Sapphire Princess - 4 smaller anytime dining rooms, how to choose?

[Canuckleheadd]

I am going on the Sapphire this Saturday (2/23), have anytime dining and notice that there are 4 dining rooms, basically the usual 2 large dining rooms you would find on deck 5-6 made into 4 "halves".

 

Has anyone been on the Sapphire and done anytime dining? How do you choose which dining room? Is there a reason to favor one over the other?

 

Thanks for your input:)

[sunsetbeachgal]

We just happened to walk into Santa Fe the first night and loved it so that is where we ate the entire cruise. There are two dining rooms on the sixth floor, and two on the fifth floor (the dining room at the back of the ship is reserved for traditional dining) and each of the four has their own decor and one unique entree for that dining room that does does not change during the cruise-the rest of the items are the same for each dining room. The Santa Fe's unique entree is fajitas-I never had them so can't comment.

 

We LOVED the smaller dining venues-quieter, more intimate , more tables for two, and it felt more like eating in a nice restaurant than in a huge cruise ship dining room. We just happened to like the decor of the Santa Fe as well.

 

And speaking of food, if you like pizza don't miss Alfredos in the piazza as their brick oven pizza was excellent!!

 

Can you tell that the Sapphire is my favorite Princess ship??

[jsiegel]

Since they all serve the same food, we found ourselves just going to the one with the shortest line if we happened to want to dine at a popular time.

 

I did like Pacific Moon's decor but that one is very popular. We ate most times in Santa Fe. A few times we went a deck lower as those seemed less busy.

 

I tried two of the specialty dishes. I liked the seafood noodle dish at Pacific Moon but thought the fajitas at Santa Fe were nothing to write home about.

 

Jackie

[NewPennCruiser]

I think the smaller dining rooms work better, or at least seem to keep the lines down compared to the other ships that just have the 2 larger dining rooms. We were just on Sapphire and ate in Savoy with fantastic service. After the first night we made standing reservations and stayed there. You will probably hear others say the same things for all the dining rooms, but otherwise if you have no preference, go with the shortest line (if there are any) or just try them all out for a change of pace.

 

Each dining room does have a specialty that is always offered that is not on the menu and that item is unique for each dining room. However, you can try the specialty from a different restaurant, just ask your waiter. For example we tried the specailty from Vivaldi while eating in Savoy one evening. Dave

[UpcountryTravelers]

We were on the Sapphire in 2011. Our method was to try all four, then decide on which we personally like best. (We found the service on one to be a notch below the other three, so avoided that one. I'm not going to say which one, because it is probably different now, more than a year later.)

 

Give them all a try. You have Anytime Dining - you can do that.

[IECalCruiser]

We very much like the four smaller DRs. As others have posted, there are many tables for two along the wall between the two DRs on each deck. At least in the past, on the Sapphire they have allowed you to reserve a table for three nights in a row. On our two cruises on her in 2011, we enjoyed our waitstaff the first night and stayed at that table throughout each cruise. Unlike other ships where one of the two anytime DRs is used for early traditional dining, on the Sapphire only one of the four DRs was used for early traditional. With more tables available that might keep the lines down. You can order any of the off menu specials in any of the DRs.

[peachykiehn]

We love the atmosphere of the smaller venues. We also tried all four then found one we liked best due to service but we also like to make reservations so usually called and found one that had a time that met our needs for that night. Otherwise just find the shortest line. Haven't been on the Sapphire in a couple of years but at that time you could make reservations out for several days.

[abqmommyof4]

We just happened to walk into Santa Fe the first night and loved it so that is where we ate the entire cruise. There are two dining rooms on the sixth floor, and two on the fifth floor (the dining room at the back of the ship is reserved for traditional dining) and each of the four has their own decor and one unique entree for that dining room that does does not change during the cruise-the rest of the items are the same for each dining room. The Santa Fe's unique entree is fajitas-I never had them so can't comment.

 

We LOVED the smaller dining venues-quieter, more intimate , more tables for two, and it felt more like eating in a nice restaurant than in a huge cruise ship dining room. We just happened to like the decor of the Santa Fe as well.

 

And speaking of food, if you like pizza don't miss Alfredos in the piazza as their brick oven pizza was excellent!!

 

Can you tell that the Sapphire is my favorite Princess ship??

 

we ate in the Santa Fe room the entire time on our cruise in December, ( except dinner in the steak house 1 night) we loved it, we were able to get the same team each night and the same table ( partly because I have a gluten intolerance) As for the fajitas... being from New Mexico nothing compares to the real thing... so sorry Princess>

[dtwcal]

We just got back from the Sapphire Princess. We found that, for some reason, the chairs in the Pacific Moon Dining Room weren't as comfortable as the other three. :confused: Also, the Vivaldi Dining Room was used for traditional early seating, so it was only available for anytime dining after 7:45 pm. We did the Chef's Table and it was held in the Santa Fe Dining Room. What a wonderful meal! :D

[geoherb]

We've had traditional dining on both of our Sapphire Princess cruises. I only experienced the smaller dining rooms during the Chef's Table and afternoon tea. I thought the decor of the Santa Fe wasn't great. I liked the Pacific Moon's decor better.

 

I was able to order the specialty entrees from the four dining rooms in the International Dining Room. One waiter made a big deal of it, saying he had to check with his head waiter to see if it was OK that I did that. On the second cruise, the waiter did not make a fuss over my ordering it.

[Bookworm2228]

We've sailed on Princess ships 6 times and returned from our first cruise with the Sapphire Princess on Saturday. We have always preferred the ambiance of the Santa Fe dining room, but we traditionally try one night at each of the restaurants and see if we like one better than another, and always end up back at Santa Fe! On our last cruise, we found a nice group of servers (thank you Juan and Karla and Jeronimo!) so we spent most of our last few nights there. Why not try each of them and see which one fits your style? You won't be disappointed...the meals are all the same in each restaurant although each has a specialty, so you just have to find one that suits your mood.

[zonacruiser25]

We sail on the May 18 Alaska sailing. We have a group of 7 and have anytime. I heard lots about tables for 2 (our typical choice) but need a larger table this time. One in our group uses a walker and we like the idea of walking forward on the same deck to the show after dinner. So for the Sapphire veterans, any suggestions on our best bet for anytime dining room? I would believe we will reserve the same table as often as we can. Thanks!

[MsSoCalCruiser]

We sail on the May 18 Alaska sailing. We have a group of 7 and have anytime. I heard lots about tables for 2 (our typical choice) but need a larger table this time. One in our group uses a walker and we like the idea of walking forward on the same deck to the show after dinner. So for the Sapphire veterans, any suggestions on our best bet for anytime dining room? I would believe we will reserve the same table as often as we can. Thanks!

 

I was on the Sapphire last October so you would think that I would remember but I don't. Looking at the Deck Plans, it looks like your best bet would be the Pacific Moon or Sante Fe dining room. But I do remember there being stairs at the casino on your way to the showroom. I should be on the Sapphire BVE in a few weeks so I will try to remember to check this out for you. I bet that Pam would also check it out if she doesn't already know the answer. Please bump your question up on March 8th to remind me (if you want me to check).

[zonacruiser25]

I was on the Sapphire last October so you would think that I would remember but I don't. Looking at the Deck Plans, it looks like your best bet would be the Pacific Moon or Sante Fe dining room. But I do remember there being stairs at the casino on your way to the showroom. I should be on the Sapphire BVE in a few weeks so I will try to remember to check this out for you. I bet that Pam would also check it out if she doesn't already know the answer. Please bump your question up on March 8th to remind me (if you want me to check).

THANKS! I hope I remember on the 8th!

[MsSoCalCruiser]

THANKS! I hope I remember on the 8th!

 

You're welcome! I will try to remember too!

[NewPennCruiser]

We sail on the May 18 Alaska sailing. We have a group of 7 and have anytime. I heard lots about tables for 2 (our typical choice) but need a larger table this time. One in our group uses a walker and we like the idea of walking forward on the same deck to the show after dinner. So for the Sapphire veterans, any suggestions on our best bet for anytime dining room? I would believe we will reserve the same table as often as we can. Thanks!

 

Just got off so deck plans are fresh in my head. The anytime dining rooms are on decks 5 and 6. You can go forward toward the front elevator banks on either floor; on 5 you go through the art gallery and on 6 you go through the casino past Churchill's.

 

You can access the lower theatre right from deck 6 but there are about 8 or 9 steps up. Then once you get in, there are more steps up or down to the floor depending on the direction you want or need to go to find a seat. If those steps aren't going to be too much of an issue, dining on deck 6 would be your best option to walk directly forward to the theatre.

 

If steps are a major concern there is a ramp on deck 7 directly across from the elevators that will take you up to either side of the top of the theatre. In that case, just dine on either level and you can then walk forward and take the elevator up to 7 where you can directly access the ramp to the theatre.

 

We noticed on our cruise that some people on scooters were having a hard time finding the ramp. It really isn't marked but is located in the center directly in between the two banks of stairs across from the elevators.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Dave

[dorisis]

We did the 28 day South Pacific trip last October and had a great chance to try ALL the dining rooms. Each of the ATDs has a speciality and we soon found the one we liked best. But we did not limit ourselves to any one venue. Alfredo's, International Cafe and the Buffet were all good but none were truly outstanding.

 

~Doris~

[DougH]

I loved the fajitas in the Santa Fe dining room. I ate there quite a bit and always quickly got a table for one.

[RNGALNG]

One of the 4 smaller dining rooms was used for traditional early dining on our voyage. We tried the other three. Never had an issue with eaten at any of them but we really like the atmosphere on the Savoy better than the others. And yes, you can order the specialty of one of the other restaurants if you so wish to have it.

 

As far as table size, yes, most of the tables are for 2-4. There are a couple of tables with room for 8-10 and another few for 6. So, I think everyone can be happy in any of the rooms.

 

We had troubles eating early on the Coral trip through the canal last year but had no troubles with our trip to Hawaii this year. I think it all depends on how many are traditional diners and how many want to dine early as well. But, no one will go hungry!

[Mapu]

In my opinion Princess would benefit by using the Sapphire Princess dining structure on all of its Grand Class ships as well.The set up of the 4 anytime dining rooms truly facilitates the "anytime" concept.

[Mimi9095]

Just got off the Sapphire this morning. We tried Sabbatini's the first night which was nice because it wasn't too busy that night. We went to each of the dining rooms for anytime dining....a different one each night until we had to pick which ones we liked to repeat for the last two nights. The Savoy was our favorite for ambience, seemed a little more formal but the Santa Fe was our favorite for service and specialty item (the fajitas).

[MsSoCalCruiser]

We sail on the May 18 Alaska sailing. We have a group of 7 and have anytime. I heard lots about tables for 2 (our typical choice) but need a larger table this time. One in our group uses a walker and we like the idea of walking forward on the same deck to the show after dinner. So for the Sapphire veterans, any suggestions on our best bet for anytime dining room? I would believe we will reserve the same table as often as we can. Thanks!

 

I was on the Sapphire with the BVE today and I checked this out for you. The Pacific Moon would be the best dining room. When you leave the dining room just walk forward towards the showroom. There is a ramp on this side of the casino. Once you get to the other side of the casino you will pass Churchhill's Bar (I think that was the name of it) and after that you will reach the showroom. The door to the showroom was shut so I'm not sure if you need to use any stairs once inside. Hope this helps.

[JimmyVWine]

To the extent that there is a consistent procedure, which dining room is the one open for lunch on embarkation day?

[MsSoCalCruiser]

To the extent that there is a consistent procedure, which dining room is the one open for lunch on embarkation day?

 

We had lunch in the International Dining Room today.

[IECalCruiser]

We had lunch in the International Dining Room today.

The International DR was also used for lunch in the Spring and Fall of 2011 on the Sapphire.

 

It was nice meeting you today on the BVE Linda :)