Just Back from Emerald 10-day S. Carib - Questions?

[sssteele]

Thanks for posting...I'll be watching for your trip reoprt.

 

DH and I board the Emerald soon for BTB-20 nights. Hoping for some good music for dancing.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Thanks for posting...I'll be watching for your trip reoprt.

 

DH and I board the Emerald soon for BTB-20 nights. Hoping for some good music for dancing.

 

The Emerald Princess in the Caribbean has THREE different bands to dance to, and the Beatle Maniacs play two sets in Club Fusion one night for dancing also (they're on every other cruise).

[lovevacadays]

Which were your favorite ports and why? What did you do in those favorite ports?

[Yukonbear]

We were on the Emerald 2 years ago also, and leave on the 16th of April.... wondering if you did any tours or beach time on islands that you can recommend? Glad you had a great time.... we are looking to do the same!

 

We did the Emerald in February and can recommend a tour - Cosol Tours in St Lucia.

[freddybeachpete]

Which were your favorite ports and why? What did you do in those favorite ports?

 

Bonaire for the snorkeling (with Woodwind) and Dominica (tour with Bumpiing) were co-favorites but Aruba (Trikes Aruba) and Grenada (Grand Anse beach via water taxi) were both great too.

[oratheeexplorer]

Bonaire for the snorkeling (with Woodwind) and Dominica (tour with Bumpiing) were co-favorites but Aruba (Trikes Aruba) and Grenada (Grand Anse beach via water taxi) were both great too.

 

Was the snorkeling with Woodwind something that would be ok for beginners?

How was Grand Anse beach? and is the water taxi located close to the pier? Then are there some at the beach that go back every now and then that are easy to catch a ride back to the ship?

[alexandra cruiser]

can anyone tell me if there are different tours,etc. that do NOT inc.the beach/??.City,historic,nature,etc. that are NOT too physical.We live in FL.and beach activities not a priority and in our 60s and NOT UP to climbing waterfalls,et.c.HELP>:confused:

[freddybeachpete]

Was the snorkeling with Woodwind something that would be ok for beginners?

How was Grand Anse beach? and is the water taxi located close to the pier? Then are there some at the beach that go back every now and then that are easy to catch a ride back to the ship?

 

Woodwind is great regardless of ability level as they have multiple guides for small groups and try to divide groups by experience. Highly recommend!

 

Water taxi is right beside cruise pier, beach is lovely and the return rides are continuously available. Taxi is $8pp round trip and 2 chairs with umbrella = $20 for the day.

[freddybeachpete]

can anyone tell me if there are different tours,etc. that do NOT inc.the beach/??.City,historic,nature,etc. that are NOT too physical.We live in FL.and beach activities not a priority and in our 60s and NOT UP to climbing waterfalls,et.c.HELP>:confused:

 

I suspect the tours available through Princess are less strenuous but if you are wanting to book independently, check the various forums for specific Islands and correspond with the excursion providers directly that you read about. My experience is that they are very communicative and honest about their offerings. They rely on satisfied customers!

[freddybeachpete]

can anyone tell me if there are different tours,etc. that do NOT inc.the beach/??.City,historic,nature,etc. that are NOT too physical.We live in FL.and beach activities not a priority and in our 60s and NOT UP to climbing waterfalls,et.c.HELP>:confused:

 

BTW - where are you going on your cruise?

[MrJulius]

Aruba - Trikes Aruba - 5 stars (out of 5)

Bonaire - Woodwind Snorkelling - 5++ stars

Grenada - water taxi to Grand Anse beach - 4 stars

Dominica - Bumpiing Tours - 5 stars

St Thomas - stayed on board

Princess Cays - stayed on board

 

Wow! I must have done my research. We will be on the Emerald in two weeks. our tours include:

 

Bonaire - Woodwind

Grenada - Grand Anse

Dominica - Bumpiing

 

St Thomas...???...six ships in port

Princess Cays - Adult section bungalow

 

Sent from my Galaxy Tab 10.1

[Texas]

Lots of discussion on the boards about bringing wine on ship. Did you bring wine on board? Any problems?

[duchess6219]

Hi!

 

We were on the Emerald last year (April 16th sailing) and again in two weeks on April 16th. Same ports of call this time too, however different excursions.

 

We had booked Trafalgar Falls in Dominica which we had cancelled when we discovered that it would require more hiking than my DW can handle with her bad knees. (Actually this is her DH typing this. I've watched her log in enough that I know her User ID and password by heart). We are doing the ostrich farm tour in Aruba, rum and spice tour in Grenada, a botanical gardens and waterfall tour in Dominica, shopping in St Thomas.

 

We want to check out the pool at the back this time. We there on the Crown a number of years ago. Didn't go there last year. However, we were fascinated by a blog that we read all through winter by a lady that did ~10 back to back cruises. Some of the things that she mentioned we are going to try this time.

 

Look forward to your review.

[PescadoAmarillo]

However, we were fascinated by a blog that we read all through winter by a lady that did ~10 back to back cruises. Some of the things that she mentioned we are going to try this time.

Thank you! You made me smile when I read this. Have a great time!

[freddybeachpete]

Lots of discussion on the boards about bringing wine on ship. Did you bring wine on board? Any problems?

My wife and I carried on a total of three bottles without an issue.

[freddybeachpete]

Hi! However, we were fascinated by a blog that we read all through winter by a lady that did ~10 back to back cruises. Some of the things that she mentioned we are going to try this time.

 

I read a lot of that blog as well and enjoyed the wonderful pictures. Thanks PescadoAmarillo !!

[freddybeachpete]

Lots of discussion on the boards about bringing wine on ship.

 

I am a non-drinker (perhaps an occasional beer or Irish Coffee) so I find it amusing how folks on CC get so worked up about bringing on wine, sneaking on liquor and so on. Jeepers, people spend thousands on a vacation - cruise, airfare, hotels,excursions, shopping, etc. - and then quibble about paying for on-board alcohol (at what appear to me to be about the same prices paid in a restaurant or bar, at least in Canada). :confused:

[FairSkySmoothSeas]

Just back from the Emerald as well, would absolutely recommend Woodwind for snorkeling in Bonaire. Best snorkeling trip we have ever had on a cruise. They are great for beginners as well as experienced snorkelers. Like swimming in a aquarium. In Domenica we went with the Wacky Rollers for our excursion. You ride in Unimogs (4x4's) and visit the falls and Ti Tou Gorge for a swim among other spots. Great tour operator and lots of fun. Grenada we booked Princess's spice plantation tour and it was okay but not great. Aruba we did the Atlantis Sub tour. If you want the experience of snorkeling without getting wet this is the way to go. St. Thomas we did the ferry over to St. John's Trunk Bay which was a really nice nice day on the beach. On the ship, Sanctuary fills up fast and you need to be there by eight in the morning on Sea Days in order to reserve a spot later in the day. The ship was in great shape and the crew was top notch. The only tender needed on the Southern Medley was at Princess Cay, every other port you docked downtown.

[freddybeachpete]

GET COMFORTABLE - LONG REVIEW FOLLOWS

 

We have just returned from our 10-day Southern Caribbean itinerary aboard Emerald Princess and had a wonderful cruise. We are in our early 50’s, reasonably fit and active and it was our third Princess cruise (7 day Western Carib on Crown P in 2010 and 10 day Eastern Carib on Emerald P in 2011). We had a wonderful time and have nothing but praise for Princess and for the crew of the Emerald.

Booking

The cruise was priced through the online site that travel agencies respond to with their competitive bid. We received a half dozen quotes and ultimately booked with an agency that had good consumer feedback and provided very close to the best price/OBC quote for the cabin category (Inside Double) that we wanted. Unfortunately there was confusion in the telephone conversations between me and the Agent and the OBC amount was $100 less than I was expecting ($250 vs $350). Over several weeks I tried to work through the problem, first with the Agent and then with the President of the firm. In the end we agreed to disagree on who was right/wrong, but I commend the company for their willingness to interact with me (multiple email and phone calls including audio files of all our telephone calls!). A bit of a rocky start to the cruise but from then on everything went exceptionally well.

Pre-Cruise

Due to the vagaries of weather in our part of the world (New Brunswick is in eastern Canada), we booked our flight south on Friday for a Sunday cruise departure. Flight to FLL via Montreal was uneventful and luggage arrived without incident. I booked a car through priceline for pickup from Avis at the FLL airport (with drop off near Port Everglades) and the pickup process went very smoothly. We were en route to our hotel quickly. Price was very reasonable - $20.99 per day plus taxes and fees for a 2 day rental grand total of $65. Two night pre cruise accommodations for the 15 and 16 of March was difficult to book at a reasonable price but ended up with a diamond in the rough. The Ocean Holiday Motel was $100 per night, included free parking and was right on the beach in Fort Lauderdale. It’s not the Ritz - basic accommodation but clean, comfortable, well situated and very nice owners. Wrote a review on Trip Advisor if you are interested. While in Fort Lauderdale we ate at Joe’s Café (it may be Joe’s Diner?) and the Gilbert 17th Street Grill and both were great. Wrote reviews about them on Trip Advisor too. Return of the rental car was to the Avis outlet in the Hyatt Pier 66 hotel on Sunday morning and then we took their free shuttle to the cruise port. The port was a bit of a gong show with 7 or 8 ships doing turnarounds but we eventually snaked our way through all the traffic and the various pickups and drop-offs until we got to pier 21 where the Emerald was berthed.

Embarkation

Estimate that we got to the terminal just after 11 o’clock and by then there was a queue already well formed. We gave our bags to the porter, watched them load into one of the hoist cages and joined the conga line. It moved quickly and we were into the building, up the escalator (“Hold onto the hand rail” we were politely told by an elderly Princess rep J ) and into another queue for check in. Stood in this line for quite a while but we were shuffling forward and chatting with folks around us. There sure were a lot of dour faces in the line up. Come on people, you’re going on vacation. Look a bit more cheerful!! Once the early arrivers were able to move from the seating area onto the ship, our queue moved very quickly and sometime between 12:30 and 1:00 we were on board. Everything was just as we remembered it from two years previous. Piazza is beautiful, International Café is beckoning, staff are welcoming, their uniforms are spotless, B2B-ers are lazing about, newbies are wandering around with their jaws agape, etc., etc. We went straight to our cabin (D104 at the VERY VERY VERY front inside of Deck 9 – more about this later), dropped our carry-ons, changed into swim suits and headed for the Outrigger area to enjoy sail away from the back deck and the hot tubs that overlook the stern of the ship. When we returned to our cabin a couple of hours later (with a brief stop at the grill for a hot dog and at the ice cream counter for a swirl cone J ) , our luggage had arrived so we unpacked and settled into our cabin.

Cabin

We booked an Inside Gty and were assigned a Category K, D104 which is located at the very front of Deck 9. It is identical to other Insides that we have had so it was like coming home when we moved in. We did notice more of the ship’s motion being in this location and more noise than usual. Not sure if it was from water against the hull or from something clanging on the forward deck but at times it sounded like there was something about to come through the roof! While I would not choose this location again, it was not a huge problem for us. By the end of most days my wife and I were so exhausted that the noise didn’t bother us. I would prefer an Inside on Plaza deck to this location. As always seems to be the case, our room steward, Robertino, was fantastic.

Food

We enjoyed the food that we had in all venues. We did not eat in either the Crown Grill or Sabbatini’s on this trip. We had Anytime Dining and never waited more than a minute or two to get into the dining room. We always asked to share a table and our table mates ranged from good to great. Met physicians, farmers, police officers, teachers, business owners, etc ., from all parts of America, Canada, Oz and the UK. Service in the dining room was first rate although there were a couple of nights where it seemed the pace was slow. Just gave us more time to talk!! Had one breakfast in the MDR (very civilized!) and one evening meal in the Cafe Caribe (excellent) and most lunches at the International Cafe or the Trident Grill. The IC is, without doubt, our favourite venue on the ship. Chocolate dipped donuts every morning with a cappacino is THE way to live!! The servers in the IC – Gina from Indonesia & Anastasia from Ukraine were wonderful.

On board activities

Took part in many more on-board activities this trip than on previous cruises. Joined the Pop Choir which was great fun. My wife and I took three ballroom dance lessons – merengue, jive and foxtrot – and it turns out I don’t have 2 left feet!! We took every chance to dance so by the end of the cruise I was tickled pink when someone referred to us as the dance couple! Also went to Zumba which was fun. The gym on board is great so was able to keep up my commitment to active living.

Formal Nights

Both my wife and I really like to get dressed up so formal nights are something we really enjoy. While there is a range of attire to be seen, a reasonably large proportion of folks were in semi-formal or formal wear. Ladies – it is always a pleasure to see you looking so FINE and Gents – you looked great as well!! Loved seeing a number of 20-somethings in tuxes with their dates in long gowns! Of course, none looked as lovely as my wife did in the gowns that she wore ;). Also really enjoyed seeing youngsters and teenagers all dressed up and looking sharp.

Entertainers

The great – comedian Sarge, singer Mark Preston (of the Lettermen), band Sol Provider, pianist Cory Simon, the Princess orchestra (jazz and big band sets)

The good – steel drum player, Princess production shows, International Crew Show, piazza pianist, hypnotist Michelle

The bad (actually BRUTAL) – comedian John Ferrentino

Crew

From the captain (Nick Nash) on down, they were uniformly excellent. Met the Captain and the Maitre’D at our CC M&G and they were very pleasant and stayed around to answer questions for a good length of time. The cruise director staff – CD was Lee, others included Frenchie, Cory, Lexi, Leesh, Stephanie , Sarah – were omnipresent, cheerful, engaged and friendly. Attended a portion of the chef/maitre d show in the Princess Theatre and they were very entertaining. The servers were referred to by one comedian as “Ninja’s” because they are so fast to clear things away that you don’t see them only feel a swoosh of air. That was indeed my experience! Always seemed to be crew cleaning, polishing, painting, refinishing, etc. Only complaint – the public washrooms were sometimes less than perfect. Mostly though they were in good shape.

Excursions

Through a lot of research on CC and TripAdvisor, I found and booked all of our excursions:

 

• Aruba – Trikes Aruba – approx $200 for a 3 ½ hour tour of the island on chopper-style motorized trikes. It was a total blast and worth every penny. Took a cab from the port to their location near the Westin hotel, short instruction on how to operate the machine and off we went. Visited the California Lighthouse, the first church, a waterside restaurant/bar, etc. Afterwards we walked to a nearby beach, hung out for a while and then walked back to the ship. In retrospect we should have taken a cab as it was a LONG walk but we managed OK.
  
• Bonaire – Woodwind Snorkeling – this was a fantastic excursion. Great instructions by email in advance. Met co-owner Ulf at the pierside and he directed us to their location near the Casino, about a 5 minute walk. Trip left exactly on time. Co-owner Dee led the trip with 3 or 4 other guides and a professional photographer plus catamaran skipper. Great equipment, good safety briefing. Reef in Klein Bonaire is spectacular. Saw too many types of fish to name but the highlite was seeing multiple sea turtles. Free beverages – beer, punch, soft drinks, water and some great nibblies as we sailed back. Trip arrived back exactly on time per the guarantee that we had been given so no worry about missing the all-aboard time.
  
• Grenada – took the water taxi to Grand Anse beach. $8 round trip pp which you pay upfront and receive a ticket for the return trip good on any watertaxi. At the beach we headed to the far left and obtained an umbrella and 2 loungers for $20. There were servers walking back and forth. Beer was $3 and frozen daquiri’s were $5. No pushy vendors. There was a fellow strolling with a guitar who would stop and play/sing hoping for a donation. After the beach we went to the market and looked around. Stopped to speak with a charming older lady who told us all about the various products. We bought a small sampler of spices plus the cocoa balls and some cinnamon sticks. On the walk back to the ship I bought some spice necklaces (3 for $10).
  
• Dominica – took a tour with Bumpiing. Met us just outside the gate and we left promptly. First stop was Champagne Reef where, as the name suggests, bubbles ascend from the ocean floor. Lots of coral and fish to see as well. Then it was off to a scenic overlook of the city. We could see the ship, the cricket stadium and much of the residential area. Third stop was Titou Gorge. A short walk led us to a stream flowing through the rocks. Water was cccc-cold but once we were in we were able to wade upstream into the canyon. Climbed up two small waterfalls and then floated back out to the starting point. We were told that a couple of scenes from Pirates of The Caribbean were shot in the Titou Gorge. Final stop was Trafalgar Falls, a national park. Slighly longer hike in to see the Falls and for those interested and capable, we climbed down into a hot spring. Absolutely lovely to relax in the very warm water and to find the various places where it cascaded over rocks and would give you a nice shoulder massage! Tour was $52/pp and lasted 6 ½ hours so very good value. Free beer, pop, water along the way too!
  
• St Thomas – it was a Sunday and we were moored at Crown Bay so we decided to simply enjoy staying on the ship rather than rush off to a beach. We did spend a few minutes browsing the shops in the port area. My wife bought a pendant of a sea turtle to remember our time at Klein Bonaire.
  
• Princess Cays – I know that some love this stop but I have never been a big fan. So, once again we stayed on board, watched a movie on the MUTS screen, lazed about the pool and hot tub and snoozed/read.
  

Disembarkation

Since our flight was not until 2 pm, we were amongst the last groups off (1010). I now know why they ask people to arrive in the afternoon to board. The B2B folks weren’t scheduled to get off the ship until 11:30 or so. Everything went smoothly for us – found our bags quickly, the customs line moved steadily and within 30-40 minutes we were in our cab en route to the airport.

Final Thoughts

By now I’m sure you’ve figured out that we really enjoyed our trip. Until 3 years ago I never imagined that I would enjoy cruising but after three cruises, there is no doubt that I’m a convert. Not sure when we’ll be able to go again (DD is getting married in 2014 so there's a wedding to finance!) but hopefully it’ll be within the next couple of years. Two itineraries that I would really like to do - #1 is the Baltics and #2 is the Panama Canal.

[sssteele]

Thanks so much for the review. I was hoping at least part would be posted before we sail.

 

Our bucket list includes Baltics too. Also looking at Hawaii, Tahiti and Samoa. We did Panama Canal (Ft. Lauderdale RT) with friends and loved the experience.

[Grammyluvs]

Thanks for the review. Can't wait to board her in a few weeks.

[tanzer22pilot]

Thanks for the review.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Freddybeachpete-

Thanks for the review!! I really enjoyed reading the names of some of our favorite people on board. We miss the friendly musicians and singers of Sol Provider and Kory Simon, and thought that Mark Preston's show was excellent.

 

The guy with the guitar on Grand Anse beach? He sang a Caribbean Christmas carol for us just before Christmas. Loved it! (DH thinks he has the best job on the island. No overhead, his only expense is an occasional guitar string and he's making way more money than the beach vendors).

[jackyfromwyk]

Thanks for the review. I cannot wait for us to board on Saturday. :D

[freddybeachpete]

Freddybeachpete-

Thanks for the review!! I really enjoyed reading the names of some of our favorite people on board. We miss the friendly musicians and singers of Sol Provider and Kory Simon, and thought that Mark Preston's show was excellent.

 

The guy with the guitar on Grand Anse beach? He sang a Caribbean Christmas carol for us just before Christmas. Loved it! (DH thinks he has the best job on the island. No overhead, his only expense is an occasional guitar string and he's making way more money than the beach vendors).

 

Not sure if you met Marvin, one of the servers in the MDR - he's from Granada and told us about guitar dude (I think he said its his uncle?) in advance. Yes, I think it must be one of the last best jobs in the world!