Live from the Emerald--11/22/09

[geoherb]

We flew down from Raleigh on Southwest on Saturday and stayed one night at the Hyatt Place. It’s a very nice hotel—only had to wait longer than anticipated to check in. Apparently that’s something they’re used to doing. They held our bags for us and we walked down 17th Street to see the ships in port from the bridge. There were a couple of Holland America ships, the Coral Princess and a Costa ship. The Oasis of the Seas was not in port then. We had to wait until Sunday morning to see it from the bridge.

 

We had lunch at a pizzeria in a little shopping plaza. There’s a Ross and a Staples in the same center. It was good to catch the first half of the Carolina football game. Go Heels!

 

The best part of staying at the Hyatt Place is location. We were just a block away from Total Wine. We purchased three bottles and a box of wine there for our cruise and a few small bottles of Kahlua already mixed with milk. We ate dinner at Joe’s Café in the same shopping center. There is also a Publix grocery store there to pick up last-minute items. The Walgreens drug store is closer to the bridge. That’s where we bought Bonine to prevent seasickness.

 

The Hyatt Place also provides a shuttle from the airport and a shuttle to the pier. I was able to get it through Priceline for a deal, but I would book it directly next time if we were having difficulty bidding through Priceline.

 

Getting on the ship was easy. The shuttle got us to the pier around 11:15. We had the preferred boarding passes for being Platinum. They had us wait in a separate area. The other passengers were receiving numbered cards. Getting through the security screening was easy. They did not question the three bottles of wine I had in my carry-on bag.

 

We filled out the health form asking if we had any symptoms of norovirus or other contagious disease. They let us pick up our boarding cards within a few minutes after waiting and then waited upstairs another few minutes. Boarding began at noon.

 

We ate lunch in the dining room. It was difficult to get in—but I was persistent. The woman at the door tried to direct us upstairs. I told her I had read in the Patter that the dining room was open for lunch. She then tried to explain that there was a function going on. I told her it would not bother us. We eventually made it past her and were seated near another couple. Eventually a third couple joined us. I believe we were the only passengers who ate lunch in the dining room that day.

 

The event, by the way, was a wedding reception. A lot of folks came in to the other side of the dining room. They did not bother us, and I don’t think we bothered them. It seems silly to me to advertise something as being available and then try to discourage people from what you advertised.

 

I had to return to the dining room at 2:00 to change our dining reservations. Princess had confirmed us for second seating traditional as soon as we booked this cruise. But our cruise cards said we had received “Anytime” dining. The line for changes was pretty long, but a lot of folks came in groups and the line moved fairly quickly. The maitre d’ did not have any problems with my request for second seating. He gave me a card with our table assignment and told us it was a table for six.

 

When we showed up at the table that night, one of the couples from lunch turned out to be with us. They had also had to change their dining assignment—and like us, they have had many cruises and know that it’s possible to get what you want. The other couple at our table is friendly as well. But they’ve already mentioned dining at some of the specialty restaurants. We’ll see if they last.

 

The first night dinner was the regular first night menu. The spinach and tortellini soup was too salty for me. The barramundi was pretty good. Sam’s prime rib was very good. The best desserts were the bananas foster and the flourless chocolate cake. I had the latter one with hazelnut ice cream.

 

We skipped the “Welcome Aboard” show. We are planning on seeing the comedian/impressionist tonight. He’s Jason Neistadt. I’ve never heard of him.

 

Our day at Princess Cays was very relaxing. We ate breakfast in the dining room. I ordered my usual—fresh fruit and smoked salmon. Service was very good. Several of our tablemates made special requests and got exactly what they asked for.

 

Tendering was pretty quick. We waited about 15 minutes in the Princess Theatre after receiving numbers at the door. Our group was led down to a tender in the middle of the ship. It looked like they were loading passengers from two different places. The ride over is about 10 minutes. Today the water was very smooth in the morning and not too bad in the afternoon.

 

Service was very good. Several of our tablemates made special requests and got exactly what they asked for.

 

Tendering was pretty quick. We waited about 15 minutes in the Princess Theatre after receiving numbers at the door. Our group was led down to a tender in the middle of the ship. It looked like they were loading passengers from two different places. The ride over is about 10 minutes. Today the water was very smooth in the morning and not too bad in the afternoon.

[geoherb]

Tonight's dinner comfirmed my suspicion that one couple would not join us again. They were seated at a table for two a fw tables away from us. I say good luck to them. Their new wait team is not as efficient as ours. They were still waiting for entrees when we were finished.

[southpawsdakota]

Ty for you review.l Maybe the ppl wanted a table for 2 and were not in a hurry. Good for them!

[no1uno]

I'm enjoying reading your detailed review so far. Be sure and leave the old girl in good shape. I sail when you return on the 29th. Cheers!

[dennbr9]

I LOVE THE EMERALD!

 

Make sure you take advantage of the International Cafe for a snack after coming back from a port! Also, the Addagio Bar is a wonderful, quiet, comfortable place for a pre-dinner drink.

 

Vines is great also! Just a great ship!

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the live from,

and that you got in the DR for lunch on Embarkation day. :D

[Coolmama_1]

Looking forward to hearing more! Thanks for sharing.

[caribill]

Can you find out what will be done when the Emerald goes into drydock in December?

 

Also, did the Platinum/Elite have a separate entrance into the building when you checked in at Port Everglades?

 

Thanks

[phabric]

Enjoyed reading your review. We will be staying at the Hyatt Place and on to the Emerald in March.

[jtagphillycruiser]

I am enjoying your "live" from the Emerald as I was on the ship last week and had a wonderful time. Try that delicious chicken salad at the International Cafe. I wish I had some right now. Have fun and keep your posts coming as I am re-living my cruise all over again....Joanne

[geoherb]

The Platinum and Elite passengers did have a separate section to wait in Fort Lauderdale. And we were the first onboard. The first two GLBT gatherings were at Adagios. I had the Sorento sunset and mojitos. Sam tried the tiramisu.

 

We're planning on eating a snack at the Cova Cafe this afternoon when returning to the ship from St. Martin.

[geoherb]

The menu for the second night was Caribbean. Some of the entrees included jerked chicken, beef fajitas, and lamb shank. I had the best dessert—pineapple crème brulee.

 

Jason Neistadt was pretty funny. He did various celebrities. The longest bit was as Johnny Carson, including a bit as Carnac the Magnificent.

 

Tuesday was our first day at sea. The ship does not seem very crowded. We did not have to wait for breakfast in the dining room. I had a problem with what I ordered. The eggs Florentine well done were runny. The second ones came well done as ordered. We enjoyed a morning swim in the Oasis Pool. I was the only one in the pool for most of the time as Sam tried to get in. He said the water was too cold. But after 15 minutes he managed to get all the way. I tell him to remember how good it feels once he is in—but tomorrow he’ll probably take as long. There were plenty of lounge chairs around this pool. And best of all, no children. I did not go by the main pools to see if they were crowded. They were not on Monday after we left Princess Cays.

 

We ate lunch in the dining room after a couple of diversions. The first for me was the martini demo in the atrium. The bar staff gave a nice “Cocktails” style demo. But none of them were Tom Cruise. The crazy wild folks in the audience were able to score free martinis. The bar staff made four different ones: a chocolate-mint, a cosmopolitan, a raspberry martini, and a sour apple. While I was watching the martini demo, Sam attended the art session with painter Eric Waugh. The guy in charge of art auctions said this was the first solo cruise for Eric Waugh. He was usually on the connoisseur cruises with other artists. Eric painted a large painting in about 30 minutes. I caught the last part of his demo.

 

Sea day afternoons are for relaxing. We ate lunch again in the dining room. I ate the fish dish and Sam had the lamb. Both were very tasty. And after lunch we napped before the trivia session. We managed to tie for first place and were still tied after three tie-breaker questions. The final tie breaker was to guess the host’s age. We were off by four years and another team missed it by a year.

 

The first formal night started with the champagne waterfall in the atrium. The staff kept the champagne and mimosas coming. We had enjoyed some champagne earlier in the evening at Trade Winds at a hosted GLBT gathering. It was nice of Princess to do that again. Our first meeting on the ship was not hosted at all, and the second one had a couple of the cruise director’s staff there but they did not provide any refreshments.

 

Dinner in the dining room was delicious. We had mentioned escargots to our head waiter, Angelito, the night before. Our tablemate did not realize that they were no longer on the regular menu. Angelito said he would order them for the whole table. They were the best I’ve ever had on a cruise. Perhaps it’s because they were making just a few orders instead of hundreds. Three of us ordered the filet mignon from the menu. The fourth ordered the Cornish hen. Everything was delicious. My second favorite dessert was on the menu—the chocolate and hazelnut soufflé.

 

The formal night dress among men is down. I’d estimate about 10 percent wore tuxedos, 30 percent wore dark suits, 30 percent wore sport coats and ties, and the last 30 percent did not wear jackets. We were in the 10 percent in tuxedos.

 

The evening’s show was Music City. It’s a tribute to Motown. The emphasis of this show is singing more than dancing. The two female singers were both good. I preferred one of the men to the other. It may just be that he got the better songs.

[Colo Cruiser]

Love those Escargot!

[funeralbabe]

Thank you for such a detailed account of your travels so far...I am also staying at the Hyatt Place and just wondering about the shuttle to the port - can you go whenever you want or is there a fixed time that everyone goes together...Also how far was it to get to the Ross and Staples Mall, and the bridge - is everything within walking distance? Enjoy the rest of your cruise, wave to me as you are getting off on Sunday, I will be getting on...Can't Wait!!!!!!!!!

[boat tay]

Cant wait to see the Patters when you get back maybe?

[geoherb]

Everything is within walking distance from the Hyatt Place. The bridge is a little bit far--maybe a mile to the peak. Total Wine and Publix are about three normal blocks distance. Ross is maybe a half mile.

 

I am not saving my Patters this cruise. Someone posted a link to one of the first cruises from a few week before ours. The Patters have not changed much since then. I hope someone has time to find the link. I can look for it if someone hasn't posted it after I get home.

[geoherb]

Our day in St. Martin was great. The Emerald did not dock there until 10 a.m., which gave us time to enjoy breakfast in the dining room. Our tablemates were heading in at the same time, and they joined us at a large table with a couple of women from Pittsburgh and a man from somewhere else. He was not very talkative, but he did say that his wife was not feeling well from the motion. He ordered her slices of watermelon and some hashbrowns. I found out then that they do not let people take food away from the dining room. One of the head waiters came over and told the man that someone from room service would have to deliver the order to their cabin.

 

After the ship docked, we caught a cab to Orient Beach. The cab ride over is about 30 minutes. We shared a large van taxi with a family of four and two other couples. The rate for that many people in a taxi is $6 per person. The cab ride back was $7 per person since we had fewer people in it.

 

The roads of St. Martin are narrow with lots of hills and curves. That did not keep the first cab driver from passing other vehicles, maneuvering somehow through some pretty tight spots. There were only a couple of places he slowed down because of the steep hill and tight curve. But we made it without crashing. One of the men in the cab told us about a woman he works with who crashed in a jeep in Cozumel on a cruise a few weeks ago. She had to be flown back to the U.S. because of her injuries. I made sure my seatbelt worked.

 

Orient Beach is very pretty. The water is crystal blue. There were three other ships in port with us—the Grandeur of the Seas, Carnival Glory, and Aida Vita. I’m sure they contributed the crowd at Orient Beach. We walked to the far right. A friend of ours from home is staying at Club Orient for the week. And after we passed over the rocks and started seeing the naked people, he was walking down the beach. We rented chairs and an umbrella from Club Orient. It was $6 per item. Some of the places had cheaper prices—$15 for two chairs, an umbrella and two drinks was the best I saw.

 

We enjoyed a great day with our friend. I made sure to cover myself in SPF 50 sunscreen. And even then, my shoulders got a little too much. I’m going to have to be more careful in St. Thomas and Grand Turk.

 

After the cab ride back around 3:30, we made it past all the shops at the dock and back onto the ship. Our tablemates said they never made it past those shops since everything they could find everything they wanted to buy in them. We’re not big shoppers and did not stop except to sample some spiced rum. Coming back to the ship in the middle of the afternoon was the perfect excuse to eat at the International Café. I enjoyed the chicken salad with cashews, a tomato and fresh mozzarella sandwich, mushroom salad, and shrimp. We split a few of the pastries for dessert so we could try more of them. The best was the butterscotch pie.

 

We spent the rest of the afternoon playing tribond trivia and then the GLBT gathering at sailaway. The Emerald was late leaving. According to one person I spoke to, they were waiting for a tour group to get back. I think I saw the group walking up around 5:50. And then they paged three passengers. I never saw anyone else walking down the pier. So either those three were already onboard, or else they’re enjoying another day in St. Martin.

 

Last night was Island Night around the pool area. They scheduled our other evening entertainment before dinner. It was comedian Kevin Hughes. He was not that funny to us, but probably because his main topic was the different ways men and women communicate.

 

Dinner was Italian. Our waitress surprised our table with a selection of antipasti. They included grilled eggplant and zucchini and tomatoes, different hams and salamis, asparagus, and cheese. I did not see any of the tables near ours receiving the antipasti. I ordered the salad and shrimp Fra Diavolo. Both were tasty. I ordered the two gelatos and a sorbet for dessert. But Rositsa, our waitress, brought me the tiramisu mistakenly. She went back for my frozen treats. I tasted the tiramisu. It was good. But I’m not a big fan of coffee-flavored items. Sam said his was delicious.

[KreinKrunker]

Thought I had saved the patters last month, but couldn't find them. Put three words in search(patters-princess-emerald), and it was the second entry.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1085488&highlight=patters+emerald+princess

[geoherb]

Thanks for finding the link. I am trying to hoard my free Internet minutes. Here's our day in St. Thomas:

 

We had a relaxing time at Emerald Beach in St. Thomas. It’s walking distance from Crown Bay, where the Emerald Princess docked. Each time we come back to Crown Bay, there are a few more shops that have opened. It’s still not as good as docking at the other side. But being able to walk to a beautiful beach like Emerald Beach makes it worthwhile.

 

The walk is much better than it was two years ago when we were also on the Emerald. At that time, there was construction along the sidewalk. That’s completed now. We enjoyed watching a few planes take off from the airport as we walked. A large one took off after we made it to the beach. It’s amazing to me that they clear the mountain.

 

The Best Western has nice chairs and plenty of shade. Since we had gotten so much sun the day before in St. Martin, we did not stay very long at the beach—just enough time to swim for an hour. I had planned to rent a couple of the chairs and stay longer. But the man who collects for the chairs had not come by the time we had finished our swim.

 

Lunch in the dining room was not themed for Thanksgiving. But my trout in brown butter sauce was delicious, and Sam enjoyed the lasagna. The gentleman at our dinnertime table said he had also eaten the fish for lunch, but he found his pieces dry. Mine were cooked perfectly.

 

We relaxed after lunch before shopping a bit at the dock. The ship was late leaving. They paged a few names, but I only saw one woman running for the ship at 3:58. We were told to be back by 3:30, so she really pushed the limit.

 

Thanksgiving was the second formal night. The kitchen staff set up an elaborate Thanksgiving display in the atrium. They had decorated turkeys in most unusual ways. One of our new friends commented that he had never seen a turkey with icing before.

 

We also had our second formal night on Thanksgiving. The captain’s past passenger party was very nice. The waiters were carrying trays with several kinds of drinks. I picked up a glass of red wine at the bar. The waiters were taking requests for drinks they did not carry, but I did not mind picking up a glass. Earlier in the evening we met some of our friends at the Adagio Bar. I tried the sorbetto. It’s dessert in a glass—vodka, lemoncello, sours, and cream frozen like a daiquiri. The most traveled couple at the captain’s past passenger party had more than 700 days on Princess.

 

The dining rooms had a special menu for Thanksgiving dinner. I started with the foie gras paté and followed that with the pumpkin gnocchi in a white truffle cream sauce. Both were excellent. Of course the entrée for Thanksgiving was turkey. It came with sweet potato, broccoli, chestnut dressing, and fresh cranberry sauce. I ate it along with a couple of lobster tails. Sam had the beef Wellington and lobster tails. I gave him a bit of turkey since everyone should have at least a little bit for the holiday. He ordered the pumpkin pie for dessert, while I had the orange crème brulee with cinnamon ice cream. Both of these were good on their own, but they did not make a very good combination.

 

Last night’s show was the second production number. It was pretty good—featuring songs made famous by various pop stars, including Cher, Britney Spears, Neil Diamond, Barbra Streisand, and Carly Simon. The string quartet joined the band to provide backup. This show had more of the dancers than the previous show—but still not the elaborate costume changes that will come with tonight’s show.

 

We don’t arrive in Grand Turk until after lunch. We’re going snorkeling. We joined a fellow Cruise Critic at breakfast. I had forgotten the meeting time for lunch on our second sea day, so it was nice to meet up with someone from our roll call. She said seven people showed up for the lunch.

 

This morning was the big bazaar in the Michelangelo Dining Room. They had all the T-shirts and souvenirs leftover from Emerald’s European cruises. You’ve never seen women grab stuff so quickly. We saw the onboard cruise specialist to put down our open deposit. We may do another Princess cruise next May, but I have not picked out anything yet.

[bhopal21]

 

We had enjoyed some champagne earlier in the evening at Trade Winds at a hosted GLBT gathering. It was nice of Princess to do that again. Our first meeting on the ship was not hosted at all, and the second one had a couple of the cruise director’s staff there but they did not provide any refreshments.quote]

 

That is a surprise. We have only had that happen a couple of times before.

 

Thanks for the reporting as we are anxiously awaiting February 7th when we board The Emerald.

 

Mike:)

[geoherb]

Yes, the champagne was a nice surprise. Derek brought us four bottles that night. There were about 14 of us there.

 

My notes continue:

 

Grand Turk is a very flat island. It’s also tiny, at 7 miles long and 1.5 miles wide. We left the ship with throngs of our fellow passengers to meet up with our snorkeling guides. The snorkeling excursions all leave from a pier near the ship. We had about 40 passengers on our boat. The boats are covered with plenty of shade. Our crew of three was very nice. One of them was crazy, snorkeling to the bottom and picking up sting rays to show us closer. The captain of the boat said the snorkeling boats that had anchored near a beach were doing the sting ray excursions. I think we saw more on ours.

 

After getting back to the cruise terminal, we walked around Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville area. The pool there looks inviting, but we had dried off from snorkeling and did not want to get wet again. We watched the wave runner. No one was very good at it, but the kids looked like they were having fun. Friends from the cruise had rented a cabana by the pool. They said it was very nice—air conditioned with a call button for service. But food and drinks are expensive. I could see relaxing there and at the beach right beside there for the afternoon if we had not done an excursion.

 

Tomorrow morning I have my stone massage. I “won” the silent auction for it. Two of the spa staff had set up a table outside of the Horizon Court, near the aft stairs. We were heading back to the cabin after morning trivia and found out about it. Bids had to be at least half of the sea day price for each item offered. I put in a low bid on that won the stone massage. It’s going to be a nice way to start our last day on the Emerald Princess.

[geoherb]

Another surprise is how well the wireless connection works. I am so glad that Sam brought his laptop--even though he used up all his free minutes doing work the first few days and has started borrowing some of mine. On average, it takes me about 5 minutes to check his emails and post a quick post here after seeing if anyone had any questions.

[phabric]

I have seen Buffet Margaritaville mentioned at other islands. We have never been there. Is there a charge to go there? What is it?

[Grego]

Another surprise is how well the wireless connection works. I am so glad that Sam brought his laptop--even though he used up all his free minutes doing work the first few days and has started borrowing some of mine. On average, it takes me about 5 minutes to check his emails and post a quick post here after seeing if anyone had any questions.

 

Good to read your reports and the news that wireless worked well. I just received a HP Mini and are thinking about taking it along on our upcoming voyage. Did the wireless work in the cabins or did you need to be in a public area. Also, did you need to get a password to connect and is there a limit to minutes and is it tied into your Captain's Circle status?

[geoherb]

There's no charge for the pool and chairs at Margaritaville. The cabanas were extra and the drinks and food expensive.

 

We're using the wireless in the cabin. It's been excellent. We each got $75 credit, which is 150 minutes. I don't know if they will give you the $75 as credit to the more expensive plans or not. But 300 minutes between us has been enough for one week. I think it's a longer amount of time for 10-day cruises, which is what our last Princess one was.