Golden Vs. Sapphire

[Lorabelle]

We're looking at the 14 day Hawaii cruises this fall. The itineraries are the same, so we're trying to figure out which ship is the most desirable. Anyone have a favorite between the two?

 

We've sailed on the Grand, which as I understand, is a sister ship to the Golden. We enjoyed her and the poolside movies.

 

But we know nothing about the Sapphire.

 

Any comments would be appreciated!

[bnwbaron]

Hi Lorabelle,

 

Ok, technically I am not going to be able to answer your question because I have never been on the Sapphire. So I guess you can stop reading and not hurt my feelings. However, we were on the Golden to Hawaii Mar. 30 - April 14 AND IT ROCKED!

 

We are generally picky people when it comes to travel. We are not snobs, but Hilton/Marriott or better is usually what we look for. I found the Golden to be clean, active or relaxing, well staffed, and all around very pleasant. It seemed like everywhere we went there was staff there to attend us, and they were overwhelmingly friendly. Lines we never bad for anything.

 

Our cabin was adequate. Balcony room #320, deck 10. Perfect location. Small shower, but other than that it was good. I never felt cramped. (until i dropped the soap in the shower)

 

Great gym, nice spa, International Cafe had great coffee and food for times we didn't want the formal meal.

 

Loved Movies Under the Stars, we did it almost every night. Even in the rain.

 

Plenty of pools and hot tubs. We usually had the hot tub to ourselves, on the occassions we did not, it was still not packed.

 

All in all it was an "A" experience. Wife is vegitarian and had limited options and the elevators are slow but we would do THAT trip, on THAT ship again in a second.

 

One last thought you probably know if you cruise a lot.....Shore excursions are no value, but that has nothing to do with the Golden.

 

Good luck, and I don't think you will be sorry with the Golden.....Brian

[grandmaa]

We have cruised on both ships. My vote for the Hawaii cruise is for the Golden Princess. It has the best crew starting with David Cole and his Hawaiian cohorts. Also the Golden has been refitted with the International Cafe and other amenities. The Sapphire has not..until she goes into drydock sometime early next year, Januay, 2012 I believe. JMHO

[ssbeagle]

Cabin-wise the ships are the same as far as size goes. They are also very similar in layout. But I would go with the Golden if you are looking for the Hawaiian experience. David Cole and his team, Elua, are very good and provide lots of activities geared for the Hawaiian cruise. As someone said earlier, the Golden has been upgraded where the Sapphire has not yet been.

[wilfros]

Hi

 

We have been looking into exactly the same thing for over 1 year now. We were supposed to go last March but had to cancel and are now going in Feb 2012.

 

We will be going on Golden, not because of the schedule but because of what Golden has to offer that is not available on Sapphire.

 

According to these Boards Golden offers:

CD - David Cole. Everyone is very honest on these boards, almost to the point of hurting feelings, but, no-one has ever said anything but great things about David.

Elua - This is a couple that originate (I believe) from Hawaii and between them and David Cole they make the Hawaiian Experience uncomparible to anything found on other ships.

 

I have already been in contact with Elua and they will be on our sailing. That was the deciding factor for us.

 

Perhaps others can elaborate from their experiences about this combination of crew. My comments are only second hand but I am looking forward to making my comments first hand.

 

We can't wait.

[never2late]

I have to agree with the other posters. I have sailed on both ships (only the Golden to Hawaii) -- they are both clean and comfortable with caring, and happy staff and crew, but for the Hawaiian experience, I will have to say the Golden Princess was more than I ever expected. We were on the last cruise of the season -- April 27 to May 11. The sea days just flew by -- we were always so busy with all the activities -- My husband, my daughter, and I all learned to play the ukulele (lessons are offered everyday) and we performed at the Aloha show at the end of the cruise -- believe me, we felt pretty special at what we had accomplished during those 2 weeks. Everyday there were a variety of lei making classes -- we were all accessorized with flower leis, ribbon leis, kakui nut leis, and crocheted leis -- If you are the crafty type or not -- there is something for everyone. David of Eula (he is everywhere on this ship -- teaching ukulele, playing and singing at the pool and at the piazza, helping at the lei making classes -- he mentioned that he and his wife (who teaches the lei making and hula classes) will be on the Golden for the next 2 seasons (2012 and 2013). David Cole was not on our cruise, so I can only imagine if it could be any better with him aboard. I will have to wait until next year to find out as we have booked the same cruise for next season. Yes, we did visit the Hawaii islands during the cruise, but the on board experience is the reason to book the Golden. :)

[cattolica]

We are booked on the Sapphire to Hawaii Nov 2011. She is my favorite Princess ship. I should say that we have taken 2 Hawaii cruises on the Golden (12/08 and 12/10). We had David Cole as our CD on one but not the other.

If this is your first Hawaii cruise I would probably choose the Golden. She has all the Hawaiian themed activities and I don't think the Sapphire will offer those.

I don't need the International Cafe and really don't care for MUTS. This is the biggest reason for picking the Sapphire for this cruise. I love the 4 smaller Anytime Dining rooms and I like the layout of the ship.

We were just on the Sapphire in late April for a Mexican Riviera cruise and enhanced my excitement about spending 14 days on her in November.

[Lorabelle]

We have done Hawaii twice before, but never with Princess. We did a round trip out of San Diego with Celebrity, and have done an NCL round trip from Honolulu that also visited Fanning Island. The NCL cruise had much of the same Hawaiian culture that you've mentioned is on the Golden...making leis, hula lessons etc. Not much of that on the Infinity cruise.

 

We aren't really into the nightclubs. We do like a nice casino, some quiet deck areas to sit and watch the ocean or read. (We will also have a balcony as well.) We enjoy grabbing lunch poolside or in the buffet, so we do like a ship that has a decent poolside food outlet.

 

We enjoy the shows and comedians in the evenings, so we like ships with good lounges and showrooms...adequate seating, good sight lines to the stage.

 

So far it sounds like the Golden is the way to go. Since we did sail on the Grand and enjoyed the MUTS, that may be a deciding factor as well. I'm assuming that Sapphire doesn't have that?

[Elua]

Aloha Kakou,

Greetings from beautiful O'ahu! Leialoha and I are on vacation right now, so I have a little more time to get on the boards and answer questions and check out posts. First of all, mahalo to all for the kind words about the program and about us. It was a great season, and we look forward to another one in a few months.

 

To let you know, I have an email into David Cole right now asking for his schedule, so hopefully, in a day or so, I will have an answer for many folks on the boards who were asking. I do know that Kelvin Joy will be there at the start of the season, but I'm not sure on what date Davd comes back....I'll keep everyone in the loop.

 

Another question many have, is , to what extent there will be a Hawaiian program on the other Princess ships going to Hawai'i in the next couple of seasons? Truthfully, I know that there will be many of the same activities, and a naturalist, and other thinsg that people have gotten used to on the Golden with us and David. But I do not know exactly what there will be. For instance, Leialoha's lei making is exclusive to us on the Golden, the talks that we give are also not going to be repeated on the other ships, and of course, the music will be different as well.

 

I will endeavour to answer any questions people have to the best of my knowledge and ability. Leialoha and I certainly hope to see as many of you as possible this season.

 

Aloha No,

David

[wilfros]

Aloha Kakou,

Greetings from beautiful O'ahu! Leialoha and I are on vacation right now, so I have a little more time to get on the boards and answer questions and check out posts. First of all, mahalo to all for the kind words about the program and about us. It was a great season, and we look forward to another one in a few months.

 

To let you know, I have an email into David Cole right now asking for his schedule, so hopefully, in a day or so, I will have an answer for many folks on the boards who were asking. I do know that Kelvin Joy will be there at the start of the season, but I'm not sure on what date Davd comes back....I'll keep everyone in the loop.

 

Another question many have, is , to what extent there will be a Hawaiian program on the other Princess ships going to Hawai'i in the next couple of seasons? Truthfully, I know that there will be many of the same activities, and a naturalist, and other thinsg that people have gotten used to on the Golden with us and David. But I do not know exactly what there will be. For instance, Leialoha's lei making is exclusive to us on the Golden, the talks that we give are also not going to be repeated on the other ships, and of course, the music will be different as well.

 

I will endeavour to answer any questions people have to the best of my knowledge and ability. Leialoha and I certainly hope to see as many of you as possible this season.

 

Aloha No,

David

 

Lorabelle:

 

The above is the reason we have chosen to sail with Golden (with or without David Cole, hopefully with).

 

If you are wondering about the ship and its layout and lounges, it is my understanding it is very similar to Caribbean princess. I have created an interactive deck program of Caribbean Princess that gives you panorama photos of most of the public areas. You can see it directly (here) but it is a large file so takes some time to download.

 

Within the same blog you will find my review of Caribbean Princess with 3D photos so you get a depth of field feeling which might be a different approach to viewing cruise photos.

 

The link for the blog is in my signature but you will have to search the archives for the Princess review, I am presently posting photos of the Tulip Festival here in Ottawa. Look in the righthand panel of the blog for the "Archives" for the past months and you will find the post links for Caribbean Princess posts.

 

Hope all this helps you in making your choice. BUT.. of all the decisions we have to make in life, this is one of the more fun ones, don't you think?

[dfields1814]

I have been on both ships. Both are excellent. However, all things being equal I would go with the Golden especially if David Cole is the CD. So I agree with pretty much the rest of the posters.

[sashas_mom]

Hi Lorabelle,

 

Ok, technically I am not going to be able to answer your question because I have never been on the Sapphire. So I guess you can stop reading and not hurt my feelings. However, we were on the Golden to Hawaii Mar. 30 - April 14 AND IT ROCKED!

 

We are generally picky people when it comes to travel. We are not snobs, but Hilton/Marriott or better is usually what we look for. I found the Golden to be clean, active or relaxing, well staffed, and all around very pleasant. It seemed like everywhere we went there was staff there to attend us, and they were overwhelmingly friendly. Lines we never bad for anything.

 

Our cabin was adequate. Balcony room #320, deck 10. Perfect location. Small shower, but other than that it was good. I never felt cramped. (until i dropped the soap in the shower)

 

Great gym, nice spa, International Cafe had great coffee and food for times we didn't want the formal meal.

 

Loved Movies Under the Stars, we did it almost every night. Even in the rain.

 

Plenty of pools and hot tubs. We usually had the hot tub to ourselves, on the occassions we did not, it was still not packed.

 

All in all it was an "A" experience. Wife is vegitarian and had limited options and the elevators are slow but we would do THAT trip, on THAT ship again in a second.

 

One last thought you probably know if you cruise a lot.....Shore excursions are no value, but that has nothing to do with the Golden.

 

Good luck, and I don't think you will be sorry with the Golden.....Brian

 

Hey Brian, sounds like you could have used the new cruise shower products they have on Favors By Serendipity's site. Look for cruise accessories :).

 

I couldn't agree more with Brian. We sailed on the Golden to Hawaii in 2010 with Dave Cole & Elua and since we've done the Hawaiin itinerary before, I could really appreciate the difference when having these guys as part of your journey. It was WONDERFUL!! I would do it again, and make sure I chose a sailing with both David Cole & Elua on it. The Golden was beautiful and now that it has the IC and all the other features, I liked it even more.

 

Happy cruising!

[Elua]

Aloha Kakou,

 

Well, firstly, mahalo plenty for all the nice comments. It feels great that much of our work put into making this program so unique and special has been paying off, and that people really appreciate it.

 

Secondly, I did get a response from David Cole, and he told me that as far as Hawaiian Season goes, he will sign on the Golden Princess, November 23, 2011. He is not sure when his end date is, but if past rotations are any indication, he will be on for at least three months. Hope this helps for folks thinking of booking.

 

Aloha,

Dave

[Working 2 Cruise]

Aloha Kakou,

 

Well, firstly, mahalo plenty for all the nice comments. It feels great that much of our work put into making this program so unique and special has been paying off, and that people really appreciate it.

 

Secondly, I did get a response from David Cole, and he told me that as far as Hawaiian Season goes, he will sign on the Golden Princess, November 23, 2011. He is not sure when his end date is, but if past rotations are any indication, he will be on for at least three months. Hope this helps for folks thinking of booking.

 

Aloha,

Dave

 

Thanks Dave! You just made my day! We will be embarking on November 23! :D We will finally get to meet David Cole, and see you again as well! Can't wait! It will be a very long six months, but it will be so worth it!

 

To Lorabelle, I was on the Sapphire a couple of weeks ago and she is a wonderful ship. However, she does not have the International Cafe nor Movies under the Stars yet... I was on the Golden last November - December and enjoyed the experience so much, we are doing it again this year! You cannot go wrong with either of these ships, but it seems like you enjoy MUTS, so... And, of course, you will have Dave and Leialoha (ELUA) who are wonderful and do add to the Hawaiian experience.

 

Whatever you decide, I am sure you will have a wonderful time!

[wilfros]

Aloha Kakou,

 

Well, firstly, mahalo plenty for all the nice comments. It feels great that much of our work put into making this program so unique and special has been paying off, and that people really appreciate it.

 

Secondly, I did get a response from David Cole, and he told me that as far as Hawaiian Season goes, he will sign on the Golden Princess, November 23, 2011. He is not sure when his end date is, but if past rotations are any indication, he will be on for at least three months. Hope this helps for folks thinking of booking.

 

Aloha,

Dave

THANKS DAVE

 

If my math is correct (I am gettin old now) David Cole should be on for our February Cruise. We are either going to book Feb 1st or 15th, final decision to be made by our little group next week.

 

I now you will be on and we are really looking forward to that.

 

Thanks for the reply and follow up about David Cole.

[beshears]

Well it sounds like The Golden "wins" hands down.:)

 

We just got off (someone else mentioned this also) the Sapphire the 14th of April. It is a nice ship............except I think the "bedding area" needs to be refurbished.

 

If you have any questions that I can help you with (in case you want to know more about the Sapphire), please feel free to ask.

 

Brenda

[Working 2 Cruise]

Well it sounds like The Golden "wins" hands down.:)

 

We just got off (someone else mentioned this also) the Sapphire the 14th of April. It is a nice ship............except I think the "bedding area" needs to be refurbished.

 

If you have any questions that I can help you with (in case you want to know more about the Sapphire), please feel free to ask.

 

Brenda

 

I noticed that the bed was "rock hard" which hadn't happened on my previous cruise on the Sapphire or the Golden... :( I hope they leave the beds alone on the Golden!

[flamomo]

Choose the Golden, if for no other reason than ELUA. They, and the CD, David Cole, make the entire cruise a Hawaiian experience. Once you've done it, you will understand what they have created to immerse cruisers in Hawaii and Hawaiian culture.

 

Aside from that, I have sailed on the Golden twice, and love that ship. I have yet to cruise on the Sapphire, but will find out in October. Thus far, I have loved every Princess ship I have traveled on, and expect nothing less on the Sapphire.

[jowahe]

I was on the Golden to Hawaii in Nov. 2010 and on the Sapphire to Hawaii in Feb. 2011.

 

Both ships are similar and had similar programs -- lei making, uke lessons, Hawaiian historical lectures, naturalists, etc. Sapphire hadn't added the Intl Cafe or MUTS yet (coming in Jan. 2012), but does offer similar foods and snacks in the Atrium Cafe.

 

Unless either of those changes are a big issue with you, I would decide based on cruise date and price. I got a last minute deal on a Sapphire balcony that was much cheaper than what I paid for a similar balcony on the Golden. I think Princess was having trouble filling the Sapphire since it had just started cruising to Hawaii.

 

Whale watching was spectacular in February off Maui. Of course this had nothing to do with the ship, but rather the time of year. Weather and sea conditions were better, too. However, weather is a crap-shoot and you never know what you'll encounter.

 

Both ships are wonderful in MHO.

[ccrain]

As others have, we heartily recommend the Golden. Our travelog is on the Golden Princess member reviews and as you can see, we never lacked for anything to do.

 

David and Leialoha will make your cruise one to remember - something you will not get on any of the other ships. Eula and David Cole have really set up a comprehensive, unique and immersive program that will make the sea days fly by, and bring you back for more.

 

Learn to play the Ukelele, learn to hula, learn to lei make, get a taste of Hawaiian history and culture, oh and you can even get off and see some of the islands too! What a deal!

 

Add to that the Golden does have the enhanced amenities of Vines, Crown Grill, International Cafe, MUTS and the Sanctuary that the Sapphire will not until after January of 2012.

 

David and Leialoha - Me ka `oia`i`o mahalo nui loa. A hui hou kakou pomaika`i, Aloha `oe.

[glovcomm]

Im brand new to this site and have found it to be very helpful in answering my question about which Princess ship to cruise to Hawaii on. My wife and I planning a trip in the Spring of 2012. Based on all the feedback in this thread, it sounds like the Golden is the way to go for the best Hawaiian experience.

 

My question is this: What is the BEST time to take this cruise? We are limited as far as the calendar goes and even though I may not like the answers I receive :) we want to make the best call. We are thinking of the April 11 or 25th sailings of 2012. Either better...any advantages to sailing before this time?? Any assistance is appreciated!

 

Thank you!

[mikechass]

Glovcomm,

We were on the Sapphire in late January/early February and if it is AT ALL possible, I would say that is the time to go...

The whale watching itself was worth every penny we spend on a balcony room.

I do believe the whales are gone by March.

The ship is older, and compared to our Equinox cruise the year before probably felt older then it really is. But the staff were nice, the food was good and we were lucky with the weather... 4 days on the islands... 4 days of sun.

[Putterdude]

As much as we enjoy the Golden given the choice of the 2 ships we would go with the Sapphire. She will have had her refit next winter and will have all of the whistles and bells. We find the flow of the traffic is much better on the Sapphire over the Golden, the public area feel so much larger, we love the 5 dining room concept and we particularly like the fact that all 4 aft elevators go down to the International dining room ... on the Golden and the Grand class ships only 2 of the 4 aft elevators go down to the MDR.

[ccrain]

Im brand new to this site and have found it to be very helpful in answering my question about which Princess ship to cruise to Hawaii on. My wife and I planning a trip in the Spring of 2012. Based on all the feedback in this thread, it sounds like the Golden is the way to go for the best Hawaiian experience.

 

My question is this: What is the BEST time to take this cruise? We are limited as far as the calendar goes and even though I may not like the answers I receive :) we want to make the best call. We are thinking of the April 11 or 25th sailings of 2012. Either better...any advantages to sailing before this time?? Any assistance is appreciated!

 

Thank you!

 

April sailings after spring break offer some good pricing, and the weather in LA is good that time of year as opposed to January or February - but these are the best months for whale watching in HI - but expect far rougher seas coming back due bucking the California current and Pacific storms prevalent that time of year.

 

In April, most likley, David Cole will not be on board, but Eula will stay until the last cruise of the season. For us in April, Kelvin Joy kept David's entertainment programs in tact, but doesn't play the Ukelele like David does.

 

The weather over and back is hit and miss. We've done October and April, and as you would expect, the previous or subsequent cruise had much better weather and smoother seas. But either one was ok with us.

 

The first two days and last two days can be cloudy, cooler and rougher.

 

Because of the rougher weather and lower prices, I personally, would do April or October, and of the two you identified, it really shouldn't matter.

[jewopaho]

As much as we enjoy the Golden given the choice of the 2 ships we would go with the Sapphire. She will have had her refit next winter and will have all of the whistles and bells.

We've also sailed both ships. The Sapphire isn't scheduled for a refit until January of '12. We're just off the Golden (Alaska, 5/21). Those "whistles and bells" made a huge difference to us ... International Cafe, Vines, and the updated Piazza are standouts. But the layout of the ship was enhanced ... the casino was actually moved up one deck ... and the overall ambience is, we believe, far superior to the Sapphire in its present state. We had absolutely no problem with the "flow." Once you locate your accommodations and dining room, there should be no issues. The crew was nothing short of outstanding.

 

By contrast, we found the Sapphire in a condition which definitely warrants a drydock (we sailed her in March of '10). Nothing glaring ... but it was time for a facelift even then. I did bring several matters to Princess' attention (including photos), and the rep who contacted me conceded that there are some issues.

 

Given the choice of the two, we wouldn't cruise on the Sapphire until after it undergoes its transformation. The Golden is in excellent shape, and would definitely be our choice for a fall cruise this year. Whichever ship you select, enjoy the ride!