Loved the Emerald! Western May 9th - 16th

[aloisia]

Emerald Princess – Western

May 9th to 16th.

Thanks to everyone on CC who provided information and reviews before we sailed! Hope sharing some of my thoughts help the next group!

 

 

Pre-cruise:

My husband & I flew into Fort Lauderdale the day before and stayed at the Hilton FLL Marina. The hotel was lovely, clean and the staff friendly. We had a tower room with a balcony - great view of the yachts. The water taxi was a 2-minute walk from the hotel. We didn’t go far, just to Las Olas Blvd. Went for a walk and had dinner at Mango’s. Very good and reasonable. $50 included each of us having a cocktail. (Thanks for the tips CC!)

 

Sunday morning we got a taxi at 11:45 and asked the driver to stop at Walgreen’s – picked up 2 bottles of wine, soda and hubby bought a few packs of cigarettes. (Note: cigarettes were less money on the ship – he purchased these at the bars).

The pier is so close to the hotel…. Perfect.

The taxi pulled up at the Princess check in; he was stopped no more than a minute when another taxi hit us from behind. No one was hurt but the poor man wasn’t happy with the damage to the back of his cab.

There was a long line up however it moved very quickly. We were on board within 15 minutes!

 

Cabin: We had an inside cabin on Baja deck, right between the aft and mid elevators. Loved the location, cabin was great for the 2 of us.

Lorena was our room stewardess and took such good care of our room.

 

Ship: We have only cruised on the Sea Princess (+ Disney) however we thought the Emerald was the superior ship! The number of pools available was great. The outside decks were wonderful. We spent quite a bit of time at the Terrance Pool in the aft of the ship. (Caribe Café outdoor bar is also there). One day we were lucky and found 2 lounge chairs right at the back railing, facing the ocean. That was wonderful.

All the indoor areas were lovely.

 

Entertainment: We enjoyed the comedians, and saw a few movies at MUTS. (Love watching a movie on the open deck!). As if we already haven’t eaten enough, along comes a server offering delicious cookies + popcorn. Popped into the casino briefly, played the slot machines but we are not big gamblers. We didn’t see everything of course, 7 days is not enough time to enjoy all the entertainment.

 

Food: The food overall was good to very good. Anytime dining is wonderful, we ate in the dining room 4 nights. I don’t eat a lot of meat but hubby thought the beef was not good. (Probably delicious in the Crown Grill but we didn’t get a chance to do that). The Fettuccine Alfredo and Shrimp Newberg were amazing!!! I thought the buffet offerings were good. Lots of veggie dishes + salads. But the highlight for us was the International Café…. Wow! The coffee was terrific (we had a card), and the sandwiches, desserts, salads…. Everything was delicious!!

Also we met one of the nicest server’s on the ship here. Thanks Patara!!

One day we had lunch at the Wheelhouse Bar. Fish & chips were very good.

Glad the soft serve ice cream is now free… Yummy. We thought the pizza was so-so. But again eating is subjective to each person’s taste.

Between all the food, sweets and those Dirty Banana drinks, we wouldn’t dream of having our cholesterol checked this week!! :D

 

Jamaica: We booked a tour with Mark Morris. (found on CC). Mark provided us with a wonderful day! Our tour included Dunn Falls, river tubing, sightseeing and shopping. Dunn Falls was beautiful to see, however I would caution people to carefully decide on the climb. Hubby has climbed waterfalls with a canoe on his head and managed the climb with ease. I started the climb and before the first exit, slipped and ended up with a huge bump on my knee. That same day, 2 ambulances arrived for people who had injured themselves. :eek: Be very careful. The river tubing was great fun.

I never felt unsafe with our guide nor were we offered anything illegal. We did hear later in the day that others who had just walked off the ship to the shopping area were really hassled and ended up not enjoying Jamaica. In my opinion, this is an island where a knowledgeable guide + tour is necessary.

 

Grand Cayman: Took a taxi to Royal Palms (The Reef) on Seven Mile Beach. The sand was soft and the water crystal clear & warm. An exquisite beach - wish we had a longer day here – last tender was 3:15. Note: 2 chairs + 1 umbrella was $24. 2 cocktails, $17. A little pricey.

 

Cozumel: Took a taxi to Paradise Beach Club. Very nice – rented 2 chairs, $2 each. A waiter was assigned to our area who brought us drinks + snack. “Nacho Paradise” was delicious. The water was dark brown – I guess, recent storms + jet ski’s did stir up the bottom. Glad I had water shoes. The sun is extremely strong here. Wear lots of sun tan lotion. Before heading back to the ship, we asked the taxi driver to drop us off in the main shopping area. We walked around for an hour but it was so hot. Did buy a huge hammock $22 – here at home something similar would be $90 - $100. Kahlua $10. Pure Mexican vanilla $12. All in all, it was our first time to Mexico and we had a fun day.

 

Princess Cay: Although the island is pretty, I felt this was something Princess could improve on. The beach, I thought should have been raked. (Perhaps we just hit on the wrong day). Also, the lack of shade on the right side on the tender pier was disappointing. I understand cabanas and clamshells can be rented however umbrellas should also be available (even with a fee – I would be happy to pay for an umbrella!). 2 other couples and hubby & I were huddled under 1 palm tree trying to access some shade. By 12:00, we had enough sun and headed back to the ship. The water is rocky in parts – I would recommend water shoes here.

 

This was a great cruise; the ship is beautiful and clean with excellent staff. 1 week is not enough.

I can’t wait to sail on the Emerald again. :)

[Colo Cruiser]

Great review!! Thanks. :)

[pamelajs]

Thanks for the great review. !!!

[BalconyGal]

We thought the pizza was so-so.

:eek:

 

Thanks for the review!! Looking forward to our Emerald cruise in Jan. :)

[Hollybelle]

Thanks for the review... we actually got off the Emerald the very day you were getting on!

[aloisia]

Thanks for the review... we actually got off the Emerald the very day you were getting on!

 

 

Hollybelle,

Your pics are amazing!!! What a great photographer!! (how come mine don't look like yours? ;))

 

See you are booked on the Dis Dream - wait til you visit Castaway Cay!:)

[Coolmama_1]

Great review. Thanks for sharing.

[jean s]

Great review. I like your idea of having umbrellas. I don't like the clamshells because they seem too warm to me. I wouldn't mind renting an umbrella on Princess Cays.

[MetalManCPA]

I was on that cruise too - stayed in C203 inside cabin Caribe Deck 10.

 

I thought the food was pretty good except or a few buffet blips. I ate at the Crown Grill one night and their Porterhouse Steak was excellent.

 

My daughter and I did our own thing in Jamaica without an excursion - we did Dunns Falls, and the bobsled and zip lining at Magic Mountain. Cayman Islands was expensive. In Mexico we took the ferry to Playa Del Carmen and did snorkelling in a cavern which I found great. Playa Del Carmen is a beautiful place, but I had no time to see Cozumel. Princess Cays was just a nice beach.

 

I love the Emerald Princess. Great boat to be on.

[NicksPhilly]

We had a blast too.

Great food,Nice entertainment,and great excursions.

Lobster night was my DW's favorite night,I enjoyed the Caribe Cafe on beerfest night.

Princess Cays,AHHHHHHHHH

Ocho Rios,9 mile/Dunns river with Peat Taylor.:D:D:DYa Mon????

Grand Cayman,A trolly tour.

Cozumel, A under water cavern excursion ,AHHHHH.

What a blast.

[sunluva7]

Aloisia-

Thanks for taking the time to write a great review. Can't wait til it's our turn! We are going with Phil Lafayette to the falls. From the description I've read, you have to hike to the bottom before the climb up - is that right? Is it a lot of walking? I don't plan on climbing the falls, as I already broke my ankle once while on a previous vacation, and won't take a chance ruining my cruise. Is there a place where people can just watch? My daughters will probably want to give it a try and I want to be able to get some photos of them.

[MetalManCPA]

Cozumel, A under water cavern excursion ,AHHHHH.

 

I was with my daughter on that excursion. Did we eat lunch together?

[Murrumbeena]

Great review thanks:)

[kywildcatfanone]

Very nice review. Thanks for sharing.

 

Mike

[umpire30]

for a wonderful review. Eagerly awaiting my September sailing.

Jim

[aloisia]

Sounds like everyone enjoyed their cruise and picked terrific excursions. So many choices and not enough time on each island.

 

NicksPhilly…I regret not eating at the Caribe Café for “beer fest”. Heard it was delicious!!

 

Sunluva7…. Yes, there are paths, stairs and platforms to watch your daughter’s from. Even some benches to rest on if your ankle troubles you.

You will have lots of spots to take photos.

 

Speaking of photos… I purchased a disposable water camera specifically for Jamaica. Took all 27 pics at Dunn Fall & tubing.

As we were proceeding through the security screening in FLL, my carry on bag seemed to create a small bit of excitement in the X-ray machine.

(enough to warrant a hand search) :eek: The culprit was the water camera and the nice TSA person stated the camera should not have gone through X ray machine, (that I had probably ruined all the photos), instead I should have taken the camera out and handed it over for a different check.

I sure the majority of travelers already know this but for the few of us who don’t, I decided to pass this little tidbit along. ;)

[BballinQT24]

Thanks for posting the great review!

[Hollybelle]

Hollybelle,

Your pics are amazing!!! What a great photographer!! (how come mine don't look like yours? ;))

 

See you are booked on the Dis Dream - wait til you visit Castaway Cay!:)

 

Thanks, aloisia! I totally can't wait for Castaway Cay!!

[NicksPhilly]

I was with my daughter on that excursion. Did we eat lunch together?

 

We were the couple who left our gear in the hut,We skipped lunch because we ate a HUGE breakfast in horizon court buffet.

[MetalManCPA]

We were the couple who left our gear in the hut,We skipped lunch because we ate a HUGE breakfast in horizon court buffet.

 

Cool. You got your stuff back after the first cave (they locked it in), didn't you? That was a great excursion - I thought it was cool snorkeling in the cool mineral water in a cave.

[Northender]

Thanks for the nice review. I am so looking forward to the Emerald next year. I just love the fettucini:):)

[OnVacation11]

I agree that 7 days is not enough... that is why we are doing our 3rd 10-day cruise on the Emerals this Christmas !