? for -LEW-

[Lovetravel101]

Hello,

I noticed on your signature you sailed the Emerald Jan -10 days and Feb -10 days, What do you love about that ship? Itinerary? Any tips or secrets? We were booked on the Mar 18 CB from San Juan (cancelled) It would have been our first cruise. Now, we are booked on The Emerald for Apr 6. Can't wait and would love to hear some great things ;) I am a bit nervous about the "guarantee" balcony cabin as I could not really choose one for this trip.

 

Elise

[-Lew-]

Hello Elise...

 

So sorry to learn of your CB cruise being cancelled, but very happy you were able to rebook on the Emerald. We sailed on the CB in July 2008 when she also had propulsion issues...due to this and other issues I decided to never cruise on her again.

 

Anyway...the Emerald is a completely different story. I wrote a short report after this year's B2B which is reproduced below:

 

We just returned from our B2B on the Emerald Princess...the January 27th and February 6th sailings. As we’re booked on both the January 26 and February 5, 2013 sailings, I’m posting this on both roll calls.

 

I’m happy to report we had a fantastic time on both cruises. The weather was beautiful other than a few passing showers which is normal this time of year. The Captain warned us of a bumpy night due to a front coming through as we sailed out of St. Thomas on our way to Princess Cays on Monday, February 13th. We had 12-foot seas which likely would not affect seasoned cruisers, but I wondered how some first-timers were feeling.

 

The Emerald was is beautiful condition. The air conditioning in our cabin (Caribe 727) worked better than any other Princess cabins we have sailed in. Also, the mattress in our queen configuration was quite comfortable...firm, but not like a slab of concrete as we have had on prior cruises.

 

The food quality ranged from excellent to fair. There was plenty of variety, so if something was not just right, we selected an alternative. In 16 Princess cruises this is the first time we have tried the Crown Grill and we really enjoyed it. Those of you who have enjoyed the Crown Grill know the level of service and food quality are several steps above the MDR experience.

 

Entertainment in the Princess Theater was good. They’re doing three shows each evening which gives everyone an opportunity to attend without having to go to the theater 30 minutes in advance just to get seats. This is a big improvement IMHO.

 

We did not go to shows we have seen in the past, but the comedians and hypnotist we did see were quite good. During the hypnotist show, a woman in the audience a couple of rows behind us was hypnotized while in her seat...not part of the show...and she was hilarious! Watching her was better than watching the show on stage. The usual game shows in Explorers Lounge were quite funny and we enjoyed them on both cruises.

 

With the CB fiasco behind you, I wish you a fantastic cruise aboard the Emerald...

 

Lew