Live Emerald Princess Panama Canal LA to Ft. Lauderdale 2/16 to 3/3

[pmallen]

And still more.

[pmallen]

Oh, and contrary to what I've read, we.are.getting twice a day servi e by Kurt steward. He's not leaving chocolates anymore, but he freshens the bed and changes towels, picks up, and leaves a patter and other materials.

[Priszm]

My aunt and uncle are on this trip with you. 

[pmallen]

Wow, that's what I get for not proofreading. That's our cabin steward coming by twice a day. I have no idea who Kurt is. 😁

[smelmel]

4 hours ago, pmallen said:

No idea, but I'll try to check.

No worries if you don’t - not going to be a deal breaker 

[pmallen]

Deleted duplicate.

Edited February 20, 2023 by pmallen

[pmallen]

Day 4: Puerto Vallarta.

 

We woke up just in time to watch as the Emeral Princess approaches the port, slip past the final channel markers and, using thrusters only, spin 180 degrees and nestle up to the dock. Extremely impressive.

 

The gangway was down by about 8, and the first passengers were getting off then.

 

We had time for a breakfast in the buffet, then headed down for our 9:20 excursion departure: the ATV adventure. This was a blast! We took about a 45 min van ride up the Rio Cuale to Canyon River adventures (or something like that). We got a quick safety bringing g on the semi-automatic four-wheelers, were given bandanas, goggles and helmets, and we were off. We got about 90 min of riding on a variety of trails, with a .id-point water break at a gorgeous overlook. 

 

We then came back to their .ain't facility, which was a massive tiki lodge-type building that housed a restaurant and bar. The signage Saif "Fiesta on the Mountain," and it was a huge party, with many local families there for the day, a mariachi band, and more. The food and drink there weren't included, and we only had about 40 min., so we had a couple beers and enjoyed the music before our ride down. This was all on a Sunday, don't know if.that meant there was .ore.going on then there usually would be.

 

Once we got back to the dock, we headed out.for some shopping as one of us (ahem) had missed that section of the closet where.the slacks and a couple dress shirts were hanging.

 

Anyway, right next.to the much-written-about Walmart is a full service shopping mall. One of the anchors there is a store called Liverpool, which is very similar to a Macy's.  We found some Dockers and a couple dress shirts, and they had a wide range of sizes, if you know what I mean.

 

Fashion disaster averted, we headed back to the ship for our usual evening routine. The only development of not: DW ordered a sidecar in Crooners, and wendiacivered they were running out of cognac! The horrors!! This would never happen on Celebrity, am I right ? (If you know, you know).

 

Anyway, after dinner we took a pass on the ventriloquist (maybe someone else on this cruise can share), and spent time in the casino.

 

Another successful day.

[amypete]

We were just on the Emerald a month ago! So it's fun to read your journey, as we also stayed at the same hotel. The Doubletree is a good place to stay - and on embarkation morning, I swear everyone is going on the same cruise! We did ask for a ride reservation right when we got there mid afternoon... they were full when we needed to leave but they got another transport to get us there !! It was around 930 or 10 am

 

We had a group of 6. We liked to meet up at Crooners or Vines - so if you meet any of those waitstaff, they are all awesome. Have a wonderful cruise! We were unable to stop in Cartegna due to the weather but otherwise all went as planned. 

[gottagocit]

On 2/16/2023 at 8:58 PM, gottagocit said:

We are sailing on the emerald in April and we’re about to add a coffee card to my FIL’s booking but the card appears to no longer be available for pre-cruise purchase. Now I’m seeing a thread on the Princess board where others are reporting the same problem. Have you been able to purchase them since boarding? Also were you able to still exchange your elite cabin bar setup for coffee cards?  
Growing a little concerned Princes may be preparing to eliminate the card or roll in exclusively under the premium drink program or something crazy like that. 
thanks 

I think maybe my original question from post #10 was overlooked and I’m hoping someone might see it to help clarify what the situation is onboard with coffee cards. They appear to no longer be available for precruise purchase.
Are they available and were you still able to exchange your mini bar for a pair of them after boarding? 

[pmallen]

1 hour ago, gottagocit said:

I think maybe my original question from post #10 was overlooked and I’m hoping someone might see it to help clarify what the situation is onboard with coffee cards. They appear to no longer be available for precruise purchase.
Are they available and were you still able to exchange your mini bar for a pair of them after boarding? 

Sorry, I missed this. We got Plus included with our fare via our TA, so I really don't know anything about coffee cards, and all our coffee drinks have been included. We aren't elite, so we had no bar setup to exchange.

[pmallen]

Dat 5: At Sea

 

This is our third sea day, and we really love this much time not being in port. For us, relaxing with no where o go is what makes a cruise such a special vacation. Unfortunately, that may make this a boring report for some.

 

We spent most of the day in the Sanctuary. We're in the second row, so we have filtered sun through the  canvas covers, not full shade behind the hard roof you get in the first row. I'm very fair-skinned, and don't find this a problem, though I wear sunscreen and a hat. Your mileage may vary.

 

Today was DW's 60th, so I stopped by Effy to see if I might find her something nice. Indeed! It's a very nice jewelry store. Very nice. Very, very nice. Hard to find anything under $1,000. I went to another shop with jewelry and got a nice necklace and earrings. I got to the restaurant just ahead of our group, and asked the hostess if they could deliver it with dessert. I had identified today as her birthday pre-cruise, so at dessert, about 10 staff gathered, sang Happy Birthday,  gave her the gift, and the special birthday chocolate dessert with a candle. Very nice.

 

A couple random thoughts:

 

Internet. I find it very acceptable. I checked my download speed yesterday,  and got 2.4 Mbps. I'm able to check email, use the web, upload pictures here, and play the occasional Clash of Clans (don't judge) without losing the connection. One of our travel companions did a video call with her granddaughter today. A little glitchy, but it worked. I wouldn't try a full-blown work zoom call, but, hey, I'm on vacation here.

 

Mesallion App. OK, I may be a small minority, but I find it useful, and think it works just fine. That is, while on the ship, and in airplane mode. I agree with everyone else, it wasn't great on shore pre-cruise. And when we first boarded, I came to learn medallion net and cellular  don't work together at all. Also we both had a problem after connecting to medallion net where the app would just spin. We went down to the line at the internet cafe (Q: whats your job on the cruise ship? A: I explain the internet to 80-year-olds. They don't pay those guys near enough) and found out logging out and back in resolves it (now, you don't have to stand in line. You're welcome!).

 

Once that was resolved, it works great. Ordering food, checking your bill, all work as expected. The "find your shipmate" function is awesome. We even managed to lock ourselves on our balcony one morning (don't ask), and the CrewCall Chat feature had us sprung in about 10 min.

 

That's all for now. See you tomororw.

[pmallen]

Another random observation, before I forget again: cabin location.

 

We are on deck 9 (Dolphin), on the port side about 5 cabins from the stern. We're right across from the deck 9 laundry. I was concerned about this, pre-cruise, worrying about noise and traffic.

 

Turns out, it's been AWESOME! First, there's no noise at all. The laundry has a double door, and the inner one is quite heavy and seals, so there's no noise st all.

 

But the access is the really great feature. There are 2 washers, and 2 dryers, but one of the dryers doesn't work. That,  plus ordinary demand, means it can take some time to get an opening. With this arrangement, instead of lugging everything down to the laundry only to find it busy, I can check first, and if it's open grab the clothes in our cabin across the hall. 

 

Very handy!

[pmallen]

Day 6: Huatulco, Mexico

 

This is a tiny little port we've never heard of before, but it's kind of cool. I imagine it's what Cabo must have been like 50 years ago. It seems the cruise lines have invested here as an alternative to other nearby ports like Acapulco.

 

That said, we didn't see any excursions that looked very interesting, so we stayed on board. DW had a full spa day, and got a spa shave, which has become a bit of a cruise tradition.

 

This is the first day where the weather has really warmed up, hitting 90f pretty early. Without a breeze across the deck, it was pretty warm. I camped out in a corner of Skywalkers with few similar to the bridge wing, but 5 decks higher. It ended up being really outstanding for sailaway. We only pushed away maybe 10 feet from the dock before getting under way. Very impressive.

 

Let's talk food.

 

Now, when I read that people liked or didn't like the food on a cruise, I get a little frustrated because I don't know what else they like or don't like. If they say "Crown Grill was terrible," it matters whether it turns out they like their steak well done with A1. I'm not criticizing that choice, just observing their taste is different than mine.

 

So, for background, we're not extreme foodies by any means. However, Portland, where we live is a pretty good food city. There's an incredible array of fresh, local ingredients, with great local beer and wine making and local distilling. Chains are less common. We aren't big fans of places like Applebee's or Olive Garden. We like seasonings, strong flavors, and love seafood.

 

So that's us.

 

We've thought the food has consistently been very good. The dining room dinners have been excellent. The dishes are creative and very well prepared. Portions are just right, and served the right temperature. The meat is cooked appropriately to order, and fish dishes are not overcooked. The lobster tails last were outstanding.

 

We haven't eaten much lunch after embarkation. We've enjoyed tea in the Sanctuary. 

 

We've had breakfast in the buffet every day, and it's very good, with a wide variety. The fruit has been nicely ripe (I really hate buffet Mellon that's hard as a rock). There are American and British breakfast staples, meats and cheeses, bagels and lox, and more. Everything is well labeled, so of you read "they had some kind of meat in sauce," someone is pulling your leg, I think.

 

Also, service has been very good. We have late seating in Botticelli,  and have had the same table and servers throughout, without needing to ask. Staffing seems ample, though I'm told we are about 75% full.

 

[pmallen]

To clarify, I got the spa shave, not DW. 😎

[no1racefan1]

2 hours ago, pmallen said:

To clarify, I got the spa shave, not DW. 😎

TBH, I was trying to figure out what kind of spa service this entailed for DW! Glad you clarified 😄

[mlgb]

Helpful report, the menus look very similar to February 2022, when I did a Mexican Riviera itinerary on Majestic before it took off for Australia (going to Mazatlan was not off the table then). I am booked on the Grand for Alaska early season so interested to see how it differs from Majestic.  I may change to late seating, hoping it will be less chaotic.  I can always "pre dine" in the buffet if hungry. 

Edited February 23, 2023 by mlgb

[memoak]

18 minutes ago, mlgb said:

Helpful report, the menus look very similar to February 2022, when I did a Mexican Riviera itinerary on Majestic before it took off for Australia (going to Mazatlan was not off the table then). I am booked on the Grand for Alaska early season so interested to see how it differs from Majestic.  I may change to late seating, hoping it will be less chaotic.  I can always "pre dine" in the buffet if hungry. 

It will be very different since you are going from a Royal class to a Grand class. No bistro la Mer no full service Alfredo’s (pizza only ) etc.

 

 

 

 

 

[mlgb]

I did read about Alfredo's being pizza only. Majestic also has the Noodle Bar instead of Salty Dog (I think). More interested in the ship layout (I did not like the very narrow "promenade" on Majestic). Looks like the Grand has a better layout for walkers. Not sure what the viewing options will be for Glacier Bay since I cheaped out and didn't book a balcony.  On HAL they open the bow but it seems that is not going to be an option from what I can tell. 

[pmallen]

1 hour ago, mlgb said:

I did read about Alfredo's being pizza only. Majestic also has the Noodle Bar instead of Salty Dog (I think). More interested in the ship layout (I did not like the very narrow "promenade" on Majestic). Looks like the Grand has a better layout for walkers. Not sure what the viewing options will be for Glacier Bay since I cheaped out and didn't book a balcony.  On HAL they open the bow but it seems that is not going to be an option from what I can tell. 

The bow and the deck over the bridge have been open until today, when the wind picked up significantly.  Even then, the narrow walkway in front of the fitness center was open. The deck above skywalkers would also be a good option.

[mlgb]

Thanks pmallen, for the reply.

[Musky Ike]

Thanks for the info. We were on the Emerald last month and will be back on the day you disembark. One week from tomorrow 😁. We have the plus package and and I wondered where the new juice bar will be on the Emerald. Probably not going yet for your cruise, as it was for sailings starting on the 20th. Some ships are having problems rolling out the new stuff.

[JeffM1]

Thanks for doing this "Live" from, we are same ship, same cruise, same direction in just over a month.  Just curious, is anyone wearing masks any more while on board, either guest or staff?  Thanks!

[pmallen]

Days 7 & 8: At Sea

 

Thus update will be brief, as we've slipped into our sea day routine, in which not much happens, by design. 

 

We start the day in the fitness center, then get breakfast in the buffet, enjoying it on deck by the Windjammer bar. After that, DW heads to the Sanctuary, and I head to the casino to see if the 10am poker tournament will happen (they require 8 players, and we've usually been short). Day 7 we made it, and played the tourney, followed by a cash game. If there's no tourney, about 6 of us just play cash.

 

After poker, Deal Or No Deal was held in the Theater. If you want a card, it costs $25. This gives you a shot at one of the two opportunities to be the on-stage contestant, and to play a matching-type game in the audience. Or its fun to go watch for free. Took about an hour.

 

I also got a back and shoulder massage today, very nice.

 

Day 7 was our second formal night, and dinner included lobster and chateaubriand. Outstanding food, with extra lobster tails all around.

 

Day 8 we went to the Crown Grill. I think I solved the "is it good or not" mystery, at least for me. The atmosphere is very nice, and communicates high-end steak house. However, they pretty clearly serve well-prepared choice cuts, not prime cuts. Now, it think the steaks were very good, and the sides and desserts were outstanding. But I can see how someone expecting prime steaks might be disappointed by the same experience.

 

Day 7 went to the disco production show. Very entertaining, especially given the cast came on the same day we did.

 

Closed out both evenings in the casino.

 

 

[pmallen]

6 hours ago, JeffM1 said:

Thanks for doing this "Live" from, we are same ship, same cruise, same direction in just over a month.  Just curious, is anyone wearing masks any more while on board, either guest or staff?  Thanks!

A word about Covid. It's over. Or, at least, that's what the evidence after a week on board looks like. 

 

By day, I'm a public health professional, so I don't take Covid lightly. At all.

 

Here's what I've seen so far. Almost no masks. I did some counting at a theater event early on and saw maybe 5% of the audience wearing masks. Maybe. And the percentage has dropped, if anything. Staff seems to be in the same range. More importantly, after a week, I've seen only one "Covid table" outside a cabin door, and that one was on another deck. In large crowds, I've not heard much coughing. I know a cough isn't a definitive symptom anymore, but it's still a symptom, and if Covid was running wild, fter a week you'd hear at least some more in a lounge or theater.

 

Bottom line is most people have evolved their evaluation of risk. There are effective vaccines and treatments.  High quality masks protect the wearer. Covid is still a lot more contagious and potentially deadly than flu, for example, but it's a fraction of the risk it was in 2020.

 

And our experience on this cruise seems to bear that out. Your mileage may vary, of course.

[PescadoAmarillo]

COVID may be over but the Ruby Princess hasn’t gotten the message. DH came home Sunday, and tested positive Monday morning.  He’s fine, just had sniffles, and is already testing negative, but my susceptibility to getting quite sick totally disrupted our lives until today. My risk evaluation is not changing anytime soon.