Live from the Emerald Princess......Ask Away

[chasekenslee]

Just got off the Emerald on Sunday and LOVED every minute of it! The only downfall was having to disembark :rolleyes:

Not sure I can answer any questions...but I will try.

We did a total veg out cruise...no special dining venues, no shore excursions, no shows. But we still had a blast!

The wait for the tender to Princess Cays was about 35-40 minutes for us. But it was not a big deal. We just chatted away in the Princess Theater.

One recommendation for anyone interested....at St Thomas we had a taxi take us to a beach resort, Secret Harbor. Beach and chairs were free and besides our small party there were only 5 other people on the entire beach! Total privacy! We rented snorkel gear at the dive shop on the premises for $10 each. I am not a big snorkel person but this was the highlight of my trip! A friend of mine that is an avid diver even commented on how awesome the snorkeling was! The taxi ride was approx 30 minutes each way and cost $11 per person each way, but it was totally worth it!

St Marteen and Grand Turk we just hung out at the beaches!

Total relaxation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so ready to go back!!

[Stacey779]

The wait for the tender to Princess Cays was about 35-40 minutes for us. But it was not a big deal. We just chatted away in the Princess Theater.

 

What time did you arrive in the Princess Theater to go to Princess Cays? I'm assuming you just go to the theater, receive a ticket with a group number (?), and wait for it to be called. Right?

[cruzinchris]

Thanks for the Live. Is there a separate waffle bar in HC? Is there a sperate omelet bar in HC?...

 

Hi, Bob and Candy.

We (Chris and Mike) sailed with you on the Dawn a few years ago. We did both 10-night itineraries on the Emerald in 2008/2009, and I will be boarding the ship this Sunday with my sister.

 

Unless things have changed significantly since January, there were eggs and omelets cooked to order in the buffet area. Waffles were prepared at the Trident Grill. We never had them but heard about this from other passengers. If you don't see a waffle station at HC, try the grill.

 

There wasn't lemonade on either of our recent cruises, but others here have mentioned that it's available at HC.

 

Hope you are both well.

Chris from Michigan

[caribill]

Unless things have changed significantly since January, there were eggs and omelets cooked to order in the buffet area. Waffles were prepared at the Trident Grill. We never had them but heard about this from other passengers. If you don't see a waffle station at HC, try the grill.

 

There wasn't lemonade on either of our recent cruises, but others here have mentioned that it's available at HC.

 

 

 

Waffles were in the Horizon Court on the Emerald in May.

 

Lemonade is available in the HC, but you need to ask for it.

[LuigiF1]

Thank you very much for the review and posting answers to all these questions!!. We are scheduled to sail on the Emerald over Thanksgiving week 11-22. This will only the 2nd cruise fro my wife and I, first on Princess. We reserved a BA category that is on the Caribe deck. Is there anything special about BA or Caribe deck or are all balcony rooms close to the same?

Also for the princess cays we reserved a Sanctuary Bungalow (only because the regular bungalows were all gone) We will be sharing the bungalow with my in-laws. Anything different or special about the sanctuary bungalows or additional services available?,(besides no kids) I've heard you can get priority tender tickets for renting these.

Also I also heard on another post someone mention there is an ultimate ship tour, do you know anything about that or signing up for it?

Thanks,

Dan

[chasekenslee]

Stacey....tenders started around 9 am and we arrived at the Princess Theater around 10:15 thinking the rush would be over....guess we were wrong! But it really was not that bad!

[kool kruiser]

Thank you very much for the review and posting answers to all these questions!!. We are scheduled to sail on the Emerald over Thanksgiving week 11-22. This will only the 2nd cruise fro my wife and I, first on Princess. We reserved a BA category that is on the Caribe deck. Is there anything special about BA or Caribe deck or are all balcony rooms close to the same?

 

Great news. The balconies on Caribe are MUCH larger than those on other decks, even includinng the mini-suites on Dolphin. If it matters to you, they are half covered and half uncovered. BA simply means they are midships on this deck, please see the deck plans which should show what I mean. Enjoy !!!

[noleswin]

If anyone on board is hanging out or bumps into Chris and Weezy tell them there friends John and Missy hope they are having a great honeymoon. They tried to call before sail away and I missed the call.

[cruiser boo]

Hi Chris: I remember you & Mike & our cruise on the Dawn well. We are very excited for this trip as we are doing a b2b & have become Elite as of last years b2b. There still time to sign up! Love to have you join us. The reason I asked about waffles & omelet bar is last Jan on the Sapphire we had both for 1st day right outside HC & mysteriously never again over the next 13 days! :confused:

No one had an answer either.

B & C

 

Hi, Bob and Candy.

We (Chris and Mike) sailed with you on the Dawn a few years ago. We did both 10-night itineraries on the Emerald in 2008/2009, and I will be boarding the ship this Sunday with my sister.

 

Unless things have changed significantly since January, there were eggs and omelets cooked to order in the buffet area. Waffles were prepared at the Trident Grill. We never had them but heard about this from other passengers. If you don't see a waffle station at HC, try the grill.

 

There wasn't lemonade on either of our recent cruises, but others here have mentioned that it's available at HC.

 

Hope you are both well.

Chris from Michigan

[cruzinchris]

Hi Chris: I remember you & Mike & our cruise on the Dawn well. We are very excited for this trip as we are doing a b2b & have become Elite as of last years b2b. There still time to sign up! Love to have you join us. The reason I asked about waffles & omelet bar is last Jan on the Sapphire we had both for 1st day right outside HC & mysteriously never again over the next 13 days! No one had an answer either. B & C

 

I'll be boarding the Emerald this Sunday with my sister, and Mike and I will be doing a 10-night on the Ruby in January (for my 60th). We did two 10-nights on the Emerald (January 2008-09) and really enjoyed both itineraries and the beautiful ship. The Ruby voyage will be slightly different because we'll go to Curacao instead of Bonaire.

 

I remember how the ship waited for the two of you to arrive for our sailing on the Dawn ;) My sister and I are flying to FLL the day of the cruise, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that our non-stop morning flight is on time.

 

Happy travels!

Chris

[christinelee]

Today, Tuesday, is a sea day and is also the first formal night ….and also they have moved up the Champagne Waterfall to tonight at 7:30…..What? And it is also the captains welcome onboard…….is Princess cutting yet another corner?....also just got our invite to the captain circle party with the captain for Thursday (second formal night) …...so yes they are cutting corners !

As the cruise continues so does our list of fabulous friends. We had the pleasure of dining with two great couples from England and Arizona, The next formal night we are going dine with them and our two other cruise mates at Sabatini’s , our favorite alternative dining spot on Princess.

It is true, Princess has tried to ruin the Champagne Waterfall by moving it to 7:30 in the evening of the first formal night. There is no music or the ability dance and party with the many wonderful young people of the staff, a treat that will be gone for future passengers. They take a few photos and bang, everything is gone by 8:30.

Once again went to see hypnotist Tim and once again his show was great. Tomorrow is St. Maarten and St. Martin.

They have probably done more and are doing more to Philipsburg to make it a “first-class” port. Although the are still working very hard, they transformation of the downtown area over the years has been remarkable to say the least. We needed to purchase a new camera and after being shown quite a few (maybe a hundred or so my dear wife finally fell in love with the little red number that will travel with us for many years to come.

Having been here many, many times we passed on the beach watching on the French side of the island…...She keeps telling me that ‘they all look alike’, but somehow not to us of the male persuasion. So it was back on the water taxi ……$4.00 one way or $6.00 for as many trips back and forth that you wish…… it was back to the ship and enjoy a great day with a near empty ship and pool. St. Maarteen night is also Tropical Island Deck Party Night so it was up to the Lido deck for a night under the Caribbean stars. Cruise Director Tim Donovan and his staff did a really great job or organizing and keeping the party going for about three hours. One of the best bands ever heard on ship, Temperature, provided the music.

Tomorrow is St. Thomas and “shop till you drop” day.

add.....yes they do still serve the food....more about this after we get home and have more minutes

[Dustyone]

We recently returned from the Transatlantic cruise and found so much fabulous entertainment on the Emerald. The band Temperature who played almost nightly in the Explorer's Lounge are a great rock'n'roll band and their keyboard player sounds just like Lionel Ritchie when he does vocals. The lead singer is from ST. Lucia and the musicians all from South Africa. The bartender at Explorer's "Girlly" is a very personable gal from the Phillipines - we told her we were writing the captain to have the name changed to the GIRLLY BAR!! The best kept secret onboard is the Adagio Bar - right beside Sabatini's - superb piano bar and great entertainment by Canadian pianist Robert Deans. You will never hear a better string quartet than Polonia which I assume is still onboard. If you have been to St. Thomas before and looking for something new to do - suggest a side trip to the Island of St. Johns - it is a beautiful boat ride over and the Island and surrounding beaches are wonderful (by the way we didnt hit St. Thomas on the T>A). Happy sailing on the Emerald - we sure enjoyed the vessel and know you will - great snacks, goodies, coffee and wine available in the Piazza/International Cafe. If you are in Facets fine jewellery shop and need a good clerk ask for Melissa from Australia - she was of great help to me in identifying a suitable gift for my wife on our 40th wedding anniversary.

[cruiser boo]

Hey Dusty One: thanks for the great recap of entertainment! My wife & I will be on a b2b in late Jan on Emerald & can only hope most of those entertainers are still under contract. We love the lounges & get real excited when we read some great reviews. Congrats on your 40th. Valantines will be our 40th as well. We are not big on hypnotists but hopefully this guy Tim is really good.

Christine thanks for the updates. We reallyenjoy.

[cruiser boo]

Christine: I forgot something. If you get near the excercie room could you put your head in & please count Computerized Bikes; Upright & Reclining & let me know how many. There are a lot of folks on the Emerald & never enough bikes in exercise room.

Lastly was there free lemonade in the HC during the day?

[christinelee]

We shopped, we dropped, all our $$ and our bodies also……..very warm today 92. …..did our shopping and back on board…..we were told that Coki beach was still open but all of the machinery and construction equipment has been brought in to start tearing the best beach in St. Thomas apart……. Really a crime. Second formal night was tonight and we did Sabatini’s with our great friends from Arizona, England Tennessee and Illinois. Really a great meal and atmosphere. Comedian Derrick Cameron, and The Princess Production of Boogie shoes was tonight as well as London Pub Night, a funny, funny skit put on by the cruise staff…...but it doesn’t start until 11:45 pm.

Onward to Grand Turk tomorrow…….I bet everyone sleeps in in the morning ….. a lot of weary eyes last evening.

[argenta01]

Who is your cabin steward in B507? Is he from Portugal? I think it might be my friends roomate. ;)

[caribill]

Since St. Thomas was a U.S. port after being in a foreign country (Bahamas), did you have to go through immigration when you reached St.Thomas?

 

If so, what was the procedure.?

[christinelee]

A lot of late risers this morning as we are not due in Grand Turk until 1 pm. Seas were a little rough last night but like glass now……..9:30 am, yes we sleep too! After a stop at the art auction ( to get a little education and culture, very little I am afraid) it was back up to the room as it seems we still didn’t catch up enough last evening ...that is the beautiful thing about a cruise…..go, go, go ….do, do, do…...or do nothing.

82 degrees today on Grand Turk and everyone is in great spirits…..not much to do on Grand Turk except party at Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville.

Line dancing and the Country Hoe Down tonight along with Scottish entertainer David Moore and an adult only show by hypnotist Tim Triplett at midnight.

Movies Under The Stars have included: Sunday Night Football, Monday Night Football, Star Trek X1, Imagine That, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Proposal, Marly & Me, and Angels & Demons.

Saw comedian Derrick Cameron last night…...well worth the wait. He is one funny guy. …..Last day is a sea day as tomorrow we back in Ft. Lauderdale and it is rush, rusj, rush for us as we have a 12:390 flight out of Miami…..we have Princess Transfers so it is up early and on the bus. The weather is starting to turn a little cooler 76, but nothing like the 33 we left in Chicago. If you get a chance to do the Pub lunch in the Wheelhouse Bar it is well worth it!. We went earlier in the week and we are going again today (11:30—2:30)Princess Pop Star is tonight as well as that great, exciting “get your luggage out before dinner” game that everyone hates. We will put together a wrap up after we reach home and will try to add pictures to it also. She is a beautiful ship….please take care of her and pass her on to the next passengers…..Hope we meet you on the seas someday…..Until we do….may the wind always be at your back!

Add -Calixto is our room steward ....no immigration in St. Thomas

[Fore on the Floor]

So Tim Donavan is the CD I thought Lisa Ball was cd or did they switch after last cruise

[F19810]

Thanks for taking the time to post. I'll be boarding a week and I know that the ship is full so I figure that I should book the Crown Grill and SAbatinis as soon as I board. Where should I go to book these?

Thanks,

Judy

[christinelee]

you can make reservations right from your stateroom.....Lisa Ball left last week

[boat tay]

Tim Donavan oh great I am going to cancel my ceuise He is awful just terrible:(

[boating girl]

Tim Donavan oh great I am going to cancel my ceuise He is awful just terrible:([/quote

 

Just curious since I am boarding this Sunday, why do you think he is terrible?

[boating girl]

Just got off the Emerald on Sunday and LOVED every minute of it! The only downfall was having to disembark :rolleyes:

Not sure I can answer any questions...but I will try.

We did a total veg out cruise...no special dining venues, no shore excursions, no shows. But we still had a blast!

The wait for the tender to Princess Cays was about 35-40 minutes for us. But it was not a big deal. We just chatted away in the Princess Theater.

One recommendation for anyone interested....at St Thomas we had a taxi take us to a beach resort, Secret Harbor. Beach and chairs were free and besides our small party there were only 5 other people on the entire beach! Total privacy! We rented snorkel gear at the dive shop on the premises for $10 each. I am not a big snorkel person but this was the highlight of my trip! A friend of mine that is an avid diver even commented on how awesome the snorkeling was! The taxi ride was approx 30 minutes each way and cost $11 per person each way, but it was totally worth it!

St Marteen and Grand Turk we just hung out at the beaches!

Total relaxation!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so ready to go back!!

 

The OP arrived for embarkation around 2, I think; did you arrive earlier? If so, what was the boarding like earlier?

[1 Cruise Fan]

:)Thanks for taking time out of your cruise to post...We still have a while.we are newbies to Princess....Have a couple of ???Are coolers allowed(for soda/water)?Do you have any ideal of how much wine is allowed ?

 

Thanks,

Stacie:cool: