Cruz4Sun

2 hours ago, memoak said:

I have never seen reservations available for Salty Dog Gastropub. It may vary ship to ship but on both the Crown and the Ruby (3 cruises in the las 7 months) there were no reservations only walk up. It is not my favorite casual venue. 

For some reason the Emerald Princess does take reservations for the Salty Dog Gastropub.  It is a small venue on this ship tucked inside the Wheelhouse bar.

2 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

How did you make a reservation? Did you call the dine line or is it available on the app? 

Call the dine line once you are onboard.

17 hours ago, CruzinNoony said:

In the theater is the handicapped section way up on deck 7 or is there access to deck 6 to sit down near the stage?

Yes, there is access from deck six to sit near the stage.

Thanks for your review.  We'll be sailing on the Sapphire in November and I was wondering about the beds.  Glad to hear they were comfortable!  Based on your comments I will be heading over to the Lotus Spa to try the sauna and hot tubs.

2 hours ago, tulok said:

With only a 10day cruise, I also already know what days I want to go to casual dining. I will call when I board on Sunday. Is this not something that will show up on the app once we board? 

No, it doesn't show up on the app, even once you book it.  When I made the reservation they told me to write it down on my calendar as it would not appear with specialty dining reservations.

1 hour ago, gsmith2424 said:

No problem. I don't know if they will have this other casual option on the ship for your cruise but they also have the Crab Shack on right now. The Planks/Steamers/Crab all have been rotating during the cruise. The schedule for what venue will be the one running should be posted at the stand for each one near the rear elevator. (Didn't mention Gastro as that is a permanent one and is open every night.

If you call the dine line they can tell you what nights Planks/Steamers will be operating.  I had a few nights in mind that I wanted to use the casual dining option and once I booked Planks I just filled in the other night with the Salty Dog Gastropub which is open nightly as stated.

3 hours ago, Robkat said:

Thanks so much for your review, which we read with great interest as we're boarding the Emerald in just about 2 weeks for the Canada/New England.  We did that same cruise last year on the Caribbean P and we're interested to see how similar (or, what the differences are) between these two ships.

 

Is it necessary to make reservations for the Gastropub and for Planks/Steamers?  Were they very busy when you went?  Given where Planks/Steamers are located (at the back of the buffet), do you feel they do a good job of making them feel like a nice dining space, as opposed to just an extension of the buffet?

 

Thanks again and good to hear that you enjoyed your cruise. 

Congrats on your Canada/New England cruise.

It is highly recommended to make reservations for the casual dining options.  I saw a few people doing a walk up and were told either no or to come back at 8:30 (way too late for me).  Both restaurants were quite busy.  Planks/Steamers is set up very nice and definitely feels like a nice dining space in the evening.

3 hours ago, sillymom said:

Thanks for the terrific review.  We are going on the Emerald this weekend...so excited!

Question for you:  Any tips on doing the walk-off disembarkation? We've never done this before and are wanting to give it a try. 

As soon as you get the disembarkation questionnaire fill it out and take it directly to the customer service desk.  This is your best chance to get in group 1. When you get the information on where the meeting place is, going 1/2 hour early will get you in the front of the que.  Our meeting place was the dining room on deck 5 at 7:30.  The early birds got there at 7:00 and headed to the front of the dining room where you can see the disembarkation station being set up.  Everyone will get off, but being at the front avoids the busy line of passengers with lots of luggage.  I hope this helps.

Thanks, that does look interesting!

Wow.  I guess I missed the memo.  I just checked my reservations for the Sterling Steakhouse on our upcoming November cruise on the Sapphire and found it was converted to a reservation for the Churrascaria Brazilian Grill.  We like some meat, but not a meat focused meal.  I think I will cancel this reservation.

41 minutes ago, In Toronto said:

Thank you for the great review.  We are also boarding for the cruise up to Canada as is tml1230.

Disappointed to hear about the Salty Dog Pub experience.  I was looking forward to it.  Might need to rethink it.

Plan on going to Planks so will keep that plan.

One thing that I had heard was that these restaurants take close to 2 hours for dinner.  Did you find that?  

Our cruise is completely sold out.  Was your cruise completely full?  Did you find a problem with crowds?

Thanks.

Ellen

Enjoy your cruise to Canada!

Both Salty Dog and Planks took about 1-1/2 hours.

I believe our cruise was sold out but we didn't have a problem with crowds.  We like to go a half hour early to any entertainment to find seating with a nearby space to park the scooter.  We found out going just before start time is much more frustrating than waiting for 30 minutes.  We do avoid times and places that we know will be crowded.  For example when everyone is heading to the deck party, we go to Crooners or Club Fusion.  

1 hour ago, tml1230 said:

GREAT review! thanks for taking the time to share your experiences.....

we board in a couple weeks with our 10 year old granddaughter heading up the east coast to Canada.

thanks again!

Lucky you!  Hope you have a great cruise.

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

Nice review .. thank you for taking the time to post.  
I do have a question for you .. you can now make reservations at the Salty Dog?  
 

Thanks.  Yes, once on board we were able to make reservations for the Salty Dog Gastropub.

The day before this cruise we drove to Ft. Lauderdale and stayed at the Candlewood Suites on State Road 84.  It was fine for just one night and only 8 minutes from the port.

The next morning we headed to the port at 9:30 and by 10:45 we had boarded the ship.  We dropped off our carry on luggage at our cabin and headed up deck 15 for a beverage.  I walked over to the World Fresh Marketplace and used a house phone to call the dine line.  I was able to make reservations for the Salty Dog Gastropub and Planks on the dates and times I wanted. At noon we headed to the Botticelli dining room for a delicious lunch of beef tenderloin with a soufflé for dessert.

For the sail away we met some new Cruisecritic friends at the Outrigger Bar.  The following day we went to a Cruisecritic slot pull and actually came away winners!  Always nice to get to see folks we’ve been chatting with for months.

We were in a handicapped accessible cabin R301.  The room and the balcony were both spacious and we loved the close proximity to the Lido deck.  It was easy for me to run upstairs to grab a beverage or water from the Mix bar or to visit the Terrace pool, especially on port afternoons when it was quiet.

My husband uses a mobility scooter but we got off the ship several times. In Tortola we walked to nearby Seven Restaurant and had some interesting appetizers at their outdoor seating. At St. Kitts we walked around the port and ended up at a food court where we got lamb and fries from Alibabba.  At St. Maartan we looked at lots of shops then stopped at an outdoor bar for a cold and creamy mudslide.  Havensight in St. Thomas has tons of shopping which we enjoyed before going to lunch at the Smoking Rooster in building 6.  Got an amazing sandwich with brisket, bacon and cheese (not health food for sure) along with a bushwacker drink for my DH and some mango and peach ice tea for me.  We will visit this again the next chance we get.

On the ship we found the Emerald Princess much more handicapped friendly than the Caribbean Princess.  We could easily get to a table with chairs at the International Café, Vines, Adagio bar, Skywalkers and even Crooners if we went early.

While on the ship we tried lots of drinks including Honey Lavendar latte, Black Forest Freeze, Baked Alaska, Baccarat and Expresso martinis.  The plus package allowed us to try many new beverages without feeling pressured to finish ones we didn’t enjoy.  We really liked the wines in real wine glasses at Vines bar and were able to listen to music in the Piazza at the same time.

We went to Crown Grill one night where my DH got the ever-reliable filet.  I tried the veal chops and enjoyed them a lot. Our dinner at Planks was great, the barbeque meats are tender and served with many tasty sides.  We skipped dessert as the 2 choices did not appeal to us.  Our dinner at the Salty Dog Gastropub was a mixed bag.  The asparagus appetizers were delicious.  The SDG burger was good but slightly overcooked.  The short rib entrée was fatty and had more sauce than meat.  Next time we will skip this option and go to Steamers instead.

I went to every Zumba and Line Dancing class offered.  Susan, the Zumba instructor/entertainment director did a great job.  I attended Deal or No Deal which was fun and won a couple of scratch off cards (alas, both were losing cards). We enjoyed lots of evening entertainment including comedians Doug Funk, Angelo Tsarouchas, and Jimmy Schubert.  Other shows we liked were Michael Minor, Bryan Cheatham, Nina Sky and Tommy Proulx. 

At the end of the cruise we did the walk off disembarkation and were headed home by 8 a.m.

Another successful cruise in the books!

Just got off the Emerald Princess.  Here are my thoughts on the casual dining.

Upon embarkation I walked over to the World Fresh Marketplace and used a house phone to call the dine line.  I was able to make reservations for the Salty Dog Gastropub and Planks on the dates and times I wanted.

Our dinner at Planks was great, the barbeque meats are tender and served with many tasty sides.  We skipped dessert as the 2 choices did not appeal to us.  Our dinner at the Salty Dog Gastropub was a mixed bag.  The asparagus appetizers were delicious.  The SDG burger was good but slightly overcooked.  The short rib entrée was fatty and had more sauce than meat.  Next time we will skip this option and go to Steamers instead.

. 

On 4/13/2024 at 12:57 PM, Wishing on a star said:

 

I remember that on one of the these threads about the Sun Princess, somebody had posted a picture, from inside the Atrium, where you could see the balcony of that first cabin on deck 9, right there, with little privacy.  So I thought I would forward this.

Here, somebody has posted a video of 9358, which on the starboard side is 9361.

This shows what it is like being on that balcony, right next to the Atrium.

I also notice that the door out to the balcony seems to be a single swing-out door, and not a slider.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksNsN2dOYWg

Thanks!  We will be in 9358 in October and found this helpful.  While the balcony is not private, it certainly looks spacious.  I like the cabin layout with the bed set back in a semi-bedroom with space near the bed where we can probably park the scooter. I will report back how we liked this cabin after our cruise.

On 3/28/2024 at 10:28 PM, vjmatty said:

I think this picture might answer your question. It’s taken from the sphere looking out onto the balcony of 9361

 

Yes, that's exactly what I was wondering about. Thanks for the photo!

1 hour ago, pcanevazzi said:

My folks will be in this cabin in a few weeks and I’ll be down the hall.  Will try to remember to post back here with info. 

That would be great!  Have a fun cruise with your folks!

Thanks @dides.  I was aware that the cabins on deck 10 above could look down into the cabana balconies below.  I was actually wondering if passengers in the sphere could see into all of the balcony, or if there was a white barrier right next to the cabana area blocking a small portion of the balcony from view.  I should have been more specific.  I don't know if I would also be lucky enough that someone staying in 9361 or 9358 could post photos of those cabins inside and out.

If anyone could post pictures of the accessible cabana mini suite 9358 or 9361 that would be appreciated.  Trying to determine if any part of the balcony is private or not and what is the view of that balcony from the Dome.  Thanks.

We really enjoyed both Steamers and Planks on the Caribbean Princess.  We called the dine line to make reservations the day we boarded.  Although both venues are located in the back section of the buffet, they were set up to have more of a dining room feel.  They had limited staff to run these casual dining restaurants, so only a small number of reservations were booked.  I saw a number of people turned away despite many empty tables.  Be sure to book early!

We are in an accessible C2 cabin in October. Am interesting in hearing how crowded the cabana deck is at various times.  Also would like to see how private (or not private) our balcony is that wraps around the end just outside the sphere.  Thanks and have a wonderful cruise.

 We have cruised twice on the Caribbean Princess in the accessible window suite.  Very spacious room.  The staff and fellow passengers were great.  During the day we easily navigated the ship.  In the evening the piazza was crowded so we found entertainment options in quieter locations like the Wheelhouse Bar or Movies Under the Stars.

Just got back and wanted to post our experience.  At 9:30 a.m. I dropped off DH with his scooter at terminal 21 and our 1 large suitcase with a porter.  I told the porter my plans to drive to the parking garage for terminal 2 and she very nicely told me to watch for the white vans run by USA.  After parking at the Heron lot I went down to the 1st floor of the garage and asked a port employee about the shuttle and he said there weren't any.  He pointed me to a long taxi line and an even longer Uber line.  I got in the taxi line and 5 minutes later a white van (not labeled) pulled up and let passengers out.  I noticed the driver had USA on her shirt and went over and explained my situation.  She was going back to terminal 21 to drive more disembarking passengers from there to terminal 2 and agreed to take me.  What a relief!  The traffic was so bad it took 25 minutes to get there.  So from start to finish my DH waited about 1 hour for my return.  When we finished the cruise we were in our car by 7:30 a.m. headed home.  So glad we took care of the inconvenient part at the beginning of the cruise.

The Port Everglades scheduled was just updated. Caribbean Princess will be embarking from terminal 21.