Our Emerald Experience 2/24-3/5/08

[Shelby Cruiser]

Pt. 1 - We booked this cruise 1 1/2yrs prior to sailing in anticipation of a reunion with our past cc friends from the Sea Princess cruise of Feb'06. We had a nice group of about 10 couples that mixed well together & felt we would like to get together again to enjoy another cruise experience. All together we had 8 couples from the original group sign up for the Emerald + many new cc friends joined in.

 

Due to our Michigan winters, in addition to going to Fort Lauderdale 2 days pre-cruise, we also spent 1 night prior to departure @The Crown Plaza by Detroit Metro. Our stay was very comfortable & quiet. We had to get up @3:30am to trf. to airport. It was snowy & very cold & we were ready for some warmth from the sun. It took us about 30-45min. to chk. in & then ran into 1 set of our new cc buddies who we had been talking with on rollcall for months & who were on our same flight. (Nice to have met Anna, Rick, & Victoria. - Thanks to John for our wonderful rollcall gallery so could spot people from our group.) We had booked our flight & hotel 11mo. in advance & flew NWA out of Detroit & stayed @Embassy Suites in Fla. Once onboard there was about a 45min delay while were chkg. out a system problem. They claimed 1 of 3 systems were down & were working on it. Finally announced that felt safe to fly with 2 of the 3 systems up. Good luck to us. Then had to wait 1/2hr or so to get de-iced.

 

We arrived safely in Fort Lauderdale & took cab to Embassy Suites on 17th St. where have previously stayed precruise. Since too early to chk. in, got an early lunch @hotel & then walked to wine shop next to Publix & then back to hotel. Were able to chk. in & got room on top flr. in corner w/view from balcony of ships in port. It was a very quiet rm. Since were predicting showers for next day, we decided to stay @pool & tour next day. Very nice & relaxing. Later to Mgr's. nightly reception prior to dinner @Bravo's Ital. restaurant. Had another excell. meal here. Highly recommend.

 

On 2nd day woke up early & heard ship's horn blowing & from our balcony saw several ships in port. Got ready for early breakfast @hotel. The food is good but didn't think assortment as great as prior yr. Walked to Causeway bridge to view ships & on return towards trolley pickup, ran into set of old cc friends (Terry & Beth traveling w/friends this time.) Eventually got Sun Trolley @$.50pp & took towards beach area. Got off & walked further to Bonnet House & Gardens located on Bruce Rd. & had tour @$18pp for 60+yrs. The house had been owned by 2 artists who painted every speck with murals, faux marble, etc. Got many o/d photos but none allowed i/s. Then walked back to beach area & had lunch @great hotel, "The Atlantic". Tried their Kobe beef burger. Good but don't get high $'s req'd. for this meat. Then got trolley again & headed to Los Olas & Riverwalk area. We like the area around Riverside Hotel with shops & restaurants but did not like Riverwalk area. It has changed drastically over the years & felt not up to caliber of past. Again got trolley for return to hotel. Later to cocktail reception & then dinner @Chuck's Steakhouse across street from Embassy. Great salad bar & good steaks. We didn't do the water taxi as have done it in past, but it is a great way to get around & see sights.

 

Pt. 2 to follow

 

Larry & Donna

[Shelby Cruiser]

Embarkation - Got up early again to see ships arriving from balcony. Another 6-8 were here. Had breakfast & then checked out & took hotel trf. to port at no charge. Started meeting new friends + our old cc buddies too. Were onboard by 12:15pm & immediately checked out our aft balcony cabin (B754). Really nice room & location + looks like very quiet spot. Had lunch in Horizon (delicious fried scallops) & then explored ship for our photo gallery. The ship is beautiful & very big & will take days to find out best way to get where want to be. After touring, our bags arrived & unpacked everything. Ample storage space but bathroom really needs more shelves. Then to muster drill & on to Skywalkers to meet our cc friends for sailaway. Not everyone on rollcall came but did get to meet new people. Tried the seafood extravaganza for 1st time, but its not really our thing. We like warm seafood, not cold, & only ate very little & planned on a later dinner. Eventually ate in DaVinci which was good (mushroom soup & prime rib). After further exploring, went to bed without seeing evening's entertainment, "Welcome Aboard Show" with comedian Billy Vader.

 

@Sea - We enjoy days @sea where can just lounge around & relax in the sun. We are early risers & went to breakfast @Horizon & then to pool in aft, but by 8am it was very hard to get lounge chairs since many all ready taken up with towels & just few people sitting there. Apparently they lay towels out 1st & then to breakfast. We eat 1st & then get chairs. Never any enforcement of chair rules. We eventually got some chairs away from pool on side of ship. The pool water was very cool. Finally left & enjoyed our balcony & then to lunch in dining rm. (matzoball soup, philly steak sandwich + ice cream - the blueberry frozen yogurt excell.) Then explored ship some more & watched pool games. Time to get ready for formal night. Met up with some of cc friends for dinner. (Had enjoyable time w/Barry & Heather + Marc & Robin - Thanks.) Dinner was soup, salad, twin filet mignons + ice cream. Our group went to production show "I Got The Music". Then just more exploring of ship & seeing cc buddies. Then to casino which is not our lucky place so went dancing @Explorers. The band, Horizon, is ok but not good music so didn't stay long & then off to bed. (Note, had to set clocks ahead 1hr tonight.

 

Pt 3 to follow

 

Larry & Donna

[Shelby Cruiser]

Rescue @Sea - Were up early again & since very gray, went to breakfast @DaVinci (fruit, rolls, eggs - poached + eggs florentine w/swiss cheese chard - very good). Then walking + picked up formal portraits & booked FCC's. Next was the cc get togehter @Skywalkers. Many came & met new folks & got hugs from old buddies. The CD was there + James Deering. Then to lunch @DaVinci (clam chowder, coq de von (like roasted chicken w/brown sauce, onions & mushrooms + vanilla floating island for dessert). Then got ready for pool & shortly after arriving on deck around 1pm, the announcement came regarding a possible small vessel in distress & in process of turning around. Capt. claimed the bridge had spotted a small vessel approx. 10min. prior & thought they were in distress & would be turning around to see if needed help. Everyone ran to side of ship but took approx. 1/2hr before could see a small fishing boat (approx. 12-15' in length) in distance with 2 people onboard. Princess sent out a rescue boat that sped towards small craft & the 2 people were standing & waving. The rescue craft circled the boat couple times & then took people onboard & left boat to drift. Everyone cheered & congratulated crew for their fine job of rescuing these people from certain death. Brought them onboard to Medical & later announced they were a man & his 17yr old son from Dominican Republic & had gone out on a 1 day fishing trip & had lost their motor & were adrift for 8 days. They were dehydrated but happy to be onboard. Princess alerted Aruban authorities for tomorrow's arrival + called their family to let them know they were safe. Later it started sprinkling so went back to cabin to relax prior to dinner. Met more cc buddies for dinner @DaVinci (Terry & Beth, Frank & Lynne + Gord & Pat). Had fun time & enjoyable meal together. (Cold pear soup, salad, butterfly fish (ok), shrimp cocktail + banana cream pie(not great). Then to theater to see "The Grand Illusions of Haines Magic" which was excellent. Then to Wheelhouse for dancing but got very smokey so didn't stay long but band, Bruce Elwood Trio, was very good.

 

Aruba - Arrived about 7am & watched from our balcony. Then to Horizon for breakfast (eggs, crousant, fruit). Then got ready to explore & were off by 8am. Since have been to Aruba prior & done other tours + stayed here for a vacation, we are familar with island & love it. Decided to spend 1/2 day @beach & then go to lunch & shpg. Took cab to DePalm Pier section of Palm Beach by RUI Palace Hotel & had enjoyable morning visiting w/another couple on ship from New Jersey + enjoying beautiful water. Also saw cc friends (Ann & Keith) just prior to our returning to town. Didn't take long to get taxi but should have gone to check out the RUI Palace. Looks fabulous. Once in town walked to Waterfront Crabhouse @Seaport Marketplace area for lunch (crabcake sandwich, very good). Then off to tour old Sonesta Hotel (now Renaissance). Still nice layout but the beautiful bridge they had out by ocean was gone & not as dramatic a photo opp. Then shpg. prior to reboarding the Emerald. Very good day with good weather. Had fruit upon our return. We keep meeting new people & having good conversations. Time to relax prior to dinner @DaVinci (blk. bean soup, salad, red snapper, fetticini w/shrimp + ice cream). Enjoyed the street entertainer, Geo. Orange, doing his thing in the Piazza. Kept running into familar faces of cc buddies. Also saw Samantha Brown @photo gallery & had an opportunity to talk with her. Then to see comedian Billy Vader. Very funny & then bedtime.

 

Bonaire - Up @6am & watched arrival. Still sort of dark & then to Horizon (fruit & rolls). Since had been to Bonaire prior for full day @Harbor Village Resort, we decided to walk & check out town. We did thoroughly enjoy our tour to the resort last time. The facilities were great, beautiful sand beach & good food, but this tour was not offered this time for this resort + were only here 1/2 day. If avail., highly recommend. Off ship around 8am & walked along shoreline for approx 45min & then turned back towards town by various side streets. Saw some neat chruches, statues, cannons & pretty foilage prior to shops opening. There really isn't that much to see in town so would recommend a tour or beach. Then went to ship & to pool. Very warm today but with a breeze. Finally got too hot for us so only stayed 1hr & then to lunch @Horizon (beef, rice, fruit, turkey). Time to relax again prior to sailaway. Then to Internat'l. Cafe for sm. sandwiches & cookies. Next just walking & visiting prior to tea time. Booked trf. to airport + the luggage trf. for $15pp. Wanted to try & see how it went & hope for the best to avoid possible long lines @airport. Next had to get ready for repeat pass. cocktail party & seeing cc buddies. To Davinci for dinner (wild mushroom tart - delicious, soup, salmon steaks, vodka lime sorbet). Then show "Motor City", good but saw in past. Note, must arrive 45min-1hr prior to get seats since theater too small for everyone even with 2 shows. Some people not happy. Tried another donation @casino prior to dancing @Explorers. Stayed here to see "Hypnotic Showtime" w/Eric Kand, very funny. Then bed. We think our next visit would hire a cab to take tour of isl.

 

Pt. 4 to follow

 

Larry & Donna

[Shelby Cruiser]

Grenada - Had rough seas last night & kept putting on/off sea band braclets. They really help me. Didn't get much sleep. It calmed down quite a bit & just some choppy waters. There were dark & gray skies & rain off to 1 side of ship in early am. Finally to breakfast @DaVinci (eggs benedict & papaya) since late arrival @port. Walked around + shpg. & was fortunate enough to get lovely slide for necklace as a belated 64th B.D. gift. I have a teriffic hubby. Then relax on balcony until ready to dock. Got off just after 12 & met tour group for "Grenada's Favorites" to Concord & Annadale Falls. Have been to Grenada 1 time prior & @that time took "Grenada's Highlights" which enjoyed. Annadale did not look as impressive as 1st time & thought gardens around it were not as elaborate. Bought spices & then to Concord Falls which were not as dramatic as thought would be but were nice. On return to ship got dropped off by tunnel to Carneage harbor area. Then it poured & we just took few photos & returned to ship. Time to get ready fro dinner @DaVinci. We had found an excell. waiter, Stepan @table 484, & requested him ea. night. (Blue crab & melon balls - good, soup, surf & turf + ice cream). Then to "Livewire" then to bed. Were planning on going to Isl. Night on deck but missed it for 1st time as too tired. Getting old & up too early.

 

Dominica - Got up @6am & watched arrival to this new port for us. Then to Horizon (cereal, fruit & rolls). Then off ship to meet tour group for "Dominica's Favorites" w/visit to Traflager Falls & Emerald Pool. Stopped @lovely viewpoint o/harbor & then to Traflager. Very beautiful & majestic. Enjoyed it. Then a stop @plantation for fresh fruit juice & photo opps prior to trf. to Emerald Pool. Thought the pool was nice but not as spect. as Traflager. Then back to port & boarded ship. Did not really want to venture walking on own, although many did. Felt streets looked a little unsafe off main rd. Went to late lunch @Horizon & just had salad & fruit then to pool. It rained on/off few times in rain forest + on ship. The isl. is very mountainous & lush but really not 1 of our favorite stops. Don't know if would get off ship next time. Watched sailaway & then time to get ready for dinner @DaVinci (soup, strawberry sorbet, Alaskan king crab leg + special raspberry melange dessert). Then to see street entertainment in Piazza & on to Explorers to see Liars Club instead of "Boogie Shoes" in theater. Then to Club Fusion but nothing here so went to see MUTS & only stayed 1/2hr since didn't like "Hairspray". Saw more cc buddies & such a nice feeling to be around friends while on board, thanks to cc.

 

St Thomas/St John - Got up @6am & watched another beautiful sunrise from blacony. Got ready for breakfast @Horizon (fruit & rolls) then to immigration pior to tour. Had originally booked St John Isl. tour for pm since felt shops would only be open in morning due to being a Sunday. Had gotten notice day prior that tour was resched'd. to am & wanted to get through immigration fast since had to be on dock by 8:20am. Have been here many times & have stayed here on vacation so familar w/beautiful isl. but hadn't been to St. John in about 15yrs. We thoroughly enjoyed our 1/2 day tour & got many photo opps. Got ferry right there @dock & had very fast ride across to St John. Then rode open canopy vehile around isl. Saw Cruz Bay, Caneel Bay, isl. foilage, Hawksnest Bay, Truck Bay, Cinnamon Bay, Maho Bay + Bordeaux Mt. Viewpoint prior to return to dock area for approx. 1/2hr shpg. Upon return to St Thomas just walked around Havensight where docked since a Sunday & felt stores would close shortly. Did miss doing this as great photo opps in town. Had late lunch on ship @Horizon since didn't like menu in Din. Rm. (salad, pork, chicken, cod, rice, fruit + cookie & tart). Time to relax with nap prior to watching sailaway & dinner @DaVinci (proscutto & melon, soup, pot roast + cheesecake & tiramuso). Met new people tonight & had fun @dinner. Then to see vocalist, Hal Frazer. Really did not enjoy performance & then to Explorers & nothing going on so to Skywalkers for drink prior to bed. Don't know where everyone went. They did have a Marriage Game Show but missed it since saw vocalist. That was definately the better option. Many people went to Megans Bay @St Thomas but heard it got crowded. Highly recommend going to St John @Trunk Bay for swimming where is less crowded & utterly fantastic.

 

Pt. 5 to follow

 

Larry & Donna

[Shelby Cruiser]

@Sea - Up early & guess what another beautiful sunrise from balcony. Never gets tiring. Had brkfst. @DaVinci (french toast & fruit) & then to pool before too hot. Tonight is 2nd formal. Had lunch @Horizon (fruit, chicken marsala & cookies) & later to ice carving on deck. Dinner @DaVinci (salad, lobster tails w/prawns, escargot). Felt lobster was very small & not nearly as tasty as other cruises. The passion fruit souffle was very good. To Explorers for comedy show by Scott Wyler instead of prod. show "What A Swell Party". Then to Adagio Bar but nothing going on so went to Crooners. Had drinks & sat awhile. The 'older' crowd really enjoyed this area. Had nice walk out on deck & then to Champagne Waterfall prior to bed.

 

Princess Cays - Up early & looked as though would pour any minute. Had to decide if worth while to put swimsuits on or not, but did so & then to brkfst. @Horizon (fruit & roll). Saw cc buddies. Finally decided even though it rained to go to isl. & at least take photos & if doesn't improve could return to ship. This was our 3rd attempt to get here since our past 2 times were canc'd due to gale force winds & rough seas. Got tender quickly & started to clear up & walked around snapping photos. When finally got to where wanted to stay, the skies darkened drastically & a storm was moving in fast. Decided to beat the crowds to the tenders & return to the Emerald. When got back decided to go to The Sanctuary to relax. Hadn't been here prior & really didn't want to pay to enjoy it but felt it might rain all day. They charge $15pp for 1/2 day & did allow us to come even though it was 11am. Normally is from early am till 1pm & then 1/2 day in pm, but since hardly anyone there, allowed us to do so. It was very nice experience with very soothing music playing softly, plush cushions & thick, warm towels. Don't forget free food with just a $3pp service chg. to deliver. Ordered chicken caesar salad on spinach tortillas + fruit skewers. Fantastic. The fruit was 3 lg. skewers of strawberries, pineapple & melon w/dish of whipped cream for dunking. Yum. Also ord'd. raspberry smoothies for a cost but not really great. Was worth the cost to stay here. Then to pack & get ready for dinner @DaVinci (shrimp cocktail, soup, turkey, scallops + mango tart, very good). Ran into cc buddies & said our farewells & then to cabin to remove luggage for pickup. Then to another show by Livewire & comedian Scott Wyler. After quick stop @Explorers & Crooners went to bed for early get up.

 

Disembarkation - Pretty smooth, except for few glitches. Were up early & got ready to disembark. Brkfst. @Horizon (scrambled eggs, roll & fruit). Said more good-byes then to cabin for bags. Had booked trf. for easy chk. in of bags & weren't exactly sure how it would go & if worth the cost. Had to report to casino by 7:45am & were there by 7:30 & all ready crowded. They got a radio call to debark & we followed others to 5th flr. There wasn't a clearly marked trail or instructions to follow & ended up in Din. Rm. & everyone got backed up behind the leader & had to work our way around the crowds & to the lobby. The lady there said could not pass since no announcement was made. She was told ours was a radio call to the casino & got ok to leave but had to all make way around the elevators instead of her opening up the roped off area. You would think they would have better directions &/or someone to guide people out. Was a little confusing. Once off ship was guided to our area for luggage p/u to take thru customs. Walked right on thru & then directed to trucks for luggage drop off. This is another spot for confusion. They just started grabbing bags & did not put further tags on them for the airlines as the letter we rec'd. had stated. They told us not to worry, everything would be ok. Left our bags with fingers crossed. Then back up ramp to get trf. on buses to airport. Were on by 8:20am. Our flt. wasn't until 1pm so had plenty of time. Had heard about weather problems w/snow & winds + there would be delays. Had early lunch & then to our gate. Talked with our son & stated had 6-8" of snow night before & had been a messy commute. Our flt. was delayed 2hrs. but eventually took off & arrived home safely. Got all our bags. Yipee. Thanks Princess. We would do this again even though there were not that many ships in port that day. Got shuttle to prkg. lot & had to clear away snow on car prior to heading home. Did stop for quick late dinner & didn't get home until after 9pm.

 

Pt 6 to follow

 

Larry & Donna

[Shelby Cruiser]

Summary - The Emerald is a beautifully decorated ship. Had a great time w/friends both old & new. Don't know if really would be in a hurry to book her again unless really into the ports avail. We did not like the layout & felt was too chopped up in places. Also don't believe would book another aft balcony. I know, a lot of people swear by these & would only book this type of cabin, but we felt w/added cost, the sway of the vessel, & the noise from the wake interferring w/conversations, all these would be cons against doing so. Also while in cabin w/door open to balcony, had to talk louder in order to be heard. The pros are that it is extremely quiet from hallway noise & views are wonderful.

 

Check out the gelato @Internat'l. Cafe. Very good & nice serving for $1.50. Also the MUTS is not as pleasing to the ears as our past experience. The MUTS played the audio w/o individual headsets during the day & can be annoying. We personally liked it better with the individual headsets for daytime use & then the audio for evening movies. The Adagio Bar is a beautiful rm. as are all the optional dining venues. We did not like the pizza at all but have on previous ships. They kept the wedding chapel locked & were not able to see what it looked like. On other vessels were able to take a peek & on formal nights was a great place for quick photos.

 

It was a joy to see our friends & to make new ones. Hope everyone enjoys cruising like we do. We are not novices as have completed 16 cruises & have the 17th booked for Apr. for 31 days from Australia to LA on the Sapphire. We are platinum w/Princess & RCI + sailed on NCL, Celebrity & Carnival. We enjoy anytime dining for flexibility. We also have another cruise booked for Feb'09 on the Grand for 14 days + have the FCC's avail.

 

If anyone interested in viewing photos on webshots of this cruise, the link to the albums is below. The photos are listed under the Emerald heading with sections for precruise, the ship, the ports, etc.: http://community.webshots.com/user/shelbycruiser

 

The End - Larry & Donna

[Co. Cruisers]

Thanks for the VERY comprehensive reiew and write-up. Wife and I sailed the Emerald 11/26/07 - 12/06/07; absolutely loved it all, including the ports-of-call; Antigua, St. Lucia, Barbados, St. Kitts, St. Thomas, Prin. Cays. Booked for this coming Nov. 30 - 12/10 Emerald cruise with the same itinerary you were just on; - really looking forward to it. We think she's a beautiful ship. We've been on 9 cruises, 8 with Princess, 1 with Celebrity; - Princess is our cruise line. Thanks again and glad you traveled safely! We're cruising!

[slomotion]

Great Review!

 

who is the cruise director on the Emerald?

[dforeigner]

Thank you for taking time to write a review.

[Colo Cruiser]

Great Review!

 

who is the cruise director on the Emerald?

 

 

Noticed a post by another Emerald cruiser and they said it was Lisa Ball. :)

[Colo Cruiser]

Great review and photos, thanks. :)

[chasinraynbowz]

Thanks for a wonderful review! I have enjoyed reading and am now heading over to check out your pictures!

[WISH84]

We are booked on the Emerald for the first time in one year and with the same stops as yours and again, never been to those ports before.

 

Has anyone been able to find out any information on when the Samantha Brown show will be aired???? I know it's early but I was wondering if when you spoke to her did she mention when it would be on air????

 

Thanks

[JWJs]

Great review and pictures! Enjoyed both very much. The rescue was interesting...glad you included pictures. As I was reading your review about the rescue...I envisioned their boat to be a large fishing boat but with your pictures found it to be a relatively small boat. Wonder why it took 8 days for a cruise ship to see them. BTW...we were on the Diamond Princess which is suppose to be similar to the Emerald. The Diamond did not have MUTS...we were disappointed. Sailed on the Caribbean Princess and enjoyed MUTS on her. Thanks again for your review and pictures.:)

[JWJs]

Great review and pictures! Enjoyed both very much. The rescue was interesting...glad you included pictures. As I was reading your review about the rescue...I envisioned their boat to be a large fishing boat but with your pictures I found it to be a relatively small boat! Poor guys. Wonder why it took 8 days for a cruise ship to see them. BTW...we were on the Diamond Princess which is suppose to be similar to the Emerald. The Diamond did not have MUTS...we were disappointed. Sailed on the Caribbean Princess and enjoyed MUTS on her. Thanks again for your review and pictures.:)

[Kruzrazkal]

Thanks for your comprehensive review. Your photographs are excellent, also.

 

Kruzrazkal

[cruzzers]

Larry & Donna....

We really enjoyed your cruise review. We only regret that we didn't get to spend as much time visiting with you while onboard. We had an equally enjoyable time and would book the Emerald again. We are signed up for the cruise with you next year in Feb. and love the anticipation of looking forward to meeting up with old friends for a cruise.

[galelynn]

Larry and Donna,

 

good review. was wondering about Gordon and Pat are they from Brentwood, CA if so they use to be neighbors of our before we moved.

[cdnguy]

We are signed up for the cruise with you next year in Feb. and love the anticipation of looking forward to meeting up with old friends for a cruise.

Terry and Beth. We assume you will be joining us on our Feb. 13/09 Grand Princess roll call sometime.

Remember, I'm the one with the terrific memory. :D (Sea Princess - St. Vincent?)

[erin6494]

Was Samantha Brown filming on the Emerald? Does anyone have any info on that? I have watched her other ones hundreds of times and would love to see one on the Emerald before we sail.

 

Great review!

 

Erin

[Shelby Cruiser]

Thank you to everyone who enjoyed reading my lengthy review. (Thanks for sticking with it.) I get carried away sometimes, but also on reading other reviews find it can be helpful on making plans for future cruisers.

 

Re Samatha Brown: We just talked about how much we liked her programs on the Travel Channel & also made a comment regarding how tiny she is. She is very short & very, very tiny. She appears much taller on the tv screen. She is now a spokesperson for Princess, so don't know if she was just making commercials for them or doing a segment for a future travel show on the Emerald. Lets hope so.

 

Re Gord & Pat - No, they are not from California, but Michigan.

 

Terry & Beth - So glad that you guys finally made on decision & booked the Grand for next year with us. Yippee. Another one to plan.

 

Larry & Donna