FIRST TIME ON PRINCESS

[shiny1]

sailing on the Emerald for the first time. Sailing to New England/Canada stops in September 2023. Any input on the ship?

Ports are Newport RI, Boston, Bar Harbor and Halifax.  Anyone have suggestions on tours, places to see and eat?? Thanks much!!!

[mtnesterz]

There have been several threads about the Emerald lately, and a couple "live from." Have a search for those.  Also, you'll want to join your roll call and get aquainted. We will be on the Emerald in August, so interesting to follow for us too. 

We always book tours through the ship so the website is the only place we look, but on the roll call, others might want to get together for a small group deal or know of local eateries.

One disappointment about the Emerald is I have read the sauna/steam room is no longer free access as it is on other Grand Class ships.

[rbtan]

1 hour ago, shiny1 said:

sailing on the Emerald for the first time. Sailing to New England/Canada stops in September 2023. Any input on the ship?

Ports are Newport RI, Boston, Bar Harbor and Halifax.  Anyone have suggestions on tours, places to see and eat?? Thanks much!!!

I'm from New England so I'll take a shot.

Newport: Take a tour of the gilded age mansions. Good eats near the port

Boston: Do the Freedom trail/Museum of Fine Arts/Public Garden/Seaport district. Food: Mistral/Mooo/Grill 23/Union Oyster House(if you are just meat & potatoes, skip it)

Bar Harbor: Acadia park(a must see) the town itself is rather trashy. Tons of bars & low end restaurants. Seafood should be good, but few of them can even make their own Clam/Fish/Seafood Chowder(always ask if it's made in house. You'll be surprised how few do. Better restaurants outside of town (check OPENTABLE or Reserve online)

Halifax: Not been there, but I hear it's nice. Great seafood should be available near the shore.

[tobyt]

Love the Gardner Art Museum in Boston. Interesting back story of stolen art that adds great intrigue. Shopping on Newbury st, food David’s YUM! Duck tour is also a fun way to see the sights!
 

Newport lots of fun shops and bars, Cliff Walk along the ocean, the Breakers if you have an interest in the cottages, it is the grand dame of them!

[jeromep]

Not sure how long you are in Boston.  I didn't do my homework and look up your cruise to see how long that day there is.  Boston is my favorite east coast city, at least based on my memory of my last visit there.  Never had a bad meal anyplace, the city is generally very clean and tidy.  I can't say the same for other east coast cities I've visited.

 

I agree with doing as much of the Freedom Trail as time allows.  The Paul Revere house is very interesting.  We also got cannoli from one of the noted Italian bakeries, Mike's Pastry, which was very near the freedom trail and we ate at an Italian restaurant also on the freedom trail, just a few doors down from the Paul Revere House called Limoncello.  We thought the food was good.

 

I wasn't on a cruise when we visited Boston so we had a number of days to explore and meander around.  I recommend picking one or two sights to see, or booking a tour of some kind through the excursion desk.

[Thrak]

Very surprised to see Bar Harbor on the list. There has been a lot of talk recently about Bar Harbor no longer wanting ships to stop there.

[WVHillbilly]

In Boston we took an Uber from the port to the Bunker Hill Monument and walked the Freedom Trail in reverse.  It was a really nice day.

 

In Halifax you can walk to the Citadel, see the Titanic Musuem and if you have time the Titanic Cemetary.

[1025cruise]

For port suggestions, go to the ports of call board.

[nini]

We have done this itinerary twice and loved it! We booked private excursions except for Boston, because we went to Salem. Acadia National Park is a must and eating a lobster lunch in town.

We were on the Emerald last May and encountered a cranky crew. This was a FIRST for us as we enjoy Princess. Hopefully, the kinks are worked out.

[wallyj]

5 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

One disappointment about the Emerald is I have read the sauna/steam room is no longer free access as it is on other Grand Class ships.

Hi @mtnesterz, you understand there is no free access to steam/sauna as they were removed from the changing rooms on this ship, so assume you mean disappointed they were removed.
 

Your statement would lead someone to think there is now a ‘fee’ to use.

[skynight]

If you can walk in Boston walk part of the Freedom Trail. Take a cab to the Boston Commons, the start of the trail.

In Newport tour the mansions, or some of them. Entrance tickets are required. You have to take a taxi to get to them from the tender pier.

Halifax. There are lots of places and things to see nearby that you can go to. The ship docks right at the end of a long boardwalk that runs along the harbor. Interesting things along the boardwalk and the back street, including restaurants.

In Bar Harbor suggest you book a tour of the loop road. 

 

[mtnesterz]

12 hours ago, wallyj said:

Hi @mtnesterz, you understand there is no free access to steam/sauna as they were removed from the changing rooms on this ship, so assume you mean disappointed they were removed.
 

Your statement would lead someone to think there is now a ‘fee’ to use.

Took me awhile to find the post I referred to, but here is what I read:

"Hi ..., I believe Princess also removed the complimentary steam and sauna’s in the changing rooms at the Gym. Heard they expanded some spa treatment rooms for accessibility. Have not heard if Princess plans to do this to her sister ships."

Hey, how about that. It was written by, you!

I get it. You are saying the facilities were physically removed, not just complimentary. Using the word, "accessibility," I took you to mean thay had altered the treatment room doorways so that the spa and sauna were accessed from a different place. Like a paid area. OK, thanks. Just want to know what to expect in August.

 

Edited March 24, 2023 by mtnesterz

[wallyj]

Hi @mtnesterz, to try and be a littler clearer, the stream and saunas in the changing rooms were removed/remolded so the Spa could have some accessible/disabled treatment rooms installed in their place, not the entrance/access point when I wrote accessibility.

 

If you are on Emerald for August are you on the 16 day Hawaii or the LA to NY trip?

 

I am currently booked on the 16 day Hawaii as Princess normally does not sail to Hawaii in the summer, so looking forward to warm weather the entire Cruise hopefully.

[mtnesterz]

@wallyj, Hawaii. Didn't see you in the Roll Call. Join us.

[Rick&Jeannie]

@shiny1 don't forget to post on the roll call for your cruise.  You'll get ideas from others who are going to be on the cruise with you.