MissiCruzs

Another beautiful sunset on our last day.

I know! I said that to my husband. It moves so slowly during the day it seems and plunk... it's gone... he asked me if I saw any steam 🙄.

Just in Guadeloupe Nov 2023. All vendors in the port area accepted US$. The Duty Free had no problem with my credit card. The tour boat operator gladly accepted tips in $ or Euros. It's probably a different story once outside the port gates but I didn't go there.

I was just there Nov 29, 2023. There's a taxi stand and my understanding from people who went there is they were only offering 4 hour tours for $50 euros pp. There may have been more offerings once you exit the port. I didn't see anyone hanging around on the other side. We did a sea excursion so didn't go out on the island. I expect this will change eventually as more ships traveling from America go there. The guys on our tour boat said you should be able to get a taxi to Gosier Beach area for 15 euros and then there's a water taxi from there out to some island. I would arrange for a taxi online if that's what you want to do.

We took this excursion thru the ship called "Amazing Eco Adventure & Snorkel" while onboard the Emerald Princess...4 hours and wow did it live up to its name! We had seen similar private tours going to Le Grand Cul de Sac Marin but none of them wanted to accommodate cruise ship hours so we were ecstatic when it suddenly popped up as an option. Some folks on the roll call were a little leary because it had no stars, but I pointed out it wouldn't because it's new and I was going to take a chance on it. Well it will get 5 stars from me and if I could give it more I would! Our group of 22 gathered at the meeting place and we walked down past Terminal 1 to the dock. The boat was built for snorkeling/diving so not fancy but ample seating and mostly covered. We had 2 guides who were also dive instructors and a captain so we were in excellent hands. As we motored away from the dock we got the safety briefing and then they brought out a map and showed where we were and where we were going. You go through the Mangroves along the Salted River until reaching the Marine Reserve coral reef. We stopped for about 40 minutes of snorkeling and they split us up into advanced and beginners and in my case I grabbed a noodle and floated happily. We next headed over to a spit of sand and the water was only 3 feet deep but there was sea grass beyond to snorkel in. The guys were very knowledgeable and narrated the entire tour. Even at the end they brought out an island map and recommended other tours or beaches to try out. My only warning is the boats ladders are straight down...a little challenging for some... including me. Pictures are worth a thousand words!

I'll try and do it today. We're on our last 2 sea days on the Emerald. This has been a very port intensive 14 day cruise and its been fun!

Sunset at sea... going... going... going... gone

Something we haven't seen before are the streetcars. There's a blue one and a red one. I'll have to look into this.

A couple of notes for Arashi... there are palapas both single and family size... about 10 of both. These are free to the public so if you see an empty one go claim it then go rent chairs if you want to. We just sat our stuff on the table wrapped around it and got in the water. Chair and umbrella rentals are $10 each. There's a bar that serves food and drink. They have restrooms and showers. If you're eating or drinking it's free... if not it's $1 each for each item. Also today someone had set up a massage table. $50 for 40 minutes. I would have taken her up on it but the ship is leaving around 3:30.

We docked in Aruba this morning by 7 and we were lucky to get Terminal 2. The NCL Jade was in front of us. Terminal 1 is empty and it feels like a long walk down to T2 especially in the heat. Also T2 is full of shops. All the shops and the Market all have mostly the same stuff... all made in China... for the same prices. We took the Arubus to Arashi Beach. We've been here so many times and have toured one end to the other. Arashi is almost on the tip of the island where the California lighthouse is... so named for a ship sunk off the coast. I took some pictures to guide you to the bus terminal. The buses are big greyhound type. It's $5 RT to the beaches or you can buy a day pass and beach hop. The locals use the same buses to get to and from work so it's not a beach express. It's 20-30 min from the station to Arashi based on stops made. The bus number is L10A and it says Hotels/Arashi. We did take the number 21 back because it was going straight back to the terminal. You can look up Arubus schedule online and it'll give you times and destinations and bus number. In the first picture there's a green structure that's the port exit. You must go and come that way and show your ship card. You can see the market beyond that. If you're looking for a tour all those folks will be right there as you come out. Go out to the main road. In the center of the photo you will see Hublot and Diamonds International. There's a crosswalk to get to the other side. There's an alley next to the Gypsy store. This used to be where you buy tickets but they closed the stand and put in a little air conditioned trailer. We sneak thru there but you can walk down a little and there's an entrance between the shops. The trailer may not look open but it is... just open the door. For $5 you get a plastic card sort of like a credit card. When you get on the bus lay it flat on top of the black box... the driver will nod and you'll go thru a turnstile. You only board the bus on the front. You exit in the middle. Really it's so easy this is how you'll get around Aruba in the future!

Juice Bar Menu

Earlier this cruise I went to a presentation by the Future Cruise/ Loyalty rep and learned some things I didn't know. I'm sure people way smarter than me already have this figured out but I'm just starting to take longer cruises and didn't know. So as you know you can buy FCCs only onboard with a $100 deposit. But you can buy as many as you want. If the app limits you to 5 or 10 just place the order and keep ordering. They're automatically refunded if you don't book in a year but you can ask for an extension. These are good for cruises up to 44 days. What I didn't know is if you book a cruise 45+ days you can ask to use one of your FCCs and they will refund that deposit to you and give you a 3% discount on your cruise in place of it. You will also have to make a larger deposit because they want more of a commitment for longer cruises. She said you may have to get to the right person to make this happen because as we know, all phone reps are not equal. 🙄 But she said be persistent because it's a real thing.

The Juice Bar is indeed on the Port side of the Calypso bar on Deck 15 right outside the Marketplace aka Buffet. I'll take a picture of the menu and hours that was on the wall there next time I get by.

Flavorings you can add to your tea or coffee. I think you can read them all except the Chai Tea Spice. We always order a Salted Caramel Latte every morning at the IC.

Snorkel boat returning from the afternoon excursion. Lots of whooping and hollering going on. They got to see the sunset at sea. If you haven't done this excursion you should!

Sunset in Martinique... going... going... gone...

Today we did a snorkel excursion thru the ship. The first picture with the white and yellow boat was our ride for the day. The crew was awesome. We went to a cove and snorkeled in a batcave and then went around to another cove for more snorkeling and swimming. It was a fun day!

I didn't notice until I looked at this post that is actually a double rainbow!

I will scan and post all the Event Listings...aka Patters to us regulars... after I get home.

Embarkation Day - both closed Day 2 - Steamers 5-9 Day 3 - Planks 5-9 Day 4 - Steamers 5-9 Day 5 - Planks 5-9 Day 6 - Planks 5-9 Day 7 - Planks 5-9 Day 8 - Steamers 5-9 Day 9 - Planks 5-9 We're only up to Day 9. Day 6 might be a misprint because our first day said it was Day 7.🙄 I did over hear a conversation from someone who went to Planks and didn't like it... said the meat was tough.

Stepped out on my balcony this morning to this beautiful rainbow on our way to Martinique. P.S. I kindly ask you to take your casino discussion elsewhere unless it happened on this ship. This is a live hopefully informative thread about the Emerald. Thank you.

Sorry I don't know. We didn't order anything.

We went to lunch in the Lido which continues to disappoint with it's food offerings. Some Corporate peeps showed up with Carnival IDs and laptops. They got some lunch and settled into one of the tables. They had on polo shirts that read Operation Ocean Alive. Curious if we'll find out what that's about.

We spent the morning at the Sanctuary. It's $20pp from 8:30-12:30 or 1-5 or you can book the whole day for $40pp. I attached the menu of complimentary food you can order and in the afternoon they do a complimentary tea. It's best to book when you board but you can check throughout the cruise if they're booked up. People do cancel. We booked the whole day and canceled the second half when we got there so that freed up 2 seats. The Pros and Cons of booking a port day are port noise... we had a little early on but it stopped. It's Sunday and then there's crew drills. One started at 9:45 and lasted an hour so constant alarms and announcements. But I had the pool to myself early on and there were only a handful of people in the Sanctuary. Overall it was a lovely morning.

Crown Grill menu