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Reflections on our Emerald B2B-1st Time on Princess

NoVa Mimi

By NoVa Mimi,
in Princess Cruises

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NoVa Mimi

NoVa Mimi

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Posted

Where to begin...well after quite a number of cruises on RCCL, I can honestly say I have been won over by Princess! This was the best cruise we have ever been on :)

 

For our transportation to the ship and from the ship to the airport, the hotel (Gallery One) recommended a gentleman by the name of Tony. He charged $25 to go to the pier and $25 from the ship to the airport. That was the same as the cab fare and he had a very nice comfy SUV that had great air conditioning! His company is T J Shuttles and he offers transportation in Ft. Lauderdale and to Miami. He is very prompt and professional and I recommend him highly!

 

We were in an aft suite, which we just loved! Now I never want anything but an aft cabin. We were very impressed with Princess and the way everything is handled, from embarkation to disembarkation. It took us just about 15 minutes to check in and we were escorted right onboard. We were led to our cabin immediately upon boarding. While our cabin was different than those we have had on RCCL, I quickly fell in love with it. We were very pleased with all the perks that came with booking a suite. Unlimited free internet, free laundry, free mini bar set up, corsage and boutonniere on the first formal night, very nice toiletries (I love the eucalyptus products!) Our balcony was wonderful as well!

 

The muster drill was a very pleasant surprise! Meeting in one of the lounges was so much better than standing out in the hot sun! Also, since we were on B2B, the second week, we did not have to attend! :) On RCCL, we always had to attend the second week.

 

The use of the Piazza on this ship was just wonderful! A delightful departure from the large Voyager and Freedom class ships. We enjoyed various entertainers there on a number of occasions. The International Cafe was great and we would often stop by for a goodie(or two!) when we went for coffee. We did purchase a coffee card and I will do that again. I can tell a difference in the coffees! My DH tried to trick me one day and got coffee from the Horizon Court and tried to make me think it was the real stuff...hmmpf! The coffe card was good for regular brewed coffee, specialty coffees and iced/frozen coffee drinks.

 

We ate in the dining room a few times and the food and service were wonderful. This time though, we changed things up a bit and did primarily casual dining. The casual dining areas offered the same items in the evening that the main dining room had. That was a surprise to us. Also, I never knew they offered SO much shrimp!! It was just great to get all one cared to eat several time during the cruise! :) We never had this experience on RCCL, ever.

 

The cruise director's staff was awesome! Though not so much the actual cruise director. A young lady by the name of Jess, was very diligent in trying to provide activities for the 18-20 year old passengers (our son is 19) and she did a wonderful job!! This age group is often over-looked, as they are too old for the teen center and too young to drink in the bars. Besides, we don't want to give the impression that the only way to have fun and meet people is to go to a bar. There were several activities daily that were organized for this group and this allowed them to meet other people their age and do things around the ship together in smaller groups I hope they pursue this program as I am unaware of any other cruise line doing this. Kudos to Jess for initiating this, I do hope she receives the recognition she so deserves!

 

MUTS was a delightful experience! Nice cozy blankets, popcorn and even warm chocolate chip cookies! Wow! :) It was almost like going to a drive-in years ago. It didn't matter what was showing, it was just fun!

 

The pizza was very good, but again, all the food was good to us. If one thing didn't seem to appeal to us, there were many other things available. I am sure nobody went hungry. Breakfast in Sabatini's was a very nice treat that I would highly suggest.

 

There were many things that we did not get around to doing, I guess that means we'll have to go again!;) We missed Afternoon Tea, which was quite good I hear. Once again, I could not stay up late enough for the adult comedy show at midnight (fun in the sun does make one tired!) We did not try any of the alternative dining for our evening meals, such as Chops, the Chef's table, etc. I had planned on trying The Sanctuary, but the aft pool turned out to be my favorite place to go, close to the bar and food!

 

Again, this was our favorite cruise to date. We had grown tired of RCCL and the predictability that had come with our cruises and also when they began taking perks away from the various loyalty levels we found ourselves looking for a change. I am so glad things turned out as they did, or we may never have had the wonderful experience we did.

 

I am just saddened by the fact that Princess has decided not to have a ship out of Florida for the Caribbean next summer. I know this has been discussed at length though. I am suffering from post cruise depression now, as I don't have a cruise booked for next year. I'll be scouring the Princess site for ideas as we are definitely hooked on Princess! :)

 

Tami

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fabrizio0718

fabrizio0718

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Tami..... my DH and I are sailing on the Emerald 8-1-10 (1 week) and I really enjoyed your comments about your cruise. This will be our first cruise on Princess. We have only cruised on RCL and were getting tired of the same routine also. After reading all the great reviews regarding Princess, I think they will be our new best friend for a long time.

 

Thanks again.........

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NoVa Mimi

NoVa Mimi

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Tami..... my DH and I are sailing on the Emerald 8-1-10 (1 week) and I really enjoyed your comments about your cruise. This will be our first cruise on Princess. We have only cruised on RCL and were getting tired of the same routine also. After reading all the great reviews regarding Princess, I think they will be our new best friend for a long time.

 

Thanks again.........

 

I just know that you'll be very happy that you made the change!

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Esprit

Esprit

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Our B2B on Emerald finished on 4 July and your comments mirror ours. We hated IOTS (particilarly the Royal Promenade and Windjammer) last year and were really relieved to get back on Emerald again (3rd time).

 

Jess indeed was excellent as our kids are 19 and 21 and got to know her well.

 

Those pastries/desserts you can get in the International cafe were just amasing.

 

Peter

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luvs2travl

luvs2travl

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Thanks so much for the Emerald review. We will be on her in October for a 20-day b-2-b, and we have a mini-suite on E deck. We had a VS on Emerald deck on the Sapphire Princess, (E-730), and I know how quickly one can be won over by the experience.

 

So glad you enjoyed everything and we can't wait to get on board! We just hope she has all her power problems worked out by then ;)!!

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NoVa Mimi

NoVa Mimi

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OP...Am I correct in that you debarked on 7/18?

 

Yes, that is correct.

 

Thank you all for your warm responses! One important thing I forgot was that everyone here on the Princess board is so kind and gracious. You all are the warmest group of people I've "met" on these boards in a long while! It is that feeling that has also added to our pleasure and delight with Princess...thank you all!

 

Tami

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spyro1952

spyro1952

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Thank you for your review of the Emerald on 7/18. We were supposed to be on that cruise as a B2B also but had to change our plans to the 10/19 sailing (only 10 days :( ). Although we have thought about other cruise lines, we always end up going with Princess and rarely have a bad experience.

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