Emerald Princess 11/17- 11/27 Highlights

[RMM34667]

Totally enjoyed my Emerald Princess cruise. To jumbled to do a proper review but wanted to share some Highlights.

 

I cruised with my 78 yr old Mom and we had a great time. Also had a friend board for BVE on the 17th. That part did not go smoothly because of the port congestion. We took the Cruise Connection bus (now run by Escort) from New Port Richey FL and after 8 trips with them never again.

 

We were late for arrival and my friends choose to wait instead of VIP boarding. When we did board together the staff did not know what to do with the BVE guests. They actually told us to "just bring them on the ship". Finally we had someone come down and bring us on. We had a terrific lunch and having them with us just made our embarking special. Hated to see them leave. They did LOVE the ship and are hoping to join us for the Royal 5 day in October.

 

Our inside cabin on the Baja deck was perfect. We had plenty of storage and the cabin never seemed too small for the two of us. I really spent very little time there.

 

We did the Lobster lunch catamaran tour in Antigua. LOVED it. I was a little concerned about my Mom being comfortable aboard but it was never an issue. We did visit 3 different beaches and we enjoyed them all. My Mom was easily able to get on and off to swim. None of the beaches had any types of chairs on shore. That would have made it better, but she handled it well anyway. However the 6 hour tour was a little too much for her. She laid down when we returned to the cabin and didn't get up till the next morning. At this point she did start complaining about a scratchy throat and was beginning to cough some.

 

On St. Lucia we picked up a tour at the port. It was a taxi/van which we shared with three couples. Really enjoyed their company as well as the sites on St. Lucia. I will admit the driving up and over the mountains on the narrow winding roads was like a roller coaster ride (which I don't enjoy) but it was worth ever moment of it. I think St. Lucia is the most beautiful island I've ever visited.

 

On Barbados we toured Harrison's Cave. Another awesome day. My cheap camera wasn't capable of capturing the spectacular sights. But it was a really great experience.

 

We toured St. Kitts on the scenic railway. Perfect choice for us. We saw so much of the island. It's an 18 mile ride on the tram followed by the 12 mile ride back to port.

 

St. Thomas we met up with my sister and her husband and went to Secret Harbor. Really nice little beach. No crowds, soft sand, restaurant and facilities.

 

By the end of the day Saturday my mother was coughing pretty good and really not feeling well. We missed another night in the MDR. She was feeling awful the next day. She ended up not leaving the cabin for the next two days. Not until dinner Monday night.

 

I ended up just hanging out on the ship for Grand Turk. I should have gone off myself but wanted to be able to check on her often. I was really concerned about the congestion in her chest.

 

I did purchase the 10 bottle wine package but by Monday still had 5 punches left as we missed so many nights in the MDR. I did try to get a bottle to enjoy on deck but was informed you could only use it for dining. So late Monday afternoon I went into the Horizon Court and asked them if I could use it there. They said yes! It did take them quite a while as the waitress had to be a head waiter's OK then go to Vines. I had her retrieve 4 bottles. She seemed shocked at the $10 tip I gave her, but she deserved it with all the running around she had to do. Since I didn't want to lug them home I gave the bottles to the Casino Staff. (Cleared first by the host of course - I wasn't sure they could accept) I did get the last bottle at dinner on Monday but didn't open it and brought it home. Wine package is a great product, but I could have managed it better. Next time I will still buy it, but if I miss dinner will get a bottle from the Horizon Court staff.

 

Anytime dining - yep not well run on the Emerald. On two occasions we were simply told they have no table and to come back later. WHAT? They were not even giving out pagers, just come back. We were not asking for a table for two and were happy to share, but it didn't matter. I told the hostess I would just wait there until a table opened. But they wouldn't hear of that. One night they sent us to DiVinci (before 7:30) and another night they sent us to Boticelli.

 

Food - I can't remember everything I had, but I enjoyed each and every meal. I did prefer to previous menus but I can't complain about anything that was served. Always hot (or warm) and cooked exactly as it should be.

 

Steward - he was great. On the days my mother didn't leave the room he was checking with me constantly to see if we needed anything. He was never instrusive but always there.

 

Casino - I spent WAY WAY too much time and money in the casino. Luckily on day four or five I did hit a penny machine for $1200, but I still left with a loss. The casino staff was really great. Day one Roberto came and introduced himself and bought both my mother and I a drink (even before I spent a ton of money). I don't consider myself a BIG spender or deserving of their constant attention. But they did make me feel special! Always buying me drinks. They noticed my mother was not with me and constantly asked about her and how she was feeling. I have spent more in other ships casinos but never received the service I did on the Emerald. I'd love to sail her again before she leaves in the spring because of them.

 

They only disappointing part of my cruise was my travel arrangements with Cruise Connection. The driving on the way over was new and when turned away at the main entrance spent about 30-40 minutes trying to figure out how to get in the alternative entrance. He did try to call someone from Cruise Connection for assistance but was not able to reach anyone. Then on the way home it seemed they adding two to three additional stops. We ended up spending 7 1/2 hours on the bus for what should have been a 4-5 hour ride (including scheduled stops). We will not use them again.

 

Well, I better get back to my laundry and unpacking!

[highheel girl]

Thanks for the review.

[chipq]

Thanks for sharing. Too bad yhe any time dining did not offer a pager. I like that as an opportunity to hit the lounge for a cocktail before dinner. Great review.

 

http://luv2cruise.blogspot.com

[austinlw]

My wife and I were on the same great cruise. Really enjoyed our traditional MDR waitstaff - Jorge and Felix. Jorge from Portugal was constantly singing Italian songs softly as he did his job (very well I might add). If we even hinted we were having a tough decision, he brought us both choices - sometimes brought an extra entree anyway for my wife and I to share. Jeez, I can't believe how much food we ate in 10 days, and most of it was very good. Went to Crown Grill twice - once for filet mignon and another night for lobster. OMG! It's great to eat like that every once in a while, but after 10 days of it, enough is enough. Now home it's back to oatmeal, salads, and bran muffins for me. ;)

 

We also enjoyed the International Cafe many times. The coffee card was a great deal for us for a 10 day cruise and 2 people. $29 for 15 white chocolate mochas (wife) and cappuchinos (me).

 

Just starting to look at the >1100 pictures and videos I took, and my wife took hundreds more. Some stunning images - I'll put some online in the coming weeks.

 

Great itinerary. Coworkers asked me this morning which island was my favorite. They're all so different, interesting, and beautiful I have no answer. They may just look like little dots on a map, but the contrasts between them are amazing.

[RMM34667]

We did get pagers one night (1st formal) and snagged a table at Vines for the wait.

 

I also got the coffee card. Besides great morning coffee I liked getting the Iced and Frozen Coffees when coming back from port. We were usually hot and tired and it perked us right up!

 

I started with the cough this morning. Making chicken soup to try and nip that in the bud!!

 

Unpacked, laundry done. Now time to focus on the next cruise 10/29 or whatever I find before then!!

[Mom33]

Thanks for the review. I hope your mom is feeling better and that you aren't getting sick now. We did this itinerary last year and really enjoyed all the islands. :)