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

[Oztpot]

 

 

 

 

 

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[Oztpot]

And the room layout (power plug pics to come!)

 

Dolphin Deck Mini Suite

 

 

 

 

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[jimbri]

Looking forward to the rest of your review - great photos!

[Oztpot]

Malaysia: Penang and Langkawi (Days 2 and 3 aboard the Sapphire)

 

Let's start again with some Q and A!

 

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

 

For sit down breakfast and lunch in the dining rooms, we say that we are happy to share a table and have yet to wait more than two minutes. If you are happy to share then you are placed on a table with another 4-6 people. For dinners, we tend to dine later (around 7:30-8) and prefer to not share as it's easy to be 'talked out' by the end of the day. Our longest wait has only been 5 minutes, but in saying that, I feel we have been lucky in that aspect. Will keep you updated on this aspect throughout the cruise.

 

Is it possible to bring extra wine on lard paying a corkage fee?

 

Believe you can for US$15 per bottle, although not 100% sure as we didn't personally.

 

Do you pay for ice cream at Swirls ice cream bar?

 

Fortunately the ice cream (soft serve style) is free! However, the Swirls milkshakes are an additional cost.

 

pics of powerpoint

 

 

I thought on the Sapphire that there was an aft bar on one of the higher decks

 

We will try and look into this for you! I know that there is both the Outrigger (Deck 14) and the Oasis Bar (Deck 16), as well as the Mermaid's Tail close by but not sure how they are all running at the moment.

 

---

 

Happy Australia Day to all the Aussies following along!

 

It has been a jam packed couple of days aboard the Sapphire. As the ship did not dock until 3pm in Penang, we enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the International Dining Room and continued to explore the ship. In an attempt to burn off the cake calories, we also decided to pay the gym a visit. Trekking up the stairs to Deck 14 was a workout in itself! We decided to take advantage of the free daily morning classes in the gym- stretching at 7am then abs at 7:30am. They weren't the most inspiring, but did the job. It wasn't overly busy and there is a huge range of equipment packed into the space to keep the gym junkies happy.

 

Penang: Fortunately the ship docked on time and we headed out to the port with the majority of the ship's passengers. Along with traditional drumming at the port entrance (which was pleasant) there was the usual mob of touts offering tours (not so pleasant), so be firm to avoid the hassle. We did not have any tour booked in advance with the ship or otherwise, but instead planned to walk to three of the town's points of interest; the Clan Jetties, the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion ('The Blue Mansion'), and then through the colonial buildings and Fort Cornwallis.

 

Honestly, we would have got more out of this port taking a tour. The heat and traffic made walking exhausting and, without a guided explanation of the history or culture behind them, the attractions seemed a little lacklustre. Crossing the roads was a dice with death- pedestrian lights were uncommon and working pedestrian lights were unheard of! We took to following the locals across the road, who were unfazed by the chaotic traffic. Exhausted, we skipped the night markets and returned to the ship early to enjoy a nearly-empty pool. At dinner we talked to many passengers who really enjoyed their day out with the ship's tour, and promptly booked a Princess tour for Langkawi in order to make the most out of our second port.

 

A note on currency- we did get some Malaysian ringgits from the local bank (ATM) and there were money changers in the port terminal.

 

This morning we awoke to the sight of many small green islands scattered across the sea as the ship neared Langkawi (the island name meaning 'Strong Eagle'). We headed to the International Dining Room for breakfast. I'm not sure if 'bangers and mash' would've translated well with the chef, so some chicken sausages and hash brown potatoes were the next best option to kick off Australia Day. After brekkie, we headed down to the Theatre where the various tours were separated and grouped in an orderly manner.

 

Our Princess tour 'Langkawi On Your Own' (US $30 pp) was our second preference as our first preference- a small boat cruise through the mangroves- was understandably booked out. Not to fret, as the lure of street food and duty free shopping had us equally as excited! Our first stop was Eagle Square where a giant eagle statue greets travellers arriving by ferry from the mainland. It made a lovely picture, particularly when real eagles began circling atop the statue! The walk here is flat and easy. A word of warning for lady travellers: the toilets are the squat type and no paper is provided- perhaps bring some along and don't have that extra coffee before you leave if squat loos are not your thing!

 

Next up was duty free shopping in one of the many malls on the tax-free island. This was the perfect place for cheap sports gear, lingerie, makeup, chocolate and liquor. Many familiar brands (Diesel, Nike, Adidas, Maybelline, L'Oreal) were stocked at heavily discounted prices. My daughter found some cheap Nike leggings for AUD $30, a third of retail price. My search for bobby (hair) pins also ended here but, like the Model T Ford, you can have any colour so long at it was black... pity I am a blonde!

 

Lastly we headed to Kuah Town, Langkawi's main town and shopping strip. Unbeknownst to us, Friday is a weekend day in Langkawi, so many shops close. Our tour guide reassured us that many shops would be open for the tourists, and right he was. We got our fix of souvenir t-shirts, and lost count of the number of stores selling duty free handbags and luggage. Food was abundant but, as mentioned, we went to Dominos which sold 'Western food,' and offered free Wifi and air conditioning. We overestimated the amount of time we had to eat, but the very helpful restaurant owner packed up our fish and chips in a takeaway container!

 

All in all, our tour gave us a great snapshot of Langkawi and we really enjoyed our time there. The island has a unique tropical charm which makes for a special and memorable day out. Also note that another option to consider for this port is the mountain cable cars, SkyCab, which was raved about! In the late afternoon it was back to the ship for Australia Day celebrations. Aussies and non-Aussies alike came together for kangaroo races, pav eating competitions, Aussie music, cricket and a beer jug holding competition - I scored the ladies' title for that last one (five years of weight training had to pay off sometime) and received a Princess magnetic clip- woo hoo!

 

Looking forward to enjoying the end of this leg of the cruise. Below is a photo summary of our last few adventures!

 

 

The ship docked in Penang.

 

 

A street of paper hot air balloons to celebrate the hot air balloon festival.

 

 

The view from our balcony when docked in Penang.

 

 

Photos of Langkawi to come...

 

 

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[Oztpot]

A few more photos...

 

 

Another in Penang- one of the colonial buildings.

 

 

A much better view of the eagle.

 

 

Local souvenir shop set up next to Eagle Square in Langkawi. We bought some salty dried plums thinking they were sweets! Not a pleasant surprise.

 

 

Another beautiful pier view.

 

 

And finally, the Princess chocolate left on our pillow which always ensures the evening ends on a good note!

 

 

 

 

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[princess09]

I'm wondering how you're finding the service on the Sapphire. There is a new post on the Princess boards regarding service, and it it is very negative.

[Oztpot]

-- A day in Port Kelang, Malaysia --

 

 

A wonderful start to the day. Woke up at dawn and stood out on the balcony, watching the ship edge across to the dock at Port Kelang- the access point for Kuala Lumpur- Malaysia's capital. The name means 'muddy confluence' so take that as you will!

 

Chloe and I decided that we had could use a break from big cities and independently hired a taxi. They have a taxi desk at the bottom of the port terminal with fixed price trips on offer. You can only pay cash - but can use $US or Malaysian Ringgits - or a mix of both in our case! There are money changers and an ATM - which I tried but found confusing. The organised taxi service means there are no hasslers and the driver is only paid when he drops you back at the terminal- so he has an incentive to bring you safely back! We chose to go roundtrip to the Batu Caves for $85 US for us both. If we wanted to add a Kuala Lumpur sightseeing drive it would have been $100 US for the two of us.

 

It is over an hour to the caves, via a network of freeways. Initially it was semi rural but soon we were surrounded by the sprawling outer suburbs of KL where large blocks of apartment towers are sprouting every which way.

 

Batu Caves is a natural limestone cave formation, which has become a revered Hindu shrine. At the entrance to the cave complex there is a huge gold statue of Lord Murugan. It is only a few days until a major Hindu festival and the place was packed. Our driver parked a little way away and escorted us to the entrance. He gave us his cell phone number in case we had trouble finding him again.

 

Our day turned out to be a wonderful insight into Hindi culture. It felt like I had been dropped into India! Hundreds of pilgrims dressed in yellow, some with shaven heads jostled for space with drummers and devotees carrying large tiered structures decorated with flowers, peacock feathers and other decorations dancing up a frenzy. We also saw a man who had several metal hooks piercing his back, weighed down with small weights. There were garlands of flowers and the smell of incense and some bustling market stalls at the entrance. The little kids were especially cute - some just dressed in a decorative loincloth and a string of flowers.

 

The entrance to the main cave required a climb of around 270 steps. Not for the mobility challenged- although in a humbling act we saw one group carrying up a man in a wheelchair. Other pilgrims went on hands and knees. There was no entrance fee to the main cave but a large donation box was present. Also a few women begging for alms. As it is a shrine, you should be modestly attired and shoes should be removed- although this was not being enforced, it seemed respectful to do so. The caves were also home to monkeys and many pigeons. We saw a monkey take (well, steal) a bottle of milk and run up a light pole to drink it! Beware as they have been known to steal cameras, and once they climb up the poles they aren't coming back down again!

 

The main cave itself was an impressive limestone formation and showcased mother nature's architecture. There were other caves which you could visit for a fee but we did not look at these. Afterwards we descended to the market area at the base of the caves and for a 8 ringgits (~AU $3!) sampled fresh fried dough snacks with chilli sauce, lychee drink and some Indian sweets (which we saved to have with a cup of tea later). After about 1 1/2 hours at the caves, we managed to cross the road (once again letting the locals lead the way) and found our taxi driver to begin the trip back.

 

A lot of passengers made use of the free public wifi at the port terminal! Many were lined up along the pier with all sorts of electronics where the signal was best. Alas it did not stretch to our balcony! All in all a wonderful day out. Tomorrow we are heading back into Singapore for the cruise turnover!

 

 

These stairs aren't gonna climb themselves!

 

 

Statue of Lord Murugan

 

 

Cheeky monkeys looking for a spare bottle of milk

 

 

Festive drumming

 

 

Indian food stalls at the market area

 

 

Savouring Indian sweets back in our cabin with a cup of tea!

 

 

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[Oztpot]

-- Singapore! From one leg of the cruise to another. --

 

Today was the turnover day for the first leg of our cruise. Around 500 passengers disembarked and another 500 embarked to fill their place! In today's Patter we discovered that you only needed to go through immigration processes again if you were planning to leave the ship and go ashore. If you stayed on the ship you didn't have to redo the passport hand-in etc. So although we had planned to go to the Jurong Bird Park, we decided the rush (8:30am - 2:30pm) and re-embarking process was not worth it, so instead we took a premature 'sea day'!

 

Got up just before dawn and sat on the balcony as the ship slowly slid into Singapore. Banks of cranes dominated the skyline- their silhouettes looked like a herd of oversized giraffes on the horizon! After several busy days it was lovely to read a good book and meander down for pizza at Alfredo's while watching the new arrivals, map in hand, finding their cabins (and their lunch!).

 

As novice cruisers we have jotted down some of the things we noticed and tips which hopefully can help some other new cruisers as well!

- For Aussies, yes they have Vegemite at the breakfast buffet!

- The Coffee card is great- my daughter enjoys the coffees and I can enjoy free pots of specialty teas (Mighty Leaf brand). I am partial to vanilla.

- Do take a lanyard! Lanyards are a cruiser's best friend.

- Book ship tours early as we missed out on a couple.

- On that note, seems like only some tours are offered online prior to the cruise and in some ports a lot more options are listed in the on board booking forms.

- Be aware that children aren't allowed to be on the casino floor- unfortunately the casino is the only way to get from one side of Deck 6 to the other, so be prepared to take a detour up or down stairs.

- *In our experience* staff have been friendly and helpful. Like everywhere- some have more personality, people skills, and communication skills than others.

- There are many self serve laundromats throughout the ship which work well, and because the paid detergent dispenser was broken, we had access to free washing powder!

- Irons are available so no stress about crumpled formal night dresses.

- A subjective topic but in our opinion the quality has been consistently good, better than we expected, with a good variety.

- The main dining room service has been prompt and efficient even at peak times with shared tables/anytime dining. Never had to wait more than 1-2 mins-for a table-we were generally happy to share.

 

Out of interest's sake, the passenger tallies for our second leg of the cruise are 900 odd Brits, 500 Aussies, 500 Americans, 300 Canadians, 60 Kiwis and 1 lonely Spaniard. There are other nationalities but these were the ones given a mention!

 

I'm wondering how you find the service on Sapphire

 

We did see the review, and fortunately that hasn't been our personal experience. As mentioned, from our perspective generally the staff have been polite, happy and helpful throughout the cruise. Perhaps at times service is a little lacklustre but never overtly rude or disrespectful. Will keep you informed on this aspect throughout.

 

 

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[princess09]

Thanks for replying about the service. I'm glad you're having a positive experience.

[HuStLaZ]

Thanks for the updates! The pics are great and glad the you're finding the service good.

Will be on board in just over a month and starting to get a little nervous reading all the mixed reviews!

[moyimoyi]

Thanks for sharing! Just wondering if there is porridge on their breakfast menu (either for room service or International Dinning Room)?

[jarvis30]

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!

 

I was told by Princess in Southampton and by a staff member on board (1st week in January 2018) there was no staff. I was very disappointed, I was looking forward to nice wines and tapas. Vines is advertised in the Princess brochure. Felt we had been mislead.

[Ebony J]

I was told by Princess in Southampton and by a staff member on board (1st week in January 2018) there was no staff. I was very disappointed, I was looking forward to nice wines and tapas. Vines is advertised in the Princess brochure. Felt we had been mislead.

 

ok - so you will like this! We also like the wines by the glass in Vines. On the first day of our cruise we both bought the drinks package. When we then found out that Vines was not going to open we asked if it was possible to get the wines by the glass at another bar. We were "advised" to buy the wines that we wanted by the bottle (using our 25% discount of course) to ensure we got the wines we wanted!

 

Being Scottish - you can guess our reply!;p

[Croptop]

Thanks for posting your "Live from..." thread. I only just got off of the Sapphire a few weeks ago and I miss her already. I, too, experienced great service by a mostly friendly crew so I was flabbergasted by the negative reviews being posted in the other thread.

 

Enjoy the rest of your trip. I look forward to reading about your continued adventures.

 

P.S. For those asking about the Outrigger Bar, it was open every day on my 10-day cruise just a few weeks ago.

[Emoliash]

You are making me excited for my cruise in March. By the way are there any happy hours onboard?

[jarvis30]

ok - so you will like this! We also like the wines by the glass in Vines. On the first day of our cruise we both bought the drinks package. When we then found out that Vines was not going to open we asked if it was possible to get the wines by the glass at another bar. We were "advised" to buy the wines that we wanted by the bottle (using our 25% discount of course) to ensure we got the wines we wanted!

 

Being Scottish - you can guess our reply!;p

 

 

hi, we are Scottish too. We had the P B P as well, we weren't advised about buying wines. But, with what it costs for the package, we weren't paying any more for drinks, they ran out of Korbel small champagne bottles and grolsch half way through the cruise. I wasn't a happy bunny. :(

[Oztpot]

-- Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia (Borneo) --

 

We have just stopped in for free wifi at McDonalds (luckily reliable no matter which country!) at the Suria Sabah Mall in Borneo. As we didn't get our first preference tour (book early folks!) we decided to take an easy shopping day in the main city mall instead.

 

The islands are lovely, and it was wonderful to watch from the balcony as the ship pulled into port around early afternoon.

 

Had our first formal night last night- was lovely to see the gents so dapper in their suits and ladies elegantly attired. They had a Norman Love Chocolate Journey dessert and a slightly more exotic menu including Singapore Chilli prawns and beef tenderloins. Also a delicious smoked duck breast for starters! All tasted as good as it sounded.

 

 

just wondering if there is porridge on their breakfast menu

 

You can get porridge at both the Horizon Court buffet and in the International dining room every morning. We will check and see if it's on the room service menu too!

 

are there any happy hours on board?

 

Thankfully yes! Even sometimes twice a day! Usually 3-4pm and/or 10-11pm in the different bars (it says which in the Patter).

 

Following up on croptop's response about the bars, I'm pretty sure Outrigger is open daily also. We will report back on the situation with Vines! Thank you everyone for your well wishes. Here is a photo of our view from the balcony this morning! We will also post one of the sea day Patters which gives a good overview of the various activities available on the ship.

 

 

 

 

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[harfield]

Hi. Was there private Taxis on the pier at Kota Kintabalu that you can get?? Thanks:D

[NSWP]

Many thanks for your reports and pics from Sapphire. Am interested as on Sapphire x 2 -Scandinavia/Baltics B2B in May/June. Like you we are in a Mini Suite on Dolphin deck, same cabin for the B2B.

 

Enjoy your adventures.:p

[Davidc5412]

I didn’t see the sterling steakhouse on the patters though it still shows in our cruise personalised. Has it been replaced by the crab shack? If so have you tried it?.

Looking forward to getting on as you get off next week. Thanks for the updates

[AF-1]

Thank you for posting your great live review. Very nice; hope the rest of your cruise goes well

[Oztpot]

We have enjoyed a very relaxing sea day before the port-intensive length of the trip begins. In the morning we tried our hand at trivia (we didn't win, but were planning to next time!) then Chloe headed off to try the Drumming Circle.

 

Chloe- this was a great deal of fun and super entertaining. I have *very* limited musical capacity but it really didn't matter in the end. We all chose a percussion instrument and the legendary Paul took us through some basics. We are working on a performance which will be performed on the final sea day! Can't wait to shake up the Piazza!

 

After this we headed to the pool which had been turned into a wave pool more or less by the rolling of the ship. We managed the quickest swim ever before hopping into the much more relaxing hot tubs. It doesn't get much better than looking out over the ocean from a hot tub!

 

One of the lesser known highlights of sea days is the afternoon tea offered in the Sante Fe dining room from 3:30-4:30pm. 'Tea time' is hidden in the last page of the Patter and easy to miss, so we decided to try it out. Sure enough, it was far from busy and we were seated on the dot at 3:30pm. The waitstaff first poured cups of tea and we felt very posh as we took our choice of savoury sandwiches, biscuits/cookies, pastries and scones- all delicious! Unfortunately we left the camera behind in our cabin, but we will update with pictures on the next sea day. If you enjoy afternoon tea, then this is probably your 'cup of tea'!

 

The evening's entertainment was West End performer Paul Baker who we had watched earlier on in the cruise. We were once again blown away by his powerhouse performance of many classic musical songs! Looking forward to tomorrow's adventures in Nha Trang (Vietnam) where we have a private tour booked. Until then!

 

Sea Day Patters:

 

I believe that this is the first Patter we've posted since starting the 11 night component of our cruise. It seems that many more things are open now. It's important to note

- Vines Bar is now open daily

- Sterling Steakhouse is open on sea days, whereas Crab Shack is open on port days

- Explorer's Lounge is now open

- Outriggers Bar is now open

- There is an afternoon tea at Sante Fe Dining Room on sea days from 3:30-4:30

 

 

 

 

 

Hopefully that clears up a few of the questions regarding open diners/bars.

 

A few more q's...

 

Was there private taxis on the pier at Kota Kinabalu that you can get?

 

Yes there are! They are located further down from the terminal past all the buses, waiting and ready to go.

 

Am interested as on Sapphire x 2 -Scandinavia/Baltics B2B in May/June

 

You should love it, we particularly love the size and layout of our suite. Since the ship is due for maintenance in March you should hopefully also have the new luxury beds to look forward to! Have a wonderful trip.

 

I didn't see the sterling steakhouse on the Patters even though it still shows in our cruise personalised. Has it been replaced by the crab shack? If so have you tried it?

 

It seems that sterling steakhouse is open on sea days and crab shack is open on port days. As we didn't have any sea days in our first 4 days, it wasn't listed in the Patter. We are yet to try either because of the cover charge but it definitely looks good! Enjoy your cruise.

 

For interests sake, here is a comparison of the dining options in the first leg of our cruise (on a port day) and today's (sea day).

 

 

 

 

 

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[wallyj]

Would you be so kind and post what Princess charged for Vietnam visa. I know you have at least 2 Vietnam ports. Is this amount the same that was printed in your cruise personalizer pre cruise?

[Oztpot]

Would you be so kind and post what Princess charged for Vietnam visa. I know you have at least 2 Vietnam ports. Is this amount the same that was printed in your cruise personalizer pre cruise?

 

 

 

Hi, it is interesting to note that the price was different than what was listed in the cruise personaliser for both Vietnam and Cambodia. Vietnam visas are US $31 per person and Cambodian visas are US $40 per person. If I recall correctly, this is significantly less expensive than listed in the personaliser.

 

 

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[CRUISE4TWO]

Hi, it is interesting to note that the price was different than what was listed in the cruise personaliser for both Vietnam and Cambodia. Vietnam visas are US $31 per person and Cambodian visas are US $40 per person. If I recall correctly, this is significantly less expensive than listed in the personaliser.

 

 

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Hi there, We are on the Sapphire in May. Has anyone mentioned about what they are going to do to the ship when it goes into dry dock soon.

Marty

London