Golden Vs. Sapphire

[IPB4IGO]

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. ...

Aloha No,

David

We are about to book on the November 9, 2011 sailing from LA. Will you be on that cruise?

 

Thanks.

[Putterdude]

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.

 

 

You are correct about the date of the dry-docking of the Sapphire however we find the re-make of the Piazza on the Golden very congested and awkward with very limited seating. We were on the Sapphire in December and again earlier this month and found nothing that would impact anyone's cruise vacation. In addition to the fact that only 2 of the 4 aft elevators elevators go down to the MDR on the Golden there are no restrooms outside of the MDR. These issue are inherent design flaws in the Grand class of ships were corrected in the design of the Diamond/Sapphire and later vessels.

[Elua]

Aloha FulltimeRVer,

Leialoha and I will indeed be on that sailing. We usually commit to ALL the cruises for the Hawaiian season as, to us, it helps ensure a more consistent program. By the way, I did want to clear something up. The name of our group is Elua....I know a lot of folks think it is Eula....but it is the Hawaiian word for the number 2. ELUA. Also, my wife's name is Leialoha....again, somehow over the years, folks have come to think that her name is Eula. I often think about the phrase, "you can call me anything you want, just don't call me late for dinner"...but when you come up to say aloha on the ship, just call us David and Leialoha...or for her, Lei is also cool. (Her name means "Garland of Love" in Hawaiian....given to her by her grandmother)

 

I also just wanted to say how wonderful it is that so many folks have such greta htings to say about the ship, the program and Leialoha and myself. We're on vacation right now, cooking up a few new things for the season, and just soaking up the beauty of Hawai'i Nei.

 

A Hui Hoa,

David

[IPB4IGO]

...By the way, I did want to clear something up. The name of our group is Elua....I know a lot of folks think it is Eula....but it is the Hawaiian word for the number 2. ELUA...

I just knew that your group couldn't be the acronym for End User License Agreement (you know, that thing that pops up when you install software and click "I agree"). :)

 

I look forward to seeing you on the cruise.

[Carolyn R]

Hands down the Golden because its only itinerary in the winter is Hawaii. On a 14-day cruise to Hawaii you only spend four days there. When you sail on the Golden Princess with Leialoha and David you get a full 14-day Hawaiian cultural experience.

[sassyredhat]

We always go in April, and April 2012 will be our 3rd time. For me, there is less humidity. However, usually no whales then, if that's an issue.

We are booked on Sapphire, which will have the upgrades in Jan. Our DS and DIL chose Sapphire and they didn't know about the scheduled drydock.

I think you will enjoy either ship. It's Hawaii baby !! :D

Pat

[jewopaho]

You are correct about the date of the dry-docking of the Sapphire however we find the re-make of the Piazza on the Golden very congested and awkward with very limited seating. We were on the Sapphire in December and again earlier this month and found nothing that would impact anyone's cruise vacation. In addition to the fact that only 2 of the 4 aft elevators elevators go down to the MDR on the Golden there are no restrooms outside of the MDR. These issue are inherent design flaws in the Grand class of ships were corrected in the design of the Diamond/Sapphire and later vessels.

I guess that it's a good thing that there are two ships sailing essentially the same itineraries. We don't do traditional dining, and both of the others are readily accessible ... there are restrooms right outside each of them. We didn't feel crowded at all in the Piazza ... actually enjoyed relaxing with some morsels from the International Cafe, while watching the street performers do their thing. It's just a different "feel," which we prefer. I'm anxious to see what the Sapphire has in store after its makeover.