Sapphire Cruise Review -Mexico- 3/25-4/1/06

[From the OC]

I've read several threads about recent cruises on the Sapphire. Since my wife and I just returned from the Sapphire on 4/1/06, I thought I'd throw in my comments as well. To help understand where we're coming from here's a little bit about us. We're in our mid-40s, have 2 kids (7 & 12), just celebrated our 20 year anniversary, and live in Newport Beach, CA. This is our second cruise, our first was in August 2005 on RCI Monarch of the Seas on a 5 day cruise as a "test cruise" to see if we liked it. We've traveled a lot but cruising is new to us. I'll apologize in advance for the length of this review but hopefully it will benefit someone who's getting ready to travel on the Sapphire.

 

Embarkation:

Since we live so close, we drove to San Pedro and parked in the lot. It's very easy to do and not too expensive - $12 per day. We had Express Check-in, which helps save time at the check-in counter. By the time I parked the car at 1pm to the time we boarded, it took about 30 minutes. All of the crew we met were very helpful and took us to our minisuite. Be ready to be sold all kinds of packages the minute you step on board. We declined with a smile.

 

Disembarkation:

We were given Purple 6 tags which meant our time to leave was 10:45am - much later than what we wanted. I took the tags to the purser's desk and politely asked if we could have an earlier time. Without hesitation, they gave us Pink tags which put us at 9am, the earliest time someone without airline transfers would get. Our color was called at 8:40am and we drove away 35 minutes later. The key is to have a passport. People without passports have to wait in a separate line which has a lot more people, making the time to go through immigration much longer.

 

A funny thing happened right before we got our luggage. A policeman motioned me out of the line at which time I thought - "Oh great, I fit into a certain profile they're looking for!" He asked if I'd participate in a test to see if the drug-sniffing dog did his job correctly. I agreed and he put some drugs (hash) in my shorts pocket and instructed me to walk by the dog. I asked the guy if the dog was going to sniff it out or attack me and he promised that the dog would be friendly! The last thing I wanted was for a dog to latch on to any area around my pants pocket. So I started to walk and sure enough the dog caught it right away. They took the drugs out of my pocket and said thanks. A lot of people were looking on and I'm sure they were wondering if I was getting busted. It makes for a fun story but we decided not to tell our 7 year old. Can you just imagine the look on her school teacher's face when she told her "guess what - my dad had drugs in his pocket and a dog found it when they were getting off the ship!" Anyway, moving along...

 

Our Cabin:

Since it was our anniversary, we got a minisuite. We were in D416, exactly midship on the Dolphin deck. It was a great cabin, and very comfortable for two people. The bathroom was nice as it had a shower/tub combo, a fairly comfortable bed, plenty of closet space, two TVs, a full size couch (I'm 6' tall and could completely lay down on it), a sitting chair, a desk and chair, and a small coffee table. There was still lots of room to walk around. There is ample area to store your luggage under the bed. It also had a nice sized balcony with 4 chairs and a small table. I've read several posts where people have complained about the fact that several decks above you can look down on you. It's true, people can see down from several decks, but, the benefit is that you get full sunshine! And who cares if people can see you? Whether you're next to a pool or on your balcony, people can see you.

 

Our cabin attendant, Reynaldo, was great. We only saw him a few times during the week, but he kept our room immaculate and promptly responded to our requests.

 

Public Areas:

Even with our limited cruising experience, we thought the Sapphire was beautiful and very well maintained. The furnishings and decor are understated and not too flashy. The ship is well balanced as it has lots of quiet nooks to get away or large areas with plenty of action. The cruise was almost full with 2600+- passengers and 1200 crew. It never felt like we were piled on each other, but I think this is subjective. I believe it has a lot to do with where you live. We live in a crowded metropolitan area. I overheard a couple from a small town in Washington and they were overwhelmed with all of the people.

 

One of our favorite places to lounge outside was near the Lotus Pool just outside the spa. It's an adults only pool and was generally quieter than other pools. The first day we boarded, we took a tour of the spa and purchased a "Rasul Couples" package. It included a Rasul where you and your spouse/significant other have a private room and give each other a mud bath in a steam room and shower - it lasts about 60 minutes. This was really fun and I highly recommend it! It also included a week-long pass to the Thermal Suite - which was awesome. Several steam rooms, great multiple head showers and heated relaxation chaise lounges (which I fell asleep on a couple of times) - all for $175. It was worth every penny. The nice thing was that you could go back and forth between the Lotus Pool and the Thermal Suite all day long. I also found that the separate men's/women's changing rooms adjacent to the spa have a great sauna and steam room with regular sized showers with bath gel, shampoo and conditioner and towel service. Several people who found their cabin showers too small used these showers as an alternative. They don't mention this area in the spa tour, probably because it's free to use.

 

Another area we enjoyed was the conservatory, which is the covered pool area. It was fun seeing all the kids play in the pool, especially when the weather was colder on the last day when the ship was rocking and the water was moving in and out of the pool creating some big waves.

 

All of the lounges are nice and the Princess Theatre is comfortable. My wife was a little disappointed in the shops. There's not a huge selection, and you can be done in about 30 minutes. I, on the other hand, was happy about the lack of selection :D.

 

Dining:

We chose the Anytime Dining option. We had a so-so experience on RCI with traditional dining, so we thought we'd try this. Well, I think the jury's still out on this decision. If you choose anytime dining, I suggest you make all of your reservations for dinner the day you board. The first day I called the concierege and made reservations for Sabatini's and Sterling Steakhouse for Sunday and Wednesday respectively, but didn't make reservations for the other nights. The first night we went to Santa Fe at 7 and were given a pager and had a 40 minute wait. Many people were upset they weren't seated immediately, but again, we're used to waiting when we go out for dinner. Basically, if you don't make reservations with anytime dining then there are two default dining times: 6 and 8pm. For Sabatini's and Sterling, we had reservations at 7pm which wasn't a problem. The key is to reserve on the first day. If you change your mind, you can cancel, just do it 24 hrs. in advance for Sabatini's and Sterling. The nice thing about anytime is that on sea days we ate earlier

and on port days we ate later - so we liked the flexibility. For the other nights, I made reservations the day before and they either had 6:30 or 8, but we didn't have to wait.

 

We ate at a different dining room each night: Santa Fe, Sabatini's, Pacific Moon, Savoy, Sterling, Vivaldi and the last night - the grand finale was at the Buffet! All the restaurants are nicely done and if you don't like a small table for 2, ask for a table for four and they'll try to accommodate you.

 

Sabatini's had great food and the staff was perfect. My wife had the prawns and I had the lobster. They knew we were celebrating our anniversary so they treated us like royalty. It was a 2.5 hour experience and well worth the surcharge of $20 per person. One of the best parts of the evening was the dense chocolate torte they gave us to help us celebrate. We were so full, they kindly told us they would deliver it to our cabin - which was there before we got there later in the evening. Ironically, this torte was the best dessert we had all week!

 

Sterling, on the other hand, was so-so. I ordered a rib-eye medium rare and I had to send it back because it was SO rare. The steaks were OK but nothing special and we both agreed we wouldn't go back on any future cruise. I've had better steaks at Outback - which isn't saying much. The side dishes were unimpressive and not very creative. Who likes french fries with a steak? And the jalapeno poppers as an appetizer tasted like they were pre-packaged and frozen. The staff was very good, but the food wasn't. Overall, it was disappointing and not worth the $15 per person surcharge.

 

We were glad we ate at the premium dining rooms early on in the cruise because after 3 or 4 days, we'd seen so much food, I don't think we'd have enjoyed it as much as we did, especially Sabatini's.

 

The other dining rooms were good, but inconsistent in taste. We never expected gourmet food, however, we thought the food should always taste good. The presentation was always nice and sometimes creative, but many things lacked flavor. Service was prompt and the staff always seemed to want to please us. We found, regardless of where you eat, if you treat them nicely and smile, you get good service.

 

For breakast we usually ordered room service and ate on the balcony. Lunch, depending on the day, sometimes was near the pool or in the buffet. The buffet was OK for a buffet. How much can you really expect from a buffet? We enjoyed the variety of fruit and salads. The ship was very conscious of keeping it as germ free as possible as there were hand sanitizer dispensers at each dining room.

 

We both love desserts and this is where we think the ship really failed. Many of the desserts looked pretty but had little or no taste. I kept hoping for more chocolate desserts, but they didn't show up. The New York cheesecake was horrible. My wife said it tasted like it was made out of a jello-box mix. Even the ice cream and sorbet was tasteless. I ordered rhubarb ice cream and it had a faint strawberry taste. We both laughed and agreed that it was probably a blessing in disguise! It helped for a lower calorie intake!

 

Entertainment:

In the Princess Theatre we saw Piano Man and Undercover. Piano Man was really dated and cheesy, Undercover was pretty good. Typically, it was hit or miss with the singers. Some were good, others should take lessons from the passengers who auditioned for Princess Pop Star. Regardless, it was fun to go and at least we didn't have to pay $100+ a pop for a Vegas show. The comedians were great - especially Carlos Oscar. He was hysterical. The other lounge acts were predictable. It's too bad they didn't have a livelier band in the Wheelhouse Bar. It's a beautiful, large venue, but was nearly empty most evenings. I felt bad for the trios that were playing to no one. That must be hard to do night after night. Lovena B. Fox played in the Princess Theatre and she has a beautiful voice, but we really didn't care for her musical lineup. Let's just say my parent's would have loved it!

 

We saw Princess Pop Star on the last night in Club Fusion. The place was packed and full of energy. We wished we would have checked it out earlier in the week. It was a lot of fun and much more entertaining than a lot of other entertainment offered in the other venues. The great thing about cruises, as we are learning, if you don't like it, there's usually something else you can do that you will like!

 

Ports:

Our favorite was Puerto Vallarta. We made online reservations for a canopy tour through Los Veranos. You can reach them at www.canopytours-vallarta.com. It's a fun adventure on 15 zip lines. The longest being 1/4 mile long and 550 feet over a canyon and stream below. We never felt like we were in danger and we saw teenagers to grandparents taking part. You make reservations online and they give you an email confirmation a few days later. The cost was $142 (cash) for the two of us. We also had to pay for a taxi to their office and back to the marina, approximately $6-10 each way. Be sure to determine the price with the driver before you get in the cab! We failed to do this the first ride and it cost us $10; on the return, it only cost us $6! We had an 11am reservation (PV time - CST) and got back to their office at 3pm. They're located in the old section of PV so I did a little online restaurant research and we had a great lunch at La Palapa. It's right on the beach with a beautiful view and great food. A seafood lunch for two ran us about $45.

 

In Mazatlan, we did a Princess tour, The Best of Mazatlan. I'm glad we did this as Mazatlan is a city of 380,000 and is not real attractive. Having a tour, they take you to the historical and interesting areas of town. We had a mexican buffet lunch at Playa Mazatlan Hotel, just south of the El Cid Resort and spent a few hours on the beach. We went parasailing - which was really fun and cheap - only $30 per person. Be prepared to say no to a lot of people selling the same stuff. And if you do buy, be sure not to pay full price. Our tour guide in Mazatlan told us the vendors expect you to counter-offer at least 30% off from the original price. If you still don't like the price, walk away and I'll guarantee the price will be 50% off. It worked every time. Regardless of the port, you're constantly asked to buy stuff. Smile and say no thank you and they walk on.

 

In Cabo, we did the Chileno Bay snorkeling tour. It was fun but the water is still cold for a lot of people. I'd say the water temp was around 67 and air temp was around 68-70. The first jump is brisk but you get used to it. Just don't expect warm water like Cancun and you'll be fine. The catamaran is large and they provide snacks and an open bar on the way back to the marina. We had about 2 hours left to shop around Cabo which is enough time since the town is small and once you've seen one store, you've seen them all.

 

The tours arranged through Princess were very well organized and the tour operators were friendly and knowledgeable.

 

Overall, we really enjoyed our cruise on the Sapphire. We think we'll keep trying different lines until we find one that we'll stick with. And, next time, we think we'll bring the kids - but maybe not. :)

 

I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have, please reply to this post and I'll get back with you.

 

Dan

[lkmamom]

Dan, very excellent review! It sounds like the reservations for restaurants thing is hit or miss. I think that we will take your advice and make reservations the first day:) . I know it is a personal taste thing, but I have never really liked the steaks on Princess. I guess I always just rationalized that it would be hard to do that on a cruiseship.

 

A couple of questions.....who is the current Cruise Director and how was the weather? I realize that the weather changes from day to day but I am still trying to decide whether or not to pack a fleece:rolleyes: . Thanks for your help and thanks again for your review.

Linda

[spongerob]

Hi Linda! When are you guys set to sail?

[lkmamom]

Hey Rob!! Easter week, sure wish you guys could join us but I do understand, you have a golf tournament right?? Please give our best to Margarett and of course Pepper! We will have one in your honor at Cabo Wabo.:eek: (then again, Larry will have one in your honor...tequila and I do not mix!).I really wish that we could have a reunion Golden cruise. That was the best:D

Linda

[MSN-Travelers]

Great review Dan.

 

About the taxi rate in PV ... Did you use the white taxis inside the port area when you went to the Los Veranos tour office? The white taxis operate out of the Maritime Terminal and the Airport. They charge per person and at a higher rate than the yellow city taxis. People should leave the port property (walk toward WalMart) and get a city taxi. They are regulated by zone and the charge is $6 per taxi (up to four people) for travel from the maritime terminal to the south end of PV.

[mii]

Enjoyed your review and you gave an honest opinion. We have also sailed on the Sapphire and loved the ship. It is big but a beautiful one and we also never felt the crowded feeling. Again thanks.

 

Marilyn

[spongerob]

Hey Rob!! Easter week, sure wish you guys could join us but I do understand, you have a golf tournament right?? Please give our best to Margarett and of course Pepper! We will have one in your honor at Cabo Wabo.:eek: (then again, Larry will have one in your honor...tequila and I do not mix!).I really wish that we could have a reunion Golden cruise. That was the best:D

Hee hee, thanks, be sure to enjoy that Cabo Wabo Rita for me. I'm toying with the idea of going back to the British Isles again next summer...the 12 day cruise sounds great and I'd love to go back to Kirkwall. Have fun!

[Ray-Barbara]

"Even the ice cream and sorbet was tasteless. I ordered rhubarb ice cream and it had a faint strawberry taste. We both laughed and agreed that it was probably a blessing in disguise! It helped for a lower calorie intake!"

 

We were on the Sapphire several weeks ago and had some of the rhubarb ice cream. Everyone at our table swore it was strawberry. We had the waiter go back to the kitchen and find out if it was rhubarb or strawberry. He came back and said the cook confirmed it was rhubarb. Maybe they don't know what rhubarb looks like. We had strawberry sorbet several nights later and it tasted like the rhubarb sorbet we had earlier. Needless to say, we had fun with our desserts that week!

Ray and Barbara

[poppy4kids]

Hi, We are planing a cruise on the Sapphire and would like to know if there is a problem with noise from the Club Fusion in the Emerald deck aft. cabins? thank you!

[Ruth]

It sound like there is no troblem getting off the boat early....We are worried our flight is at 11:04 out of LAX...We wanted this flight because we live on the East Coast FL.....Panama City Beach, FL the next flight was at 4:30....

So I am sure we will get the early color tag....So if you were off around 8:40? was that right....then we should have any problem....HOW long is the drive from the port to the airport....Also do you think was need a driver to pick us up to take us to the airport or are there plenty of taxis available.

[karstic]

Dan, very excellent review! It sounds like the reservations for restaurants thing is hit or miss. I think that we will take your advice and make reservations the first day:) . I know it is a personal taste thing, but I have never really liked the steaks on Princess. I guess I always just rationalized that it would be hard to do that on a cruiseship.

 

A couple of questions.....who is the current Cruise Director and how was the weather? I realize that the weather changes from day to day but I am still trying to decide whether or not to pack a fleece:rolleyes: . Thanks for your help and thanks again for your review.

Linda

 

Linda I would pack a fleece or hoodie sweatshirt. We've done the Mexican Riviera cruise twice now and the sea day in and out of LA can be a bit chilly. I live here in SoCal and if the weather pattern holds like we had that last few weeks the fleece would be a welcome addition to your suitcase.

[newkim]

Ruth - I wouldn't chance trying to make an 11 am flight off the Sapphire. We were on a few weeks ago and the staff all had to do their 90 day immigration report. It tied up disembarkation that morning. We had red tags to get off the ship early. It was almost 10am before our colour was called and then we still needed to get our bags and get to the airport. You might make the flight but I have heard of many delays getting off the Sapphire. OP is the earliest I have seen someone report that they were able to get off the ship.

[lcpagejr]

Ruth -

 

We were on the Sapphire over Thanksgiving.... Had 11am flights to Philly. We received the colored tags allowing us to disembark 1st. We were scheduled to disembark at 8:40am (1st off). They called our tags at 8:20am . We got off the ship, caught a cab to the Airport, cleared security and were sitting at our gate by 9:30am. No traffic on Saturday mornings on the Freeway. Granted you run the chance of the 90 day immigration check... but it was still worth the risk and we landed in Philly at 7pm allowing us to be home at a reasonable hour of the evening. Based on other posts I have been reading it appears they have been beginning disembarkation 15 to 20 minutes early than stated. I say go for it and keep the 11am flight times.

[From the OC]

Thanks for all of your kind remarks. I hope these answers will help.

 

lkmamom - Linda, the cruise director is Billy Hygate. We enjoyed seeing him, along with his assistant Peter, every morning on the Morning Show on Channel 22. They go through the day's events and are funny. All of the cruise entertainment staff are friendly and very approachable. The weather is pleasant but I would definitely bring a light jacket or sweatshirt. On our cruise we didn't see sunshine until Monday morning and it was windy the first couple of days. The last day (Friday) is also cooler when returning to LA. I feel sorry for families coming from cold climates thinking LA's always going to be sunny and hot, but this time of the year is unpredictable. Also, May and June can be our coolest months of the year - it's cloudy most of the day and we call it June Gloom. But by July, it's sunny and hot for a long time, and then we wish for a little June Gloom! The weather in PV this time of the year is really nice, it's balmy and mid-70s to low 80s. As you work your way north, it becomes cooler, although in Mazatlan, it was very foggy! The fog burned off about 1pm and it was really nice after that. But, don't be fooled, you can easily get sunburned in fog too! I suggest you check out www.wunderground.com as it covers international weather. Just enter the city and country and it will give you the lastest weather and a 10 day forecast.

 

MSN - Traveler - Regarding PV taxis, you're correct. The white cabs right off the ship are more expensive, and we walked a couple blocks away from the marina and got a yellow cab and still paid $10 to the Canopy Tour office in south PV. Our mistake was that we got in and I didn't get a price until after we took off. As I mentioned earlier, our ride back only cost $6 in a yellow cab.

 

poppy4kids - Jimmy, we were on the Dolphin deck, so I really don't know if you'd hear sound from Club Fusion on the Emerald deck. However, I've read in earlier posts that people had a minisuite directly above Club Fusion on the Emerald deck and didn't hear anything. Our cabin was very quiet and we never heard our neighbors.

 

Ruth - On our cruise, the Princess Patter on Monday had a notice that if you had independent travel arrangements (other than Princess transfers) and have a flight leaving before noon from LAX, you need to register with the Passenger Services Desk on Deck 6 by 6pm on Monday so they can assign you to the appropriate group to disembark the ship. We talked to a family that had a flight leaving at 10:30 to Seattle and got the earliest color tag. One of the things to keep in mind is that immigration controls the process and determines when disembarkation begins (at least that's what Princess tells the passengers). Also, if you both have passports, going through customs will proceed more quickly. If you don't have passports, it will take longer. With your 11:04 flight time, you'll be given Red 1 or Red 2 for flights before 12 noon, which disembarkation starts at 8:15am. On our cruise, Red 1 and 2 started around 7:50, almost 20 minutes earlier than the published time. There are a total of 6 Red groups with the earliest times; we had Pink 3, the seventh color called, which is published to begin at 9am and we were called at 8:40. Like earlier posts have noted, these times can change depending on immigration. I'd go for it, if you do miss your flight, you can always get a later flight that day. There are plenty of taxis at the port to choose from and at that time of the day, it may take 20 minutes to drive from the port to LAX. If you get through customs later than you like, tell the cab driver you'll give him a big tip if he gets you there really fast. But as you'll find out, anytime we don't have traffic on the freeways, we all are speeding really fast anyway,

so it may not be worth the tip! :D Hope this helps and have a great cruise.

 

Dan

[lkmamom]

Thanks everyone for all of your help, a fleece it is:) I hate being cold! And thanks Dan for the warning about the weather in Calif.. This will be our first trip there and knowing that upfront we will not be disappointed.

 

Thanks also for the info on the taxis. I was trying to decide whether to do the super shuttle thing or take a taxi back to the airport. We do not have a super early flight but definately did not want to get stuck in traffic on Sat. morning with a taxi. Of course, I realize that is as unpredictable as the weather:rolleyes:

 

I really love these boards they are such a great help. This is our first platinum cruise so if I can get into the internet cafe I promise that I will post my views as well for those that are cruising after us. It really helps I know!Thanks again.

Linda

[poppy4kids]

Thanks Dan, for the Cabin Info. and you did a great job on the Review!!

[dawnmerritt]

What a great review. We are thinking of a Mexican Riveria cruise the first part of September. We are from Indiana (never been to California). What is the weather like that time of year. We are used to cruising in the Caribbean and are very fond of warm/hot weather! I would appreciate your thoughts on a September Mexican Riveria cruise.

[cr1]

August, September and October are generally the hottest months in Los Angeles. You'll love it!

[dutrie]

Dan

 

My wife and I were on this cruise also.

What kind of "packages" did they try to sell you when you stepped on board?

We must have missed this.

 

David

[jowahe]

July, August, September are the HOT summer months in Southern California. However, even tho it may be in the 90's on land, as soon as the ship hits the Pacific Ocean you can expect considerably cooler weather on deck--cooler air and cool breezes. As you travel into Mexico waters it warms up and stays that way until returning to L. A. Expect the first day out and the last day on the return trip to be cool. Mexico air and ocean temps that time of year will be hot and humid.

 

It's a great trip so enjoy the ship for a couple of days if it's too cool outside. You'll have plenty of warm weather in Mexico.

[From the OC]

Hi all,

 

Yes, the weather in LA is perfect in July through October. As jowahe mentioned, even though we have warm days inland, it's usually very pleasant near the coast with ocean breezes. We live close to the beach in Orange County and the temperature rarely gets over 80-85 and nights cool down into the mid-60s. However, temperatures can vary by 15 degrees within 5-10 miles from the beach. It's very different from the midwest, south or northeast where summer nights are hot and muggy and never seem to cool down. September will be HOT in Mexico, most likely 90s in PV and humid. Cabo and Mazatlan will also be in the 90s but a little less humid than PV, especially in Cabo - but overall, great weather. Also, the rainy season on the west coast of Mexico, especially in PV, is during the summer months. We've been in PV in June and it rained every day which made it very, very muggy.

 

Dutrie, the minute we stepped onboard, after they stopped us to use a hand sanitizer, they were trying to sell us a wine package, soda package, and spa specials. They weren't pushy, but it's not what I wanted to hear the first few minutes we boarded. Thankfully, our room steward met us at our door and introduced himself and offered us a complimentary glass of champagne - now that's more like it!

 

Dan

[LoveSanibel]

We were on this same cruise. We met David and his wife at the CC gathering. Hi David!

 

We were not hit with any packages, except the soda package, which we wanted for all 3 of us ~ myself, dh and ds(10). Our cabin steward, Manuel, came with the champagne right away.

 

Embarkation

I have to say,this was awful. We had arrived at LAX the night before. We were told to pick up our Princess transfers at the airport. We went back to the airport at about 10:45AM. We were sent on a bus to the Radisson hotel penthouse to wait. We must have been early, because others that arrived just after us at LAX, were sent straight to the ship. We waited at the Radisson until nearly 1PM. The first 3 bus loads were sent out at about 11:30AM, but the dispatcher forgot to send the last 2 busses. So. we waited.

We eventually arrived at San Pedro and went to check in. We had express check in and so did everyone else. We waited in line about 30 to 45 mins. We actually would have been better off in the regular line. The people in front of us went into the regular line and fininshed about 10 mins before we did. We then boarded the ship, got our soda cards and went to our cabin. A couple of our bags were already there. We went in and got settled.

 

CABIN

We had a Dolphin Deck mini suite D610. Cabin was awesome, even with 3. We had more than enough storage. Closet was great, even with extra stuff that I had packed to cover formal nights and a few warm things, on advice from these boards! The drawers by the beds were small, but there were 2 in each nightstand and 3 in the desk. Fine for underwear, swimwear, socks, pjs, etc. The large cabinet by the closet was great, too. Safe was there with life jackets, but lots of shelves for jeans and sweat shirts, t-shirts and shorts, and shoes. Also, had large counter area near tv's and open shelves under tv's. Loved having fresh ice all day long in the fridge.

 

Balcony was great. 4 chairs, 2 that reclined and 2 regular plastic deck chairs, and 2 tables. Yes, it is exposed, no problem really. It was great to see stars at night!

 

DINING

Because we booked late and had ds with us, we chose the early Traditional Dining. We did not try any of the specialty dining rooms. We thought the food was fabulous. Lots of variety. I am fairly picky and always found something. DH eat/tries everything and loved the choices. Dessert were great, I thought. True, not much chocolate, but the souffles were amazing. The almond souffle stuffed peaches were phenomenal as was the Grand Marnier souffle. There was a chocolate based souffle that was great, tool Baked Alaska, was okay and apple streduel was very good. Did not have ice cream or sorbet.

 

For breakfast, we mostly ate in the International Dining room. It was open seating and we were seated with different people each AM. The first morning, we were randomly seated with a cc poster that we then saw at the cc meet and greet. It was fun to meet new people and hear about their cruise experiences. Usually there were 2 special breakfast choices, and a list of always available foods. We ate in Horizon Court 2 mornings and found lots of choices but it was rather crowded. Hence, the choice to go to the International.

 

We had lunch at the buffet most days. Lots of options but not very kid friendly. Pizza was great and ds ate that most days. I liked the pizza too. We had burgers one day from the grill~ they were okay. Better than fast food, but not like what I make myself. Buffet had lots of salads and fruits. I appreciated that for ds. Also, they had a sugar free dessert each day, which I thought was great(we have family members with diabetes.) They were mousse type desserts that were sugar free. I tried the banana and it was very good.

 

PORTS

PUERTO VALLARTA: We swam with the dolphins at the Dolphin Adventure. It was awesome. Worth every penny. The trainers were friendly and very knowledgeble. We went to a very early swim time, and were back at the ship at 11AM. Had a quick lunch and then took a cab in to the Malecon. The fare was $3.00 USD each way/per person. We did shop a bit. Vendors were really pretty pushy. We walked along the waterfront/beach and that was very nice. We cabbed it back to the ship, walked through the dock area shops and went on board.

 

Mazatlan: We took the Mazatlan Highlights and Papantla Flyers tour. There was another ship in port and the bus traffic was horrible. We went to the cathedral, which was amazingly beautiful. We went to the lookout to see the famous lighthouse, however was very foggy and not much viewing. We saw a young man do a cliff divve and Francelia our guide was great. Vendors again at each stop, were very pushy. Then we had about 40 mins to shop downtown and then the flyers show. The show was awesome. Great dancing, the rope twirler was really good, and the flyers dance was amazing. Great to watch. We then went back to the ship. It was a 4 hour tour and that was just right for us.

 

Cabo San Lucas: We did the Historic Pirate Ship/snorkle tour. It was great! Ship's crew was fun, refreshments were served, gear was nice, and water was chilly. Once you got moving and in somewhat shallower water, it was better. It was so much fun!

 

Lotus SPA

I had 2 half body back massages and 2 reflexology treatments. They were great. DH had a massage and really liked it, too. They were more expensive than at home, but that was expected.

 

KIDS CLUB

Kids club was divided as follows: 3-6, 7-9, 10-12, and 13+. DS was in the 10-12. They were very specific about not being able to go up to the next age group, but older ones could go down to join friends/family.

 

DS loved the programs, from squid dissection to roller coaster building, movie night, casino day. He won a few prizes from different things. He had a very fun time and was always ready to go there. On formal nights, they offered dinner Horizon court for the kids with the consulors. He loved that and not having to put on the suit!

 

ENTERTAINMENT

We liked Piano Man and Undercover. We really liked the juggler, Dan Bennett. Also like the Ventriliquist, whose name escapes me right now.

Comedians were good. The trio in the Wheelhouse Lounge wad great. There was always something fun to watch or go to.

 

We loved the team trivia competitions. Done by all different cruise staffers, which was fun. Questions were challenging and fun. We met some really great people from this. Tried Bingo once and the casino ate up too much money too fast, so we did not spend much time there. The Princess Millionaire and Princess Price is Right were fun/funny too.

 

SHOPPING

Lots of gems and jewerly on board and in all the ports. We were not in the market and skipped that. Other shops on board did not have a large selection. On the last day at sea, there was a sale in one of the dining rooms and I picked up some beaded evening purses and beaded shawls for $10.00 each. Lots of t shirts on sale and misc. other stuff.

 

We loved the cruise/ship/food/entertainment on the Sapphire. It was a great vacation. In fact, we put down the open booking deposit and are planning another!

 

If you have any specific questions, please post and I will try to answer.

Kathy

[littlemuffin]

Hi my name is Kathy and I'm staying in D610 with my DS11 in a few weeks.:D

 

Thanks for the great review guys.

 

It answered alot of my questions.

 

Kathy, did your son participate in any of the trivia games with you or were they mostly for adults? Also, were the comedians appropriate for children?

 

Did you give your son checkout priviledges at the pirateers club?

 

Thanks in advance. I hope my experience in D610 is as great as yours.

[LoveSanibel]

Hi Kathy,

I hope your time on the Sapphire is as great as ours.

 

I did let my son check into the Pirateers club by himself, but not out. I was truly in the minority. Most people let their kids check in and out. I did not want him running the ship without my knowledge. The check in was nice, as he would order his dinner and eat with us. He was usually done before we got to salad. He then went up to the kids club for the evening and we finished dinner and went to shows.

 

The comedians were mostly okay, at least earlier. We did not go to anything later, so do not know.

 

He did participate in the trivia a couple of times, and it would have been fine if he'd been there each time. They play in teams of up to six (because there are only six prizes). When he played, we did not count him. We did win 3 times and got Princess travel alarm clocks two times, which were very nice, and a passport holder. Other prizes at times were Princess luggage tags and straps, and someone said there was a tote bag, but I did not see that.

I hope that helps. If you think of anything else, let me know

Kathy

[cr1]

I guess I'll be in the minority as well, because my 11 year old DS will not be allowed to sign-in or sign-out.