poindexter

I have never stayed in it, but considered it once. I was concerned about noise from the automatic door going onto the deck that opens and closes every time someone approaches. All of the ships have cabins at this same location so maybe someone whose has actually stayed in one will offer info.

The pizza at slice is the best pizza at sea!

Nope. Have cruised 8 times since Covid. I don’t choose to have a “signature”.

We routinely enjoy fresh lime juice and good juices (not fresh squeezed oj , but not artificial concentrates either) in cocktails on NCL, Celebrity and Carnival.

We were on the Emerald a couple of months back and noticed a real lack of fresh ingredients, specifically at the indoor bars. Rose’s lime juice is just an awful substitute for fresh limes and the cranberry juice was so substandard that it was almost brown. Please tell me I can get a nice pink Cosmo on my next cruise in April!

I spoke with the assistant bar manager about the cranberry juice and the lime juice. His explanation was that the ship received inferior products at the Brooklyn port. He said that he and the bar manager went to supermarkets at two ports to try to purchase regular cranberry juice. He apologized. Don’t know if I believe a word of it.

Tried asking for it multiple times and never got it. In fact the limes we had in the brown mojito were hard as rock and not a drop juice in them.

There are always threads about the quality of food in the various venues, but what about cocktails? We’re currently on the Emerald and are very disappointed in the quality of cocktails. The number one problem for me is lack of fresh ingredients. There in fresh lime juice and all of the bars are stocked with Roses’s bottled lime juice. That stuff is awful and really affects the taste of several drinks. My drink of choice happens to be a Cosmo, so the lack of good lime juice and the fact that they use a diluted solution of cranberry juice, makes them barely drinkable. We have ordered a variety of common drinks that have been undrinkable, including a brown mojito, a frozen painkiller that only had pineapple fake juice and and coconut cream, an a mai tai that was medicinal. I feel like that Princess wants everyone to drink wine all day. Also you have to ask for drink menus and no one seems happy to give you one. I’m confused since our cruise last year included great cocktails.

12 days before our 11 day, Nov. 4 Emerald cruise, we received an upgrade for inside to balcony, $500 total. This was after receiving an email 4 weeks prior telling me that we wouldn’t get our balcony, but making us a counter offer for an obstructed ocean view for $100 total. Didn’t accept it.

My card was not charged and now I am back to Pending.

I cruise in 5 days. Today my bid went from Pending to Processing and my other 2 bids went to expired. So excited, I kept checking for my updated balcony assignment to no avail. Two hours later, my bid was changed to Unable to Upgrade. Now there’s a new one!

There was a huge lack of communication on this ship. Guest services didn’t know the answers to several questions we had and once, they just dodged the question. The captain spoke 3 times on the intercom about the weather and the ship’s position. We never saw him or the senior officers, probably because of the Covid spread. 3/4 of our group were positive when we got home. There were no announcements reminding people about cleanliness, hand washing, social distancing, etc.

I’ve waited to see if anyone else would post about the loss of power we experienced one night on this cruise. It happened around 1 am in the middle of the Norwegian Sea. Having an aft balcony cabin, I can tell you that there was a period of time where there was no engine power, no propulsion, no ventilation, and emergency lighting only. I awoke in the middle of it, so I can’t say how long it lasted. What disturbs me (aside from the obvious fear) is that there was never any acknowledgment of this from the captain or the company. As a long time Carnival cruiser, the lack of transparency bothers me, especially in light of past issues they have had.

Our aft balcony cabin had a USB port in each lamp.

So we are planning ahead in case one of us tests positive and is unable to take our scheduled flight on the day we disembark, June 19. We are scheduled to take LFT at Heathrow before our flight, however we want to be prepared for the ‘What ifs?’ Looking for a hotel to do our quarantine that is maybe between Heathrow and London? One that would be in a small town or village with outdoor parks so that we could be outside, away from people, assuming a mild case of Covid. Near to restaurants where we could get takeout, close enough to get back to Heathrow when we can fly. Does anyone have thoughts about where we might look?