Sapphire Review from Princess noob

[alyssamma]

On the 32 day Princess Sapphire to the South Pacific. This is my first time on Princess and I wanted to share some thoughts. I will say overall that I'm happy with Princess and would sail them again.

 

Food, B+. Incredibly subjective, but I am comparing to my like of food on other lines I've sailed (MSC, X, Carnival, HAL). For reference, I'd rate HAL and X an A- and Carnival (Excel class) also a B+. MSC has decreased a lot and would have gotten an A- (Yacht Club) but now I'd say C+. 

 

I'm not a fan of the breakfast and think the pizza is just ok, but lunch has been amazing and dinner fairly good. 

 

Ship, B-. I hate the flow of the ship. Dead ends in certain places and general lack of signage. However, it seems to have an old world style and charm to it and several public areas are quite nice.

 

One thing to note is the walking track...a very poor design. Since there are deck chairs on it, it gets crowded. Especially since people seem to walk in both directions. They also have a smoking area there for some reason. Finally, you cannot make a complete lap without climbing stairs to deck 8 (which might be a bonus for some because of added cardio), but the stairs are closed at night so it you want a walk after dinner you can't make a full lap.

 

Entertainment, D. Not for us. That being said, we aren't the demographic because most people on the ship seems to love it. YMMV.

 

Cabin, D. Lol, stuck in it for 32 days though. We are in an extended balcony. The room itself is tiny, the shower is miniscule. The balcony is nice but very worn. There is no couch or chair, meaning no place to sit or drape clothes or place luggage. The saving grace is excellent closet space and a zillion hangars.

 

Medallion, B-. If I was ONLY rating it in a vacuum, I'd give this an A-, but it stands in stark contrast to the tech on the rest of the ship which is in the 1980s. 

 

Staff, B. Pleasant, but nothing exceptional. I've seen better and worse.

[LACruiser88]

8 minutes ago, alyssamma said:

One thing to note is the walking track...a very poor design.

The Promenade deck was not designed as a walking track.  The original concept was that of a viewing and relaxing deck. 

 

We have a close friend onboard with you, she is having a fantastic time!

[alyssamma]

Just now, LACruiser88 said:

The Promenade deck was not designed as a walking track.  The original concept was that of a viewing and relaxing deck. 

Lol, well it shows. Not sure why it wouldn't be designed  for walking...it seems more people are walking on it than sitting on it, but regardless, that's what it's become now 😀

 

 

[PacnGoNow]

28 minutes ago, alyssamma said:

On the 32 day Princess Sapphire to the South Pacific. This is my first time on Princess and I wanted to share some thoughts. I will say overall that I'm happy with Princess and would sail them again.

 

Food, B+. Incredibly subjective, but I am comparing to my like of food on other lines I've sailed (MSC, X, Carnival, HAL). For reference, I'd rate HAL and X an A- and Carnival (Excel class) also a B+. MSC has decreased a lot and would have gotten an A- (Yacht Club) but now I'd say C+. 

 

I'm not a fan of the breakfast and think the pizza is just ok, but lunch has been amazing and dinner fairly good. 

 

Ship, B-. I hate the flow of the ship. Dead ends in certain places and general lack of signage. However, it seems to have an old world style and charm to it and several public areas are quite nice.

 

One thing to note is the walking track...a very poor design. Since there are deck chairs on it, it gets crowded. Especially since people seem to walk in both directions. They also have a smoking area there for some reason. Finally, you cannot make a complete lap without climbing stairs to deck 8 (which might be a bonus for some because of added cardio), but the stairs are closed at night so it you want a walk after dinner you can't make a full lap.

 

Entertainment, D. Not for us. That being said, we aren't the demographic because most people on the ship seems to love it. YMMV.

 

Cabin, D. Lol, stuck in it for 32 days though. We are in an extended balcony. The room itself is tiny, the shower is miniscule. The balcony is nice but very worn. There is no couch or chair, meaning no place to sit or drape clothes or place luggage. The saving grace is excellent closet space and a zillion hangars.

 

Medallion, B-. If I was ONLY rating it in a vacuum, I'd give this an A-, but it stands in stark contrast to the tech on the rest of the ship which is in the 1980s. 

 

Staff, B. Pleasant, but nothing exceptional. I've seen better and worse.

Not 1980’s, built in 2004.  Yepee!

Thanks for the live.

[alyssamma]

Just now, PacnGoNow said:

Not 1980’s, built in 2004.  Yepee!

Thanks for the live.

Lol, yeah, I was exaggerating a little 😀 but it def FEELS like the 80s.

 

And fyi, not live, lol. Just wanted to give some initial thoughts. Definitely having fun and enjoying the trip. I actually booked the same itinerary for April 2025, so something must be clicking with me 😀

[LACruiser88]

1 minute ago, alyssamma said:

Lol, yeah, I was exaggerating a little 😀 but it def FEELS like the 80s.

 

And fyi, not live, lol. Just wanted to give some initial thoughts. Definitely having fun and enjoying the trip. I actually booked the same itinerary for April 2025, so something must be clicking with me 😀

We will also be onboard for the April 2025 voyage.

[sunviking90]

Thank you for your honest thoughts. Sapphire Princess was our first Princess cruise years ago when she was new and still one of our favourites. I would also love to do the itinerary you’re on one day. 
I agree the lack of a couch in the balcony staterooms has been a Princess weakness for years. The newer ships do have couches in deluxe and premium balconies. I also agree on the decor. Princess seems to have decided on a palette and decor sometime in 1993 and just stuck to it for years! We do love the classic look of the promenade with the chairs. It’s been a long time since we were on her, but we definitely walked every morning on the Promenade deck. That is the definition of “promenade” whether a noun or a verb after all! Maybe there just weren’t as many walkers at the time we walked?

I know Sapphire has a wider Promenade deck than some of the other ships which should allow space for lounging and walking.

I fail to understand why Princess (Celebrity is bad for this too) have the smoking areas where people go for exercise and fresh air.
I’m glad you’re enjoying your cruise!

How are the enrichment programs (lectures, etc) on that itinerary?

[alyssamma]

Just now, sunviking90 said:

How are the enrichment programs (lectures, etc) on that itinerary?

They have been good, I think 😀 there have been a series on Matson ships, and then some on Hawaii and some art ones (although I'm not sure the latter are technically enrichment, but since they are educational I'm counting them 😀). But like I implied above, the topics aren't really for me, except for the art ones which were good. However, others I have spoken too enjoyed them a lot 

[alyssamma]

Just now, sunviking90 said:

Maybe there just weren’t as many walkers at the time we walked?

This could be a function of this cruise. 32 days you kind of have to exercise, lol. It's pretty packed.in the mornings and even later in the day and throughout the evening you'll see people walking.

[alyssamma]

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention...internet A+. I'm able to stream movies and TV shows, download videos, make wifi calls, etc. there were some VERY brief periods where it was slow, but overall amazing.

[modem9]

I'm curiouse as we will be on the Sapphire to South America next month.  Do they have USB ports in the cabins?

[chrysalis]

Just now, modem9 said:

I'm curiouse as we will be on the Sapphire to South America next month.  Do they have USB ports in the cabins?

We are on board now, and our Lido deck balcony has USB ports in each of the bedside lamps 

[chrysalis]

Just to add a bit, we have 45+kt winds today and the same forecast for tomorrow. Ship is moving around a touch.

 

As far as we are concerned, the crew have been excellent, and the dining room dinner food pretty darn good.

 

A ton of elites on board and the cut off for the MTP luncheon is 740 days.

 

A number of new crew boarded in Honolulu yesterday.

 

We are in the sanctuary today, and there seem to be more crew members than guests. It's shocking the number of front row loungers that are reserved but total no shows. Princess needs to do something to solve that.

 

The local cultural show last night in the princess theatre was absolutely outstanding.

 

All in all, a very good cruise so far.

[PacnGoNow]

15 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

We are on board now, and our Lido deck balcony has USB ports in each of the bedside lamps 

Also, USB ports on the Caribe deck.

[Ken the cruiser]

8 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

Just to add a bit, we have 45+kt winds today and the same forecast for tomorrow. Ship is moving around a touch.

 

As far as we are concerned, the crew have been excellent, and the dining room dinner food pretty darn good.

 

A ton of elites on board and the cut off for the MTP luncheon is 740 days.

 

A number of new crew boarded in Honolulu yesterday.

 

We are in the sanctuary today, and there seem to be more crew members than guests. It's shocking the number of front row loungers that are reserved but total no shows. Princess needs to do something to solve that.

 

The local cultural show last night in the princess theatre was absolutely outstanding.

 

All in all, a very good cruise so far.

If you haven’t seen this website before, it’s pretty cool when checking out the forecast anywhere in the world, to include projected wind speeds, wave swells, rain, etc.

 

https://www.windy.com/

 

Edited November 8, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[PacnGoNow]

6 minutes ago, chrysalis said:

Just to add a bit, we have 45+kt winds today and the same forecast for tomorrow. Ship is moving around a touch.

 

As far as we are concerned, the crew have been excellent, and the dining room dinner food pretty darn good.

 

A ton of elites on board and the cut off for the MTP luncheon is 740 days.

 

A number of new crew boarded in Honolulu yesterday.

 

We are in the sanctuary today, and there seem to be more crew members than guests. It's shocking the number of front row loungers that are reserved but total no shows. Princess needs to do something to solve that.

 

The local cultural show last night in the princess theatre was absolutely outstanding.

 

All in all, a very good cruise so far.

Too much movement on top decks for me today!  🥴

 

It is a nice cruise, I agree.

[aprilsp88]

Could someone onboard kindly let me know if cruise director is still Armando? Who's the party band (5 piece band). Are they good in your opinion, are they going to stay? Thanks in advance.

[chrysalis]

Just now, aprilsp88 said:

Could someone onboard kindly let me know if cruise director is still Armando? Who's the party band (5 piece band). Are they good in your opinion, are they going to stay? Thanks in advance.

Yes...

Armando.

 

Party band is gravity....and they are good 👍

[aprilsp88]

1 hour ago, chrysalis said:

Yes...

Armando.

 

Party band is gravity....and they are good 👍

Yes Armando and gravity are all very good! I hope they stay, but I remember gravity might leave after this cruise.

[alyssamma]

Something I discovered today ...you can connect an HDMI cable to the TVs in the staterooms and easily switch the input to them.

[Tranquility Base]

On 11/5/2023 at 11:05 AM, alyssamma said:

Lol, well it shows. Not sure why it wouldn't be designed  for walking...it seems more people are walking on it than sitting on it, but regardless, that's what it's become now 😀

Thanks for the review.
 

Does the promenade have the full length padded loungers, or are they the unpadded chairs ?

Good news regarding the internet.

[alyssamma]

4 hours ago, Tranquility Base said:

Thanks for the review.
 

Does the promenade have the full length padded loungers, or are they the unpadded chairs ?

Good news regarding the internet.

There are the loungers and also wooden benches with a back. The times I've been out there, there are always available loungers. This is usually morning and evening...not sure about midday.

[LACruiser88]

11 hours ago, alyssamma said:

Something I discovered today ...you can connect an HDMI cable to the TVs in the staterooms and easily switch the input to them.

We do it all the time.

 

 

 

 

[alyssamma]

1 hour ago, LACruiser88 said:

We do it all the time.

 

 

 

 

Yeah, I explicitly said it here because I know different ships have different TVs and this is a subject that people always want to know about.

 

Just trying to give info as I get it ..

[alyssamma]

A note about laundry. We did it today for the first time and it went fine. $3 each for wash and dry, take pods or laundry sheets to avoid the extra 1.50 cost of detergent.

 

We are on deck 10, but it is actually closer for us to go down to deck 9 for laundry. And, there are  twice as many machines there. So, know your closest laundry room 😀