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We had an excellent day today in Invergordon after finding that the plans we had to take the bus were not going to work out, the express bus was not running and had never shown up the previous 2 ships as well. The local bus could certainly not handle the large number of people waiting for it, and we were concerned about getting back, there are not many taxi's in the Scottish Highlands in these smaller towns. We found Invergordon Bus Tours at the pier and took a tour from 10-4:30 today with Duncan. We paid L50 per person which was more than fair and less than taking a taxi one way to Inverness, which is 50 minutes by car. This company offers 4 tours, we chose one to Beauly, a charming little town, Loch Ness for a photo stop and then 2.5 hours on our own in Inverness which seemed plenty of times for us! Look them up, we highly recommend them, and Diane was an excellent driver as well and was one of the most friendly drivers we have encountered, getting off the bus at the photo stop and visiting with us!

How many people were on each bus? We have this tour booked, but I am curious how large each group is. Thanks!

Thanks for sharing this! What an experience! My claustrophobia would make it difficult, but might be worth trying it anyway! LOL.

Wow, I just looked up snorkeling at Silfra! Looks amazing! I can see why you have been 3 times, there really is so much to do! Thanks!

I know these are totally different experiences, however we only have 3 Iceland ports and we really don't love being on buses or in vans for 7-8 hour tours. Rarely is there enough time at each stop, and we just find we enjoy exploring the towns on our own more. Thinking of cancelling my Golden Circle tour and exploring Reykjavik on our own, there seems to be so much there to see. Having been to Yellowstone before, not sure the geyser will thrill us. We also have an all day tour in Akureyri so we would see some of Iceland's natural wonders. Is is really worth 2 full days in a car driving to do both of these tours? Would love to hear from someone who has done both!

On our last B2B, the cabin we were moving in was not available to move our things into the safe before our 9am excursion. The couple who were to vacate the room had not left, and the room steward was unable to do anything about it. Clearly, they were breaking the rules about when the rooms are to be vacated. We found our new room steward, explained the situation to her, and told her we had items that MUST be left in a safe for the day. She assured us she would move all our items on the cart and the luggage we had packed while we were out, and was able to find us an empty cabin to use the safe for that day. I had asked about using the ship safe for the day, but the process was quite long and involved, and seemed extremely difficult, having to itemize each and every item you are putting into the ship safe. This was the Sapphire. Do not leave any valuables to be moved for you, and if you can not get into the new room to use that safe, talk to the steward, explain the situation and ask for assistance!

Thanks so much! Very helpful. Guess I will not be eating quite as many almond croissants, I do love that almond paste in there! My waistline might be happier tho! Glad the aft area is quiet, we are really excited to try this ship and have a nice cabin aft. Thanks Jim!

We board in Southampton, do Spain snd Gibraltar, Greek and Israel ports and Turkey, getting off in Rome. Doing a back to back and super excited. First trip on Island. Loved Pacific Princess in 2019 for a month so small ships work for us if there are lots of port days.

Yes, that is my problem as well. They are the best and I don’t normally eat croissants! Good to know you must ask. Thanks and enjoy your new discovery!

Thanks! I can live without the IC, but would miss my almond croissants if there were not any! Good to know I can pay for good coffee at Good Spirits, happy to have my favorite coffee drinks or drip!

Thanks so much. Need to plan for no USB ports for sure! Great suggestion. And will pack my travel hairdryer and white noise machine for swells and creaks. Maybe more walking will be good to counter all the desserts. Are there almond croissants in the buffet with no IC?

Are the rooms quiet in terms of squeaking noises? I have been in aft rooms, and is it just the usual sounds? Would you book this room again? Thanks so much for your response, we are doing about a month on her coming up! Super excited. Also, if you are a coffee drinker, have they switched from the syrup of the past to the Lavazza coffee Princess is transitioning to?

Sapphire hands down. The staff on the grand is nothing compared to the Sapphire and the ship is nicer as well. Have an issue on the Grand? Don't expect then to care or respond, even if it is a safety issue. Ask for anything at all on the Sapphire and they will do their best to make it happen.

Searched the boards and know that the Island added rooms in this area. Looking at these rooms for a B2B this fall. Anyone have any experience staying on the Island since the rooms were added on Deck 8 aft? What did you think? Everything I see on the Island for Deck 8 aft seems very old.

Curious what your experience was in this area as we are looking at the Island Princess also on deck 8 aft. There is not much recent information on these cabins so would appreciate knowing how it went for you.

We were on for about a month and really enjoyed Savoy. It was never very crowded and we were able to get a table for 2 every night with no one next to us, which is what we preferred. The service was excellent, and on our B2B we had great servers at both tables we were at. The hostess there was the best, handled all our booking changes herself and made sure we were comfortable.

We just tried this on the Sapphire in Feb. Told the waiter at Sabatini's that one cabin was to be billed for all three dinners. It did not happen that way and I did not notice until we were getting off the ship as we dined there the last night of the cruise. Should be easy, surprised it was not.

We loved the Savoy dining room. It has a steakhouse like feel and is much quieter than dining rooms that we have experienced it the past on Princess. Talk to Vicktoria there at the desk, she is wonderful and will ensure you have a wonderful experience. Tell her Lorraine appreciated all her kindness!

In November our room did not have the USB outlets on the lamps.

On our last trip, we wanted something different and less touristy. We walked and found Rico’s Tacos along the waterfront walk towards the beach. Saw locals eating there. Great food and amazing Mojito with tons of fresh mint. A fun and different experience. It was a hole in the wall kind of place, just a small seating area right across from the water.

Curious if the Sapphire still has Mighty Leaf or other specialty teas at the IC. My November trip on the Regal, no specialty teas were in the IC, only the same teas that were in the buffet area, and not much variety. Always get the coffee package and enjoy teas just as much.

We always fly into Long Beach, we live in SF Bay Area and it is a great airport, easy to get out of. Taking an uber to the port is less for the two of us than the Princess transfer would be. If you have more luggage than you can handle by yourself, that could be an issue, but with a large group, you should be able to manage.

This was a few years ago, 2019, but I think there are decorations and fun displays still. Last year, there were Day of the Dead banners and events when we cruised in November as well. Not many in costumes as I recall, but we were in Venice, so I got in the spirit!