Sapphire Princess

[patterson3]

Just booked my first cruise on the Sapphire Princess (for next April 27). Any tips/suggestions? This will also be my (and my wife's) first time in California (It's a California Coastal cruise).

[patterson3]

One question in particular is if we choose a set dinner time are we assigned a particular dinning room as well, or can you eat at that time in any of the dinning rooms?

[gertz]

We have been on the Sapphire twice and will be on her again in October for our second coastal.

We think these coastal our great cruises and apparently others do also as they seem to sell out well in advance.

For us we fly out of Denver and to LAX is fast and economical. If we go a day early we book the Marriott and transfers through Princess. Fairly good price and the hotel is just across the street from LAX.

Going under the Golden Gate Bridge is a thrill.

The ship is outstanding. Never crowded, very good food, fine entertainment.

You should have a great time.

[patterson3]

Thank you, Gertz. As this is our first time in CA we'll probably fly in a day or two early and try to do some sight-seeing in LA. We're thinking of trying to stay somewhere in Beverly Hills, but if we don't rent a car a) how far are we away from tourist spots and b) how far are we from the port?

[Princess Patches]

One question in particular is if we choose a set dinner time are we assigned a particular dinning room as well, or can you eat at that time in any of the dinning rooms?

 

You are really going to enjoy the California Coastal cruise. I did it last year and am scheduled to do it again in about 3 weeks. When you sail next year they will also be adding Catalina Island to the itinerary, which will be wonderful and you will be sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge around noon so you don't have to get up early a.m. to experience that. It is a fantastic itinerary next year.

 

If you choose traditional (set) dining on the Sapphire you will be assigned to a particular dining room and a set time. For quite some time, the Sapphire has been doing early traditional at 5:30 p.m. and late traditional at 8:00 p.m. in the main dining room (International Dining Room).

 

If you choose Anytime Dining you can choose between four smaller dining rooms (Santa Fe, Savoy, Vivaldi, and Pacific Moon). You can also choose the time you wish to eat.

 

I prefer traditional dining because I do not have to wait for a table and my waitstaff gets to know me. I also like eating in the main dining room, which is larger than the other venues and is aft (conveniently located to my cabin). Others prefer Anytime Dining because you have flexibility as to when you eat and you can mix it up by eating in different dining rooms and with different diners. However, you will sometimes have a wait to be seated for Anytime Dining during the peak dining hours (7:00ish to 8:00ish).

[patterson3]

You are really going to enjoy the California Coastal cruise. I did it last year and am scheduled to do it again in about 3 weeks. When you sail next year they will also be adding Catalina Island to the itinerary, which will be wonderful and you will be sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge around noon so you don't have to get up early a.m. to experience that. It is a fantastic itinerary next year.

 

If you choose traditional (set) dining on the Sapphire you will be assigned to a particular dining room and a set time. For quite some time, the Sapphire has been doing early traditional at 5:30 p.m. and late traditional at 8:00 p.m. in the main dining room (International Dining Room).

 

If you choose Anytime Dining you can choose between four smaller dining rooms (Santa Fe, Savoy, Vivaldi, and Pacific Moon). You can also choose the time you wish to eat.

 

I prefer traditional dining because I do not have to wait for a table and my waitstaff gets to know me. I also like eating in the main dining room, which is larger than the other venues and is aft (conveniently located to my cabin). Others prefer Anytime Dining because you have flexibility as to when you eat and you can mix it up by eating in different dining rooms and with different diners. However, you will sometimes have a wait to be seated for Anytime Dining during the peak dining hours (7:00ish to 8:00ish).

 

Thanks Patches! I agree with you about traditional dinning- My wife and I love traditional dinning, not only for the reasons you stated but it's also part of the enjoyment of being on a cruise for us. On our last cruise (Celebrity Summit) the dinners were one of the highlights of the cruise for us- not only was the food outstanding but we were fortunate to have great tablemates that made each dinner a pleasure.

[RickEk]

Thank you, Gertz. As this is our first time in CA we'll probably fly in a day or two early and try to do some sight-seeing in LA. We're thinking of trying to stay somewhere in Beverly Hills, but if we don't rent a car a) how far are we away from tourist spots and b) how far are we from the port?

 

LA's a big place. Beverly Hills is kinda central to everything on the west side of town... Hollywood, Getty Museum, Santa Monica, Universal City... It really depends on what you want to see. It's also about 30-40 miles from the port. It should be under an hour's drive on a Saturday morning with normal traffic.

[Matcodixon]

Another thing not mentioned yet, is that with Traditional dining, not only do you have a set time, but also a specific table. You will have the same table mates and waitstaff each night.

 

I have done both ways and personally prefer Traditional Dining. To each his/her own.

[lois1112]

Just booked my first cruise on the Sapphire Princess (for next April 27). Any tips/suggestions? This will also be my (and my wife's) first time in California (It's a California Coastal cruise).

I am going on the california coastal In May (same one as Princess patches) any questions I can find out on the cruise for you?

 

I have sailed on the Sapphire 6 times prior to this cruise...first since the remodel

[Retired Educator]

We have been on the Sapphire twice and will be on her again in October for our second coastal.

We will be on the 10/13/12 one. Don't know if we saw your "handle" on the roll call or not. If you will be with us, will look forward to seeing you in person.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

I wish they would make it 6:30 not 5:30 ....

[Cruisin' Chick]

My advice is to avoid staying at the airport. It's not a nice area (think strip malls, in a literal sense):eek:. If you want to sightsee, you'll have to get a taxi and that can run into major bucks (there's no sights to see near the airport).

 

If you're flying in Friday for a Saturday cruise, you won't have that much time to go all over to sightsee, but at least you'll be here and not stressing out over possible flight delays. The best thing is to try to figure out what you would like to see and where. Post them here and the local Angelenos will give you an idea of how many on your list is doable in a short space of time and give you an idea of what hotels to stay at. Beware of booking the cheapest as you might end up at a dump and/or in a dicey area.

 

There's some ideas on the various threads here for sightseeing, but it does help to know what is your interest (shopping, museums, amusement parks). I wouldn't recommend a beach trip (at least not for going swimming) as we often get overcast days until June (and even not til mid June). But if you want to go for a really nice hotel, Santa Monica has some.

[bunzini]

Just got back from the California Coastal cruise on the Sapphire and loved it. You are in for a treat. FYI, just because you choose traditional dining, you do not have to eat with other people. You can reserve a table for two as well.