So far an AMAZING cruise on the Emerald Princess !

[cruisin1357]

loge23,

Thank you so much for all the information!  Sounds as though the evening entertainment will be quite nice.

 

Enjoy the rest of your cruise!

[tml1230]

UPDATE:  

this  cruise continues to be exceptional in every way....since we were docked  in Mathattan it was very very easy to do our own thing. I even did an Uber for the FIRST time and it was great.

 

Boston has become our NEW favorite city next to Paris... (France not Texas).... we have been there once before ,so  we went out on our own.

If you haven't tried it , please google and consider the amphibious DUCK tour! 90 minutes land and water tour of Boston...VERY informative!  we purchased tickets on line prior to cruise ,and, just ubered (My 2nd time!) to the aquarium to meet the  DUCK tour. Our 10 year old grand daughter enjoyed it as much as we did!

The wife and little "princess" then went to the aquarium which they enjoyed very much...

me? I went in search of 2 things....a Boston Celtics championship ball cap for one of the ships incredible bar servers, and one of those ice cold amber colored beverages that I have heard good things about.

 

Back On board .....

we haven't seen our heard any coughing and / or hacking.

Food continues to be very good..

Currently in Sydney Nova Scotia and weather is  VERY cool to cold (for this Florida guy)

[geoherb]

Great. I'm looking forward to reading about your day in Sydney so that I can plan for when we're there in September. I did not do much there when I was there two years ago--just walked around the town and the park, went to a local crafts show, toured the Anglican church, and enjoyed a flight of ciders at the Island Folk Cider House.

[tml1230]

19 hours ago, geoherb said:

Great. I'm looking forward to reading about your day in Sydney so that I can plan for when we're there in September. I did not do much there when I was there two years ago--just walked around the town and the park, went to a local crafts show, toured the Anglican church, and enjoyed a flight of ciders at the Island Folk Cider House.

this was our 2nd visit in Sydney. we did exactly (again) what you described. it was really just a good excuse for taking a long walk in a pretty little seaside town...

we have this weird thing about visiting grocery stores. we found one a few blocks off the main road an enjoyed it!

tomorrow in saguenay we booked a small bus tour on- line of a fjord and national park.  it gets good reviews and a lot cheaper than ship tours.

its cold up here!!

[joeflow80]

1 minute ago, tml1230 said:

 

tomorrow in saguenay we booked a small bus tour on- line of a fjord and national park.  it gets good reviews and a lot cheaper than ship tours.

its cold up here!!

If you get a chance, can you post a link or name of tour company for this tour? I haven't had much luck finding such a tour that wasn't handled by the ship. Enjoy your travels.

[candy4040]

I'm so happy to see this posting.  I am on board Emerald in two weeks.  What is the Silverado lunch?  Sounds interesting.  Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

[Teechur]

We are on board as well. We have enjoyed nearly all of the shows in the theater, particularly the first one with "Magic" in the title. We are also enjoying the duo named "Gravity" which has played in the Atrium and other venues including the Platinum/Elite cocktail party. Speaking of that event, we were disappointed. A couple of glasses of wine and it was over. Not even any canapes, as mentioned on the invitation. It also included the "most-traveled" gathering with three people getting a bottle of "champagne". Pretty underwhelming!

 

I am happy to report that we haven't seen any blocked cabins, indicating Covid or Noro. Only an occasional cough, unlike our last September Iceland cruise, where it seemed like everyone was sick by the end. Three of my group, out of 4 got home with Covid.

 

The Emerald is in far better condition than the Island. On the Island, many of the automatic doors were not working, leading to wind-tunnels in several places. Power and sewer went out as well. The Emerald OTOH is very nice, and I would gladly sail her again.

 

We were disappointed that Newport was cut from our itinerary. I would have preferred that we give up either Charleston or Norfolk. New York and Boston were both great! We enjoyed Sydney as well and had our taxi driver make a final stop at a liquor store where we stocked up on wine, beer and liquor. All of it went through the scanners with no questions asked and no corkage collected.

 

Tonight, will be the "Rock Opera" production. I hope it will be as good as the other shows we have seen on this cruise. Looking forward to Saguenay, Quebec, and Montreal. Those will all be new ports for me.

 

Next up, an Alaska cruise on the Majestic in September. ⚓

Edited Sunday at 06:01 PM by Teechur
punctuation repair

[tml1230]

32 minutes ago, joeflow80 said:

If you get a chance, can you post a link or name of tour company for this tour? I haven't had much luck finding such a tour that wasn't handled by the ship. Enjoy your travels.

its      info@saguenay guided tours.com

assuming I  dont get run over by a moose,  I will review it upon our return tomorrow ...it's a small bus , about 4  1/2 hours and $185 for two including taxes  .... they were very good in their communication.

[cruisin1357]

Great to hear everyone is enjoying the Emerald.  Glad people are reporting she’s still in good shape and that the entertainment has been enjoyable.

Everyone on board, enjoy your last couple days.

 

Thanks for the reports!

 

Can’t wait to arrive in Quebec City Tuesday and board Wednesday!

[HotRoot]

1 hour ago, Teechur said:

We are on board as well. We have enjoyed nearly all of the shows in the theater, particularly the first one with "Magic" in the title. We are also enjoying the duo named "Gravity" which has played in the Atrium and other venues including the Platinum/Elite cocktail party. Speaking of that event, we were disappointed. A couple of glasses of wine and it was over. Not even any canapes, as mentioned on the invitation. It also included the "most-traveled" gathering with three people getting a bottle of "champagne". Pretty underwhelming!

 

I am happy to report that we haven't seen any blocked cabins, indicating Covid or Noro. Only an occasional cough, unlike our last September Iceland cruise, where it seemed like everyone was sick by the end. Three of my group, out of 4 got home with Covid.

 

The Emerald is in far better condition than the Island. On the Island, many of the automatic doors were not working, leading to wind-tunnels in several places. Power and sewer went out as well. The Emerald OTOH is very nice, and I would gladly sail her again.

 

We were disappointed that Newport was cut from our itinerary. I would have preferred that we give up either Charleston or Norfolk. New York and Boston were both great! We enjoyed Sydney as well and had our taxi driver make a final stop at a liquor store where we stocked up on wine, beer and liquor. All of it went through the scanners with no questions asked and no corkage collected.

 

Tonight, will be the "Rock Opera" production. I hope it will be as good as the other shows we have seen on this cruise. Looking forward to Saguenay, Quebec, and Montreal. Those will all be new ports for me.

 

Next up, an Alaska cruise on the Majestic in September. ⚓

Regarding the Premium/Elite Cocktail Party - On our last cruise our invitation said 5 pm so we went at 5 pm.  It was standing room only.  I asked about canapes and they said they started serving at 4:30 pm and they were all gone.  At 5:30 pm they told us to leave, the party was over.  Big disappointment.

[tulok]

3 hours ago, tml1230 said:

we have this weird thing about visiting grocery stores.

I thought that was just me! I find the best souvenirs in the grocery stores. We found one in St Thomas that had the best wine selection I have ever seen as they handle yacht provisions. 

[Kay S]

1 hour ago, HotRoot said:

Regarding the Premium/Elite Cocktail Party - On our last cruise our invitation said 5 pm so we went at 5 pm.  It was standing room only.  I asked about canapes and they said they started serving at 4:30 pm and they were all gone.  At 5:30 pm they told us to leave, the party was over.  Big disappointment.

That's unusual.

[loge23]

On 6/30/2024 at 1:36 PM, candy4040 said:

I'm so happy to see this posting.  I am on board Emerald in two weeks.  What is the Silverado lunch?  Sounds interesting.  Enjoy the rest of your cruise.

The Silverado lunch was not advertised prior to the cruise - you will find out it at the Vines or at one of the several tasting events. It was very nice - salmon or filet mignon are served as mains. Two Silverado wines are generously poured: the Sauvignon Blanc and the Cabernet - both delicious.

The filet was better than the Crown Grille! It'll run you about $100 for two but we thought it was well worth it.

Other tastings included the International Tasting - five tables set out with two wines each from five countries. Not a sit-down event, but a fun event where you are encouraged to visit each table while mingling with your fellow wine fans!

Also an Antonori wine tasting event featuring four Antonori wines - also well done, but this one is a sit down tasting.

Best news of all: there are now dedicated wine "sommeliers" for every DR and the Crown Grille (one in each venue). They are well-trained and knowledgeable!

Speaking of the Crown Grille, we found it meh and have heard similar ratings from other passengers. Probably could use a tune-up.

Edited Monday at 09:00 PM by loge23
Addition

[Denmal]

Boarding on Wednesday so exciting...does anyone know where the elite happy hour is held nightly ??

[SeaMystique]

On 6/24/2024 at 2:32 PM, paddingtonbear said:

So excited to see the Canada New England cruises start for this year. 
We wanted to be on the Emerald but got the Majestic instead as we are going next year. We are a bit disappointed. 
I would be really interested in your take on Saguenay port and the excursions available or on your own options. I think you “have to” take the HOHO bus as a minimum to see the town as it’s so far from port?  
Glad you are enjoying your trip! 

We’re doing the 10 day Quebec City to Boston in September, and I’ve received conflicting info on this port in particular. So I definitely will be following!

[Trafficgirl123]

Anyone on board the Emerald now, do the lamps on the bedside tables have the USB plug. I’ll be boarding on Aug 28. Thanks

[tml1230]

11 hours ago, Denmal said:

Boarding on Wednesday so exciting...does anyone know where the elite happy hour is held nightly ??

daily from 4:30 in club fusion

[tml1230]

8 hours ago, Trafficgirl123 said:

Anyone on board the Emerald now, do the lamps on the bedside tables have the USB plug. I’ll be boarding on Aug 28. Thanks

not in mini suites 

[tulok]

9 hours ago, Trafficgirl123 said:

Anyone on board the Emerald now, do the lamps on the bedside tables have the USB plug. I’ll be boarding on Aug 28. Thanks

Not in balcony 3 weeks ago. This is what we used and placed it on the old tv shelf. It worked perfectly and it was all we needed as a plug in for our electronics.

[tml1230]

On 6/30/2024 at 2:08 PM, tml1230 said:

its      info@saguenay guided tours.com

assuming I  dont get run over by a moose,  I will review it upon our return tomorrow ...it's a small bus , about 4  1/2 hours and $185 for two including taxes  .... they were very good in their communication.

regarding the tour experience.......for us it was somewhere between  OK to good....

we were happy we did it as the scenery is spectacular. the guide was knowledgeable. although we made reservations on-line, that wasn't necessary as the group had some walk up cruisers.

this is only MY opinion, but stopping for a one hour lunch break was a waste of valuable time on a 4 1/2 to 5 hour tour. the area where we stopped for lunch  had just couple of food options...

[loge23]

21 hours ago, Denmal said:

Boarding on Wednesday so exciting...does anyone know where the elite happy hour is held nightly ??

Club Fusion - 7 aft.

[phonejock]

@tml1230 First, thanks for doing this review. So happy you are having a great time. 

DH and I will be doing a similar cruise on the Emerald in a couple of months and I have one quick question. We are also doing Reserve dining. When you get a chance, can you please let me know what dining room it is in? NO rush.  Thank you. All the best!

 

 

 

[tml1230]

2 hours ago, phonejock said:

@tml1230 First, thanks for doing this review. So happy you are having a great time. 

DH and I will be doing a similar cruise on the Emerald in a couple of months and I have one quick question. We are also doing Reserve dining. When you get a chance, can you please let me know what dining room it is in? NO rush.  Thank you. All the best!

 

 

 

although it may be part of divinci on deck 6 ...its a completely separate entrance on the opposite side of ship and clearly marked as reserve class....we just had our last dinner tonight and it was no doubt the best dinner ever on 35 plus cruises....the attention to detail from dining staff is second to none ... 

[EDVM96]

3 minutes ago, tml1230 said:

we just had our last dinner tonight and it was no doubt the best dinner ever on 35 plus cruises...

The Farewell Dinner? What was the extra Reserve Class dish?

[ccheng6401]

Thank you for sharing. Good to hear that this is a great cruise.  I always thought Canada/New England cruise is a fall thing.  Did Princess just started running this itinerary in summer time?