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There is a First Time for Everything! Live from the Emerald Princes-- 3/10-3/14, 2016

TracieABD

By TracieABD,
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TracieABD "Live from...." Rare

TracieABD

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March 14, 2016

Disembarkation Day

 

Hi friends-

 

Sadly the cruise is over... and as Chris of CRLess fame said, I ran out of gas (internet) last night so no more posting for me. BTW it sucks up a tremendous amount of internet to check in on American Airlines. Do they really need to ask all those questions?

 

I ate at the Salty Dog last night. <insert emphatic YUM!!! here>. We started with breadsticks and a small pot of cheese fondue. Then they brought a salad with prosciutto and parmesan crisps, they also brought a separate bowl of truffle fries. These were starters to share. I really loved the salad- it was lightly dressed in lemon and very, very tasty. Then each of us ordered three small plates from the menu (small is a bit of an understatement). I had the grilled cheese and white tomato soup, the spicy short ribs, and Ernesto's hamburger (poor Ernesto- I ate his hamburger). This equaled a huge amount of food for one person. I loved all of it, but Ernesto's hamburger was the standout. Chris exclaimed it was the best burger he had ever had. And truly, it was up there with the best burger I ever had (BURGR in Las Vegas). We finished off with desserts- my choice was the "Coffee and donuts"- which was a espresso mousse and little jelly donut holes. So great! There was an upcharge of $19 and it was more than worth it. Should you decide to try this, go easy on the food earlier in the day- this is a lot of deliciousness in one meal. I felt a little sorry for Brenda, as she had hit the "food wall" and the shear amount of food was overwhelming. Thank you to Chris and Brenda for the lovely meal and amazing company. Rarely do I make it through a 3 hour meal, but I could have chatted a whole lot longer.

 

My original plan was to see Magic To Do after dinner, but there was no way I was going to make it through a 53 minute show. So I walked back to the Botticelli dining room to make a proper goodbye to Enzo and Gabor, my waitstaff. After that, it was straight up to the room. .... and done! I am very sorry, PA, I did not see Francesco to send your message. He is such a nice man.

 

I had completed most of my packing earlier in the day, so I did some last minute things and crawled into the bed for the last time. I slept pretty fitfully, and then overslept this morning. I woke at 7:15 for a 7:25 walk off-- I went ahead and showered, finished up the last of the packing and headed down stairs, where I was notified that because I had missed my walk-off, I could disembark at 10:30. Ummmmm.... My flight is at 10:20. So I just pretended that she was kidding and just queued up with the rest of the current walk-offs and walked off! No, they did not stop me. No, they did not ask for my walk of card. No, there was no issue. The longest wait was for the escalator-- as the port people were strictly enforcing the "one hand rule". I was good, so I did not have to wait in the loooooooooooooooong elevator line. I showed my Global Entry card, by-passed a line, and was through customs in a couple of minutes (one couple ahead of me). I grabbed a shuttle to the airport with the loudest (and I suspect- still drunk) batch of people. Of course, American is the last stop, but at least is was quiet and all the Trailer Trash jokes stopped.

 

The airport was a breeze. After I printed my boarding pass, I entered the TSA Pre-check line as the only person. Once again, shoes on, computer in, liquids in- walk through and done. I was at my gate within 26 minutes of lining up to leave the ship. I still would not risk booking an earlier flight. So much can get wonky so fast. I would rather sit at the airport with an hour or two to spare than risk missing a flight. That is just me.

 

So that is it. I am at the end of my first solo cruise, and I survived! I will write my final thoughts in the next day or two, but for now, I want to get this posted while the internet is free.

 

Thank you for cruising along!

More later-

Tracie-Lynn :) :)

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sunsetbeachgal

sunsetbeachgal

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Enjoyed your thread very much! Glad you made it on time. We decided late the night before to do Express walk off on our recent cruise on the Coral (hubby always worries about someone else taking our luggage by mistake!) and no one asked for any type of card either.

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RNGALNG

RNGALNG

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May your flight be as easy as getting off the ship was!

 

 

About the walk. . . Where in the patter was it? I guess I didn't read it close enough on our b2b 5/4 day trips. We did a lot of promenade walking and would have participated too!

 

Congratulations on your first solo trip! You won the gold medal!

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WisCruiser2

WisCruiser2

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May your flight be as easy as getting off the ship was!

 

 

About the walk. . . Where in the patter was it? I guess I didn't read it close enough on our b2b 5/4 day trips. We did a lot of promenade walking and would have participated too!

 

Congratulations on your first solo trip! You won the gold medal!

 

We'll be sure to do it on our January cruise (you can wait & do it with us during that leg :D) If they're still having it, that is!

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PhotoFlo

PhotoFlo

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Thanks Tracie, it was a great cruise and I am so glad your first solo cruise went so well! It was great meeting you and our other cc friends.

Interestingly enough, John and I didn't get ANY paperwork on when to disembark. We just went to the dining room when we were ready and at the same time they called walk off 8. We just fell in line with them, no questions asked. Thank goodness!

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Astro Flyer

Astro Flyer

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Thanks Tracie for taking the time (and Internet minutes) to share your experiences...your love of cruising was very evident! :D

 

Your writing style is great & I was able to vicariously enjoy your cruise while sitting at home waiting for our cruise next month. ;)

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WISH84

WISH84

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So I purposely waited until your cruise was over to make any comments. And I only have one: Fantastic.

 

Yet again you have taken me on your journey and it was wonderful. Your artful declarations, colorful descriptions and insightful musings have me wanting more. You did say you were cruising in June with the DH. Right?

 

My DW and I enjoyed several of the old Love Boat shows from season one when we were on the Regal last December and we said the same thing about the passengers and staff aboard the Pacific Princess. Weren't the 80's grand?

 

Thank you Tracie.. very well done indeed.

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TracieABD "Live from...." Rare

TracieABD

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Hi friends-

So here it is, my final wrap up. I will stick around to answer questions, banter, giggle, and drink a cup of coffee with ya'all if you are so inclined!

 

I loved the Emerald. It was a really pretty ship. My last three cruises have been on the Royal (x2) and the Coral. Coming back to this class ship was like coming home. I could find everything (except my cabin a few times- kept getting turned around).

 

I do believe that the crew were a bit exhausted, as this cruise was neatly sandwiched by two college spring-break debacles, um, I mean voyages. My cabin steward was working so hard to just get slightly ahead. I tried my best to keep the room super tidy. I even made my own bed most days. That man just needed a break. I hope he did not spend more that 5 minutes in my cabin at any one time.

 

The service was very good as a whole, but there were a few tiny misses. The stewards in the Sanctuary just did not have the "get up and go" that I have become accustomed to. The service at the Salty Dog was a bit spotty. We waited for a long time (probably close to 45 minutes) for our dishes to be cleared. But mostly, the service was at the typical Princess standard- which is wonderful. I do have to send a shout out to the baristas in the IC. The singing, the dancing, the spot-on ordering system coupled with some of the best coffee I have had on any ship made them service stand-outs!

 

My first inside cabin was a new experience. I liked that it was really dark. It was also very cozy with ample storage, but I don't believe that I could share it with another human. I just need a bit more space. But, if traveling solo, I would book an inside again. I do think that if I were on a voyage longer than a week, I would probably asked to have one bed removed (I don't move much in my sleep). I might also beg for one of those little barrel chairs like they have in the balcony rooms. I am not sure that it would be feasable, but for me, it would be perfect! Oh, and I still don't know what that little box by the headboard is... it is not a light switch. Wish I had taken a picture- (but even if I did, I would not know how to post it. )

 

The food was really good. I worked hard not to eat myself into a coma- but that could not be avoided. I loved that the menus were well rounded. And I did not mind eating alone most nights. It gave me a chance to do some writing.

 

Is solo cruising for me? I am not sure. The jury is still out on that one. I loved certain aspects, but I did miss my husband. A lot. A really, really lot. I think I was fortunate as I got "adopted" by a number of people- like Chris and Brenda, members of our really active roll call, and some other friends. And I truly appreciated that I was thought about by my friends on land too. Keith made some really special arrangements for me, Carolyn and Jeannie were super encouraging. I know that my husband was reading and quietly rooting for me! I am just not sure. To be honest, the cruising part was fine. It was the airport stuff that sort of threw me. (I have traveled alone for business for decades-- It just feels different to be traveling for vacation alone). I will have to spend a little more time processing the past weekend. And then I will probably book another solo cruise! That is just how I operate. You know, like a Golden Retriever:)

 

I really appreciate that ya'all followed along. I was very aware that I was never alone! Thank you for your encouraging and kind words.

 

All done now!

Tracie-Lynn :):)

Edited by TracieABD
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Colo Cruiser

Colo Cruiser

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Yeah!! What a great cruise! Glad you made it home safely.

 

If its the same thing I am thinking about.....

I think that device you are talking about by the headboard is an emergency light that comes on during power issues. I have found on some ships it will pull out and you can use it as a flashlight.

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Host CJSKIDS "Live from...." Rare

Host CJSKIDS

Posted
Posted
Hi friends-

So here it is, my final wrap up. I will stick around to answer questions, banter, giggle, and drink a cup of coffee with ya'all if you are so inclined!

 

I loved the Emerald. It was a really pretty ship. My last three cruises have been on the Royal (x2) and the Coral. Coming back to this class ship was like coming home. I could find everything (except my cabin a few times- kept getting turned around).

 

I do believe that the crew were a bit exhausted, as this cruise was neatly sandwiched by two college spring-break debacles, um, I mean voyages. My cabin steward was working so hard to just get slightly ahead. I tried my best to keep the room super tidy. I even made my own bed most days. That man just needed a break. I hope he did not spend more that 5 minutes in my cabin at any one time.

 

The service was very good as a whole, but there were a few tiny misses. The stewards in the Sanctuary just did not have the "get up and go" that I have become accustomed to. The service at the Salty Dog was a bit spotty. We waited for a long time (probably close to 45 minutes) for our dishes to be cleared. But mostly, the service was at the typical Princess standard- which is wonderful. I do have to send a shout out to the baristas in the IC. The singing, the dancing, the spot-on ordering system coupled with some of the best coffee I have had on any ship made them service stand-outs!

 

My first inside cabin was a new experience. I liked that it was really dark. It was also very cozy with ample storage, but I don't believe that I could share it with another human. I just need a bit more space. But, if traveling solo, I would book an inside again. I do think that if I were on a voyage longer than a week, I would probably asked to have one bed removed (I don't move much in my sleep). I might also beg for one of those little barrel chairs like they have in the balcony rooms. I am not sure that it would be feasable, but for me, it would be perfect! Oh, and I still don't know what that little box by the headboard is... it is not a light switch. Wish I had taken a picture- (but even if I did, I would not know how to post it. )

 

The food was really good. I worked hard not to eat myself into a coma- but that could not be avoided. I loved that the menus were well rounded. And I did not mind eating alone most nights. It gave me a chance to do some writing.

 

Is solo cruising for me? I am not sure. The jury is still out on that one. I loved certain aspects, but I did miss my husband. A lot. A really, really lot. I think I was fortunate as I got "adopted" by a number of people- like Chris and Brenda, members of our really active roll call, and some other friends. And I truly appreciated that I was thought about by my friends on land too. Keith made some really special arrangements for me, Carolyn and Jeannie were super encouraging. I know that my husband was reading and quietly rooting for me! I am just not sure. To be honest, the cruising part was fine. It was the airport stuff that sort of threw me. (I have traveled alone for business for decades-- It just feels different to be traveling for vacation alone). I will have to spend a little more time processing the past weekend. And then I will probably book another solo cruise! That is just how I operate. You know, like a Golden Retriever:)

 

I really appreciate that ya'all followed along. I was very aware that I was never alone! Thank you for your encouraging and kind words.

 

All done now!

Tracie-Lynn :):)

 

I'm so glad that you had such a great time and got home safely! Very sorry that our weeks didn't match up, it would have been fun. Chris and Brenda were great people, I had loved meeting them. And thanks for your live-from. It was so fun to read.

 

Let me know if you book another solo cruise. I had wanted to stay on for the 4 night but my husband couldn't. We could have been fun!!

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chamima

chamima

Posted
Posted

Tracie

Thanks for the great Live From and the wrap up.

I also had wondered about traveling solo and your observations really helpful.

 

Our last several cruises have also been on the Royal and I wondered what going back to the Crown, Ruby, Emerald class would be like. Was the Piazza noticeably smaller? Also, I REALLY like that little shelf in the shower to keep my shampoo and conditioner on and your experience with the shower curtain is something that concerned me.

 

 

Thank you for all of the time you took for us!!!

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