Response to Sapphire Princess Review

[Tom O.]

The following is review for the Sapphire Princess (sailing date 11/05). It was posted on the Member Reviews Page. Since it is not possible to respond on that page, I copied it here. My response is below the review.

 

Review:

Am writing this review because 1.) I read many reviews before my trip and I felt that they were somewhat helpful and I would like to contribute to this forum. 2.) I would like to paint a picture from my perspective both good and bad for anyone else who is in my demographic, trying to fill in where others have not. Hopefully someone will read this and find it very helpful.

 

Background info: I am a 33 year old, single, well traveled Los Angeles raised- middle class, heterosexual male and first time cruiser. It all started when my good friend who I have known for most of my life and I decided we need a vacation for the sake of relaxation and fun.. a break from work and a chance to clear our minds of any concerns at home - more or less a 'guys cruise' - like the Princess brochure says "Escape Completely" the whole package seemed very logical and appealing... right?

Positive notes: The staff was plentiful and extremely nice, our steward Noel was fantastic - always quick and hardworking to please us with anything that we needed, many of the employees are from all over the world Romania, Philippines, Estonia, Australia etc, all of them young and very eager to help - perhaps this is a great opportunity for them.. The boat itself was very clean with an ample amount of room. The room service was very quick and responsive as well. The lotus spa masseuses were well worth the price of a full body massage. Our room - which became our sanctuary and safe haven and was probably the best move we made, with a large 8' x 8' patio with mini lounge chairs and a extra living room area really came in handy to eat room service food or play cards, although there were a few times were people look down into our patio and unless you looked up you wouldn't know they were there, but hey so what. - These positive notes are very similar to what other reviewers write about, and they are truthful.

Negative notes (No holds barred): This is the information the other reviewers fail to mention, once the curtain is drawn and the truth is revealed. Again, this is the truth, from my cruising experience in my perspective. On first arrival we were excited after waiting for a few months with great expectations of having a great time. As soon as we left port our expectations and experience turned into misery and disgust- a maritime nightmare (in my opinion). If you ever had any concern of being sea sick on a large cruise ship and someone has said something to you in the effect of "Those boats are so big, you won't feel a thing!" - let me be the first one to tell you - that's Bull****! The Sapphire Princess is one of the largest ships princess cruises has in their fleet - when we left LA this boat was rocking around like an Alaskan crab fishing boat and it lasted until the second night - there wasn't any storm or rain - just some semi-rough waters. The wobble was insane!! trying to walk down the hallways and stairs was difficult, at one point I saw an elderly people holding on for dear life to mounted furniture and walls trying to make their way around. My friend and I are avid weight lifters and gym enthusiast - we spend at least 4-5 days a week at the gym doing cardiovascular exercise and weights and moving around on the boat was somewhat challenging. Fortunately I was wearing the patch - which probably prevented me from throwing up and turning green - but the patch doesn't stop the boat from moving and making you feel agitated (read my motion sickness test below). We attempted to muscle through it and eat some food in the Pacific Moon dining room, where we believed we can get sushi... When we got there a table for 2 is about 10 inches away from another table for 2.. so basically we were sitting shoulder to shoulder to complete strangers - in this case it was a couple in their 60's and we all probably felt awkward. When the waiter handed us the menu, the rocking was so bad, I couldn't even concentrate enough to read the menu...AND they didn't have sushi!!!! So we bailed out of there and retreated to our room to contend with this rocking motion and order room service. This was our first and last attempt to eat at one of the 4 dining rooms. The whole setup for 2 is ridiculous for anyone to enjoy a meal. The dining rooms were very stale and cold, with little to no atmosphere. That night my friend and I could not fall asleep until about 2-3 in the morning... the motion felt like it was pushing me out of my bed.. it wasn't until complete exhaustion that we were able to fall asleep.

 

 

 

Room + Room service food: The room service food was petite - all the sandwiches which appear to be healthy are very minimal in meat (just one slice) and heavy in mayo. The French fries were ALWAYS cold. The best meal (not healthiest) is the Cheeseburger, If you decide to get some deli sandwiches go ahead and double up on them order 2 for each person, pull the sandwiches apart and put the contents into one - and make sure you lie to room service and tell them its for more people- based on how many orders you place. Wipe off all the excess mayo! if you have any respect for your body. The room we had was towards the backside of the boat, I would recommend to anyone to try and get a room towards the middle or the front of the boat because you wont feel the vibration of the engine as much, its a very consistent vibration, you can feel it all over it will wear you down.

Entertainment: Amateur night at best, there was one band of black (African-American, P.C.) performers who played reggae, they were probably the best - the funny thing is that they played the same set of songs somewhere different each night. We popped our heads in the theater one night to see a lady singing to a crowd of grey hairs - very amateur again - as expected. It reminded of me the times I would visit my now diseased grandmother in her old age home when they would bring in some singer on a Karaoke box. Oh and the Art Auction - A complete racket, those prints aren't worth jack (I am an artist, I know my stuff) the auctioneer is quite an interesting guy, we caught him the first couple nights hanging out in the casino getting drunk and running his mouth, We found him to be entertaining in a most annoying way. Hardly anybody was biding on the paintings, its a scam. The original paintings had no aesthetic value whatsoever. The casino is great fun, play small, make it last and get your buzz on. I had one old man get pissed at me because I didn't play blackjack in order to benefit him - old angry man. Motion Sickness?: This is any first timers! Do you think you can handle it? Well, for me I am very sensitive to motion and if it weren't for the false belief that large boats are stable and that the boats stabilizers ensure a smooth ride I would have never stepped onboard. So here is my test, you should take before you drop $600 to $1000 or more on a 7 day cruise. Get a friend of yours to drive you up and down a very curvy, rough, poorly paved winding road - preferably in a car that has bad suspension. While driving, keep your head down or turn facing backwards so you cannot see the road ahead, try to read a book or do some kind of activity like a board game. If this does not make you feel sick...than you are a good candidate for going on a cruise. If this test makes you want to vomit than you are not a good candidate for a cruise...by booking that cruise you are rolling the dice on the quality of time you will have. Once your onboard, you cant just decide to call it quits and go home - your trapped. The doctor prescribed patch only prevents you from vomiting and tossing your lunch - you will still feel the motion even when you walk on solid ground the ship stays with you. I used the patch and the side effects were quite apparent - starting with a cotton dry mouth- you will be need to be sipping plenty of water, and you will wake up several times throughout the night reaching for a glass of water to relieve your dry throat - not fun if you enjoy drinking alcoholic beverages, usually when I drank a beer I needed a glass of water as a chaser. Also - you will become farsighted - in other words you cannot read anything closer than a foot away from your face - very scary. I took the patch off a week ago and I still cant read things up close, my doctor has assured me that its the medicine running around in my body. If you still decide to go for a cruise unsure of yourself, don't get an interior room, if that boat gets a rockin' believe me that patio will be worth it!

 

 

 

The people on board: Most of the people on board were in the 40-80 age range, mostly couples. I am sure most of these people are good well-to-do people. Most of them move very slowly as expected.

If you want to enjoy the boat on the top levels away from the masses and kids go to the top back - where there aren't greasy pizza stations, Ice cream stations and random food festivities... that's where you might find an hour or two of peace.

Besides that in general I found for my me and my age group (25-35) the cruising as a form of vacation rather poor, the feeling of being trapped on boat really weighed in towards the end when you are anxiously counting down the hours that you can get off! I say pick Puerto Vallarta for a whole week, if you want to stuff your guts, there are plenty of hotels that have all inclusive meals, just like a boat. Being on land gives you more options and freedom. In the end we both felt that we needed to "Escape Completely" from the cruise experience, I was hoping to come back to work feeling refreshed, instead I am still yearning for that truly relaxing vacation. First Time/Last Time! good luck... if you have any questions feel free to hit me.

 

First, I will say that getting sea sick can make any cruise into a negative experience. I can understand anyone refusing to go on another cruise after a serious bout with sea sickness.

With regards to sea sickness, I have found that people fall into 4 catagories: a) Never get sea sick no matter what the conditions. b) Never get sea sick on large ships, but occasionally get sea sick on small boats in rough seas. c)Usually gets sea sick on small boats and will occasionally get sick on large ships in rough seas. And d) Always gets sea sick no matter what the conditions. You seem to be in category d.

 

But your other comments show that you did not do enough research before your voyage.

A little research would tell you that the other (no extra cost) restaurants serve the same menu as the main dining room, but usually have one or two exclusive items that go with the restaurant theme.

 

Your comments on the age of passengers are close to being descriminatory. There are people of all ages on these ships, but there is no doubt more older people on Princess Cruises than you are used to being around. If you really want a younger crowd, Carnival Lines would be your best bet, but you will find some older people there too. I have just the opposite point of view. I am older (56) and I prefer to be with an older crowd. It is not that I don't like young people, it is just that I have grown out of my "party till you pass out" phase, and I like to have a little peace and quiet. But on a huge ship like the Sapphire, you should have been able to find plenty of young people to hang out with. But, the nature of cruises is that it is almost all couples, so it would be a little awkward for a single guy. There are special cruises for singles, however.

 

At any rate it looks like you won't be trying cruising for a while. It didn't work for you, with your motion sickness, but it works very well for many others of all ages. If it didn't these ships would not have any repeat business. Well, most of their business are returning customers.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I guess the reviewer should stay off the LA to Hawaii cruises. We had "rough seas" going there (the previous cruise had them coming home). Brought along lots of ginger altoids but still got dizzy for a day. Hubby and 8-yr-old were perfectly fine. Some people did get sick but I didn't hear anyone say they were never going on another cruise. I don't regret going at all. Most of my cruises have been relatively smooth -- it really depends on weather conditions and location. As you said, you need to research.

[Dena]

We love to cruise, but I agree with the OP about the room service sandwitches. As far a motion goes, I prefer more motion (at night) and have been disappointed on the last two cruises because they have been so smooth. I believe the captain may increase the speed late at night, so that the resulting motion won't bother diners. But this motion rocks me to sleep, in fact it is the best sleep I have ever experienced. On our next cruise, we have booked an aft cabin and are hoping for more motion.

[spongerob]

I have to admit, anyone who posts a negative review and includes a comment that they are "revealing the truth" and implies that anyone who enjoys cruising are just a bunch of liars doesn't carry a lot of credibility with me. It goes to show that cruising is not for everyone, so if this review turns away a person similarly inspired to look for negatives in any experience, then perhaps it's for the best.

[FamilyGuy1010]

The reviewer made a point of saying "I am a 33 year old, single, well traveled Los Angeles raised- middle class, heterosexual male and first time cruiser.". My guess is that he is not happy because he couldn't find any "action" (watched too much Love Boat as a kid).;) :rolleyes: :D

 

Of course, if he were seasick, I can understand why he didn't enjoy the experience.

[CruisinBrett]

I certainly feel bad when I read about an unpleasant time caused by seasickness on a cruise. With the proper precautions this should not be an issue. My pharmacist friend has always recommended Bonine as the most reliable antidote available, if taken properly. My mother in law started taking this a day prior to one of our cruises, and every day throughout. I am NOT one to get seasick, but on one Sun Princess cruise a combination of very rough seas and a James Bond movie in the Princess theater were enough to get me a bit queezy. My mother in law was in the seat next to me, head glued to the screen with a big smile on her face. PPP (prior proper planning) can make the experience MUCH more enjoyable.

 

As for ages, I am 38, and while certainly feeling "younger" on some longer cruises, I have found many 50-70 year olds to be funner and wilder than many of the 20-30 year olds on board. Good fun energy attracts good fun energy regardless of age, number of wrinkles, or fat rolls for that matter.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Good fun energy attracts good fun energy regardless of age, number of wrinkles, or fat rolls for that matter.

Some of the wisest words ever written on these boards! Thanks!

[Pam in CA]

He lost me at his description of leaving LA. If he'd read these boards at all or did ANY research, he'd know about the Japanese Current and that the water off the southern coast of California is: a) cold; b) rough. Heck, he's from Los Angeles -- why wouldn't he know this? He's going to be on a ship on the ocean. How could he expect that it would be as stable as his local Marriott?

 

You're right. I think he was expecting a vacation in Cancun during spring break on the Love Boat.

[spongerob]

Anyone who has lived in California should be used to a little rocking and rollling. That terra isn't exactly firma.

[Dreamer333]

That review was posted here... I think it was removed because if I remember correctly, it got a bit heated!

[tutak]

Cruise Critic ought to post a generic cruise review where you only type in the ship's name and the sailing dates. This would eliminate any negative reviews.

[Tom O.]

Negative is okay, as long as the writer doesn't get offensive. I enjoy reading the narratives that people write even if sometimes they get me a little upset.