JRice

We were fortunate to be invited to dine at 360, gratis, during a May 2023 cruise on the Enchanted. We were not suite passengers, all 4 in our party were Club Class dining and the head waiter was well aware all of us were foodies. It was an amazing dining experience. It tickled all the senses .... including piped in aromas, videos were clear and on topic, images were projected on the tables, some were even interactive, drink pairings for each country were perfect, plenty of food but not excessive because portions were relatively small, Johann was our Dinner Moderator - he did it with such passion, videos also provided insight into the food regions, origins and production, food delivery was paced well, TWO servers per couple who were very focused on their diners. As far as cost goes - Here is my humble opinion that anyone is free to agree or disagree with. -- If you live to eat rather than eat to live, $149 is a bargain. A prime steak with an appetizer, veg, potato, cocktail and glass of wine with tax and tip is at least $150 in any good steak house. The variety, quality, delivery, visual and all sensory 2 hour experience is worth it. Do I need to go each time I sail? Probably not. For me, it is not a "one and done" experience. I would pay for it next cruise. We did the Captain's table twice. -- Also, my opinion, do what floats your boat. If you would rather lose $150 in the casino - so be it. If you would rather spend it in the spa, good for you. Some people spend $100's or $1000's for a ticket to a sports event or to a concert and get value from those prices - good for them - but not me. I hope that in the future they expand the concept to include other regions of the world. Mangia !

*** PEACE TREATY NEEDED *** The smoking debate will continue as long as there is one smoker on the earth. Cruises should be all things to all people. Part of the fun for me is watching other people having fun and enjoying themselves. My attitude is "I be me ... they be them" Cruise ships with 3000 passengers require all of us to be tolerant of most behavior and to be non-sanctimonious. Your pleasures may be my sins and vice versa. Therefore, let's stop picking on the smokers. They should not be prohibited from smoking in an indoor enclosed lounge or in a few outdoor locations. You know, I know and they know smoking is not healthy - I am sure if it were easy to quit they would do so tomorrow. If you find it necessary to pick on the smokers, then why not pick on other behaviors? Should obese passengers be prohibited from eating more than the recommended daily caloric intake? Should those with alcohol dependency be prohibited from purchasing the booze package or buy at a bar? Should those with gambling addictions or financial issues be prohibited from entering the casino? Sunshine can cause skin cancer, should the lounge chairs be removed? Hot tubs can spread disease, should they be closed too? The answer to all these questions is an unequivocal 'NO". Let each adult make their own decisions based upon the risks they want to endure and without interference. If you want to "ban" something -- how about banning some of these rude or inconsiderate behaviors? - Passengers who think it is ok to pass gas in public areas - Passengers who cut into elevator, buffet or tender lines - Passengers who eat in a buffet line - Passengers who hog deck chairs - Passengers who disregard formal night dress codes. *** Let he who is without sin cast the first stone ***

Any cruise ship or airport exchange service will always be expensive because they take advantage of those who want currency "now". Possession of a small amount of local currency is a good practice because some small vendors may not take credit cards and tips for waiters and hotel staff are sometimes not allowed to be added to a credit card. You best bet is to use minimize the use of "cash" and to use a credit card that has no foreign exchange fees and uses the then current commercial exchange rate. Ask your credit card company about their policy. This has saved me 8-10% of the exchange rates offered at airports, hotels, cruise ships, etc. Bank of America has consistently had the best exchange rates to obtain currency. Usually about 5% over the then commercial rate. I order currency on line, no service fee, pick up at my local branch. Good luck.

I wrote this in 2017 after our 1st Emerald cruise. We liked it so much we did another one in 2019 from Arles to Lyon. I would avoid the lower level of cabins due to possible noise/vibration from the engines. We did not do the active excursions - try one out -- if you like it continue. Ask the cruise director about them, s/he will be very informative and can tell you about the activity. Wine and beer outside lunch and dinner was very reasonably priced. Mixed drinks were priced ok too. Both sides of the ship are equal for views. The best views are from the glassed in lounge, dining room and open forward deck. If weather permits the roof is open with chairs and lounges. I highly recommend that you spend a few nights at your embarkation and disembarkation ports and if possible do the 14 day cruise. Also, Prague is a day train ride from Budapest - it was a great city to visit too. JG ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This was our first river cruise after many ocean cruises because we wanted to visit central Europe and to experience the difference of a river cruise. The cruise was 14 nights from Amsterdam to Budapest. We flew to Amsterdam to tour for 2 days prior to the cruise and I would recommend others to arrive at the embarkation city a few days in advance to adjust to jet lag as well as to enjoy the city. We chose Emerald because of their full itinerary. The embarkation process was as easy as could be, it took no more then 3 minutes to get our room keys. We choose Emerald because their ships are at most 2 years old, they visited all the towns we wanted to see, their pricing was significantly less than their competitors, they had an included excursion at every port, all staff gratuities were included as well as airport or hotel transfers. The ship's interior was very contemporary, lots of glass and chrome decor and wrap around windows in the lounge and dining room making it easy to have an uninterrupted view of the scenery. Our cabin was well designed with plenty of storage in the cabin and bathroom. The exterior wall was all glass to maximize viewing whereby you could lower the top half of the glass wall when weather permitted. Dining: Breakfast was always a large, varied buffet accompanied with made to order eggs and omelets. There was every sort of cereal, yogurt, deli meats and cheeses, breakfast meats and baked goods. Everything was of high quality and tasty. Lunch was also always a large, varied buffet and once again everything was of high quality and very tasty. Many lunch items were regionally oriented. Dinner was sit down served by waiters with a different menu every day and comprised of a choice of appetizers, a delicious soup of the day, choice of 3 entrees and 2 desserts. Overall the dinners were more creative than found on ocean cruise ships and it was plated with an artist's eye for color and flair. Included daily excursions were conducted by professional local guides that spoke perfect English, were well worth the time and were informative. On board extra activities included local talent and demonstrations - ie. a glass blower, an Ompha band, zither player, dancers, etc. Our cruise director Jana was a GEM! She was as pleasant as could be and arranged for a MD to come aboard to treat a few of us for colds. She even went to the pharmacy in port to pick up the prescriptions the MD ordered. NOW, that is service! The rest of the staff did their best to please the passengers. We can strongly recommend Emerald to anyone who wants to experience a river cruise. Jerome Giambalvo jerrygiam@verizon.net

We stayed at the LHR Hilton Garden Inn at Terminal 2/3 recently ..... it was very convenient after our overnight flight.

Why bring back any food from shore ? Do you expect a shortage on board?

Ridiculous !!!! Why should I be thrilled with paying for something I used to get for free? Princess, please think this through. It is not a good way to treat customers.

Thank you. Yes, my wife and I did remain healthy during the trip and the 2 subsequent quarantines courtesy of the Japanese government and the US government. After 2 vaccines shots and one booster I acquired a mild case of COVID in Jan of this year. We have since cruised with Princess and will continue to do so. They treated us wonderfully .... even though one of their ships was first to have COVID on board, it could have been any cruise line, especially those that had stops in Asian ports. Travel safely. Jerry

My wife and I were passengers on that ill fated cruise and endured the 2 week quarantine on the ship and a 13 hour cargo plane ride return to the USA, Lackland AFB for another 2 week quarantine. One of people in our travel group wrote about her experience, from arriving in Tokyo for a pre cruise stay until she and her husband returned to their home after the 2 quarantines. If you have not read her book, QUARANTINE! How I Survived the Diamond Princess Coronavirus Crises, by Gay Courter, you should do so. It is available on Amazon in ebook and soft cover. To be 100% transparent, I am an (unpaid) contributor to the book. My review is on Amazon.