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!

PCL allows us to have a peaceful, easy, relaxing vacation. Relative to other mass market lines, the lack of onboard thrills and party vibes feels like a more luxury experience, which even our teens appreciate. We’re a family of four introverts who appreciate the design of Princess ships.

We’re booked for an 8 day Japan itinerary on the Diamond in June. This will be our first trip to Japan, so no first hand experience yet. However, I’ve done a ton of research and found some very comprehensive reviews of the Diamond on YouTube from some popular bloggers who cruised Japan during the festival season in August. Some tidbits I’ve learned about Japan: As someone else mentioned, weather is a big consideration since Japan seems to have some extremes. We’ll be there during rainy season in June but, with school-aged kids, we’re limited to summer break and rain is more desirable than the heat and humidity of July/August. If the sailing includes South Korea, be prepared for lengthy customs processing at the next Japanese port. Beware if booking a non-Princess excursion that day. “Sightseeing Japan” podcast is an amazing resource! They never mention cruising at all, but lots of detailed information about many of the ports of call. It was so good I plan to go back and listen to many of the episodes a second time. Great resource for planning self-guided port days and for learning about cultural aspects. Other than Yokohama (Tokyo) the majority of ports are not typical tourist destinations. You’ll want to combine the cruise with a land stay if you want to see the “big rock” inland cities like Kyoto. Fortunately the train infrastructure makes that very doable. Japan is a wildly popular destination right now, so be prepared for crowds. We booked pre- and post-cruise hotels three months ago (10 months in advance of the trip) and got exactly what we wanted. I just checked this week and those hotels are already selling out. There isn’t much activity for Japan itineraries on CC or FB groups. Most likely due to the large proportion of people on those sailings being from Japan and China. English speakers will be in the minority, but my family is really excited about the international aspect of the cruise. Best wishes planning your cruise!

"Best Suites on Sun Princess" by Cruise With Amber https://cruisewithamber.co.uk/best-suites-on-sun-princess/

Thanks for sharing - I found it. The more I think about it, I think we'd rather have this area adults only since we can't control other peoples kids and the Sun is likely to be more families than a typical PCL ship. Our teens will have plenty to do on the Sun anyway.

Yeah, it will be interesting to see how those suite areas turn out. We’re in a smaller stateroom than usual with the expectation/hope that we can use the suite deck and lounge as an extension of our living quarters. We’re a bunch of introverts who enjoy peace and quiet. Can’t wait to follow along on the live threads of those first sailings!

Thanks for that heads-up, but they are booked in the suite with us.

Hi everyone! Just finished reading this entire thread. We’re booked for the 12/21/24 sailing to celebrate my 50th birthday. Very excited to be on this new ship and level up to elite upon completion. We booked one of the S9 signature suites and paid a couple thousand more than a mini in hopes that those new suite perks will be worth it. We’re sailing with our two very mature and well-mannered teens and hoping they’ll be able to join us in the suite area of the sanctuary. Anyone else spending Christmas on the Sun next year?

Curious to know what you decided. We just booked a Signature (cabin 16609) for the Dec 21, 2024. Our family of four is cruising Japan in June ‘24 and a 14 day British Isles in July ‘25, but I just couldn’t resist adding a sailing on the Sun after seeing all the new features. Normally I would be concerned about packing the four of us in mini-suite sized room but I’m thinking we’ll be spending a lot of time in the suite lounge and sun deck.

We’re booked in the GS on the Diamond in June. There are several sea days and we have two teenagers now, so we took the plunge for the extra space and that killer balcony. After lots of research I can confirm there are no extra perks for S1 beyond any other full suite.

Bob, I’ve really enjoyed reading about your trip. Our family of four (including two teens) will be in the Grand Suite on the Diamond in Japan this coming June. We are thrilled to have snagged this suite which appears to be near identical to it’s sister Sapphire. Couple of questions for you: 1) Looks like the GS comes with a desktop computer. Do you have internet included on that PC or are you required to use one of your allowances from a package? 2) Have you experienced any extra benefits/services/nice touches with this stateroom that don’t typically come with a suite? The best cabin we’ve sailed on Princess was an aft Vista suite in Alaska and that balcony was heaven. Can’t even imagine how nice the GS balcony will be! Thanks in advance!