Emerald Princess
Western
Caribbean
August 15-22, 2010
by Mary & Vincent Finelli
This was an encore cruise on the Emerald Princess. We sailed on her
in May 2010 and published a review on her wonderful atmosphere and
facilities at that time (click
here for that review). This review will be a different one for
us, since it will not be of the usual structure and content:
embarkation, ship description, service and food discussion, ports of
call, etc. Rather, we will focus on what may occur on board if a
passenger is not feeling well.
We were so happy to see Maitre D' Daniele Saredi and Head Waiter
Francesco Di Tullio, who welcomed us back with a beautiful table for
two in the Michelangelo Dining Room by the window overlooking the
sea. From the first evening, they along with our waiters Manuel
Batista of Portugal and his assistant Sorat and Head Waiter Bertrand
Zarate made us feel very special! Thus began what looked to be
another terrific cruise.
Just two days into the cruise Mary began experiencing excruciating
back pain. She spent most of the time in the cabin. Lino, our cabin
steward, went out of his way to make this cruise comfortable for us.
He added a special mattress pad to the bed, additional firm pillows,
and a special commode to the bathroom for Mary's comfort. Moreover,
he put a nice recliner on the balcony for Vincent. He went above and
beyond the call of duty. Thank you, Lino!
Vincent was stymied about what to do and then he decided that
acupuncture may be a palliative treatment that couldn't hurt. He
arranged four sessions with the lovely Sarah and Mary got to know
the wonderful Spa people quite well. If there is something in 'mind
over matter,' then the acupuncture was enough to tide Mary over
until the end of the cruise.
Our daily routine was scaled back. Breakfast was in our cabin and
room service was kind enough to bring additional items we penciled
in on the daily menu (i.e. eggs, bacon, and hot chocolate).
Whenever Mary went to the Piazza in her wheelchair, her favorite
“Cookie Man” from our first Emerald cruise, Abdul Shaikh always
smiled and waved to her to indicate he wanted to give her warm
cookies. When he heard that she had back trouble he also added his
prayers to the cookies. Both were much appreciated.
When Vincent went to lunch or dinner alone, both Bertrand and
Francesco saw to it that he could order especially for Mary and they
sent delicious items to our cabin. Well, if one has to be
incapacitated during a cruise, there is no better place than on the
Emerald Princess. Unfortunately, we did not get to meet Captain
Giorgio Pomata in person as per his kind invitation, but maybe next
time.
We debarked on Sunday August 22nd and on Monday the 23rd Mary was
hospitalized and Wednesday underwent spinal surgery. Now, she is at
home and doing well with physical therapy.
The moral of this story is unexpected things can happen on vacation.
So go with the flow, rise with the tide, and live.
Thanks to all the crew of the Emerald Princess for their extra
solicitude and attention. We carry a warm spot in our hearts for all
of them.
Due to this unexpected problem we had to cancel our next cruise on
the Liberty of the Seas for Sept. 5th, but we hope that Mary feels
better for the next one on the Norwegian Epic, Oct. 2nd. Happy
Cruising!
Princess
Cruise Reviews
Princess Cruises -
Cruise Line Profile
More from
CruiseDiva.com:
Articles
& Advice
Cruise
Reviews
Cruise
Line Profiles
