Emerald Princess - Just Returned Nov. 10th - 20th

[Oradellian]

An excellent cruise, highly recommended. Please ask any questions and I will try to help. . .

 

1) The Sanctuary

2) Sabatini's and Crown Grill

3) Botticelli traditional dining vs. DaVinci/Michelangelo anytime dining

4) Entertainment aboard

5) Ports of call: Aruba, Bonaire, Grenada, Dominica, St. Thomas, Princess Cays

6) Field Trips: The Samur on Bonaire; Rhum Runner Party Boat on Grenada; TiTou Gorge and Hot Springs on Dominica.

7) Outside Cabin category BA Lido deck, L206

 

Mike & Elaine

Age 56

Northeast USA

[TwinCruiserMom]

Good to know you enjoyed your cruise!

 

Did they have the lemonaide out in the horizon court? Supposed to be starting soon.

 

Did you eat in the Botticelli dining room? We have late traditional and I was wondering whether you felt the ship's movement back there.

 

How was the service?

 

Would love to hear a bit of a review if you get a chance.

 

Thanks!

[B and B Rookie Cannucks]

Glad to hear you had a great time! We will be on the Emerald in Feb on the same itinerary. :D Can you tell us in some detail what you did in each port and any recomendations you may have about things to see and do and if there are any things to avoid. Also can you talk about the night life on the ship.

Thanks!

[Oradellian]

Good to know you enjoyed your cruise!

 

Did they have the lemonaide out in the horizon court? Supposed to be starting soon.

 

Did you eat in the Botticelli dining room? We have late traditional and I was wondering whether you felt the ship's movement back there.

 

How was the service?

 

Would love to hear a bit of a review if you get a chance.

 

Thanks!

 

Thanks for asking. . . no lemonade!

 

We did eat in Botticelli, 2nd seating, but were bored with our table and spent the remainder of the cruise using the other dining options (Crown Grill, Sabatini's, plus anytime dining). Yes, you could feel the ship but remember November is a busy month for weather conditions in the Caribbean.

 

Service was excellent and we never had reason to complain.

 

I'll try to post a full review later this week.

[Oradellian]

Glad to hear you had a great time! We will be on the Emerald in Feb on the same itinerary. :D Can you tell us in some detail what you did in each port and any recomendations you may have about things to see and do and if there are any things to avoid. Also can you talk about the night life on the ship.

Thanks!

 

February should be great with more sunshine than November . . . maybe more kids because of school holidays in the US . . .

 

In Aruba we rented a car from Hertz and did some touring, swam at the beaches near the large hotels west of the city, and had lunch out over the water. Later, dropped off the car and did some shopping. Roads are good, but traffic was very intense. Cost was about $65 including all insurances, probably a good deal compared to taxi fares.

 

In Bonaire, we took the ship's Samur sail & snorkle tour, excellent snorkling and a funny Captain. Shopping was strictly trinkets.

 

Grenada was interesting . . . very poor neighborhood outside the Port building . . . we walked around but felt harassed. In the afternoon, we had the ship's Rhum Runner party cruise tour, which was a good one and we enjoyed swimming at a nice beach (although it rained pretty hard). Frankly, Grenada reminded me of Jamaica and I'm not sure I'd return to either place.

 

Dominica was cool and there were plenty of interesting things (volcanos, waterfalls, rain forest, etc.). We did the TiTou Gorge and Hot Springs ship's tour. The TiTou Gorge is one of the places highlighted in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, where you swim in a dark cave and find a hidden waterfall. Later, the Hot Springs are "guaranteed" by Mr. Screw (the owner) to shave 10 years off your body's age, however I still feel the same. :( I would do this tour again if we come back with friends or family members. Shopping was limited in Dominica.

 

We've been to St. Thomas several times and opted to spend the day shopping downtown. Unfortunately we did not spot any bargains and actually came home with unspent money. We would have bought liquor but we could not figure out how to get it back home without paying excess baggage charges to our airline.

 

Princess Cays was a day at the beach. We rented a clamshell and lounge chairs. It was fun.

 

Nightlife: Excellent comedians and musicians in the small clubs (the Explorers Club). The best comic was Phil Tag, who has been on Jay Leno a few times. We also watched every session of the Princess Pop Idol contest (think American Idol TV show) which was held in Club Fusion. Amazing how talented some folks are.

 

If I've skipped anything please, ask again. You will have a great vacation.

[Name Of The Game]

What time is muster drill? Do you have to bring life jackets to a meeting place or is it a film?

 

Since you might not get your luggage until after dinner time the first day, is it acceptable to come to the dining room in shorts?

 

Do comedians ever do late night "R" rated shows?

 

Who was the CD? How old did he look? Was he funny?

[PescadoAmarillo]

Thanks for your review. Did you go to Grand Anse beach on the Rhum Runner boat. Did it turn into a real party, did the rum flow freely (I kind of like it when both of these things occur)? Did you rent the car in Aruba right at the pier, and was it reserved ahead of time?

 

Thanks!

[Oradellian]

What time is muster drill? Do you have to bring life jackets to a meeting place or is it a film?

 

Since you might not get your luggage until after dinner time the first day, is it acceptable to come to the dining room in shorts?

 

Do comedians ever do late night "R" rated shows?

 

Who was the CD? How old did he look? Was he funny?

 

 

Our mustering was at 4:15pm, just before sailaway from Ft. Lauderdale. Yes, we brought our life jackets to our designated station, which was the Princess Theatre.

 

Hypothetically, if you have nothing but shorts because your luggage did not arrive, I suppose you could still eat in the dining rooms, but we did not see anyone dress down in the dining rooms. Our luggage was promptly delivered and was placed in our cabin.

 

IMHO, the comedian's shows were PG-13 but it's conceivable that "R" is more accurate. The shows are NOT "Chris Rock HBO Specials" full of f-bombs. They do contain sexual references that I would consider inappropriate for children.

[SheltieLady]

We will be sailing on the Emerald in March doing the Southern Caribbean, how was going for immigration in St. Thomas we are booked on a 8:45 am excurison?

 

What night is island night?

 

Christine

[Oradellian]

Thanks for your review. Did you go to Grand Anse beach on the Rhum Runner boat. Did it turn into a real party, did the rum flow freely (I kind of like it when both of these things occur)? Did you rent the car in Aruba right at the pier, and was it reserved ahead of time?

 

Thanks!

 

The Rhum Runner travels to Morne Rouge beach which is just south of Grand Anse. Yes, drinks flow freely . . . you shall not want. The steel band was great. It wasn't quite a party-party as it was pouring rain and many of the ladies were cold on the return trip . . . but the crew certainly did their best and we had a fun time.

 

Yes, Hertz in Aruba is right at the pier, and we reserved through Hertz' website just like any other reservation several months ahead. They honored our web price, no hassles (about $42) and we added the additional, optional insurances which I always do when outside the USA.

[Oradellian]

We will be sailing on the Emerald in March doing the Southern Caribbean, how was going for immigration in St. Thomas we are booked on a 8:45 am excurison?

 

What night is island night?

 

Christine

 

"Immigration" in St. Thomas took 2 minutes and consisted of us showing our passports to an officer stationed in Club Fusion on the Promenade Deck.

 

Island night was after Grenada (which was a Saturday for us), and unfortunately it was raining heavily. The party was brought indoors to Club Fusion and it was very tame.

[snowman]

thank you for answering these questions.. I was wondering if you could a little more specific about Grenada. We have been there many years ago and it was a beautiful peaceful island, has it changed that much?

[Oradellian]

What time is muster drill? Do you have to bring life jackets to a meeting place or is it a film?

 

Since you might not get your luggage until after dinner time the first day, is it acceptable to come to the dining room in shorts?

 

Do comedians ever do late night "R" rated shows?

 

Who was the CD? How old did he look? Was he funny?

 

 

The CD was Neil Chandler, he was certainly talented and funny, probably about 40 years old although I did not get to see him close up.

[grandmaa]

We were on this cruise too..they did have lemonade in the Horizon Court..but you had to ask for it. They were in plastic pitchers as were the water and iced teas pitchers the servers/helpers used to pour at the tables. Not widely publicized..you did have to ask. OP did not mention..but milk and cookies were served on deck about 3ish. Everyday the cookie choice changed...choc. chip, peanut butter, etc.

Have fun on your cruise..

[Oradellian]

thank you for answering these questions.. I was wondering if you could a little more specific about Grenada. We have been there many years ago and it was a beautiful peaceful island, has it changed that much?

 

Interesting! We definitely had a nice time on the ship's tour in Grenada (the Rhum Runner party beach cruise) but we were annoyed by the locals after walking out of the port building and wanting to do some sightseeing of the damaged fort and churches.

 

My wife and I are large, healthy and maybe even athletic, but I don't like people poking at us or yelling at our backs. In addition, the automobiles would not stop for pedestrians even at corners. There were no police or officials of any kind outside the port building. The place looked like a slum, there was an odor of raw sewage in the streets and the Saturday "marketplace" was medieval.

 

I recall being in Port-au-Princ Haiti in 1974; while everyone was desperately poor, they were certainly friendly and eager and I did not worry about my safety. I'm sure that there are better parts of Grenada which I did not see, but based on what I did see I am not hurrying back.

[Name Of The Game]

Thanks for the reply.

 

Another question: How early do you have to get to the early (big) show before the theatre fills up? I like the looks of the Carnival seating with couches better. Can you scoot by the people seated in rows without them having to stand up?

[Oradellian]

Thanks for the reply.

 

Another question: How early do you have to get to the early (big) show before the theatre fills up? I like the looks of the Carnival seating with couches better. Can you scoot by the people seated in rows without them having to stand up?

 

Yes, folks had to stand up for me to get to the inner seats in the Princess Theatre . . . I'm 6'2" and 250 lbs. so no surprise.

 

I'm no expert on the timing . . . my wife and I are not fond of the large "song and dance" shows and I think we only attended once. We got there right at 8:30pm and settled for two single seats separated by a few rows. I've read other posts suggesting that arrival before 8:00 is essential.

[mizLORInj]

I think Neil was younger than 40.

Immigration on STT was 8am. We walked right through at 8:15. No wait at all by then. Go down a mid-ship elevator and head to Club Fusion.

I like the Carnival theater setups better myself too.

[Oradellian]

I think Neil was younger than 40.

 

Immigration on STT was 8am. We walked right through at 8:15. No wait at all by then. Go down a mid-ship elevator and head to Club Fusion.

 

I like the Carnival theater setups better myself too.

 

Here is a link to a page with a biographical interview with Neil:

 

http://www.tripharbor.com/commodoredave/p-377

[Name Of The Game]

Thanks, that was interesting.

[rcacace]

Thanks for your review. Did you go to Grand Anse beach on the Rhum Runner boat. Did it turn into a real party, did the rum flow freely (I kind of like it when both of these things occur)? Did you rent the car in Aruba right at the pier, and was it reserved ahead of time?

 

Thanks!

 

In Aruba you can use the public bus system without any trouble to get to the beach. Just walk off the ship, down to the main road, across the street & you'll see where they load up. It cost us $2.30 round trip each to get to Eagle beach. The bus stop at the beach is right at the roadside & they run about every 15 minutes or so. There is some shade among the trees so bring along an extra ships towel to sit on. It coundn't have been any easier. :cool:

[keywestcat]

Hi Oradellian,

 

Thanks for all the great information! My husband and I are sailing on the Emerald next Sunday and are wanting to spend a couple afternoons in The Sanctuary, so I have a couple questions. How far out did you have to book it and was it hard to get reservations? Is it as relaxing as it sounds? Last, did either of you get a massage out there?

 

Thanks very much - anyone on board you'd like me to say hi to?

[Oradellian]

Hi Oradellian,

 

Thanks for all the great information! My husband and I are sailing on the Emerald next Sunday and are wanting to spend a couple afternoons in The Sanctuary, so I have a couple questions. How far out did you have to book it and was it hard to get reservations? Is it as relaxing as it sounds? Last, did either of you get a massage out there?

 

Thanks very much - anyone on board you'd like me to say hi to?

 

Thank you very much . . . you are going to have a wonderful time. The Sanctuary was our favorite place on sea days. You cannot reserve in advance; you must be there at 7:00am - 7:30am when the first attendants arrive and start taking names. Charges are $10 per person per half-day. Yes, it is very quiet and relaxing; most passengers are reading quietly and there is soft music in the background. The sunlight is filtered allowing you to stay cool and avoid using too much sunblock. There is a constant breeze (obviously depending on the weather). The attendants will bring lunch from a special menu and drinks from the bar.

 

There were quite a few couples getting massages out in the Sanctuary's tents; it looked like fun but we did not go for it. My wife had several spa treatments which she thought were great.

 

If you come across a waiter (can't remember his name but I think he was from Thailand) in the anytime dining rooms (DaVinci or Michelangelo) who serves everything with a refrain of "yummy yummy !!!" . . . say hello.

[psyfi]

We are on your itinerary in January. So glad you enjoyed your trip and thanks for answering questions!

 

I forgot to factor for immigration in St. Thomas. Drag :( we have a late tour and will still have to be up early.

 

I was a bit worried about Grenada--we were there about 15 years ago and it was beautiful and the people were all SO friendly, but they have been so badly hit by hurricanes over the past couple years, I am sorry to hear that it has changed so much.

 

Were there any other themed nights besides an island night? Did people dress (i.e. Hawaiian shirts).

 

Was there anything that stood out for you as being unique, different or particularly noteworthy on board (i.e. do not miss this...)?

 

Thanks again!

[Oradellian]

We are on your itinerary in January. So glad you enjoyed your trip and thanks for answering questions!

 

I forgot to factor for immigration in St. Thomas. Drag :( we have a late tour and will still have to be up early.

 

I was a bit worried about Grenada--we were there about 15 years ago and it was beautiful and the people were all SO friendly, but they have been so badly hit by hurricanes over the past couple years, I am sorry to hear that it has changed so much.

 

Were there any other themed nights besides an island night? Did people dress (i.e. Hawaiian shirts).

 

Was there anything that stood out for you as being unique, different or particularly noteworthy on board (i.e. do not miss this...)?

 

Thanks again!

 

Yes, on St. Thomas immigration is mandatory and I recall having to clear before about 10:00 subject to penalties (unspecified).

 

I may have been harsh on Grenada - I definitely recommend going with a ship's tour rather than winging it.

 

The waiters have various themes on various nights (Italian, American, etc.) and of course there's a Captain's Party night, but a hawaiian shirt is perfect for Island Night . . . there are two formal nights and every other night is indicated as "smart casual" which seems to mean "no shorts or tee shirts".

 

Unique stuff? I would definitely hit the two specialty restaurants (Crown Grill and Sabatini's) . . . we had only short waits for a "table for two" in the DaVinci and Michelangelo "anytime dining" rooms . . . the comedians that Princess flew in were uniformly funny, mostly performed in the Explorers Lounge . . . I didn't get time to try the computerized golf nor the minature golf, but both looked like fun . . . as others have remarked, the casino is a win-lose proposition, they win, you lose. The pizza served up on the Lido deck was always tasty and quick. Also, Princess allows you to bring aboard wine, one bottle per person, which you can enjoy in your room (refrigerator). Noteworthy, they did not catch the two bottles of vodka that we brought aboard at St. Thomas, maybe it looked like wine. Enjoy!