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BTW, for inquiring minds, Holli’s stomach issues were not due to NORO. She has chronic and ongoing stomach issues outside of the NORO virus….. Bob

Good morning all from the Sapphire Princess. It is 0415 hours as I begin to type this. Well the dreaded "Get off the Ship Day" is upon us. When we were departing Ensenada last night, the Captain informed us we'd be picking up the Los Angeles pilot around 0430 for our arrival in San Pedro. While this cruise overall was great, I'm ready to get off the ship and get home to our Golden Retriever Bailey. The way our packing came together last night was a first time for me. Holli's tummy issues got worse and she basically spent all of yesterday in bed. When I saw she wasn't going to be able to pack her suitcases, I just started throwing stuff in whichever case had room. I double and triple checked all drawers and closets so there will be nothing left behind. Unpacking will sure be an adventure though. As mentioned in an earlier post, we will be staying overnight at the Hilton Doubletree before driving home to northern Arizona tomorrow. I'm glad I requested the latest get off time possible. This will allow Holli not to be rushed in getting off the ship. Well that's all for now. When I get home, I will try and write a full review of our cruise. I will post here when I get it completed. That's all for now. Hope all are well..... Bob

For anyone following this thread that is embarking tomorrow on the Sapphire Princess for the 32 day South Pacific cruise, we just left Ensenada and are headed back to San Pedro. It’s almost your time….. Bob

That’s exactly why we very very rarely order from the MDR menu for delivery to our suite…., Bob

I was referring to the app. Food choices are kinda limited….. Bob

Good morning from the Sapphire Princess. It is 0505 ship's time as we near our last port stop of Ensenada. We will arrive in Ensenada at 0800 and depart for our journey home at 1630. Well the dreaded last full sea day before the end of the cruise is here. I always get a little bummed out on this day as this time tomorrow, we will be readying ourselves to disembark this wonderful ship. We don't plan on getting off the ship and hope to finish up our packing after breakfast. We will then leisurely enjoy the rest of the day onboard. I'm pretty much done packing and Holli only has her garment bag to finish up on. Last night for dinner we just hung out on the cabin and ordered from room service. One thing I would do, if I had any influence with Princess, is to expand the menu to have more variety in the selections. What they currently have is acceptable it's just I'd like to see more offerings that would benefit cruisers on longer voyages. Today as mentioned earlier, we plan to enjoy Sabatinis for breakfast one last time. I know that they are open tomorrow, but we like to linger at breakfast and would feel too rushed if we were to go their for breakfast on disembarkation day. For dinner tonight we will also plan to dine in Sabatinis one last time so we can enjoy a fantastic meal and bid farewell to our favorite waitstaff. Tomorrow after we disembark the ship, we plan on staying overnight at the Hilton Doubletree before beginning our drive home to northern Arizona on Tuesday morning. This will probably be my last regular post. I might pop in later, before we disembark, to answer a question or to add a quick observation or two. I really enjoy doing these live from threads so I can share my love of cruising with everyone on Cruise Critic. Today's entertainment is as follows. NFL football will be broadcast on MUTS at 1000. The game will be between the Los Angeles Rams and the Dallas Cowboys. The next game on MUTS will be the Cincinnati Bengals vs the San Francisco 49's at 1300. The Cleveland Browns vs the Seattle Seahawks will be broadcast in the Explorer's Lounge also at 1300. The Chicago Bears will play the The Los Angeles Charger on MUTS at 1715. Acoustic Guitar and Vocals with Vangelis Tzatsos will be in the Piazza at 1600. He will also be in the Wheelhouse Bar at 1915 and 2015. Diamond Strings Duo will be in the Piazza at 1745 and 1845. Janusz Bator will be in the Wheelhouse Bar at 1815. Andy Morris will be in Crooners at 1930 and 2230. The Farewell Variety Show will be in the Princess Theater at 2030. Moondance Duo will be in the Wheelhouse Bar at 2115 and 2215. Lastly, ther will be a Farewell Party in the Paizza at 2130. Well that's all for now. Look for me next September when we'll hopefully 🤞 be on the new Sun Princess for its maiden Trans Atlantic. Hope all are well..... I wish everyone Fair Winds and a Following Sea. Bob

That is of course for the Suite only breakfast..... Bob

Regarding Sabatinis being open for breakfast on turn around day. Per one of the waiters it is in fact open on turn around day. Hours are 0630 to 0900. Not sure if this a fleet wide thing….. Bob

Hi Gloria. Holli & I always tip extra for the wonderful suite breakfast service we receive. I have also noticed on past cruises that the final Sabitins breakfast experience can have sparse attendance. We have also seen this when we have been in a non suite on the final dinner night in the MDR. I know tipping is a personal decision, but we ALWAYS tip extra to the dine staff for the wonderful service we've received..... Bob

I will ask today at breakfast...... Bob

Good morning from the beautiful Sapphire Princess. It is 0628 ship's time as I begin to type this. I slept in today due to our third and final eastbound loosing an hour. I really do not like these 23 hour days😩. Today, not yesterday, is our fifth and final full sea day as we journey towards Ensenada. As most of you know by now, I made a big faux pas yesterday as I actually thought it was our last and final sea day before we reached Ensenada. The events of yesterday, including how I finally realized my error, are quite interesting. So I woke up yesterday quite melancholy I thought it was the last day before we reached Ensenada. After Holli and I went to Sabatinis for breakfast, we returned to the room and talked about the days events which included pulling out the suitcases to begin packing. I asked Holli to try and get her packing mostly done so today (where I thought we'd be in Ensenada) she wouldn't be packing up to the last minute and could rest her problematic back. I was very proud of her that she pushed herself and got most of her packing done. I also completed about 85% of my packing. I then went to passenger services (guest services) and got some tip envelopes. After that, I organized all of our extra tips that I thought I'd be handing out today. After all of our grunt work was done, We enjoyed a pizza lunch on our balcony as we reminisced about the wonderful time we had on the Sapphire Princess. Holli then rested up for a couple hours before her hair appointment since last night was our third and formal night. For dining, we once again chose our favorite onboard establishment Sabatinis for dinner. So we go to Sabatinis and once again enjoy a fabulous meal along with superb service. Towards the end of the meal the head waiter came to our table where we engaged in idle chit chat. As we talked, I asked him, just to confirm, that Sabatinis was only open till 0930 the next day (today) since we would be in Ensenada. The head waiter told me that tomorrow (today) was a sea day and breakfast hours would be the normal of 0730-1030. I looked at him with a little confusion then pulled out my cell phone and looked at the calendar. This when I realized my mistake and the fact that I simply lost a day in my head. I looked at Holli and sheepishly apologized for my screw up. We then finished our meal and returned to our cabin Back in our cabin I got a well deserved lecture about my mistake. We both then had to pull some items out of our respective suitcases so we could enjoy today our REAL last full sea day sailing to Ensenada. Holli wasn't too made at me and we both ended up laughing about my forgetfulness. Today, since we did most of our end of cruise stuff yesterday, we don't have much planned. I will have to do some laundry later to have some nice smart casual clothes to wear to dinner tonight. We haven't decided yet where we will have dinner. Today's entertainment options are as follows. A College Football game will be shown on MUTS at 0900. It will be Oklahoma vs Kansas. A second College Football game will be on MUTS at 1230 which will be the Oregon Ducks going up against Utah. The Princess World Orchestra will be in the Piazza at 1400. There is an enrichment lecture I am thinking of attending in the Explorers Lounge at 1430. It is about the "COPS" television shows and how real are they. For those that don't know, I was an LEO for a little over 39 years before retiring in 2020. The ship's Hawaiian ambassadors will have a show in the Princess Theater at 1500. The movie Hocus Pocus 2 will screen on MUTS at 1630. At 1700 a College Football game will be shown in the Explorers Lounge. It will be Washington vs Stanford. Diamond Strings Duo will be in the Piazza at 1745 and 1845. Moondance Duo will be in the Wheelhouse bar at 1815, 2115, and 2215. The movie Top Gun Maverick will screen on MUTS at 1900 and 2130. There will be Acoustic Guitar and Vocals with Vangelis Tzatsos in the Wheelhouse Bar at 1915 and 2015. Janusz Bator will be in Crooners at 1930, 2100, and 2300. Vocalist Marco Romano will be in the Princess Theater at 1930 and 2130. Andy Morris will perform Hits from the 70's in the Piazza at 2015. There will be a Halloween party in Club Fusion at 2015. Gravity will play in Club Fusion at 2115. DJ Kalpesh will be in Skywalkers from 2200 onwards. Lastly there will be the Music of Ed Sheeran and Adele with Andy Morris at 2215 in the Piazza. Well, that's all for now. Hope all are well..... Bob

Thanks Ann. With this being our 24th cruise, I feel like a dunce for making a rookie mistake….. Bob

Definitely a big ooops on my part….. Bob

A big ooooops on my part. In my earlier morning post I reported that today was our last full sea day before arriving in Ensenada. I also lamented about loosing an hour tonight (which we are). Well I didn’t just go one hour ahead, I went a whole day ahead. What a big dummy I feel like as A little while ago, while at dinner, I was reminded that we have one more full sea day before we reach Ensenada. I feel like a big dummy….. Bob

NOOOOOOO…… Bob

Good morning from the beautiful Sapphire Princess. It is 0535 ship's time as I begin to type this. Today is day 13 of our voyage and the last of five full sea days as we continue to sail towards our last port stop of Ensenada. Tonight, we will suffer through😩 our last time change where we lose an hour. This will bring us back to PST the same as when we began this wonderful voyage. Last night for dinner, we once again dined in our favorite shipboard restaurant Sabatinis. Holli once again had her favorite spaghetti while I returned to my favorite Osso Buco. Our food and the service were beyond good. I must reiterate that the service we've experienced this voyage in Sabatinis is some of the best we've encountered in our 24 cruises. After we finished our meal, we just returned to our cabin for the remainder of the evening. Years ago, we would have headed to a lounge to listen to some music but alas, father time has made us somewhat predictable in the present day. Yesterday after lunch in the Horizon court, Holli & I tried one of the much ballyhooed Premium Deserts on the ship. I must say it was quite overwhelming. While it was very tasty, this was most likely a one and done experience for us. I know many people like them, but it's simply too much for our present day desert likings. Today we will once again enjoy breakfast in Sabatinis. After breakfast we will continue to do some packing. Yesterday I pulled our suitcases and began the task. We got a good deal accomplished and will continue to do so today. Other than packing, I will start sorting out our extra tip envelopes. Holli has a hair appointment later today in preparation for our last of three formal nights tonight. It will be nice to get all dressed up for the evening one last time on this voyage. Today's entertainment offerings are as follows. The movie Munsters will be screened on MUTS at 1000. The movie Death on the Nile (2022) will screen in the Princess Theater at 1130. Acoustic Guitar and Vocals with Vangelis Tzatsos will be in the Pizza at 1315. The afternoon movie screened on MUTS will be Paint (2023) at 1500. An Adele concert Live In London on MUTS at 1730. Diamond Strings Duo will perform in the Piazza at 1745. The movie Transformers Rise of the Beast will screen on MUTS at 1900 and 2130. Vangelis Tzatsos will be in the Wheelhouse bar at 1915. The production show Let Me Entertain You will be in the Princess Theater at 1930 & 2130. Gravity will perform in the Piazza at 2015 and 2200. Comedian Michael Minor will be in the Explorers Lounge at 2030 & 2230. Andy Morris will be in Crooners at 2100 & 2300. DJ Kalpesh will be in Skywalkers from 2200 onwards. Moondance Duo will do a late set in the Wheelhouse bar at 2215. Well, that's about all for now. I know the cruise is almost over, but if anyone still has any questions, Fire away and I will try and find you an answer. Hope all are well..... Bob

I had two bites. I had to try it once. We didn’t finish it and I doubts we’ll do it gain….. Bob

We’re finally pulling the trigger….. Bob

Hello Gloria. Holli & I will continue to keep Lew in our thoughts and hope he gets better each day. We also hope to see you two, if Holli's health issues don't get in the way, on the Sun next September..... Bob

Good morning from the Sapphire Princess. It is 0729 ship's time as I begin to type this. Today is our third full sea day, of five, as we sail towards our last port stop of Ensenada. I actually overslept this morning. A big part of the reason was we went through our second of three time changes where we lose an hour as we sail towards Ensenada. I'm continuing to feel better each day as I recover from my cold. Last night for dinner we ate in Sterling's Steakhouse. For those that may not know, on the Sapphire Sterlings does not have it's own dedicated room as does Sabatinis. It is considered a nightly "Pop Up" restaurant where a portion of the Horizon Court Buffet is turned into the venue. The menu is the same as in the Crown Grill on other Princess Ships. For our meal, Holli selected the fillet while I had the ribeye. Holli's steak had to be sent back as it was overcooked. My ribeye was very tasty. I also had the French Onion soup with the mushrooms and mashed potatoes as my sides. One quick question to those foodies out there that take pictures. If anyone has an older picture of the French onion soup, could you please post it. Mine last night seemed to be a change in presentation even from March when we sailed on the Royal. Lastly about Sterlings was our meal was acceptable but didn't wow us. The service was over the top excellent. The head waiter even went the extra mile and had our deserts delivered to our cabin. BTW, the Creme Brulee Cheesecake was out of this world good. After breakfast yesterday, Holli & I wandered in the Casino as she wanted to try her luck. I had stopped gambling several days ago as my initial luck had totally disappeared. Wouldn't you know it, Diamond Jim Holli had fantastic luck as she found a machine that was very friendly. When she stopped playing, she came away with a very heavy purse. Today Holli & I plan to once again enjoy Sabatinis for breakfast. After that I have some laundry to do. I will also breakout the suitcases and begin the sad task of beginning to pack😩. I always get a little melancholy when our cruises are nearing their end. I'm also going to head down to passenger services and get some extra envelopes so I can begin to sort out my extra tips. For dinner tonight, we haven't figured out if we will once again dine in our favorite establishment (Sabatinis) or the main dining room. For us, during our last 3 or four cruises, we seem to be gravitating away from the MDR. For the first eleven days of this voyage, we've only dined in the MDR (Rerserve Class/Old Club Class) once. It's not that we don't like it, just the way things have worked out. Today's entertainment options are as follows. The movie The Little mermaid (2023) will be screened on MUTS at 1000. The movie Can You Forgive Me will be screened in the Princess Theater at 1130. There will be a "Behind the Seas" Meet the Cast-A Backstage Story in the Princess Theater at 1400. A Katty Perry concert will be shown on Muts at 1500. Thursday Night NFL football (Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs The Buffalo Bills will be shown on Muts at 1615, Diamond Strings Duo will be in the Piazza at 1745 and 1845. Moondance Duo will be in the Wheelhouse bar at 1815, 2115, and 2215. Vangelis Tzatsos will be in the Wheelhouse bar at 1915 & 2015. Comedian Michael Minor will be in the Princess Theater at 1930 and 2130. The movie Love Again will screen on Muts at 2015. Andy Morris will be on the Piano in Crooners from 2100 onwards. Gravity will be in Club Fusion from 2130 onwards. DJ Kalpesh wiol be in Skywalkers from 2200 onwards. Well, that's all for now. Hope all are well..... Bob

The Oso Buco is fantastic. I’ve had it twice….. Bob

Since getting sick, I haven’t felt too much like drinking alcohol over the last couple of days….. Bob

Good morning from the Sapphire Princess. It is 0551 ship's time as I begin to type this. Today begins our second of five full sea days (11th day of the voyage) as we sail (motor) towards our last port stop of Ensenada. I'm feeling much better this morning than yesterday. All I have left is a little residual stuff in my chest and sinus. Mucinex, Sudafed, Advil, and a nasal spray have been my very good friends over the past several days. Last night was our second of three formal nights. Holli and I are traditionalists so we loved getting all dressed up for the evening. For dinner we dined at Sabatinis which is by far our favorite specialty restaurant on Princess. Service was fantastic. Our server Edwin (Philippines) is arguably one of the best waiters we've ever had in all of our 24 cruises. For our selections, Holli choose her favorite Spaghetti. I decided to try something new and choose the Scaloppine di Vitello al Marsala. My subjective thoughts on this dish are it's not very good. The meat was cut thin, but was quite tough. The marsala sauce was overly salty for my liking. For desert, Holli had mixed berries with whipped cream. I just had coffee. After we finished dinner, We returned to our cabin and just relaxed for the remainder of the evening. Today we don't really have much planned. Holli got a good nights rest so we'll definitely be headed to Sabatinis for our suite breakfast perk around 0930. For those interested the Suite breakfast is open from 0730-1030 on sea days. For port days, the hours are 0730-0930. Other than that, I have some laundry to do and have some photos that I need to touch up so I may get to that sometime today. As far as the laundry situation goes, I'm not sure if it's due to my elite status or my suite status, but my cabin steward gave me free tokens to use in the self service laundromat. If memory serves me correctly, the total cost for one load is $7.50 (wash/dry & detergent). Lastly, I know some might consider this a little early but I'm starting to think about dragging my suitcases out to begin the unavoidable task of packing. I will probably start that tomorrow. One more thing about today is we will lose another hour tonight (1 more to go) as we continue to sail east. Tonight for dinner we ill probably dine at Sterlings Steakhouse. We haven't tried it yet on this cruise so we are both looking forward to it. Today's entertainment options are as follows. The movie Hocus Pocus will be screened on MUTS at 1000. There will be a presentation "Menendez Brothers: Killers or Victim?" in the Princess Theater at 1030. The movie Call of the Wild (2020) will be screened in the Explorers Lounge at 1100. A pool party with Gravity will take place at the Neptune's Reef and Pool at 1330. The movie Beetlejuice will screen on MUTS at 1500. Diamond Strings Duo will perform in the Piazza at 1600, 1745, 1845, and 1930. A 2014 Queen with Adam Lambert concert will screen on Muts at 1700. Janusz Bator will be in the Wheelhouse Bar at 1815. The movie Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny will screen on Muts at 1900. Tonight in the Princess Theater Vocalist Marco Romano will perform at 1930 and 2130. Vocalist Andy Morris will perform the music of Elton John & Billy Joel in the Piazza at 2015. Vocal Impressionist Mike Wilson will do two shows in the Explorers Lounge at 2030 & 1030. Moondance Duo will do a late show in the Wheelhouse bar at 2230. Lastly I didn't notice anything listed on the Patters for evening entertainment in Crooners. Well, that's all for now. Hope all are well..... Bob

Well I’ve now tested myself four times and all have been negative. Just because I caught a cold, doesn’t mean I have. COVID….. Bob

Good morning from the beautiful Sapphire Princess. It is 0644 hours ship's time as I begin to type this. Today begins our first of five full sea days as we sail (motor) to our last port stop of Ensenada. I overslept a bit due to the combination of being under the weather plus we went through our first of three time changes (losing an hour) as we sail east. Yesterday we were in the port of Kona. We did not get off the ship as I continued to rest up to aid myself in getting over the cold I came down with. Kona is a tender port so Princess used a couple of their life boats as water taxi's. The tendering operations seemed to go pretty smooth. There was a short delay shortly after the operations began due to some mechanical issues. These issues were quickly dealt with and normal operations resumed shortley thereafter. The weather was absolutely gorgeous during a time in Kona. The Captain came over the PA system and advised that we supposed to get some rain. Luck was with us as we had great weather the entire day. After getting lhe last tender aboard, we set sail for Ensenada shortly after 1700. I must say that I am really enjoying, despite the fact I got sick, this cruise. The ship is in great condition and every member of the crew I have interacted with is fantastic. Everyone of them (crew) goes above and beyond to ensure that each guest has the best voyage possible. From a personal experience on this voyage, the crew goes to great lengths to address issues that are brought to their attention. Several days ago, I mentioned to our cabin steward that our bathroom shower had a slight issue with pressure and temperature. A maintenance man was quickly dispatched to our cabin He told me that a plumber would have to replace some parts. I told him not to worry about it because it really wasn't that big of a deal. The next day, a housekeeping supervisor came to our cabin and told me the repairs would be delayed due to certain parts, that were hard to find, had to be ordered. I told the supervisor it wasn't that big of a deal as it was still possible to use the shower, adding the only issue was a slightly lower water temp/pressure than I liked. Now here's where it gets interesting. the next day I get a call from guest services and was informed that due to the inconvenience we experienced, Princess was going to give us a decent FCC towards a future cruise. True to their word, the FCC was in my Captain's Circle Account the next day. I was totally blown away as I really thought it was not that big of a deal and in no way shape or form expected anything. I initially just wanted to let the cabin steward know about an issue with my shower. Tonight is our second of three formal nights. I am still a traditionalist and enjoy getting dressed up on formal nights. Holli has a hair appointment a little later this afternoon and we plan to dine in Sterlings Steakhouse. Today's entertainment options on board are the movie Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb on MUTS at 1000. Gravity will be performing at the Neptune pool at 1230. The movie Ad Astra will be shown in the Princess theater at 1300. The movie Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves will be screened on MUTS at 1500. Diamond Strings Duo will perform in the Piazza at 1600, 1745, and 1845. Pianist Janusz Bator will be in Crooners at 1700. Moondance Duo will be in the Wheelhouse bar at 1815 & 1915. The movie Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3 will screen on MUTS at 1830 & 2115. Pianist Andy Morris will be in Crooners at 19330 & 2300. The Production Show "Do You Wanna Dance" will be in the Princess Theater at 1930 & 2130. The house band will play some jazz music in the Wheelhouse at 2115 & 2215. Gravity will con tinue wity their music in the Piazza at 2215. Well that's all for now. Hope all are well..... Bob