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Sunday was our first full day at sea, and we spent it exploring the 15 passenger decks of the 113,000-ton Emerald Princess and getting use to our surroundings. The first close encounter with a ship this size usually makes me feel like an ant surveying a mountain. But the “Grand Class” ships of Princess (the Emerald is one of three along with the Grand and Crown Princess) never feel crowded, are easy to navigate and feel smaller than they are (although it still takes me half a day to walk from bow to stern!).  

With three show theatres, 12 lounges and bars, and 12 restaurants and cafes, many of which are located in or near the spectacular three storey atrium, it’s easy to understand why people usually drink and eat more while at sea (well, at least we plan to)! Then there are all the other goodies: the huge casino, four duty-free boutiques, a luxurious Spa, fitness centre, four swimming pools, golf facilities, and unique to Princess, the Movies Under the Stars theatre, where you can watch recent releases on a giant jumbo screen while stretched out on a pool chaise.   

So far, our favorite spot is “Vines Wine Bar” on Deck 5, where there’s a great selection of wines served by the glass or bottle, complimentary cheese plates (including Raclette), and a delicious selection of sushi made to order for only $1 per item. We’ve started to camp out here from 6:30 to 7:30 every night for pre-dinner drinks, hors d’oeuvres and stories about Bulgaria from Alex, the bar waiter. 

We also love “Crooners” bar on Deck 6, where Sheldon from Jamaica makes the meanest martinis on the high seas, and pours them into a glass that he juggles on his head. Sheldon won us over when he said his three favorite places in the world were Toronto, Vancouver, and Florida – two of which we live in, and the other we love to visit.  His bar list of more than two dozen types of martinis is amazing, and we hope to try all of them before we reach Ft. Lauderdale (hic).

 For after-dinner drinks, we’ve been heading to the clubby Adagio bar on Deck 16 next to Sabatini’s Italian restaurant. Adagio has a wonderful collection of exotic cocktails, including the fabulous “campitini” – a martini made from gin and campari – and a variety of Italian limoncella liqueurs. 

In between meals, we’ve satisfied our cravings by dropping in for some fancy Italian gelato and cream cake at the International Café across from Vines Bar. There’s also a coffee bar next door, with espresso, lattes, cappuccinos and pastries (all for a slight charge), which a great place to sit and read the satellite version of our local newspaper or the onboard newsletter, the Princess Patter.   

Not that there’s any reason to go hungry.  There’s plenty of food on board, including a pizzeria, a pool-side hamburger grill, an all-day buffet, three main dining rooms, and two alternative restaurants (Sabatini’s Italian and the Crown Grill steak house) which are available for a small extra charge of $20 or $25.

On previous cruises we had always signed up for the late dinner seating, but this time we went for the flexible “anytime dining” option.  So far it’s worked well: we’ve been able to walk into the Michelangelo or Botticelli restaurants at any time and get a cozy table for two. We love the flexibility of being able to dine when it suits us, as opposed to showing up at the same fixed time in the main dining room each night.  We were afraid this would preclude us from getting to know our waiters, but we’ve been able to sit in the same section most nights with the same great service staff – Tee from the Philippines and Valentina from Serbia. 

What we’re not sure about yet is our decision to go with an inside cabin. My first two cruises in the early 1980s were inside cabins aboard Epirotiki’s Jupiter and Polish Ocean Line’s Stefan Battory. They were not memorable cabins, and in the 45 cruises I’ve taken since, I’ve always coughed up enough bucks for either an outside or balcony cabin. And my wife Gail has never sailed in an inside cabin. So this was a big risk for both of us.  

My theory has always been that balcony or ocean view cabins are worth the extra cost when sailing in warmer climes and/or in regions with great sea views (e.g. Caribbean, Europe, South America, and Alaska in summer). But this is a late fall cruise through the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic, which to my way of thinking meant it was a prime candidate for a much cheaper inside cabin (i.e. too cold to be spending much time on the balcony, and the grey North Atlantic is not a great sea view). 

However, when we boarded the Emerald Princess and checked into our inside cabin, we were a bit disappointed by its lack of light and closet-like décor. And without even a porthole, it’s difficult to tell when morning arrives and what the weather is going to be like outside. However, we’re starting to get use to our little closet, which is well laid out and cozy, and smartly uses mirrors to give the illusion of more space.

So whenever we get depressed about not having a balcony, we just think about all the money we’re saving, and how little time we spend in the cabin anyway. And of course, how much more time we can now afford to spend in the bar drinking exotic martinis and expensive wine!!

Next, our first port of call in Naples, Italy.

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