pmallen

That said, I didn't check the others at 5. I'd guess Boticelli isn't as bad. Some some reason, probably location, people seem not to like it as well. Also, you can always make a reservation on the app for whatever time/night you want.

Ryszard Sulek, early, and Kevin Brando late. Both are piano players. Ryszard is more.traditional, Kevin is more a Billy Joel type player, and we like him a lot. In fact, he did a Billy Joel/Elton John cover show in the main theater early on.

Afraid I won't be much help. All three dining rooms have been open throughout. We and our traveling companions like to eat late, around 8pm. On this cruise, that might as well be midnight 😎. We've been at Boticelli and had the same table and wait staff throughout. On the other hand, the line waiting to go into Michaelangelo at straight up 5 reaches clear back to the casino doors. Bottom line, I really can't say what's available or not at popular hours, as we've not really been in any dining rooms then.

Forgot the train.

Day 11: Fuerte Amador (or Puerto Amador, Princess seems conflicted) I woke up with the thrusters firing off at about 4:30 and went onto our balcony to watch our approach. This was advertised as a tender port, but we docked at the still-under-construction cruise terminal. Apparently, they are trying to pitch Panama City as a start/end point for cruises, and the new terminal looks like it will be fabulous. Today, it necessitates a ride from the ship to restaurants/shopping/taxis in the port area. We did the Panama Canal Railroad excursion which was, honestly, only ok. Contrary to the info from Princess, the train ride was round trip, which was nice. I think this might have to do with there not being a lot of ships in right now, so you may have a different experience. The train was nice, and the cars were very comfortable. The guide was OK, but not very patient with . . . silly questions. There is a short bus ride from the ship to the train station in Balboa, and again from the station in Colon to the locks. We went to the observation station at the Agua Clara locks, and caught a ship just leaving the middle lock, but not much else. The gift shop is limited. Coffee is served on the train ride up, with other beverages for sale. The description call for a "light snack," which consisted of a couple slices of turkey in a hot dog bun, with a packet of mayonnaise. I'm not kidding. Back on the train, we got a commemorative snack box including chips and cookies. There was another beverage service. Overall, it was about an 8 hour day from when we assembled in the theater. Not a terrible trip, but I'd probably do a different one given another chance. Meanwhile, had a fueling operation today off our side of the ship, which was interesting. Pictures of the train, fueling, sunset over Panama Bay and the lights of Panama City.

Day 10: At Sea. Not a ton to report here. Another relaxed sea day. Fitness Center, Promenade deck ealk, breakfast, adjourn to the Sanctuary. Tonight we had dinner in Sabatini's. It was fabulous! They've changed the menu recently, and I think it's a lot more like the original. You can try multiple of the appetizers, the pastas are.excellent, and they have veal osso bucco back on the menu. Pro tip: the dessert sampler looks like the way to go. DW wasn't feeling well and skipped dinner, so we're going to to happily go again so she.doesnt miss out. A word about entertainment: we've found it pretty hit or miss. Now, thisnjs extremely subjective, so someone else may have lived it all. But the comedians have been better in Explorers late, where they can let their hair down a bit. There's been one production show so far, which was good. Lots of solo musicians, which hasn't really done it for us. In the lounges some have been quite good, some only so-so. Again, your mileage may vary.

That's us! Robie555, yes, we've played trivia a few times, no prizes so far. The "Guess the Commercial" game was HILARIOUS!

Day 9: Puntarenas, Costa Rica. This was a very fun stop. We took the river rafting excursion. This trip was more a float than any sort of whitewater rafting. The Princess version of thuis trip was sold out, so we booked it through Shore Excursions Group, and were very satisfied. Unlike the Primcess excursions, which got picked up right off the ship, we had to walk down to the end of the pier, which took maybe 5 minutes. The trip was about 1 hour 45 min each way, which was the one downside of the trip. Most of it was on the Pan American Highway, much of which was a brand new, 4-lane road. The rest is pretty rough. We had a half way pit stop where there was food for purchase, bathrooms, and scarlet macaws up in the trees. We arrived at our put in spot, which includes a restaurant and shop. They divided us into two groups and put us in rubber rafts with a guide, who did all the rowing. You will get wet on this trip, so plan accordingly. You also need to be able to get in and out of the raft on some pretty tricky terrain. We floated down river for about 90 min. Along the way, we saw many crocodiles, tons of iguana, and several monkey, both Howlers and Capuchins. And many different birds. The weather was gorgeous. Along the way we pulled out for a brief water and snack break. When we pulled out, they took us back to the putnin, where we had a lunch of rice and beams with chicken or fish, soup, and some ice cream. Juan, our guide on the way up and down, did a great job pointing out sights, and gamely answering questions about Costa Rican politics, history and culture. After we got back from rafting, we wandered the waterfront a bit. Lots of great restaurants in the port area, as well as shopping. Overall, a great port stop.

Forgot these.

A word about Covid. It's over. Or, at least, that's what the evidence after a week on board looks like. By day, I'm a public health professional, so I don't take Covid lightly. At all. Here's what I've seen so far. Almost no masks. I did some counting at a theater event early on and saw maybe 5% of the audience wearing masks. Maybe. And the percentage has dropped, if anything. Staff seems to be in the same range. More importantly, after a week, I've seen only one "Covid table" outside a cabin door, and that one was on another deck. In large crowds, I've not heard much coughing. I know a cough isn't a definitive symptom anymore, but it's still a symptom, and if Covid was running wild, fter a week you'd hear at least some more in a lounge or theater. Bottom line is most people have evolved their evaluation of risk. There are effective vaccines and treatments. High quality masks protect the wearer. Covid is still a lot more contagious and potentially deadly than flu, for example, but it's a fraction of the risk it was in 2020. And our experience on this cruise seems to bear that out. Your mileage may vary, of course.

Days 7 & 8: At Sea Thus update will be brief, as we've slipped into our sea day routine, in which not much happens, by design. We start the day in the fitness center, then get breakfast in the buffet, enjoying it on deck by the Windjammer bar. After that, DW heads to the Sanctuary, and I head to the casino to see if the 10am poker tournament will happen (they require 8 players, and we've usually been short). Day 7 we made it, and played the tourney, followed by a cash game. If there's no tourney, about 6 of us just play cash. After poker, Deal Or No Deal was held in the Theater. If you want a card, it costs $25. This gives you a shot at one of the two opportunities to be the on-stage contestant, and to play a matching-type game in the audience. Or its fun to go watch for free. Took about an hour. I also got a back and shoulder massage today, very nice. Day 7 was our second formal night, and dinner included lobster and chateaubriand. Outstanding food, with extra lobster tails all around. Day 8 we went to the Crown Grill. I think I solved the "is it good or not" mystery, at least for me. The atmosphere is very nice, and communicates high-end steak house. However, they pretty clearly serve well-prepared choice cuts, not prime cuts. Now, it think the steaks were very good, and the sides and desserts were outstanding. But I can see how someone expecting prime steaks might be disappointed by the same experience. Day 7 went to the disco production show. Very entertaining, especially given the cast came on the same day we did. Closed out both evenings in the casino.

The bow and the deck over the bridge have been open until today, when the wind picked up significantly. Even then, the narrow walkway in front of the fitness center was open. The deck above skywalkers would also be a good option.

Agreed. Just ask your cabin steward. I've seen lots of comment that requesting it on the website ahead of time doesn't work. That was certainly my experience, but our steward went and got it right away after we met him.

To clarify, I got the spa shave, not DW. 😎

Day 6: Huatulco, Mexico This is a tiny little port we've never heard of before, but it's kind of cool. I imagine it's what Cabo must have been like 50 years ago. It seems the cruise lines have invested here as an alternative to other nearby ports like Acapulco. That said, we didn't see any excursions that looked very interesting, so we stayed on board. DW had a full spa day, and got a spa shave, which has become a bit of a cruise tradition. This is the first day where the weather has really warmed up, hitting 90f pretty early. Without a breeze across the deck, it was pretty warm. I camped out in a corner of Skywalkers with few similar to the bridge wing, but 5 decks higher. It ended up being really outstanding for sailaway. We only pushed away maybe 10 feet from the dock before getting under way. Very impressive. Let's talk food. Now, when I read that people liked or didn't like the food on a cruise, I get a little frustrated because I don't know what else they like or don't like. If they say "Crown Grill was terrible," it matters whether it turns out they like their steak well done with A1. I'm not criticizing that choice, just observing their taste is different than mine. So, for background, we're not extreme foodies by any means. However, Portland, where we live is a pretty good food city. There's an incredible array of fresh, local ingredients, with great local beer and wine making and local distilling. Chains are less common. We aren't big fans of places like Applebee's or Olive Garden. We like seasonings, strong flavors, and love seafood. So that's us. We've thought the food has consistently been very good. The dining room dinners have been excellent. The dishes are creative and very well prepared. Portions are just right, and served the right temperature. The meat is cooked appropriately to order, and fish dishes are not overcooked. The lobster tails last were outstanding. We haven't eaten much lunch after embarkation. We've enjoyed tea in the Sanctuary. We've had breakfast in the buffet every day, and it's very good, with a wide variety. The fruit has been nicely ripe (I really hate buffet Mellon that's hard as a rock). There are American and British breakfast staples, meats and cheeses, bagels and lox, and more. Everything is well labeled, so of you read "they had some kind of meat in sauce," someone is pulling your leg, I think. Also, service has been very good. We have late seating in Botticelli, and have had the same table and servers throughout, without needing to ask. Staffing seems ample, though I'm told we are about 75% full.

Well, my bad. I hadn't read the sign closely enough that said no pipe and cigar smoking in the casino. However, I've been in the casino a lot so far, and haven't seen a single smoker. Also, there have been very few people in the cigar lounge, either. I don't smoke cigarettes, and am pretty sensitive to the smell, and haven't noticed it at all beyond the immediate area of the cigar lounge when the door opens.

It was about 12:40 on our current Panama Canal cruise on the Emerald.

This is the second reference I've seen lately to smoke from the casino. We're on the Emerald right now, and there is no smoking allowed in the casino. There is a smoking lounge, Speakeasy, just off the casino, but the smoke doesn't dlseem to escape much. Interesting that there would be such a major policy difference between ships.

Another random observation, before I forget again: cabin location. We are on deck 9 (Dolphin), on the port side about 5 cabins from the stern. We're right across from the deck 9 laundry. I was concerned about this, pre-cruise, worrying about noise and traffic. Turns out, it's been AWESOME! First, there's no noise at all. The laundry has a double door, and the inner one is quite heavy and seals, so there's no noise st all. But the access is the really great feature. There are 2 washers, and 2 dryers, but one of the dryers doesn't work. That, plus ordinary demand, means it can take some time to get an opening. With this arrangement, instead of lugging everything down to the laundry only to find it busy, I can check first, and if it's open grab the clothes in our cabin across the hall. Very handy!

Dat 5: At Sea This is our third sea day, and we really love this much time not being in port. For us, relaxing with no where o go is what makes a cruise such a special vacation. Unfortunately, that may make this a boring report for some. We spent most of the day in the Sanctuary. We're in the second row, so we have filtered sun through the canvas covers, not full shade behind the hard roof you get in the first row. I'm very fair-skinned, and don't find this a problem, though I wear sunscreen and a hat. Your mileage may vary. Today was DW's 60th, so I stopped by Effy to see if I might find her something nice. Indeed! It's a very nice jewelry store. Very nice. Very, very nice. Hard to find anything under $1,000. I went to another shop with jewelry and got a nice necklace and earrings. I got to the restaurant just ahead of our group, and asked the hostess if they could deliver it with dessert. I had identified today as her birthday pre-cruise, so at dessert, about 10 staff gathered, sang Happy Birthday, gave her the gift, and the special birthday chocolate dessert with a candle. Very nice. A couple random thoughts: Internet. I find it very acceptable. I checked my download speed yesterday, and got 2.4 Mbps. I'm able to check email, use the web, upload pictures here, and play the occasional Clash of Clans (don't judge) without losing the connection. One of our travel companions did a video call with her granddaughter today. A little glitchy, but it worked. I wouldn't try a full-blown work zoom call, but, hey, I'm on vacation here. Mesallion App. OK, I may be a small minority, but I find it useful, and think it works just fine. That is, while on the ship, and in airplane mode. I agree with everyone else, it wasn't great on shore pre-cruise. And when we first boarded, I came to learn medallion net and cellular don't work together at all. Also we both had a problem after connecting to medallion net where the app would just spin. We went down to the line at the internet cafe (Q: whats your job on the cruise ship? A: I explain the internet to 80-year-olds. They don't pay those guys near enough) and found out logging out and back in resolves it (now, you don't have to stand in line. You're welcome!). Once that was resolved, it works great. Ordering food, checking your bill, all work as expected. The "find your shipmate" function is awesome. We even managed to lock ourselves on our balcony one morning (don't ask), and the CrewCall Chat feature had us sprung in about 10 min. That's all for now. See you tomororw.

Sorry, I missed this. We got Plus included with our fare via our TA, so I really don't know anything about coffee cards, and all our coffee drinks have been included. We aren't elite, so we had no bar setup to exchange.

Day 4: Puerto Vallarta. We woke up just in time to watch as the Emeral Princess approaches the port, slip past the final channel markers and, using thrusters only, spin 180 degrees and nestle up to the dock. Extremely impressive. The gangway was down by about 8, and the first passengers were getting off then. We had time for a breakfast in the buffet, then headed down for our 9:20 excursion departure: the ATV adventure. This was a blast! We took about a 45 min van ride up the Rio Cuale to Canyon River adventures (or something like that). We got a quick safety bringing g on the semi-automatic four-wheelers, were given bandanas, goggles and helmets, and we were off. We got about 90 min of riding on a variety of trails, with a .id-point water break at a gorgeous overlook. We then came back to their .ain't facility, which was a massive tiki lodge-type building that housed a restaurant and bar. The signage Saif "Fiesta on the Mountain," and it was a huge party, with many local families there for the day, a mariachi band, and more. The food and drink there weren't included, and we only had about 40 min., so we had a couple beers and enjoyed the music before our ride down. This was all on a Sunday, don't know if.that meant there was .ore.going on then there usually would be. Once we got back to the dock, we headed out.for some shopping as one of us (ahem) had missed that section of the closet where.the slacks and a couple dress shirts were hanging. Anyway, right next.to the much-written-about Walmart is a full service shopping mall. One of the anchors there is a store called Liverpool, which is very similar to a Macy's. We found some Dockers and a couple dress shirts, and they had a wide range of sizes, if you know what I mean. Fashion disaster averted, we headed back to the ship for our usual evening routine. The only development of not: DW ordered a sidecar in Crooners, and wendiacivered they were running out of cognac! The horrors!! This would never happen on Celebrity, am I right ? (If you know, you know). Anyway, after dinner we took a pass on the ventriloquist (maybe someone else on this cruise can share), and spent time in the casino. Another successful day.

Deleted duplicate.

Sorry, but Kaiser paid about $700 for it, too. It's just covered by your insurance. Princess is just charging you the full, uninsured retail price, same as they would for any other drug.

Wow, that's what I get for not proofreading. That's our cabin steward coming by twice a day. I have no idea who Kurt is. 😁