Emerald Princess Rome to Barcelona September 26 -October 3 2015 in photos and video

[Bimmer09]

Some more shots from the roof before I get back to the chimneys

 

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Although the sky looks threatening we haven't seen rain since the ship docked the day before. Rain would have really dimmed our experience and the rooftops would have been out of the question.

 

 

 

This was taken on a pocket Canon camera looking at the Art Museum on Montjuic with the telecommunications tower shown at right. Note to self - more time on Montjuic next visit!

 

[homeinboca]

Norris,

 

Thanks for all the great pictures from Barcelona. We spent 4 days there pre-cruise and loved it. Seems like everyone who visits has wonderful things to day about the city. It's too bad La Boqueria was closed, you would have had a field day there taking pictures, it's an explosion of colour and senses like you have never seen. I think if if were open, you would have been late getting back to the hotel for breakfast with Carol - that is quite the long walk you took in the morning.

 

Also, in the summer they have evening jazz concerts on the roof of Casa Mila which we attended, it was an amazing experience as they light up the all the different chimney towers.

 

Cheers,

 

Ron

[ROWSE]

Hi Norris,

I am loving this review. I have been reading a long a bit at a time for days now and am just seeing the part where you hit the hotel in Barcelona. I was absolutely amazed at the Sagrada Familia! This will be put on our bucket list for certain. Thank you for giving us a bird's eye view. I love your reviews!

 

What made me skip ahead was the need to tell you that we have chatted in past reviews. When you did the Ocean Princess, we then went on a Tahiti cruise on her. Here is that review from me: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2168868

 

Then you did one off the Ruby and my family happen to go to Alaska in August on that one. I teased you about where we were going next and you told me about the Emerald, but alas we have already been on her 4 times, so this winter we have booked the Caribbean on the Celebrity Eclipse for a 14 day starting on Jan. 10.

 

The thing that caught my eye, was that you are doing the Caribbean on the Silhouette, and your date of Jan. 17. I looked up your itinerary, and low and behold, our ships cross trails in both St. Kitts and St. Maarten. Just wanted to tell you if you see a crazy woman flagging you and Carol down somewhere in those ports to say hello, it will be me. :)

 

Now, back to reading your review.....

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

 

Thanks for all the great pictures from Barcelona. We spent 4 days there pre-cruise and loved it. Seems like everyone who visits has wonderful things to day about the city. It's too bad La Boqueria was closed, you would have had a field day there taking pictures, it's an explosion of colour and senses like you have never seen. I think if if were open, you would have been late getting back to the hotel for breakfast with Carol - that is quite the long walk you took in the morning.

 

Also, in the summer they have evening jazz concerts on the roof of Casa Mila which we attended, it was an amazing experience as they light up the all the different chimney towers.

 

Cheers,

 

Ron

 

Thanks Ron, the food market is definitely on the list for our next visit to BCN.

 

Just not enough time or energy to push ourselves this trip.

 

This was Carol's first experience of Spain and my 4th (including a month there back in 1978) and we like any place where "siesta" is a part of the vocabulary.

 

Jazz on the rooftop at Casa Mila would be an other-worldly experience for us.

 

I don't think it will be long before we see Barcelona again.

 

Cheers,

 

Norris

 

[dtwcal]

Hi Norris,

 

I have really enjoyed all of your trip reviews. I just wonder why we haven't seen any photos of all the sherpas carrying all of your camera gear, lighting equipment, director's chair etc. The photos are amazing and put my feeble efforts to shame.

 

I see that you are looking at a Chandris ^H^H^H^H^H Celebrity cruise upcoming, which I am anxious to see. Will we ever see your talents turned to a Holland America cruise?

[Bimmer09]

Hi Norris,

I am loving this review. I have been reading a long a bit at a time for days now and am just seeing the part where you hit the hotel in Barcelona. I was absolutely amazed at the Sagrada Familia! This will be put on our bucket list for certain. Thank you for giving us a bird's eye view. I love your reviews!

 

What made me skip ahead was the need to tell you that we have chatted in past reviews. When you did the Ocean Princess, we then went on a Tahiti cruise on her. Here is that review from me: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2168868

 

Then you did one off the Ruby and my family happen to go to Alaska in August on that one. I teased you about where we were going next and you told me about the Emerald, but alas we have already been on her 4 times, so this winter we have booked the Caribbean on the Celebrity Eclipse for a 14 day starting on Jan. 10.

 

The thing that caught my eye, was that you are doing the Caribbean on the Silhouette, and your date of Jan. 17. I looked up your itinerary, and low and behold, our ships cross trails in both St. Kitts and St. Maarten. Just wanted to tell you if you see a crazy woman flagging you and Carol down somewhere in those ports to say hello, it will be me. :)

 

Now, back to reading your review.....

 

Hi! Yes I recall you very well from the Ocean Princess connection and from your exotic review to Moorea and Bora Bora and those far away places that look so peaceful and inviting.

 

We haven't got around to thinking South Pacific yet. The most recent item added to the bucket list was a cruise around Cape Horn starting in Buenos Aires a city which speaks to us in terms of architecture/availability of seared steaks.

It was from a Celebrity review by a great German reviewer. If you have a spare hour read his great review here.....

 

http://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Our-Trips/South-America-01/south-america-01.html

 

He's just done a Holy Land review too. Worth reading.

 

Yes, we are going on the Silhouette Jan 17. I know in St Kitts we are doing the island train tour which goes back to the ship via catamaran. St Maarten I wanted to just have a French meal in Grand Case but Carol nixed that in favor of an excursion which involves snorkeling.

 

I usually stand out in the crowd by always carrying a black Canon bag with 7 lbs of camera gear so I lean slightly to one side. I'd be very happy if you saw me and introduced yourself.

 

It's great to hear from you again and to know you are reading along on this epic voyage!

 

Norris

 

[Bimmer09]

Hi Norris,

 

I have really enjoyed all of your trip reviews. I just wonder why we haven't seen any photos of all the sherpas carrying all of your camera gear, lighting equipment, director's chair etc. The photos are amazing and put my feeble efforts to shame.

 

I see that you are looking at a Chandris ^H^H^H^H^H Celebrity cruise upcoming, which I am anxious to see. Will we ever see your talents turned to a Holland America cruise?

 

John, thanks for coming onboard and for responding so I know who you are out there in the shadows.

 

Pop in when I do the Celebrity review please as I will be among strangers there.

 

I looked at HAL cruises when doing the Winter Cruise Research last January but the Silhouette won out for a number of reasons. I have a friend in Marco Island who sails the Noordam a couple of times a year.

 

I have two ships bookmarked from a great review on CC and they are the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam. I think the line would be a good fit for us and would have no hesitation in trying it. I was on the HAL mailing list for a year before I tried Princess to Alaska.

 

I'm sure it will happen.

 

Norris

 

[Bimmer09]

The rooftop wanders all over the place!

 

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There's an archway that has a view of Sagrada Familia. You might have to wait a while to get a clear shot here as people in groups line up one at a time for their big moment. I am not a person who needs to be in the shot with the monument.

I prefer to be in candid photos rather than posing. Strangers often ask me to take their photos when they see me with the camera and that I always do willingly.

It's their picture.

 

Remember when people used to bring out their holiday photos when you came round for drinks and there would be a wad of them with fingerprints and the wad would be bent into an arc from handling and they'd sift through them while you sat beside them...this is me next to a donkey in Barbados, here's one of me stroking him, oh, here's a good one of me standing near the donkey while some other donkeys look on, here's the donkey chewing some grass with me standing nearby. Oh- I've just remembered I have some more donkey pictures - if you're interested-but these ones are from Ocho Rios....where did I put them?

 

My donkey pictures are still in Lightroom so don't worry.

 

I'm very patient

 

 

[Bimmer09]

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[Bimmer09]

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Casa Mila has been occupied since it was built and people live there today-in a tourist destination-but the tourist routes are kept away from them. Here you can see a resident's balcony alive with plants.

 

 

 

 

Carol captures me at work

 

 

[Bimmer09]

We're going to leave the roof soon and see what's below. I see it's about 2 p.m and we'll have to eat before our next visit-to Casa Batilo. Once we have Batilo off our to-do list there are no more plans except packing and then enjoying our last visit to the rooftop bar. We have to be up at 5 a.m and take a cab to the airport at 7 for a 10 a.m flight. So a couple more pics up here and then we'll go down the stairs, just one or two flights.

 

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Sagrada Familia is not this close-Zoom lens in use.

 

 

 

And lastly a look at an interesting facade across the street on Passeig de Gracia

 

 

So-no more twisted chimneys (the twist draws the smoke out better-Gaudi was form and function), air vents for the hallways and decorative stair-shells.

 

We'll look at some models and drawings and then see some apartments as they were a hundred years ago.

 

So have some supper, go walk the dog. I'll wait until you and Fido get back..

 

Norris

[jzad]

Finally all caught up! Brilliant review Norris! Thank you so much for sharing!!

[Poipu1]

Thank you again, Norris and Carol. I have enjoyed all 45 pages!

[Bimmer09]

Finally all caught up! Brilliant review Norris! Thank you so much for sharing!!

 

Jzad-a new name, welcome!!

 

Thanks for the compliments-still more to come.

 

I'm glad you read the whole thing.

 

Much appreciated.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Thank you again, Norris and Carol. I have enjoyed all 45 pages!

 

All caught up huh? Well done.

 

There's more still to come...

 

Hang in there!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

We come down into an attic space with arches

 

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In this space there are some video installations showing Barcelona in Gaudi's time and footage of the construction of Segrada Familia. You'll also see the models and drawings for Casa Mila.

 

 

 

 

There are no load-bearing walls in the interior (don't ask me how). The plan was that residents could remodel and customize over the years.

 

 

[Bimmer09]

Here are a couple of pieces of Gaudi furniture. After we see these we'll move on to tour the apartment rooms to get an idea of life in luxury apartments in the early 20th Century.

 

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Some art from that era along the way

 

 

I'm always excited to look back in history and these rooms that we'll see were rich in detail. I'm moving quickly to avoid the people I can see coming behind me getting into the shot.

 

 

There's a maid's apron hanging on the chair so I assume this was her room

 

 

I take a quick look through one of the windows...I'm on the floor below the roof space.

 

 

 

More to follow

[Woobstr112G]

Way cool pictures of Barcelona related stuff.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Bimmer09]

Way cool pictures of Barcelona related stuff.....:):):)

 

Bob

 

Thanks Bob!

 

Glad to see you are still checking in.

 

Norris

[love2cruisegal]

Norris,

 

You surely were right! In your response to me earlier when I said we were staying in Barcelona two days post cruise end of May, you told me to hang in there you would have lots to post. You weren't kidding.....I have been enjoying them immensely. They are wonderful. The buildings and the architecture is just beautiful. Thanks, getting excited about staying in Barcelona but then I am rushing the cruise. Lol!

 

Will be waiting for your review in January from your X cruise. We looked at their itineraries for the Med and none seemed to jump out at us and most were round trip and didn't stop at all our bucket list. They also charge more for their restaurants and have more. So we are on the Royal Princess which has a great itinerary. We were on her in December of 2013 and she is a beautiful ship even with the smaller balconies. We have an angled balcony this time and want to do the UBD after reading reviews and watching some videos, including yours. It didn't seem that crowded and we ate in the buffet more than normal. The layout was so much better than the Grand class ships. Also Alfredos was wonderful and no charge.

 

Will be anxiously awaiting your review from the Caribbean on X.

 

Thanks so much for your review as always and wonderful pictures, Norris.

 

Ruth

[Bimmer09]

[/url]

 

That was a pressure cooker on the stove!

 

I love the illuminated cabinets

 

 

Oops! They're gaining on me

 

 

A bidet....way back then

 

 

Good shaving or make-up mirror

 

 

Now a poorly-focused bedroom

 

[Bimmer09]

Seeing the bed the word "nap" sprang to mind.

 

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The balcony railing would not meet our modern codes

 

 

I loved the light in this study, even though the window is a "blowout" (too much light)

 

 

Antique tea and coffee sets with the Gaudi flair

 

 

Stunning furniture

 

 

I'm still just ahead of the pack....

 

 

More beauty to follow

[Frflatt]

Thank you so much for your enthralling story - I have found it completely gripping and been amazed by the detail and the fantastic photography.

 

Our first cruise (we've only been on three) was the Grand Mediterranean- Venice to Barcelona- on the Regal Princess and we spent 4 days in Barcelona at the end. We absolutely fell in love with this beautiful city; your photographs elicit exquisite memories. I also loved your pictures of Florence where we spent a very happy day.

 

Seeing the Emerald Princess in your review has allayed my concerns about our cruise on her next August; she looks just as beautiful as the Regal and Royal (didn't really enjoy the X Eclipse).

 

Norris, thank you again; I will definitely read your other reviews - I will need something to entertain once this story concludes.

 

Stephen

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

 

You surely were right! In your response to me earlier when I said we were staying in Barcelona two days post cruise end of May, you told me to hang in there you would have lots to post. You weren't kidding.....I have been enjoying them immensely. They are wonderful. The buildings and the architecture is just beautiful. Thanks, getting excited about staying in Barcelona but then I am rushing the cruise. Lol!

 

Will be waiting for your review in January from your X cruise. We looked at their itineraries for the Med and none seemed to jump out at us and most were round trip and didn't stop at all our bucket list. They also charge more for their restaurants and have more. So we are on the Royal Princess which has a great itinerary. We were on her in December of 2013 and she is a beautiful ship even with the smaller balconies. We have an angled balcony this time and want to do the UBD after reading reviews and watching some videos, including yours. It didn't seem that crowded and we ate in the buffet more than normal. The layout was so much better than the Grand class ships. Also Alfredos was wonderful and no charge.

 

Will be anxiously awaiting your review from the Caribbean on X.

 

Thanks so much for your review as always and wonderful pictures, Norris.

 

Ruth

 

Ruth, it makes all the "work" worthwhile when I see that people are enjoying this enough to feel they have to respond. So thank you.

 

The Silhouette cruise is 64 days away but we will be in Ft. Lauderdale the day before (Always Be Early!). As the Itinerary is the Caribbean with only 3 ports (San Juan, Phillipsburg and Basseterre ) the ship will be a main focus for me unlike in the Med where the Emerald was a means of getting us to all those ports. No surprises on the Emerald as I've sailed both of her sisters. X will be a surprise around every corner and hopefully all good ones.

 

I know the Specialty restaurants are pricey compared to Princess-but not to the land based ones we use in Chicago (or SF or NY) but I also know they offer discounts on board to fill the seats. Even so the value of the packages we got at booking are @ $1200 so that's money that we normally spend out of pocket ( our gratuities paid/ beverage packages each and $300 OBC.) It will be nice to eat from new menus and of course we have Luminae the Suites-only dining room and Blu.

We haven't tasted the food yet but it photographs well!!

 

We are going ashore in each port-a Segway tour of the forts in PR, some beach snorkeling boat ride thing in St Maarten with beach BBQ, and the Island train/Catamaran ride in St. Kitts. 3 sea days which Carol loves. Do you know if they offer Ship tours??

 

We have a butler which is new to us but I know there will be some aft balcony dining he can help us with.

 

The UBD on the Royal will be a great experience. When do you plan to have it?

We have always done it (3 times I think) when sailing aft as there is no wind.

Always at sea but if you have a late port departure when the sun is setting and the port lights are on that would be magical too.

 

Thanks again for the response!

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

Thank you so much for your enthralling story - I have found it completely gripping and been amazed by the detail and the fantastic photography.

 

Our first cruise (we've only been on three) was the Grand Mediterranean- Venice to Barcelona- on the Regal Princess and we spent 4 days in Barcelona at the end. We absolutely fell in love with this beautiful city; your photographs elicit exquisite memories. I also loved your pictures of Florence where we spent a very happy day.

 

Seeing the Emerald Princess in your review has allayed my concerns about our cruise on her next August; she looks just as beautiful as the Regal and Royal (didn't really enjoy the X Eclipse).

 

Norris, thank you again; I will definitely read your other reviews - I will need something to entertain once this story concludes.

 

Stephen

 

Stephen-welcome and thanks for responding. It's always nice to see new faces coming aboard.

 

Londoners are welcome. I lived there for a long time in the 70s and 80s and for a country boy it was the most exciting place to be. I haven't set foot there since 1994! when I visited for two days. (I don't count Heathrow)

 

Please do read my other 7 reviews. A hot pot of tea and some Rich Tea biscuits on a wet afternoon ( I believe London still gets those)...just the ticket!

 

This is the longest one to date so you should be able to breeze through the others.

 

Yes, the Emerald is in good physical shape. I just found a few crew members wanting but of course they come and go and move around.

 

Why didn't you enjoy Celebrity Eclipse?

 

Thanks again for the response-it is much appreciated!

 

Norris