LIVE: Emerald Princess, Boston to Quebec, August 28, 2024-September 7, 2024. Geoherb

[chrysalis]

1 hour ago, phabric said:

Can you mention if at each port if there is anything at the port - stores, restaurants, places to get lobster rolls, something to see.

 

I plan on taking Princess excursions, would like to have a lobster roll or two while on the cruise.

There are many YouTube videos about each port, things to see and lobster rolls... check them out.

All very walkable and the Piers tend to be right down town.

[chrysalis]

The cut off for the MTP luncheon is 490 days.

[geoherb]

1 hour ago, phabric said:

Can you mention if at each port if there is anything at the port - stores, restaurants, places to get lobster rolls, something to see.

 

I plan on taking Princess excursions, would like to have a lobster roll or two while on the cruise.

 

Becky's Diner, where we ate in Portland, was very close to the port. There was a place in Saint John right across from the pier. I did not eat there.

 

 

[Anne76]

3 hours ago, geoherb said:

 

Becky's Diner, where we ate in Portland, was very close to the port. There was a place in Saint John right across from the pier. I did not eat there.

 

 

Probably Steamers?

[NewPennCruiser]

After meeting you on the Island Princess in June we knew you had a cruise in August but I lost track so I'm just catching up.  Thanks for doing a live so we can follow along virtually!  This is an itinerary we have talked about doing sometime.   Hope you both have a great time.   Dave

[geoherb]

4 hours ago, Anne76 said:

Probably Steamers?

 

Yes. That's the name of it. There were also some restaurants advertising lobster dishes on Germain Street. 

[geoherb]

Speaking of lobster rolls, we decided to burn some of our onboard credit with them at lunch today at Botticelli. They weren't that good. Maybe we'll find some good seafood tomorrow in Halifax for lunch.

 

 

Edited August 31 by geoherb

[HotRoot]

4 hours ago, geoherb said:

Speaking of lobster rolls, we decided to burn some of our onboard credit with them at lunch today at Botticelli. They weren't that good. Maybe we'll find some good seafood tomorrow in Halifax for lunch.

 

 

Last cruise we also burned some Nonrefundable OBC on a lobster roll.  Will not do that again.  We were very successful turning Nonrefundable OBC into cash in the casino.  $110 Nonrefundable OBC turned into $120 carry off the ship.

[Anne76]

4 hours ago, geoherb said:

Speaking of lobster rolls, we decided to burn some of our onboard credit with them at lunch today at Botticelli. They weren't that good. Maybe we'll find some good seafood tomorrow in Halifax for lunch.

 

 

If I remember correctly Gahan had great stuff... and great beers!

[EDVM96]

5 hours ago, geoherb said:

Speaking of lobster rolls, we decided to burn some of our onboard credit with them at lunch today at Botticelli. They weren't that good. Maybe we'll find some good seafood tomorrow in Halifax for lunch.

 

I also had this lunch lobster roll on the cruise before on the Emerald.

 

And I must say, from the lobster meat itself, it was better than the usual tails you get in the MDR. I think this was claw meat instead of tail. Richer in taste. However, I agree that the sauce was too heavy mayonnaise style and too much celery.

 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

17 hours ago, geoherb said:

 

No. I don't usually drink mocktails. It sounds like it would be good if they added a shot of vodka or rum. 

I bet it would be really good with a shot of rum. Please let me know if you try this. 

[cherylandtk]

On 8/30/2024 at 2:56 PM, phabric said:

Enjoyed reading your review.  I am doing this August 2025.

 

Did you a list what food is offered each day at the buffet?

 

Did you a list of what food is offered each day for Elite, Platinum lounge?

There was a small half-page listing of the buffet themes in our room upon boarding. (Geoherb may not have had one; our page of ‘Elite Benefits’ showed up on Day 2 or 3). 

[geoherb]

7 hours ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I bet it would be really good with a shot of rum. Please let me know if you try this. 

 

I tried it with vodka. It's very good.

[geoherb]

We enjoyed "Sweet Soul Music" last night after dinner. I still hate how much they lip synch some of the numbers. This show is particularly bad about it, lip synching some of the featured vocals and not just the backing vocals.

 

Afterward, I went to the late comedy show. It was advertised for over 18. There are not many children on board to start with, but the show fit the bill. The comedian was Hank Densen. He was very funny.

 

Dinner last night at Michelangelo was very good. It was our first formal night. About a quarter of the men were wearing jacket and tie, including a handful in full tuxedos. A few were wearing either jackets without ties or ties without jackets. A lot of us dressed wore dress shirts without jacket or tie. I did not feel out of place. I saw a smattering of guys dressed even more casually in the dining room--polo shirts or other casual shirts. I did not see anyone in shorts or jeans.

 

I had a double order of the crab cake appetizer, an appetizer size portion of the gnocchi, rare beef tenderloin without the sauce, and the chocolate-hazelnut bar. Everything was delicious. The other popular main course I noticed people around us ordering was duck a l'orange.

 

 

[geoherb]

The woman at the Captain's Circle desk said it took 489 days to get an invitation to the Top 40 event. They're having a luncheon. We're a long way away. Our first batch of laundry came back in two days. I hope they can keep that schedule. I sent out more two days ago and will send a few more pieces today.

 

I'm amazed at how many people are doing back-to-back cruises. We have met several who were on the 17-day cruise to Greenland before this cruise. At least one of them is staying on another 10 days back to Boston. That will make his cruise 37 days. A woman with whom we ate lunch yesterday, is staying on for four cruises--40 days. She'll become Elite on the next cruise. She just started cruising on Princess in April. But she said she always sails solo and always at least 30 days. She was on my Island Princess cruise in June. She remembered the buckets catching the water in the corridor outside my cabin. She stayed on for three more 10-day cruises on the Island in June.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

4 hours ago, geoherb said:

 

I tried it with vodka. It's very good.

I will have to give it a try with vodka on my next cruise. 😊

[voljeep]

16 hours ago, HotRoot said:

Last cruise we also burned some Nonrefundable OBC on a lobster roll.  Will not do that again.  We were very successful turning Nonrefundable OBC into cash in the casino.  $110 Nonrefundable OBC turned into $120 carry off the ship.

how long did you play in the casino?  slots?, cards, roulette??

[geoherb]

We had a wonderful day in Halifax. We have been here several times in the past. One of our best trips was renting a car and driving to Peggy's Cove and the cemetery with some of the Titanic graves. In June, I went to the Maritime Museum (again) and the Public Garden and by the Citadel. I visited the Halifax Distillery and ate lunch at Salty's that day.

 

Today, we took an Uber to the First Baptist Church. We met one of the pastors there on a cruise a dozen years ago. And through us, they've met a couple who is retiring to the area. It was great to see both couples. The ones who are moving to the area are building a house in Pugwash, on the Prince Edward Island side of the peninsula, about 2 hours away.

 

We ate a lovely brunch at Drift at the Queen's Marque along the waterfront. I had the salt cod cakes, made with Prince Edward Island potatoes, over baked beans with chow chow and poached eggs. DH had a burger. I always look for something local. But it was the company that made the meal special. By the time we finished brunch, it was 2:30 and time to start wandering back to the ship for our 4:30 all-aboard time. We stopped in several of the shops along the way. 

 

A few minutes ago, they made an announcement that one of the tour buses to Peggy's Cove had mechanical problems. The replacement bus had made it to pick up the people, but they're about an hour away, delaying our sailaway. Some bars are closed until after sailaway, just like two days ago in Saint John.

 

 

 

 

[HotRoot]

5 hours ago, voljeep said:

how long did you play in the casino?  slots?, cards, roulette??

20 minutes on slots to get the $100.  Five minutes the next day to get the $20.

[geoherb]

We shared a table with two lovely couples in Michelangelo last night. We're looking forward to the resumption of a traditional dining option. It's coming on the next cruise for the Emerald, so we were one cruise too soon. One of the couples was from Cornwall. They kept us in stitches. They are celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary this cruise. 

 

I had the beef satay, an appetizer portion of the cioppino, the red snapper, and key lime pie. As the Cornish woman said, the beef was very tender. I thought the peanut sauce could have used a bit more flavor. The seafood stew was packed with various things: clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, and squid. I enjoyed everything but the squid. I like it better fried.

 

Today is #MeatlessMonday for me. Here's a photo of the vegan menu. I saw enough on the Italian night menu that appealed to me so that I didn't have to order anything in advance. 

 

 

 

[geoherb]

Our cabin steward brought back some of our laundry last night. So far, they're keeping up with doing it in two days. I'll send out my last batch tomorrow. That will give me enough clean clothes for the rest of our trip.

 

 

[ArizonaStorm]

I spent another lovely day aboard the Emerald Princess on Sunday.  I had loosely planned to walk around Winnipeg until I saw the fog rolling in. I took the opportunity to experiment with photographing fog enveloping ships and the dock. Breakfast in the buffet has been very good every day and I always find a table without waiting. The buffet always has Bircher Musli, whereas the MDR rarely has it. Though it is my preference never to engage in conversation, that doesn’t stop others from wanting to know all about me. 
 

I spent the morning photographing the upper decks of the ship, and the cloudy afternoon lounging by the pool.  Sometimes I find a quiet place to read when the bars are closed.  The Adagio, Skywalkers, and the Wheelhouse Bar are favorites, though one always must be prepared to vacate a venue when some (unscheduled) vanity group (like the Captain’s frequent cruisers club) needs to be stroked. How a handful of people need a large venue for a couple of hours is beyond me. I certainly don’t attend. It’s just another faux class division, like the sanctuary. 
 

Dinner in the Botticelli was good. I need to remember to bring a drink with me to dinner as the waiters are not trained in the intricacies of cocktail ordering. You can always rely on bartenders.  Afterwards I enjoyed some light music at Crooners and the Wheelhouse, then got another night of very good sleep.

[XBGuy]

One of the reasons that I love cruising is that everybody gets to customize their own experience.

[geoherb]

1 hour ago, ArizonaStorm said:

I spent another lovely day aboard the Emerald Princess on Sunday.  I had loosely planned to walk around Winnipeg until I saw the fog rolling in. I took the opportunity to experiment with photographing fog enveloping ships and the dock. Breakfast in the buffet has been very good every day and I always find a table without waiting. The buffet always has Bircher Musli, whereas the MDR rarely has it. Though it is my preference never to engage in conversation, that doesn’t stop others from wanting to know all about me. 
 

I spent the morning photographing the upper decks of the ship, and the cloudy afternoon lounging by the pool.  Sometimes I find a quiet place to read when the bars are closed.  The Adagio, Skywalkers, and the Wheelhouse Bar are favorites, though one always must be prepared to vacate a venue when some (unscheduled) vanity group (like the Captain’s frequent cruisers club) needs to be stroked. How a handful of people need a large venue for a couple of hours is beyond me. I certainly don’t attend. It’s just another faux class division, like the sanctuary. 
 

Dinner in the Botticelli was good. I need to remember to bring a drink with me to dinner as the waiters are not trained in the intricacies of cocktail ordering. You can always rely on bartenders.  Afterwards I enjoyed some light music at Crooners and the Wheelhouse, then got another night of very good sleep.

 

I hope you meant Halifax instead of Winnipeg. Other than that, it sounds like you had a lovely day. I'd love to see some of the photos of the fog. We drink wine with dinner. We have the Plus package, so it's not great wine. But it's equivalent to what we drink at home on ordinary days. I still need to make it to Vines. One of the reasons I booked dinner in the Michelangelo was so we could stop by Vine to enjoy a glass of wine before dinner. We are always running late.

 

I ordered a gin and tonic through the app at sailaway last night. The problem was that it gave me the option of having it delivered to my present location or my cabin. Unfortunately, the tracking on the medallions is not precise. It thought I was in the Wheel House even though I was standing outside on the Promenade. I had to go inside to get my drink.

 

 

 

Edited September 2 by geoherb

[LewiLewi]

On 8/28/2024 at 2:48 PM, geoherb said:

We have a standard inside cabin on the Caribe Deck. It's forward of the front stairs but not by much. It's a great location for me since I like to take the stairs. We're three flights up from the Promenade and four flights below the Lido. I booked it as a Cat. IF guarantee. It's a Cat. IE--just a slight upgrade. Someone in the Facebook group said they successfully bid for an upgrade from an inside to an obstructed view. I had bid, but we got a rejection email a couple of days ago. We received our cabin assignment five days ago.

 

Here are some photos of our cabin before we mess it up too much. I included the photos of our free minibar for being Elite. 

 

I will be covering the sensor on my side of the bed.

Hi Geoherb,

  you mentioned that your cabin on Caribe deck is in front of forward stairs. Is it quiet? Someone on CC said that they could hear music from the theater a few decks below in their cabin which was C220. I am booked in C210 for a future cruise, should I look for another cabin?