Sapphire Princess and Princess

[harryspotter]

Hi, I am considering a 2 wk med cruise from UK. 

 

What do you like and dislike about Princess?

 

What about this ship?

 

The other option is Celebrity Silouhette  - thoughts too?

 

Cheers

[westcoaster]

Sapphire Princess is my favorite ship in the Princess fleet.  It has a wider promenade deck than the other Grand class ships, wide enough to accommodate the full length teak loungers.  The two Anytime dining rooms are divided into 4  smaller dining rooms, each with a different theme.  It has a covered pool, which many of the newer Princess ships lack.

[Essiesmom]

I have not sailed on Sapphire, but I did spend two weeks on her sister, Diamond.  I have also sailed Silhouette.  I think I would prefer Silhouette, although the decision would be by the itinerary.  EM

[azbirdmom]

We were on the Sapphire in January and loved her.  Great Promenade deck, surprisingly good food in the buffet, on demand TVs and Alfredo's too (although it only had pizza).   Would book another cruise on the Sapphire in a heartbeat.

[satxdiver]

The Sapphire and Diamond while classified as grand class have quite a few differences.  Both ships were built by a Japanese shipyard for the Asian market.  We will be on the Sapphire for the first time this summer for our Baltic and Norwegian cruises.  We have always found the food to be good with no real complaints.  Princess is alleged to have the best pizza on the high seas.   

 

As you can see I have been on four different cruise lines so far and have found Princess to be the best of the four.  Before boarding I have found dealing with Princess directly to be very easy and have not had any problems with them which I cannot say for two of the other cruise lines I have been on.  The embarking and debarking process is all very easy and well managed.  Onboard Princess deals with pax in a professional manner and really tries to make it enjoyable for all.  The crew is always very friendly and seems to be happy.  While all cruise lines are out to increase the bottom line, Princess seems to be not so pushy to get pax to spend more money on board which I appreciate.  The opportunities are there but not pushed aggressively.  

 

RCL and Carnival do not allow pax to stack OBC (FCD, stock owners, veteran, etc) while Princess does.  Princess allows you to rebook your cruise/cabin if they drop the price without penalty (exception is non-refundable deposit).  Also they allow you to cancel at any time up to final payment without penalty. 

Finally which ship and cruise are you considering?

[harryspotter]

thanks for the comments.

 

How do you feel Princess compare to Celebrity?

[leck57]

24 minutes ago, harryspotter said:

thanks for the comments.

 

How do you feel Princess compare to Celebrity?

 

Almost identical in my opinion but they have strengths and weaknesses. In my opinion Princess better food in the buffets but Celebrity better in the dining rooms. Princess better storage in the cabins but Celebrity cabins better furnished. Most importantly for me is that Princess have better entertainment options at night spread throughout the ship whereas Celebrity seem to concentrate most activity around the atrium.

I would cruise any of these two lines without hesitation and pick whoever has the best itinerary. 

[subaru94]

Both Princess and Celebrity are fabulous cruise lines, it will come down to the itinerary?

[PescadoAmarillo]

We just spent nearly three months on the Sapphire (in addition to a month years ago) and love the ship. It is probably my second favorite Princess ship (second only to the small Pacific Princess). The ship was in excellent condition, the crew was great, and I loved the covered pool area and the wide Promenade Deck. 

[Colo Cruiser]

15 hours ago, satxdiver said:

The Sapphire and Diamond while classified as grand class have quite a few differences.  Both ships were built by a Japanese shipyard for the Asian market.  

They were not built for the Asian market.

They were remodeled for the Asian market.

Sapphire did not start in the Asian market until 10 years after she was built.

The major Asian refit of the Diamond and Sapphire started in 2014 with the Diamond getting the brunt of the changes.

The Sapphire/Diamond were built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at its Nagasaki Yard for Carnival. (Sapphire 2004)

Mitsubishi happened to win the bid over Fincantieri for the construction of the 2 ships.

[Coral]

I actually think the Diamond and Sapphire are "better" than the other Grand class ships. They just seemed to be better built.

 

I love the Sapphire. I have been on her more than any other ship within the Princess fleet. She went under dry dock last spring and looked great when I was on her last summer.

[Colo Cruiser]

47 minutes ago, Coral said:

I actually think the Diamond and Sapphire are "better" than the other Grand class ships. They just seemed to be better built.

 

I love the Sapphire. I have been on her more than any other ship within the Princess fleet. She went under dry dock last spring and looked great when I was on her last summer.

They have the most excellent wide promenade decks!

[Coral]

35 minutes ago, Colo Cruiser said:

They have the most excellent wide promenade decks!

I love those wide promenade decks! The aft pools are a little different also.

[IndiTravler]

I was on the Sapphire for the first time this summer.   Without a doubt, it’s my favorite of the Princess ships I’ve been on (mostly Grand class).