Rosethorn40

It's a casual dining venue that does have a fee of $20pp. You get a basket of hush puppies and fried shrimp to start, followed by a bowl of Manhattan Style Clam Chowder (Which was very good), and a choice of an entrée to share. For example we had the Steamer Pot which included; shrimp, mussels, clams, snow crab legs, corn on the cob, small potatoes, and sausage. We asked, and received crayfish as well. It was plenty of food, and we found it quite good. Dessert was served as well, but we are not big on sweets, so I can't remember what was offered.

I have looked at MSC cruises. The prices are attractive and the ships look stunning. What might put off some people is the type of passengers they tend to attract. With Princess your fellow passengers will be mostly American, British, Canadian, and Australians-in other words mostly English speaking. MSC attracts a more diverse group of people, which is not a bad thing, but English will most likely not be the main language spoken on board. When I read the negative reviews on MSC it does seem that many are put off by difficulty communicating, food not always to American tastes, and cultural differences that we may find rude, but are considered acceptable and even the norm in other parts of the world.

Are you smokers? Princess ships are nearly smoke free, while I don't believe MSC is. Many Europeans still smoke and you may find you balcony almost unusable if next to a heavy smoker (That is if you find smoking distasteful).

Whatever you choose, Happy Anniversary and have a wonderful cruise.

On my recent Emerald cruise (Feb 27-Mar 9) they offered the Crab Shack 3 times. I want to say it was on days 4, 6, and 9. We had reservations for day 6 at 7:30, but I am pretty sure they were lost, but we were still seated. If you go later in the evening you can probably just walk in, but if you want an earlier seating you will need reservations.

The cost was $20 pp and well worth in in my opinion. It was the best meal we had all cruise.

Carnival offers an excellent value. We normally sail on Princess, but really enjoyed Carnival a lot. I find our fellow PAX to be down to earth, friendly. All ages from the very young to the young at heart will be found on board. Lots of family groups.

Don't sail out of Galveston, even though I personally loved the Magic. That port is a huge hassle. Fog often delays the ship leaving or returning to port, and immigration is the worst I have ever encountered (A number of PAX still travel with birth certificates instead of passports, and that slows things down, plus Texas has strict liquor laws that catch people by surprise when they try to bring 2 liters of alcohol back-Texas only allows one liter duty free). The main airport in Houston is a long drive in heavy traffic to and from the port. We found the Carnival transfers to Galveston to be so disorganized and poorly run (We almost missed the ship because they didn't have enough buses) that we hired a car to take us back to Houston. That didn't go well either, our driver was 2-hours late picking us up (This was through Super Shuttle) and we missed our flight.

I have never been on the Breeze, but she is a sister ship to the Magic, which I loved. Lots to do for both kids and adults. We were still discovering areas of the ship on day 7.

You may get suggestions to forgo Jamaica, but I loved it. There is a river tubing excursion on the White River that you can book though the ship or on your own that would be a great family activity. I've been on many an excursion on many an island and it's one of our all-time favorites.

Bon Voyage on whatever you decide.

Does anyone know if this is the same menu currently being offered on the Emerald? I would presume it is.

With the exception of the fact that the Caribbean Steamer is called the Emerald Steamer it is the same menu. We had the Emerald Steamer and it was very good. I don't think it's all you can eat, but they do give you a lot of food, and our waiter was very accommodating. Even though the Steamer didn't include crayfish we asked for and got a large number of crayfish. We could have asked for more mussels and fewer shrimp and it would have been no problem.

The Magic does indeed have the pool.

DH sailed on the Sun Princess in July 2003, but that doesn't count because he didn't really start living until he met me 6-months later. Our first cruise was in September 2004 on the Golden Princess. I called it the cruise of the ever-changing itinerary because it was suppose to be San Juan, St. Thomas, St. Kitts, Grenada, Caracas, Venezuela, and Aruba.

Due to political unrest in Venezuela (College students protesting something) Caracas was replaced by Isle de Margarita. A week before we sailed, Hurricane Ivan decimated Grenada. The island jail destroyed the US State Department issued a travel advisory for Grenada and that island was replaced by Dominica. After leaving St. Thomas on our way to St. Kitts the captain announced that a hurricane (Jeanne) was forming over St. Kitts and the port of Basseterre was closed, so Dominica was moved up a day early and Barbados was added. Never really knew from one day to the next where we would be.

I discovered early on that when it comes to cruising it's best to have a sense of humor and a go with the flow attitude.

It sounds like you have/had great service all around. I know many of the staff will have changed by time we get to sail on her in August, but I hope we are as lucky.

There is nothing wrong with trying another line. It may make you appreciate Princess all the more, or you might find the change was for the best. We took a 3-year break from Princess for a variety of reasons and personally I thought the entertainment and food on NCL was superior. However, there were things I did not enjoy as much as Princess (You talk about being nickeled & dimed to death-NCL has it down to an art form). Personally I thought RCCL had the weakest entertainment of any line we have sailed on, but then it was just one sailing on an older ship.

Anyway, after 3 years we came back to Princess, but on the Ocean, which isn't the same as the larger ships, and this past February we sailed on the Emerald which was our first Princess cruise on a larger ship in 4-years. It was like coming home.

All the Carnival Corp companies - Princess included - have a policy that ALL cabins must be sold before a cruise begins. They do this successfully on nearly every sailing.

 

The average passenger cabin on every mass market cruise is sold 8 times before the actual occupant arrives.

If your ship has 1,200 cabins, they actually have to sell 9,600 cabins before every cruise begins.

Consider that the cruise lines are marketing to the entire world, those unsold cabins you mentioned could all be sold before you finish reading this post.

Do you mean that on a ship that has 1200 cabins, 8400 sets of PAX will book a particular cruise, only to cancel before final payment? I am not doubting your figures, I just find it amazing that so many will book a cruise, only to cancel at a later date.

Our only HAL cruise was 5-years ago (We have another booked for this August) on the Ryndam. Loved this ship! Yes, a little worn around the edges, but clean and well maintained. We too loved the fact there were only 1200 or so PAX on board, and the thermal suite was our favorite place to hang out.

Glad to know the old girl is still going strong.

It wasn't on Carnival, but on the Emerald Princess. We just got back last Sunday and our bill was over $2300! No photos, less than $50 in the gift shop, and we don't gamble. Where did it all go? ShoreX (On Princess you don't have to pay in advance), one massage in the spa, Thermal suite passes, two 10-day passes in the Sanctuary (Princess Spa like adult only area), a few drinks (Maybe 12 all together) and 2 dinners in specialty restaurants. Also the $11.50 pp per day gratuity. And that doesn't include the cash gratuities that I gave to our room steward, the Sanctuary Stewards, and our waiters in the specialty restaurants. I nearly passed out when I saw the bill. My DH has said he doesn't even want to know. The good news is that we had a great time so I guess it was money well spent (But I can't afford to splurge like this very often).

We are going on a 15 day Hawaiian cruise out of vancouver. 10 sea days. We will probably book the sanctuary for the full trip. This holiday is a wedding celebration ( no kids) and we want to spoil ourselves. Everyone has different thoughts about how they want to spend here money. There is no right or wrong answer. I would like the opportunity to pre-book so that here is no disappointment. 2nd alternative is hubby gets out of bed early each morning to reserve us a lounger, not his ideal scenario.

 

 

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You will have no problem getting the Sanctuary on a R/T to Hawaii. When we went several years ago we raced to the Sanctuary in order to secure our spots. We need not have bothered. It was so little used that we were able to switch spots from day to day depending on weather conditions and whim.

The first two sea days out, and the last two returning are often cold and windy. When we went to Hawaii they offered a 6-day package that covered the first 4 sea days and the first two port days. Like fools we fell for it. The first sea day was sunny but very cool. I sat up there all day wrapped in 3 or 4 blankets. The next day was cloudy, windy, cold and occasional mist. I sat up there all day wrapped in blankets (By golly I paid for it I was using it!). The last 2 days were lovely, but we didn't use it much on the two port days. Coming back we wised up. We got afternoon passes on the 3 nice days of the last 4 sea days. We had already tipped the stewards so they were very accommodating letting us go in a little earlier than 1:00. There was no getting up early either. I would show up at 10 or 11 and still get two spots in the sun.

Have a lovely cruise. Hawaii was one of my favorites.

Years ago I was asked by a fellow passenger "Where are you from?" (Standard on board question). When I answered West Virginia the gentleman stared at me, mouth agape and said "I didn't think people who lived in West Virginia could afford to cruise." I still chuckle every time I think of it.

Are you concerned about lots of families? School lets out on the East coast usually the 2nd-3rd week of June, so even though HAL usually attracts an older crowd, it is the beginning of summer vacation season on the east coast. October you won't find too many parents pulling their kids out of school, not that early in the school year. I sailed Canada/New England nearly 5-years ago in October. It was overall a nice cruise, but we did have a Nor'easter that caused us to skip Newport, RI, and the day we were in Halifax was very chilly. I don't think you have to worry about Hurricanes in June. I think Hurricane Season starts July 1st.

Personally I would want the Veendam. It's a smaller ship and I like fewer passengers. However, there have been reports of issues, major issues with air conditioning and plumbing. I do not have first hand knowledge of these, it's from reading reviews, and the HAL board.

I feel I had to weigh in on this because I just flew out of FLL this past Sunday. There were 8 ships in Port Everglades that day-EIGHT! Including the Royal, the Emerald, 2 HAL, a Carnival, a Celebrity and the Monster of the Seas (Allure). Our flight wasn't until 5:15, so we got off as late as possible, about 9:45. The wait for a taxi was reasonable, maybe 15-minutes. The cost was less than $20 for the two of us (Plus tip). Transfer were $19 each, and they don't go until the bus is full.

We were flying Southwest, and were allowed to check our bags FIVE (5) hours before our flight time. I saw a sign for US Air and they allowed up to 4 hours before your flight time. I had been told that TSA would not let you go through security more than 2-hours before your flight-Not True. We went though almost 3 hours before. It depends on the agent, and just how busy the gates beyond are.

As for places to eat BEFORE security-Good Luck. Only Terminal 3 has a sit down place, and that's a Chilli's. The line was insane, but it actually moved pretty fast. The airport was a zoo, not just because of all the cruise ships (Don't forget the port of Miami-A lot of people may opt to fly in/out of FLL because it can be cheaper to fly to FLL rather than MIA) but because it was Spring Breaks many places on the eastern seaboard.

On my recent Emerald Princess cruise the hours were 8 am to 10 PM. I would think they would be similar throughout the fleet.

I just got off the Emerald yesterday and bought cruise length passes for DH and myself. Worth it? Yes, even though the price had doubled. The service wasn't quite as good what we had enjoyed 5-years ago, but all I had to do was look around and someone came running. The 3 young men that were our Sanctuary Stewards were very nice. One did not speak much English, and seemed rather shy, another was on his first contract and only 3-months in. He is probably still learning the ropes, but each one greeted us in the morning with a smile, and hugs goodbye on the last day.

I like the comfort, the (Mostly) quiet, and knowing I can get up and come back hours later to "My" lounger.

If you want for just a sea day get up early to get in line. My recommendation is no later than 6:30.

No luck on a price reduction. Spoke to two others that also saw the difference in the price quoted and the platter. One lady was told "Princess reserves the right to raise prices at anytime" and the other was told it was a misprint. The platter for today was finally right.

Last night we tried out dinner at the Crab Shack. Enjoyed it very much. You start off with Fried Shrimp and hush puppies, followed by a bowl of Manhattan Style Clam Chowder. My DH normally does not care for Manhattan style, as he prefers New England style, but even he proclaimed the soup delicious.

You have 4 entrees from which to pick, and it is a shared pot. We decided on the Emerald Steamer which included clams, mussels, shrimp, snow crab legs, as well as sausage, small potatoes, and 2 pieces of corn-on-the-cob. We asked for and they included a number of crayfish as well. Our waiter was very agreeable, and if you rather have more mussels, and fewer clams he will accommodate you. It was more than enough food. We went at 7:30 (Had reservations) and the place was full. We left a little after nine and the crowd had thinned out by then. It's opened 3-nights during the cruise and according to our waiter it has proven popular. DH wants to go back this Friday.

At peak times the service was a little uneven. I think they have a number of new crew that just joined the ship that are in the process of being trained.

The mussels, clams, and shrimp tasted fresh. Not 100% sure about the snow crab, but ours wasn't mushy.

Went to the Captain's Circle party tonight and learned the follow interesting facts; Of the 3000 PAX on board, 600 are sailing for the first time with Princess, there are 300 Elites and 900 Platinum's on board.

Tonight (Day 5) is the deck party.

One last thing about the Sanctuary. I was able to figure out how many loungers were reserved for cruise duration, and how many were available for individual days. 32 cruise-length single loungers, 3 individual-day double loungers, and 12 individual-day single loungers.

I figured it out when I went up there this morning and noticed that some of the loungers had towels on them, and some didn't. The area was devoid of passengers, so I simply counted. The ones without towel coverings are available, and by asking a simple question I found that none had been reserved for this morning.

We are looking to book Balcony dining and are just curious if the first formal night is first sea day or second sea day? We don't want to book it on a formal night or French Night. (Love the escargot and don't want to miss it…):D

Last night (Our 2nd sea day, so day 3) was formal night. A very large percentage of passengers opted to dress up. It may have been the demographics; older, well traveled, fewer families. The spa was busy all day with hair appointments. I saw a gentleman in a dress kilt, and yes he did hail from Scotland. Saw a number of black tie as well.

Just a mention about the food. The first two nights the food was way over salted, but someone must have wrestled the salt shaker away from the cook (Can't call him/her a chef with a straight face) because last night the food was much better. Desserts IMO are still an issue. Last night I had a hazelnut chocolate cake that looked good, but I took one bite and was at a loss of what to do. I didn't want to swallow it (That bad), but couldn't spit it out either. If I want something sweet I'm sticking with fruit-It's healthier too.

We are going to try out the Crab Shack. I have high hopes:)

Rosethorn, we would be interested to learn about the entertainers and any shore excursion advice you might have. Thank you Nancy

I list the entertainment in a few days. There are a lot of choices!

What do you like to do when on the Islands? Aruba has nice beaches, and Bonaire has good snorkeling. Are you comfortable going out on your own, or do you prefer ship sponsored tours? DH and I like moderately active stuff; snorkeling, biking, swim with some kind of animal, etc.

Does anyone know which terminal we will depart from on March 9 on Emerald Princess. With 7 ships leaving that day, it will be chaotic getting to the port. Any info appreciated

It's normally Terminal 2, but you are correct that with so many ships it could be another. When you get to Port Everglades there is a large sign telling you which terminal your ship is docked. Also you might check the Princess Web Site, they may have updated information.