Anyone on the Emerald Princess right now?

[Coral]

2 minutes ago, Mike07 said:

I was on the Emerald's first sailing after the apocalypse. No issues with the condition or maintenance of the ship. Some of the color choices, cabinetry are not "modern", but the ship was in fine condition.

 

Though, I can appreciate dated designs being unappealing to some, though I don't agree that it makes it in "bad condition".

I would agree.

[TipsyT]

On 8/24/2023 at 12:31 PM, HaveDogWillTravel said:

(cut)

 

Thank you for all your info and wonderful pictures. We're on the Emerald in Oct and really looking forward to it. 

 

Any way you could check to see what substitutions are available for the Elite mini bar? We are particularly hopeful for some kind of coffee package from the coffee bar next to the IC.

 

Thank you and enjoy your cruise!

Trish

 

 

 

[startedwithamouse]

5 minutes ago, TipsyT said:

 

Thank you for all your info and wonderful pictures. We're on the Emerald in Oct and really looking forward to it. 

 

Any way you could check to see what substitutions are available for the Elite mini bar? We are particularly hopeful for some kind of coffee package from the coffee bar next to the IC.

 

Thank you and enjoy your cruise!

Trish

 

 

 

The Coffee package swap out is no more since the Coffee package no longer exists.

[mtnesterz]

21 minutes ago, TipsyT said:

Any way you could check to see what substitutions are available for the Elite mini bar? We are particularly hopeful for some kind of coffee package from the coffee bar next to the IC.

It sounds like you want non alcoholic options. I've heard you can request a swap for OBC of $50 for the mini-bar. Use that for your coffee. Coffee was $2, Americano, $3.

As of the previous cruise on the Emerald, the bar was: JW Red, Beefeater, some kind of vodka and congac. Dos Equis, Coke, Diet Coke and tonic water, Schweppes I think. Still and Perrier water. You can swap liquor for liquor, mixers for mixers, which I did. I've heard you can swap small bottles of wine for the beer, but I'm not much for wine so I don't know. 

[wallyj]

@mtnesterz, I recall swapping your elite minibar for OBC, was done very sparingly on one ship and reported just after the initial removal/discontinued of the ‘coffee card pkg’.

 

I believe the last few posts of passengers requesting OBC in lieu of elite minibar were denied, it is not an option.

 

I believe you need to swap you entire minibar for 1 bottle of wine that has been reported sells on the ship for $35-40, most would consider this an uneven swap in favor of the cruise line.

[mtnesterz]

4 minutes ago, wallyj said:

@mtnesterz, I recall swapping your elite minibar for OBC, was done very sparingly on one ship and reported just after the initial removal/discontinued of the ‘coffee card pkg’.

I believe the last few posts of passengers requesting OBC in lieu of elite minibar were denied, it is not an option.

I believe you need to swap you entire minibar for 1 bottle of wine that has been reported sells on the ship for $35-40, most would consider this an uneven swap in favor of the cruise line.

Good to know. FYI to @TipsyT . 

[zumbagold]

If you are on the Emerald now, would you be able to tell me what time is Happy Hour? 4:30 or 5? Thanks so much. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

8 minutes ago, zumbagold said:

If you are on the Emerald now, would you be able to tell me what time is Happy Hour? 4:30 or 5? Thanks so much. 

There really isn’t a happy hour.  There’s the platinum elite suite lounge from 5-7 every night in skywalkers. I don’t know if they have drink specials. My glass of wine wasn’t discounted. Last night they had 4 kinds of sushi, chicken Waldorf salad, cheeses, fruited, meatballs and some dessert thing. I ate everything but the dessert thing and it was really really good. That was dinner for me. 

[Steelers36]

2 hours ago, TipsyT said:

Any way you could check to see what substitutions are available for the Elite mini bar?

No need to check as it is the same on all ships.  You have 10 items with alcohol (8 liquors and 2 beer).  You can exchange any or all for other alcohol choices (for example, I exchange all for 10 beer).  You can also exchange them 1-for-1 for non-alcohol items. 

 

You have 10 non-alcohol items (approx 8 sodas and 2 waters).  You can exchange any or all for other non-alcohol items (for example, I exchange all of these for Perrier). 

 

You can trade the whole thing in for a bottle of wine, but it won't be that great and the value is much less than the total bar value (but value is in eye of beholder and if nothing in the mini-bar appeals...).

 

 

[PacnGoNow]

8 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

No need to check as it is the same on all ships.  You have 10 items with alcohol (8 liquors and 2 beer).  You can exchange any or all for other alcohol choices (for example, I exchange all for 10 beer).  You can also exchange them 1-for-1 for non-alcohol items. 

 

You have 10 non-alcohol items (approx 8 sodas and 2 waters).  You can exchange any or all for other non-alcohol items (for example, I exchange all of these for Perrier). 

 

You can trade the whole thing in for a bottle of wine, but it won't be that great and the value is much less than the total bar value (but value is in eye of beholder and if nothing in the mini-bar appeals...).

 

 

Correct about the wine.  We traded a mini bar on a short b2b for 1 bottle of wine.  Since the prices of wine has gone up, the best they would do was a $47 bottle of wine.  Not the greatest, but okay.  I tried to swap for a better wine, but they would not do it. Enchanted was the ship. 

 

 

 

[Coral]

12 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

It sounds like you want non alcoholic options. I've heard you can request a swap for OBC of $50 for the mini-bar. Use that for your coffee. Coffee was $2, Americano, $3.

As of the previous cruise on the Emerald, the bar was: JW Red, Beefeater, some kind of vodka and congac. Dos Equis, Coke, Diet Coke and tonic water, Schweppes I think. Still and Perrier water. You can swap liquor for liquor, mixers for mixers, which I did. I've heard you can swap small bottles of wine for the beer, but I'm not much for wine so I don't know. 

I asked about this and it was a firm "no". They said they did this for 2 cruises and that was it. This was in May.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

On 8/24/2023 at 11:35 AM, startedwithamouse said:

 

Is Mauris from Romania, restaurant manager in DaVinci, back from vacation?

I went to breakfast in DaVinci this morning and asked 2 different restaurant managers. The first one, who is at the door when you arrive (sorry his name starts with a P idk his full name) said Mauris was a waiter not a rest manager. The second RM I asked, Claudia, said that there were several crew by that name from Romania.  I am sorry I can’t answer your question. 
 

On a different note, I first went the buffet, the part of it in the way back, for breakfast.  The scrambled eggs were cold and the pancake was hard.  I couldn’t eat it. I told them the eggs were cold and it seeems the warming plate was not on. 
 

Then I headed to DaVinci to try my luck there.  It was still only7:30 am and there was no line. I immediately got a private table away from others which was quite nice. My waiter, Romano, seemed mostly asleep. Weird. He did his job but there wasn’t even a pretense of trying to be engaged in it. 
 

Two over easy eggs, one English muffin and one blueberry pancake. The eggs and English muffin were cooked properly but I could taste the oil used on the eggs & it was a bit off putting.  The pancake was also cooked properly, however most of the blueberries were hard or chewy. No bueno. My eggs Florentine first day were quite good so I was surprised by my overall lackluster experience.  
 

The room service salads have been very nice. I do not recommend the vegetarian sandwich however.  
 

Leo Rossi, Knights of Rock enrichment lecturer, will be giving 9 talks this cruise. He’s doing 2 shows just on the Divas. I’m excited for all the new material he is finally going to have time to use!

 

 

[startedwithamouse]

2 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I went to breakfast in DaVinci this morning and asked 2 different restaurant managers. The first one, who is at the door when you arrive (sorry his name starts with a P idk his full name) said Mauris was a waiter not a rest manager. The second RM I asked, Claudia, said that there were several crew by that name from Romania.  I am sorry I can’t answer your question. 
 

On a different note, I first went the buffet, the part of it in the way back, for breakfast.  The scrambled eggs were cold and the pancake was hard.  I couldn’t eat it. I told them the eggs were cold and it seeems the warming plate was not on. 
 

Then I headed to DaVinci to try my luck there.  It was still only7:30 am and there was no line. I immediately got a private table away from others which was quite nice. My waiter, Romano, seemed mostly asleep. Weird. He did his job but there wasn’t even a pretense of trying to be engaged in it. 
 

Two over easy eggs, one English muffin and one blueberry pancake. The eggs and English muffin were cooked properly but I could taste the oil used on the eggs & it was a bit off putting.  The pancake was also cooked properly, however most of the blueberries were hard or chewy. No bueno. My eggs Florentine first day were quite good so I was surprised by my overall lackluster experience.  
 

The room service salads have been very nice. I do not recommend the vegetarian sandwich however.  
 

Leo Rossi, Knights of Rock enrichment lecturer, will be giving 9 talks this cruise. He’s doing 2 shows just on the Divas. I’m excited for all the new material he is finally going to have time to use!

 

 

Thank you!  Yes, I'm guessing it's quite a common name. He was a brilliant Restaurant Manager, and always took very good care of us. 

 

Sorry to hear about your out of it waiter.  I'm not sure if he's come back to the Emerald, but we were able to have Arnulfo from Phillipines in DaVinci, and he was attentive as can be.  Arnulfo had Jonah from Zimbabwe as his junior waiter. 

 

Sounds like if you are tasting oil, it's from overuse, or a very low grade. Or both?

 

 

[piggybabymcpig]

We are on the Emerald right now as well.  We are not picky eaters and have really enjoyed the food.  It is a matter of personal taste but everything has been great for us 

[cr8tiv1]

I value @HaveDogWillTravel photos and evaluation of the Emerald.  She is a well traveled passenger who if very fair in her comments.

 

I was on the Emerald in May.  I had a wonderful cruise in an inside cabin.  Steward was from China, I think (very unusual) but attentive and friendly.  I requested the same table and time for each dinner and was blown away by my waiter, jr waiter, receptionist, and Assistant Manager.  Best service I have ever had (outside of Reserve Dining).  I thought the food choices were excellent.

 

I am sorry that your family is not enjoying this lovely itinerary.  Maybe Princess is not for them.  I would never choose another NCL cruise for me.  Personal preferences for everyone.  I also prefer the Grand/Gem class ships than the new Royal/Sun class ships.  

 

I also agree that Princess seems to be trying to hire crew to fill their needs and shortages.  There are crew joining the ship at most ports.  Some are brand new and eager to learn.  Others probably will fulfill their contract and never return.  

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Thank you for the kind words @cr8tiv1 I do try to tell all sides of it. I do want to clarify that after 6 days on board this morning was my first food experience that was not the ship’s best performance. 
 

I am now sitting in adagio at a cocktail demonstration of the drinks the bartenders entered in the fleet wide competition. 
 

I think it’s going to cost $35 and there’s 3 or 4 drinks. 
Thus is the first one called Sink or Swim. And it is exceptionally good! 

[Ferndale Girl]

This is off subject but I think this cruise is going through the Panama Canal and ending up in New York.  We are supposed to start our cruise on the 9th.  Have you gone through the canal yet and if not is there any talk of a delay?  I heard that there was a big back up getting through.  Hopefully it is only for ships that don't have reservations and I assume that Princess would have one.

[mtnesterz]

1 hour ago, Ferndale Girl said:

This is off subject but I think this cruise is going through the Panama Canal and ending up in New York.  We are supposed to start our cruise on the 9th.  Have you gone through the canal yet and if not is there any talk of a delay?  I heard that there was a big back up getting through.  Hopefully it is only for ships that don't have reservations and I assume that Princess would have one.

Cruisemapper is your friend.

Currently heading due east at 13 kn off Cohiba island, Panama. (Not at the Canal entrance yet.)

Edited August 31, 2023 by mtnesterz

[startedwithamouse]

2 hours ago, Ferndale Girl said:

This is off subject but I think this cruise is going through the Panama Canal and ending up in New York.  We are supposed to start our cruise on the 9th.  Have you gone through the canal yet and if not is there any talk of a delay?  I heard that there was a big back up getting through.  Hopefully it is only for ships that don't have reservations and I assume that Princess would have one.

There's no back up for cruise ships who are on a schedule and can wire the funds for transit. 

 

A lot of ships who sit on either side of the canal are awaiting funds to transfer. We've done the full transit multiple times, and each time the day of transit expert mentions this. 

[lizjoemom]

On 8/25/2023 at 12:38 PM, sunviking90 said:

A few more comments: had our 4th dinner in the MDR last night and DH and I were both commenting on how pleased we are with the food. I’ve had lamb 2 nights in a row (along with mint sauce, yum) and it’s been great. DH has enjoyed the fish dishes he’s had. We have been cruising since our 20’s over 30 years ago, so we have realistic expectations and have seen and accepted the declines in food, but we are pretty happy with everything so far. Last night I had the BEST key lime pie! I sometimes make my own with an authentic Florida recipe and this was almost as good. 

Planks and Steamers is now open on this ship and it is $14.99.  Last night was Planks, and we were told it will be open every 3 nights. Tonight Steamers will be open on the other side. We may try Planks one night as we will have “just” enough OBC left to cover. 

We will be going on Emerald in November. I am very glad to hear that they have opened Planks and Steamers! The website doesn't have them listed as alternative dining options. Thanks!

[Ferndale Girl]

3 hours ago, startedwithamouse said:

There's no back up for cruise ships who are on a schedule and can wire the funds for transit. 

 

A lot of ships who sit on either side of the canal are awaiting funds to transfer. We've done the full transit multiple times, and each time the day of transit expert mentions this. 

Good to know.....  thank you.

[Plato123]

We are looking forward to our November cruise on the Emerald.  We will have a suite and we were wondering which dining room was available for breakfast especially for suite guests.  On our last cruise on the Royal it was Sabatini's and that was great.  Also on our last cruise there was a special wine pairing dinner in Sabatini's for $60 per person and we enjoyed it.  Is there anything like that on the Emerald?

[HaveDogWillTravel]

On 9/3/2023 at 4:00 PM, Plato123 said:

We are looking forward to our November cruise on the Emerald.  We will have a suite and we were wondering which dining room was available for breakfast especially for suite guests.  On our last cruise on the Royal it was Sabatini's and that was great.  Also on our last cruise there was a special wine pairing dinner in Sabatini's for $60 per person and we enjoyed it.  Is there anything like that on the Emerald?

Sabatini’s on deck 16 is where your suite breakfast will be. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

On 8/25/2023 at 10:15 PM, zumbagold said:

If you are on the Emerald now, would you be able to tell me what time is Happy Hour? 4:30 or 5? Thanks so much. 

I need to correct my previous response. They do have $8 drink specials.  I loved the Tito’s mint martini. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

On 8/26/2023 at 5:44 PM, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I think it’s going to cost $35 and there’s 3 or 4 drinks. 

It only cost $20 and we got 4 cocktails. All great!