Live on the Sapphire

[ibfern]

January 24,2014

Sapphire Princess

4 Day Coastal to San Diego and Ensenada

 

1/24/14 Embarkation in San Pedro went smooth and quick. We arrived at 10:45 and it was fairly quiet. Our friends found us a few minutes after we got there and before we knew it we were all getting on the ship.

 

I love the Sapphire Princess, she is a great ship, built like a Sherman tank to last forever, and twin to the Diamond Princess which is now in Australia and New Zealand. Anyway from the minute we got on the ship we were having a blast. We are several days into this cruise and it's been one of the best cruises ever. We are surrounded by great people, talented staff, and the vibe on the ship is just fabulous, especially considering that this is such a short cruise.

 

We had a cruise critic meet and greet after sail away and we were pleasantly surprised at how organized this was; everybody got name tags and we spent over an hour walking around and chatting with new and old friends. Our group has lots of activities planned including a slot pull, and a cabin crawl combined with a poker game which I have never participated in, in fact I volunteered my room in the cabin crawl since I got the most aft side facing balcony C742 and it has a larger balcony than other caribe deck balconies which are already larger than than most.

 

We are eating with friends in traditional second seating at 7:45, normally we eat earlier but we really wanted to be with our friends and it has been great. The food has been fabulous, I was so surprised because I thought it would only be so-so and boy was I wrong! We have a great waiter, Mark, and he has spoiled us greatly. I will be on this ship again in less than 3 weeks and plan to sit with Mark again. A great waiter make good food even better.

 

More surprises included how much OBC we got, $125, which means I am going to have to go shopping! Hahaha I am good at that...I found some cool plastic tags for the printed luggage tags which only cost $2.95, a great bargain. We also got some free drink coupons in lieu of the Captains circle host party. Oh yeah, I got a mysterious call to come down to Facets because they had a special gift for me. Apparently I spent enough money on our last cruise to qualify as a VIP (sorry DH) and I received a Swarovski crystal pen, along with an extra 20% off any purchases made on the ship, plus I have my elite discount on top of that. Wish me luck staying out of the jewelry store...poor Ken.

 

Steve Moris is on the ship, last night was his first show and I laughed and laughed until I cried. I can't wait for his second show, the music performance tonight. Gotta wear waterproof mascara this time because I know I'll be laughing throughout the show and I don't want to look like a Racoon like last night. ;)

 

Our first port was San Diego. We had a fantastic day, walking Harbor drive, and visiting the Midway aircraft carrier. Wow what an incredible ship. We wish we would have allotted more than half a day to visit it because it was so interesting, with lots of hands on exhibits and a great free audio tour. If you visit, take a full day for this, especially if you bring the kids. We logged 15,000 steps that day so don't forget to wear comfortable shoes.

 

Next we visited Ensenada, Mexico. We actually got off the ship and walked all the way into town with friends, we shopped, bought meds, ate a Papas and Beer, and bought a few trinkets for our pet sitters. The weather was perfect even though it clouded up a little towards to end of the day. We had another great day, logging in another 10,045 steps (so far) today. My feet are sore but my spirit is soaring!

 

I wasn't sure if anybody is blogging live but I did want to post something, and if anybody has any questions that I can answer, I will try to do just that. Tomorrow is our one and only sea day, we are looking forward to lot of fun and trivia, which has been so much fun. We even won one game and got passport holders as prizes, yea something new!

 

Till tomorrow...

[Bemidji Ty]

Thanks for the review. We love the Sapphire and will see her on Feb 8th. Anticipation is part of the fun of a cruise.

[san diego sue]

Hi Amelia,

The Sapphire has become my second home and we will miss it too.

We were on for two cruises in Dec (22 days)and one 3 day earlier this month.

Have fun.

G:D

[Astro Flyer]

The Midway was my 1st 'cruise' ship for a couple of years & the berthing and chow is much better on the Sapphire. :p

[cruiserlovr]

Love the Sapphire and completed a B2B earlier this month. How I wish she was staying on the west coast but new adventures await her!

[kayelbee]

Hi Ibfen, sounds like a great cruise, thank you for taking the time to post.

I do have one quick question, Are the beds able to be positioned in a Queen Bed configuration?

TIA.

[cruz chic]

Thx for checking in. I'll be on the ship on the 22nd of Feb:).

[cornellcindy]

Great time you've had and glad to hear the ship hasn't changed!

 

See you soon:D!

 

Cindy:):)

[ibfern]

Hi Ibfen, sounds like a great cruise, thank you for taking the time to post.

I do have one quick question, Are the beds able to be positioned in a Queen Bed configuration?

TIA.

 

Yes, that's how we have it. We even got an egg rate topper, I haven't seen those in a long time and they still work great.

[ibfern]

Great time you've had and glad to hear the ship hasn't changed!

 

See you soon:D!

 

Cindy:):)

 

Hi Cindy,

 

Yes we will see you in less than 3 weeks! I am preparing the ship for us. :D

[ibfern]

Hi Amelia,

The Sapphire has become my second home and we will miss it too.

We were on for two cruises in Dec (22 days)and one 3 day earlier this month.

Have fun.

G:D

 

Hi Gloria,

 

I have three more cruises on the Sapphire this year, one more here and two in Asia at the end of the year!

 

See you in 6 months, back on the Royal. ;)

[Cruiserkenn]

Thanks for telling about your visit to the Midway.

 

Is the Midway within walking distance, then, of where the

Princess ships dock?

 

Thanks so much:)

[CruiseGirlKS]

Thanks for sharing! :)

[doug52]

Thanks for telling about your visit to the Midway.

 

Is the Midway within walking distance' date=' then, of where the

Princess ships dock?

 

Thanks so much:)[/quote']

 

Since the OP is probably at sea, my wife and I were also on this same cruise earlier this month and we also took the Midway tour. The Sapphire docks next to the Midway and it is a very easy walk over to the Midway museum and self guided audio tour($20 per person). We spent close to 3 hours there and could easily have spent another two hours. Fascinating tour, I highly recommend it.

 

Doug

[Cruiserkenn]

Doug52 -Fantastic!

 

Thanks for the great information.

 

I appreciate it.

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[calbabe]

Hi Amelia,

The Sapphire has become my second home and we will miss it too.

We were on for two cruises in Dec (22 days)and one 3 day earlier this month.

Have fun.

G:D

 

Hi San Diego Sue! My sister and I are delivering the Sapphire to her new home....we sail on April 3rd, LA to Osaka! Will spend a couple of days in Japan before returning. You and Lew should come along! :D

Tricia (Panama Canal)

[ibfern]

Since the OP is probably at sea, my wife and I were also on this same cruise earlier this month and we also took the Midway tour. The Sapphire docks next to the Midway and it is a very easy walk over to the Midway museum and self guided audio tour($20 per person). We spent close to 3 hours there and could easily have spent another two hours. Fascinating tour, I highly recommend it.

 

Doug

 

We got a military discount even though Ken didn't have his card with him, so we only paid $10 each. It's probably best to carry some sort of ID, Ken was in the reserves for almost ten years and that was enough to qualify.

 

If you listen to every number in the audio guide, expect to spend at least four hours just doing that! Don't miss the flight deck, it's amazing! We're planning on going back again soon.

[Cruiserkenn]

Ibfern - thanks for the exciting information about the Midway. Totally awesome!

 

Enjoy your cruise to Osaka:)

[Cruiserkenn]

Oops! I see that maybe I was confused. Maybe you aren't on the cruise to Osaka, but please enjoy all of your cruises on the beloved Sapphire. I will miss her so...

Edited January 28, 2014 by Cruisin'Rabbit

[sunsetbeachgal]

Love the Sspphire...so sad she is going to Asia for awhile...

 

We did the Midway on our coastal cruise at the recommendation of friends and superb is the only way to describe it. Not to be missed for history buffs!!

[san diego sue]

Calbabe,

Glad to see you will be cruising again. We can't go to Japan, have another cruise Panama Canal at that time.

 

Amelia, Safe driving home today.

G.

[Cruiserkenn]

Love the Sapphire...so sad she is going to Asia for awhile...

 

We did the Midway on our coastal cruise at the recommendation of friends and superb is the only way to describe it. Not to be missed for history buffs!!

 

So good to hear! Thanks to all for the enthusiastic endorsements of the Midway tour.

[kayelbee]

Thank you Ibfen for the info re configuration of the beds. How is the cabin, would you recommend it? Cheers

[ibfern]

Thank you Ibfen for the info re configuration of the beds. How is the cabin, would you recommend it? Cheers

 

We were in C742, its a great cabin and a even better balcony since it is larger than the others on this deck, except for the rear facing aft balconies which are even larger. We had two chairs, a nice sized table, and two foot rests which was a surprise since we usually don't get those on balconies. Our room steward Anthony was a gem too, making it a win-win-win.

 

Did I mention how wonderful this cruise was?

 

I participated in my first cabin crawl and it was fun and attracted a huge number of people. Yes we practically tipped the ship as we all wandered from floor to floor, and Port to Starboard, peeping into all sorts of cabins. Did you know that D736 and D737, both mini suites, have huge balconies? I didn't realize they were handicapped (accessible) cabins, and they a huge shower instead of a huge tub. FYI

 

The entertainment was exceptional, we had two shows and several comedians which I never expected on a 4 day cruise. Everything about this cruise was exceptional and unexpected, and I boarded without any expectations so I was thrilled with everything. I almost cried leaving the ship, I fell in love again with cruising and Princess, bless the ship, the staff, and the cruisers, for making this such a wonderful experience.

 

OK I am getting all teary just writing about it...thankfully I will be back on it in less than 3 weeks! Then I will join her in Asia over Christmas and New Years, truly making this the year of the Sapphire! :)