This is the first year DH and I have driven to the port. He is retired and we're wintering in Florida. The drive to Port Everglades was easy. Previous to arriving I discovered that the Emerald would be leaving from Pier 29 but returning to Pier 2 (usual pier for Princess ships). To accommodate this we first dropped our bags at Pier 29 and drove to North Parking structure near Pier 2. We hailed a cab to drive us back to Pier 29 (about $10 with tip). When we returned from the cruise, we knew this had been the right thing to do. Our first three days were sea days...because the winds were too strong for us to maneuver the channel in Antigua. Most of our cruises have been in Feb, in the Caribbean. These were the strongest winds and the roughest sea we've experienced. Definitely could feel the rocking, especially at night.

Cabin: We reserve 4 cabins in a row so we can open balcony door between them. This time we were in R703,705,707 and 709. They were BC category but did seem smaller than our BC last year on Lido forward. The location was great for the Horizon Court, the traditional dining room, the aft pool and whirlpools. We heard no noise overhead from the HC. The sun lover in the group loved being near the aft pool area. Our cabin steward was efficient. Our eggcrate pads were on beds when we arrived as was our pillow preference. We ordered our wineglasses from room service and were good to go. FYI: If you forget your corkscrew, room service will come to your room to uncork your bottle. We often went to Dinner with wine glass full in hand. Internet Cafe We did sign up for our internet package and as reported before, if you sign up the first day you get 30 extra minutes free. We signed up for the 250 minute package and both DH and I had many minutes left at end of cruise. Internet is slow, but we believe it is faster than in years past. Dining: We enjoyed our dinners at traditional dining room early seating. We find this the best for our party of 8. Have tried anytime dining and didn't work as well for us. Only real change in the menu was the "homestyle" items. At our table I believe it was only ordered once....ribs and they were reported ly excellent. We learned to order our beef one step rarer than usual, e.g. if you usually eat your meat medium..order medium rare. The veal shank was outstanding. The soufflEs not as good as normal..and portions were smaller. We learned to listen to the advice of Juan, our waiter. He never missed with his recommendations. Lunch was split between Horizon Court, the Wheelhouse, and room service. We enjoyed our English Pub lunch at the Wheelhouse, new this year. Also new this year was the free lemonade from 11-11 at the HC. We also can highly recommend club sandwiches and flan from room service. We had a great lunch on our balconies. FYI: Guacamole has to be ordered 6 hours in advance. We ate many more breakfasts than normal in the dining room. Early in the cruise we learned it was tough to get a table, especially for 8, at HC. Once we got the dining room time down, breakfast there worked out well. Not the selection of HC but service was great and plenty to eat. The last few days of the cruise we were in code red for Norovirus so many more folks were using dining room. We made it for free ice cream at HC between 3:30-4:30 several times. There was usually a selection of 4 flavors and this year fresh waffles were available. Nice touch. DH usually buys coffee card and did so again this year. His favorite place then is IC. Found the vanilla bean lattes the best choice. We were disappointed Princess has discontinued Chai Latte. Were often there at fresh cookies and milk time.

Entertainment/Activities: Production Shows-Princess Theatre: We had seen these production shows last year. We attended I Got the Music and will say the singers and dancers are very energetic and put on a good show. Princess has addressed the crowd by adding performances. We didn't attend PT the rest of the week. Comedians-Explorer's Lounge: We attended both Jim McDonald and Scott Wyler's show. Both were very entertaining. A pleasant alternative to PT's shows. You will have to get there early if you have a larger group and want to sit near each other. We enjoyed Exotique's music while we waited for the show. Highly recommend seeing both of the men!! (Hi Scott!!! He told us he reads CC boards) Club Fusion: Most of the game shows and parties are here. Our group even participated in a few. Fun. We attended the 50's-60's party and the Princess Idol performance. Crooners: We weren't crazy about the pianist/singer here. Stop by, listen and make up your own mind. He definitely had a following. Adagio Bar (deck 16 aft): Enjoy this lounge and the pianist here. Found my new favorite Princess drink..Tarimisu (yes, it's a drink). The waiter recommended it and didn't steer us wrong. Our group usually has a mini-golf tournament each year. Girls against guys. We were all disappointed in the shape of the course....badly maintained. Still had fun. It's a little difficult to find...take aft elevators. MUTS : Enjoyed more movies than normal. Take a sweater...even though they have small blankets for you. There's popcorn, waiters bring around pizza and later cookies and milk. We never had room for these items because we went to the movies right after dinner. We saw Mama Mia, Nights in Rodanthe, Body of Lies and Hancock. Ceramics: We used this activity for the first time this year. We painted mugs ($20 each). Turned out great and a great remembrance/souvenir. Helped pass the time on those cruise days. Hot Tub: The aft hot tub on deck 17 is the largest and hottest onboard. We met many interesting cruisers here. Casino: The slots were very tight and even tables didn't seem to be paying well. Our group usually tends to spend a lot of time here but cut it down considerably because we were just losing $$. FYI: DH & I gifted each other casino credits before cruising...thus being able to get credit card points and cash onboard without the 3% fee. It worked well. We had gift cards waiting when we arrived in cabin and then turned them in for cash at casino. Excursions/Tours/Ports On Dominica, we went on the river tubing tour through the ship. Last year we had done a similar tour privately with Wacky Rollers. We chose the ship's tour this year because I had read on these board that the ship's tour was higher up the river with deeper water and more fun! Once again the boards were right. Last year the water was quite shallow in spots...sometimes dragging bottoms on the bottom. The river is not deep....you can stand in it. The crew keeps a close eye on participants and we always felt safe. Highly recommend this excursion. On Barbados we went on another ship's tour: Tiami catamaran, snorkel and turtle encounter. Again high recommendation. The cat was large and well maintained . A very nice crew of young men. Great lunch onboard. Nice stops for snorkeling and then again to swim with turtles. Drinks after snorkeling. In St Thomas, we wanted to shop. We did use the new water transportation...Pirate Shopping Tour. It's basically a water taxi with stops at Downtown, Havensight/Yacht , and Crown Bay where we docked. You must buy tickets at the tour desk onboard...$10 for hop on/hop off service. A value since crowded cab rides are $4 one way pp. Also want to mention a small outdoor bar on Drake's alley (can be found waterfront downtown)...great rum punch..and personnel. FYI: Liquor prices seemed lowest in Dominica...next St. Kitts and just slightly more in St. Thomas. Still a good value if you can transport them home. Because we've had some bad luck in the past taking liquor on the planes...you now have to check in bags with liquid...we had purchased some plastic flasks prior to the cruise. Lotus Spa and Exercise Area Took advantage of port day specials and had "Cleopatra Milk Body Treatment" A nice treat. My massage therapist quickly stopped the "sale's pitch" when I indicated I wasn't interested in purchasing any products. My advice: It's part of their job...just say "no thanks".Others in our group exercise each morning and wished the area opened before 7....said there was always a line waiting in the morning. Extra Thought: We always take advantage of leaving a Future Cruise deposit onboard...advantage: onboard credits. We're usually undecided about when/where we'll cruise again and eventually book with our TA once home again. Read more