OddAbroad

I wholeheartedly agree! Sailed Emerald in February/March and I was extremely pleased with the new mattresses and linens. It was like sleeping in a cloud. I have back issues and honestly these beds were kinder to my back than my mattress at home (which is still very good!). I'd buy the mattress in a heartbeat if they offered CA King.

My brother's wife had a similar issue on a family cruise in Australia/NZ earlier this year. Her passport was within 5 months of expiration at the time of travel, but we were more concerned about the flights than boarding the Emerald in Auckland. Although she went through a little extra scrutiny at the airport, they let her board the ship without issue and she didn't have any other problems at any other ports.

Sailed on Emerald this past February/March from Auckland to Sydney and we had an incredible time. The ship was in excellent condition and the staff was top-notch. Food was impeccable, and we particularly enjoyed our meals at SHARE and The Salty Dog. :)

We were there at the end of February on Emerald, and yes there was a free shuttle into the city center. The pick up/drop off was very conveniently located, and there were always shuttles available to go back and forth.

Thanks so much for sharing! These photos are amazing!

Forgive me for what may seem like a silly question... but where exactly will the Grand drydock in Portland? Will it travel down the Willamette to drydock, or is the drydock location closer to the sea?

Just curious!

Turn TV to animal planet channel, leave cats credit card so they can order Dominoes

LOL!! Your cats live the good life! :D

We sailed on the Diamond last spring (March/April 2015) from Singapore to Hong Kong (with two stops in Vietnam) and we had an incredible time! The ship was in fantastic shape, the service was excellent (as always), and the food was superb.

The weather for us was good, but very hot and humid in Singapore and Vietnam (which is completely normal). Just be prepared to sweat more than you probably ever have in your life, and you'll be fine. ;) Everyone else will be sweating too, so it's not like you'll feel out of place! The weather in Hong Kong was perfect in April--a little humid, but very comfortable.

Our favorites sites were the following:

Singapore: The Gardens by the Bay are amazing and well worth the visit!

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: We took the Princess shore excursion that included stops at the post office, the Notre Dame Cathedral, Reunification Palace, National History Museum, and the Thien Hau temple. A very robust tour and a fascinating city!

Da Nang, Vietnam: We took another Princess excursion to the Imperial City of Hue, which is similar to the Forbidden City in Beijing, China, but smaller and less restored (which, in my opinion, made it more interesting). We also took a dragon boat ride down the Perfume River, which was incredible as well!

Hong Kong: As another poster mentioned, Victoria's Peak is an absolute must-see! Gorgeous views and lots of shops and restaurants up there as well. I also recommend getting out to Lantau island, which is home to the Tian Tan Buddha (or the "Big Buddha") and an incredible sight to see as well!

Whatever you decide, you will have a fantastic time! :)

DH and I just returned from Iceland a few days ago (land vacation this time; sadly no cruise), and it is absolutely one of the most spectacular places I've ever been. We happened to be there when Pacific Princess was docked in Reykjavik, which was fun to see. :)

Hope the weather starts to go your way! :)

Thank you all so much for your fabulous responses!

You have all easily convinced me, and I'm definitely thinking a buffer day in Auckland is a must! :D For the record, we are coming from the west coast of the U.S. with a direct flight, so the likelihood of a delay/missed connection is quite low... but the jet-lag factor is definitely to be considered--along with, of course, experiencing Auckland!

I was doing a little digging, and I came across the Waitomo glow worm caves. Has anyone done this? And if so, how was it? The pictures look amazing but you never know about the actual experience itself. ;)

Thanks again for all the wonderful input!

Hi everyone,

We are considering the 11-day February 2017 sailing of Emerald Princess that leaves out of Auckland, NZ on February 24th and ends up in Sydney, Australia, and we are trying to decide how much time (if any) to give ourselves in Auckland before the ship sets sail.

The issue is, of course, vacation and travel time:

1. We could either arrive in Auckland the morning the ship sets sail (thereby really eliminating any time for sightseeing) and give ourselves an extra work day...

OR

2. We could arrive a day earlier and spend one night in Auckland, but it would cost us an extra vacation day from work

So the main questions are these:

1. What are the absolute must-sees in Auckland

AND

2. Should we definitely spend the night in Auckland ahead of time in order to fit in the absolute must-sees

Any help would be so much appreciated! :) Thanks everyone!

We were on Diamond Princess for a 9 day cruise around Hokkaido, Japan.

This was my 6th cruise but 1st with Princess. I've cruised 4x with Crystal, 1x with Celebrity.

 

 

...Clueless personnel (not equipped with any Princess uniform/hat/jacket/flag) was responsible for Russian excursion. On and on and on.

 

Just a note on this: I believe Crystal cruises may have all-inclusive shore excursions, where your tour guide is actually a Crystal Cruises employee. While this is typical of all-inclusive cruises, this is not the case for other mass-market lines like Princess (or Holland America, Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, etc.). So the staff during your Russian excursion would not have been employed by Princess, and therefore would not have had a Princess uniform/hat/jacket/flag.

Hope that helps, and hope you give Princess another try! For what it's worth, I've been on 15 cruises (both river and ocean) and find Princess food to be better than most--better even than Viking, which is supposed to be a high-end gourmet experience (and with which I was rather disappointed).

O.K. You have the cutest handle I have yet to see on the boards! Thumbs up to you for creativity.:D

Aw thank you so much!!! I am a little odd (awkward is my middle name), and I love to spend time abroad, so there you have it! :D

So so glad you booked the cruise; sounds like an incredible itinerary. I've been to Singapore (extraordinary city!), but none of the other ports. You will surely have an unforgettable time! :)

If you'll allow me to be a bit poetic, almost all of your "Pros" are spiritual and your "Cons" are matters of inconvenience. Let the spirit rule the day. While there will be some discomfort (both physically and financially), often times our greatest days come when we stray from our comfort zone.

LOVE this! I am in total agreement. Also, consider this: if you asked your mom this same question, and showed her the same pro/con list, what would she say? Only you know that answer for sure, but I have a feeling she'd say go for it! :)