Interactive Preview/Review of Emerald Princess Eastern Caribbean May 2 to 9, 2010

[Clutterlady]

Loving every minute of this review and the photos are just great....thanks Andy:)

[Hollybelle]

First off I want to thank all that love my review.I need to be careful not to turn this review into a travel blog. I was actually inspired by pcrum and hollybelle (watch out for her review, she really writes) when I read their reviews from the past and I said this would be the only way to write a review as you also get the interaction. I have read reviews in the Member Review section but when you have a question about a particular item, you really can't just ask it and of course there is the everyone else who may also want answers to the same question too.

 

Well I got a little break for lunch and I thought I might sneak another page in so here goes...

 

One thing I absolutely hate on a 7 night cruise is on the 5th day. You know your vacation is winding down when there are less sleeps left on board than what you’ve had. Well last night we crossed that boundary and now there were only 3 more sleeps left before we got off this beautiful ship.

 

Travel blog away, my friend. The more humor, details, and pictures... the better (in my opinion)! Thanks for the shout out to my reviews.

 

And I'm totally with you on the dwindling number of sleeps. That sense of foreboding always creeps in, no matter how hard I try to keep it at bay.

 

 

Great shot of the iguana!

[cherylandtk]

I am eagerly anticipating the excursion review. Everyone says you get to spend more time on the beach and less crowds by going on your own, but sometimes I just want to let someone else do the planning. So Andy, how was Trunk Bay? Lookin' forward to part 156 of your cruise review.....:D

[brwneyedgirl72]

I can't wait to hear your revew of the excursion. This is also the only Princess excursion we will be taking and I am hopeful that we have made the right decision. Thank you for posting your report - I find myself checking Cruise Critic regularly for updates! I sail in 17 days and I can't wait!

[BalconyGal]

One thing I absolutely hate on a 7 night cruise is on the 5th day. You know your vacation is winding down when there are less sleeps left on board than what you’ve had. Well last night we crossed that boundary and now there were only 3 more sleeps left before we got off this beautiful ship.

 

This is why I won't do anymore 7 days anymore!!!

 

Tha plane pics were awesome! :)

[u2cruiser]

Bet most people on here have a pic of those little iguana fellas. They seem to enjoy posing. You should have stuck Andy Hip on the rocks too. :D

 

Breakfast looked nice.

That feeling that the days are running away with you is just AWFUL! I wonder if you could ever get fed up on a long cruise :rolleyes:

[elou]

This was great. Would you happen to have the patters that you could post?

[u2cruiser]

This was great. Would you happen to have the patters that you could post?

 

elou, there is a link to the patters in this thread. :)

[7x5090g]

This was great. Would you happen to have the patters that you could post?

 

Yes they are coming. The last post of each day I normally include the patters so you will have to search back. Day 5's Patters is not up yet.

[7x5090g]

I know a few of you are anxious to see the review of this tour but I need to warn you ahead of time that I don’t have a whole lot of pictures to go with this. Since this was mainly a wet tour, I only had my underwater camera with me. And the darn thing broke during my first 2 minutes of snorkelling. I think the seal on the battery door gave way and sea water seeped in. NOT IMPRESSED at all.

 

We were directed to meet up on the other side of the dock where the boat would come in to pick us up for the 45 minute ride to St. John. This was my 3rd trip to St Thomas but my first to venture over to St John. There were a few excursions by boat on that morning and they were also leaving from the same dock so there was a crowd congregating. Each person on this tour received a pink laminated card which we would need to enter the Trunk Bay Park. We got a little confused as we stood in the wrong line and was told to move to another line at the last minute.

 

The boat we were getting on was called the Island Girl and it was a fair size boat. The sun was already pretty hot by then so we opted to stay in the lower deck, which was air conditioned. Each one boarding was given a blue laminated boarding card (DO NOT LOSE THIS or you are swimming back from St. John J) After everyone boarded, we set off on a 45 minutes ride from Crown Bay to St. John. Now this was not a short ride. Even though the Island Girl was not a small boat, the ride between the 2 islands still passed through some open water and after a while DW was feeling some effects of motion sickness. We then ventured out onto the deck and the ride became that much more pleasant (gentle sea breeze and a horizon for us to focus on).

 

We arrived at the St John harbour around 9:25

 

 

and we were then directed into a couple of open air buses (there were multiple St John Tours so there were about 3 or 4 buses there). We stopped twice along the way for photo opts. The first stop was to show us a resort (I was told that would cost $1,500 per night)

 

 

And the 2nd stop was one overlooking Trunk Bay. Wasn’t it just gorgeous?

 

 

Both provided stunning views as prelude to the actual arrival at the US National Park (which is the southern most US National Park). We arrived around 09:40 and were told that the bus would be leaving the park at 11:40. Once we entered the park, you would walk past a change room/restroom with shower facilities. A snack bar was also there for you to purchase a light snack.. Since I had that heavy breakfast, I never had to stop and purchase anything. As we proceeded down the path, there was a lady there giving all kinds of instruction on how to snorkel. Trust me if you are avid snorkelers and you have your own equipment, skip this part as that would just be eating into your 2 hours. We stayed and listened but we also picked up a lot on how snorkelling equipments should be fitted so at least we learned something new.

 

So here was the beach you would be snorkelling (and I could sit her and stared at it all day):

 

The snorkelling path is clearly marked under water. You should start where the white buoy is (ending with the blue buoy) and as soon as you found the first sign under the water, just follow the arrows and that should take you through the entire trail. Note that the trail is all in front of that little island featured in the above photo. The sand was fine and the water was warm and the weather was just immaculate. Just when I started the snorkelling journey, I took my camera out and the screen said ERROR WITH MEMORY CARD/PLEASE CLOSE BATTERY DOOR. ARRHH!!! PANIC!! :eek:I got out of the water and found at least a couple of table spoons of sea water that had found its way into the camera. Ouch and the camera stopped working completely.

 

 

 

At approximately 11:20, someone (the captain of the Island Girl) got on the blow horn and gave us a 20 minute warning to get out of the water and clean up as the bus would be leaving at 11:40 sharp.

 

The following kind of summed up the time you will have on this tour. I would have loved to have more time on the beach. Now as for value for the $$, I would only rate this as a 3 out of 5. Really if you organize your own tour you will get more time in the park. Also the captain of the Island Girl kept coming on the PA said that was water and soda up in front of the boad (but you have to pay for them!!) So I was comparing the $35pp I paid for the 5 hour tour with Benard in St Maarten where beer, rum punch and soda were included.

 

08:40 Island Girl departed Crown Bay

09:40 Arrived in Trunk Bay

So you will have 2 hours on the beach which includes the snorkelling lesson, snorkelling time and swimming time and 2 hours of travel time to and from.

11:40 Departed Trunk Bay

13:00 Island Girl arrived back at Crown Bay

 

On the way back we sat up top all the way and let the gentle sea breeze put you to a nice power nap. DS and I had one and it was refreshing. Oh by the way as the Island Girl pulled back into Crown Bay, this would be a great chance to take a picture of the Emerald. Too bad I didn’t have a working camera.

 

We quickly got back on the ship to grab some lunch. We found DW’s parents and dropped DS off with them as my parents and I and DW ventured back to so some shopping. My dad bought a camera and just as I was walking out I spotted one that I wanted. $670 later, I got myself a brand new DSLR (something I had always wanted to get). So for those who are following this review, you are in luck as many of my subsequent pictures were taken by this brand new camera. Just as I was walking out of the Royal Caribbean Electronics store I heard a voice from the back "hey is that Andy?" It was hollybelle and her parents cruisecheers. They were the first ones for be to brag to about my new purchase as I know hollybelle is quite a photographer.

 

We needed to be back on board by 3:30 as the ship set sail for Grand Turk at 4PM. This was just in time for high tea in Da Vinci. Now this would be one of the biggest disadvantage for having an early dinner sitting (I was so stuffed that I really couldn't picture myself sitting at the dinner table in 2 hours, and we were having lobster tonight too!!). As soon as we sat down, the waiters would be bombarding us with trays after trays of scones and pastries. At one point I counted 5 waiters (not including the one serving tea) sort of hovered around our table. I actually got stuffed just trying to taste everything they had. So quality wise the pastry was mediocre but the tea was just down right awlful :eek:. To u2Cruiser this for sure would be something you would frown upon because it was really that bad.

[pcrum]

First off I want to thank all that love my review. I need to be careful not to turn this review into a travel blog. I was actually inspired by pcrum and hollybelle (watch out for her review, she really writes) when I read their reviews from the past and I said this would be the only way to write a review as you also get the interaction. I have read reviews in the Member Review section but when you have a question about a particular item, you really can't just ask it and of course there is the everyone else who may also want answers to the same question too.

 

 

Thanks, Andy, for the kind words. The reviews are fun to write, as I'm sure you are experiencing. It's a great way to remember the trip. Thoroughly enjoying your review and eagerly anticipating Hollybelle's as well!

 

I see the iguanas are still in St. Thomas. They must be really used to visitors, as they do not act scared at all!!

 

And for the gentleman in Sheffield, UK who wondered what the big deal was about the fish and chips....We lived in Datchet (Berkshire Co.) for 4 years and now live in Orlando. There is one pub here that sort of does the English fish and chips, but it is not really authentic, so it was wonderful to have them on the Emerald!!! Now, if they'd only add sticky toffee pudding, I'd be in heaven!!!

 

Looking forward to the rest...

[u2cruiser]

About the tea, dishwater comes to mind!! :rolleyes: I always asked for extra tea bags but it didn't make any difference at all. It's barely coloured! I like builders' tea lol! I really enjoyed the afternoon tea occasion though.

 

Trunk Bay view looks absolutely amazing.

 

Did you get a bargain with your camera? Looking forward to seeing the quality of the pics.

[u2cruiser]

Thanks, Andy, for the kind words. The reviews are fun to write, as I'm sure you are experiencing. It's a great way to remember the trip. Thoroughly enjoying your review and eagerly anticipating Hollybelle's as well!

 

I see the iguanas are still in St. Thomas. They must be really used to visitors, as they do not act scared at all!!

 

And for the gentleman in Sheffield, UK who wondered what the big deal was about the fish and chips....We lived in Datchet (Berkshire Co.) for 4 years and now live in Orlando. There is one pub here that sort of does the English fish and chips, but it is not really authentic, so it was wonderful to have them on the Emerald!!! Now, if they'd only add sticky toffee pudding, I'd be in heaven!!!

 

Looking forward to the rest...

 

Not sure whether there is a gentleman from Sheffield, but I'm female. Someone did say they didn't know what the big deal was, but that wasn't me. (lol this gets more complicated every word I write) I commented that the chips looked like proper ones and they need to be in old newspaper :D

 

Does the pub lunch have desserts? jam roly poly and custard would be my choice ;) I could just eat some sticky toffee pudding :(.

[cherylandtk]

Thanks Andy for the awesome review of the excursion. Do you recall about how many people were on your tour? Did you think the snorkeling was fun (other than the loss of your camera :( ), or did it feel too crowded?

[BalconyGal]

Wow, Trunk Bay looks so beautiful! I may never go though because I have a real aversion to long catamaran rides....ironic I know. :rolleyes: I will think about it. I really would love to snorkel there after seeing your pictures. How deep was the water by that island?

 

 

I have been dreaming od buying a DSLR, what kind did you get?

 

Looking forward to hollybelle's take of the cruise too. :)

[Debbierpof]

Andy - First -- thanks and keep it coming! Second -- what was the underwater camera that failed? :eek: I'm getting one (or so I hope) before my cruise in July! Thanks!!! Definitely hitting St. Johns next time!!!

[7x5090g]

Thanks Andy for the awesome review of the excursion. Do you recall about how many people were on your tour? Did you think the snorkeling was fun (other than the loss of your camera :( ), or did it feel too crowded?

 

We were the only ship in port and in our tour we all fit in one of those open air bus that was made from a pickup truck. I didn't count but I figure 6 rows of 4 each so 24 people?

 

So not crowded at all and the beach was basically deserted.

[7x5090g]

Andy - First -- thanks and keep it coming! Second -- what was the underwater camera that failed? :eek: I'm getting one (or so I hope) before my cruise in July! Thanks!!! Definitely hitting St. Johns next time!!!

 

As DW always says if you look after your equipment properly nothing should fail. Translation - IT WAS (and always has been) MY FAULT:mad:

 

Now one thing you do want to watch out for with underwater camera, especially on a beach is that you should watch out for sand or other foreign objects. Even under water camera has doors that you open (USB connection, battery/memory cards still have to go in some how), as little as one grain of fine sand got jammed into the sim of these doors, water will go in. Sea water is worse because of the salt.

 

So look after your equipment well and you should be fine. If you have been using your underwater camera in the ocean, always soak it in fresh water to take the salt away, and then let it dry. Afterwards, open up the doors and clear away the debris (do that only after the outside of the camera is dry). Hope this helps

[7x5090g]

Wow, Trunk Bay looks so beautiful! I may never go though because I have a real aversion to long catamaran rides....ironic I know. :rolleyes: I will think about it. I really would love to snorkel there after seeing your pictures. How deep was the water by that island?

 

 

I have been dreaming od buying a DSLR, what kind did you get?

 

Looking forward to hollybelle's take of the cruise too. :)

 

The water could not have been more than 12 feet. I got the Nikon D5000 that came with a 18-55mm VR AF Lens. For $20 more he threw in a 4GB SD and a camera bag. Tax free of course.

[7x5090g]

Does the pub lunch have desserts? jam roly poly and custard would be my choice ;) I could just eat some sticky toffee pudding :(.

 

Not that I remember.

[Moosey3]

I just wanted to say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE this review!!!! I'm going on the Emerald in August and reading this is making me die knowing I have to wait so long. I love the pics of the Hippo...I mean you :P

[7x5090g]

After high tea, we walked one flight of stairs down to the piazza hoping to catch the Hula Hoop Sensation with Aleysa. Now if you think you have problems doing hula hoops, you have to see her perform with 50 of them all at once. I have a video clip there somewhere on another performance the next night.

 

 

 

Now the above 2 pictures are from my new camera. No special effects but she did have over 50 hoops on her. She is the current Guinness book of world record holder. The performance filled the void between tea and getting ready for dinner. It was the second formal night tonight so let’s see what was on the menu.

 

 

 

 

 

[7x5090g]

From menu to the real thing:

 

 

After dinner, DS decided he too wanted to check out the show instead of going to kids camp (it’s crown decorating tonight – too girly he claimed). Tonight’s show was featuring the new entertainment crew who would be taking over from the current crew. Tonight’s show was a tribute to the music of motown and very many familiar tunes. The singers were better in terms of performance and we were lucky to witness both the old and the new entertainment teams.

 

And to wrap up Day 5, here are the Patters and Pelican Press for today.

Princess Patter Day 5.pdf

Princess Pelicans Day 5.pdf

[Hollybelle]

 

 

Great shot; she really was amazing with those hoops! Congrats again on the DSLR and good luck keeping yourself from spending all your money on gear!!! :eek: :D ;)

[pcrum]

Not sure whether there is a gentleman from Sheffield, but I'm female. Someone did say they didn't know what the big deal was, but that wasn't me. (lol this gets more complicated every word I write) I commented that the chips looked like proper ones and they need to be in old newspaper :D

 

Does the pub lunch have desserts? jam roly poly and custard would be my choice ;) I could just eat some sticky toffee pudding :(.

 

So sorry...I totally messed that one up, didn't I??

 

As for desserts in the pub lunch, on the 3/28/10 sailing, we were offered a pudding with custard on the second sea day's pub lunch, but not the first.