Live from the Emerald Princess 10/08/07

[Sunviking]

We have had a very relaxing day at sea. Weather has been beautiful, seas were calm and we couldn't ask for more.

 

I'm sorry but I don't even know where the cigar lounge is. I'll ask if any our fellow cruisers have any idea about sports but we've just had too many other things to do.

 

Today we had our Cruise Critic wine tasting in Adagio. It turned out great with lots of different wines to sample since we each brought a bottle. Some were great and some not so great but it was still a lot of fun.

 

I had the Stone massage this morning and it's the most relaxing experience I've ever had. I told my husband we need to get some volcanic stones and heat them at home and try it. Somehow I don't think it will be the same.

 

Well, gotta run. Tonight is our 2nd formal night and I must get all decked out. We're eating in Sabatini's again.

 

More later.

 

Ann

[louiesowner]

thank you guys for the updates. I was suppossed to be on this cruise, but had to cancel. It's nice to read what is going on. My aunt and uncle are on it though. Hopefully they are having has much fun as you guys are.

 

Have a great time.

 

Stefani

[dpro]

Yes, thanks to everyone for the updates. We were also supposed to be on this sailing, but, we get on in FLL when the ship ends its TA cruise for a Southern Caribbean cruise, so all is not lost.

 

Enjoy those sea days, :D

 

RonC

[AliceS]

:eek:

 

I am a Broncos Fan and have been one ever since I can remember, but now with the Rockies....the Broncos have taken a back seat...That is very rare for the Broncos to be a distant 2nd .....

 

The weather report for Sunday Night is Cold, with the possibility of rain changing to snow...35 to 40 degrees. The way the Broncos have been playing...you guys should win with no problem. Broncos are still about 2 years away....Also, you should be able to run on us all night, we have no defense, no linemen or linebackers, saftey Lynch and Cornerback Champ Bailey are both hurt.......This should be an ugly game...but I'll still be there cheering them on...

 

Later, Alexis...see you all on the Emerald next year....I also would like to know if there are places to watch Sports, hopefully someone will check on this for us......

 

 

We'll be watching for you on Sunday. Cold won't bother the Steelers, but they were bad on the road this year. We'll see. We want another win!

[AliceS]

Yes, I would be interested in knowing if there are any sports (especially Steeler games) shown in the cigar bar. I have been told that they sometimes show football games on MUTS. But, with the satellite feed, not sure what you're going to get. We will miss two Steeler games while on board the Emerald this year. I sure would like to see at least the Monday night game against Baltimore!!

 

Where do you live in the 'Burgh?

[Evilgrin72]

[quote name='Sunviking']I'm sorry but I don't even know where the cigar lounge is. I'll ask if any our fellow cruisers have any idea about sports but we've just had too many other things to do.
[/quote]

No sweat. It's on Fiesta deck on the port side of the ship, right as you walk into the Casino from Fiesta Arcade, just past the Meridian Bay shop. If you can find out, great - if not, I understand - you're on vacation !

[dobie]

OK, folks, once again I am just going to post the email I sent friends and family:

Today we are in Ponta Delgado, in the Portuguese Azore Islands. This is our last stop before we head out to sea for 5 and a half days ending up in Ft Lauderdale.

We were in Cadiz, Spain, a few days ago. It is a small town, and most of the passengers headed for Seville, which was a few hours away. One of the couples at our dinner table rented a car, and the picture of this guy (in his late 70s), driving down the crazy Spanish streets and countryside going 87 miles an hour with his wife telling him to Slow Down!! was pretty funny. Just hearing them describe the streets was fun. We headed into Cadiz and went to the local tourist office to get a map for a walking tour. We walked around town for about 5 hours...many little winding streets with no street signs so we had no idea where we were. Some of the streets had signs on tiles set into the corners of buildings, but often there were no signs. It was fun, because we knew all we had to do was head for the water and we would be heading in the right direction to get the ship. Cadiz wins the prize for the most grafitti we have seen the entire trip. Grafitti is a worldwide problem, obviously, and there was a LOT of it in Cadiz. There were entrances to apartment buildings, they had gates with a courtyard beyond, and unfortunately grafitti all over them. The streets were charming, winding, made of stones. We went to a local market where there were stalls selling everything from fruit to meat to shoes!! I kept thinking I was in Mexico....(are these people CRAZY?? Buying and eating the fruit???), then I would remember where I was. Very few people in Cadiz speak English. They have some beautiful monuments and fountains.

We were in Lisbon, Portugal the next day. What a great day we had there! Our driver and guide, Paolo, picked us up at the ship at 8:30, and we were off! He was a very nice young man who spoke excellent English. He told us he learned it watching TV, especially the cartoon channel and children's programs. When he took English in school, his teachers would ask him for help! Lisbon is a beautiful city. Many winding, narrow roads made out of rocks, climbing up and down. The sidewalks are not concrete, they have inlaid stones of black, white, and grey. They are built upon a sand foundation and are replaced as needed. There are different patterns everywhere you look....swirls, fleur de lis, you name it, they've done it. Paolo took us to see some of the main sights in the city.....monuments, gardens, c churches....a very clean city. Paolo told us that their new mayor has made cleanliness and cleaning up the streets a priority. He is succeeding. From Lisbon we went to Belem, which is where all of the old ships used to come to deliver their goods. The Tower of Belem was very impressive. I took lots of pictures. We then headed to Sintra, a beautiful small picturesque town. We went to the Pena Palace, which was incredible. This palace was originally built in the 1300s as a monastery. It was then taken over by the Royals, and was a Royal Palace until 1910, when the royals were placed in exile and democracy took over. The palace is in shades of red, burgundy, bright and muted yellows and creams. The huge clock tower is red, dominating the castle. There is a very tall turret, crowned in burgundy with yellows below. There is a walk that encircles the palace, studded with sentry towers with tiny windows and holes cut out for the lookouts. There were walls outside of the palace that were covered in blue and white tiles. The inside of the palace was spectacular as well. Many rooms remain as they were when the royals lived there. Very ornate fabrics, wood carvings, the ceilings were domed with many frescoes carved into the ribs. One very interesting thing was the toilet in the queens quarters....it looked like a carved wooden chair, except that it had the pull cord to flush above where you would sit, and a "trap door" in the seat that you would open to do your business. Several centuries were represented in the rooms....the dining room was even set up as though there was a big dinner party at any minute. I took lots of pictures (what else is new)....and I hope they do it justice. We went to downtown Sintra and had lunch at a small cafe....delicious! We had plates of Portuguese salami and cheeses and bread, some soup, small carafes of wine.....very yummy! For those of you who know the story of my friend Judie and I and the grapes, the grapes were passed on to Judie by our Portuguese waitress when she brought her meal. So they are in Judie's court now.....From Sintra we went to Cascais (pronounced Cash case)....the home of, as Paolo put it, very very rich people. Gorgeous beaches with the surf pounding in, folks were out there kite surfing....we went to a place that I can't remember the English name. Something like the mouth of Hell. It was along the ocean, with cliffs going straight down, the ocean foaming through the mouth...Paolo told us many people commit suicide there. It was very beautiful when we were there, no bodies down there.....We headed to Cap d'Roc....which is the Westernmost point in Europe. Out on a peninsula...the wind whipping around, a very desolate place where the only thing that will grow is cactus! Looked to me as though they were mostly aloes. As we drove through Cascais, Paolo pointed out palm trees to us, saying that only the rich people had palm trees. We headed back to Lisbon because I had a mission to carry out at a specific liquor store for my brother in law Mark. Mark, mission accomplished....the brandy is in my stateroom ready to be packed. And that, folks, was the extent of what I purchased on this trip. Not one souvenir or memento. We were too busy to go into any stores!! Paolo delivered us to the ship around 5:15, and that was the end to our wonderful day in Portugal. As we were leaving Lisbon, we sailed under a bridge that looked just like the Golden Gate Bridge. Paolo had told us that it was modeled after it. We were at the Spa pool as we started sailing and heard what sounded like a roar of thunder. As we approached the bridge the roar got louder....it was all of the cars going over. Our ship cleared the bridge by about a foot...there was a tall antenna aft that was close!!

Today we were in Ponta Delgada, in the Portuguese Azores. We got off of the ship and walked for about 3 and a half hours, then headed back. The architecture here is a lot different from Lisbon's.....very angular and it is mostly white! The sidewalks and streets are the same rock formations. We bought a few bottles of Portuguese wine to have on the ship, and that was the extent of our day. We are now awaiting sailaway.

I am excited for these upcoming sea days because we can start to rehydrate ourselves!! We have all been restricting our water and fluid intake because of the lack of bathrooms in Italy, Spain, France, and Portugal. How these people hold their pee so long we have no idea! When we did find a bathroom, often it was a "squatter"....ie no toilet seat, and my old thighs did not like that very much! Nor did my mom's! Often we had to pay just to go, and to get one square of toilet paper (more like a napkin). I carried stuff with me, but mostly we all just didn't drink! One of the gals at the pool yesterday was saying she had to go so badly that she had her husband take her to the Burger King....where they wouldn't give anyone a key to the bathroom unless they bought something. She said the girl in line in front of her bought a drink, and she told her "are you crazy??? you're just going to have to pee again in a couple of hours!!" Just one more thing that we take for granted as Americans.....plenty of places to pee!!

I am off for the spa pool, hope all are well, and I'll check in again before we get home!!


For you CC folks, I agree with Ann, the wine tasting was fun, we sat with her and Al....Ann still looked kind of like a wet noodle from that stone massage....we told her we would send her some River Rock from AZ....I don't know if that will be the same as the Bali rocks they use on this ship!

Our traditional dining has been great, very good waiter and assistant, and the food has been fabulous.
Internet is very very slow.......can hardly get signed on at times, computers freeze a lot.....lots of folks frustrated. Once you get a good one you should be OK.

I'll try to check in again....

[AliceS]

Thanks again for keeping us posted. Enjoy your sea days, or should I say "pee" days. I can relate for sure. Drink up and get some R & R.

[pmcrusta]

These are really great posts...thnak-you for your effort and time.:)

[Sunviking]

Hi,

I agree with Dobie about the bathrooms. Kleenex should be high on everyone's list to bring ashore and if you go to the gym work on those quads.

We took a tour to the Crater Lakes so we had a little chance to see the island of Sao Miguel. It's very beautiful and lush. They have a lot of dairy cattle around which live in the pastures full time since the climate is so moderate. The island was really quite spectacular. The city of Punta Delgada wa a nice, clean little place with virtually no crime. We heard from our guide that the island is the only place in Europe that grows tea so (since we are tea drinkers) we went to a supermarket and bought some Azorean (is that a word) tea.

Tonight we went to the Chefs Table. What a wonderful experience. We first went into the galley and some champagne and appetizers and then were escorted out to a special table in the dining room where we had a fantastic meal. We got a cook book at the end but I don't foresee making the meal we had tonight at home. I don't have anyone to clean up afer me. It was great and I highly recommend it!

Tomorrow we began our wonderfully relaxing days at sea. It's hard to believe that 2 weeks have passed since we left home.

I've asked a number of people and the consensus is that there is no spots bar on the ship.

Be well.

Ann

[edste]

Ann and Dobie - thanks for the fabulous posts. I'm sure you're looking forward to your R & R. Edna

[emmy]

[quote name='Sunviking']Hi,

I agree with Dobie about the bathrooms. Kleenex should be high on everyone's list to bring ashore and if you go to the gym work on those quads.

We took a tour to the Crater Lakes so we had a little chance to see the island of Sao Miguel. It's very beautiful and lush. They have a lot of dairy cattle around which live in the pastures full time since the climate is so moderate. The island was really quite spectacular. The city of Punta Delgada wa a nice, clean little place with virtually no crime. We heard from our guide that the island is the only place in Europe that grows tea so (since we are tea drinkers) we went to a supermarket and bought some Azorean (is that a word) tea.

Tonight we went to the Chefs Table. What a wonderful experience. We first went into the galley and some champagne and appetizers and then were escorted out to a special table in the dining room where we had a fantastic meal. We got a cook book at the end but I don't foresee making the meal we had tonight at home. I don't have anyone to clean up afer me. It was great and I highly recommend it!

Tomorrow we began our wonderfully relaxing days at sea. It's hard to believe that 2 weeks have passed since we left home.

I've asked a number of people and the consensus is that there is no spots bar on the ship.

Be well.

Ann[/quote]

Great posts thanks Ann and Dobie :)

Ann~ can you outline how you went about getting a spot to do the Chef's Table? Did you sign up ASAP when you embarked on Emerald? where did you do this?

Hope to be able to do this on the Nov 16 sailing

[curiouscat]

[quote name='Sunviking']Hi,

.

I've asked a number of people and the consensus is that there is no spots bar on the ship.

Be well.

Ann[/quote]


Oh no... the horror:eek: I already am missing some games in Nov due to my Mercury sailing... I fiqured she is older and not equipped even though we will be sailing the US coast line... but a brand new Princess mega ship sans sports bar...

And yes ALICE there are sooo many Steeler fans in GA(uh but i'm orig from NY) it's crazy. Remember the Steelers have the most "traveled" fan base and the largest woman fan base:D

CuriousCat

[Sammy1]

Dobie, what is the name of the tour company Paolo is with, in Lisbon? The tour you described is something we would be interested in for our May/08 cruise.

Thanks,
Sam

[dobie]

Today is our first sea day and it dawned overcast with slight showers. I spent the morning at the Spa Pool....the first morning that chairs were not a problem! There are only 10 chairs there and we have witnessed shouting matches over them virtually every day. Today it was nice and quiet...the Jacuzzi was nice but no water in the pool.

I forgot to say that, along with what Ann said, Punta Delgada gets the prize for the most courteous drivers. We would be waiting to cross a street and cars would actually stop and wave us over!! That didn't happen in Italy!!

The ship is gorgeous with lots of Mediterranean and European artwork and photographs on the walls. As I sit here in the Internet cafe I can hear the piano player in the atrium....

The Internet is very very very slow, and according to the sign the wifi is down today, has been since yesterday. I don't have a laptop so doesn't matter to me!!

My mom's birthday is tomorrow, I brought a lot of decorations onboard so I'm going to decorate her room tonight.

Off for now...

[Sunviking]

You absolutely have to book it as soon as you board. I called the dining reservations number as soon as we got on the ship. If for some reason you are told that it is fully booked from people doing back-to-back cruises you need to stamp your feet a little.

Ann

[emmy]

[quote name='Sunviking']You absolutely have to book it as soon as you board. I called the dining reservations number as soon as we got on the ship. If for some reason you are told that it is fully booked from people doing back-to-back cruises you need to stamp your feet a little.

Ann[/quote]

Thank you for that information Ann... i think I can stomp my feet a little if need be:)

Enjoy the rest of your cruise

[chrysalis]

[quote name='emmy']i think I can stomp my feet a little if need be:)
[/quote]

saultites are known for that:D

[emmy]

[quote name='chrysalis']saultites are known for that:D[/quote]

LOL you have been to my city and met a few of us I take it :)

[Sunviking]

We've had an uneventful day at sea. The morning was drizzly and it's been cloudy until about an hour ago. Now the sun has come out (it's 5PM here) and hopefully tomorrow we'll have a sunny day. Seas are calm.

We just finished the Maitre D's wine-tasting and enjoyed it. Dorothy (DSawyer) and Joe were there with us.

Someone asked which company Dobie's tour guide in Lisbon was with. I think all of us had vans and drivers from Sunny Tours. We had Luis and he was also excellent.

We checked out the Speakeasy (the Cigar room) and walked through the Casino and didn't see any kind of Sports Bar. Sorry.

The ship is a real beauty. We never have felt really crowded, even today when people had to be inside. In the Horizon Court they do a good job of cleaning tables off fast and getting you beverages. You also don't have to bring your own silverware to the tables. I've also seen a number of instances in which waiters helped people carry their plates to a table.

On the whole everything has been excellent.

More later.

Ann

[AliceS]

Thank you everyone for the information. I am really excited about doing another TA and this one soulds perfect.

curiouscat,
I got a great Steeler email today. If you want a cope email
apearl129atcomcastdotnet

[CruisinLow]

[quote name='Sunviking']You absolutely have to book it as soon as you board. I called the dining reservations number as soon as we got on the ship. If for some reason you are told that it is fully booked from people doing back-to-back cruises you need to stamp your feet a little.

Ann[/quote]

Ann,
I have a question. I have cruised many times with Princess and somehow I missed the Chef's Table. Never even heard about it. What it is? ? ? ? Can you only participate if you have assigned seating in the dining room?
I will echo what others have said "When you get back, you will have to share the information on all the private tours tha you took this year for all of us going next year." And happy to hear that you will be joining us next year.

Thanks and enjoy the rest of your cruise.

Ann #1 from the Board - Emerald Cruise 10/03/08 :cool:

[TXTraveler76]

Ann-

Would you recommend the Elite tour you took in Rome? How much walking was involved. Thank you for posting that the lines were very long at the Vatican and that your group skipped them. Certainly a big plus. I am considering this tour, but the price has me a bit shy.

Jacki

[Sunviking]

Good Afternoon from the middle of the Atlantic.

We are having a beautiful day here with sunny skies and calm seas.

The Chefs Table is so far only offered on this ship. There is info about it on the Princess web site I believe. There is a $75 pp charge but it is a wonderful experience with a tour back into the galley at peak dinner time and a fantastic meal specially prepared just for the Chefs Table that night.

The Elite tour in Rome was very nice. There is a lot of walking. I believe that any tour you take will involve a lot of walking. In fact, one of the things my husband and I have noted is that most of the ports involve a lot of walking and people with mobility problems should really be aware of that.

Today the "Chair Hogs" were out staking their claims before 8:00AM. We have heard that there have been some heated words but we have so far not been involved in any altercations. We made our reservation for chairs in the Sanctuary so we will avoid any this afternoon.

More later.

Ann

[sailaway5]

Hi Ann & Dobie:

What is the daytime temperature at sea while crossing the Atlantic??

We ditto everyone's appreciation comments of both of you commenting on your adventures. Can't wait to get more info on your private tours so we can plan our 10/3/08 TA adventure.