Live from the Sapphire Princess

[ohhbother]

Greetings from on board the Sapphire Princess in Civi outside Rome! We are preparing to sail toward Livorno in about 15 minutes. I’m Amy, 45, and I’m traveling with my husband, Mark, and my parents, Joe and Helen, 70 and 65.

 

We boarded today, and I must say the ship looks fantastic. New carpet, new seating in lots of places, new flat screens in the staterooms, new luxury beds...

 

I’m taking lots of photos of the ship, but the internet connection is spotty. So I may have to wait until I’m back to post photos.

 

The crew seems very friendly, and the pizza was actually quite good when we had an afternoon snack earlier.

 

Only problem so far was a clogged stateroom toilet. It seems this is a regular problem, as there was a preemptive note in the bathroom telling us what to do if we had a problem. We called, and someone from maintenance fixed it within 15 minutes.

 

I’ll try to post as we go along. I bought lots of internet minutes and plan to use them! :D

 

 

Tomorrow, my husband and I are going to Cinque Terre, while my parents are headed to Pisa.

 

We arrived in Rome Monday and had an enjoyable two days. But now our real vacation begins!

[Geoffa30]

Cannot wait to hear more. We’re on board in September.

 

You’ll love Cinque Terre.

[sunsetbeachgal]

Love your blogs! Following along!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[CruzinNoony]

Are you doing a Princess tour or a private one to Cinque Terre? We got rained out on our last visit and want to go on our coming up cruise.:cool:

[ohhbother]

Are you doing a Princess tour or a private one to Cinque Terre? We got rained out on our last visit and want to go on our coming up cruise.:cool:

 

We are doing a Princess excursion. Have to meet downstairs at 7 am. Ick! I am not a morning person !!

[ohhbother]

We’re just now leaving. We were supposed to sail st 6 but were delayed almost an hour. Don’t know why.

 

I figured I could take this time to share a little pre-cruise info. We flew to Rome Sunday and arrived Monday morning. We stayed in an AirB&B that was amazing — just steps from Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, etc. While in Rome, we did tours of the Vatican and the Colosseum.

 

We used Rome Cabs for our transfers. I posted the following on the Ports of Call board but thought I’d share it here as well. Copying and pasting just so I don’t have to eat up more minutes!!

—

 

We had a really unfortunate experience with Rome Cabs this morning. It was in no way a service issue, but it was so sad.

 

We were picked up by Rome Cabs Monday at the airport and had a fine transfer to our AirB&B. This morning, a driver was scheduled to pick us up outside our rented apartment at 10 am.

 

The driver arrived about 9:50 and was very pleasant. She pulled to the curb right outside our apartment and started loading our bags.

 

While we were standing there, three pennies seemed to fall from the sky in front of us. One actually hit me in the head.

 

The four of us, along with the driver, were puzzled. But we just laughed it off.

 

She continued to load our luggage, and then we all got in the van. The driver started to pull away and then she said,”No, no.” And then she got more and more frantic.

 

Apparently, while she was loading the bags, someone reached into the parked van and stole her phone and her “box,” which - through a slight language barrier — I concluded held cash, her purse, an ipad, credit cards, etc. At this point, she became inconsolable — sobbing uncontrollably while driving. She drove around the block — I assume looking for the thief - and then pulled off.

 

She borrowed my phone to call the office, crying even harder. Within about 15 minutes, Rome Cabs sent another van for us and our transfer to the port continued just fine.

 

But I feel so horribly for the poor driver. She kept crying and saying her life was in the box. I really hope she doesn’t lose her job - she was just devastated.

 

What’s really terrible is both my husband and I saw the thief. We realized it when we compared notes later. My husband saw an older man looking intently at the van door. But the man stepped away when he realized my husband saw him. My husband figured he was confused and thought it was a cab.

 

And then, after we were hit by the pennies (obviously a distraction technique), I saw a man stepping away from the van with a cellphone in his hand — that he then dropped into his bag. He made eye contact with me and even smiled.

 

It all happened so fast I didn’t realize what he was doing until we got in the van. He just looked like a nice little old man — which I guess works well for him.

 

Anyway, the event didn’t impact us — other than it was such a terrible way to start the day. I felt so sorry for her. I tried to give her a tip when we left with the other driver, but she wouldn’t take it. I put my hand on her arm and told her she lost only money —that she is safe and that’s what matters. But I know she was just heartbroken.

[lynaberdeen]

Looking forward to following your cruise. we are on board in July and can't wait. enjoy

[Swanny Sealegs]

Thank you Ohhbother for taking the time to post. We are sailing on Sapphire Princess in 10 days and your posts will help countdown the days until then. I have read that Princess no longer has 'happy hour' is this true? shame if it has as I really enjoyed my cocktails more when they were a bargain!

Hope you enjoyed your trip today. We went to Pisa and got drenched in a thunderstorm.

[Literary Lynne]

Thanks so much for your posts OhhBother. We are sailing on Sapphire in 9 days time. Great to hear about the upgrades and that the ship is looking good. Any little snippets of information will be great, thank you. We've never sailed with Princess previously and are really looking forward to it.

 

What an awful thing to happen in Rome. I adore the place and its history but have to say that I've never been anywhere where pickpockets and distraction theft is such an issue. The railway station is a key place where people stand around the ticket machines looking out for tourists who are taking time to make their purchase. One offers to help and another rifles your bags.

 

Hope you have a wonderful time.

Lynne :)

Edited April 26, 2018 by Literary Lynne
spelling error

[World Traveller 2008]

Amy, what an awful experience in Rome for your taxi driver. Pickpockets unfortunately are everywhere but it's understandable how upset she was when personal items get taken, so hard to replace as well as being a nuisance.

 

Thanks for posting about the Sapphire Princess and a relief that all is looking good. We sail after your cruise, on 5th May, can't wait! Enjoy the rest of your cruise. :)

[phabric]

I will be following along. I am on the Sapphire in July and next year doing a Med cruise.

 

What are the shows and their times?

[Mapu]

Hi Amy, thank you for doing this live thread. We are on the Sapphire in August and appreciate your posts.

[Mapu]

Any updates or pictures?

[Astro Flyer]

We are doing a Princess excursion. Have to meet downstairs at 7 am. Ick! I am not a morning person !!

Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences on the refurbished Sapphire which we eagerly look forward to sailing again in June. It’s been over 4 years since we last sailed on the ship. At that time they added 40” flat panel HD TVs so surprised they’re being replaced so soon. If the improved TV entertainment with more choices & on demand is installed wonder if the new TVs are touchscreen.

 

Looking forward to your Cinque Terre experiences which we had tentatively planned to visit during a Tuscan precruise stay and another time on a cruise. We’re planning to take the Princess tour next year & while I’ve read that exploring Cinque Terre by ship’s tour isn’t the best way we might not get another opportunity.

 

Does Sabatini’s have their original menu or their new Sabatini’s Trattoria menu? Wish that Alfredo’s Pizzeria had the full multicourse menu like on the Royal & Regal.

Edited April 27, 2018 by Astro Flyer

[Coral]

Do you have new menus - the ones that have steak from Sterlings/Crown Grill as an option in the dining room for an uncharge? One item mentioned on the menu was chicken and waffles? Hoping Sapphire still has the old menus.

 

Thanks for the reports!

[dansprite]

Ohhbother, thank you so much for taking the time to post during your trip. Venice and Cinque Terre are my favorite places in Italy. If you have time to have a meal in one of the towns in Cinque Terre, the food is delicious. I hope you have a wonderful time there, and I look forward to your next post. - Suzanne

[Cruiser411]

Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences on the refurbished Sapphire which we eagerly look forward to sailing again in June. It’s been over 4 years since we last sailed on the ship. At that time they added 40” flat panel HD TVs so surprised they’re being replaced so soon. If the improved TV entertainment with more choices & on demand is installed wonder if the new TVs are touchscreen.

 

 

Sapphire already had the on-demand system that was supposed to have been rolled out fleetwide. Maybe the OP did not realize that and assumed that it was new.

[Geoffa30]

Sapphire already had the on-demand system that was supposed to have been rolled out fleetwide. Maybe the OP did not realize that and assumed that it was new.

 

I believe they have added new 4K TVs. TV tech moves pretty quickly so even though they might only be four years or so old, they are old.

[Coral]

I saw pictures of new 43" LG televisions on the ship during dry dock (they were in boxes in the hallway). They definitely got new TVs. The Asst CD also reported that all the cabins got the new TVs.

[Astro Flyer]

I saw pictures of new 43" LG televisions on the ship during dry dock (they were in boxes in the hallway). They definitely got new TVs. The Asst CD also reported that all the cabins got the new TVs.

 

Based on posts I’ve read, not all cabins received the new mattresses which is more important to me than having all new TVs. Although replacing mattresses is an easier post drydock process than replacing the TVs which I experienced in 2014 when they were replacing TVs during our cruise.

 

It’s been posted that all mattresses are planned to be replaced prior to our June cruise that we’re both sailing.

[Coral]

Based on posts I’ve read, not all cabins received the new mattresses which is more important to me than having all new TVs. Although replacing mattresses is an easier post drydock process than replacing the TVs which I experienced in 2014 when they were replacing TVs during our cruise.

 

It’s been posted that all mattresses are planned to be replaced prior to our June cruise that we’re both sailing.

 

Yea - I heard they were all going to be "replaced by June". Well, that is our cruise. If I get on the ship and have a bad mattress, I am going to ask for a new one. On one cruise, I had the worst mattress. It was awful. I complained and they brought a different mattress to my room. So if that happens again, the beds will have to be on the ship for our sailing, I will ask for a new one! This is one thing that Princess took forever to listen to their customers about. Glad the reports on the new beds are great! Yes, I do care more about beds. It is going to be difficult to be away from my Tempurpedic anyway.

[dansprite]

Believe it or not, I have been sleeping on a waterbed for years! It always takes a few days to become accustomed to any new mattress. It will be interesting to see how the new mattresses will fare! :)

[Omega1]

.......... I complained and they brought a different mattress to my room. So if that happens again, the beds will have to be on the ship for our sailing, I will ask for a new one!

 

Having experienced the new beds on the Caribbean in February, I will do the same if we get an old bed. The new ones are so comfortable, I slept like a baby.

[ohhbother]

OP here.

 

We’re in Barcelona today. Driving to Montserrat at the moment. Yesterday was Monaco, where we did an excursion to Eze. The day before was Cinque Terre. Tomorrow is our first sea day - looking forward to it. This is a port-intensive cruise!

 

I promise to post photos - lots of them - when I’m back. For now, I’ll keep doing updates as I can.

 

Some random notes about the ship:

The new hallway carpet is mostly the same on both sides of the ship, but there is one small difference. On port side, there are red dots in the design. On starboard, there are green dots. So there is still a disntinction.

 

The TV system on the shop has been very spotty, as has the WiFi. It seems to go out more than on past cruises.

 

Everything on the ship is so new. You can go on empty lounges, etc., and you can smell the new carpet smell.

 

Staff has been pleasant. Food has been good. A little disappointed in the menu cutbacks. It’s hard to believe there’s not a steak option at dinner each night.

 

The new bed is very comfortable - best we’ve had at sea.

 

Last night was first formal night with the champagne waterfall. That’s always very nice. We have the photo package, so we hit every single photo station. Getting my money’s worth.

 

We just got off the bus in Montserrat. I’ll do a more thorough update on our sea day tomorrow. If you have questions, post and I’ll try to answer them!

[Literary Lynne]

So glad to hear that you are having a good time Ohhbother and that everything on the ship seems new and fresh. You may see from fellow posters above that it is believed that they haven't replaced all the beds onboard. Are you able to check this out for us please?

 

We get on board as you get off next Saturday in Southampton so hanging on your every word.

 

Have a great time.

Lynne :)