Emerald - 11/20 - 11/30 Just Back!

[Cruzin-Keith]

This was our experience with the cruise, highs, lows and other notable details. We would rate this cruise as “Good”. This was our 8th cruise and the 2nd with Princess.

I write a quickie sitting here in the airport. More will follow later if anyone is interested.

 

When we first boarded the ship we noticed it hasn’t been cleaned. The outside decks had lots of sand on the floor. The windows were all dirty from the salt water. Other than that it was a clean ship.

 

The highlight of the cruise:

Chef’s table (#1) – Great experience, $150/couple. I could write 3 pages on this alone!

Sabatinis (Italian) Very good. They serve everyone all the appetizers, cold and hot then the main course. This cost $20/per person. We brought in our own bottle of wine and were charged the $15 corkage fee.

Crown Grill (Steak & Seafood) Very good. We went for the Maine Lobster on the 6th night and they had already sold out. They did not tell anyone until you were seated at the table. We heard everyone say….Ahhhhh. This cost $25/per person and $9 up-charge for the Maine lobster.

10 days of relaxation

Great new friends

 

The lows:

Mini suite was not worth the extra $$$, Dolphin Deck, 9th floor, room D527. The balcony was not covered; so all decks above can look onto the balcony. Also, the sun always seems to be shining on the deck.

St. Thomas immigrations all passengers had to attend at 7:30 am (15 mins).

Casino slots did not pay the entire trip. This was a huge topic with a lot of the passengers. I heard several discussions/arguments between guest and casino management about no payouts of machines. Very tight machines, my advice…save your money.

No Sports Bar – Speakeasy (Cigar Lounge) only flat screen TV with sports.

 

Other things:

Dining room food always very good. Botticelli dining room, 1st (6:00) seating. We didn’t do the buffet.

You can buy wine in Ports and bring back to stateroom.

Adult coke sticker is $48. We had brought a bottle of Crown Royal in our checked luggage, so the coke sticker saved a lot on the bar bill.

The anytime Pizza: I liked the specialty pizza of the day, but always had to wait 5 to 10 minutes.

Enjoyed MUTS (Movie under the stars and during the day)

They charge for ice cream at the ice cream bar however it is free daily from 4 to 5 in the back of the buffet.

 

Got to catch the plane home – any questions just ask!

 

Liz & Keith

[Woodmnky]

Thank you for the information, especially about the Crown Grill. DH & I are planning to go the Crown Grill specifically for the Maine lobster. I guess we will specifically have to ask about this because without the lobster, it would not be worth the upcharge for us as we both moonlight at a steakhouse.

[Perky1]

Thanks for the mini review of the Emerald. I would love to know what you did in the ports.

 

I am curious about the Crown Grill. You pay to go eat there - $25.00pp - but if you want Maine Lobster you pay an additional $9pp. Is it all you can eat lobster? thanks

[sunsetbeachgal]

Hi Liz,

 

Thanks for your inputs and hope you had a nice trip home. I have sailed on Emerald and am doing so again in January on the other itinierary.

 

I do have a question-You said that there was only one lounge (a cigar bar) with flat screen TV's for watching sports-last year in Club Fusion there were flat screen TV's all over the place, and we watched NFL playoff football games and had lots of fun. Is Club Fusion still there (we are traveling with some football fans in January and they will have a fit if it is something else?

 

Thanks,

Carole in NC

[momofcbp]

Hello....

 

I was also on this cruise, and will be posting a review soon as well. We ate in the Crown Grill on I believe the 3rd night of the cruise, and had no problem with the lobster, and yes it was all you can eat. The food was VERY rich, so it is pretty hard to eat much more than what you are given, whereas in the regular dinning room you can eat several lobster tails without feeling stuffed. My 14 year old son who is not big by any means, polished off 5 tails. These were offered on a non-formal night.

 

There are several lounges, however they do not all have TV's. Football was shown on MUTS several times during the cruise. Club Fusion still has many flat screen tv's, however I never saw where any sports related things were being played there.

 

We did something in every port, all on our own, thanks to these boards. I will include more info. in my full review later. Is there any specific port you are interested in?

[OCruisers]

:) Liz&Keith .... As good of a mini-review as I've ever seen! Thanks! Especially appreciate your info on "Speakeasy" and the flat screen there.

 

--> momofbck .... Looking forward to your report.

[Cruzin-Keith]

We’re finally home, picked up the puppy from the kennel and only unpacked the necessities.

 

I’m adding a couple of other things I thought of after posting earlier.

For anyone who smokes, St. Kitts had the best cigarette prices - $15/carton.

Barbados was the most expensive port on the same or similar items. We had other passengers that agreed as well.

St. Thomas was the best port for wine with selection and prices.

 

Oh and this ship was the roughest cruise we have ever been on. Other passengers agreed as well. We did have a couple of nights that were windy, but for the most part we had low winds and small waves and the ship still rocked. Princess must use different stabilizers than Royal Caribbean because the rides are different.

 

Woodmnky – Yes, if you want the Maine lobster like we did then make reservations early in the week, as they seem to go fast. Where else can you eat a Maine lobster dinner for $34?

 

Perky1 – We have been to all these ports before except for Dominica and St. Kitts.

Dominica, we got off and shopped.

St. Kitts, we took a cab ride over to the Marriott and enjoyed the beach. We’ll go back and spend a week there in the near future.

 

Sunsetbeachgal – Thanks! We did have a safe trip home.

Speakeasy the cigar lounge was the only place for ball games. MUTS did have Sunday and Monday night football. The Thanksgiving games were also played on the MUTS screen.

Club Fusion has a lot of flat screen TV’s, but we never seen them used for sports.

 

Momofcbp – looking forward to your review.

 

OCruisers – glad the mini-review was helpful.

 

Any specific question, just ask.

 

Thanks.

[JWJs]

Thanks so much for the review and info! :)

 

That Maine Lobster in the Crown Grill sounded soooooo yummy.

[cynbar]

Hi Liz and Keith, thanks for your review. We are booked on the Ruby but are considering the Emerald after that. Can you explain a little more about why you only graded this cruise as "Good" ??? Were there some areas that disappointed you in addition to the balcony on the mini-suite?? Just curious because you were so positive about so many things.

[RM]

Thanks for the review! Can't wait to board the Emerald.

[SheltieLady]

Thank you for your review it is interesting reading different reviews to see how people liked or disliked the ship. I have 98 days and I will find out for myself can't wait.:D

 

 

Christine

[Cruisin Bob]

We’re finally home, picked up the puppy from the kennel and only unpacked the necessities.

 

I’m adding a couple of other things I thought of after posting earlier.

For anyone who smokes, St. Kitts had the best cigarette prices - $15/carton.

Barbados was the most expensive port on the same or similar items. We had other passengers that agreed as well.

St. Thomas was the best port for wine with selection and prices.

 

Oh and this ship was the roughest cruise we have ever been on. Other passengers agreed as well. We did have a couple of nights that were windy, but for the most part we had low winds and small waves and the ship still rocked. Princess must use different stabilizers than Royal Caribbean because the rides are different.

 

Woodmnky – Yes, if you want the Maine lobster like we did then make reservations early in the week, as they seem to go fast. Where else can you eat a Maine lobster dinner for $34?

 

Perky1 – We have been to all these ports before except for Dominica and St. Kitts.

Dominica, we got off and shopped.

St. Kitts, we took a cab ride over to the Marriott and enjoyed the beach. We’ll go back and spend a week there in the near future.

 

Sunsetbeachgal – Thanks! We did have a safe trip home.

Speakeasy the cigar lounge was the only place for ball games. MUTS did have Sunday and Monday night football. The Thanksgiving games were also played on the MUTS screen.

Club Fusion has a lot of flat screen TV’s, but we never seen them used for sports.

 

Momofcbp – looking forward to your review.

 

OCruisers – glad the mini-review was helpful.

 

Any specific question, just ask.

 

Thanks.

 

I was also on this cruise and I think most of the comments have been pretty accurate, although I have experienced rougher seas on previous trips. Although I will admit the weather did cancel many of my snorkeling trips.

 

While there was not a lot of rain, waves or current made snorkeling fruitless for lack of visibility or dangerous due to high currents at most ports.

 

I guess we have become cruise addicts though as we thought the cruise was still rather enjoyable in spite of most of our snorkeling trips being a bust. I do plan to bring extra reading material on my next cruise just in case though.

 

This was our second time on the Emerald. While I still like the CB I am amazed at how the minor changes to the design of the ship (mainly in the atrium) make this ship seem a lot nicer IMO.

 

While it was not planned the cruise director put the Florida vs Florida State game on MUTS for many of us Florida residents. He indicated he could not put any game requested on MUTS, but could accommodate this request as it was on ESPN2 (which was channel 42 in the room if my memory is correct). It was a lot nicer watching the game on MUTS than in the room.

I think they will try to accomodate various request if they are in their normal satelite package.

[Cruzin-Keith]

Everyone will enjoy their cruise on the Emerald. Please don't think we're trying to be party poppers, but just sharing our personal cruise experience with everyone here.

 

We rated the cruise as "Good" simply because there was nothing that was over the top.....or the "wow" factor. It was nice, good and fun.

 

Wishing you all a great time on your cruise!

 

Thanks to everyone.

 

Liz & Keith

[ILgirl]

We were also on the Emerald for Thanksgiving and it was a terrific cruise. We never experienced the rough seas. We were in a balcony cabin on Riviera Port side, a bit forward, so I guess we must have lucked out. The cruise director Neil was great. His and the deputy cruise director's (Maraschal) "Wakey Wakey" show each morning was fun to listen to. Neil also had a special cocktail party for couples celebrating anniversaries which was a nice touch. Some other comments/thoughts on the cruise and ports in no particular order:

 

I agree about the slots in the casino, video poker at least. Couldn't win a dime or even get a decent amount of play.

 

The flat screen TV in the Speakeasy is not always available for sports. We raced in there after lunch to catch a bit of the Michigan - Ohio State game to find four seniors watching a rerun of Love Boat.

 

Lobster tails, king crab legs and escargot were all offered at some time in the dining room. The escargot were not on the menu. The waiter was supposed to tell you about them, which he did not, but they were ordered special for us the next night. Very nice. Food overall was terrific. We only had to wait one night for a table for two and were given a pager. It was only about a 15 minute wait.

 

Adagio continues to be the best kept secret. A great place for a pre dinner cocktail and some nice piano music. A variety of stuffed olives are a treat as well.

 

We tried room service breakfast a few mornings, i.e. coffee, juice, sweetrolls, etc. It was nice not to fight for a table and the crowds at the Horizon Buffet and to take a few days off from the formal dining room as well.

 

We went on the Wacky Rollers Ti Tou Gorge/Hot Springs Escape in Dominica and it was great. A warning, though, it is a bit strenuous as respects the swim against the current in the ice cold water in the gorge. We also went on the Antigua Canopy Tours, the zipline excursion. This was $119 PP. It was fun but overall, a bit pricey for what we experienced. We also thought that shopping was very expensive in Barbados, e.g. Cuban Cigars were three times those purchased in St. Kitts.

 

I hope that everyone enjoys their cruise on the Emerald as much as we did this year!

[Keith Rita]

Liz & Keith, thanks for your honest appraisal of your Emerald cruise.

[jmaco]

In agreement with all notes above! We also didn't think this sailing was rough - maybe one night there had been a bit of rocking but nothing that made anyone sick.

 

The Speakeasy was OK nothing over the top. I was very unimpressed with the Casino/Speakeasy - seems like the space feels unfinished - not to mention I saw or heard of NO winners on the slots - It was horrible. Although I donated loads - it would have been nice to see or hear about someone being a winner. The casino is not very elegant or dressed up as I've seen on Celebrity and RCCL in comparison - felt like I was in a warehouse. :(

 

As to why other posters, as we did, the overall, was just "good". We were 8 in our party who all have been fans of RCCL and Celebrity and decided to try Princess - Food on Emerald was very good! Sabatini’s and Crown Grill were excellent. We actually did not have to pay the up charge for lobster since it was on the menu that night - We all ordered double tails! Awesome.

 

Don't know why - the staff on board seemed very bothered? Not all, but most, with few exceptions. It was very noticeable and when I mentioned this to other passengers they expressed the same. Not the same welcome feel like we've had on other cruise lines, even Costa.

 

We were in a suite and our attendant was great - responsive - even gave him extra $$ - but he was not the most friendly/upbeat type - never asked if all was OK or if we needed anything - just something I expected after forking out the big bucks for a suite? Bed was just OK.

 

Kids: My kids preferred Celebrity and RCCL over Princess - Kids activities were at an all time low - same old thing - not as impressive as RCCL and Celebrity - which goes for the staff as well. The schedule was not as flexible as on Celebrity as for hours of operation and extra activities during dinner time where the kids could dine earlier than 7PM with staff. Baby sitting was basically a TV movie and PS2. No parties / fun stuff during baby sitting and they closed at mid-night. Celebrity and RCCL are open until 1AM as memory serves best. Sorry - but we like to party - kids are 10+ but we don't let them run the ship at night on their own.

 

Room Service: Always on time! But could they get the order right - just once? :eek:

 

Anytime Dining - We loved it! But....we thought we took advantage of the extra time and wasted much of the night hours, our fault...too long of a cocktail hour...so we felt we actually worked better on scheduled meal times. It made everyone keep to a schedule. :rolleyes: I like the set up now offered on Celebrity - Not anytime - but full service with a Reservation in converted area of buffet dining area that they 'dress up'. Not sure if RCCL is offering this.

 

Music on board: (General Areas) Pool, Generic Lounge Area (back of ship) - there were a number of times we thought people were doing Karaoke!:eek:

 

There were enough subtle differences that all 8 in our party agreed we liked our other trips more than this one - even had a running joke...that wouldn't happen on.....! OK - We've become cruise snobs! :rolleyes:

 

Ship: Emerald was nice - IMHO 'VERY NEAT and CLEAN" We can't stand the layout - For a newly designed ship - Dining areas have low ceilings and "1980's" feel - were they going "retro"? No connecting cabins! Makes this difficult for families to book on these ships - I checked out the Minisuites - Not too impressed. What's up with all the rooms having open air closet space? Ours did not - but when I saw the closet areas open in some other cabins, I was like, "what the ...." is that all about? Having to deal with "beam" and "vent" issues when choosing our cabin made me totally nuts! Thanks to these boards we ended up with a great balcony!

 

When you read this take the comments lightly - just some points we noticed and thought I would mention as none of the issues caused ill will or reason to have a "bad" experience IMHO.

 

All in all - we did have a good time - ate great food - and had 10 days off but will return to RCCL and Celebrity for a while. :cool:

[rdsqrl]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, jmaco. Isn't it funny how two people can have totally different impressions of the same thing? I love the open closet area with the shelves right there -- it makes for a very spacious and workable dressing area. It isn't as if the closet were open to the main body of the room so you have an unsightly view or have to worry about monsters in the closet being able to watch you sleep (hey, don't laugh at my neuroses!). Of course, you weren't in a room with that kind of arrangement; if you had been, I'd bet you'd have come to appreciate it.

Laughed at your comment about extra-long cocktail hours and needing to be on a schedule! Me, too! Somehow, with a martini in one's hand, time can really slip away from you!