Live From The Emerald Med T/A 10/03 - 10/17

[Woobstr112G]

Dear Bob,

It sounds like your Chef's Table experience was wonderful...Once again thank you for sharing day to day experiences...You mentioned the next CC get together is on the 15th. My mother is on the cruise, I would like to let her know time and place...can you let me know or can she get in touch with you or find out from the purser's desk. Thank you. Laurie

 

 

Laurie;

 

Soon as I can I will find out and let you know....

 

Bob

[Colo Cruiser]

Sounds great thanks for the updates. :)

[jp20]

My DH and I are celebrating our 25th anniversary, we saved for along time to enjoy this cruise. I really thought this would be a great unique experience to do the Chef's Table, I told my Mother-In Law whom I love, about your post and said wouldn't it be fun to do this, and she said yes absolutely and then handed me the $$$ and she said do it without feeling guilty about the $$ WOW I'm so excited , but how can I make a reservation?

Good morning to all. Today finds us enjoying a day at sea while enroute to Cadiz Spain. Last night I had the privilage to partake in the Chef's Table. Three words best describe it...Oh My God...

 

We statrted off putting on our labcoats and washing our hands. Afterwich we were led into the kitchen for a personal tour by the Matre De. We also got to meet the Executive Chef. The Matre De who started the CT program has moved onto the Ruby. The gentleman who took over his job was fantastic. We were taken to an area where the champagne flowed freely. We also were served a very good shrimp/crab appitizer, a beef tar tar in a pastry cone as well as some caviar; all were great.

 

After the kitchen tour concluded, we were escorted to our table in the dining room. It was cool to see all the other passengers looking at us wondering what was going on. Our table was set up superbly and the wine continued to flow. We had several more appitizers before the main course. I don't have the menu with me right now, but will post the exact items later. Suffice to say, every thing was fantastic. The main course was the meat on the racks that was flambayed (excuse the spelling) at our table. The desert was an ice cream/rasberry item that was soaked in whiskey....Word of caution. There is a rasberry in the center and if you bite into it, be prepared for the whiskey rush. All courses were paired with excellent selections of wine. The end was a small glass of Lemonchello. By this point I was ready for bed...

 

As the dinner was ending, the women were presented with a single rose by the chef and each couple was presented with a copy of the cookbook personally signed by the Chef and the Matre Di.

 

All in all, this was by far the most impressive thing I have ever done on any of my cruises. My person thanks to my CC thread buddy who organized this on the first half of her B2B. My one reccomendation for all is that you have to try this.....

 

Bob

p.s. Sorry for any grammar & spelling mistakes.

[Woobstr112G]

My DH and I are celebrating our 25th anniversary, we saved for along time to enjoy this cruise. I really thought this would be a great unique experience to do the Chef's Table, I told my Mother-In Law whom I love, about your post and said wouldn't it be fun to do this, and she said yes absolutely and then handed me the $$$ and she said do it without feeling guilty about the $$ WOW I'm so excited , but how can I make a reservation?

 

You cannot make reservations before you board the ship. When you first board, you can call the dining reservation line, if you can get through, to sign up. I have also heard that they have something set up at one of the dining rooms right after embarkation. One thing to note, Signing up is only a passenger showing an interest in the C/T. It does not guarntee you will be selected.

 

One other thing. We were lucky enough to have a member of our roll call thread traveling on the 12 day med cruise prior to our 18 day T/A. She was able to sign our entire group up for the C/T. At first they wern't going to let here do it, but when the heard she was part of a CC roll call thread, they went ahead and signed our group up.......

 

Good Luck

 

Bob

[Woobstr112G]

Today finds us at sea heading for the Azores. After that it's 5 12 days at sea before we reach Flordia. So far the cruise has met or exceeded 99.9% of all my expectations. Having a great time.

 

Yesterday in Lisbon was wonderful. Our CC group had a private van/driver. We went to a castle at Pena and a small village just down the hill from the castle. We also stopped at a point that is the western most land spot in Europe. Sorry, but I don't have the name with me. After the cruise I will writee a more complete review. We also stopped off at a pastry shop in Belim (s/p?). It has been making delictable goodies since 1837 and is a must see place for all travelers.

 

We were suppose to try the Crown Grill last night but had to pass because my DW wasn't feeling well. We will deffinetely reschedule for anothere night. Tonight is a formal night and our dining plans are sitll up in the air.

 

Hope all are having a great day.

 

Bob

[Sunviking]

Just popping in to say Hi. We're on the Emerald too with Bob and the rest of our fellow CC friends. The cruise has been great so far though not as warm as on last year's transatlantic. Today it's cloudy and chilly up on a deck. I had hoped we'd be able to spend the afternoon at the Sanctuary but it doesn't look promising.

 

The food has been quite good so far. We did the Chef's Table last year and decided not to try it again this time. We've eaten in the Crown Grill 3 nights and Sabatinis twice so far. We prefer the smaller quieter dining venues. Can't comment on shows because we don't go to the,

 

All the tours we took were excellent. Some were private and some were ship's tours. We love the ports. So much so that we're going on the Ruby T/A next October, making it 3 in a row. There are so many things to see we figure we'll occupy ourselves.

 

Anyway, we're having a great time and the ship is lovely.

 

Ann

[margord]

Everything sounds wonderful. Thanks for posting.

 

Marilee

[Clutterlady]

Thanks Bob and Ann for the updates. Take good care of the Emerald, can't wait to board her in March!

[Solara]

It's almost our turn, only 6 1/2 days!:D

[Colo Cruiser]

Sounds great, thanks. :)

[Hornet]

Ann and Bob ~ Hi Ann - glad to see you post on this live thread. I've been enjoying your blog and can't wait until next year this time. Thanks, Bob, for your updates as well. I'm looking forward to more details on the excursions you've both been taking.

[margord]

It's almost our turn, only 6 1/2 days!:D

 

 

Make that 5 1/2 days.:)

 

Marilee

[Woobstr112G]

Hello all and good morning. Today finds us in the early morning of our first day at sea on our 5 day trek to Florida. We left Porta Delgada at 1430hrs yesterday. I was very impressed on this last stop in the Azores. Thery have opened a new ship terminal area that is very nice. I made the mistake of considering this port a throw away and thus fdid not plan anything. What a gaff on my part. Acores (sp?) which is the city where the ship docked is a very pretty town and there seems to be a lot to do. The locals were also very friendly.

 

Night before last found us dining at the Crown Grill. THe ambiance was wonderful. The food was quite good as well. I wasn't "wowed" by it, but still it was quite good. As far as the regular dining is concerned, the food for the most part has been good to very good. My only minor gripes is the lack of variety in the main dining room and the fact that food in the Horizon/Cafe Caribe is never very warm to hot. This is just a personal observation. I still think that overall, the food is turning out better than what I had expected.

 

The boutiques on board seem to be well stocked. Jewelry, for the most part, seems to have gone up significantly in price. I noted this especially when I prices a pair of Tanzinite earrings for my wife.

 

Hope all are enjoying their day.

 

Bob

[Sunviking]

Good Morning from somewhere between the Azores and Ft. Lauderdale. It's a partly cloudy, calm day here on board the Emerald Princess.

 

Bob, was right about the new terminal at Ponta Delgada. It was a much better place to dock than last year. The terminal is right downtown and makes for an easy walk. We truly enjoyed our shortened day there.

 

We have eaten multiple times in both the Crown Grill and Sabatinis. We like the ambiance better than in the main dining room. Some nights the choices in the dining room haven't been all that appealing either. Food has been generally very good and we have had great service.

 

Once we are home, I will try to write more about the tours we have taken but I need more time to collect my thoughts and I don't want to spend tons of time here on the net. We haven't been to a single entertainment event so someone else will have to comment on those.

 

We hope the remaining days will be as nice as this one. We're keeping our eye on Omar and hope we don't cross paths.

 

More later.

 

Ann

[Whimsy]

I just saw a thread about Sabatini's being open for lunch on certain sea days. Here is a link to the Princess information.

 

http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/dining/dining_options/emerald.html

 

To those of you on the Emerald right now, have you found this to be true?

[Celest1022]

Good Afternoon Bob,

I have a question ( as if you don't get enough). How are the beds? Are they the same as the other ones on the other ships (Hard) or did they replace them ? I would greatly appreciate it,,,,many people are getting calls from Princess, saying they have run out of egg crates to facilitate everyone who has requested them.

Susan:D

P.S. Back here,,,,the nights are getting cooler but the days are going back up in the high 80's. Fires are almost out.

[jagoffee]

Good Afternoon Bob,

I have a question ( as if you don't get enough). How are the beds? Are they the same as the other ones on the other ships (Hard) or did they replace them ? I would greatly appreciate it,,,,many people are getting calls from Princess, saying they have run out of egg crates to facilitate everyone who has requested them.

Susan:D

P.S. Back here,,,,the nights are getting cooler but the days are going back up in the high 80's. Fires are almost out.

 

Do you have any large group cruising with you? I got a call yesterday from Princess saying that they cannot meet my advanced request for an eggcrate topper during the next cruise leaving Oct 21. I thought they said something about a large group of seniors that have been on the ship since mid September. (600 or so) I would assume that they crossed and are taking the first cruise to the southern caribbean with us. I am waitlisted. It just seemed a little surprising to me and I am curious. I may have the facts a little confused. I was so impressed that they called me about my faxed request, I did not listen very well. They said they called just in case, I wanted to bring my own.

Thanks.

[Celest1022]

Do you have any large group cruising with you? I got a call yesterday from Princess saying that they cannot meet my advanced request for an eggcrate topper during the next cruise leaving Oct 21. I thought they said something about a large group of seniors that have been on the ship since mid September. (600 or so) I would assume that they crossed and are taking the first cruise to the southern caribbean with us. I am waitlisted. It just seemed a little surprising to me and I am curious. I may have the facts a little confused. I was so impressed that they called me about my faxed request, I did not listen very well. They said they called just in case, I wanted to bring my own.

Thanks.

Jim,

I'm cruising with you,,,,we are on the same roll call. I was asking about the beds because of the lack of egg crates. I have mine confirmed but I did it a while ago. Are you still wait-listed?? Are you confirmed or will you know at the last minute.

[jagoffee]

I am wait listed. It is really not that big of a deal, but I was just curious about the large group of seniors that they mentioned. This is my ninth cruise and I have never used an eggcrate, but I was concerned after reading all the negative comments about the beds on the ship. I thought I was being smart waiting until the last minute to request it. I did not even imagine that they would not have enough. It probably relates to the beds themselves. I will ask for one when I get on board, just in case. I am not going to worry too much about it. It if is a problem, I am sure that the steward will find something to improve the situation.

[jwave]

I did not receive any type of confirmation regarding an eggcrate for my Oct. 29th cruise. I KNOW they received my fax because the feather pillows I requested on the same fax are on the personalizer. When did you receive confirmation or waitlist notification of the eggcrate?

[ChattTenn]

Hello all and good morning.* Today finds us in the early morning of our first day at sea on our 5 day trek to Florida.* We left Porta Delgada at 1430hrs yesterday.* I was very impressed on this last stop in the Azores.* Thery have opened a new ship terminal area that is very nice.* I made the mistake of considering this port a throw away and thus fdid not plan anything.* What a gaff on my part.* Acores (sp?) which is the city where the ship docked is a very pretty town and there seems to be a lot to do.* The locals were also very friendly.* *Bob

 

We were on the 2007 TA with Ann SUNVIKING.* People kept telling us it is nothing at Azores, it is one of our favorite stop and the island is so beautiful.* Just hope Princess will consider a longer stop in the future enable people to see more of the island.

 

Hope your remaining days on the ship will be good and restful. We can't wait until 10/21 to board the beautiful Emerald Princess.

Truyen

 

PS: It looks like several of us from 10/21/08 cruise are posting over this thread. It is almost there everyone.

[jagoffee]

I did not receive any type of confirmation regarding an eggcrate for my Oct. 29th cruise. I KNOW they received my fax because the feather pillows I requested on the same fax are on the personalizer. When did you receive confirmation or waitlist notification of the eggcrate?

 

We are leaving Tuesday on the next cruise and Princess called me yesterday to let me know that I was waitlisted. I did not fax the request until this week. Since the feather pillow is on the personalizer and the eggcrate is not that might be an indication. Several people on our cruise received calls this week.

[jwave]

We are leaving Tuesday on the next cruise and Princess called me yesterday to let me know that I was waitlisted. I did not fax the request until this week. Since the feather pillow is on the personalizer and the eggcrate is not that might be an indication. Several people on our cruise received calls this week.

 

I called them yesterday and asked. All is confirmed. YEAH! Since I requested them in July, I really hoped that I would not be waitlisted.

[Sunviking]

My husband tells me that I am like the Princess and the pea of fairy tale fame because I am so particular about mattresses , pillows etc. We don't have a mattress topper in our cabin and I have had no problems sleeping. Maybe it's because I was pooped on port days and on sea days the fresh air gets to me. Perhaps it's the wine with dinner. Whatever, we've slept very well.

 

For whoever wanted to know, they had lamb shanks last night on the Caribbean Dinner.

 

Ann

[Woobstr112G]

Wel it doesen't seem like it's already time to get off the ship and return to reality, but tomorrow is it. It's been a great 18 days and I can't wait till Jan for my next cruise.

 

I will post a general review after I get back, but the entire cruise has met or exceeded nearly all of my expections. The food, for the most part, has been good to very good. The Specialty venues were good to very good. Sabitini's was better than the Crown grill (IMHO). The Crown Grill just didn't wow me. Of course the Chef's table was the best single thing I have ever experienced on any of my cruises. Overall the crew was outstanding and really went the extra mile to make sure all of our concerns were delt with. A special hats off to "George" in the internet cafe and "Anatolly" waiter in the Botticelli dining room (for table 123). Both top notch people.

 

Hope all enjoy, to the fullest, any future cruise plans.

 

Take Care All

 

Bob

 

Future: Diamond Princess Auz/NZ 01/09

Emerald Princess Med/Trans Atlantic 10/08

Celebrity Constellation British Isles/Norway 07/06

Celebrity Summit Alaska Repositioning 05/05

Celebrity Panama Canal 10/02

Rhapsody Of The Seas Alaska 09/01

Splendour Of The Seas Baltic 09/99

HAL Veendam Eastern Caribbean 07/96

Carnival Holiday Western Caribbean 07/93