Will I like the Sapphire Princess?

[Cruise Raider]

I am contemplating booking a cruise on the Sapphire Princess and she is one of the Princess ships I’ve never cruised on before.  
I have cruised on the Diamond and really didn’t like that ship and I realize the Sapphire is a sister ship but looks like she has an Alfredo’s and Vines, which are missing on the Diamond.  
But, is there anything else special on the Sapphire that sets her apart?  
 

[suekel]

You'll love her.  Her crew was ranked #1 for Princess ships.  I was on her a year ago and there wasn't anything I disliked.  

[tonit964]

29 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

I am contemplating booking a cruise on the Sapphire Princess and she is one of the Princess ships I’ve never cruised on before.  
I have cruised on the Diamond and really didn’t like that ship and I realize the Sapphire is a sister ship but looks like she has an Alfredo’s and Vines, which are missing on the Diamond.  
But, is there anything else special on the Sapphire that sets her apart?  
 

Since you didn’t like the Diamond and you know Sapphire is pretty much identical except for Vines & Alfredo’s, is that enough to make you want to sail on that class of ship again? 

Are you willing to give it another try? That’s what you’ll need to decide. 

 

[Cruise Raider]

5 minutes ago, suekel said:

You'll love her.  Her crew was ranked #1 for Princess ships.  I was on her a year ago and there wasn't anything I disliked.  

I so appreciate that!  Think I will have to give her a try! 

[brucedodge]

Agree with Sue.  We were on her last year, and we're leaving Saturday to join her again in Santiago, partly because this is the ship doing the itinerary.  However, if you didn't like the Diamond (which we did), I'd be careful.  Now that the "R" ships have been sold, the Coral is our favorite, and the Sapphire is second.

[mtnesterz]

You didn't mention what it was you didn't like about the Diamond, other than Alfredo's and Vines, so how can we know what to tell you if it may be more to your tastes?

The Diamond was modified to some degree to appeal to the Asian market. The Sapphire is more like the other Princess ships.

We were on the Diamond last October, in Japan, and it is showing it's age. We have been on the Sapphire but it was years ago. Some lines are buying secondhand tonnage older than the Gems and they are kept up. Seems to be a Princess thing.

I spoke to an Princess engineer and he told me the Gem Class ships are the most trouble free. Made in Japan, figures. Given being out in the middle of the ocean in a steel box when cruising, I always felt it quietly propituous for both Diamond and Sapphire.

Edited March 11 by mtnesterz

[Ken the cruiser]

We were just on the Sapphire for 30 days and had a great time! But then we were in an aft-facing VS cruising around the Antarctica Peninsula and visiting a bunch of SA ports featuring some pretty cool wildlife excursions! The condition of the ship was great with no visible rust to speak of. The seats in the restaurants and theater were comfortable. Our mattress was awesome, all of the plumbing and ventilation systems worked, and the crew was fantastic as usual! 😀

[Cruise Raider]

3 minutes ago, mtnesterz said:

You didn't mention what it was you didn't like about the Diamond, other than Alfredo's and Vines, so how can we know what to tell you if it may be more to your tastes?

The Diamond was modified to some degree to appeal to the Asian market. The Sapphire is more like the other Princess ships.

We were on the Diamond last October, in Japan, and it is showing its age. 

The Diamond had so many issues when we sailed on her a little over a year ago.  
I really didn’t like the main dining rooms but, since we will probably be getting the premier package so, probably won’t tend to eat in the main dining rooms.  They just felt so cramped and the floor underneath us moved every time passed by in that aft dining room.  I seriously thought the floor would give way right underneath me.  
The ship felt absolutely filthy to me, mostly it was in our cabin so, it was hard to overlook anything after that experience.  
The electricity went out twice for a couple of hours on that trip, both upon embarkation and disembarkation.  
Overall, the service was poor to mediocre (with a couple of exceptions) and many of the crew members were sick, leaving us to get sick.  But, that’s on us.  Maybe that’s why the service was poor, they just didn’t feel good.  
There were so few choices of wines that were palatable and there was no place to get a decent wine glass even if we did find a decent wine, which my friend ended up getting for me on shore and through the concierge.  
 

But, on the bright side, the food was decent, all except for one meal but, I can brush that off.  The entertainment was absolutely phenomenal.  The food and our service our 3 times we went to Sabatini’s was superb.  We never bothered with the Crown Grill because is was just part of the buffet?  What?  
We had other friends onboard so, it ended up being fun because of that but without an International Cafe (?), Vines, Alfredo’s, the Crown Grill in it’s own space, etc. it just didn’t appeal to me.  The piazza bar was just mass chaos as it was the only place to get coffee, drinks, etc.  
I did actually like the nice large Wheelhouse Bar.  To avoid the MDR and the buffet, we ordered food via the app and ate in there during most days.  So, we made the most of it .. I just won’t book on that ship again, which is why I’m asking about the Sapphire.  I know she is similar and am so happy to hear she’s been kept in relatively good condition.  
 

[that]

Sapphire Princess has The International Cafe

How many days is the contemplated cruise?

 

Edited March 11 by that

[Cruise Raider]

13 minutes ago, that said:

Sapphire Princess has The International Cafe

How many days is the contemplated cruise?

 

Only 4 days so, thought that would be a good amount of time to see if I like her or not.  

[that]

@Cruise Raider

Perfect!  The Sapphire Princess is 

waiting for you!  Look forward to your impressions.  

[PacnGoNow]

6 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

The Diamond had so many issues when we sailed on her a little over a year ago.  
I really didn’t like the main dining rooms but, since we will probably be getting the premier package so, probably won’t tend to eat in the main dining rooms.  They just felt so cramped and the floor underneath us moved every time passed by in that aft dining room.  I seriously thought the floor would give way right underneath me.  
The ship felt absolutely filthy to me, mostly it was in our cabin so, it was hard to overlook anything after that experience.  
The electricity went out twice for a couple of hours on that trip, both upon embarkation and disembarkation.  
Overall, the service was poor to mediocre (with a couple of exceptions) and many of the crew members were sick, leaving us to get sick.  But, that’s on us.  Maybe that’s why the service was poor, they just didn’t feel good.  
There were so few choices of wines that were palatable and there was no place to get a decent wine glass even if we did find a decent wine, which my friend ended up getting for me on shore and through the concierge.  
 

But, on the bright side, the food was decent, all except for one meal but, I can brush that off.  The entertainment was absolutely phenomenal.  The food and our service our 3 times we went to Sabatini’s was superb.  We never bothered with the Crown Grill because is was just part of the buffet?  What?  
We had other friends onboard so, it ended up being fun because of that but without an International Cafe (?), Vines, Alfredo’s, the Crown Grill in it’s own space, etc. it just didn’t appeal to me.  The piazza bar was just mass chaos as it was the only place to get coffee, drinks, etc.  
I did actually like the nice large Wheelhouse Bar.  To avoid the MDR and the buffet, we ordered food via the app and ate in there during most days.  So, we made the most of it .. I just won’t book on that ship again, which is why I’m asking about the Sapphire.  I know she is similar and am so happy to hear she’s been kept in relatively good condition.  
 

We did 47 days on the Sapphire and she’s in really good condition.  No problems for us at all.  Great crew! 
Enjoy your cruise.  We preferred the midship MDR’s.  The Aft MDR was always chilly. 
 

[Coral]

I actually like the Sapphire Princess the best. It is also the ship I have sailed on the most.

[wallyj]

Hi @Cruise Raider, was on the Sapphire last summer for 14 days roundtrip YVR and for 18 days last December for the LA to Santiago run and going back for the March 18 Santiago to LA sailing. 
 

The crew are great as the ship has won the Princess Cup again for the second time in a row.

 

The ship does have an International Cafe, Vines and Alfredo’s. The Alfredo’s has a limited menu as it does not offer the full menu on Royal class ships, but does has the full pizza offerings. On sea days, they will offer Ocean Terrace, but it is a set menu with no customization as I believe they use a galley from one of the deck5 dining rooms. No other options of sushi were available except the set menu roll.

I could not even get all shrimp nigiri, had to get the shrimp, tuna and salmon as the kitchen only makes the set menu. 
 

Sterling steakhouse is offered in a area off the buffet, but the menu is pretty much the Crown grill menu on other Princess ships.

 

No SaltyDog Gastropub, so Casual dining is Vines, Ocean Terrace set menu and the limited Alfredo’s. No The Catch, but I did enjoy the Sterling Steakhouse food overlooking the location/ambiance. I do not care for the current Sabatini’s menu.

 

Since you are contemplating a 4 day cruise, I think it will be a good ‘test’ cruise to see if you would do a longer sailing on the Sapphire.

[palolake]

22 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

We were just on the Sapphire for 30 days and had a great time! But then we were in an aft-facing VS cruising around the Antarctica Peninsula and visiting a bunch of SA ports featuring some pretty cool wildlife excursions! The condition of the ship was great with no visible rust to speak of. The seats in the restaurants and theater were comfortable. Our mattress was awesome, all of the plumbing and ventilation systems worked, and the crew was fantastic as usual! 😀

Could you please tell me what the productions shows were?  We're on her next month.

[Torfamm]

23 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

I am contemplating booking a cruise on the Sapphire Princess and she is one of the Princess ships I’ve never cruised on before.  
I have cruised on the Diamond and really didn’t like that ship and I realize the Sapphire is a sister ship but looks like she has an Alfredo’s and Vines, which are missing on the Diamond.  
But, is there anything else special on the Sapphire that sets her apart?  
 

Have you sailed on the Emerald Princess? It’s more similar to the Sapphire than the Diamond. 

[Cruise Raider]

1 minute ago, Torfamm said:

Have you sailed on the Emerald Princess? It’s more similar to the Sapphire than the Diamond. 

I have and I love the Emerald.  Thank you for that info!  
 

[Ken the cruiser]

35 minutes ago, palolake said:

Could you please tell me what the productions shows were?  We're on her next month.

If you check out my Sapphire Live From thread in my expanded signature, I posted a picture of them the evening they occurred. I believe the first one, Do You Want to Dance was postponed to Jan 28 due to rough seas on Jan 22. Born to be Wild was on Jan 25, Let Me Entertain You was on Jan 30, and Bravo was on Feb 2.

[palolake]

38 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

If you check out my Sapphire Live From thread in my expanded signature, I posted a picture of them the evening they occurred. I believe the first one, Do You Want to Dance was postponed to Jan 28 due to rough seas on Jan 22. Born to be Wild was on Jan 25, Let Me Entertain You was on Jan 30, and Bravo was on Feb 2.

Thanks so much!  That was very impressive that you were so busy during the day yet found time to attend all the shows!

[Ken the cruiser]

Just now, palolake said:

Thanks so much!  That was very impressive that you were so busy during the day yet found time to attend all the shows!

It wasn't that hard to do. We usually went to dinner in the Reserve DR at 5 pm, which gave us plenty of time to get to the theater to find the perfect seats for us before the show. We were usually back in the cabin by 10 pm so my DW could play her computer games and for me to post to my Live From thread before going to bed. 😀