AnnYM

Here is the link to the (very comprehensive) review by Enjoyit (hope you don't mind): https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=689458 I can speak to the room differences as our room was a regular balcony on level 5, rather than their delux balcony on level 6. Level 6 is on the Pool level whereas level 5 is on the Bridge level. The delux balcony room gives you a double-length balcony with similar bathroom layout to the regular balcony. Regular balcony has a smaller sitting area (love seat, small round table and leather chair and foot rest) between the bed and balcony. Regular balcony does not have the in-room coffee maker or welcome fruit plate, and no free laundry service.... and the beds are not adjustible (but still incredibly comfortable). I am also not aware of any special embarkation or debarkation privilege afforded to the suite passengers. They simply call the groups depending on whether they have specially arranged transports. The wait was very pleasant and took very little time, due to the small passenger number. This is a Huge improvement from the big ships, where your room type determines how quickly you get to leave. (We helped ourselves to some coffee from the machine while we waited to be called...) 🙂

Yes, we got the nice documents wallet as well…

Thanks Ron - That’s correct. Butrint and Delphi are both included. The mussels cooking demo following the tour was optional but also included. It takes place at the restaurant at the park entrance and will serve you a small tasting portion along with bread, box wine, and water. I sat with a lovely British couple there.

I’m sorry about the multiple replies about wearing shorts to lunch - didn’t realize when the system told me to wait it had already accepted my reply…☺️ So, Obviously… you can wear “recreational” clothes to lunch!

Well, Don P - nice to know a fellow Central Jerseyan! The Albania stop is primarily for the Butrint tour. I do not know what folks did if they didn’t go. We had to tender to port. Tenders never took very long at any port because we could anchor close to shore. Butrint was amazing, and our guide, who was 24 when the country changed over from communism shared many personal, emotional stories with us and really gave us insights into what life was like during that time. Delphi blew me away and the drive up to the sight provided an incredible view of a sea of olive groves stretching from the mountains to the sea. Then there was the crossing of the Corinth Canal at night. Everyone was on deck to witness the event. Kefalonia was not as I expected since the ship altered its itinerary and set anchor at Fiskardo instead of Argostoli (to facilitate the path to Itea and the canal). I had an itinerary all mapped out from Argostoli and a driver hired for the trip. The price for the itinerary went up significantly enough that I ended up canceling the day before. We borrowed two Go Bikes from the ship and went beach-hopping instead. Fiskardo is beautiful in the morning until the yachts and ferry boats dropped off large crowds that filled the entire waterfront. Hope you can see the photo of Parga and one of the canal crossing…

Absolutely wear shorts to lunch if that’s your comfort. Many of us stopped in for lunch in between activities/ excursions, so no need to change just to eat. 😁

I agree. Most men on my cruise wore either golf shirts or short sleeve button downs, not sure I saw any ties. But nobody wore tank tops to dinner….

We booked through a travel agent so received backpacks with the agency’s name and logos on them.

Thanks for the reassurance , Don P! CC has been a great resource of info for me so I’m glad to be able to contribute and help. 😊

Dressing levels vary but most try to appear nice (but not too formal). I brought a washable dress and a skirt to be able to allow for variations. I also wore a pair of “proper” stretch jeans (I.e., no holes or fraying) and nice top once with a pair of sandals. Although there were a couple of women in flashy clothes, comfort appears to be the primary guiding factor for most.

So glad to be helpful! I've seen a bar list pre-cruise, but not sure how accurate it is. I'm personally happy to have the 2 wine/beer/soda quota at lunch & dinner. It's more than I need. They offer still and sparkling water with your complimentary beverages. We were erroneously charged 2 ginger beers at a meal, so I can tell you that they were $3.50 each. Currency on board is based on USD. Alcohol pricing varies but maybe comparable or just slightly higher than what you might expect to pay at fine restaurants. Hand-brewed espressos & cappuccino at the pool bar are complimentary, and you have access to coffee machines in the 2 lounges that also brew espresso and caps (using real milk). We have gotten flatbreads as snacks and dined separately in the dining room for lunch. We never requested ice for our room but you can go to the bar and ask for some. And if the bar tender isn't on duty, any staff will do it for you (as I have done a few times). It was great. Also, your room steward/ess will refill 2 tall glass bottles with filtered water each time they come in to make up or turn down your room. (Enjoy!)

To answer the question - Would I recommend? The short answer is Yes! (though you must keep in mind the perspective of someone who has only cruised 2xs in my life, once in '79 (as a teen on the Oceanic) and 2011 (Carnival Legend). There were a few kinks that will work themselves out over time. You must be willing to abide by the strict dining hours. Room service is complimentary only for the large suite passengers. The price tag is steep for a frugal traveler by nature who has always researched carefully before committing to anything. This was a "blind buy" perhaps because of my "temporary state of insanity" brought on by the pandemic 😁😇. My mind is still reeling over the price tag, but I will say that it was the most satisfying trip I've ever taken and a great value if you factor in all the inclusive. It definitely felt like luxury travel - they certainly made us feel like it. As one reviewer said - when there are only 100 passengers and 68 crew, what do you need a private butler for? The crew is thoroughly professional, English speaking, and international. We saw our stewardess daily and she came in to introduce herself and share information with us. The dining room staff learned early on if we have any preferences or dietary needs, with a few exceptions. When we encountered an issue in the room, it was addressed (not immediately but it WAS addressed). With a maximum capacity of 100 passengers (50 rooms at double occupancy), it really feels like a small community. Food - Dining hours are posted each day. We rarely had to wait in line for anything, except personalized egg in the morning because there was only 1 person manning the eggs station, but you can have the self-serve scrambled eggs without the wait. The abundance of variety is so great that I stopped eating eggs after the 2nd day. I love how the chef offered local foods, especially fruits and cheeses, and everything is fresh and artfully arranged. You can customize and they will do their best to accommodate - if they can't do it alternatives would be offered. The chef is out greeting guests at lunch daily, supervising and collecting feedbacks. Servers will come around to inform you of final calls when the stations are closing, and as I've noted in my previous response - evening dining is taken at a leisure pace, so don't plan to eat and run. Excursions - I thoroughly enjoyed participating in all the included excursions, from climbing Kotor's city walls and attending the afternoon guitar concert to visiting Butrint and guided tour of Delphi. The quality of all the tour guides were first rate and highly insightful. The only excursion I had to pay for was the afternoon jeep tour in Corfu and for $160 PP, it was a worthwhile investment. Age Group and Entertainment - I just turned 60 this year and there were definitely more passengers that were older than younger, though there were a few that appeared to be in their late 20s and early 30s. Given the price tag ($4862 Balcony Deck 5 on Super Early Bird fare), this is understandable. Since this was the inaugural season sailing, several among us (I later found out) were travel agents that came to get some first hand experience. I don't think I heard any negative feedback, even among the veteran travelers. As previously stated - don't expect productions. There is a program director that acts as emcee on game shows in the lounge that I only attended in passing. There is also a very good guitarist/singer, who also serves other duties among the crew when not providing music. Everyone that was there seemed to really enjoyed it. I am usually too tired by the time I'm finished with dinner to want to participate (also not the party going type) and DH doesn't dance. When I was on the Carnival cruise, I never attend any of the shows onboard. Transfers - If you are not staying pre/post nights independently, Emerald will transfer you directly between the ship and the airport. Otherwise, you are on your own. We were taken to the ship from Dubrovnik airport but had to take a taxi to our hotel in Athens because I booked independetly. Lastly - Laundry room - Yes, there are ironing boards. There is also a clothesline in the very generous-sized shower stall. I hope this helps.

I can attest to that. we had 2 rough nights and it took everything I could muster on the 1st occasion (and a Bonine) to keep from losing anything. The 2nd time around I was fine. It WAS fun watching everyone (including the crew) walking as if drunk....

I can answer some of your questions, having just gotten off the boat last week. 1. Once you empty your luggages, the room steward/ess will store them under the bed for you during 1st night's turndown. 2. We didn't ask, but there's no reason why they would not. 3. For our cruise, the testing took place only prior to check-in. I do not know what happens if you test positive. 4. There is a program director and a guitarist/singer (Very good, btw), but nothing along the lines of production level shows. There are generally nightly gatherings either in the lounge (name that tune/ trivia night) or on the pool deck (dance party) depending on the event. 5. Laundry Self serve is complimentary and dispense their own detergent. You just choose your setting and press start. 6. Guests signed up for excursion at tendered ports will be sent out at the appointed time. On one morning, participants set out in a special tender before everyone else, but we're talking about 8:30 AM. There's rarely competion to get on a boat, and I think there are 2 in operation so it goes pretty quick. 7. E-Bikes are complimentary. We signed up for them the day prior and had no problem securing 2. In a tendered port, they will already be waiting for you on the dock. 8. I didn't use the pool or spa at night, so can't answer this question. What I CAN tell you is that dinner is served "fine dining" style starting 7-9PM, so usually takes a long time to finish. Not sure anyone is thinking about taking a dip after being so well-fed.

I will be sailing this itinerary July 9. Can't wait!