Sapphire Mexican Riviera Review (long ~ sorry)

[ladylynne]

This review is for the Sapphire Princess which left San Pedro (LA) pier on Saturday, October 29, 2005. The cruise visited Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and Cabo San Lucas returning to LA on Saturday, November 5, 2005.

History: This cruise was our 5th cruise with Princess, having sailed before on the Grand and Golden. There was 6 in our party, hubby and I, our two daughters ages 17 and 20, and both his mom and dad.

Pre cruise: having flown into LAX late, we reserved two rooms at the San Pedro Best Western, right across the harbor from where the ship docked. The hotel was a little older but was perfect for us. It was clean, didn’t smell, and the beds were comfortable. New carpet was being laid in many rooms and the hallways. Our room overlooked the harbor. We awoke about 5:30 am in time to see the ship arriving back into port. It was a real pretty site. The hotel served a continental breakfast and offered a free shuttle service to the dock in the morning.

Embarkation: We arrived at the Princess terminal about 11:45am with embarkation to begin at 12:30. Our luggage was left at the curb with a porter so there was no hauling luggage. There was very little waiting in line (maybe 4 minutes) and we checked in at express check-in. I didn’t see any advantage to this as the regular lines were just as short. A brief wait, maybe 30 minutes in the waiting room before we were able to board. We were called by numbers (we were the 4th group…maybe 100 people per group) to be called upon. It was a very smooth entrance into the ship.

Dining: Of course the first stop for everyone is the Horizon Food Court. The food here is tasty, plentiful and much variety. This time however, one entrance was closed off so everyone entered from the same side and exited in the middle. This caused many to think it was cafeteria style and caused long lines during peak dining throughout the cruise. I stuck to my traditional method: I waited in line to enter, and then it was free rein to my choices. Since I only ate oatmeal for breakfast, there was no reason to stand in line for 20 minutes. I just politely excused myself in front of a waiting person (who wasn’t getting the oatmeal) and was on my way. Only once was someone very irate about this and accused my daughter of cutting in line in front of everyone. If this was you, then shame on you because you made a fool of yourself.

Restaurants: We chose not to eat in any of the specialty restaurants since that goes against my theory of all-inclusive dining. I did talk to one couple and their night in the Sterling house was a disaster and they were credited their cover-charge. We did eat at the Savoy, Santa Fe, and the Pacific Moon dining rooms. The menus were the same in all each night but each restaurant had a specialty item. Fajitas in the Santa Fe were wonderful but a bit spicy. Pork Chops in the Savoy were a bit dry and I didn’t try the seafood platter in the Pacific Moon. The service in Pacific Moon was slow so we ate there only once. Most of our dining was in the Savoy. There the servers were wonderful, prompt, friendly, funny, and very professional.

We ate often at the Trident Grill which was poolside. There my daughter dined daily on her fries and my hubby enjoyed his cheeseburgers. There was also the Pizza stand which I and my other daughter visited daily.

Public Rooms: All the lounges were very clean and relaxing to visit in. The bands in all the lounges were enjoyable. I wasn’t crazy with the Club Fusion where many of the evening events were held. Each seat/couch was set too low so it was impossible to see the stage. Televisions were placed all around so we could look up and see what was happening on the stage. Karaoke, dance parties, and games were held here.

Entertainment: We caught the first show at the Princess Theater and weren’t too impressed. It was in line with all the many other theater acts we have sat thru and chose to skip the shows the rest of the week. The comedian this night was Lorenzo Clark and he was okay. This was one of three times I actually saw our Cruise Director, Billy Hygate. We caught the juggler act with Dan Bennett. He was hilarious and we find ourselves still repeating his name. (Watch him and you’ll know why). We slipped into the late performance of Brandi Chapman and though her singing was nice, she talked way too much and lost a large portion of her crowd, including us. Troy Thirdgrill was onboard for two different shows. He was wonderful and well worth taking in. However, his video he sells was a repeat of the same shows we just watched, so a bit disappointed with that $25 spent. We enjoyed watching the “princess pop star” each night (like an American idol count down) other events were random but the girls had a fantastic time at the Halloween Bash in Club Fusion. For anyone there and bought the reflections video, my daughters were the devil and flapper girls)

Cabin: We occupied cabins B425 (for the girls, an inside) and B427 and B429 (balconies). Our stateroom steward was Nilo and went out of his way for us each day. He always remembered everyone’s name and spoiled the girls with chocolates each evening. The rooms were spacious enough for us with plenty of storage area for clothes and luggage.

Shore Excursions: In PV we did the jeep safari and beach adventure excursion. The jeeps were open top and suitable. There are 4 to a jeep and they do fill up every jeep. Licensed drivers (must show proof) are able to switch during the drive if they want. We chose to let daddy do all the driving. Grandparents sat back and let the other couple drive as well. This is not a rugged extreme adventure but the roads are very dusty and bumpy at times. We left very dirty but did have the option to shower or bathe at the resort we stopped at. The snack they gave us was sushi. Not my favorite choice but I was hungry and the rice was fine. We had to climb over a small wall to get to the beach. The sand was hot, the water was very rocky as we first entered, and the water was surprising, a bit chilly. I wouldn’t rate this excursion as a “10” but we all loved seeing the back country of Mexico and see how the locals really do live. This was certainly not the tourist side of PV. The beach adventure portion was a dud in my book, and too much time was spent back tracking on the same paved road where I’d rather have seen more of the back country.

In Mazatlan we hired a private van (Fernando from a tour group soliciting passengers) who took us around the old town and new town. It was to be $30 a passenger for 3 hours of tour. We ended up being out there for 4 ½ hours for the same price First off, let me say this guy was awesome. He spoke good English and grew up in Mazatlan. He started us in the old town and told us who built it up, and how people live, their jobs, etc. Took us to some non-touristy stores where the prices were much cheaper, they offered us a cold drink and clean restrooms. None of the businesses were pushy sellers and it was nice quality stuff. He found the common points of interest, such as the cliff divers and good photo opportunities and even advised us what was a good value in shopping (He did say, at one point, the silver from these local vendors was not good so do not buy it.) However, we did find the shopping was best in this town. Much cheaper prices then the other two ports we were at. The street vendors were very pushy but did come down well on prices. (Wood carvings here were popular and good prices). Little children sold gum packets (Chiclets) 5 for a dollar. Mazatlan was our favorite port by far. The new town (where the resorts were) wasn’t too impressive but the old town was very interesting. One point of interest; my daughter had to do a presentation on Mexico’s celebration of Día de los Muertos or, Day of the Dead. This day we were here, was the day it was celebrated. Fernando explained all this to her and took her to places where she could get photos for her presentation. He took us to a local cemetery to see how the locals celebrated this day’s memorial.

At Cabo San Lucas we did the sail and snorkel excursion offered by the ship. Sergio took us out on a sailboat to Chilino Bay where we spent an hour in the water snorkeling. The water was clear, warm, and fish were ample. Drinks were served on board throughout as well as a variety of cheese snacks. A well recommended trip to anyone, even if you don’t snorkel. Sergio was very helpful and friendly. We didn’t have much time to see the town as we needed to back on the ship by 1:30. There is a market right by the pier that was full of anything one would want. They do come down in prices so never pay asking price, but they are much pricier then the other ports.

Family & Children: Though my children are older, I wanted to comment on this as it’s been a topic of interest for cruise goers for some time. I was surprised at how many children were on board. I didn’t see them very much, but I did watch them during their Halloween parade on board. I had no idea how many children were actually on board! I toured the activity rooms on the ship and was impressed at all the equipment and activities available for these kids. From the small ones to the older teens, they all had their own areas to hang out and be supervised. None of the outdoor activities for the kids interfered with the adults sunbathing. Only one boy, whom I seen a couple times (maybe 12) was annoying and didn’t surrender the volleyball to the cruise staff when asked. It was appalling to see his father do nothing of the situation even after the boy jumped from the hot tub into the pool. All throughout the ship we saw “youth security”, especially in the evenings. I’ve never seen this before and was impressed. The staff did a wonderful job keeping kids in line. I even saw many infants on board and for those of you who pooh pooh them taking a trip with their parents, well pooh pooh on you, I hope all the young parents enjoyed your vacation with your babies and encourage anyone to do the same.

I do have a copy of all the patters, skipped picking up menus this time as they do change from time to time, but will be happy to share anything you may question if I can.

[seababe]

lady lynne

thanks for the review who was your captain?

[cruzbabe]

Great review. My DS and I will be doing the 12/17/05 sailing. thanks!

[ladylynne]

lady lynne

thanks for the review who was your captain?

 

seababe: The captain was Attilo Guerrini

The cruise director was Billy Hygate whom we only saw at the end of a couple shows briefly (while he sang) and on the morning show. Deputy CD was Peter Tredgett, who was wonderful

[Moondawgie]

Thanks, ladylynne.

 

Did you use the spa?

[ladylynne]

Thanks, ladylynne.

 

Did you use the spa?

 

no, I never use the spas. They seemed busy though and had many specials thru the week.

[merela]

For the 10/22 sailing of Sapphire, the captain was Tony Yeomans! Maybe they switched captains because Captain Yeomans had a cold at the Captains Circle member party. Perhaps he was too sick to work the following week.

[Mitchie872]

Thank you so much Ladylynne, we leave this saturday and that review is definitely making me look forward to my trip.

Do you remember if they had frog legs any night?

For Island night was there a band?

Thank you again

Mikie

[Mitchie872]

[oops sorry had a double post

[ladylynne]

Thank you so much Ladylynne, we leave this saturday and that review is definitely making me look forward to my trip.

Do you remember if they had frog legs any night?

For Island night was there a band?

 

Thank you again

 

Mikie

 

 

Mikie, they did have frog legs one night (yuk..lol) but they were an appetizer. My daughter certainly enjoyed them! I think there were only 2 or 3 on the plate but of course, you can have as many as you want, all you have to do is ask!!

 

Island night was a little disappointing as I tended to compare it to previous cruises. The decorations were very limited and the crowd seemed a little more laid back and not as willing to "party". The band was on the stage at the back of the pool. It was the band that played thru out the week. They did have a Mr. Sapphire contest and a mexican hat contest which was fun to watch.

 

The dvd we bought (called reflections of the cruise) would really make you want to hurry and get on that boat. I tend to share it with many friends who can't decide if they really want to take a cruise or not!

 

happy sailing

[ladylynne]

Thank you so much Ladylynne, we leave this saturday and that review is definitely making me look forward to my trip.

Do you remember if they had frog legs any night?

For Island night was there a band?

 

Thank you again

 

Mikie

 

 

Mikie, they did have frog legs one night (yuk..lol) but they were an appetizer. My daughter certainly enjoyed them! I think there were only 2 or 3 on the plate but of course, you can have as many as you want, all you have to do is ask!!

 

Island night was a little disappointing as I tended to compare it to previous cruises. The decorations were very limited and the crowd seemed a little more laid back and not as willing to "party". The band was on the stage at the back of the pool. It was the band that played thru out the week. They did have a Mr. Sapphire contest and a mexican hat contest which was fun to watch.

 

The dvd we bought (called reflections of the cruise) would really make you want to hurry and get on that boat. I tend to share it with many friends who can't decide if they really want to take a cruise or not!

 

happy sailing

[Mitchie872]

Thanks again Ladylynne for all the info

Mikie

[suzanne911]

Thanks for the review! My boyfriend and I were in Mazatlan on a 2 week land trip and saw your ship in port. Mazatlan was great, wasn't it? Too bad you didn't get to stay later that night for the Day of the Dead activities. We were having dinner at the Shrimp Bucket on the Malecon and a parade of about 100 people dressed up in day of the dead costumes (faces painted as skulls) marched with fireworks, drums and torches up the Malecon and through the old town, ending at the Theatre. It was spectacular! We were so lucky to have been sitting in the right place at the right time to see it. The Sapphire looked beautiful in port, by the way!

[travellovervic]

Thank you lady lynne for your review! It is not too long, and no need to apologize at all. Good infor! We are going on Dec 17, this really gets us excited - 40 days to go!

 

May we ask you 2 questions:

 

At Mazatlan, you mentioned that you had hired a private van (Fernando from a tour group soliciting passengers), was it just someone you picked from the pier? Would we be able to book him ahead of time? Initially, we are inclined to take the "Shopping, beach, lunch & show" from the ship's excursions ($47 each), I guess the difference is the use of the hotel facilities, lunch and the beach. Any comments?

 

Secondly, at Cabo San Lucas you took the sail and snorkel excursion offered by the ship (Sergio took us out on a sailboat to ChilinoBay), we notice there are 2 with very similar description in the brochure. Was it SJD-S or SJD-T? We always want to see the famed Los Arcos, did you sail past it? Did they give you time to pose for photos? Another poster mentioned that they were on a catamaran, the Tropicat, also snorkeling at Chilino Bay. Was it the same one?

 

Thanks again,

Vic

[justmarie]

Hi Lynn, Like you I was a bit late and was unable to meet up with everyone, I did run into Mindy's group, as they were on the horse back ride in Maz (Randi's Happy Horses) That was a very good time, we really enjoyed seeing "Old Mexico" too, we also saw the people bringing flowers over to Stone Island for the departed.

The boy you saw on the ship was so hyper, he hit my husband in the face with a tennis ball, then proceeded to tell my son he was 15 (he was 12) and that he was going to watch his girlfriend strip! Then there is the time you saw him dive off the hot tub, we were there too, needless to say my husband told the boy to stay away from my son, and I also told the club staff (they knew he was trouble) There were 150 kids (3-17) on the ship, week before there were 300. My son really like the Club, and was never board.

We enjoyed the ship, I can say we were dissapointed in the service in Pacific Moon too, staff on the ship was varied.

My husband had a full massage, loved it! And we have the products to show for it.

The zip lines were great, scary but beautiful (bus ride was more frightening).

Cabo was HOT, we went to Cabo Wabo, it was very cool, the night club was dark, but the rest was great, drinks at 10:30 in the morning was odd for us!

I can say that the locals on the islands we went to were friendly and more appreciative than the locals on the Islands we have been to in the Caribbean

We were up at 6 am every morning to see the sunrise, but were in bed by 10pm, too tired! We did not go to alot of the shows, but the Exployers Club was our favorite.

We booked on board fo Alaska next summer, just the two of us!

[lkmamom]

Thanks for the very helpful reviews! Just a couple of questions if you do not mind.....What sort of transfers did you use from the airport to San Pedro? Anthing in particular that you would recommend?

 

I was also wondering about the formal nights. I have heard that this cruise is a lot more "laid back" if you will. Did most of the cruisers dress to the nines or was it more casual? I never have a problem with formal night, love it but my husband and son would be very happy if they could get by with suit jackets and dress shirts:) .They know the routine:D and will be happy to make Mom happy, just really wanted to know in advance if things were a little more casual on this cruise.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Linda

[ladylynne]

Thanks for the review! My boyfriend and I were in Mazatlan on a 2 week land trip and saw your ship in port. Mazatlan was great, wasn't it? Too bad you didn't get to stay later that night for the Day of the Dead activities. We were having dinner at the Shrimp Bucket on the Malecon and a parade of about 100 people dressed up in day of the dead costumes (faces painted as skulls) marched with fireworks, drums and torches up the Malecon and through the old town, ending at the Theatre. It was spectacular! We were so lucky to have been sitting in the right place at the right time to see it. The Sapphire looked beautiful in port, by the way!

 

wow... this information is really useful for my daughter who is typing up a power point presentation ( to earn credit for being gone a week) in her Spanish class. If possibly you have any photos of this (scanned or digital) I'd love to share them with you!! (pcfour4@chartermi.net) this would have been wonderful to see as thh entire memorial we saw at the community center and the cemetary was beyond words!

[ladylynne]

Thanks for the review! My boyfriend and I were in Mazatlan on a 2 week land trip and saw your ship in port. Mazatlan was great, wasn't it? Too bad you didn't get to stay later that night for the Day of the Dead activities. We were having dinner at the Shrimp Bucket on the Malecon and a parade of about 100 people dressed up in day of the dead costumes (faces painted as skulls) marched with fireworks, drums and torches up the Malecon and through the old town, ending at the Theatre. It was spectacular! We were so lucky to have been sitting in the right place at the right time to see it. The Sapphire looked beautiful in port, by the way!

 

How neat it would have been to see. Did you by chance get any photos of the parade? My daughter is doing a power point display for being gone a week from her spanish class about this celebration. If you did capture any pics, do you mind sharing? (pcfour4@chartermi.net) The cemetary decorated was a site to see!

[ladylynne]

Thank you lady lynne for your review! It is not too long, and no need to apologize at all. Good infor! We are going on Dec 17, this really gets us excited - 40 days to go!

 

May we ask you 2 questions:

 

At Mazatlan, you mentioned that you had hired a private van (Fernando from a tour group soliciting passengers), was it just someone you picked from the pier? Would we be able to book him ahead of time? Initially, we are inclined to take the "Shopping, beach, lunch & show" from the ship's excursions ($47 each), I guess the difference is the use of the hotel facilities, lunch and the beach. Any comments?

 

Secondly, at Cabo San Lucas you took the sail and snorkel excursion offered by the ship (Sergio took us out on a sailboat to ChilinoBay), we notice there are 2 with very similar description in the brochure. Was it SJD-S or SJD-T? We always want to see the famed Los Arcos, did you sail past it? Did they give you time to pose for photos? Another poster mentioned that they were on a catamaran, the Tropicat, also snorkeling at Chilino Bay. Was it the same one?

 

Thanks again,

Vic

 

vic, as i slowly sort through my belongings, I may come across Fernando's personal number he can be reached at. I was very pleased with the tour and felt he was a much better value then a ship's excursion for this as he went to our pace. If we wanted to spend more time at the cliff diver, then he did so. I've heard many good reviews about this tours by Frank as well. But Fernando was chosen from a hundred it seems that were at the pier. i just remember his shirt had a yellow logo on the chest.... Ill do some more research on where he was from, it's here somewhere. Um, as far as using a resort's facilities..I think I'd personally want to see the city, there is so much to experience. The resort will be a pool, maybe a beach, and limited time. It's all in what you are looking for though.

 

we booked on SJD-S... I wasn't certain the other included snorkle gear and my father in law didn't have his own. Also, the water slide on the tropicat didn't sound like it would mix well with a relaxing sail back to the boat. Our boat was a sailboat, not really a catmaran, since I thought those had the two things on each side (sorry, I don't know my boat terminolgy). It wasn't the boat you see in the picture. I'd be happy to e-mail you pics of the boat when my daughter gets them scanned.

[atdahop]

Thank you for the very informative review. We will be sailing in December. I wanted to ask a question about jeans. Were there anyone wearing them the first night in the dining room. I ask because I plan to travel in jeans and if we do not get the luggage before dinner then I would hate to have to go to the buffet.

Carole

[ladylynne]

Thanks for the very helpful reviews! Just a couple of questions if you do not mind.....What sort of transfers did you use from the airport to San Pedro? Anthing in particular that you would recommend?

 

I was also wondering about the formal nights. I have heard that this cruise is a lot more "laid back" if you will. Did most of the cruisers dress to the nines or was it more casual? I never have a problem with formal night, love it but my husband and son would be very happy if they could get by with suit jackets and dress shirts:) .They know the routine:D and will be happy to make Mom happy, just really wanted to know in advance if things were a little more casual on this cruise.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Linda

 

we used Prime time shuttles from LAX to our hotel. They were a bit slow in our pick up but part was our fault since we didn't see them across the service road right away.

 

I thought these formal nights seemed much more laid back. i actually saw a man in a collarless shirt and a woman in capri's. But... they were an exception. Most were dressed in nice cocktail dresses and men wore dark suits. Young men had on a suit jacket or at least a tie.

[ladylynne]

atdahop~ there were a few rebels in jeans (mostly the young) but you'll have your luggage...ours were there before we got to our room! and we went there BEFORE the buffet!

 

justmarie~ sorry i missed you as well. I wonder now what face matched yours as I saw many of the same people on board all week. Yes, that boy was a brat, wasn't he? Was your son playing with him when he wouldn't surrender the ball and stand? One boy stepped back and didn't participate in the show of attention. I'm surprised Stevie didn't give him a little pinch when he threw him in the pool! How cool you already have another booked! My hubby is talking... not sure to where yet..he wants to do alaska when we are "old"...LOL (we are 42 and 45). I'm glad your4 son had a good time..I was really impressed with the program. 300 is a lot of kids but like I said, i didn't even notice all 150 there!! My hubby wanted a coulples massage but I'm not sure if I'd like that!..

 

we need to keep our cruise chat going so I can keep up to date with your upcoming one!!

[merela]

Thank you for the very informative review. We will be sailing in December. I wanted to ask a question about jeans. Were there anyone wearing them the first night in the dining room. I ask because I plan to travel in jeans and if we do not get the luggage before dinner then I would hate to have to go to the buffet.

Carole

 

We were all unpacked before the Muster Drill at 4pm. 3 of our 5 bags were there before we went to the Horizon Court for lunch buffet and all our bags were accounted for by the time we returned to our cabin after lunch. This was true for all our Princess sailings.

 

I didn't see any jeans at dinner time in the dining room. I saw a few at lunch time in the dining room.

 

BTW, frog legs were served as an appetizer on the 5th night. See the menus:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=249520

[Mitchie872]

Thanks Merela for the frog legs info :)

[gja360]

Thank you for your review!!