Emerald Princess Rome to Barcelona September 26 -October 3 2015 in photos and video

[Gabrielle R.]

SWEET Deal Norris!!!

 

Looking forward to the Next review!

[Jasperdo]

Hi Norris,

 

I haven't been on CC much this last month. I've been catching up on the rest of your review these last few days. I'm very sorry to hear what happened to you. Very disturbing! Glad to hear you're doing ok. Hopefully they'll catch those so-and-so's soon.

 

Getting back to your review. It was terrific as always. I especially enjoy when you show us places that are not normally photographed. The well known monuments are fine, but street scenes, views out the bus window, what the inside of the terminal looks like: these are the sort of thing that makes your reviews stand out. It's been a joy to read another of your reviews. Please post a link to your Celebrity cruise review here on the Princess board, so we can follow you along on that one as well.

 

John

[Bimmer09]

John, thanks for the response and I'm glad you made it all the way from start to finish.

 

I just started to read it on Friday and although I haven't finished it, it would clock in at a 9 hour read ( I read a third in 3 hours).

 

I enjoy seeing the monuments and the art that draws such big crowds but local neighborhoods are interesting to me too as they are so far removed from Chicago or anywhere else in the USA and that's the draw that gets us on a ship in the first place. The crowds are something you have to endure in Italy-they come in droves for the same reason we do.

 

I'll pop into the Princess board with a link to the X review when I start it. We are both looking forward to a break after our recent drama and the aftermath. Our stolen car becomes lost next Tuesday and that will mean having to buy a new (used) one. We have had to replace some electronics out of pocket and hope the insurance company comes through for us soon. No arrests yet.

 

Everything will be new to us on Celebrity Silhouette and I'm sure we'll find things that are good. If there's the bad and the ugly I'll let you know.

 

Hope to see you during the X review!

 

Thanks for the kind compliments on the Emerald review!

 

Norris

[KidCruze]

Thank you for writing this review. I have now read the entire thread, and it only took me 3 weeks! I recommend inserting a little humor in your next review, maybe even sarcasm (hopefully you're picking up on mine). I would like to echo the previous posters' sympathy. So sorry to hear about the burglary. Good luck dealing with the insurance company. I'm off to read your other reviews.

[Bimmer09]

Thank you for writing this review. I have now read the entire thread, and it only took me 3 weeks! I recommend inserting a little humor in your next review, maybe even sarcasm (hopefully you're picking up on mine). I would like to echo the previous posters' sympathy. So sorry to hear about the burglary. Good luck dealing with the insurance company. I'm off to read your other reviews.

 

A new screen name to me, so a huge welcome to you!

 

I'm glad you read the whole thread and didn't give up. Eating Wheaties for breakfast actually works!

 

I don't put any humor in my reviews as cruising is a serious business.

 

Life is back to normal but for the empty rooms, stolen car, Police business and the Insurance Company. We're searching for another car, which is fun ( I mean that!)

 

Onward and upward!!

 

Glad to hear you are off to read the other reviews.We've had some great cruises.

 

Thanks for the kind words-much appreciated!

 

Norris

[Pmorton3360]

Carol and Norris, Merry Christmas to you both. Hope life is getting to normal. Show your pictures all the time. It was a beautiful pictorial. Thank you again for all you put into it. Want you to know it was appreciated by many.

[Bimmer09]

Carol and Norris, Merry Christmas to you both. Hope life is getting to normal. Show your pictures all the time. It was a beautiful pictorial. Thank you again for all you put into it. Want you to know it was appreciated by many.

 

Thanks for the kind greetings and Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you too.

 

Good news is one of the perps (the guy who beat me) was wearing orange when he sat down to Xmas dinner in his cell yesterday. The others are on the lam after committing a home invasion at gunpoint a couple of weeks ago with him holding the gun-so the wheels of justice have been turning.

 

Our stolen car was recovered after a police chase in Indiana two weeks ago. Insurance had already considered it lost and cut us a check so we have a new car and a four year payment ahead.

 

Home insurance is taking a while and a great deal of research on our part but it's now in their lap.

 

3 weeks from today we'll be in Ft Lauderdale, ready and eager to join Celebrity Silhouette!!

 

So all is well and thanks for asking!

 

Norris

[SOLIVITA LADY]

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you both. Enjoy your Celebrity cruise. Will look forward to your review. May the new year bring you health, happiness and peace.

 

Jackie

SOLIVITA LADY

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

[Bimmer09]

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you both. Enjoy your Celebrity cruise. Will look forward to your review. May the new year bring you health, happiness and peace.

 

Jackie

SOLIVITA LADY

 

Jackie, great to hear from you and thanks for the good wishes-which I wish right back at you!

 

A new year and a new cruise line to experience. No other cruises planned beyond January but now we'll have two options to consider, as I don't have any reason to think that X won't appeal to us. Of course the Proof of the Pudding....

 

Hope to see you on the Celebrity Board last week of January....

 

Norris

[SOLIVITA LADY]

Merry Christmas and a happy New Year to you both. Enjoy your Celebrity cruise. Will look forward to your review. May the new year bring you health, happiness and peace.

 

Jackie

SOLIVITA LADY

 

Jackie, great to hear from you and thanks for the good wishes-which I wish right back at you!

 

A new year and a new cruise line to experience. No other cruises planned beyond January but now we'll have two options to consider, as I don't have any reason to think that X won't appeal to us. Of course the Proof of the Pudding....

 

Hope to see you on the Celebrity Board last week of January....

 

Norris

 

I'll definitely be there:)

 

Jackie

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

[Jasperdo]

Norris,

 

Good to hear there's been some progress on your unfortunate situation. You've been on my mind. Don't forget to throw a link to your review this way, so we can follow along. Have only been on Celebrity once, the Meridian, way back when. They've come a long way since then.

 

John

[jlf1]

Norris,

 

Best wishes to you and Carol for a happy and healthy New Year.

 

I am eagerly awaiting your next review.

 

Judy

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

 

Good to hear there's been some progress on your unfortunate situation. You've been on my mind. Don't forget to throw a link to your review this way, so we can follow along. Have only been on Celebrity once, the Meridian, way back when. They've come a long way since then.

 

John

 

John and Judy, thanks for the good wishes.

 

We sail on the 17th and with 2 sea days on the trip home from St Maarten I should have most of my photos ready to go by the time we hit Chicago on the 25th so check the X board a month from now.

 

Any posts I respond to on the Princess board will have a link attached once I start and have a URL.

 

Everything on the Silhouette will be new and unfamiliar so that is good and the ship offers more dining options than we're used to. Will the service and the food satisfy the way it does on Princess? We have to find out for ourselves and the same goes for entertainment, things to do on sea days etc. We're going in expecting "different" not "better" but will be pleasantly surprised if it is.

 

A few gripes aside (usually highlighted in my reviews) we've been happy sailing Princess but another viable option would be nice to have.

 

Happy New Year to all!

 

Look out for us on sailaway day Jan 17....corner aft, 2 decks up. PE webcam will be zooming in for our frenzied waving. I have Carol practicing her wave...

 

Norris

[perfect match]

I am going to have to check the PE webcam archives to see your sailaway since I wasn't watching last weekend. Missing a great webcam wave isn't like me at all, but I'm glad to know your review will be up soon on the X board. I will be looking for you there.

 

Hope you have had a great cruise! Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and you will have a stress free return flight to Chicago.

[Jasperdo]

Norris just started his Celebrity Silhouette review over on the X Board. Here's the link for all who are interested:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2306122

[MGnut]

Norris just started his Celebrity Silhouette review over on the X Board. Here's the link for all who are interested:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2306122

 

Thanks for the heads-up!

[Jasperdo]

Thanks for the heads-up!

No problem. I'm sure a lot of the Princess people will enjoy this review. Edited January 26, 2016 by Jasperdo

[Bimmer09]

Thanks for alerting the Princess Board re my X review-I have welcomed many of them over there.

 

If anyone needs some first hand advice/questions asked regarding the S Class experience please pop over and hopefully I can answer.

 

Once I am done on the X Board there will be a Princess/Celebrity comparison which I'll put on the Princess Board.

 

Cheers,

 

Norris

[Deck Chair Queen]

Carol here. I'm a bit late with this but I wanted to thank all the wonderful people who offered best wishes, prayers, and sympathy after our November From Hell. We are still awaiting an insurance check from the homeowners insurance company, if you can believe it. And that's with complete documentation of ownership, price, and replacement vale for every item stolen. State Farm, which insured the car, cut us a check (Blue Book value only, alas) within a week. But we just got back from a wonderful CRUISE and nobody can appreciate like you folks can how being at sea makes you forget all your troubles. Thanks again and be sure to read Norris's latest epic (augmented with a new GoPro) on the Celebrity board.

[Pmorton3360]

Glad your spirit is renewed after all this. And thank you for the wonderful journey you have both taken us on.

[Lin336]

Hi Norris,

 

I've been going back and forth between the Celebrity board to the Princess board to read your reviews. We always enjoy them and look forward to many more. Do you post reviews on your other travels - i.e. trains, etc?

 

Also, so sorry about the home invasion and all that followed!

 

Linda

[Bimmer09]

Hi Norris,

 

I've been going back and forth between the Celebrity board to the Princess board to read your reviews. We always enjoy them and look forward to many more. Do you post reviews on your other travels - i.e. trains, etc?

 

Also, so sorry about the home invasion and all that followed!

 

Linda

 

Linda, thanks for reading the reviews on both boards!

 

I have a blog address at the bottom of my signature which is for our land travels-there are about 300 entries at the moment-mainly USA and Western Europe destinations, most of them driving vacations. They all have photos and some have videos.

 

I am away from the blog while I write the Celebrity review but there's a lot of reading material! Start at the beginning which I think was our Germany trip in 2013-the one we cancelled a cruise for.

 

Cheers,

 

Norris

[quilter49]

Norris,

I found this review today and stopped at page 35! It was addicting. I can't wait to finish it tomorrow. My dream has always been to get to the Cinque Terra. Your pictures just confirmed this. I truly appreciate the time that you put into this. I feel like this is a Trilogy of sorts for me. I will go back and catch your other Med and then follow you on X. We have never been on X and I am anxious to see your comparison. I hope you and your wife have a lovely trip. Rick Steves has some tough completion in you! Lisa

[Bimmer09]

Norris,

I found this review today and stopped at page 35! It was addicting. I can't wait to finish it tomorrow. My dream has always been to get to the Cinque Terra. Your pictures just confirmed this. I truly appreciate the time that you put into this. I feel like this is a Trilogy of sorts for me. I will go back and catch your other Med and then follow you on X. We have never been on X and I am anxious to see your comparison. I hope you and your wife have a lovely trip. Rick Steves has some tough completion in you! Lisa

 

Hi and thank you for the kind comments!

 

If you read the Venice to Rome one and some photos say Not available just click on the X and you'll see them on Flickr.

 

By the time you get to my current X review it may be finished and you can read straight through. I'm about 600 posts in so far. A long read.

 

Rick is our hero and has introduced us to some great locations in Europe.

 

Cheers!

 

Norris

[Cruise-Crazzy]

It was a great cruise. Your pictures bring fond memories. Thank You for sharing.