thecruisingfarmer

Thank you for the update!

Good call. I'll do that. Thanks!

The Diamond just came out of dry dock but I’m not finding any specifics on what was done other than a short IG clip showing a fresh paint job on the hull. A few months ago there were rumors of an International Cafe. Anyone seen or heard anything?

@ConnieTact thanks for posting! We’ll be on this itinerary for Christmas next year.

Thanks for the ideas - all great ones, BTW. My wife and I wanted the real bed upstairs because those pullout couches tend to be on the uncomfortable side. An inflatable mattress is definitely a possibility. Hate to lug it with us to Rome, but they are cheap enough we could leave it behind.

Our family of four (including two teens) will be in one of the Yacht Club duplex suites with whirlpool next December. After many Princess and Disney cruises, this will be our first time on MSC. Our kids would rather die than have to share a double bed. Does anyone know if MSC will allow a rollaway bed on the first floor if one kid sleeps on the couch (not converted to a double bed)?

Thank you for taking time out of your vacation to post. We’re on a 14 day Emerald sailing in July 2025. Very good to hear the service has been top notch.

Thanks for sharing. Been eyeing Antarctica but wondered if our two teens would be the only ones onboard. How were the seas on your sailing? I’ve heard they can be quite rough.

Agree! I’ve also missed my aft cabin with the sound of that beautiful wake. All the other stuff is secondary to being on the water.

That’s great to hear. Thanks for the reassurance. We like the character of the older ships as long as they are being well maintained.

Thanks for sharing your feedback. I felt quite anxious after reading this review as my family is booked for a 14 day British Isles sailing in summer 2025 on Emerald. Going back to look at other recent reviews/lives, some folks are (thankfully) having a very different and more positive experience on Emerald. With our very port intensive itinerary, we’re prioritizing the destinations more than the vessel. I’ll continue to track the feedback prior to the final payment deadline. We’re excited to get back to cruising after a break of several years. Booked for the Diamond (also an older ship) in Japan in June and for our first MSC sailing in Europa YC in the Med next Christmas.

Everything I've read and watched about Antarctica seems to indicate that you just have to be really flexible and open to the adventure of it all. I'm sure that includes internet access too! I was reading through a Princess Antarctica live thread (from 2023, I think) and they said the internet was pretty strong. Fortunately it's not a must-have for us, so we'd never turn down that itinerary based on internet access. Hope you have an amazing trip next December. We just might be on that ship with you!

We are thinking about doing the Antarctica sailing on Sapphire next year. Was wondering the same thing about internet.

We booked two cruises back in September (Japan 2024 and British Isles 2025) for our family of four. Both suites and both with the kids free. Would love to get that deal again, but this sale seems to allow the 3rd and 4th free only in categories of standard balcony and below.

Gotta say, this is a really heartening thread. We haven’t cruised since the restart and have three Princess sailings booked starting next year, including a couple of bucket list trips. I was getting depressed reading CC lately. It’s nice to be reminded why we love Princess!