Oct 16 2014
Emerald Princess – First Impressions
By CruiseMiss
<h1 class="post-title" style="border: 0px; font-size: 2.625em; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1em; margin: 0.5em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);"><a data-cke-saved-href="http://cruisemiss.com/2014/10/16/emerald-princess-first-impressions/" href="http://cruisemiss.com/2014/10/16/emerald-princess-first-impressions/" rel="bookmark" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;">Emerald Princess – First Impressions</a></h1><div class="post-meta" style="border: 0px; font-size: 12px; font-stretch: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; clear: both; color: rgb(159, 159, 159);"><span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author posted" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Posted on </span><a data-cke-saved-href="http://cruisemiss.com/2014/10/16/emerald-princess-first-impressions/" href="http://cruisemiss.com/2014/10/16/emerald-princess-first-impressions/" title="11:22 am" rel="bookmark" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;">October 16, 2014</a><span class="byline" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> by </span><span class="author vcard" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><a class="url fn n" data-cke-saved-href="http://cruisemiss.com/author/cruisemiss/" href="http://cruisemiss.com/author/cruisemiss/" title="View all posts by CruiseMiss" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;">CruiseMiss</a></span></div><div class="post-entry" style="border: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; clear: both; color: rgb(85, 85, 85);"><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1.6em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/emerald_prinsess_stockholm_2011a.jpg" href="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/emerald_prinsess_stockholm_2011a.jpg" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6189" data-cke-saved-src="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/emerald_prinsess_stockholm_2011a.jpg?w=1210&h=838" src="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/emerald_prinsess_stockholm_2011a.jpg?w=1210&h=838" alt="emerald princess" originalw="605" width="605" height="419" originalh="417" src-orig="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/emerald_prinsess_stockholm_2011a.jpg?w=605&h=417" scale="2" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 5px auto; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></a></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1.6em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">Hello from Emerald Princess! This is my second full day aboard, so I thought now would be an ideal time to introduce you to this beautiful cruise ship. On first impressions she is very nice indeed and I haven’t even seen all of her yet!</p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1.6em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">I have a balcony cabin on Baja Deck (Deck 11) and it is a fairly good size, the balcony is slightly bigger than I had expected although I haven’t had a chance to really use it as of yet due to bad weather. We were supposed to be at sea for 3 days before arriving in Funchal, Madeira, but our Captain informed us yesterday that because of a large low pressure system we would instead be docking in Vigo today. Well, as of around 5pm yesterday, we are back to our original itinerary and heading for Funchal, it seems the weather system is now affecting Vigo and it would have been unsafe for us to dock. It’s all fun and games on the open ocean – this is half of the fun!</p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1.6em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6124.jpg" href="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6124.jpg" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6190" data-cke-saved-src="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6124.jpg?w=1210&h=806" src="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6124.jpg?w=1210&h=806" alt="Baja Deck Emerald Princess" originalw="605" width="605" height="403" originalh="402" src-orig="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6124.jpg?w=605&h=402" scale="2" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 5px auto; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></a></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1.6em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">Her aft decks are superb and I absolutely love the outside area that leads from Sabatini’s on Deck 17 – the two small water fountains give the deck a rather nice feel and compliment the outdoor furniture perfectly. I am very much looking forward to better weather so I can see this space being used and really get a feel for the atmosphere it creates. I am also hoping it becomes an outside option for Sabatini’s and I can find one day with weather good enough to enjoy a meal al-fresco.</p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1.6em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">Movies Under the Stars is just fab! I haven’t braved it yet for a full movie, but I did skip through last night and grabbed a bag of complimentary, freshly popped popcorn! Delicious! I was tempted to go back for another but I stopped myself – there is so much good food aboard that it could prove problematic for my clothes! <span class="wp-smiley wp-emoji wp-emoji-wink" title=";)" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; display: inline-block !important; width: 1.35em; overflow: hidden; white-space: nowrap; text-indent: 9999px; min-height: 1.2em; position: relative !important;">;)</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1.6em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6129.jpg" href="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6129.jpg" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6191" data-cke-saved-src="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6129.jpg?w=1210&h=806" src="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6129.jpg?w=1210&h=806" alt="movies under the stars emerald princess" originalw="605" width="605" height="403" originalh="402" src-orig="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6129.jpg?w=605&h=402" scale="2" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 5px auto; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></a></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1.6em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">Breakfast is a rather busy affair, I struggled to find a table inside today so sat outside on the open deck. It was a bit on the windy side, but quicker and easier than waiting inside for a table. Just about everything you could imagine is served. French toast, American bacon, English bacon, beans, eggs (of several kinds), cereal, pancakes, yoghurt and today I even spotted rice! I went for hash browns, beans, scrambled egg and a little sample of American bacon, it was pretty tasty, although I am not a huge fan of the onions in the beans. I don’t think anyone should mess with baked beans! Last night’s dinner was via the Caribe Café and was simply noted as ‘Midnight Down Island Buffet’. I will be totally honest, I didn’t have a clue what to expect and I couldn’t find a menu anywhere to tell me, so I just went along and guess what I found – TIGER PRAWNS! A whole dish of them cooked in garlic, parsley butter and chilli. It was like taking a step into heaven, they were SO good as was the rice that I grabbed a spoonful of to accompany them. I have not been in the main dining room yet, that is on my list to do today along with booking tables at the Crown Grill and Sabatini’s for later in the cruise – it may well take me that long to decide what to actually have as the menu for the Crown Grill looks superb, I want to try it all! I have sampled the pizza from the Pizzeria and boy, it is GOOD! I can see why it has been voted as the ‘best pizza at sea’ several times by USA Today. The slices they give you are HUGE and very tasty.</p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1.6em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">The atrium aboard is beautiful and feels very open and inviting, it is definitely one of my favourites areas onboard – it really does have that WOW factor and is possibly the nicest atrium I have come across aboard any ship. It has nothing at all to do with the fact that it is surrounded by shops and bars! <span class="wp-smiley wp-emoji wp-emoji-wink" title=";)" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; display: inline-block !important; width: 1.35em; overflow: hidden; white-space: nowrap; text-indent: 9999px; min-height: 1.2em; position: relative !important;">;)</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1.6em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;"><a data-cke-saved-href="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6126.jpg" href="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6126.jpg" sl-processed="1" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(0, 102, 204); text-decoration: none;"><img class="aligncenter size-large wp-image-6194" data-cke-saved-src="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6126.jpg?w=1210&h=806" src="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6126.jpg?w=1210&h=806" alt="Tradewinds Bar Emerald Princess" originalw="605" width="605" height="403" originalh="402" src-orig="https://cruisemiss.files.wordpress.com/2014/10/img_6126.jpg?w=605&h=402" scale="2" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 5px auto; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; height: auto; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></a></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1.6em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">I still have so many more areas to explore and I will do so and get back to you! For now though, I shall enjoy the rest of today and tomorrow being at sea before we hopefully dock in Funchal, Madeira. I also promise to offer some better pictures, I am having a USB malfunction and can’t share images I took from my phone via my blog – I will take the camera around the ship with me now! <span class="wp-smiley wp-emoji wp-emoji-wink" title=";)" style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom; display: inline-block !important; width: 1.35em; overflow: hidden; white-space: nowrap; text-indent: 9999px; min-height: 1.2em; position: relative !important;">;)</span></p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1.6em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">It really does feel so good being back aboard a large cruise ship and thus far Emerald Princess is not disappointing!</p><p style="border: 0px; font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; margin: 1.6em 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; word-wrap: break-word;">Author: Danielle</p></div>