Differences between Caribbean and the Sapphire Princess ships?

6 years ago (how did it get so long ago) we did a cruise on the Sapphire Princess, next Feb we'll be on the Caribbean Princess. I can't find a good comparison of the ships. Are they similar in size? I know both have undergone refurb since we were on the Sapphire but just trying to get an idea

6 years ago (how did it get so long ago) we did a cruise on the Sapphire Princess, next Feb we'll be on the Caribbean Princess. I can't find a good comparison of the ships. Are they similar in size? I know both have undergone refurb since we were on the Sapphire but just trying to get an idea

Pretty much the same for length/width etc.

The CB has one additional deck (Riviera) and 500 extra passengers to go along with it.

CB has an IC.

While the Sapphire (and the Diamond) are similar in most ways to the other Grand class ships, they were both built in Japan and have a few differences.

Both are a bit wider than the others and you'll find evidence of this on the outside promenade which is noticeably wider.

Because of the extra width and no Riviera deck you may perceive the ship being less crowded as there is a tad more public space and less passengers.

I have sailed both and consider them to be the best ships in the Grand class.

Note: some people consider them to be different enough to call them the Jewel class.

The Sapphire also has an Alfredos if memory serves me right. I'm sure I will be corrected if not.....

Both ships have the International cafe, not just the CB

The Sapphire also has an Alfredos if memory serves me right. I'm sure I will be corrected if not.....

Yes it does have Alfredos. It also has an International Cafe. At least it did when it was in North America last.

I would take the Sapphire over the CB. Less people.

A few differences I recall:

Sapphire has a covered pool, Caribbean does not.

Caribbean Skywalkers is further aft which provides some shade over the aft terrace pool. Sapphire had a couple hot tubs on the aft, I think only one on Caribbean.

Promenade is wider outside on Sapphire than Caribbean.

Size of the ship felt about the same, although as noted, more passengers and one extra deck on Caribbean.

Some of the locations of things are different. Wheelhouse is smaller on Caribbean.

There are 4 dining rooms on Sapphire, 3 on Caribbean. They are in different locations.

For the most part, the look and feel were about the same.

I enjoyed cruises on both ships!

There are 4 dining rooms on Sapphire, 3 on Caribbean. They are in different locations.

 

5 dining rooms on Sapphire, 3 on Caribbean Princess.

The 4 dining rooms up front on Sapphire equal the size of 2 on the Caribbean Princess.

Then they both have an aft dining room.

5 dining rooms on Sapphire, 3 on Caribbean Princess.

 

The 4 dining rooms up front on Sapphire equal the size of 2 on the Caribbean Princess.

 

Then they both have an aft dining room.

I forgot about the four dining rooms, I really like that setup. Each one has its own theme, British pub, Southwest, Asian and ??? Being smaller, the rooms are subjectively quieter too.

The menus are the same in each room and each "theme" has an off-menu specialty such as fajitas in the Southwest room. You have to ask your waiter about the themed item. You can get any of the theme items in any room as well.

5 dining rooms on Sapphire, 3 on Caribbean Princess.

 

The 4 dining rooms up front on Sapphire equal the size of 2 on the Caribbean Princess.

 

Then they both have an aft dining room.

I forgot about the four dining rooms, I really like that setup. Each one has its own theme, British pub, Southwest, Asian and ??? Being smaller, the rooms are subjectively quieter too.

 

The menus are the same in each room and each "theme" has an off-menu specialty such as fajitas in the Southwest room. You have to ask your waiter about the themed item. You can get any of the theme items in any room as well.

I really dislike the DR setup on the Diamond/Sapphire.

4 main DR's yes but they are just a regular DR cut in half.

A poor design IMO. :(

I really dislike the DR setup on the Diamond/Sapphire.

 

4 main DR's yes but they are just a regular DR cut in half.

 

A poor design IMO. :(

You're welcome to your opinion, but there's a very unique advantage to this arrangement: because each DR has an off-menu themed dish, Princess effectively "can't" use any of these DRs for traditional dining. As a result, all four DRs are open all night long for anytime dining. This alleviates a lot of the capacity crunch that occurs on other ships, since 2/3 of the MDR capacity is tied up during first seating.

You're welcome to your opinion, but there's a very unique advantage to this arrangement: because each DR has an off-menu themed dish, Princess effectively "can't" use any of these DRs for traditional dining. As a result, all four DRs are open all night long for anytime dining. This alleviates a lot of the capacity crunch that occurs on other ships, since 2/3 of the MDR capacity is tied up during first seating.

Have sailed both ships many times and the "capacity crunch" was present on the majority in those 4 DR's. Especially because Vivaldi is used for traditional for a good chunk of the evening.

The other main reason? People have a reserved table's for the entire cruise throughout the other 3 DR's taking up the ability to just walk up and get a table. I love the rest of the both ship's but cringe when I think about having to deal with this on a cruise. :(

And your right its just my opinion.

Have sailed both ships many times and the "capacity crunch" was present on the majority in those 4 DR's. Especially because Vivaldi is used for traditional for a good chunk of the evening.

The other main reason? People have a reserved table's for the entire cruise throughout the other 3 DR's taking up the ability to just walk up and get a table. I love the rest of the both ship's but cringe when I think about having to deal with this on a cruise. :(

And your right its just my opinion.

I will gladly take Sapphire's dining rooms as opposed to having 500 additional people vying for the dining rooms that don't appear any larger on the Crown class of ships (or Caribbean Princess).

We like the Caribbean Princess (3rd cruise on her coming up). The Sapphire Princess is our LEAST favorite Princess ship, even though one of our favorite cruises was on her (Hawaii). The small and cramped-feeling dining rooms are a major reason. She is just not as enjoyable onboard as other Princess ships. Hard to explain, but just doesn't feel as "Princess". (Yes, she has IC now. She didn't when we cruised aboard her.)

I really dislike the DR setup on the Diamond/Sapphire.

 

4 main DR's yes but they are just a regular DR cut in half.

 

A poor design IMO. :(

Agree.:o

Thanks for the comments. Been on CB multiple times, but not yet on Sapphire.

A belated thank you for this thread. I just booked passage on the Sapphire for 30 Dec 2017. I have cruised on the CB a few times so it was interesting to read opinions on the similarities and differences between these two specific ships.

While we enjoyed our cruises on the CB, I prefer the later ships--Crown, Ruby, and Emerald--because of the way they moved around some venues. The location of the casino on the CB is in the way, in my opinion.

I liked Alfredo's on the Sapphire. We had traditional dining in the International Dining Room, so the smaller anytime dining rooms did not bother us. When we did the Chef's Table, it was held in the Santa Fe Dining Room--so we got a taste of that decor but not the food.

These ships are quite different when you consider passenger space ratio.

Sapphire and Diamond have a much better space ratio and the ship feels much less crowded. These ships were plusher, upgraded versions of the original grand class ships. We love both of them and we were not pleased when they were redeployed overseas.

Caribbean and her super grand class sisters have an additional passenger deck and approximately 500 extra passengers in much the same public space. You cannot hide 500 extra people. Lack of a covered pool is a big deal with so many people on board. If the weather is bad the interior spaces feel even more crowded.

A belated thank you for this thread. I just booked passage on the Sapphire for 30 Dec 2017. I have cruised on the CB a few times so it was interesting to read opinions on the similarities and differences between these two specific ships.

I have probably sailed on the Sapphire more then any other Princess ship and I think it is a great ship. It also felt to me that it was made better. I guess I like Japanese built ships over Italian built ships.

The 4 dining rooms in the front, they were originally designed to have a themed menu to themselves. This didn't last long and they just kept one entree that is themed to each restaurant.

Of the Grand class ships I have been on, this is probably my favorite. It still has the covered pool, has 500 less passengers then Caribbean Princess and should feel more spacious due to that.

Not sure of the changes made to the Asian market but the last time I was on the ship it was great (21 days that trip).