Sapphire Review to Hawaii - Feb 23 to March 9, 2013

[mikjr]

HAWAII CRUISE

SAPPHIRE PRINCESS

FEB 23 TO MARCH 9, 2013

 

Greetings to all. Just got off our cruise this past weekend and thought I’d share a few thoughts. As always, keep in mind that these kind of reviews are based on personal opinions and tastes, and others may have a completely different perspective. But that’s what makes the Cruise Critic so good!!

 

First off… this was our 10th Princess cruise, also our 7th cruise to Hawaii. Our last was in October 2012, on the Golden to Hawaii.

 

Our Cabin was on the BAJA Deck, AFT in the 700s.

 

EMBARKATION:

All the processes were very quick. We had everything printed and ready and were on the ship shortly after 12 Noon… and eating pizza by 1:30!

 

FIRST EVENTS:

There were two unusual events that happened on this cruise that we’d never experienced before.

 

1) the first night, the captain came on the speaker and asked for blood donors of a certain type for a critical passenger. Good news is, the passenger was OK and left the ship in Honolulu and flew home

 

2) the second night at dinner, the captain came on the speaker again… this time a bit more stern and urgent and said… “I need your complete undivided attention”. The whole dining room quieted down… he then proceeded to say that someone reported possibly seeing a person in the water. He then asked that we ALL go back to our cabins for a check in. It took almost two hours as they went cabin to cabin, checking all passengers and employees. Fortunately the captain came back on and said: “ALL SOULS HAVE BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR”. Very relieved, we all went back to dinner and enjoyed our evening.

 

 

THE SAPPHIRE:

We had cruised on the Sapphire a couple of years ago, right before she went into went into rehab. It was nice to see the addition of the International Café… our favorite snack place. Also, very nice improvements in the Horizon Court, with the addition of the desert bar, and the brightening of the buffet area.

 

Also newly added was Alfredo’s Pizza. We did not eat there, but hear it was good. It was a bit disappointing that it was just pizza, and didn’t offer any salads or pasta dishes like some of the other pizzeria’s on Princess.

 

The ship appeared to be very clean and in good condition… although, a few worn out areas were visible… but hey… I’m also worn out in a few areas, so I can sure understand!!

 

ISSUE: the hot tub jets on several of the tubs were NOT working, including both of the AFT tubs and one by the Neptune pool. No explanation was given, and they were never fixed!

 

Also, have small children in the hot tubs should be discouraged. There was one child always in there wearing a blow up floatation device. There is barely enough room for 5 adults, much less have a small kid in there too! I know... kids are people too, but when adults are waiting, the time limits should be respected.

 

 

FOOD: Dining Room/Horizon Court

This is one of those areas that is REALLY subjective and opinionated. I’m not a picky eater, but don’t really like fancy food… just simple fish, pasta, meat, etc., goes a long way with me.

 

We had fixed – early dining in the Vivaldi Room. We did not eat in any specialty restaurant.

 

I thought the food on the cruise was very good, in fact, it seemed better than that of the Golden last October. Example… the cheese bowl on the fettuccini dish on the Golden was always soft and not completely cooked. The Sapphire fettuccini was great, bowl completely cooked and shaped like a bowl. YES… I know, you’re just going to eat it anyway, but it just showed a bit more thought as to preparation.

 

They have brought back the Medallions of Beef as a regular on the menu. They also have a nightly ground sirloin hamburger on the menu. Many nights, I’d order the burger (without the bun), and a baked potato. It was great!

 

Favorite Dishes in the Dining Room:

Fettuccini Alfredo

Spaghetti and Meatballs (yes, I’m Italian)

Spring Rolls w/peanut dip

Goat Cheese Soufflé

Mahi Mahi

Meatloaf (final night)

Cream Brûlée and Cheesecake

The fruit sorbets were outstanding!!

 

For lunch, I spent most of my time at the grill or at the pizza place. We had the pub lunch one day, and it was good. My wife ate at the Horizon Court most lunch days and said the food was very good.

 

The deserts were especially good. With the addition of the new desert bar, there was more variety and everything I tried was great!

 

I did miss the special themed food days out by the indoor pool. They only had one day when they had Chinese food. The Golden had a different food theme every sea day. Soup, Italian, Asian, etc...

 

We always enjoy the International Café, especially the Cheese Panini, Greek Salad and the Tiramisu and Peanut butter cup mousse!!

 

SERVICE:

We found the service by all of the crew to be excellent and very friendly. Our Cabin Steward, Carlito was excellent. Vivaldi servers, Serrafin and Cloyd were great, and one bright spot was Marlon, server in the International Café/Coffee bar/Piazza. He was super friendly and attentive.

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT:

Again, music and entertainment are a bit subjective. As a professional musician at one time in my life, I tend to look and listen with a bit more critical ear.

 

We only saw two production shows. Most we had seen multiple times, especially Piano Man. (I think it’s time to bury that one!!) The two that we did see were OK. There seemed to be an issue with the lead vocalists singing behind the beat of the music. I heard others say that something was off, but they didn’t know what it was. We didn’t see many of the other Princess Theater acts, so I really can’t speak to the quality of the shows. But they had all the usual suspects, magicians and singers and comedians, OH NO...

 

Prior to the cruise, I had heard some comments about the CD, Billy Hygate. But, I thought he was great and thoroughly enjoyed him… even his corny jokes… and he does a great Tom Jones impersonation!

 

Piazza Entertainment:

One of the highlights every afternoon in the Piazza was the Antonio String Quartet. Very good and easy to relax to.

 

Other Piazza entertainers included:

Husband and Wife team from Brazil – very good

A trio from the production band played jazz – very good

The guitar player from the production band played solo – very good

A piano player (Kostiantyn I think) – very good

David Aiken – juggler – very good

 

Other entertainers around the ship:

Randy Heddon Quartet – Wheelhouse bar – good

Superfly – Club Fusion – good

 

MUTS:

Moonrise Kingdom; Pitch Perfect; Lincoln; Argo; Batman Rises; Snow White and the Huntsman; Bourne Legacy; Hunger Games; Total Recall;

 

Hawaiian Theme Program:

Most of our other Hawaii cruises have been on the Golden and have enjoyed the Hawaiian music of husband and wife team ELUA. I knew this cruise would be different without them, but wasn’t sure what to expect.

 

There were UKE, Hula, and Lei making classes throughout the cruise. The final night, there was a UKE performance in the Piazza. It was very entertaining. Not sure why the hula dancers didn’t join them or if they had their own performance (I didn’t see it advertised if they did)

 

One disappointment was the lack of Hawaiian Music playing on the piped in speaker systems. We spent many hours in the Piazza during the sea days and didn’t hear Hawaiian music played once. And, none of the featured musicians on the Piazza stage played any Hawaiian music either.

 

Although the Golden featured non Hawaiian entertainment and in the Piazza, when the system music was playing, it was ALWAYS Hawaiian. And of course, they are lucky to have ELUA on the Golden. Fortunately, I had my IPOD, and listened to the great Hawaiian entertainer, IZ (Israel Kamakawiwo'ole). That helped provide some Aloha spirit!

 

 

MEMORABLE MOMENTS:

 

Oscar night, Club Fusion was set up with a big screen TV and projector, and we all got to watch the Academy Award Show. Very nice!

 

Ultimate Ship Tour: this was my first time to take this tour and it was worth every penny! Very interested tour, and you receive some very nice gifts at the end of the tour.

 

Cruise Critic M&G: on the first sea day, about 30+ of the role call group got together for a meeting. We actually had four officers visit PLUS the ship Captain, Marco Fortezze. it was nice to put a face with a CC user name.

 

Interesting side note… Captain Fortezze got off the ship in Hawaii and was replaced for the rest of the cruise by the regular Captain, Nicholas Carlton. Evidently, Fortezze was filling in for Capt. Carlton, who had been on vacation, and met up with the ship on the Islands.

 

 

OTHER STUFF:

 

Weather:

As usual, the first two / three days our of Los Angeles were cold and a bit rough. 45 knot winds with 15 foot swells created a bit of a rough ride. By the third day, the sun broke and it warmed up.

 

Ports:

As mentioned, this was our 7th cruise to Hawaii, and we never get tired of the beauty. We rented a car in three of the four ports (no Maui). The car rental process on the islands is a bit of a challenge. They operate on HAWAII time and a “Hang Loose” attitude… everything is very laid back, to the point of being unorganized… especially HILO!! The worst port ever to try and get a taxi!! I sure wish they would add KONA back into the itinerary.

 

Smoking:

Kudos to Princess on their new smoking policy. It was very nice to use our balcony and not be inundated with smoke. And many compliments to the passengers who followed the rules!

 

 

FINAL THOUGHTS:

 

As usual, Princess did a fine job of helping me relax and get away from reality! We look forward to our next one!

 

I probably forgot a few things, but any questions let me know…

 

Mike

[tonit964]

Thanks for the report! Glad you had a nice cruise. We will be on her in 11 days!

[Pam in CA]

Mike, great review. I was on the Sapphire last Saturday for the BVE and spent some time in the Piazza. The string quartet were playing and they were terrific. I was sorry I had to leave the ship just after 3pm.

[srpilo]

Great review

 

 

 

Thanks for sharing

Srpilo

[cvpends]

Thank you for your review!!

[JimmyVWine]

Thanks for your review. Very well thought out.

[Grammyluvs]

Thanks for this review. Very concise and great info.

[sassyredhat]

Liked the review. We sailed Sapphire last April, right after the wet dock.

Your review is pretty much what we experienced. We did eat at Alfredos Pizza and it was delicious. We also dined in Sabatinis which was awesome. !:D

The only annoyance for us was the piazza fills up very quickly, so sometimes it's difficult to find seating. We noticed it in the Wheelhouse too.

Thanks for summing up everything.

Pat

[goingsomewhere]

We were also on this cruise, and I can vouch for this critique to be as I saw and felt too. This was my first trip to Hawaii. I might add: to those who have never cruised before, I wouldn't recommend this to be your first. You're at sea for many days before setting foot on land. So, if you're a person who doesn't like to feel confined, try a cruise that makes daily stops first. Also, if you don't know if you will get sea sick, this cruise will bring that to your attention. As Mike said, the first night was a rough one. Many stayed sick in bed for a few days. I talked with some whose cabin was at the front of the ship; they felt the fury of the sea the most. The ship tossed in many directions as if you were in a blender. The higher your cabin was the more movement you will experience. We too were in the 700's but onthe 10th deck, the Carribe. For us, it was perfect. Our patio was extremely large with an overhang from the deck patio above covering over half of ours. The chairs were comfortable and included a foot stool each. We like quiet places and found ample places to read and enjoy the sun, usually on one of the many floors at the back of the ship. I can't add much more than what Mike wrote. We had a blast.

[lovevacadays]

Thank you. What a great review.

[Cruisin' Chick]

We were also on this cruise, and I can vouch for this critique to be as I saw and felt too. This was my first trip to Hawaii. I might add: to those who have never cruised before, I wouldn't recommend this to be your first. You're at sea for many days before setting foot on land. So, if you're a person who doesn't like to feel confined, try a cruise that makes daily stops first. Also, if you don't know if you will get sea sick, this cruise will bring that to your attention. As Mike said, the first night was a rough one. Many stayed sick in bed for a few days. I talked with some whose cabin was at the front of the ship; they felt the fury of the sea the most. The ship tossed in many directions as if you were in a blender. The higher your cabin was the more movement you will experience. We too were in the 700's but onthe 10th deck, the Carribe. For us, it was perfect. Our patio was extremely large with an overhang from the deck patio above covering over half of ours. The chairs were comfortable and included a foot stool each. We like quiet places and found ample places to read and enjoy the sun, usually on one of the many floors at the back of the ship. I can't add much more than what Mike wrote. We had a blast.

 

I wouldn't recommend this itinerary for a new cruiser for the same reason you mentioned. But once you're hooked on cruising....:)

 

I was wondering how the ships w/o Elua handle the Hawaiian activities so this review was illuminating.

 

Glad you had fun. Was on the Sapphire was it was brand new so it would be interesting to sail on her again with all the new features.

[Astro Flyer]

Mike...thanks for taking the time for such a thorough summary of your Sapphire Princess cruise.

 

Too bad they didn't have Bruddah Iz's & other wonderful Hawaiian performer's music playing onboard...such a simple thing to do & it should have been done even without the amazing Elua onboard.

 

WOW...7th Hawaiian cruise! Like you it's nice to only drive to SP to board the ship & we plan to do it more often in the future.

[mikjr]

 

WOW...7th Hawaiian cruise! Like you it's nice to only drive to SP to board the ship & we plan to do it more often in the future.

 

We have family on Oahu, we love the sea days, it's a 40 minute drive... and no airplanes and TSA... it doesn't get any better than that.

 

It's to the point that the ship is really the destination, Hawaii is just a bonus!

[mikjr]

 

Too bad they didn't have Bruddah Iz's & other wonderful Hawaiian performer's music playing onboard...such a simple thing to do & it should have been done even without the amazing Elua onboard.

 

The night in Honolulu, they did bring on the Hawaiian dance show on board, but we always stay out late when there, and didn't see it.

 

I spoke with the UKE instructor and asked why there wasn't more Hawaiian music played... he assured me that it was played on the way over to Hawaii throughout the ship. I didn't want to argue with him, but it wasn't being played anywhere I was, and we had spent hours in the Piazza the first few days due to the cold weather outside. Sorry, NO Hawaiian music inside! It was always played in the Piazza on the Golden... to and from Hawaii... always!

 

Yes... it is hard to believe they can't find another couple or group to sing Hawaiian music.

 

Finally, about the fourth day, I did hear Hawaiian music through the system around the AFT pool area. my wife and I looked at each other as said... "FINALLY".

 

Hopefully in the fall we can join ELUA on the Star. I understand David Cole will also be on the Star.

[Scarlett O'Hara 14]

Hi Mike,

I really enjoyed meeting you on both the cruise critics message board and the actual cruise which ended 3/9. Loved your review...thanks for bringing back a lot of nice memories. I too loved the spaghetti and meatballs, goat cheese souffle and the fruit sorbets in the Vivaldi Dining Room!

 

Like you, we rented cars on three of the four Hawaiian islands. On the Big Island we took a 7 hour van tour with Akamai Adventure Tours with Tyler as our guide who met us when we disembarked in Hilo. I cannot say enough positive things about this tour and Tyler as our guide. He's a walking Wikopedia of Hawaiian knowledge and so nice too. My DH and I highly recommend this company which we found on Trip Advisor.

 

As you said, the Ultimate Ship Tour was the best! The "free" tropical drinks, desserts, chocolate-covered strawberries, plush white Princess robe (which sells for $90 in the gift shop), wooden picture frame and 5 photos (one with the Captain) and personalized writing tablet from the print shop pretty much covered the price of the tour itself.

 

The best show I saw on the ship was Carlos Oscar who is absolutely the funniest comedian I've seen on any of the 8 cruises I've taken. No four-letter words either which is a rarity these days. He actually did two very different shows in one evening on the Sapphire so we attended both. You can find him on YouTube. He's not to be missed on any cruise! We loved the International Crew Talent Show too...we had never witnessed Filipino bamboo dancing before. Absolutely amazing!!!!!

 

Maybe we'll meet again on another cruise one day, Mike. See you around on Cruise Critics!

 

Aloha,

Scarlett

[NewPennCruiser]

The night in Honolulu, they did bring on the Hawaiian dance show on board, but we always stay out late when there, and didn't see it.

 

I spoke with the UKE instructor and asked why there wasn't more Hawaiian music played... he assured me that it was played on the way over to Hawaii throughout the ship. I didn't want to argue with him, but it wasn't being played anywhere I was, and we had spent hours in the Piazza the first few days due to the cold weather outside. Sorry, NO Hawaiian music inside! It was always played in the Piazza on the Golden... to and from Hawaii... always!

 

Yes... it is hard to believe they can't find another couple or group to sing Hawaiian music.

 

Finally, about the fourth day, I did hear Hawaiian music through the system around the AFT pool area. my wife and I looked at each other as said... "FINALLY".

 

Hopefully in the fall we can join ELUA on the Star. I understand David Cole will also be on the Star.

 

We were on the Sapphire a few weeks before you and I think I actually noticed Hawaiian music twice. First the day we embarked, walking up some steps I could hear they were playing music then. The other time was a couple of days into the crossing toward Honolulu, we were eating in Alfredo's and it was quiet enough to hear the music playing and it was Hawaiian music then. I'm guessing that sometimes they may have been playing it around the Piazza but if it was crowded and being played softly nobody would notice. I actually didn't notice it either any other time although we didn't spend much time around the Piazza unless there was a performance we wanted to see. (loved the Antonio Strings)

 

The funniest thing that we thought of was looking back to a cruise we took in Europe a year or so ago on the NCL Jade. That ship was originally built to cruise Hawaii for NCL America when they had 3 ships down there. When they cut back to 1, the other two were repositioned and the Jade was sent to Barcelona. The decor and artwork is very Hawaiian and it was never changed so that ship actually had more Hawaiian ambiance than the Sapphire ever did. It really didn't bother us at all on either cruise and was more of a funny observation. We heard that when Jade eventually goes to dry dock they will finally change the decor and de-Hawaii it. But it certainly was funny to walk into the main lobby the first day in Spain and see a sign up the stairs that said Aloha! Dave

[Quacker]

Great Review. We were on the cruise with you. Also had Vivalda Early Fixed with Serafin and Cloyd. (Table 109) Great guys with such a good attitude. Went to all the evening shows(except Piano Man) in the big show room. Enjoyed all except one guy that was a bit weak. Liked the show band - had some good talent. Only the third time on this cruise island, Golden and Sapphire. Won't be our last - just jump on a flash sale with no flying makes it great. Quacker Don and Mrs Quacker

[mikjr]

Great Review. We were on the cruise with you. Also had Vivalda Early Fixed with Serafin and Cloyd. (Table 109) Great guys with such a good attitude. Won't be our last - just jump on a flash sale with no flying makes it great. Quacker Don and Mrs Quacker

 

Hi Don... I remember you and your wife... we're the ones from Yorba Linda, and were sitting next to the Canadian couple on the other side of the divider.

 

You're right, our servers were a kick!!