Live From: Emerald 3/1/15 sail date Western

[satxdiver]

The captain came through and had the ship tied up to the pier at 7:00 AM. I was doubting his ability to do this. However about the time it came to let pax off, the Caribbean arrived and tied up to the other side of the pier. Pax started leaving our ship and then the Caribbean arrived when the flow had to be stopped again when the Carnival Liberty arrived so we had three ships in port. After breakfast again in the cabin on the balcony while watching the pax file off the pier, we managed to leave the ship about 8:45. We quickly found the shuttle to Mahahual. The cost was $3/each to the town and $2/each to return. The town is real close. There were four stops with the first being Senor Frogs. We chose the third stop to go downtown. We walked along the melecon stopping at one bar for beer and natchos which were quite good. I don’t remember the name of the bar but like all the rest it was on the beach. We went to the Blue Bay bar just beyond the Senor Frogs and had another beer while watching the people in the water and on the beach. We returned to the port and did some shopping buying GD a tshirt (required purchase!) and were back on the ship by 1:30. After a quick stop in the HC we retired to our cabin for rest and to watch the pax returning to the ship. Both the Caribbean and Emerald were scheduled to have all pax back on board by 4:30 (port time and ship time were the same). However the last pax did not board either ship until about 5:00 PM which got an announcement from the captain to arrive on time. The three ships left in the reverse order they arrived.

 

Tonight was Italian night in the MDR. MUTS had karaoke at 7, 70’s disco at 8:30 and the deck party at 10.

 

Tonight we tried the Crab Shack for the first time. They give you a choice of four pots so we selected the shrimp, clam and mussel and the crab, shrimp and clam pots. The appetizer was “popcorn” shrimp and hush puppies followed by Manhattan chowder with both being quite good. There is no choice for these two items. The pots were really good as we love shrimp and other sea food. Dessert was apple pie a al mode. Cost was $20/each and worth it. This is for seafood lovers and particularly shell seafood. There were four pot choices with one being the “mud bugs” which we don’t particularly like.

 

The Love Boat Deck Disco Party was tonight on the lido deck and was a lot of fun. Music was provided live by the band Wavelength. We have listened to them most nights and found them great. The interesting thing is that most pax remained almost to the end and they did not do the hideous line dancing or whatever they call it. It was a great party so don’t miss it.

 

Tomorrow is Belize which is about 85 NM south of here so the captain has the ship going 8 knots in c, alm water. It is a nice change from the 22 knots and the rocking that sometimes occurred. So far this has been a fairly nice cruise with little movement. Belize is on CT while the ship is on ET as is the Costa Maya and Cozumel. We were reminded that the ship time will be one hour ahead of Belize time and to watch our watches. Nice part is that we will not have to change time back when we get to Houston since the US will be on daylight saving time. Belize is a tender port but we have a ship tour so we don’t have to worry about getting a tender to shore. Thursday is Caribbean Dinner in the MDR.

 

We went to Crooners to listen to Darren Bethell. He is good and often plays without the music sheet. However he does not work the pax and does not have any recorded accompaniment like others we have seen. To us this makes him a bit dull so we have not been back. Others may enjoy him however. Don't forget Adagio on deck 16 which has a classical pianist most nights. Most pax don't even know it is there.

[Steelers0854]

Satxdiver does such an excellent job with the write ups I'm going to leave it to them and fill in with a few items I see along the way. Here are today's patters.

[houstoncruisers2001]

I don't think I'll ever cruise for houston again.

 

Tis fog season in these parts. If you think Houston is bad, try Galveston. It's usually gridlock near the port when the ships are fogged out of port.

[caribill]

 

As I suspected, the message "by Cruise Director Lee Childers" is word for word identical to the message "by Cruise Director Lisa Ball" on our voyage on a different ship.

 

It is amazing how the Cruise Directors have exactly the same thoughts.

 

And I am willing to predict that the message by your Hotel General Manager in a couple of days will say "Helping Come Back New is the roll I'm privileged to play here on board" as he no doubt has the same thoughts that the different HGM had on our cruise.

Edited March 5, 2015 by caribill

[Steelers0854]

Tonight's dinner menus.

[Steelers0854]

Review: The Crab Shack

So where do I start about how good the crab shack was?

 

First, my hat goes off to F&B supervisor Dan who was running the Crab Shack. DW does not eat anything from the ocean. I on the other hand could eat it every meal. When I asked Dan if it would be possible for her to sit with me while I had dinner he didn't hesitate to say yes. He even said she could feel free to go to the buffet and bring it back to the table any time she wanted to. He was so very warm and welcoming it was a great first impression.

 

The atmosphere was fun with Crab Shack branded paper table cloths. I posted the menu earlier.

 

The appetizers were good, and they bring a large pot of what you ordered with all the necessary tools and a branded Crab Shack cloth apron that covers to your knees.

 

I got the Emerils pot and it was delicious. The seasoning they used is so flavorful and unlike anything else I have ever had. I compare it to Joes Crab Shack but 10x better.

 

The desert was apple pie ala mode and was good.

 

The service was excellent. We went at 6 right when they opened and there were only a handful of people there when we left at about 645.

 

The bill came in the form of a handwritten bar tab and didn't even have a space for gratuity.

 

The crab shack will now be a permanent must have on my future cruises as long as it's offered.

[Steelers0854]

We saw Michael Barron the illusionist tonight and he was very good.

 

Here are tomorrow's patters.

[Colo Cruiser]

Sounds like you had a great meal. :)

[Rancher Dave]

We don't have long to wait...makes me hungry reading up on the Crab Shack even though I ate a couple hours ago.

[caribill]

 

First, my hat goes off to F&B supervisor Dan who was running the Crab Shack. DW does not eat anything from the ocean. I on the other hand could eat it every meal. When I asked Dan if it would be possible for her to sit with me while I had dinner he didn't hesitate to say yes. He even said she could feel free to go to the buffet and bring it back to the table any time she wanted to.

 

Glad you had such a great meal and Dan let DW dine with you using buffet food. There have been posts on other threads that bringing food from the buffet was not allowed under similar circumstances.

[satxdiver]

Today we were in Belize. We had a ship excursion to do a horse ride and lounge around a swimming pool so we met in the Explorer’s Lounge for our tour and were taken to the tender for transfer to the shore. In Belize they provide the tenders and not Princess. Since we were leaving very early (7:15 AM) we had breakfast in the HC today. Transfer to the pier went quick and we were loaded on the bus for a 40 minute or so ride to the ranch. Belize is somewhere I would never drive. The bus driver was quite good with the traffic. The horse ride was a bit over 1 hour. They had a large swimming pool with a really nice waterfall and slide. Several of us including me did the slide and relaxed in the water. They had beer, soda, water and some food available for purchase. It really was very nice.

 

On return to the port we spent some time walking around and ended up at a bar near the pier Princess was using for the tenders. Since there were three other ships in port, it was quite crowded per usual. We had stopped for some Biliken beer while waiting for the line to the tender to decrease. While the line was very long when we got there, by the time we finished our beer, we were able to simply walk on the tender. We boarded the ship in time for a quick snack from the pizzeria and grill and then to happy hour in the Wheelhouse. Tonight was Caribbean night in the MDR but after a long day we decided to eat in the HC again.

 

MUTS tonight was showing The Imitation Game. We watched it for a while after dinner. The weather has been really great. We went to the Club Fusion for the Big Riddle Trivia followed by the Who’s The Cuckoo game which was funny listening to the tall tales being told. We did learn some things about the assistant CD and two other CD members. The assistant CD, who is from Wales, owns a cattle farm with very expensive cows and was the arm wrestling champion in the UK. Later we checked out the pianist in Crooners which was crowded. He was quite a bit better than when we first saw him Sunday night. There was a reason why the lounge was crowded. We decided to call it a night since we have an early ship excursion in Cozumel.

 

Friday we will be in Cozumel. We found out that the comedian, Tom McTigue, was in Cozumel waiting for us since Tuesday. His show is tonight. This is formal night and the Platinum and Elite party. Tonight also is Ye Old Pub Night in Explorer’s. We have seen it several times before. Tonight also is the Marriage Match Game and the 50th anniversary balloon drop so it will be a very busy night. Luckily Saturday is a sea day to recuperate. MUTS will be showing Interstellar.

[pablo222]

As I suspected, the message "by Cruise Director Lee Childers" is word for word identical to the message "by Cruise Director Lisa Ball" on our voyage on a different ship.

 

It is amazing how the Cruise Directors have exactly the same thoughts.

 

I read one 'by' the captain.

 

It said something like:

"Having sailed the carribbean more than 'many' times..."

 

It looked to me like 'many' was supposed to be replace by some

number supplied by the actual captain, but wasn't.

 

And, if these are 'deep thoughts' from the officers, when did

the captain's circle host become an officer?

 

Princess needs to wise up, can the packaged stories, and fill the

cover with ads for "Everything $10" sales.

[billco]

As I suspected, the message "by Cruise Director Lee Childers" is word for word identical to the message "by Cruise Director Lisa Ball" on our voyage on a different ship.

 

It is amazing how the Cruise Directors have exactly the same thoughts.

 

Was that the message that said "Please be advised that Ship's time is one hour ahead to local time."

 

Maybe he got the other stuff from Kelvin Joy when he was CD before him.

Edited March 6, 2015 by billco

[Steelers0854]

Here are this evenings dinner menus. It's sad to think we have only 1 more full day left.

 

All good things......

 

[Nick55]

Are those he same menu's from yesterday?

[Coral]

Are those he same menu's from yesterday?

 

They do look like it. Hopefully Steelers can re-post the menus. Thanks for the live postings. I have a friend on this sailing and am enjoying reading the posts from both Steelers and Saxtdiver :)

Edited March 7, 2015 by Coral

[Steelers0854]

Sorry about posting the wrong menus. Here are the correct ones along with tomorrow's patter.

 

For those on the Emerald over the next 6 or so months you need to meet an assistant waiter by the name of Ronni. He is in the Botticelli dining room for dinner as well as Da Vinci for breakfast and sometimes lunch. He is the best waiter we have had on a princess cruise. He can also sing like a pro! Do yourself a favor and find a table in his section at least once. You won't regret it!

 

[PescadoAmarillo]

And, if these are 'deep thoughts' from the officers, when did

the captain's circle host become an officer?

 

Princess needs to wise up, can the packaged stories, and fill the

cover with ads for "Everything $10" sales.

The CC host IS a one stripe officer but the photo manager and casino hosts aren't and on longer cruises they make the front page. I agree with you about the repetitive narratives. It's particularly funny when one cruises in one part of the world, moves to another and the narrative is the same except for the location name.

[Rancher Dave]

The CC host IS a one stripe officer but the photo manager and casino hosts aren't and on longer cruises they make the front page. I agree with you about the repetitive narratives. It's particularly funny when one cruises in one part of the world, moves to another and the narrative is the same except for the location name.

 

 

Agree. Would be smart for all cruise lines basically using templates to have a professional writer come up with the templates that allow for easy customization that makes it look a bit less repetitive. Better than what I agree looks more like a cut and paste where things get missed and come out kind of odd at times.

 

I guess the ship will Spring forward and hour on the way in tomorrow...or did y'all spring forward at the start of the cruise saving that change tomorrow? Only a week plus a sleep until we are getting on board.

[satxdiver]

Friday – Coba Mayan Ruins

We have been to Cozumel many times before so we decided to do this ship excursion. We had already been to Tulum and Playa del Carmen beach and shopping. Tulum is something not to be missed as it is a well developed site with a lot of it exposed. Coba was a much larger settlement in the jungle and only a little has been excavated including the main temple. The temple can be climbed unlike Tulum and is 140 feet high. I did manage to climb it with a lot others.

 

The tour started when we first arrived in Cozumel at 7:00 AM. We met the tour at the end of the pier at 7:15 and were directed to immediately board the waiting ferry to take us to the Yucutan. The ferry left the pier at 7:30 on time with perhaps 180 of our fellow Princess pax most destined for Tulum. Arriving 40 or so minutes later we were taken to our bus by a tour guide who stayed with us the entire trip. The trip over was a bit rough but not bad. For those prone to sea sickness, measures were certainly called for so plan ahead. The bus trip to Coba was a bit over an hour. A large tour bus was used. On the long ride to Coba, our Mayan guide told us about Mexico, the Mayans and answered questions. She was very informative

 

Unlike Tulum the bus delivered us at the entrance of the park. The guide procured our tickets, passed them out and we were on our way to the ruins. We were told the walking tour would be 2 hours with time to climb the temple and a total of about 2 miles. Bicycles and bicycle cabs were available for those that did not want to walk. The bicycle cabs were actually at several places along the trail back to the temple. Our guide was Mayan and spoke very clear English. She told us legends of the Mayans as well as some things about the flora and fauna. The Mayans always seemed to have a ball court where teams competed and Coba was no exception. One interesting thing we were told was that the Mayans had discovered the earth revolved around the sun 500 years before Galileo figured it out. The Mayans who date back before Christ were very good astronomers, developed writing, mathematics and a language that is in use even today in this area. When we boarded the bus for the trip back to the ferry, we were given a sack lunch and a bottle of water. There was several stands at the park entrance that sold some Mayan items as well as cold drinks such as water, soda and beer. On the trip back to the ferry, we stopped at a store that only sold Mayan items to take home. For many of us though they had a really nice clean restroom facilities. Leaving there 20 minutes later we arrived at the ferry port, given ferry tickets and boarded the ferry. Since we were the last tour to arrive (the Tulum tours were already onboard). The Ferry cast off for the Emerald Princess. The ride back again about 40 minutes was a bit rougher than the trip over. The ferry sold drinks including beer, some mixed drinks and chips etc. They did actively solicit tips passing the tip jar around.

 

Pax were to be on the ship by 3:30 PM. The ferry arrived at the pier next to the Princess at 3:45 PM. The ship naturally was waiting. We were told to go directly to the ship for boarding. About 5 PM, the captain announced that the last tour had boarded and we would be letting the lines go shortly. Not long after that announcement they announced 12 names of pax they were looking for. Maybe 5 minutes later the ship started letting their lines go and we were off sailing for Houston. I don’t know if the 12 made it back to the ship. This was the third time we had taken a ship tour to the Yucutan and all three times we left the ship immediately after arriving and returned 15 to 30 minutes after pax were supposed to be back onboard. Moral is if you want to go to the Yucutan on a tour, take a ship tour so they will wait for your return.

[satxdiver]

The Platinum/elite circle party was Friday night. It was well attended per usual and was on formal night. The captain was there and spoke. We learned from the crewmember that there were 719 platinum and 177 elite aboard on this cruise. The three most traveled pax were:

 

top pax: 100 cruises for 1397 days

second: 1137 days cruising

third: 632 days cruising

 

While two of the winners were couples, the second most traveled was an older single lady. She had a uniformed officer with here for the party.

[slc22]

Thanks to the Live posters.

 

So glad you had a great cruise in spite of the delay. Wish we could have sailed along ... really enjoyed reading your posts.

 

Safe travels home tomorrow.

[Steelers0854]

I think the Internet has been pretty good given that it's on a satellite connection. The only issue I had was during what i would consider during a peak hour and it wasn't really usable. Here are the menus for this evening.

[azbirdmom]

I read one 'by' the captain.

 

It said something like:

"Having sailed the carribbean more than 'many' times..."

 

It looked to me like 'many' was supposed to be replace by some

number supplied by the actual captain, but wasn't.

 

I chuckled about that last week too as the "more than many" language was in the Patter then as well. Guess the Patter-master hasn't fixed that yet!

[satxdiver]

I just checked the weather report tomorrow morning for Houston and Galveston. Both are showing a very high chance of fog for most of the day. Let us hope we are able to get in to port.

 

I went to the Chief Engineer's talk today and he said that the Emerald was the only ship to use the Houston ship channel on Sunday when they arrived late and that the Emerald was the only ship to leave the port of Houston on Monday. He did not think the port opened for traffic until Tuesday. I can say that when we finally let go the lines and started out the channel, the fog was very thick and the ship's fog horn could be heard repeatedly. He said that with the modern navigational equipment aboard the Emerald, they could negotiate the channel without any problem. The problem was getting the Port of Houston authorities to agrsee.

 

Hopefully we will be able to get into Bayport tomorrow morning. Luckily we drove and our car is in the parking lot.