Review of One-Night Cruise on Sapphire

[calikak]

As promised, here is my review of the one-night cruise on the Sapphire. It's long, but hopefully you'll find it interesting!

 

We arrived at Terminal 30 in Seattle just before 11:00. When we arrived, my parents were already checked in and sitting in the little seating area they have next to the Platinum check-in line. There were just a few people in the Platinum line at that time, and about 20 people in the regular line, so we got in the Platinum line. As we were waiting there, I realized that the guy working at the check-in desk next to the Platinum desk was one of my best friends from high school! In fact, he and I went to prom together (both of our dates didn’t work out). I’d only seen him once since high school, and he’d never met my husband, so we chatted for a bit and he checked us in. Turns out he and his friends were going on the cruise too, so we made plans to see each other onboard.

 

 

 

Right as we were wrapping up with checking in, they opened the big metal doors to the second holding area, where they do photos and have you stand around until TSA is ready to screen you. We waited in there for about 10-15 minutes, and then they let us in to be screened, which didn’t take very long. We walked up the ramp to the ship and had a bit of a wait on the Promenade deck before scanning in and going to our cabin.

 

 

We had a minisuite (D400) and were very glad for the balcony. It was a beautiful day out, very sunny and just the right temperature, not too hot, not too cool. About the new minisuite perks, here’s how they were working on the Sapphire this weekend:

 

 

 

Upgraded toiletries: Yes (but no lotion, just shampoo/conditioner/body gel).

New mattress: It seemed newish, but it's still incredibly firm. I asked for a mattress topper and that helped.

New Sheets: DH thought they were new looking, but I thought they were pretty scratchy.

Duvet: Definitely not.

Pillow menu: not offered, didn't bother to ask.

Champagne: Upon request.

Luxury towels: They were still the small size that barely covers you and they weren't soft.They did seem thicker than the ones on the Golden last spring, but the ones on the Golden were particularly ratty.

Massage shower head: I didn't really notice. It was a round, flat shower head that gave off a goodly amount of water, but I didn't check to see if it had a massage feature.

 

After dropping off our stuff (we were only going one night, so we carried on our very minimal luggage), we went to make a reservation at Sabatini’s. The reservation desk wasn’t open yet, so we went to Crooners and had a drink. FYI, there’s no iced tea available at Crooners, you have to go to the buffet or the dining room for that, or so the bartender told us. After sitting for a while enjoying our drinks, we went back over to Sabatini’s to make a reservation. The dining room guy was there (I don’t think he was the Maitre’D, I think maybe he was a table captain or something) making dining room reservations, but the guy for Sabatini’s wasn’t there yet, so he told us to call the concierge, which we did and had no trouble getting a table for 4 at 7PM.

 

 

 

I should probably add at this point that the ship was only half full. As some of you know, in addition to the guy I went to high school with, one of my closest friends is one of the supervisors for Princess at Terminal 30. She came over when we were checking in to say hi, and she told us that there were 1500 passengers on the manifest. The ship was so empty that nearly everyone on our roll call who booked an inside cabin got upgraded to a balcony. In fact, my friend the supervisor had booked a cabin for 4, but because the ship was so empty, they split them up so they each got their own cabin, and that guy I knew from high school got upgraded to a PH suite (he didn’t book as an employee—they generally don’t get upgrades at all, let alone to suites). Because the ship was only half full, there were hardly any lines anywhere. Last year on the one-night cruise, the ship was packed and everywhere you went was crowded, but this year was much more relaxing.

 

 

 

Anyway, back to my narration. After we made our reservation for Sabatini’s, we went up to the buffet to have some lunch. They had the usual first day food: fried scallops, several pastas, shrimp fried rice, etc. I thought it was all pretty good, and my dad absolutely adored the cheese.

 

 

Next, we went back to the room so I could enjoy the balcony and DH could pretend to take a little nap. Our cabin steward, Reynaldo, came by and introduced himself and gave us our Norwalk info. He and his supervisor also asked if they could look at our safe, which was still locked from the previous passengers. They’d left their wallets, 3 sets of keys, and I think some other stuff in there! What a nightmare for them…but glad that they were able to discover the problem before the ship sailed off to Vancouver.

 

 

 

Next, we went to drop off our future cruise reservation form on our way to our Cruise Critic get-together. There weren’t too many of us on this sailing, but it was fun to at least say hi to everyone who came by. A big thanks to PunkiC for bringing a blue dolphin balloon so we could all find each other! We met at the Outrigger Bar, behind Horizon Court, which I would highly recommend as a meeting place, especially in Seattle, because we had a gorgeous view from there of the city and the Olympic Mountains.

 

 

 

After that, we wandered down to the lobby bar for a drink with our friends who work at the pier. They were surprised to hear that we were the ones who had the cabin where someone had left stuff in the safe, but glad to hear that it had all been there and been returned to its rightful owners. Then came the muster drill, boring but painless, and then we headed up to stand on top of the bridge for sail-away. We ended up sailing at 5:30 instead of 5 (there was a cargo ship of some sort going past us at 5, so we couldn't leave right away). We chatted with our friend some more until it was time for dinner at Sabatini’s. The food there was great and overly plentiful, like it always is, and the service was wonderful. The lobster was especially good, but of course by the time it arrived I was almost completely stuffed. No matter how much I try to pace myself there, I always leave feeling like I need to be rolled back to my cabin.

 

 

After Sabatini’s, we spent some time on the balcony of my high school friend’s PH suite (still jealous!), catching up and enjoying the sea air until it got too cold to sit out there. Then we went to the casino, which was busy but not too busy. DH and my high school friend played some blackjack (DH broke even, hooray!) while I played the nickel slots. I came out $1 ahead, which made my day. Then we went to bed, since we had to get up and disembark the next morning.

 

 

 

We were scheduled to disembark at 8:15, so we got up at about 7:15. After packing up (which didn’t take long, since we didn’t bring much stuff), we went up to the buffet. The first group was supposed to be getting off the ship at 7:15 (Princess transfers to the Vancouver Airport and Terminal 30 were the first groups off) but we didn’t get clearance from customs until about 8, so we all got off later than expected. This worked out great for us, since it gave us time for a nice big breakfast instead of having to just grab a pastry and get off the ship. We went to the Platinum disembarkation lounge (Club Fusion—ugliest venue on any Princess ship), which was completely empty, to wait for our color to be called. They called us at about 8:45, and we were through Customs and on our way by 9:20.

 

 

 

Who knew a review of a one-night cruise could be so long? I knew folks had lots of questions about what these cruises were like, so I figured I’d throw in plenty of details about our adventure. Feel free to ask any questions!

[cherylandtk]

Beth, Thanks for another thoughtful review. I am sure the various posters of the "suite perks" threads would be interested in the amenities you so nicely detailed. One curiosity question, was it any harder or easier (emotionally) to leave the ship after only one night as opposed to a week?

[calikak]

Cheryl, it actually was easier this year than on last year's one-nighter. You just have to be sure not to let yourself get psyched up for it like you would for a regular cruise, and just think of it as a fun little getaway instead of as a full vacation. Last year, I got all psyched up for it like I do for our regular cruises, and it was tough to leave after such a short trip.

 

Actually, if I were planning a beginning or end-of-season Alaska cruise out of Seattle, I'd definitely consider doing the very last sailing of the season and adding this cruise to the end of it. There'd be no Jones Act/PSA issues (start in Seattle, end in Vancouver) and you'd get an extra day to enjoy the ship. The only issue would be transportation from Vancouver to SeaTac, but Princess runs a shuttle back to Terminal 30 (I think it was $25 per person, not bad at all).

[APH]

Glad you had a great cruise!

 

Did you save the patter? did it have a bio of captain wright?

 

Thanks so much,

 

Andy

[calikak]

Yes, I did save the patter, and yes it does have a bio of Captain Wright. Here's what it says (please excuse the typos):

 

"When asked by his high school guidance counselor what he liked doing at school, Paul Wright replied 'looking out of the window', to which the educator explained that he would likely never find a job doing that! From the Bridge of various ships, Paul proves that wrong on a daily basis. Prior to assuming the helm of the Sapphire Princess he was Master of the Queen Mary 2 and Queen Elizabeth 2. He has also been Master of Cunard Crown Dynasty and Cunard Countess. Wright first went to sea in 1966 with Shell Tankers. After that he worked on various container, cargo, tanker, ferries and hovercrafts, gaining his Masters Certificate in 1976. Although a native of Worcester, England, Captain Wright and his wife split their time between homes both in Arizona and a small village in Cornwall, England. He enjoys sailing his own 30ft sloop whilst on leave."

 

One other thing about the Patter: I noticed it has a different design than on our cruise on the Golden in May. The header at the top is bigger and in full color, with a photo of a balcony and the Escape Completely logo. I actually find it much easier to read than the old version.

[A.Emgee]

Great review, Calikak.

 

I also was on this cruise as well as the September 2004 one. I too was surprised to see how empty this year's cruise was. Same as you, I noticed the usual "sailaway" buffet lunch at the Horizon Court - 4th time I've had the fried scallops in the last year! I went to Club Fusion after breakfast on disembarkation day and it was completely deserted then too. I was surprised to see a lack of refreshments/pastries as they usually have for Platinum/Elite cardholders, although the Captain's Circle rep was there until she kicked us off the ship at 9:00am! I definitely agree about the new Princess Patter being easier to read.

 

I ate at the Pacific Moon dining room and it certainly has a different spa feeling to it. The waiter and assistant were both extremely attentive, in contrast to the September 2004 staff I had who could not wait to get us fed and out. I wanted to enjoy the Horizon Court bistro menu but unfortunately they did not offer it on this 1-night cruise.

[Dreamer333]

Sounds wonderful! I've always been curious about those 1-night cruises! Thanks so much for the review!