Live from Emerald Princess transatlantic

[thequeen]

Hello all! This transatlantic trip has been smooth and FABULOUS!! This is our last sea day before land as we arrive at Portugal this PM. The sea days have been fantastic, so much to do and see. No one could get bored here. And the great thing is this cruise is only 1/2 over!! more good stuff lies ahead.......YEAH!

The food is very good, we have only dined in the regular dining rooms and the buffet, but no complaints so far. We booked an inside and the room is great, plenty of storage and if you have your steward push the beds apart, there is a ton of space for walking around. We are on Aloha deck.

This ship is beautiful and we will sail her again. If you are hesitant to book a transatlantic, be assured it is great and you will discover all kinds of things to keep you busy plus meeting the other passengers is a plus so many from different countries. What a blast!!

Happy sailing.......:cool:

[UT-Volsfan]

We're also on board and enjoying the cruise immensely. The weather has been great - calm seas, and temperatures in the low 70's so far. We just saw land a few minutes ago from the Horizon Court so we know that we're getting close to Madeira.

 

This is definitely a good way to cruise - plenty of sea days to rest up before you get to all of the tourist spots!

 

Got to go for now and get ready to go ashore.

[Rob & Beckys mom]

Thanks to both of you for taking the time to write. Love to tag along:) . We sailed on Emerald Princess in Feb. and loved the International cafe & the free ice cream in the buffet from 3 to 4 pm. I will be looking forward to more reports.

 

Jan

[FritzG]

Thank you so much for the postings. We'll be on the Ruby TA next spring so we're interested in seeing how the sailings are going for this year's trips. I know things change from year to year, but it's fun watching your journey. Friends of ours were on the Celebrity Summit TA a couple of weeks ago, and they had several very rough days but still loved the trip.

 

There's a Madiera webcam site where I saw the ship docked this a.m. The Emerald looks huge compared to other ships I've seen docked there.

[TwinCruiserMom]

We have the webcam on our desk top so we have been watching the long progress across the ocean. My sons were excited this morning to spot land!

 

I am so happy that you are having such calm weather. Please keep us posted.

[retiring soon]

HI! Thanks for posting, glad you had smooth seas. Must be exciting to see land again,eh?

I'm on the TA coming back in Oct & have a couple of questions if you have time. Did you notice any place to play board games & what kind they had?

Did you speak to anyone who had a balcony & did they use it much?

Enjoy the rest of your cruise. I can hardly wait for mine!!!!

~Jo~ :)

[Id rather be diving]

We did the transatlantic this past October when the Emerald was coming back to the States for th winter season. I can't believe that it's time for her to be back across the pond already!

We had a balcony cabin and we used our balcony A TON!!! We loved sitting out there as we pulled into ports, left ports, or when we got back to the ship before others. We love to people watch and our balcony was great for that. We also met our neighbors while out on our balcony. We loved our balcony the most in Venice! We ordered a bottle of wine and cheese and crakcers (the cheese and crackers are a rip off - just go to the horizon court and get your own - better cheese and it's free) which we enjoyed while sailing away from Venice. The sailway from Venice was the most spectacular that I have seen in 11 cruises. We also loved it the day that we came into Lisbon under the bridge. It was very cool to watch the bridge move from one side of the ship to the other as the ship turned around in the harbor. The balcony is a must have for that long of a trip if you can swing it. It was well worth every penny that we spent. Oh yeah, on the sea days crossing the Atlantic, we got up early a few days and watch the sun come up behind us. What a view!!!!! Enjoy.

[jfgdbg]

We did a TA on the Grand a few years ago from FT. Lauderdale to Copenhagen. We also had a very smooth crossing and we used our balcony a lot. This fall we are on the Emerald's TA coming back to Ft. Lauderdale. Can't wait.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the live post. Enjoy!! :)

[thequeen]

In answer to the question about board games, it appears the Crown Grill has the games. Not sure if you have to reserve them, I think you can rent some to take elsewhere on the ship from the library.

The Princess patter is a good place to check daily for the games, but not sure if you have to request them ahead of time or if you can just sit down and play. Sorry, haven't gone there yet, but hey, there's plenty of time left on this cruise to find out......;)

We did Madiera this PM and what a quaint and picturesque place, but take plenty of Euros as there are no bargains to be had, except I did buy the cutest burberry-type umbrella for a gift and it was only 1Euro so that was a find! haha

Lots of pretty lace and handmade doilies and table cloths but wayyyyy out of my price range......

Still loving this cruise........tomorrow is the Captain's party for the platinum and elite and gold too, I think. Should be nice! Will keep you updated......

[Colo Cruiser]

Wish I was there again. :)

[Shogun]

Hi There,

 

Shogun calling, please tell who is Cruise director, Captain CD etc , are they staying on board are they leaving .

 

Take care of the Emerald as we still have a few months to go ,

 

Portugal, Madria etc well that was well, I think before Princess was even born.

 

yours Shogun

[BJS]

Thanks for the post.

 

We leave on May 5th on the Crown and looks like our path will follow yours to Portugal. Glad to hear the crossing has been as good as ours was from Madieria to FLL in Dec. on the Star.

 

.

[tomtayerikylaly]

We did the transatlantic this past October when the Emerald was coming back to the States for th winter season. I can't believe that it's time for her to be back across the pond already!

We had a balcony cabin and we used our balcony A TON!!! We loved sitting out there as we pulled into ports' date=' left ports, or when we got back to the ship before others. We love to people watch and our balcony was great for that. We also met our neighbors while out on our balcony. We loved our balcony the most in Venice! We ordered a bottle of wine and cheese and crakcers (the cheese and crackers are a rip off - just go to the horizon court and get your own - better cheese and it's free) which we enjoyed while sailing away from Venice. The sailway from Venice was the most spectacular that I have seen in 11 cruises. We also loved it the day that we came into Lisbon under the bridge. It was very cool to watch the bridge move from one side of the ship to the other as the ship turned around in the harbor. The balcony is a must have for that long of a trip if you can swing it. It was well worth every penny that we spent. Oh yeah, on the sea days crossing the Atlantic, we got up early a few days and watch the sun come up behind us. What a view!!!!! Enjoy.[/quote']

 

Sounds like you had a wonderful cruise. My DH and I will be taking our first cruise on the Emerald Transatlantic in October. We too booked a balcony and from your post it sounds like it is well worth the extra $. Because of the luggage restrictions, packing will be a challenge. Can you tell me what the weather was like last year on that cruise? Did you wear summer or fall clothes on port excursions? I know October can go either way sometimes.

 

Also, did you take the cruiseship port excursions or did you do your own? Thanks. Anna

[retiring soon]

Hi all!

Keep the info coming & thanks a lot for the quick responses. So it looks like our Caribe balcony will not go to waste.

jfgdbg ~ I don't recall seeing your name on the Roll Call for this cruise. It's quite active with a nice group of people some of whom did the Emerald TA last Oct (they're called the JETS).

Hi Anna ~ I know you're on the RC. Agnes & I will probably take Princess tours as we are chicken & don't mind travelling on big buses. Ciao & have a great time!

~Jo~ :)

[edste]

Hi

Thanks for the great posts. I'm hoping our crossing will be as smooth as yours seems to be.

Anna - Steve and I are also chicken and will stick to Princess tours. I'm always afraid of returning to the ship late. When we did the Panama Canal crossing our tour returned r when the ship was supposed to leave but of course they waited for us. Edna

[vwpower]

Very cool! We are boarding this ship on the 30th, and very much looking forward to it.

[Barbie075]

Look forward to reading your posts for the rest of your Ports. We will be on the Emerald in September and still making plans so an insight we can get from you will be greatly appreciated. Barbie

[tomtayerikylaly]

Hi all!

Keep the info coming & thanks a lot for the quick responses. So it looks like our Caribe balcony will not go to waste.

jfgdbg ~ I don't recall seeing your name on the Roll Call for this cruise. It's quite active with a nice group of people some of whom did the Emerald TA last Oct (they're called the JETS).

Hi Anna ~ I know you're on the RC. Agnes & I will probably take Princess tours as we are chicken & don't mind travelling on big buses. Ciao & have a great time!

~Jo~ :)

Hi Jo, Glad to hear that you and Agnes are also taking the Princess Tours, while I DO mind big buses, I am a bigger chicken, when it comes to going new places. I know it is a bit early for booking the excursions, but I check faithfully everyday. Ciao

[tomtayerikylaly]

Hi

Thanks for the great posts. I'm hoping our crossing will be as smooth as yours seems to be.

Anna - Steve and I are also chicken and will stick to Princess tours. I'm always afraid of returning to the ship late. When we did the Panama Canal crossing our tour returned r when the ship was supposed to leave but of course they waited for us. Edna

 

Hi Edna, Hopefully Harry and I will be seening you on one of the Princess Tours. Ciao, Anna

[Id rather be diving]

Anna,

 

The weather was absolutely PERFECT last year. We went four days ahead to Venice where we only had 1/2 day of rain. It poured while we were inside of the Doge's Palace. We waited a bit for it to subside and then we headed to the Vaparetto to go back to our hotel. The day before we got on the Emerald we went down to a sidewalk cafe to wait for the Emerald to come in. It was even hot that day while we sat and waited for our ship to come in. It rained a bit while we were in Pompei but nothing bad. It also rained a bit in Rome but it was all the while we were in the Vatican musuems. It stopped when we came out. We wore more summer than fall type of clothing. I wore capri pants every day. My husband wore shorts on the days that we knew we would not be going into churches. We both took an light spring type jacket with us. Actually the day we were in Rome, I wore jean capris and it was HOT until it rained and cooled off a bit. I was never cold at all during the trip. The days that we crossed the Atlantic were the best. It was so nice that we both were able to be in the pool. My husband does not really like the heat but he was able to hang out at the pool four out of the five sea days. The last day you could tell that we were closer to Florida as the humidity was high. He didn't hang at the pool that day.

 

We used mostly private excusions. I, too, was a bit hestitant to book private excusions but I am sooooo glad that we did. We were able to do things that the bus tours were not. For example, we stopped at a ceramic factory on the Amafli coast. We ate lunch at non-touristy - more local restaurants. We booked with groups from the cruise critic. We were never once worried about getting back late to the ship. We had private tours in Naples, Rome, and Lisbon. The only ship sponsored tour we did was to Cannes/Monte Carlo. When we were in Naples we even had a separate private tour guide for our time in Pompeii. I saw all those bus tours and I thought how difficult it must be for the people in the back of the group to hear what the tour guide was saying. We had one tour guid to 8 people. It was fantastic. I'm sure the people on the roll call that went last year will be setting up private tours. Think about it - I highly recommend it. I was skeptical but now I love it!!!!

 

I know you will enjoy the Emerald and the transatlantic. We want to do that itinerary again in 2011 for our 5th year anniversary.

[dsawyer]

Why wait until 2011? Are you aware that many of the JETS will be reliving this journey on The Ruby Princess in October, 2009?

 

You should join us.

[tomtayerikylaly]

Anna' date='

 

The weather was absolutely PERFECT last year. We went four days ahead to Venice where we only had 1/2 day of rain. It poured while we were inside of the Doge's Palace. We waited a bit for it to subside and then we headed to the Vaparetto to go back to our hotel. The day before we got on the Emerald we went down to a sidewalk cafe to wait for the Emerald to come in. It was even hot that day while we sat and waited for our ship to come in. It rained a bit while we were in Pompei but nothing bad. It also rained a bit in Rome but it was all the while we were in the Vatican musuems. It stopped when we came out. We wore more summer than fall type of clothing. I wore capri pants every day. My husband wore shorts on the days that we knew we would not be going into churches. We both took an light spring type jacket with us. Actually the day we were in Rome, I wore jean capris and it was HOT until it rained and cooled off a bit. I was never cold at all during the trip. The days that we crossed the Atlantic were the best. It was so nice that we both were able to be in the pool. My husband does not really like the heat but he was able to hang out at the pool four out of the five sea days. The last day you could tell that we were closer to Florida as the humidity was high. He didn't hang at the pool that day.

 

We used mostly private excusions. I, too, was a bit hestitant to book private excusions but I am sooooo glad that we did. We were able to do things that the bus tours were not. For example, we stopped at a ceramic factory on the Amafli coast. We ate lunch at non-touristy - more local restaurants. We booked with groups from the cruise critic. We were never once worried about getting back late to the ship. We had private tours in Naples, Rome, and Lisbon. The only ship sponsored tour we did was to Cannes/Monte Carlo. When we were in Naples we even had a separate private tour guide for our time in Pompeii. I saw all those bus tours and I thought how difficult it must be for the people in the back of the group to hear what the tour guide was saying. We had one tour guid to 8 people. It was fantastic. I'm sure the people on the roll call that went last year will be setting up private tours. Think about it - I highly recommend it. I was skeptical but now I love it!!!!

 

I know you will enjoy the Emerald and the transatlantic. We want to do that itinerary again in 2011 for our 5th year anniversary.[/quote']

Wow, Thank you so much for the information. Not so good for the budget though, I bought all new "fall" clothes for the cruise. The good news is I live minutes from the Rehoboth Outlets so I can pick up some real good summer bargains in September. Guess it will be Capri's and sandals for me too.

 

Thanks also for your input on the port excursions. It all seems so overwhelming to me. I did get excellent information and suggestions on private tours from a couple of your fellow cruisers. Being our first cruise and first time in Europe, I just don't know if I can go the private tour route. But I will go back and take a look at what is available. Thanks for taking the time to reply. Ciao. Anna

[Id rather be diving]

Dorothy,

 

Gene and I would love to come this fall, it's just not in the budget for this year - in either money or vacation budget. We are taking a two week motorcycle tour of the upper midwest/Canada in August. With the price of gas and having to use premium gas in our bikes, it will be almost as costly as the cruise - just kidding. But if I win some money between now and the suggested cruise, you can count us in.

 

Anna,

 

I know you will have a wonderful time. It was our first time in Europe for the most part. I had been to Rome once before but had a friend who lived there so I had my own tour guide for the week. I was a little cautious about things as well, but once you are there it's wonderful. Stay on the roll call board and you will learn tons from the people who have been there. Take care.

 

Kari

[Id rather be diving]

Dorothy,

 

Oops I meant the fall of 2009. We can't do that fall because it is my 40th birthday year and we are going to do a family cruise for my birthday (all my extended family and friends who want to join us). I would have loved to have done the Ruby TA for my birthday but it's just to expensive for most of the people that I want to join us. Plus it's too long for some of my newbie cruise friends.