elsewhere unless it happened on this ship. This is a live hopefully informative thread about the Emerald. Thank you. 

I didn't notice until I looked at this post that is actually a double rainbow!

[MissiCruzs]

Today we did a snorkel excursion thru the ship. The first picture with the white and yellow boat was our ride for the day. The crew was awesome. We went to a cove and snorkeled in a batcave and then went around to another cove for more snorkeling and swimming. It was a fun day!

[MissiCruzs]

Sunset in Martinique... going... going... gone...

[MissiCruzs]

Snorkel boat returning from the afternoon excursion. Lots of whooping and hollering going on. They got to see the sunset at sea. If you haven't done this excursion you should!

[MissiCruzs]

Flavorings you can add to your tea or coffee. I think you can read them all except the Chai Tea Spice. We always order a Salted Caramel Latte every morning at the IC.

[MissiCruzs]

The Juice Bar is indeed on the Port side of the Calypso bar on Deck 15 right outside the Marketplace aka Buffet.  I'll take a picture of the menu and hours that was on the wall there next time I get by. 

[MissiCruzs]

Earlier this cruise I went to a presentation by the Future Cruise/ Loyalty rep and learned some things I didn't know. I'm sure people way smarter than me already have this figured out but I'm just starting to take longer cruises and didn't know. 

 

So as you know you can buy FCCs only onboard with a $100 deposit. But you can buy as many as you want. If the app limits you to 5 or 10 just place the order and keep ordering. They're automatically refunded if you don't book in a year but you can ask for an extension. These are good for cruises up to 44 days. 

 

What I didn't know is if you book a cruise 45+ days you can ask to use one of your FCCs and they will refund that deposit to you and give you a 3% discount on your cruise in place of it. You will also have to make a larger deposit because they want more of a commitment for longer cruises. She said you may have to get to the right person to make this happen because as we know, all phone reps are not equal. 🙄 But she said be persistent because it's a real thing. 

[MissiCruzs]

Juice Bar Menu

[MissiCruzs]

We docked in Aruba this morning by 7 and we were lucky to get Terminal 2.  The NCL Jade was in front of us. Terminal 1 is empty and it feels like a long walk down to T2 especially in the heat. Also T2 is full of shops. All the shops and the Market all have mostly the same stuff... all made in China... for the same prices. We took the Arubus to Arashi Beach. We've been here so many times and have toured one end to the other. Arashi is almost on the tip of the island where the California lighthouse is... so named for a ship sunk off the coast. 

 

I took some pictures to guide you to the bus terminal. The buses are big greyhound type. It's $5 RT to the beaches or you can buy a day pass and beach hop. The locals use the same buses to get to and from work so it's not a beach express. It's 20-30 min from the station to Arashi based on stops made. The bus number is L10A and it says Hotels/Arashi.  We did take the number 21 back because it was going straight back to the terminal.  You can look up Arubus schedule online and it'll give you times and destinations and bus number. 

 

In the first picture there's a green structure that's the port exit. You must go and come that way and show your ship card. You can see the market beyond that. If you're looking for a tour all those folks will be right there as you come out. Go out to the main road. In the center of the photo you will see Hublot and Diamonds International. There's a crosswalk to get to the other side. There's an alley next to the Gypsy store. This used to be where you buy tickets but they closed the stand and put in a little air conditioned trailer. We sneak thru there but you can walk down a little and there's an entrance between the shops. The trailer may not look open but it is... just open the door. For $5 you get a plastic card sort of like a credit card. When you get on the bus lay it flat on top of the black box... the driver will nod and you'll go thru a turnstile.  You only board the bus on the front. You exit in the middle. Really it's so easy this is how you'll get around Aruba in the future!

[MissiCruzs]

A couple of notes for Arashi... there are palapas both single and family size... about 10 of both. These are free to the public so if you see an empty one go claim it then go rent chairs if you want to. We just sat our stuff on the table wrapped around it and got in the water. Chair and umbrella rentals are $10 each. There's a bar that serves food and drink. They have restrooms and showers. If you're eating or drinking it's free... if not it's $1 each for each item. 

 

Also today someone had set up a massage table. $50 for 40 minutes. I would have taken her up on it but the ship is leaving around 3:30.

Edited December 6, 2023 by MissiCruzs

[MissiCruzs]

Something we haven't seen before are the streetcars. There's a blue one and a red one. I'll have to look into this.