Live from Emerald Princess, April 16 - May 4, 2023, full Panama transit

[jaycruising]

Huatulco Continued

 

It really is a lovely area, but I would like to come back after the rainy season to see it more green.  It is the end of the dry season so everything is very brown.

 

 

 

 

Back out to see for another full sea day!

[travelin.sisters]

On 5/9/2023 at 5:50 PM, jaycruising said:

Canal Transit Continued

 

 

 

 

 

 

your photos are absolutely gorgeous!!

 

[jaycruising]

11 hours ago, travelin.sisters said:

your photos are absolutely gorgeous!!

 

Thank you so much 🙂

[Ellipooh]

Appreciate the Huatulco review and pics. Reassures me that I don’t have to book an excursion in every port. Like you, I don’t see anything on offer that looks remotely enticing. 

[lakegirl16]

@jaycruising  How has the internet been as you traveled north?

 

Thank you.

 

[jaycruising]

On 5/15/2023 at 8:26 PM, Ellipooh said:

Appreciate the Huatulco review and pics. Reassures me that I don’t have to book an excursion in every port. Like you, I don’t see anything on offer that looks remotely enticing. 

 

We actually ended up really loving our day on the beach, enjoying some refreshments and people watching, it was a fantastic relaxing day!

 

On 5/16/2023 at 7:00 PM, lakegirl16 said:

@jaycruising  How has the internet been as you traveled north?

 

Thank you.

 

The internet was still good, but did slow down a bit once we got to Mexico, but I still could stream, it would just buffer a bit.  Way better then our cruise on Crown in November.

[jaycruising]

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

 

Sadly this was our last port stop.  We arrived on time and had booked the Puerto Vallarta City Highlights tour through Princess.  We met our group in the Michaelangelo dining room, and there were a lot of people going on this excursion, I'm sure they had multiple buses!  Once we left the port we made our way through the city and towards the Malecon and downtown area.  Here are some of the views and statuary you will find down there.  I wish we could have gone down further and dome more exploring.

 

 

A fleet of boats making their way across the bay.

 

Sand Statue

 

 

First views of the Cathedral

 

And of course a sign!

 

This boy reminds me of a statue in Norway.

 

 

[jaycruising]

PV Continued

 

Cobblestone streets

 

Lots of different art, I could have explored for hours

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[jaycruising]

PV Continued

 

The Cathedral is stunning

 

 

 

 

We wandered the streets of downtown, I wouldn't have wanted to get separated as I never would have found our bus as we zigged and zagged through the streets of PV (one guy did, but someone waited for him to catch up)

 

 

 

[jaycruising]

PV Continued

 

From here we did some of the typical PV stuff, going to visit a silver store and then take the long drive out to where they filmed Night of the Iguana.  Unfortunately this part of the tour started to give me flashbacks of our terrible tour in Santa Barbara, where we continued to talk about the movie Sideways.  Well same thing here, except Sideways wasn't filmed almost 50 years ago.  We drove for what felt like an hour to go and look at a bay where they filmed this movie and there are no longer any remnants of the movie, it was terrible. I mean the bay was pretty, but it was a very pointless stop for me.

 

Some big houses on the hill

 

I cannot get enough of the flowers in the area.

 

Our next stop was supposed to be about tequila and have a tasting and an opportunity to purchase some.  What it ended up being was a restaurant trying to sell us platters for $60 - $100, I'm fairly certain no one bought a platter.  They did serve us a tequila drink and we did order our own margarita (there was no shortage of tequila in this)

 

And the location was pretty, but not really what I was expected as per the tour description.

 

 

Again, the had the most beautiful flowers and I did have to venture away from the group as these yellow ones were calling to me!

 

 

But this might be my favourite photo that I took all day.

 

 

[jaycruising]

PV Continued

 

After our meal we made our way back to the ship.  I have to say that this was the tour that I least enjoyed on the cruise and has made me realize that ship tours just are not for me, in general.  I prefer the small group tours that you can personalize some more, ones that are not pushing you to shop, shop, shop.  I am very particular about what souvenirs I buy, as I have my photos, so it has to be something that is actually handmade or local or something that speaks to me.  Again to each their own, but this is my choice.  So go forward if we have the time and it is a location that I feel comfortable in I will be booking excursions separate of the ship.  If we are pressed for time due to a short port time or it is somewhere I am not particularly comfortable then I will book through the ship go forward.

 

Once we made it back on the ship after buying my local handmade souvenirs at walmart 😉 (just cheetos and jello) I took some time to go and take photos around the port.

 

 

This is the top of the port shopping area.

 

 

Here is a view to the Sam's Club, Walmart and Mall

 

I headed back to our cabin and watched sailaway from there.

 

Our goodbye crew

 

[jaycruising]

Final Thoughts

 

• For me this was the best vacation I have taken to date, our port stops were amazing, going through the Panama Canal, we met some of the best people, the ship was fantastic and I cannot say enough about this crew.  It also helped having 3 full weeks off of work.

 

• Ship - Yes it isn't a new ship and she can use some work, she needs an outside paint job as the rust is showing, but many of the chairs and areas throughout the ship have been updated, I found the buffet area to be very bright and airy, compared to her sister ship.  I love the size of this ship it is not too big but not too small, it is easy to get from one side to another.  I would happily go on Emerald Princess again! 

 

• Cabin - we had a balcony cabin on Caribe, this was our first time on this deck and it won't be the last, the extended balcony size is fantastic and we did spend a considerable amount of time out there.  I love that on Emerald they have mounted the TV's on the wall, so you do get the extra shelf and 2 extra plugs from where the TV used to sit (another thing her sister ship has not done), we used that area as our charging station and it kept all of that suff out of the way.  Our beds were super comfortable, I love a princess bed.  We did have to remember to keep the sheer's or curtains drawn if it was a very bright day as it would heat up the cabin a lot and the AC couldn't really keep up.  Also while it is the dreaded shower curtain, I have to say the shower had better pressure then mine at home does.

 

• Food - Overall we really enjoyed dining on Emerald Princess, we ate at the buffet (mostly breakfast, with one lunch), the international cafe, the sanctuary and the main dining room.  The only specialty dining we did was Chef's table.  We ate all but one meal in the MDR and we found the portions to be just right (sometimes too big) for us, we were very happy to see the Fettucine Alfredo back on the menu everyday and it was much better then the one time we had it on the Crown.  But towards the end of our cruise we found the quality and selection of items we wanted had gone down, for instance the last night we all had prime rib and it was quite grisly.  But we did let the head waiter know and he was always very responsive.  I love the IC cafe and the quick choice options they have.  I am slightly disappointed in our Chef's Table experience having heard what others experienced, but I still really enjoyed myself and do not regret doing it at all, I will sign up again.  We did only order room service once and that was for potato chips.  Overall, we were very happy with the food and I did not go hungry.

 

• Ports - I loved the ports we visited and of course that was a big draw for us, being able to do the Panama Canal Transit and include Bonaire and Aruba (which have been bucket list destinations for me) was great.  I was a little sad when Nicaragua was dropped, but I understand and did expect it.  I do not see this exact itinerary on Princess again, so I am very happy we jumped on it.

 

• Activities on Board - I will say that I didn't go through much or any times were I couldn't find something to do, and sometimes what I wanted to do was nothing, so that worked in my favour.  I think Dave and the entire entertainment team did a fantastic job of putting on events.  We haven't always participated in much, but this cruise, we went to more game shows, activities, etc. then we ever have.  My only warning is that some of the activities on board have limited supplies or space so if it is something you want to do, ensure you get there ahead of time to get your spot.  My only side comment on activities is that if you are a pickle ball player this will not be the ship for you.  They have put the same thing that is only balcony floors (not sure what to call it) on the court and the ball does not bounce properly.  If you see Don Juan listed as the piano player on your cruise get there early to get a seat in Crooners, he is fantastic.

 

• Crew - I'm not sure if it is because of the amount of time we had on board, or that we participated more or just that this was the best crew we have come across, but they were just fantastic.  Everyone was so ready with a smile, a little chat and more then willing to go above and beyond.  If you are lucky enough to be on this ship in the near future you will be very lucky as they are fantastic.  The only staff that I found not as welcoming was in the International Cafe and the Good Spirits at Sea bar, I felt like the people at the IC didn't really want to help you, and would leave you standing there for long periods.  And Good Spirits I felt like I was bothering them when I would go up to the bar and ask for something.  I actually ran out of room in my survey to list everyone that I wanted to thank or call out because they certainly helped make our trip exceptional.  

 

• Other Passengers - One of our favourite parts of a cruise is sharing our table at dinner with others, we find that we meet so many interesting people and that you make friends on the ship this way.  I have to say that this was the best ship to share tables with, we met so many interesting people and I loved hearing their stories, we were so lucky everyone we shared with was so friendly.  We also met fantastic people all over the ship, whether it was in crafts, the sanctuary or on excursions.  Thank you for being so welcoming and sharing your stories, many of you will hold a special place and really helped make this vacation what it was.

 

• Medallion App and Wifi - I have to say the changes that Princess has made to the medallion app have been great.  Changing the Journeyview, so you can see the activities coming up in chronological order is a major improvement and makes it much more usable.  Never had any issues with the mobile ordering from the app, everything arrived very promptly.  My only disappointment was they will not deliver to the lotus pool.  Also if you order for delivery to your stateroom and you are not in it, they will make it a scheduled time for about 15 minutes in the future.  The wifi on board was much better.  I was able to upload photos into Lightroom, edit them and include them on this thread with no real issues, it wasn't as fast as at home, but very good.  I watched and streamed YouTube on my iPad every day with little to no buffering, so for me my needs were definitely met.  

 

Here ends the tale of my 2023 vacation, one that I will never forget and will be hard to beat in the future.  Thank you for coming along with me and I hope you enjoyed my journey.

 

I hope my 2024 cruise (yes I do have one booked) will be just as good as this one and perhaps I will try doing a live again.

 

 

[canadarocks]

Thank you so so much Jay. One of the best reviews ever !! 

[gottagocit]

Very nice job with the “live from” thread and the detailed review. We enjoyed the cruise as much as it appears you did. Would certainly recommend it to anyone. We have a 20 day booked next year as well as a 28 and 13 day in ‘25 so it’s safe to say it was a good experience even with the loss of some of our benefits of old. We are however also doing 3 land based trips this fall and next year to see areas we’ve been trying to get to for years. 
Hope our paths cross again one of these days. Take care and smooth sailing. 

[plantlady095]

Thank you for your photos and commentary. We loved the cruise, too. In Huatulco, we took a ship excursion that included a visit to their beautiful church, which we liked much more than the church in PV due to the mosaics & other decorations inside.  While driving around, we saw entrances to many luxury resorts that might be worth a return trip. I am looking at my next cruise and reconsidering ship excursions as  the big crowds on the big buses made me a bit crazy.  So fun! Hope to see you in the future!

[jaycruising]

6 hours ago, canadarocks said:

Thank you so so much Jay. One of the best reviews ever !! 

Thank you so much, that means a lot.  I really enjoyed doing it!

 

4 hours ago, gottagocit said:

Very nice job with the “live from” thread and the detailed review. We enjoyed the cruise as much as it appears you did. Would certainly recommend it to anyone. We have a 20 day booked next year as well as a 28 and 13 day in ‘25 so it’s safe to say it was a good experience even with the loss of some of our benefits of old. We are however also doing 3 land based trips this fall and next year to see areas we’ve been trying to get to for years. 
Hope our paths cross again one of these days. Take care and smooth sailing. 

So glad you enjoyed it as well.  We have a big land trip planned for next summer, the one we put off this year, but I will need another vacation before that, so we are currently booked on a 10 day.  We learned on this trip that we really like the longer ones, as 7 days will feel so short.

I hope so as well and smooth sailing to you too!

 

4 hours ago, plantlady095 said:

Thank you for your photos and commentary. We loved the cruise, too. In Huatulco, we took a ship excursion that included a visit to their beautiful church, which we liked much more than the church in PV due to the mosaics & other decorations inside.  While driving around, we saw entrances to many luxury resorts that might be worth a return trip. I am looking at my next cruise and reconsidering ship excursions as  the big crowds on the big buses made me a bit crazy.  So fun! Hope to see you in the future!

That church is the one place that I did want to visit, but we were just too damn hot to make it up there.  Huatulco has become a very popular destination for Canadians, I have a few friends who did land vacations this year and they really enjoyed them.

 

I don't regret our ship excursion in Colombia, I really enjoyed that one, but it wasn't a bus and a giant crowd of people.  But I do regret the PV one, so yes we will reassess too!  Hope to see you in the future too!

[AZPerseus]

Thanks so much Jay for your cruise review. It was interesting reading. We will be doing this cruise next April for the Total Eclipse and it was nice to read about the ship and the ports of call. I guess we should be prepared for hot weather which we are used to living in Arizona but sure not used to the humidity! Sounds like you had a great trip! 

Linda

[jaycruising]

16 hours ago, AZPerseus said:

Thanks so much Jay for your cruise review. It was interesting reading. We will be doing this cruise next April for the Total Eclipse and it was nice to read about the ship and the ports of call. I guess we should be prepared for hot weather which we are used to living in Arizona but sure not used to the humidity! Sounds like you had a great trip! 

Linda

You are most welcome.  I hope you have as good as time as we had on our cruise, it is in the top vacations list for me, I really loved it.

[nini]

Thank yo so much for taking us along with you. We really enjoyed our full transit itinerary in 2018. We were on the Coral and traveled through the old locks. Your photos are great!