Sapphire Princess Opinion: 12/17 - 12/24

[SeaTeacher]

Part I

Disclaimer: The following is written by a newbie. He lacks diverse cruising experiences. However, he’s widely traveled. He has spent too much money traveling throughout Europe and North America (Asia in 2006). He has stayed in some of the finest hotels and some of the cheapest. He’s managed to drop more than $200 for dinner without hyperventilating. But he also likes a good burger and fries. His background includes a time as a prep cook, buffet cook, and grill cook. He also managed a customer service department and he’s a devoted Nordstrom shopper – so he knows what good customer service entails. He also knows what service/hospitality employees need: respect, appreciation, and heaps of praise when they succeed – along with a smaller amount of honest but gentle criticism. On with the review:

Embarkation & Ship

During packing, my partner worried we were bringing along too much. We are practiced travelers who always pack light. But we had never vacationed with formal wear before, which required the small wheeled bag and a suitor for each. It seemed like a lot, about 40 lbs per person including a carry-on bag. We usually carry only about 20 - 25 lbs per person.

However, once we got to the cruise terminal in San Pedro we realized we’d actually packed far less than most. It was shocking to see the size of the luggage and the number of pieces.

We had to wait a full hour for our bags at LAX! That was bothersome. Then we waited another hour for our transfer bus to arrive and load. The Princess staff were helpful, but the arrival of luggage and busses is beyond their control. Thankfully, we remembered to pack our patience.

Embarkation was delayed due to the Sapphire going through two surprise Coast Guard and US Immigration inspections. We arrived at LAX at 11:30. We finally stepped on the deck of the ship just after 4pm. We were hungry and tired. Yet, once our feet touched the deck, all delays were forgotten. We were ready for our first cruise and excited about all that lay ahead.

The Sapphire Princess is a gorgeous ship. It's fairly new and extremely well maintained. As a boat owner, I know the effects salt air and water can have on a vessel. There are few signs that the SP is anything but brand new. We regularly saw crew painting, cleaning and polishing. Once aboard we headed directly for our mini-suite.

Our mini-suite cabin (Dolphin 614) was perfect – I’m sure it spoiled me for almost anything else. There was more than enough storage. We had the new mattresses, but I was puzzled to see the same old bedspread I've seen in pictures. Our steward, Michael, immediately introduced himself and offered two glasses of champagne. We set to unpacking right away. As we did so we came to realize the new duvet/comforter was under the old bedspread. When the steward turned down the bed, we found it extremely comfortable, firm, and the sheets were wonderfully soft. Each night he put the bedspread away, leaving just the duvet/comforter. We always slept well.

The public spaces were wonderful, classy, and easy to navigate. My only problem was I always got off the stairs and turned to the starboard side even though my cabin was on port. I’m glad the carpet is different on each side. That reminded me to turn around and head to the other side.

Service

Our steward was excellent for three reasons. We always had everything we needed, we rarely saw him, and when we did need something extra he was easy to find and we immediately got what we wanted, but our needs were very basic. His name was Michael and we personally gave him a tip at the end of the voyage. I don’t want a steward that seems to hover. We prefer lots of private time and reliable service. He gave us fresh ice 2-3 times a day. If we hung up our towels, he left them alone. If we placed them on the bottom of the tub, he gave us fresh ones. The room was always clean. That’s all I want and all I need.

The deck service was very good too. I especially compliment Dominic. He was charming and helpful, but never pushy. I also compliment one of the drink waiters in the Horizon Court, but I don’t remember his name. I had never been on the ship before, so I didn’t know there was a self service coffee/tea/water area in corner. This particular waiter came by our table and asked, “Would you like anything from the bar?” I said, “No thank you, just some ice water please.” He immediately brought me my water. Later, I saw the self service counter and understood why he said “from the bar.” From then on I served my own ice water. But I admire his willingness to still serve me rather than redirect me.

The only complaints I had about service were in two areas: the spa and photography.

First, I don’t like the fact that at every embarkation and disembarkation, passengers are virtually forced to have a photo taken. The same goes for in the dining room photos. The quality of these “professional” photos is no better than what I can produce with my camera. However, when they had the formal and informal portraits in the atrium, it was totally optional – and the quality was as good as studio portraits. One particular photographer who usually was doing the embarkation and dinning room photos was just too pushy and insistent about it when people said, “no thank you.” Other photographers just moved on to the next group and he should have too.

The other complaint is with the sale of spa products after a massage or other service. The prices are ridiculous! $55 for bubble bath! And they hit you up at the end of the massage when you feel like a totally relaxed half-asleep blob. My masseur suggested I try a muscle relaxing skin product. All I said “Okay”. I signed my bill and after I was leaving the room with my bottle I looked at the receipt again and saw an extra $55 on the bill for the product. I felt too embarrassed to walk back down the hall in my robe and demand a credit. I definitely won’t let that happen again. In fact, I might not use the spa next time because of that issue.

[SeaTeacher]

Part II

 

Cruise Staff

The cruise staff was fun and outstanding. I compliment Sam (Samantha) especially. She hosted the 4 gatherings for gay and lesbian passengers. It’s my impression that 4 is an unusual number on a mainstream cruise. The fact that she (and I assume the Cruise Director too) was willing to support a large number of official meet-ups for gay folks makes me feel like Princess really supports ALL its passengers. That makes me want to remain loyal to Princess (at least until some bigoted cruise staff/director ruins things). I also saw meet-ups/events for veterans, recovering alcoholics, singles, anglers, newlyweds, mahjong players, bridge players, Christians and Jews.

Additionally, the cruise staff was all friendly and helpful. The Wakey Wakey morning show was a fun bit of silly fluff that we watched every morning while showering and dressing. I won a Princess Tote bag and received a bottle of champagne for my birthday.

Entertainment

The games and dancing were fun. The bands were from good to great. But words can’t tell you how impressed I was with the big production shows. FANTASTIC! It helps that the theatre is state of the art. The dancers and singers were highly professional and the shows entertaining from beginning to end. Piano Man especially deserves rave reviews, but we enjoyed Undercover too. The sets were terrific and the lighting technically advanced and exciting. During Piano Man I was amazed that not a single dancer missed a step even though the deck was moving quite a bit.

The magician/comedian (Lorenzo Clark) in the Welcome Aboard show was terrific. I laughed so hard I started to cry. Assistant Cruise Director Sam was great at warming up the audience with some silly banter between herself and the technical director in the control booth. And the final variety show (Friday Night Live) was fun.

Most of the other comedians were good, especially the juggler. He has a unique routine: part nerd, part juggler, part comedian. But I was not impressed by Don Ware’s comedy. His jokes about women were bordering on rude. And, he commented off hand that he doesn’t do jokes about gays – then proceeded to do several “drop the soap” jokes. Yeah, right! Dude, you can drop the soap all you want. You’ll be safe. None of the gays I met on the cruise had any interest in you. Finally, I didn’t watch much of the hypnotist – so I couldn’t form an opinion.

Passengers

As for the passengers: The ship was filled to overflowing – to the tune of between 2800 – 2900 (these numbers given by cruise staff). The passengers covered every conceivable age range, from recently out of the womb to one foot in the grave. Most were probably in the 30 – 50 range just like my partner and me. As a gay couple we felt respected by all. Perhaps some didn't know, but that's okay too. Our traditional dining partners were friendly. Three of us, including myself, were teachers. Our table was made up of four couples, three straight, one gay. We even spent one evening sharing our "how we met" stories. Everyone joked and laughed. We found that my partner and I have been together longer than two of the other couples (13 years).

There were a huge number of kids on our sailing. According to the Cruise Director there were about 770 kids. That may be a record for the Sapphire. However, as a person without his own children, I didn’t have any major problems with the kids. Other than a bratty little 2 year old, whose mother took her away instantly, everything was fine. About the worst thing I saw repeatedly was the occasional pre-teen running through the narrow corridors. But I never saw them run into or hurt anyone. For the most part all the kids seemed well behaved and occupied. The youth security teams were a regular presence. If you don’t want to be around kids, eat late, see the later shows, and hang out either at the aft terrace pool or the adults’ only pool (at the Lotus Spa). You don’t have to use the spa to go into the pool.

Passengers I saw were universally polite, thoughtful, and relaxed. It definitely was not a party ship. Many of the senior citizens and families with kids were in bed early. That left the rest of us with free reign over the clubs and bars. The adult party atmosphere was mostly in Skywalkers around midnight.

I was especially impressed with how well dressed everyone was. During the day there were lots of shorts and jeans. But at night, the official dress code ruled. Those who ignored the dress code on formal night were very rare. Or, they bent the rules only slightly – like men wearing a sports coat and tie rather than a suit. I have strong feelings about dress codes, which I have expressed within other threads. But this issue is often blown out of proportion. Those who ignore the dress code completely are very rare, and really have no impact on my enjoyment. It’s very easy to ignore someone who doesn’t immediately impact my health or affect my enjoyment. The vast majority of people who didn’t dress up went to the buffet. I was especially charmed by the families and little kids that dressed up in their finest. They were so cute!

The only negative I will mention about my fellow passengers applies only to a few rude people. Every morning I would go out on my balcony to find a couple burnt matches and cigarette butts. Why must so many smokers litter like that? I guess there are a few bad apples in every barrel.

On the other hand, I never experienced ANY smoker taking a drag in a designated no-smoking area. In fact, there were fewer smokers on board than I expected. My state, Washington, recently voted to go non-smoking for all indoor public spaces (including bars) and around building entrances. I believe in time, many cruise lines will continue to limit the number of areas where smoking is allowed – and I fully support such a move.

[SeaTeacher]

Part III

 

Food

Overall, the food was very good. Especially if one has a reasonable expectation. Don’t expect five star cuisine in a buffet – ANY BUFFET! On land or sea. Yes, the food was always warm. I don’t want buffet food to be too hot, that means it’s also likely to be over cooked.

On a mass market cruise, don’t expect extraordinary menus or presentation that pushes the envelope. If you want to know my extensive thoughts about Princess food, read my posting in the “foodie” section. Basically, I found the food consistently good to excellent with few exceptions. The buffet was okay. I love fine food and wine. But I’m not a picky eater. My mother taught me to appreciate what is put before me. The food was on par with my expectations.

One thing I will mention here is the purchase of hard liquor from room service: Prices - FANTASTIC. Liquor is very expensive in WA State because it’s taxed heavily. On the first day of our cruise we ordered a bottle of Irish whiskey. We had a glass every night while dressing and relaxing for dinner. Sometimes we dashed up to the buffet and picked up a snack like some shrimp and cocktail sauce. For $28 we had about 16 drinks (whiskey and water or soda) over the course of a week. That’s about $1.75 per drink! In WA, such a bottle would be about $35. Or, if I bought a pre-dinner cocktail every night onboard, it would have been about $5 each. Ordering a bottle for your room is definitely the way to go, especially if you don’t drink much during the daylight, like us. But be careful. In our regular life, we might have some wine about once a week. During the cruise we drank alcohol every night. Even though we didn’t get smashed, I could tell after a week that my body is not used to daily imbibing.

Ports/tours

Not much to say here. Been to Puerto Vallarta before. Only took one tour and it was outside PV – way outside. It was the San Sebastian tour. You fly out of PV to a little colonial mining town about 40 miles up in the mountains. The tour was exciting and full of history. I’ll post a review in the ports of call section.

Conclusions:

The cruise was terrific. I would cruise again with Princess without a moment’s hesitation. The experience was everything I expected and even a little better.

Thanks to this board, I went into this cruise with reasonable expectations. I knew I was taking a mass market cruise on a reputable line. But I also knew that no vacation experience is without small problems because no one (corporations or individuals) can please everyone all the time.

Some people have had bad experiences. But a bad experience is not always the fault of the staff. There are folks who have unreasonable expectation too. Others may be very finicky or easily offended. And I have no doubt that a few reviews on this board are from people who have a very negative outlook.

But my cruise was great, the staff was excellent. I felt welcomed, accepted, and pampered. Thank you Sapphire Princess staff and crew! You are fantastic! I hope to see you again some day.

[cruzbabe]

Thanks for the review. My DS and I were on that cruise also. Aside from the lengthy embarkation (due to surprise Coast Guard/Immigration inspection), we thought everything else was great... although we have had better food on the other Princess ships.

 

It was a fun trip!

[1bigballer]

Great review! My wife and I are on the Sapphire Jan. 21st and can't wait. Any luck in the casino? Thanks.

[Pam in CA]

Seateacher... I'm on the Sapphire right now in the Internet Cafe and my impressions are very similar to yours. There are many, many family groups and lots of children but compared to what I've experienced in the Caribbean over the past 6 years of Christmas/New Year's cruises, they are well-behaved, polite, thoughtful (putting chairs back where they belong without prompting from parents) and charming. Kids charming? Yup...

 

I had booked the pre-cruise at the LAX Marriott and it worked out fine. For $59/night per person, including transfers to the ship, it was, IMHO, a bargain. We took an early flight from Boston to LAX on Friday, rented a car and drove to Laguna Beach to be with family and friends for a pre-Christmas Christmas. After dinner, we drove back to the hotel to check in and drop off our luggage. I thought I had to return the car to the main rental place but as we were checking in, I asked the best way to return the car. They said, "Oh, we have a Hertz office here. Just park the car and put the keys and your return voucher in the drop box." It couldn't have been easier!

 

We boarded the bus at the hotel at about 12:15PM. Being the 3rd bus from the hotel to leave, there were only about 20 people or so on our bus. The driver went v e r y s l o w l y and I couldn't figure out why. When we got to the port about 25 minutes later, it turns out that we were waiting for the other two buses to unload and for the passengers to leave the area. Once we were cleared to leave the bus, our luggage was off the bus and immediately put onto porters dollies and delivered to our cabins about 2 hours later. The hotel/transfer went very smoothly. We'd left our luggage in our room before going down to breakfast. It was picked up directly from the room and taken to where we boarded the bus. All we had to do was to verify that our luggage was there and it was loaded onto the bus. We were in our cabin by 1:15PM without having to lift or move our luggage. It couldn't have been easier or less stressful.

 

The ship is big but I keep on asking myself, "Where are all the people?" So far, we've had no problem finding a table in the Horizon Court, a place to plop down and read a book, a spot in a bar to have a predinner drink, etc.

 

We had booked late traditional dining and it was confirmed on our cruise tickets. When we got our cruisecard, it said, "Anytime dining." So, of course, I went down to the dining room loaded for bear based on previous experiences. I found a table set up outside of the dining room with a staff member taking down dining requests. No fuss, no muss, no bother. We had our table assignment by 5PM the first evening.

 

Everything on this ship seems to be very well-run, organized. The staff is always smiling, saying "Hello!", etc. My fellow passengers are also very pleasant and always smiling as well. There are a lot of large family groups onboard celebrating Christmas and yesterday, there were groups in almost every public space, exchanging presents and having a wonderful time.

 

Off to the Princess Jeopardy show. I'll try to post later but as this is my 2nd Mexican Riviera cruise and based on my observations between West Coast and East Coast cruises, I'll probably never cruise the Caribbean again.

 

Having a wonderful time...

++++++++++

[Colo Cruiser]

Who is the current Captain and Cruise Director??

 

Pam, could you ask any of the Maitre D's if Michael Balla is back onboard?

He was one of the restaurant managers.

I would really appreciate it.

[bdjam]

Congratulations on a successful first cruise. Sounds like you went in with the proper expectations and came away pleased with the experience.

I just got off Dawn Princess and was surprised by two “FOD” gatherings that were scheduled without asking. It was very much appreciated as some of us who were total strangers became friends by the end of the cruise. That’s a good thing!

Hopefully your future Princess cruises will bring you the same level of enjoyment. And thanks for the great post on dress guidelines, which has become a sticky on this thread!

[mii]

Seateacher what a great and informative review. it was very well balanced and I appreciate that. No cruise is perfect and you reported your likes and dislikes very nicely. Again thank you.

 

Marilyn

[Lynda90]

Thank you SeaTeacher and Pam for both you your opinions. I was on the 11/26 sailing and I can't wait to do it again. Agree with all your observations. I had a wonderful time and came home with great feelings and many memories.

Pam, enjoy the rest of your cruise and keep posting.

[The Staff Captain]

Thanks for the great review! I almost picked the Sapphire over the Carnival Pride for my next cruise, but since it was more than I could afford this year, it'll have to wait atleast another year. Can't wait!

[DeltaOne]

The cruise was terrific. I would cruise again with Princess without a moment’s hesitation. The experience was everything I expected and even a little better.

Nice review!

 

My wife and I were on this cruise too. We flew in to LAX on Friday afternoon and used Super Shuttle to get to our hotel in Long Beach. We stayed at the Hyatt Long Beach and had a great room. The area around this hotel has great shopping and restaurants. We could see the Queen Mary from our room window! Friday night we enjoyed a great dinner at the Yard House and then turned in early, a result of the three hour time change.

 

Saturday morning, after a long walk around taking in the sights, we took a cab from the Hyatt in Long Beach to the ship in San Pedro. The fare, including tip, was a bit less than $20.

 

We arrived around 11 am and check in was not open. Around 11:30 they opened check in, so we were one of the first to check in. After check in we were directed to a second room and given tickets that indicated we were in group 2. We learned about the surprise Coast Guard and Immigration inspection at that point. A little after 1 pm they began boarding, we were on the ship by 1:30 pm.

 

We were in a mini-suite, Dolphin 225. The room was spotless and we loved having all the extra room. The totally exposed balcony didn't bother us.

 

We thought the food was very good. On the occasional times when finding a table in Horizon Court was difficult it only meant heading towards the back of the ship, the back half of Horizon Court always had open tables.

 

They opened a special sushi bar on two days (Monday and Thursday, I think). We're not sushi experts, but we thought what they offered was very good. Another day featured a special mexican bar, also very good. On a few days we skipped Horizon Court for lunch and had pizza, burgers and fries from the grill by the pool. Great stuff!

 

On Monday we booked a Rasul couples treatment. The spa attendant explained the different muds, shower and steam rooms. The attendant leaves, you lock the door from the inside and have 60 minutes to yourselves. When you have fifteen minutes left the attendant knocks on the door. We enjoyed the Rasul, and had, ahem, lots of fun…

 

We had Anytime Dining (Personal Choice). Each morning we’d call the desk and reserve a table for two at 8 pm. We cycled through all four restaurants, and were always seated immediately at 8 pm. No wait at all.

 

Each night we spent some time before dinner in the Wheelhouse Bar enjoying a pre-dinner martini and listening to the band.

 

We enjoyed the cooking demo/galley tour and the behind-the-scenes tour. We played trivia and caught all the comedians shows. We loved all the comedians. Lovena Fox was entertaining, she has a great voice! We watched the millionaire show, family feud and Princess Pop Star shows too.

 

In Puerto Vallarta we took a ship excursion, Beach Break. We were taken by bus to Paradise Village, a resort hotel. We had full use of the beach and pools and were provided with a great lunch. This excursion wasn’t expensive, I don’t know how they do it for that price.

 

In Mazatlan we had set up a tour with Mazatlan Frank. We met Frank a little after 8 am and were on our way by 8:30 am. Frank took us to see brick makers, tile makers and a small furniture shop. We also toured a private hacienda and a small art gallery. We went to one of Frank’s favorite restaurants for lunch, a nice place right on the beach. (Lunch cost was extra.) After lunch we toured old and new parts of Mazatlan, by 4 pm Frank had us safely back at the ship. If you check the Ports of Call board you’ll see lots of positive reviews of Mazatlan Frank…add me to that group. Frank is courteous, gracious and knows everything there is to know about Mazatlan (he’s been a tour guide for almost 25 years). Kudos to Frank for our tour…he was a bit under the weather but didn’t want to disappoint us by canceling our tour or substituting a different guide. If you’re going to Mazatlan I highly recommend Frank’s tour.

 

In Cabo San Lucas we walked in to town, our goal was to enjoy a margarita at Cabo Wabo. We found Cabo Wabo after a fifteen minute walk through town, enjoyed a margarita and bought way too many Cabo Wabo t-shirts and other souvenirs. Cabo is a tender port. From the time we left our room to getting on the tender was less than ten minutes…everything was efficiently organized. We tendered back to the ship around 12:30, after another short wait. At 2 pm we sailed for Los Angeles.

 

The ride back to Los Angeles was a little bumpy, Friday’s weather was cool and cloudy. Leaving the ship was a piece of cake. Our color (Red 5) was called promptly at 8:30 am. Another Super Shuttle ride to LAX, we had finished check-in by 9:45 am and had some time to kill while waiting for our 12:50 flight.

 

This was our second cruise with Princess and we enjoyed everything. We’re glad we did the Mexican Riveria cruise, but all in all we like the Caribbean better (our previous four cruises were all Caribbean cruises). Princess, and the Sapphire Princess, provide a great value for the money, this won’t be our last cruise with Princess.

[Colo Cruiser]

Who is the current Captain and Cruise Director??

 

Pam, could you ask any of the Maitre D's if Michael Balla is back onboard?

He was one of the restaurant managers.

I would really appreciate it.

 

Anyone?? Paul???

[SeaTeacher]

Thanks to all for the complements.

 

One of the things I learned that I forgot to mention, was on all future cruises I will do my best to arrive a day early. The transition will be so much easier if we do that. In LA, I would definetely stay at the Long Beach Hyatt. Been there before. It has a good staff and a fantastic location, both for the dining and entertainment within walking distance - as well as the cab trip to San Pedro across the bridge.

 

1Bigballer - (Hmmmm, your name is kinda scary. Hope it has to do with bowling!) No, we had no luck in the casino. We budgeted about 40 dollars for casino fun on the nickle and quarter slots. It was gone within 30 minutes. I'm used to a nearby Native American casino that has much looser slots. I was disappointed that the money went so quickly. Thankfully, the casino is not very smokey.

 

Pam - I agree. The Sapphire is a big ship, and the small public spaces manage to distribute the big passenger load very well. The only time things felt somewhat crowded to me was on the last full day in the photo area when hundreds of people were browsing their pictures and making purchases. I came back during lunch though, and the crowd had disappeared.

 

Colo - the Captain is Attilio Guerrini. And the CD is Neil Chandler. Neil is everwhere. He never seems to stop. A couple staff members mentioned that he and his Deputy, Peter, are new to the Sapphire. And they have brought a lot of wonderful energy to the staff, showing in many small ways that they care about their employees.

 

Paul - Thanks for adding your review to the thread as well. We liked the Wheelhouse bar very much, using it a couple times for a nightcap. We also really liked the Wakeview Lounge that's entered through Club Fusion. It was always quiet and Phillip, the bartender was so friendly and upbeat.

[kehau5]

Although I enjoyed my trip to Mexico, I have to say that I had a problem with passengers who didn't follow the dress code and disappointed that the Sapphire Princess staff did not enforce it. The vast majority of the passengers who did dress on formal night looked lovely and festive. But to see someone dressed in jeans seated amongst those in formal wear diminished the ambiance of the room. It also lead to people not behaving properly such as the family who entered the Princess Theater on formal night in jeans/cut offs and put their feet up on the chairs in front of them. It was also disturbing to see teens lying and sitting on the carpet in the elevator foyers talking. I don't think they would have done that if they were in formal wear. None of the other teens in formal wear were lying on the floor.

 

Other than that, the trip was great. I enjoyed the food in the Savoy, Pacific Moon, etc. The service was excellent. I will continue to travel with Princess Cruises.

[bdjam]

Although I enjoyed my trip to Mexico, I have to say that I had a problem with passengers who didn't follow the dress code and disappointed that the Sapphire Princess staff did not enforce it. The vast majority of the passengers who did dress on formal night looked lovely and festive. But to see someone dressed in jeans seated amongst those in formal wear diminished the ambiance of the room. It also lead to people not behaving properly such as the family who entered the Princess Theater on formal night in jeans/cut offs and put their feet up on the chairs in front of them. It was also disturbing to see teens lying and sitting on the carpet in the elevator foyers talking. I don't think they would have done that if they were in formal wear. None of the other teens in formal wear were lying on the floor.

 

Other than that, the trip was great. I enjoyed the food in the Savoy, Pacific Moon, etc. The service was excellent. I will continue to travel with Princess Cruises.

I noticed on Dawn Princess a great number of teenagers on board had a propensity to put their feet anywhere but the floor when they were in lounges. My mother would have whacked me across the back of the head, but parents in the vicinity didn’t seem to worry. I hope they aren't the same passengers that complain about spots on the apolstery.

And I won’t go into formal dress – but you’ve got my vote.

[CruisinBrett]

Seateacher...thanks so much for giving us such in in-depth review of the Sapphire. My partner and I are headed on the 1/28 sailing and am getting more and more excited. The cruise staff can really MAKE a cruise, and I was pleased to read that we will have a solid, fun crew! The 700+ kid warning almost gave me a heart attack but I'm hoping late January will be a much smaller number. Thanks for giving us such a quick response to your experiences....

[seattleVoyager]

Thanks for the detailed and interesting review. You are quite the writer! Between this review and your sticky, it's obvious you have strong, clear, and thoughtful opinions. Thanks again, neighbor.

[coo359a2]

What was the name of the dining room you went to for dining assignment change?

[travelnnana]

Sea Teacher thanks for your great review - we leave this Saturday - can't wait - we drive over to San Pedro the day before - so can't wait to get on board

[Colo Cruiser]

Anybody done the Ultimate Balcony Dinner on the Sapphire while doing the Mexican Riviera cruise?? I know they show it is offered on the Princess website under restaurants for the Sapphire but was not sure if anyone has actually experienced it on the Sapphire. :)

[tnf]

We were also on this sailing. The Sapphire Princess is a very nice ship and it was very very clean. The staff on the Sapphire are great! We just loved talking with all of them.

We had a nice time with Ramona and Jimmy the bartenders at Crooners bar, they had the best drinks! And Raul from explorers lounge is great!

In our opinion the food was not very good. But it did not ruin our cruise it was a great time on a great ship!

[Once Upon A Time]

Colo Cruiser: We ordered the Ultimate Balcony Dinner during our recent Sapphire cruise and it was great. You just contact the Room Service Manager and he will set it up. He will discuss date, time, menu and drink order. The food and service were outstanding and in fact we were 3 couples on one balcony and it was no problem (balcony was large). We did it on the last night at sea... next time I might do it earlier in the cruise so I could enjoy the beautiful flower centerpiece longer. Hope you opt to do it!

[Colo Cruiser]

Once upon a time, thanks for the response. We will for sure book it in March on our spring break cruise. Did not want to do it too early in the cruise as I remember when we sailed on the Star out of LA and it was chilly for the first 2 days or so. It sounds wonderful but until I saw it on the Sapphire restaurant options I asumed it was only in the Caribbean.

 

I see you hail from Gig Harbor. That is one of our favorite places. We have a couple that we know from Tacoma who has a brother who built a fantastic house on the side of the harbour with its own dock. He had a 60' Ocean Alexander at his dock.

 

Thanks again. :)

[CSloan]

SeaTeacher-

We were in this cabin the week before you. We really liked it - and thought Michael was great! He even put a lounge chair on our balcony (at our request). Thanks for the refreshing review - it's nice to read a review that focuses on the positive! Glad you had a good time.... so did we! Hopefully I'll have my pics posted within the next week or so.