More Stupid Questions From 1st-Timer on Sapphire

[Golfette]

It's our 1st time cruising in many years (had our own boat during that time) & never on a mega-ship like Sapphire. We're on Dolphin Deck (D320), with friends on the "C" deck. How long (approximately) does it take to get to main venues like dining rooms, theater, disembarking area for tours, etc.? The plan of the ship makes my head swim just looking at it! Would it be reasonable for me to add 15 minutes to my get-ready time to go nearly anywhere on the ship?:confused:

[Dreamer333]

I don't think that 15 minutes is necessary (unless you are a really slow walker ;) )

 

I just got off the CB (which is similar in size to the Sapphire), and I usually gave myself 5 minutes to get to the pool or dining rooms. Most of the time, I took the stairs, which is quicker than waiting for elevators.

[calikak]

Ditto Dreamer's comments (we were on the Sapphire last weekend). If you have to wait for an elevator, it can sometimes take 10 minutes instead of 5, but not 15.

 

Also, keep in mind that you're on vacation. Being a couple of minutes late is not a big deal. The waiters won't deny you entry into the dining room if you're 5 minutes late to traditional dinner. :)

[redrobin]

Golfette,

 

We were as far forward as you could get on the Dolphin deck on the Sapphire. It's a big ship, but you'll find your way around in no time, just keep your pocket guide handy at first. Sometimes the elevators were busy, so most often we just took the stairs, even on formal nights when I was in heels. It was a good way to at least feel like you were walking off all the food you'd been eating! It never seemed to take more than a few minutes to get where we wanted to go.

 

The trickiest thing I found was getting to the International Dining Room at the opposite end of the ship. I know you have Anytime Dining, but if you go there for breakfast or lunch, the lower decks (Plaza/Fiesta) are interrupted, and you can't walk from one end to the other. (Can anyone tell me, is that where the galley is?) You need to get to the International Dining Room from the aft stair/elevators on a higher deck.

 

BTW, knowing your cruise was coming up, I thought of you when I read about Otis. I'm hoping for calm seas and sunny skies by the time you sail. I really hope you have a great time!

[yancycruiser]

We were on the Sapphire last August and agree with all comments from other posters. Key is, walk those stairs. Much faster and its great exercise and a way to keep some of those pounds off.

 

Have a great cruise!

[ladysheri]

Golfette,

 

We just got off Sapphire a week ago.....and I have to agree with the other posters--it is much easier to navigate than it seems on paper. We were on Caribe in the middle of the ship and it never took us more than 5 minutes to get anywhere. We decided at the beginning of the cruise to always take the stairs to offset all the wonderful food and it worked....I only gained a pound during the week--including a dinner at Sabatini's!!!

 

Also, on all the landings of the stairs is a diagram of the ship with locations of major destinations and more detail on the floor that you have stopped at, just in case you get disoriented!! :)

 

We did have a funny "try to find" story: When we were in Juneau, we went up on Mount Roberts and took great pictures of the area and the ship from above. As we were looking through the pics on the digital camera, we noticed a great pool and 2 spas on the bow. By this time in the cruise, we had explored the ship pretty thoroughly and could not remember visiting/seeing this particular pool. So that evening, we tried to reach that pool from Deck 8, Deck 9, Deck 10, and then going above and looking down to find the access. We must have explored for a half an hour...After a while, we finally asked someone....it's actually for crew only! Kind of cool.

 

Have a great cruise--Sapphire is a beautiful ship!

 

ladysheri

[merela]

the first time we were on Star Princess, I was so confused that I had trouble finding the PC dining rooms from the Kids' zone. I thought the AFT dining room (International Dining room) was the dining room where the rest of our party was. I knew they were eating on the 6th Floor dining room, but didn't know 6th floor doesn't go through.

 

So if you have to go anywhere or if you get lost, just go to the 7th floor atrium and you'll be able to go anywhere from there without any trouble.

 

Now we know these ships like the back of our hands. Even our 5YO knows the layout of the ship.

[Pam in CA]

Golfette... you're pretty much mid-ship and being on Dolphin deck, you're central to everything. To go to a lower deck, your best bet is to go down the stairs. If you need or want an elevator, you'll be able to get one within 5 minutes or so.

 

If you're taking a ship's tour, the meeting time is usually the time everyone should be there so plan on arriving at the meeting time 5 - 10 minutes early. If there are multiple buses, they start filling them as soon as they have enough people.

[Coral]

If you bring your golf cart - I hear you can get anywhere in 3 minutes, flat :)

 

I would allow 5-10 minutes walking or when using an elevator. You have a great central location.

[Cruisin' Chick]

How old are you, Golfette?

 

We were on the Sapphire in the summer of '04 and were in the very front on Caribe. Much of where we needed or wanted to go was on the other end, including the kids' area. We did a lot of stair climbing and a lot of walking. We were 50, 49, and 7 at the time, and did fine.

 

I would suggest when you get on the ship (after you check out your cabin), you take your ship's map and just walk around. Take a trial run to the dining rooms, the Princess theatre, etc. There will be one floor that you can walk across from one end to the other. Otherwise, you may need to use the elevators and stairs (kitchen galleys will keep you from going all the way across on some floors).

 

As others have noted, there are diagrams in the elevator areas.

 

Now, take a deep breath and stop obsessing. If you need to, put a post it note with "check for ticket, passport or ID, suitcase, significant other" and "turn off stove, turn off heater, turn off iron" and you should be fine. Better yet, have significant other take over all these details.

[prarie cruiser]

I have traveled twice on the Sapphire. She is a beautiful ship with a great crew and staff. I traveled with my 80 plus mother in my group. She cannot do stairs, so we took the elevator everywhere when together. We only had a couple of minutes wait at most, except for the time period following life boat drill and a couple of other really peak usage times. There are basically 3 different locations for elevators, and a number of elevators in each location. Not all go all the way to the 15th deck. Using the elevators is definitely not a problem.

 

I think you will enjoy the Sapphire and be amazed at the changes in cruising, even in the last few years. One of the nice things about the ships now are there are very active places if you want activity, and also very quiet places if you just want to relax in a more quiet atmosphere.

[Golfette]

Gee, you guys are great! The original "Fountains of Information." I have no problem with stairs, so it'll be fine for me. My husband has a bad knee, but we'll manage. I'm really not obsessing about this, believe me - I'm enjoying it. This Board is like an on-going travel brochure. Every day I read it, I find new questions popping up & the best thing about it is, unlike a travel brochure, you can really get answers! Be prepared about my next obsession, though, it's a real one. Hurricanes. We travel 10/15 to Mexican Riviera. Eeeek!

[spongerob]

Hurricanes will have less effect on the ship than your intended golf activities. The ship will avoid the storms, but if the courses you want to play get damaged, it might take a while for them to recover. That happened to me last December - the Sandals course at Ocho Rios was very wet and hadn't fully recovered from Ivan, and the Cozumel course was still under repair. Both courses were playable, but not in their best condition.

[redrobin]

We boarded early, by noon for a 4:00 departure. After getting onboard and checking out our cabin, we went to get something to eat. The Horizon Court, Trident Grill/Prego's Pizzeria, and the International Dining Room (noon-1:30) were open. We then spent the time before the muster drill checking out the ship. If interested, that first afternoon, and again the following morning, an official orientation/tour of the ship was offered. Just read your Patters, they tell you everything you'll want to know, including how to flush the toilets successfully! :)