Sapphire Princess: Somewhat Live in Southeast Asia

[RJ2002]

Amelia, I am enjoying your reports very much. We board the day you disembark, January 13. Sorry we will miss you.

 

A quick question... on your tender ports, can you estimate approximately how long it it taking folks to board a tender once they obtain a ticket?

[LaraTiara]

Thank you for the fashion advice, much appreciated by us traveling ladies!

 

Enjoy the remainder of your cruise. We are reading with interest!

[ibfern]

Benoa, Bali

1/1/2015

 

I anticipated this port as a place that would be best seen from a private tour, so I canceled the ship tour expecting to get off the ship and grab a cab "in the moment". A CC friend who had been to Bali with her mom gave me the name of a great driver called Gypsy Nur. I emailed him the day before and he responded within minutes of my contact at 5 in the morning! I promptly hired him to take the four of us around the island, we had a good idea of where we wanted to go and he charged us a flat rate of $100 for the whole day! He was such a character, he really enhanced our experience and we all adored him and his wacky efficient driving. Since it was New Years day there was a ton of traffic and Gypsy knew all the shortcuts and tricks to get around some massive traffic jams. He was fantastic!

 

He promptly picked us up at the port at 8 am, we were able to get off the ship on the first tender and zipped out of the port before the crowds and bus loads of passengers were there, we also passed a convoy of Princess buses being escorted by Police, something I have never seen before. Gypsy played oldies on his CD player so we all sang and loved the multi sensory experience. Gypsy himself was extremely knowledgeable about Bali and added some suggestions to our agenda.

 

First stop was an old traditional Balinese home where multiple generations of a family lived, we visited their private temple, kitchen, and several living rooms as we were guided by Gypsy who described life In this household, as well as the lush flora which surrounded the home. It had started to rain and Gypsy provided us umbrellas to keep dry.

 

Next we visited a Batik artisan store where we got to learn of the process and watch it being made then of course we visited the store which had reasonably priced items and we all bought things there. I got a beautiful purse, a blouse, a dress, and four fans, all beautifully made by hand and all for we,l under $100. Others in our group bought handmade pictures on cotton or silk, a child's dress and a mans shirt.

 

Back in the car we continued on towards our farthest point of Ubud, stopping on the way at another artisan wood cutting place, again great prices, and a beautiful temple. After a donation of a few bucks, we all were wrapped in skirts and off we went into the complex. It was lovely, we all enjoyed seeing our men in skirts! Got some good pictures.

 

Now we headed to the fantastic Monkey forest, a beautiful placed filled with many monkeys who were not afraid of people and got to interact, or rather watch them close up and that was a highlight for me. We were warned not to bring food or glasses in, but we saw several people wearing glasses so don't leave them behind unless they are sunglasses so you can see and photograph them close up. We saw mothers with babies hanging from their bellies, teens wrestling playfully, and older monkeys reclining and showing off their private parts! It was a riot, we laughed at the old ones sitting with the legs spread wide, and named one El Grosso! This was a must see experience, I was so glad we stopped here and Gypsy was waiting for us as we exited. We zipped away and decided to grab lunch at a local place.

 

Lunch was good, not as yummy as we had in Ko Samui but good nonetheless. We were right over rice paddies and it was quite scenic. We also stopped at a very scenic overlook of beautiful tiered rice paddys where we snapped pictures and did a little shopping. Gypsy insisted on bargaining for the items I bought getting me 4 magnets for $5, much Chelsea than they were asking. That was awesome, he continued to help us bargain for shopping as we stopped I. Some local lookouts.

 

We also visited an organic coffee farm where we went on a guided tour which ended in a beautiful lookout rest spot where we were offered multiple glasses of teas, coffees, and chocolate drinks, all made from plants grown on the farm. They had the famous poop coffee here, taken from the Civets who eat coffee beans, do not digest them, and instead poop them out. This is supposed to be delicious coffee but none of us would try it, although it did smell good, at least the final product did. They cut up a fresh coconut for me to munch on, and offered us cookies and chips made of some local fruit or veggie, I don't remember what. We sat looking over a beautiful valley of rice paddies and private homes with gardens. When we were done, I stopped in the gift shop and bought an incredible Ginger tea which was delicious.

 

We had to go back to the port early, anticipating massive traffic which we had, but Gypsy expertly drove us around many cars and buses in somewhat of a hair raising drive which was so memorable and just added to the feeling of the whole experience. Although we were 20 minutes late to the port, we beat 11 bus loads of Princess as well as other folks on private tours because of Gypsys skilled driving! I highly recommend Gypsy as a tour guide and driver! He totally made our day in Bali memorable.

 

Gypsy Nur

bali_vespafinder@yahoo.co.id

Tell him Amelia referred you!

[ibfern]

Amelia, I am enjoying your reports very much. We board the day you disembark, January 13. Sorry we will miss you.

 

A quick question... on your tender ports, can you estimate approximately how long it it taking folks to board a tender once they obtain a ticket?

 

Line us early at the Savoy dining room on the 5th floor be t to the IC. If the ship arrives at the anchor spot (port) at 7am and you are in line at that time you should get on a tender within 15-30 minutes, depending on how close to the beginning of the lines you are, how quickly they start to tender passengers who are not on ship tours begin, and how many elites want off at that time.

 

So the earlier you line up. He quicker you will get off, I believe they take 60 at a time. Hope this helps.

 

BTW there are only 203 elites on this cruise!

[chaz cruiser]

Getting excited... 5 more sleeps & we join you onboard!! Do you know if they have the most traveled lunch on the shorter cruises? With only 203 elites onboard my Mum & Aunt have a good shot for an invite...

[ibfern]

I forgot to report about the lovely new bathrobes and towels we are getting. The robes are much thicker than the old ones although nor as thick as the deluxe ones they sell. I may be getting elite amenities (towels and bathrobes) which I never get on other ships, I'll ask around and see if others wo are not elite are getting them

 

Tomorrow We visit Kuala Lumpur, looking forward to visiting the KL towers, the Petronas towers are not on the "best of" tour we booked. They also mentioned another "artisan" market at the end, will be interested to know if yank's wife got any deals when he reports back late.

[ibfern]

I am off the ship on 1/8/15 and I am not sure they will have a most traveled lunch on the short leg. I was invited to this segments most traveled lunch which is on the last sea day.

 

Captain is just now announcing that due to winds we will be arriving late to KL! He eluded to our late departure from Bali and the winds, we are happy for the extra sleep!

 

BTW the Captains Circle party last night was very nice, waiters stationed at every three tables and the booze was flowing freely, much more so than the parties I have attended recently.

 

Had 55 teams playing a music trivia last night, it was packed in explorer's loung! We all had a good time.

[helpmeremembermyusername]

Thank you for taking the time to write while on your cruise. As others have said there was very little information on the Sapphire in Asia.

I check everyday for updates from you.

Your post about the rough seas was a little concerning for us as we are right up the front of the ship. How is the sea now? I know it's hard to predict from one cruise to the next.

Looking forward to your next updates.

Robin

[ibfern]

Thank you for taking the time to write while on your cruise. As others have said there was very little information on the Sapphire in Asia.

I check everyday for updates from you.

Your post about the rough seas was a little concerning for us as we are right up the front of the ship. How is the sea now? I know it's hard to predict from one cruise to the next.

Looking forward to your next updates.

Robin

 

Hi Robin,

 

The seas are a little rough, but i am up on deck 12 and it's fine, I would not worry. This ship rides quite well, and if you are inclined toward sea sickness then try to pre medicate yourself when you get advance notice-the captain always informs us of what is coming. My friend who we are cruising with is prone and takes an oral med that completely takes away any distress she feels. One thing you have no control over is weather, so come prepared and you will be fine.

 

Tomorrow night is Beatles trivia, I've bugged the CD Matt to have one and tomorrow night is the night. I am so excited about that, I just love the Beatles! Funny how little things like that just make me so happy.

 

Our wait staff, the head waiter in Savoy, and the Maitre d Francisco are all wonderful, try to get an assigned table there if you can. Last segment we were in Pacific Moon and I said the same thing about the head waiter there. The staff is just excellent. And the menus are varied from the normal ones with Asian offerings which are a nice change of pace for me. Do try the Wonton soup, it's yummy. I finally learned how to use chopsticks on this cruise, for me this is a major accomplishment! :D

 

Signing off for the night,

Amelia

[juakkers]

Hi All

 

I was also on the first leg of this cruise and noticed some of the new changes on the Sapphire that have already been mentioned.

 

This is what the kettle looks like. Note that the cups are Asian style and don't have handles so they do get a bit hot!

 

 

In addition to the extra Asian dishes on the MDR menu there was also a new Venue you could pay extra for. This was called the Ocean View Hot Pot and was advertised along with the Crab Shack:

 

 

There was also a new 'Royal Afternoon Tea' offered. It was $10 (or $20 with Champagne) and at first I thought it was replacing the normal free afternoon tea, but it turned out they were in different dining rooms. I'm not sure if it was worth the extra $10 as we didn't meet anyone that had been.

 

 

We got the slippers and new style bath robe but we are also Elite so still not sure if everyone gets those.

 

For the ports we did the following:

 

Singapore:

We had 5 nights pre cruise and used the Metro to visit all the main locations: Orchard Road, Raffles, Sentosa Island, National Orchid Garden, Botanic Gardens, MacRitchie Nature Trail and Marina bay.

The metro is cheap, clean and safe and I would highly recommend using it as you can reach all the sights easily and you get a real feel for the city (plus it's air conditioned!)

 

Brunei:

We did the ships Bandar Seri Begawan on your own tour. We had a guide tell us information about the country on the journey to and from the ship. We were dropped in the centre of town where the Mosque, Royal Regalia Museum and Water Village were all in walking distance

 

Na Trang:

Whilst we didn't get to stop here we have been before. The shuttle drops you off within walking distance of the market and main town area. It is possible to walk to the Long Son pagoda and the other temple area but only if you are reasonably fit and can stand walking in the heat. If not it would be better to organise a tour.

 

Phu My:

Because we had been to Ho Chi Minh City previously we chose to take the ships tour to the Cu Chi tunnels which had been used by the Viet Cong fighters during the Vietnam war. This was a fascinating trip which we felt was well worth the 3 hour drive each way!! You got to see a lot of the countryside and also a drive through tour of Ho Chi Minh City.

 

Sihanoukville:

We took a ships tour to the Ream National Park and this was a spectacular trip. We cruised down a beautiful river, toured a waterside village, trekked through the untouched jungle,had a BBQ lunch and time on an unspoiled beach and visited a mountain Temple. It was a fantastic way to spend Christmas day, and one we won't soon forget.

 

Laem Chebang:

We did the ships tour to an Elephant Sanctuary near Pattaya. Again this was a fantastic experience. We got up close with these beautiful creatures and could hand feed them and also ride them bareback!

 

Koh Samui:

Here we took the ships shuttle to Chaweng Beach. I completely agree with Amelia on this one. It was a terrible crowded beach and I wished we had gone somewhere else. This was the only trip I would change if we did it again.

 

I've mentioned what we did as some things are different to what others have reported, so I might be able to answer different questions if you have any.

 

For those who have upcoming trips, I hope you have as fantastic and unforgettable time as we did and I'm not at all jealous of you.....honestly.....;)

 

Please do let me know if I can help with any information, and sorry to Amelia for butting into her thread :o

 

Julie

[ibfern]

Hi All

 

I was also on the first leg of this cruise and noticed some of the new changes on the Sapphire that have already been mentioned.

 

This is what the kettle looks like. Note that the cups are Asian style and don't have handles so they do get a bit hot!

 

 

In addition to the extra Asian dishes on the MDR menu there was also a new Venue you could pay extra for. This was called the Ocean View Hot Pot and was advertised along with the Crab Shack:

 

 

There was also a new 'Royal Afternoon Tea' offered. It was $10 (or $20 with Champagne) and at first I thought it was replacing the normal free afternoon tea, but it turned out they were in different dining rooms. I'm not sure if it was worth the extra $10 as we didn't meet anyone that had been.

 

 

We got the slippers and new style bath robe but we are also Elite so still not sure if everyone gets those.

 

For the ports we did the following:

 

Singapore:

We had 5 nights pre cruise and used the Metro to visit all the main locations: Orchard Road, Raffles, Sentosa Island, National Orchid Garden, Botanic Gardens, MacRitchie Nature Trail and Marina bay.

The metro is cheap, clean and safe and I would highly recommend using it as you can reach all the sights easily and you get a real feel for the city (plus it's air conditioned!)

 

Brunei:

We did the ships Bandar Seri Begawan on your own tour. We had a guide tell us information about the country on the journey to and from the ship. We were dropped in the centre of town where the Mosque, Royal Regalia Museum and Water Village were all in walking distance

 

Na Trang:

Whilst we didn't get to stop here we have been before. The shuttle drops you off within walking distance of the market and main town area. It is possible to walk to the Long Son pagoda and the other temple area but only if you are reasonably fit and can stand walking in the heat. If not it would be better to organise a tour.

 

Phu My:

Because we had been to Ho Chi Minh City previously we chose to take the ships tour to the Cu Chi tunnels which had been used by the Viet Cong fighters during the Vietnam war. This was a fascinating trip which we felt was well worth the 3 hour drive each way!! You got to see a lot of the countryside and also a drive through tour of Ho Chi Minh City.

 

Sihanoukville:

We took a ships tour to the Ream National Park and this was a spectacular trip. We cruised down a beautiful river, toured a waterside village, trekked through the untouched jungle,had a BBQ lunch and time on an unspoiled beach and visited a mountain Temple. It was a fantastic way to spend Christmas day, and one we won't soon forget.

 

Laem Chebang:

We did the ships tour to an Elephant Sanctuary near Pattaya. Again this was a fantastic experience. We got up close with these beautiful creatures and could hand feed them and also ride them bareback!

 

Koh Samui:

Here we took the ships shuttle to Chaweng Beach. I completely agree with Amelia on this one. It was a terrible crowded beach and I wished we had gone somewhere else. This was the only trip I would change if we did it again.

 

I've mentioned what we did as some things are different to what others have reported, so I might be able to answer different questions if you have any.

 

For those who have upcoming trips, I hope you have as fantastic and unforgettable time as we did and I'm not at all jealous of you.....honestly.....;)

 

Please do let me know if I can help with any information, and sorry to Amelia for butting into her thread :o

 

Julie

 

Hi Julie,

Thanks for adding info, this is not my thread, it's for all of us and your info is valuable. We all have different perspectives and this forum is about sharing all of them. :)

[bcnvcanada]

Thanks for the pictures of the tea maker. Hopefully, this is something

that Princess will leave on its ship in Asia and maybe even Europe.

This is the one thing that we miss the most while cruising with Princess.

We don't want to wait an hour for a pot of hot water to brought

up for tea in the afternoon. Again thanks.

[RAL54]

Steve and I are boarding in Miami for two week Caribbean cruise. Have enjoyed following your adventures!!! Happy New Year 2015 love to you and Ken and all you love. Miss you, have a great time!!! Robbie

[sandy999]

Thanks for posting your experiences, we sail in April on the Sapphire so it's really interesting to find out about the ship, your ports of call and trips. Enjoy the remainder of you holiday.

[SueFrankuk]

We are on the Sapphire on the 30th and wonder if you can suggest an alternative to the beach excursion in Ko Samui, following your reports we are tempted to cancel the Princess transfer but would like to hear of a suitable alternative

 

Many thanks

 

Sue

[kevey]

Hi there

 

Reading your reviews with great interest as I was on 8th Dec 10 night cruise to Bali/KL etc.

 

One question - why do you think the Wonton soup contains shrimp possibly ? I also had this soup nearly every night as it tasted wonderful and when I asked my waiter (traditional dining), he said it contained Pork only.

 

Thanks

[ibfern]

We are on the Sapphire on the 30th and wonder if you can suggest an alternative to the beach excursion in Ko Samui, following your reports we are tempted to cancel the Princess transfer but would like to hear of a suitable alternative

 

Many thanks

 

Sue

 

Hi Sue,

 

I would hire a private driver over a princess transfer because they are plentiful , cheaper, and offer much better tours. We just finished two ship tours in KL and Penang and both were awful. More on them later.

 

Check the port boards and tripadvisor for private driver suggestions.

[ibfern]

Steve and I are boarding in Miami for two week Caribbean cruise. Have enjoyed following your adventures!!! Happy New Year 2015 love to you and Ken and all you love. Miss you, have a great time!!! Robbie

 

Hi Robbie,

Sending our love to you and Steve, have a great cruise and will see you soon. Maybe an extra Mexico cruise???

 

Safe and wonderful travels,

A

[ibfern]

Hi there

 

Reading your reviews with great interest as I was on 8th Dec 10 night cruise to Bali/KL etc.

 

One question - why do you think the Wonton soup contains shrimp possibly ? I also had this soup nearly every night as it tasted wonderful and when I asked my waiter (traditional dining), he said it contained Pork only.

 

Thanks

 

Well let me tell you I got several stories about the wonton soup! I've been told it has chicken, or pork, or beef, or shrimp! I am allergic to shrimp and have never had a reaction, plus it never says it contains shrimp on the menu so that can be ruled out. Exactly what kind of meat is in it remains a mystery...I like thinking its chicken! LOL! It is very good nonetheless....

[ibfern]

Kuala Lumpur & Penang

 

Yesterday and today we took two terrible Princess tours, avoid them like the plague. In Kuala Lumpur we had a guide who was completely inept, and had a bad personality to boot. This was the "Best of Kuala Lumpur" and was supposed to be a 9 hour tour but the guide was so stressed out about making his time schedules he spilled his stress all over us. Don't get me wrong here, I understand we are on a schedule, but must I hear about it so much that there is little time to learn about the country? I found myself uptight much of the time. And we did mostly drive-by visits where we saw places from the bus. The few times we got out and walked around they were 5-10 minute moments. At the Museum we got 45 minutes, hardly time to see much at all. Most of us were so stressed out about being at the bus on time, we got there early. To add insult to injury, 8-10 busses showed up at the same time. Can't Princess stagger these arrivals and vary the sights we we are not on top of each other? This was a horrible experience.

 

I asked the guide at lunch to help me avoid seafood and peanuts because of my allergies and he eluded to people like me, muttered about gluten free, and told me everything would be marked. Nothing was marked beyond basic titles and I had little confidence in what I was eating, so I ate little. I grabbed the satay (chicken was marked beef and beef was marked chicken) but not the sauce and luckily my husband tasted it and told me not to eat it because it was cooked in peanut sauce! To add insult to injury, all the buffet food was cold. It was a really gross experience. The guide was nowhere to be found and I was grumpy about my allergies being treated like a pain in the ass! This should not happen on expensive Princess tours,

 

Then there was the folks who were perpetually late, chipping away at out time at various places, not Princesses fault but certainly a common occurrence on these large bus ship tours. At the Kl towers, out guide informed us we didn't have time to take pictures! When I asked him if we would be going to the top, he made a joke at my expense asking when I heard we were not going up. Well I've been on ship tours where we visit places but do not go to the top so I thought it was a fair questions. The guide was a turd. He continued to obsess about us being on time, cut into our shopping time and spilled his stress all the way back to the ship. We made it back 45 minutes early! Huh?

 

Today in Penang we took a 3.5 hour walking tour of the old town of Georgetown, which seemed promising. Unfortunately with 40 people following one guide, we never heard a word she said. We tried to keep up with out pushing or putting ourselves in mortal danger as we walked narrow streets filled with motor cycles, cars, bikes, and other people in tour groups quite unsuccessfully. Then we just gave up and tried to follow behind and not lose the guide. We could not wait for the tour to end. Walking tours with large bus loads of people should not be given, I wish Princess would get a clue about this, it's only logical. This is why we usually try to take private tours. My friends who took the shuttle had a much better time, even if they were charging $8 pp each way. it was at least a decent opportunity to see the city on your own terms.

 

Tomorrow we are taking the James Bond Tour in Phuket, I'll report back about that one. I figure we are due for a good tour and am hopeful this one will be different. I'll report back...

[Woobstr112G]

Amelia;

 

Thanks for keeping us all in the loop. I am continuing to enjoy your posts.....:):):)

 

Bob

[DENKARhan]

Hi Julie,

Thanks for adding info, this is not my thread, it's for all of us and your info is valuable. We all have different perspectives and this forum is about sharing all of them. :)

 

Thanks for your detailed information we board the ship on the 23/02/15

[TracieABD]

Kuala Lumpur & Penang

 

Yesterday and today we took two terrible Princess tours, avoid them like the plague. In Kuala Lumpur we had a guide who was completely inept, and had a bad personality to boot. This was the "Best of Kuala Lumpur" and was supposed to be a 9 hour tour but the guide was so stressed out about making his time schedules he spilled his stress all over us. Don't get me wrong here, I understand we are on a schedule, but must I hear about it so much that there is little time to learn about the country? I found myself uptight much of the time. And we did mostly drive-by visits where we saw places from the bus. The few times we got out and walked around they were 5-10 minute moments. At the Museum we got 45 minutes, hardly time to see much at all. Most of us were so stressed out about being at the bus on time, we got there early. To add insult to injury, 8-10 busses showed up at the same time. Can't Princess stagger these arrivals and vary the sights we we are not on top of each other? This was a horrible experience.

 

I asked the guide at lunch to help me avoid seafood and peanuts because of my allergies and he eluded to people like me, muttered about gluten free, and told me everything would be marked. Nothing was marked beyond basic titles and I had little confidence in what I was eating, so I ate little. I grabbed the satay (chicken was marked beef and beef was marked chicken) but not the sauce and luckily my husband tasted it and told me not to eat it because it was cooked in peanut sauce! To add insult to injury, all the buffet food was cold. It was a really gross experience. The guide was nowhere to be found and I was grumpy about my allergies being treated like a pain in the ass! This should not happen on expensive Princess tours,

 

Then there was the folks who were perpetually late, chipping away at out time at various places, not Princesses fault but certainly a common occurrence on these large bus ship tours. At the Kl towers, out guide informed us we didn't have time to take pictures! When I asked him if we would be going to the top, he made a joke at my expense asking when I heard we were not going up. Well I've been on ship tours where we visit places but do not go to the top so I thought it was a fair questions. The guide was a turd. He continued to obsess about us being on time, cut into our shopping time and spilled his stress all the way back to the ship. We made it back 45 minutes early! Huh?

 

Today in Penang we took a 3.5 hour walking tour of the old town of Georgetown, which seemed promising. Unfortunately with 40 people following one guide, we never heard a word she said. We tried to keep up with out pushing or putting ourselves in mortal danger as we walked narrow streets filled with motor cycles, cars, bikes, and other people in tour groups quite unsuccessfully. Then we just gave up and tried to follow behind and not lose the guide. We could not wait for the tour to end. Walking tours with large bus loads of people should not be given, I wish Princess would get a clue about this, it's only logical. This is why we usually try to take private tours. My friends who took the shuttle had a much better time, even if they were charging $8 pp each way. it was at least a decent opportunity to see the city on your own terms.

 

Tomorrow we are taking the James Bond Tour in Phuket, I'll report back about that one. I figure we are due for a good tour and am hopeful this one will be different. I'll report back...

Hey Amelia-

I hate to hear about your "dud" tours. You are absolutely right. Ship's tours are expensive. They could at least be decent. I hope your tour today is much, much better. It sounds like a lot of fun.

 

I am sorry that we will not be sailing with you. That would have been fun!

 

Enjoy the rest of your day and thank you again for keeping us posted!

[cruiselvr1]

Amelia, have a great cruise on one of my favorite ships! Enjoy and have a fun time in the dining room. :) :)

It's my DW and I favorite, we were married 10 years ago on her. We were so sorry to see her leave the states, and also lose the wedding chapel.

[ibfern]

The new kettles have greatly enhanced our experience, I like coffee (Via) in the morning and tea before bed and this means I don't have to call room service for hot water. The cups they provide are. Really nice but they do get too hot to hold, so I have been grabbing extra coffee wraps at the bar, these provide enough insulation to protect from burning. Of course you can always grab a mug from the buffet as well, but I like the glass cups in the room.

 

I have a terrible head cold, been carrying around a box of Kleenex everywhere, and I am conflicted about going to the excursion today at Phuket. I will try a cold pill and see if it helps. I really want to see Phuket!

 

Amelia