Live review from the Sapphire Princess! | Zig Zag Asia | 24 Jan - 8 Feb, 2018

[Oztpot]

There's few better ways to start of the New Year than with a cruise around South East Asia! After booking over a year ago, the time has finally come to hop aboard the Sapphire Princess travelling Singapore to Singapore through Malaysia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Thailand.

 

A brief introduction; this is my second cruise, the first being on the Royal Caribbean's Rhapsody of The Seas, and my daughter Chloe's (17yo) first cruise. She is my computer-savvy partner in crime helping to keep a live blog running (persuaded of course with the lure of free internet). Our cruise is effectively made up of two back-to-back cruises- one 4 night cruise from 24-28 Jan, where the ship re-docks at Singapore, then a second 11 night cruise from 28 Jan - 8 Feb. So it seems there will be a combination of 4, 11 and 15 night cruisers amongst us!

 

In our two pre-cruise days in Singapore, we navigated through the shockingly clean city on the MRT. The system was inexpensive, easy to use and - in a stark contrast to the Melbourne Metro we are used to - on time!! Public transport got us to the zoo, Bugis St, Chinatown, Gardens by the Bay, and Clarke Quay with no fuss. All of which were definitely worth the visit! We also set out eagerly to Raffles Hotel but alas neglected to do our research and came to find it closed for redevelopment. Darn. I really wanted that Singapore Sling too! Looks like I'll have to make up for it with a few extra cocktails on board [emoji12]

 

As a side note, our favourite dinner in Singapore has been City Satay on Orchard Rd. You can bet those chicken satay skewers tasted especially delicious after an 8h flight!

 

We will leave you with some of the photos of out highlights from the brief time we have had in Singapore. With all going to plan, our next update will be written from our balcony overlooking the ocean! Let us know if you would like to see/know anything in particular from our time on board the ship and we will try to help out! Here's to a fantastic cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

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[Clarea]

Beautiful photos!

[harfield]

Have a great trip. We have just book the same trip Feb 2019. 20 days on the Sapphire. Look forward to your reports.

Where did you stay in Singapore.

[Emoliash]

I will be keen to get your thoughts on the Sapphire as we are on there from the 28th March. Also as I have a 13 year old I would be interested in knowing your daughters thoughts on the activities and entertainment. Have a great cruise.

[SunshineCoast]

Lovely phoyographs. We will be on our way 3 weeks today, joining the ship a few days later. As the Sapphire is due for a refit a few weeks after our cruise - can you let us know what state the mattresses are in. We have had some shockers on Cruises with worn-out mattresses topped with worn out 'egg-crate' foam. Keeping our fingers crossed that this won't be the case this time. Thank you for finding the time to post.

Kr

[easyboy]

Hope you enjoy the cruise! We are also onboard now on the Sapphire with the same b2b.

 

 

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[leck57]

Thanks for the update and photos - we love Singapore and worked out quickly exactly where you were in the last two photos. We have done the Sapphire cruise that you are doing except the Malaysian ports which we may do on the Sapphire in November. I'd be interested in what tours (ship tours or private ones) that you do in Malaysia and the cost. Any other relevant info about these ports would also be great.

Also would be interested in the condition of the Sapphire - it was great 18 months ago.

[Keith1010]

Enjoying the review.

 

Please share more about the cruise and ports.

 

Love the photos.

 

Keith

[Keith1010]

May I ask what camera you used to take the photos?

 

Keith

[ryanhy1]

Joining on the 28th. Please post patters

[Oztpot]

Day 1 aboard the Princess Sapphire - Embarkation!

 

Perhaps put the kettle on and settle in, this is a long post! First things first, some questions and answers RE Singapore and the Sapphire:

 

Where did you stay in Singapore.

 

We stayed at YWCA Fort Canning Lodge and absolutely loved it. It is definitely not fancy but had everything we needed- modestly priced, free wifi, close to two stations including the main interchange (Dhoby Ghaut), walking distance from Orchard Rd and Raffles Hotel. For ~S$12 a head/day extra (not sure if my daughter was charged as a child) we also had a great buffet breakfast. We will be staying at Boss Hotel in on the day of disembarkation.

 

Also as I have a 13 year old I will be interested on knowing your daughter's thoughts on the activities and entertainment

 

Hi Emoliash - Chloe here. I will make sure to keep you updated on the teens' activities. I can confirm that all three Teen and Youth centres are available on the Sapphire, including The Beach House for 13-17 year olds. Depending on when you're travelling, be prepared for a lack of teenagers- on the 'Teen Count' board posted outside the youth centres there was a total of 23 of us on onboard! However, even with the small numbers they seem to be putting full effort into the program with daily activities. I'll check them out and report back. Below is a photo of the teen program report which all teen passengers have delivered to their cabin on the first day! Gives you a good idea of the activities to be expected. Enjoy your cruise.

 

 

 

 

 

can you let us know what state the mattresses are in

 

We had the exact same concern! Especially after reading many negative reviews regarding the apparent old and worn out state of the Sapphire. However, they appear to be nice and normal mattresses, no egg-crate foam, perhaps a tad on the hard side but nothing to keep from a good night's rest. Keep in mind we aren't particularly fussy. Seems like the new mattresses in refurbish are more of an added luxury than a necessity. Pillows are great as well!

 

We are also onboard now on the Sapphire too with the same b2b

 

Hope to see you at the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle! We are doing the Meet and Mingles for both the 4 night and 11 night component as organised in the Roll Calls. I shouldn't be too hard to spot with my teen daughter!

 

I'd be interested in what tours that you do in Malaysia and the cost

 

Hi leck57. Although we have pre-booked a few tours in other countries we are yet to book any tours (Princess or independent) for the Malaysia ports. In our first stop Penang (Georgetown) we are hoping to explore the old town and 'the art street' on foot and shop our way through a night market as the ship is docking from 3-11pm. We have also heard that the Butterfly Farm and Reclining Buddha (Wot Chayamangkalarm) are both however they both require taxi rides.

 

The second Malaysian port we stop at is Langkawi where we are hoping to taxi out to the SkyCab (Cable Cars) and possibly the Pantai Cenang beaches. In our third stop at Port Kelang we are keen to explore the Batu Caves and hopefully to Petronas Twin Towers- except the Towers would require trekking into Kuala Lumpur.

 

That's a brief overview but we will do an in-depth breakdown of the ports as we travel through them over the next few days including costs! So stay tuned.

 

May I ask what camera you used to take the photos?

 

Hi Keith, surprisingly these photos were taken by my daughter on her iPhone 6! I have a point and shoot Lumix but I dare say many of the iPhone's photos turned out even better!

 

---

 

All about Day 1 - Embarkation!

 

With the ship due to disembark at 12 noon, we had a lazy morning in our hotel and stretched out our hotel breakfast (just in case there isn't enough food aboard the cruise!). After packing up, we taxied out to Marina Bay Cruise Centre where the gorgeous Sapphire Princess was docked and ready to take us aboard. It was difficult to fully appreciate the size of the ship until we were staring up at it from the port.

 

The standard customs procedures applied with staff checking tickets, passports, and declaration forms. The whole process was incredibly organised and very well staffed- we were cleared and on board within the hour! We turned up at the Cruise Centre at 12 on the dot but it seems we could have even turned up and boarded earlier as many many non-priority passengers boarded before us. Not that it mattered too much of course, but it was lovely to make ourselves at home in our cabin.

 

The cabin itself: we have a mini suite on Dolphin Deck (Deck 9). Our first impressions of the cabin is that they made very good use of the space and nothing felt particularly cramped. Our luggage arrived at our doorstep within an hour of boarding so we could quickly unpack. Our steward Ryan also introduced himself and made sure that we were comfortable. Take our perspective with a grain of salt however as we are only familiar with the mini suite and can't speak for other room layouts. We felt that a kettle would be a nice addition but I suppose the walk to the buffet for a cuppa will do us good!

 

The ship: admittedly, we don't have that many ships to compare it to, but we think the Sapphire is stunning with sophisticated, clean decor and wonderful facilities. The interior has a very classical theme to it, which may seem outdated to some but to us only added to the charm of the ship. Granted, there is the occasional rusting metal and flaking paint, but it's few and far between and certainly doesn't impact the experience. There is plenty of space and more than enough dining options- even in the rush of boarding, the ship didn't 'feel' busy. We sat down to enjoy woodfired pizza at Alfredo's in the Piazza while the rest of the passengers boarded. The pizza arrived quickly and was spot-on, already setting the bar for the standard of food.

 

The rest of the day was spent exploring the ship (read: seeking out the best dinner option). The lotus spa staff coaxed us into a tour of the spa with the intention to sell us a treatment, but thankfully weren't overly pushy. We entered the Lotus Spa Raffle and showed for the draw- which again was more of a promotional activity than anything, but that's to be expected. In the end however, we managed to score one of the $100 voucher prizes! After getting over the initial excitement, it was clarified by the staff that the voucher was only valid for 'Signature' spa treatments, all of which were unsurprisingly worth over $100. Would probably give this one a miss in future, unless you were feeling lucky enough to win the $200 voucher!

 

Out of the four Dining Rooms available to Anytime diners, we chose the Savoy Dining Room, which was lovely. Both of our dishes- salmon, and ricotta tart- were excellent. The creme brûlée was indeed 'the creme de la creme'!

 

And so the first day aboard has us very optimistic for the rest of the cruise. I'll post a photo summary of today's highlights as soon as internet improves! But for now- did someone say Patters?

 

Trudi and Chloe

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Captain&Commander]

Hi Cloe & Cloe's Dad,

I'm very interested in your trip report as I'll be sailing on the Sapphire on March 28th. I have a few questions for you:

-How is Anytime Dining working regards to the wait time for a table?

-Did you happen to notice if it was possible to bring extra wine onboard paying a corkage fee?

-If you have a chance I'd love to see a photo of your cabin--I'm also booked in a deck 9 mini-suite.

Thanks for taking the time to share your cruise with us.

Pam

[Emoliash]

Thanks Chloe for the teen club update. We have been told there won’t be many teens/kids on that cruise. By the way do you pay for the ice cream at Swirls ice cream bar?

[HuStLaZ]

Nice review so far!

 

We're travelling on the Sapphire in March and will be in a mini suite on Dolphin deck too. Could you put a few more photos of the room? Also pics of power points (so we know which adaptors to bring with us!).

[SunshineCoast]

Many thanks for reassurance on the beds/mattresses. We prefer on the 'hard' side, so will suit us. Look forward to 'sharing' the rest of your cruise with you.

Kr

[leck57]

Just looking at the Patter. I thought on the Sapphire that there was an aft bar on one of the higher decks. I might be getting my ships mixed up but I could have sworn I had a few beers at a bar outside the Horizon Court ( not the one near the pool).

[princess09]

Excellent beginning to your report. Thank you for sharing your experience. Will be following...

[nukesubsailor]

Just looking at the Patter. I thought on the Sapphire that there was an aft bar on one of the higher decks. I might be getting my ships mixed up but I could have sworn I had a few beers at a bar outside the Horizon Court ( not the one near the pool).

 

The deck plans for the Sapphire Princess show an aft bar outside of the Horizon Court area on Lido deck. This is one deck above the aft pool. This bar is called the Outrigger Bar. For some reason, it is not listed on the patter posted above.

[leck57]

The deck plans for the Sapphire Princess show an aft bar outside of the Horizon Court area on Lido deck. This is one deck above the aft pool. This bar is called the Outrigger Bar. For some reason, it is not listed on the patter posted above.

 

Thanks nuke. Strange that it isn't listed as it's a great spot for sailaways, wake views etc and is a bit protected from the breeze. I spend plenty of time there and if eating at the Horizon Court often take my meal outside to that area.

[abellanger1]

Thank you very much for your report and especially the photos of the Princess Patter. My wife and I board the Princess Sapphire on 2/08 - the day you get off. I look forward to more of your experiences and photos!

[Ebony J]

We were on the Sapphire last month and the Outrigger Bar wasn't posted in the Patter for the whole 15 days - from memory, it only opened once during the day on a sea day. At night it opened around 6 pm and we were told it was to tie in with the opening hours for the Crown Grill. Also, you will note Vines is not mentioned, this did not open for our entire voyage. No-one could tell us why!

[SusieS]

Following!

[riclop]

Thanks for sharing.

[Oztpot]

Hi everyone,

 

We are currently sitting in a 'Western Restaurant' (aptly named Domino) in Langkawi with free wifi. Thank you everyone for your lovely comments and well wishes! We will do a write up tonight which fully covers our experiences with our two Malaysian ports so far as well as answering the many questions on the thread. Meanwhile, I'll post photos below of some highlights and also some more Patters!

 

Trudi and Chloe.

 

 

'Princess Special' Pizza at Alfredos

 

 

The options at the International Cafe on the first day.

 

 

The Princess Theatre

 

 

Sailaway from Singapore!

 

 

Don't mind if we do- a coffee and cake at International Cafe to celebrate the start of our cruise.

 

 

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[Oztpot]

Two lots of Patters:

 

 

 

 

 

 

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