Emerald Review 8/29-9/5

[BosoxI]

Strange about the internet service. I used hundreds of minutes and thought it was very good, especially for a ship's system. I couldn't connect of our aft balcony, but if I got on line inside the cabin and then went outside, I had service.

[moniquet]

Wow! what can I say....super, wonderful photos. Thanks:)

[patfla06]

Brian-thanks for the great post! Now I'm really excited to go on the Emerald.

[Moosey3]

Excellent review! I got off the Emerald the day you got on and I was wondering how your sailing would be with hurricaine Earl roaming around. Glad to hear there wasn't too much rain. Your review did make me totally miss the Emerald and want to book another cruise right away :P Congrats to you and your wife and enjoy your new bundle of joy!

[brianroberts2526]

DH & I are thinking about booking this tour with Peat Taylor to the Cool Blue Hole. We will have a group of 8 others with us ranging in age all the way up to upper 70's. My question is: the older folks won't care about swimming in "the hole", so will the tour be beautiful enough to just go and look at to make it worth their while? 2 hours may be a little long unless you were actually swimming in it. What do you think? I would hate for them to be bored.

 

Well, it is very enjoyable to just "see", 2 hours I don't know. Plus half the experience was walking way up to the larger falls, which is a fairly intense walk for some people I would imagine.

[KEG306]

Great Review Brian, we did this same group of ports on the Carnival Imagination many years ago. In Coz. we also rented a car (Pink V-Dub Convertible) and toured the island. Was an awesome day.

 

Thanks for all the details on the Emerald, we will be sailing on her in Feb '11. Good luck with the coming addition to your family.

[sunluva7]

Brian,

 

This will be my third time to Cozumel. The first 2 times we spent in Tulum, so I like your idea of renting a vehicle to actually see the island this time. Was the jeep you drove a stick shift, and if so, are there any automatics available to rent? Did you pre-arrange your rental?

[brianroberts2526]

Brian,

 

This will be my third time to Cozumel. The first 2 times we spent in Tulum, so I like your idea of renting a vehicle to actually see the island this time. Was the jeep you drove a stick shift, and if so, are there any automatics available to rent? Did you pre-arrange your rental?

 

Well, we were at first going to do the convertible Jeep (saw a lot of them), but we did the 4 door, which I am glad we did. Kept us out of the sun, plus it was a lot more newer than just about every car on the road.

Yes it was automatic, I think all the 2 door convertibles are manual.

Also it had AC, which I think is also an option the 2 doors convertibles don't necessarily offer.

It also had CD player, and AUX hole for the Ipod/MP3 hookup if you bring the 3.5mm attach. We just brought some CD's.

 

We reserved ahead of time with Avis, no deposit required. Book online, if you call it in they want CC info and will charge a cancellation fee.

[6pack]

I'm really interested to hear what you thought of your aft balcony? Any regrets? is it rough or noisy? I have heard beams block the view in the rear cabins. Are the balconies private?

THANKS in advance

Dave

[brianroberts2526]

I'm really interested to hear what you thought of your aft balcony? Any regrets? is it rough or noisy? I have heard beams block the view in the rear cabins. Are the balconies private?

THANKS in advance

Dave

 

Oh we were inside stateroom, Baja.

We almost always do inside stateroom.

[BosoxI]

I'm really interested to hear what you thought of your aft balcony? Any regrets? is it rough or noisy? I have heard beams block the view in the rear cabins. Are the balconies private?

THANKS in advance

Dave

 

No real problems at all. We were in the Nevis suite, C748, which has no balcony obstruction. The suite next to ours did have a beam but I wouldn't think it would pose a big problem. There was some sort of ventilator on the other side of our cabin. It ran constantly but was not annoying. My DW did complain of a slight odor while sitting at that end of the balcony. I didn't notice anything, but increasingly, I notice I don't notice:D The ride was completely smooth, but this cruise wasn't a test, as the seas were like glass much of the time. As far as privacy you could run around buck nekkid with no problem as the cabin above can't see downward. A nosy neighbor could, of course, peer around the partition.

[sunluva7]

I'm really interested to hear what you thought of your aft balcony? Any regrets? is it rough or noisy? I have heard beams block the view in the rear cabins. Are the balconies private?

THANKS in advance

Dave

 

We had an Aft cabin (C752) on the corner. Great panoramic view of rear and sides, curved rail, no beams, quiet, private and off the beaten path. The only thing we did not like was the lack of a good breeze. If I wanted a warm Caribbean ocean breeze, I went to visit my daughters in C742.:). If you do a search for "ultimate aft balcony", you will find a thread with everything you need to know on Princess aft balconies including which ones have vents and beams.

[Woobstr112G]

OP;

 

Thanks for posting your review.....:):):)

 

Bob

[kymbakitty]

I soooo understand what you meant about the exercise facility. RCI and yes, even Carnival, HANDS down, blow Princess out of the water.

 

I remember being on the new Carnival Spirit. There were two floors of beautiful new cardio equipment, an awesome sauna, just really, really nice. RCI...also, very nice, well laid out exercise area.

 

It just seems like on Princess, it is an "after thought," like...oh cr*p, we forgot to put in a gym...let's use "xxxx" this space!

 

The Grand was the absolute worst though.

 

Any pictures of the exercise room?

 

Thanks.

 

Dawn

[brianroberts2526]

I soooo understand what you meant about the exercise facility. RCI and yes, even Carnival, HANDS down, blow Princess out of the water.

 

I remember being on the new Carnival Spirit. There were two floors of beautiful new cardio equipment, an awesome sauna, just really, really nice. RCI...also, very nice, well laid out exercise area.

 

It just seems like on Princess, it is an "after thought," like...oh cr*p, we forgot to put in a gym...let's use "xxxx" this space!

 

The Grand was the absolute worst though.

 

Any pictures of the exercise room?

 

Thanks.

 

Dawn

 

 

Nope, no pictures. I mean the actual gym is alright. The equipment is not that bad, and with good timing you can usually always get a machine. The treadmills are nice, but for some reason I can't run on them without tripping. And running on the track is not that fun, something like 16 laps to equal a mile.

 

The most disappointing is the basketball/soccer/tennis court. It's a joke, it really is.

[GracefulOceanWaves]

I was on the Emerald last month and found the fitness center to be rather good. Lot of treadmills, ellipticals, free weights, weight machines. I went around 9am and 6pm each day, not crowded at all. I mean, it is a gym on a cruise ship so to expect it to rival Equinox on Franklin Street is to be disappointed.

 

The outdoor "track" was a joke. 16 laps = 1 mi. Not really even suitable for walking.

[brianroberts2526]

I was on the Emerald last month and found the fitness center to be rather good. Lot of treadmills, ellipticals, free weights, weight machines. I went around 9am and 6pm each day, not crowded at all. I mean, it is a gym on a cruise ship so to expect it to rival Equinox on Franklin Street is to be disappointed.

 

The outdoor "track" was a joke. 16 laps = 1 mi. Not really even suitable for walking.

 

Well, I am just comparing it to the Carnival Glory which is a smaller ship and older. Their fitness area is twice as good.

[kymbakitty]

Nope, no pictures. I mean the actual gym is alright. The equipment is not that bad, and with good timing you can usually always get a machine. The treadmills are nice, but for some reason I can't run on them without tripping. And running on the track is not that fun, something like 16 laps to equal a mile.

 

The most disappointing is the basketball/soccer/tennis court. It's a joke, it really is.

 

Thank you for taking the time to post your reply. When it comes to Princess, I simply have to lower my expectations when it comes to their exercise facility. Let's face it--it simply is not their strong point. They have other areas where they are stronger than other cruise lines, but this is one area where they are not. Not a dealbreaker, but it is nice going in, which makes this board so great.

 

I'm not real thrilled about the treadmill either. I've always felt like a hampster. Although, if I am training for a half, it is nice to put that puppy on a 15% incline and work some of those muscles. What I normally do is to be one of the first folks off the ship as soon as permitted and go for a nice 5 or so mile run and then come back and report to hubby what I saw on my way! I'm back before he has even turned over since I left him!

 

If I ever see a Precor AMT 100i on ANY cruise ship I think I will have a heart attack right there and then!!!!! Who knows...maybe in 5-10 years.

 

Thanks again...GREAT review.

 

Dawn

[RickEk]

Well, I am just comparing it to the Carnival Glory which is a smaller ship and older. Their fitness area is twice as good.

 

Well, I think you're correct about the demographics of each line. Carnival caters to a younger crowd as does Royal Caribbean. The gyms aboard Princess ships are IMHO adequate for their demographic. They can get a bit crowded during peak times, but that's why you just have to go at the off-peak hours...

[caribill]

And running on the track is not that fun, something like 16 laps to equal a mile.

 

The most disappointing is the basketball/soccer/tennis court. It's a joke, it really is.

 

Before the ships were retrofitted to include the Sanctuary, the basketball/soccer/tennis court was located where the Sanctuary is now and was not the joke it is now.

 

Also, there was a nice jogging track which was also eliminated when the Sancutary was added.

 

Part of the jogging track and the old Center Court (with jogging track on its outside) are pictured below pre-Sanctuary.

[brianroberts2526]

Ah I see.

Well, I enjoyed Sanctuary. So, I guess no complaints. Well, less complaint ;)