ceilidh1

Does anyone know if you can upgrade if you booked BEFORE 1/18/2022? Would I need to cancel/rebook to get the upgraded deal? I usually upgrade the drink package anyway as well as add more dining and unlimited wifi, so seems like a no-brainer. Couldn't care less about shore excursion credit, but even without that the price is a bargain for my situation - UNLESS I have to cancel and rebook, as now the cost of my cruise had gone up significantly...

Much more... I'm holding off until the "kids sail free" promo starts on July 15th - if it applies to these sailings then I might jump on...

When you are logged in, search June/July/August 2023 for Emerald - you should see them. It's not a "sale" as in saving money...it is the day bookings open for Elite to book these particular sailings.

The 2023 prices gave me a little sticker shock, too...

Today is "on sale" day for elite - not necessarily a "sale". The Summer 2023 sailings are on Emerald and you need to be elite and logged in to see them...

That's the two I'm eyeing...

Actually, I do see the Emerald summer 2023 sailings if I log in...

I don't see a time listed, just the date - it's usually some random time like 11am PST or something...

This is my issue, too - flying from Vancouver, BC to Miami costs more than the cruise and takes me a full day each way. Ugh.

They don't really have standard "production shows". They have a lot of small pop up shows all over the ship but the main "shows" are "Crazy Dance Party Thing" which is like a dance off but the audience is standing (not sitting) - sounds weird but the talent of the dancers is amazing. Then there is the "Dual Reality" which is kind of a blue vs red battle and was hands down the best show I have ever seen anywhere! There is an event called "Never Sleep Alone" which is very audience participation and run by a sex therapist - definitely not for those easily offended but lots of fun and very amusing. They have drag shows, which were excellent, a 70s show, and the big Scarlet Nights party which is small shows all over the ship and ends on the pool deck. It's hard to describe the entertainment as it is so unlike any traditional cruise ship stuff - go in with an open mind and you will be blown away! Even if you don't care for the show itself, the pure talent of the performers (at least on my sailing) was enough to make me gasp out loud several times!

Not any more. The Plus fare is only for passenger 1 and 2 (required) but 3 and 4 can choose to upgrade if they wish.

I have also said the same thing on the surveys! Fingers crossed

I always book Plus as I like the convenience of having everything paid in advance and not having to worry about a bill at the end. I'm not sure it's a good "deal" for my case as I sail with a teen as passenger 2 and a pre-teen as passenger 3 so have always paid the same for them with Plus as for myself (and they definitely don't drink alcohol...lol). I am happy that Princess are finally allowing guests to opt only for passenger 1 and 2 for Plus (it WAS possible before if passengers were kids but it took a lot of doing to get it removed and not many reps knew it was an option, so I just gave up doing it). For my upcoming cruise, I am doing Plus just for 1 and 2 and will pay for a soda package/grats for 3 and 4 (sailing with an extra teen...) and upgrade the wifi with elite discount to cover their internet. I think I come out ahead. I couldn't ever see upgrading to the premiere if I had to pay the upgrade for a teen - they wouldn't get anything additional, unless I'm missing something.

Link to my review if anyone is interested. I haven't given up on Princess completely (yet) - had a great cruise on Discovery in April and booked on Royal in September...but definitely trying out other lines!

While there are drinking/partying activities on the ship, none of them are mandatory and can be easily avoided if not your thing. The pub crawl was really just a ship organised version of the pub crawls that CC members often organise through roll calls and was actually really helpful to get oriented around the different venues. No one was drunk on ours but we all had a good time. The pyjama party afterwards was also optional - we chose not to attend, not because it was offensive but because we had other things we wanted to do. Scarlet Night ends in a big party at the pool - we enjoyed observing, but didn't partake in the dancing. Everyone was having a good time and, like any vacation, you choose what interests you and avoid what doesn't. We weren't Rock Stars but the crew treated us like royalty - as they did every passenger.

Bathroom was pretty tiny on Scarlet, but the shower itself was amazing - and the bath products they supply are a million times better than Princess products. I found myself taking at least 2 showers a day as I enjoyed the shower and products so much...lol

I also never realised how much I would love a hammock on the balcony until I actually had one...

Virgin doesn't offer a "drink package" (pretty much the only downside in my opinion) but the drinks on the ship were very reasonably priced. You can buy a bar tab (their version of OBC that can be used for alcohol) and they give an additional $$$ amount as a bonus when you purchase. For two of us on a 5 day sailing, we ended up with $300 bar tab, drank as much as we wanted, and still had trouble using it up!

Another (former) Princess loyalist here. I tried out Virgin end of February and LOVED it! The dining was out of this world, I really enjoyed the entertainment and lack of kids (I have never cruised without my kids before and never thought I would, but...) and found it so refreshing not to be bombarded with constant sales pitches for everything. I would definitiely say that this was probably one of my best cruises and I am going to sail with them again - maybe not as much as I would like to, due to the kid thing (lol). If they bring a ship to the West Coast I would be sailing with them all the time!

July 11th

Fares for Emerald fares.pdf

The PDFs were released to TAs on Thursday. I posted as soon as they were sent.

Summer Los Angeles sailings on sale Jul 12: We're also pleased to offer a variety of 2023 sailings out of Los Angeles on Emerald Princess® that go on sale Jul 12 to the general public (Jul 11 for Elite Captain's Circle Members). Book by July 19th and receive $1 deposits5 and $50 onboard spending money6 (per person, up to four guests in a stateroom). This deployment features roundtrip sailings to the California Coast, Mexico and Hawaii. In addition to the Summer sailings out of Los Angeles, there are also new 18- and 19-day Panama Canal Ocean-to-Ocean voyages between Los Angeles and Ft. Lauderdale or New York, as well as a 7-day Canada & New England sailing, roundtrip New York.

Not yet - possibly next week!

That makes no sense at all! They paid less for their cruise fare, but not less for their "Plus" package! I would ask to take it higher...