Emerald Princess Cruise Journal - Southern Caribbean Dec. 9 to 19 with Photos

[highflyingrealtor]

AryMay your posts are fabulous! We're on her March 9th with a different 10 day itinerary and can't wait. Couple q's if you have time... do you remember what movies are on tap at MUTS? Formal nights on sea days? And of course, what is your camera of choice as your pics are terrific! Thanks...Brett

Edited January 27, 2014 by highflyingrealtor

[AryMay]

AryMay your posts are fabulous! We're on her March 9th with a different 10 day itinerary and can't wait. Couple q's if you have time... do you remember what movies are on tap at MUTS? Formal nights on sea days? And of course, what is your camera of choice as your pics are terrific! Thanks...Brett

 

Yay...glad to know someone is reading along!! But then if you are in the Twin Cities you are probably looking for something to do on this frigid, blizzardy day! We actually have zero visibility down here in the SW corner of the state this evening and our wind chills are going down, down, down. I am jealous that you still have your cruise to look forward to!

 

Here are the movies that were shown for MUTS:

Dirty Dancing

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Mamma Mia!

City Slickers

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Top Gun

Despicable Me 2

Man of Steel

Now You See Me

Pacific Rim

The Lone Ranger

The Way, Way Back

The Wolverine

World War Z

 

Later in the cruise they added a couple of Christmas movies during the afternoons...Elf, Santa Clause, etc.

 

Formal nights were the first sea day (night #3) and next to last sea day (night #9).

 

Thanks for the compliment on the pictures. Laurel and I both love to take photos so between the two of us I have hundreds and hundreds. We also were both using multiple cameras. Mine were:

 

• An older Canon SD200 that I used a lot on the ship (because it fit in my purse!)
  
• A Canon D10 underwater camera that I used both for snorkeling and any other time it might get wet
  
• A Canon SX50 - a bridge camera (sort of a hybrid between a point & shoot and a DSLR)
  

 

Laurel was using:

• An older point & shoot (don't recall what brand or model)
  
• A new Panasonic underwater camera
  
• A Panosonic FZ200...also a bridge camera.
  

 

I do have all of the Princess Patters, so if you (or anyone else) has any questions, just ask!

[AryMay]

Wow that is a great price! Do you have pics of the spice necklaces? I'm not sure I understand that. Is it in a pouch?

 

Oops...I must have missed your question yesterday. Did you see the photo that I posted of the spice necklaces? I have mine just hanging in my kitchen...it isn't something that you would actually wear. (Or at least I wouldn't!) :rolleyes:

 

The necklaces feel very "damp" when you first purchase them. As soon as you get back to the ship, take them out of the plastic bags they put them in or you will end up with moldy necklaces by the time you get home.

[AryMay]

Sunday, December 15 – Bonaire

 

The distance from Grenada to Bonaire was 395 nautical miles so even though we left Grenada at 2 pm the previous day, we didn’t arrive in Bonaire until around noon. The morning is a bit of a blur to me now. I do know that Bob and I went down to the IC for breakfast. I had a cup of REAL coffee and we both enjoyed some pastries.

 

 

The guys had a diving day planned and Laurel and I had booked a snorkeling tour with Woodwind Sail & Snorkel so we left the ship and parted ways. Woodwind had a booth right by the pier and Laurel and I checked in with them and then followed directions to walk down the road to the resort where their catamaran was docked. As soon as we arrived, the crew was passing out glasses of juice while we waited for the rest of our group to show up.

 

More drinks were offered as we sailed passed the Emerald to our snorkeling destination…Klein Bonaire…a small island just off the coast of Bonaire.

 

 

 

The reef around Klein Bonaire...

 

 

Dee (the owner) and her crew made sure everyone was outfitted with snorkel gear and helped get the masks defogged. Although Laurel has her own equipment, Dee offered her a prescription mask to use which she appreciated.

 

Dee went through very detailed safety instructions and divided us up into three different groups. A professional photographer was also onboard who went into the water with us.

 

 

The water was quite choppy and at one point a small squall came through with a little extra wind and rain. Look closely...can you see the top of the Emerald above the waves?!

 

[AryMay]

The reef around Bonaire is protected and in much better shape than most places we have snorkeled. I apologize for the large number of photos I’m going to post…it is just too hard to narrow it down to a few. Some of these were taken by Laurel…others by the professional photographer. (She put all of her pictures on a CD that we could view on the boat and purchase immediately.) Enjoy!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[AryMay]

Dee was with our group and would dive down and point out things of interest. In this first photo, she saw the school of fish and swam down and carefully "herded" the fish so the others in the group could see them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 27, 2014 by AryMay

[AryMay]

When we got back onboard we found out that when it had started raining the crew ran around the boat grabbing everyone’s belongings and putting them below deck to stay dry…how nice! As we sailed back to shore, the crew kept bringing out more drinks and all sorts of yummy snacks.

 

 

When doing my research prior to the cruise I had read how easy it was to just snorkel from shore in Bonaire so I really wondered if It was worth the expense to book a snorkel tour. I understand now why Woodwind gets so many excellent reviews online and can definitely say that “yes” it was worth the price!

 

 

Interesting side note…A few days later when we returned to Ft. Lauderdale I checked my email on my phone and found this from Dee:

 

Hope you had a good time on Woodwind today.

If you read your mail before --------- (name of a guy on our tour) He was on the same trip as you from 12.15pm.

Tell him we found his Master card floating around in the water at Klein Bonaire on our second snorkel rotation 3.15pm.

Unbelievable YES but it is true.....

Please let him know ASAP.

 

Can you believe it???

 

Laurel with Dee.

 

Edited January 27, 2014 by AryMay

[Seafoam Green]

 

Can you believe it???

 

Yes, of course. There are many very good people on this earth. The problem is that we don't often hear a lot about them! Thanks to YOU for sharing that great story of care and concern!

 

I have been enjoying this thread so much - I look forward to snorkeling throughout most of the trip, but now particularly on Bonaire.

 

Thanks for such a great and complete review.

 

:D

[AryMay]

Yes, of course. There are many very good people on this earth. The problem is that we don't often hear a lot about them! Thanks to YOU for sharing that great story of care and concern!

 

I have been enjoying this thread so much - I look forward to snorkeling throughout most of the trip, but now particularly on Bonaire.

 

Thanks for such a great and complete review.

 

:D

I was not at all surprised with Dee's honesty or integrity. What surprised me was that with all of those waves, the credit card was still floating in the area where we had snorkeled that morning...and they found it!! :eek:

 

Talk about a needle in a haystack...

[Seafoam Green]

I was not at all surprised with Dee's honesty or integrity. What surprised me was that with all of those waves, the credit card was still floating in the area where we had snorkeled that morning...and they found it!! :eek:

 

Talk about a needle in a haystack...

 

True - the determined credit card remaining afloat to be rescued is pretty amazing, too! ;)

[Sincity]

Love your snorkeling pics.

[philv]

We have learned from previous cruises that often the best shopping is done in the local grocery stores! At the end of the tour, we asked Clement to drop us off at a grocery store close to the ship. Bob was excited to find nutmeg banana ketchup. Banana ketchup was something we had purchased in St. Lucia on a previous cruise and really enjoyed...but NUTMEG banana ketchup was something new! So far we haven’t opened the bottle so no comment on how it tastes. I also bought another small bottle of vanilla.

 

I'm curious AryMay, is there a problem with customs bringing food products and spices back into U.S.?

 

By the way, the fort in Grenada is really worth the hike. When we were there a few years ago, I discovered it's still an active military base, soldiers were working out in a gym on the wall of the fort. Also, manufacturing was going on in several out buildings. Men were making leather boots and shoes in one building and women were sewing in another building. And the view of the cruise dock and harbor on the other side of the hill was awesome. It was really cool! :D

Edited January 27, 2014 by philv

[whataboutport]

I'm curious AryMay, is there a problem with customs bringing food products and spices back into U.S.?

 

By the way, the fort in Grenada is really worth the hike. When we were there a few years ago, I discovered it's still an active military base, soldiers were working out in a gym on the wall of the fort. Also, manufacturing was going on in several out buildings. Men were making leather boots and shoes in one building and women were sewing in another building. And the view of the cruise dock and harbor on the other side of the hill was awesome. It was really cool! :D

 

I think as long as it's packaged goods it's fine. So her vanilla and banana ketchup is fine. I brought home a bottle of garlic sauce from St Maartin no problem.

 

BTW, I thought banana ketchup was a Filipino thing?

[plattwear]

I enjoyed seeing the beautiful photos. Thank you for sharing :cool:

[Vexorg]

I actually bought some of the spice necklaces in Grenada (as well as some nutmeg) as well, and made sure to note them at customs while disembarking, and had no issue. I imagine if you were trying to bring in fruits or vegetables or any sort of perishable meat product you'll probably run into an issue.

[AryMay]

Finishing up on our visit to Bonaire. Thanks for those of you who are still hanging in there and reading this review!

 

Laurel and I walked back to the ship and cleaned up a bit. The guys hadn’t returned from their diving yet so we left them a note and headed back onshore to do a little shopping.

 

Across the street from the pier there were some vendors with tables set up selling a variety of souvenir items. We browsed through those and then headed down the street popping in and out of the various shops.

 

 

In the end my only purchase was salt…yes…salt. Bonaire is known for their salt production and one of the sellers had packets of table salt for sale…both coarse and fine ground. A great gift for my adult sons! At the same stand they were selling packets of bath salts. I bought several different fragrances to take home to my daughter-in-laws. Little did I know what trouble this salt would cause me later…

 

We were back on board before the guys returned from their diving that they had booked with VIP Diving. Bonaire is one of the top diving locations in the world and it did not disappoint!

 

Before dinner we got a few photos of the island at twilight and also Woodwind's catamaran dropping off the passengers from the afternoon snorkel tour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For dinner we had been able to reserve a table at 5:45 pm in the Michelangelo dining room…slightly later than our previous reservations which was good…and at a table for four! Score! But…when we were seated, the table was directly under an air vent and we all shivered through dinner. As we left the dining room we stopped by the head waiter’s stand and asked to reserve a table for four at 5:45 the next night as well…only in a different location.

 

The Emerald sailed from Bonaire at 7:00 pm headed for our last port…Aruba.

 

Bobby Brooks Wilson, feeling better after having canceled his show a couple of nights ago, entertained us in the Princess Theater.

 

 

Edited January 29, 2014 by AryMay

[whataboutport]

I love buying salt from various places. I have a whole collection of salts and I even feel bad when I use them. LOL they are for using aren't they? So why do I feel bad?

[Bimmer09]

AryMay- I think your snorkeling photos have set the bar for underwater photography-whomever took them they are stunning. I feel like I am there but without getting my hair wet.

 

Loving this review on this fabulous ship.

 

Norris

[AryMay]

I love buying salt from various places. I have a whole collection of salts and I even feel bad when I use them. LOL they are for using aren't they? So why do I feel bad?

 

LOL...I could hardly wait to use my salt! I put the coarse salt in a pepper grinder and have tried it a few times, but just not sure I like it. I figured salt was salt...but this does have a different flavor. Seems like it leaves a funny taste in my mouth.

[AryMay]

AryMay- I think your snorkeling photos have set the bar for underwater photography-whomever took them they are stunning. I feel like I am there but without getting my hair wet.

 

Loving this review on this fabulous ship.

 

Norris

 

Some of the Bonaire ones are from the professional photographer who was with us...and her fancy camera. But...I think the ones that Laurel and I took aren't too bad either.

 

I am getting frustrated that this report is taking me so long to write. I want to read your new review but have made the decision that I can NOT read yours until mine is finished!! :(

[AryMay]

I actually bought some of the spice necklaces in Grenada (as well as some nutmeg) as well, and made sure to note them at customs while disembarking, and had no issue. I imagine if you were trying to bring in fruits or vegetables or any sort of perishable meat product you'll probably run into an issue.

 

I think you are correct. I did declare the spices and vanilla on my customs sheet (and have in the past as well) and was never been questioned.

[AryMay]

Monday, December 16 – Aruba

 

Once again we were going our separate ways today. The guys had dives booked with Happy Divers. (Aruba’s motto is “One Happy Island”) and headed off the ship around 8 am.

 

Several months prior I had contacted Sonny Binns about the possibility of booking an island tour. He had responded that he had a 25-passenger bus and would need at least 6 customers before he would book a tour. He promised he would stay in touch and let us know if more people inquired about the tour. It wasn’t until early November that he emailed saying that the tour was on…we were to meet him inside the cruise ship terminal at 8:45 am.

 

 

There is a small shopping area in the terminal that Laurel and I walked through to get to where tour groups were meeting. It was a bit of a zoo with lots of ship tours gathering…but Sonny was nowhere to be found. Another tour guide offered to call him, but got no answer.

 

It was getting close to 9:00 when Sonny arrived…with apologies for being late. Only one other couple was there waiting with us…the additional two people whom he had booked did not show up. It was somewhat awkward because the husband of the couple refused to even shake Sonny’s hand because he was mad that Sonny had been late. It made for an uncomfortable start to our tour.

 

Although it probably wasn’t necessary for just the four of us, Sonny used a microphone to amplify his voice as he did the tour. I can see where this would have been an advantage had the bus been full. He explained that besides tours, he has a contract with one of the airlines to transport their crew back and forth between a hotel and the airport and that was what had caused him to be late.

 

Both Laurel and I enjoyed the day…it almost felt like we had a private tour. I felt bad for Sonny that there was so few of us but he didn’t let it stop him from giving a great tour. We only paid $30 apiece so I can imagine that after filling his bus with gas he made very little profit that day.

 

The tour visited the primary tourist attractions. Our first stop was at the rock formations.

 

 

Aruba is very flat and from the top of the rocks you could see pretty much all of the island. I knew Aruba’s climate was arid…but I was not prepared for a Caribbean island that was covered with cactus!

 

 

 

If you look closely you can see the Emerald Princess docked in the distance.

 

 

Zooming in close...

 

Edited January 30, 2014 by AryMay

[AryMay]

 

 

The steep stairs were a bit creepy...

 

 

 

[AryMay]

Along the rocky shores of the northeast coast, the Natural Bridge had been one of the main attractions on the island until it collapsed in 2005. There is still a smaller bridge…the Baby Bridge…that has been formed by the waves eroding the limestone. Although others were walking on the bridge Sonny cautioned us not to go out on the bridge because it is only a matter of time until it meets the same fate.

 

 

The waves on the Northeast coast of Aruba were amazing…and beautiful.

 

 

 

All over the beach are “cairns” (stacks of stones) constructed by tourists.

 

 

 

The remains of a gold smelter built in the mid 1800’s.

 

 

[AryMay]

A cemetery...families often paint their tombs to match the color of their homes.

 

 

The famous Divi Divi tree is Aruba's natural compass, always pointing in a southwesterly direction due to the trade winds that blow across the island.

 

 

The Alto Vista Chapel and surrounding area...