Sea Day

Monday, February 9, was our first full day at sea. We knew ahead of time that was the first formal night so we chose to make that our anniversary celebration night and had pre-filled that out on the Princess website and Mark, our TA, had also let them know. So when we woke up and went out to get breakfast we had a wonderful greeting from Princess!

We also had a card in the mail opening outside of our door to give to the dining room where ever we decided to eat that night for an anniversary cake. Very nice!

We had a HUGE breakfast in the Horizon Buffet. My favorite things were cheese blintzes, (which they labeled as Swedish pancakes), and the most moist delicious bread pudding I've ever eaten!They also had a chef making omelets to order each morning and every other breakfast food you could possibly think of. There was plenty of fresh melon and pineapple but we were a bit disappointed not to find some of the fruits such as Papaya and Mango we had come to love at the land based all inclusives in Mexico. There was much discussion on the message boards about the coffee on board being made out of "syrup" and undrinkable, and mention of a coffee card you could get that they punched and entitled you to freshly brewed coffee, and assorted other specialty coffees, but of course that was an additional charge. We decided to go ahead and try the regular "syrup" coffee and found it was just fine. Not any worse than restaurant coffee and in some cases perhaps better. There was definitely cream on board - another thing I had heard mixed reviews about. So the coffee card decision was not an issue for us.

After breakfast we were stuffed and decided to stroll around to the upper decks we had yet to see. We found the virtual golf, the putting green, (which was almost unusable!), and the jogging track. There was also an excellent fully equipped gym and spa with all the usual services. Cost here was way more than at the land resorts and couples massages we usually pay for when away were out of the question on board. Of course on days the ship is in port they do reduce the fees but for us that wasn't an option since we planned to be off the ship at each of the islands!
We ended up in the main three level Piazza area which is surrounded by beautiful marble winding staircases, a gorgeous stained glass roof, and a glass elevator. This is the area where you would sometimes find a piano player, a string quartet, and sometimes demonstrations. As we wandered by we saw a crowd of people and looked to see chefs making animals and flowers out of fruits and veggies and there was also a demonstration of how they make the towel animals.

When that was over we walked up to the aft Terrace pool where Alicia thought their group would be hanging out but we didn't see anyone familiar. The lounge and deck chairs were all packed with people every where we had walked but we did manage to find two out there. We lay out for a while and I had brought my book along and was loving the warm sun! I got myself a salad from the buffet and ate out there but unfortunately the wind became worse as well as the waves and you could see the pool water going back and forth. We were both feeling a bit queasy so we went back to our cabin to lay down for a bit and watched some TV. They do offer a good variation of channels and we watched some CNN, a movie, and the Princess Captain's Log channel which shows you where you are on a map in your travels, weather info, and other interesting tid bits. We read that the sea conditions were "slight" with 4' swells. It sure felt higher than that!

Eventually we felt hungry again and decided to go to dinner around 6. David put on his good dark suit and looked so handsome! I had brought the gown I had worn 10 years ago on our last cruise and after further primping we walked down to the elevators and went down to the Piazza area where they were taking formal pictures. There were several different set ups all around the whole area and we chose one near the staircase. Unfortunately none of them came out as well as we had hoped and neither one of us thought to take a picture with our own camera! This was a table side picture one of the roaming photographers took that we did break down and buy at the end of the cruise:

We ate at the Da Vinci dining room and as soon as I mentioned we were there to celebrate our anniversary we were immediately seated at a great table for two off to one side. At each table you have a main waiter and an assistant waiter be it a table for two or a table for ten. Once seated they put your napkin on your lap for you, pour waters, and present you with an already opened for you menu. When they came to take our drink order we asked if we could trade our card for a bottle of wine in for a bottle of champagne and for the cost difference they agreed.
Each night in the dining room the left side of the menu has things you can always order and the right side has that evenings specialties - starting with appetizers, then soups, salads, and entrees which are a variety of beef, seafood, pasta, vegetarian, and "home style". (This category is simple things like Meatloaf, Chicken Pot Pie, Spare Ribs, etc.) All the entrees come with appropriately paired sides. We both had Beef Medallions which were in a wine reduction, ( can't remember what it was exactly). After enjoying our meal they brought us out a pretty anniversary cake and some of the waiters came over and sang Happy Anniversary to us. The cake had a chocolate mousse layer and it was so good we finished it all up!

Once done dinner we had just enough time to get to the Princess Theater and see the 8:30 showing of, "We Got The Music". It was awesome! We were so impressed with the sets, the costumes, and choreography, and the talented singers and dancers.

Since the theater was only a few decks below where our cabin was we decided to head back to our room rather than look for more entertainment which we knew was going on all over the ship.
When we got back to our room we had a nice surprise from our cabin steward - a towel art hanging monkey. He was so cute! We also found our bed turned down, chocolates on our pillows, and the next day's Princess Patter. Each night we both found ourselves looking the four page Patter over to see when day time things were happening, what evening entertainment was going on and where, (productions shows, comedians, magicians, bands, piano bar, MUTS, etc.), and which shops in the Piazza were having sales. There were also Scholarship at Sea classes listed which were offered during the sea days. I would take out a pen and we would circle the things we were interested in doing so we'd make sure not to forget about them. There was so much going on it was hard to keep track!

Emerald Princess Boarding Day - Feb. 8

We repacked our carry on luggage and headed for Port Everglades by way of taxi. Part way there David realized he had left his glasses at the hotel - oh no! The taxi driver calmly turned us around and we headed back where David ran in and very frustratingly ran out again as they hadn't turned up. He was so frustrated! We got to the Port about 11:15 and were fairly close to the front of the line after showing our necessary paper work. A very different experience than 10 years ago when we waited in a long winding line outside in the heat! Announcements were made that they would begin boarding at noon and our excitement grew. Suddenly David got a call that his glasses had been found at the hotel after all! He talked them into sending them on the shuttle to the port and he would meet the driver outside the gates. Naturally after all that waiting time the glasses arrive just as we are boarding. I went on ahead and had just gotten up the gang way when David reappeared. I was determined not to start our ship adventure without him by my side!

As we walked across the entry and onto the ship I had butterflies in my stomach - it was so beautiful! First we had to stop to have our picture taken and then you are given your card to use as ID for not only anything you want to buy on the ship but also to swipe as your room key.

You also need it to both get off the ship and back on at each port. We boarded on deck 7 which is the top of the Piazza area and you see the magnificent winding stairways and it just takes your breath away!

Crew members were all over directing you as to how to find your room and we were led thru the Gatsby Casino - which seemed much larger than on our previous cruise on the Princess Grand.
We took the elevator up to the 11th deck - Baja - where we hurriedly walked to B210.

We were pleasantly surprised to find a plate of appetizers compliments of Mark at Ohan Travel and also a card for a bottle of wine at dinner. He is such a great guy who we've worked with before and will again! We gobbled the appies down as we hadn't had anything to eat that morning. Our luggage hadn't arrived yet so we headed out to do a bit of exploring, get some lunch at the Horizon Court Buffet, and meet up with Alicia and her husband, Chuck, who live in CA and I had made friends with thru the Princess Cruise Critic message board. Alicia and I had been talking since last August when we first booked and we had hit it off instantly thru emails and IM's. We had called each other on our cells when we boarded so I knew they were all the way at the back of the ship by the adults only pool which is called the Terrace Pool. We hugged immediately and she introduced us to her niece, Cheryl, and husband, Kelley, who were also cruising with us.

Next stop was the buffet where there was lots to choose from. We both filled up our plates - my favorite being an Artichoke Tomato Salad. Time to walk off all those calories! The ship is huge and though it holds 3,000 passengers plus crew it never felt intimidating or crowded.

Family pool and bar, one of the many Jacuzzis

This is the MUTS screen - Movies Under The Stars. There are family movies, sports, and concerts on during the day and at night newer movies are shown. The pool lounge chairs are converted with comfy covers and you can get a blanket and popcorn to enjoy while you watch. We were so busy at night we never made it to do this as much as I wanted too. Some of the movies playing were Nights in Rhodane, Mamma Mia, Hancock, etc.

This statue is made by the famous artist Wyland and one flanks each side of an area between one of the pools and Horizon Buffet. Each one is worth $70,000!

After grabbing some cold drinks we settled ourselves onto lounge chairs and watched one of the great bands on the ship - Exotique. It was heavenly to know we had ten whole days ahead of us

of this luxury!

After a while we wandered back to our room and found our suitcases had arrived and we unpacked. I had brought an over the door plastic shoe holder for extra storage room but found we really didn't need it. As small as the bathroom was we seemed to fit all of our things on the three small shelves beside the sink and the one long one underneath. There was also a shelf in the shower to store our shampoo and soap. There were plenty of hangers as well and we didn't need any of the extra ones I had brought along. Also in our room was a desk, a small chair, and a stand up shelf unit with a door and on one shelf was a safe large enough for our passports, jewelry, and wallets. Unlike the land all inclusive resorts we had stayed in if you used anything Princess had prestocked in the small fridge provided you would be charged. Fortunately we had been told to bring our own water bottles on board for tours and such and we got them right in so we wouldn't be tempted to use Princesses drinks.

Once settled in we realized it wasn't too long til sail away at 5 p.m. so we hurried back up the elevator to the 15th floor and walked up another flight of stairs til we were at the very front of the Emerald. It was fascinating to watch the preparations and we got all excited when the vehicle stopped and the men got out who were going to release the lines attaching us to the dock.

We heard the sound of the side thrusters and suddenly felt the movement and watched as we pulled slowly away.

The Sheriff's boat led us out into the open sea

As we pass by the condo's lining the beach opening to the sea the people come out on their balconies and blow horns and wave flags and cheer - it was very cool!

As the sun set and Ft. Lauderdale faded into the distance we decided we were ready for an early dinner and from reading the boards I knew that there was a seafood buffet being held was at the buffet that night. It was slightly disappointing as we assumed there would be all kinds of fish but it was mostly cold lobster, crab claws, and of course plenty of chilled shrimp. Not that we didn't make a fine meal out of that!

After dinner we wandered around a bit more and ended up going to the Princess Theater to see their first night show which was a smattering of what was upcoming during the week. We saw one comedian, Jim McDonald, who we knew we didn't want to miss and kept an eye out for where he would be appearing and when. By then it was after 11 and we were once again exhausted so went to bed to the feel of the ship rocking from side to side. Being up in the front of the ship had given me pause when it was assigned, (next time I will definitely pick a cabin myself), due to hearing that could be a problem area in rough seas. In retrospect, as rough as the next days became, we're not sure any cabin wasn't feeling the intensity, and don't think we were any worse off than any other place during that trip. In fact we found the rolling motion made us very sleepy as soon as we lay down be it night or day! Walking down the halls feeling like you are drunk is quite another thing altogether however!

Emerald Princess - First Day of Our Adventure

We were so excited when we woke up at 4 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 7, to get ready for our 7 a.m. flight out of BWI. It was a good thing we left as early as we did because by the time we got to the gate the flight was almost done boarding! Soon we saw a beautiful sunrise as we settled in for our 2 1/2 hour flight.





The flight was fine and a break in the clouds showed we were just about there!




We had our bags in hand by 9:30 and got a cab to the Marriott Courtyard Ft. Lauderdale Beach
which I had booked thru Priceline at $175. (Regular price was $250!)





We figured there was no chance we could get into our room that early but luckily people were checking out for their cruises that day and we got right in to a 5th floor corner room. Boy were we suprised when we saw we had big L shaped windows and one view was of the beach and the other view was of Port Everglades and there in the harbor sat our sister ship The Ruby!







We relaxed for a bit and then talked to the concierge who directed us where to wait for the Sun Trolley and for $1. each you can ride it as long as you want. We went up and down Las Olas Blvd. and saw lots of cute boutique shops and restaurants and ended up eating at a place recommended by a few people on Cruise Critic message board called, Mango's. It was yummy!
We noticed that if we walked out the back door there was a sign pointing to the canal and a Water Taxi stop. So we strolled up there and decided to take a ride on the water. Now the one thing I wasn't prepared for was it was pretty chilly for FL and the wind was making it feel even colder. Luckily the Water Taxi was prepared and were handing out blankets you could wrap around your legs which I gladly took! We stayed on for the whole 1 1/2 hour loop and had a great guy on the microphone who gave us lots of scoops on the various mansions on the canals and other interesting history and info.








By then we were feeling pretty tired and got back to our room in time for a little rest before meeting up with Bruce and Cindy who lived very close by. (Bruce and we go back to college days!) In our room we watched The Ruby sail away and couldn't believe it would be us doing the sail away tomorrow!



Bruce and Cindy took us for a great dinner to the Hard Rock Casino complex where we caught up as much as we could get in. It turned out to be a great time and we all agreed we couldn't wait so long in between visits!

It had been a long day but it was hard to fall asleep with all the thoughts of what was to come!