Sapphire Princess - Baltic Heritage - 31 August 2019

[philwill]

On 8/17/2019 at 6:39 PM, lovetoholiday said:

Looking forward to that as I will be boarding The Sapphire Princess the day you disembark for the round trip trans Atlantic and am keen to hear about the ship.  Plus I am doing a Baltic trip next June, so am interested in hearing about your ports too.

 

Have a great trip.

Lovetoholiday, 

There is a roll call for your cruise, with a very active bunch of participants. 

We would be pleased to welcome you there, and make you aware of our M & G. 

We also have a number of members who have sailed on Sapphire a number of times, so could pass on their knowledge of the ship.

[mevs904]

We were just on the Regal Baltic Cruise and took Alla’s St. Petersburg Must See Tour.  It was outstanding.  We were very impressed with our guide and driver and their timing and professionalism was excellent.  On both days they got us back to the ship exactly when they said they would (almost to the minute).  We also took Alla tours in Stockholm, Helsinki, and Warnemunde (Rostock and Schwerin Castle).  Best excursions we’ve ever taken.  At the last port (Oslo) we took a ship’s excursion because we had OBC to use and it was a very early all aboard time.  The difference in quality was significant.  We kept looking at each other and quietly saying “we miss Alla”.

     Our weather was on the cool side and we did experience a few showers, but nothing spoiled our adventures.  For the majority of the cruise the Baltic was extremely calm.  Toward the end of the cruise we did have a little motion which was fine, it was fun to feel that we were on a ship.

     Have a wonderful time!  I look forward to your reviews and photos.😀

[lovetoholiday]

7 hours ago, philwill said:

Lovetoholiday, 

There is a roll call for your cruise, with a very active bunch of participants. 

We would be pleased to welcome you there, and make you aware of our M & G. 

We also have a number of members who have sailed on Sapphire a number of times, so could pass on their knowledge of the ship.

Thanks Philwill,

I have been following the roll call from the start, but I am travelling with 2 friends and as I am not sure if we could commit to the M & G I haven't added out names.  Perhaps I'll check in and say hi anyway, just in case.

[Scorpio41]

2 hours ago, lovetoholiday said:

Thanks Philwill,

I have been following the roll call from the start, but I am travelling with 2 friends and as I am not sure if we could commit to the M & G I haven't added out names.  Perhaps I'll check in and say hi anyway, just in case.

 

The meet and greet is up to the individuals. Sometimes we go sometimes we don't. I just depends what else is going on. Its a good place to ask questions about the ships and ports and it's always easy to find and go back to.

[Frflatt]

31st August 2019 6.30am

 

The day is finally here and in a couple of hours we will be setting off on our short drive to Southampton to join the Sapphire Princess for a 14 night Baltic cruise - really excited to be visiting so many new places.  We were on the Sapphire this time last year for a Scandinavian cruise and loved the ship - whilst we enjoy the Royal Class ships (looking forward to boarding the Sky Princess in 57 days) we love the Grand Class - especially the aft pool and Skywalkers.

 

Yesterday was busy, both Geoff and I were at work (Geoff worked from home in case there were problems commuting to The City with the train strike); but it was wonderful when we were finally able to turn on the out of office and enjoy our ‘we’re on holiday’ G&T!  Over the last couple of weeks we had been washing and folding our holiday clothes and these were neatly piled on the spare bed - this made packing a simple task. The holiday paperwork is all printed and sorted and all we have to do this morning is close the cases and attach the luggage tags.

 

We've already had our first coffee and in a few minutes we’ll have our second one and then cut our hair, shower and get ready.  We’re still debating what to wear - we had planned on shorts but the weather forecast suggests it will rain later so now we are rethinking.  Once dressed we will drive the 30 miles to Southampton and pop into West Quays for some last minute shopping - Geoff’s ordered some new boat shoes and we need another umbrella.  We had intended to take the train to Southampton but with the train strike we decided to splash the cash and buy parking at the port - probably cost five times more than train and taxi!

 

I’m looking forward to daily blogging on this cruise (Geoff will be supplying the pictures - I can’t take photos) - will do a catch up later on the embarkation and first few hours onboard  Will try to answer questions and respond to comments but I’m not the best at doing this.  I hope you will be able to follow along.

[lovetoholiday]

Enjoy!  Looking forward to hearing about your trip.

[FlorenceItaly]

Following along!  Have a wonderful cruise.

[Geoffa30]

Painless boarding process. Carry on luggage dropped in the room and now for the first cruise tradition. Straight to the Terrace Pool for a Cadillac Margarita.

 

 

[dickinson]

Looking forward to following along with your cruise!

[Geoffa30]

Slight negative. Was expecting to have Linda Gray (Sue Ellen from the TV programme Dallas) as a guest speaker on the cruise but, according to the Patter, she seems to have been replaced by Eddie the Eagle who we saw last year. Thankfully he was pretty entertaining. Hopefully he’ll have some different stories to tell this year!

[philwill]

8 hours ago, Frflatt said:

31st August 2019 6.30am

 

The day is finally here and in a couple of hours we will be setting off on our short drive to Southampton to join the Sapphire Princess for a 14 night Baltic cruise - really excited to be visiting so many new places.  We were on the Sapphire this time last year for a Scandinavian cruise and loved the ship - whilst we enjoy the Royal Class ships (looking forward to boarding the Sky Princess in 57 days) we love the Grand Class - especially the aft pool and Skywalkers.

 

Yesterday was busy, both Geoff and I were at work (Geoff worked from home in case there were problems commuting to The City with the train strike); but it was wonderful when we were finally able to turn on the out of office and enjoy our ‘we’re on holiday’ G&T!  Over the last couple of weeks we had been washing and folding our holiday clothes and these were neatly piled on the spare bed - this made packing a simple task. The holiday paperwork is all printed and sorted and all we have to do this morning is close the cases and attach the luggage tags.

 

We've already had our first coffee and in a few minutes we’ll have our second one and then cut our hair, shower and get ready.  We’re still debating what to wear - we had planned on shorts but the weather forecast suggests it will rain later so now we are rethinking.  Once dressed we will drive the 30 miles to Southampton and pop into West Quays for some last minute shopping - Geoff’s ordered some new boat shoes and we need another umbrella.  We had intended to take the train to Southampton but with the train strike we decided to splash the cash and buy parking at the port - probably cost five times more than train and taxi!

 

I’m looking forward to daily blogging on this cruise (Geoff will be supplying the pictures - I can’t take photos) - will do a catch up later on the embarkation and first few hours onboard  Will try to answer questions and respond to comments but I’m not the best at doing this.  I hope you will be able to follow along.

On the following cruise, will look forward to reading what you have to write regards the ship herself. 

As for your itinerary, we did it a few years ago, you are in for a treat. Enjoy

[Geoffa30]

A successful day in Bruges. Now for some sustenance in the International Cafe. More details to follow.

 

 

[philwill]

1 hour ago, Geoffa30 said:

A successful day in Bruges. Now for some sustenance in the International Cafe. More details to follow.

 

 

Geoffa30; 

 

I will be boarding Sapphire on its return to Southampton for its next cruise. 

I wonder if you would spare me a few minutes of your time to tell me if the wine package is available on your cruise and at what price. 

Thank you for time, your response would be gratefully appreciated on our RC.

[Frflatt]

31st August 2019

 

Embarkation was a breeze!  We set off from home slightly later than we intended at about 9.20 am - when you live close to the port there is less of a sense of urgency to get going.  We had to stop off in the West Quay shopping centre before going to the pier; Geoff was picking up some boat shoes he’d ordered and we wanted to pop into John Lewis to get a new folding umbrella and some hanging moth balls which we like to put between our clothes on the ship - this is to keep them fresh rather than hole free!  It took 47 minutes to get from home to Southampton and, with the twenty minutes in the shop, we reached Queen Elizabeth II Cruise Terminal at just around 11am.  We unloaded the car, the porter took our bags and we checked the car in without any fuss and were in the elite enclosure within ten minutes.  

 

Fifteen minutes later we were on the ship - so quick and easy.  We went straight to our stateroom - Caribe 700; a balcony cabin with huge balcony right next to the aft stairs on the port side.  Inside, the cabin felt compact compared to the mini suites we’ve been booking recently and the reports are correct as there was no barrel chair in the room - I presume this is to dissuade people from sitting in their room and encourage you to use bars etc. so you buy more ‘stuff’.  The room hadn’t been cleaned fully but we wanted to drop off the couple of bags we had so we didn’t have to carry them round the ship.  We had a quick word with Sonia, our cabin steward, who was cleaning the room next door and then went off to the Terrace Pool.

 

We always enjoy our traditional welcome onboard margarita overlooking the aft of the ship - it was quite breezy and there was a chill in the air so we didn’t hang around too long.  We wandered down to the International dining room to get an idea where our table was and were surprised when the staff in there told us there were no tables for two - we enjoy just having each other’s company at dinner - so decided to go speak with the Maitre D’ who was due in the Savoy dining room at 1.30pm.  We waited for a while in the Piazza where we enjoyed a coffee - cappuccino with an extra shot for Geoff and a skinny latte for me.  We were pleased to learn from the Maitre D’ that our table whilst a four top was designated as a table for two; we were happy.

 

Next we returned to our stateroom to our find luggage had arrived - we like to get unpacked and properly settled in.  By the time we finished unpacking and after a quick conversation with Sonia we descended to our muster station, which was in Club Fusion, we like to get a seat.  We had a chat with a couple from Cliftonville  in Kent - Geoff is from Deal which is very close - and then muster began.  It is so much easier now we don’t have to take life jackets and the musical version is more fun than the old spoken muster drill.

 

After muster we went up to Skywalkers to watch sail away as it was too cold to sit outside.  We were the first ship to leave at about 4.15pm; there were three other ships in port - P&O Azura, P&O Britannia and RCL something of the Seas (can’t remember which one)!  We stayed in Skywalkers for the PES Lounge (platinum, elite and suite) where they were serving the wheel of Stilton and port wine reduction this evening.  To drink I had Tito’s Mint Martini minus the mint and Geoff had Mayan Mule.

 

Then back to the stateroom to get ready for the evening.  It is convenient being at the aft as it’s close to the laundry room - we usually book forward rooms and it’s a long way to walk each time to do the daily ironing.  By 7pm we were ready and headed out for a pre-dinner aperitif - Crooners, my favourite evening bar, was already full so we stopped off in the Explorers lounge where we had a G&T and listened to the tv theme tune trivia which we would have won had we been playing! 

 

At 8pm we went down to the International dining room where we were shown to our table, 53, and  our servers Jobi and Arnel introduced themselves to us.  For dinner Geoff had vegetable spring rolls, chicken consommé and burger and I had shrimp cocktail, baked potato soup and steak and onion soup - the starters were good but the main courses were disappointing, Geoff’s burger was boring and my pie was gristle and onion not steak and onion.  For pudding I had creme brûlée which was soggy and Geoff had a bland cheesecake - we both had some ice cream which was tasty.  This was a somewhat disappointing start to the food experience on this ship but it is good that dinner is at a reasonable time rather than the ridiculously early 7.15 as it was on our last cruise.

 

After dinner we were both too tired to go anywhere else so decided to go back to the room with a hot chocolate and biscuits to watch TVNb with. Very soon after climbing in bed we were nodding off so settled down and were asleep within seconds.  It is surprising how quickly after getting on the ship one settles into cruise routine - it is like coming home.

[lovetoholiday]

Hope the food improves!  Looking forward to hearing more.

[Frflatt]

1st September 2019 - Zeebrugge

 

We had a fairly good night’s sleep and by the time we awoke this morning we were already alongside in Zeebrugge.  We had decided we wouldn’t rush to get off the ship this morning; we have been to this port numerous times and intended, as usual, to visit Brugge and it’s not worth getting there till after 11am.  We enjoyed a leisurely cup of coffee and took our time getting ready for the day - no breakfast today as we are trying to be sensible about not over eating!

 

We wandered down to the pier side just before 10am and purchased shuttle tickets to Blankenburg station at €10 each return - these are usually included with P&O so not sure why Princess charge?  The shuttle soon filled up and we set off on the 10 minute journey to Blankenburg to get the train to Brugge - trains are one an hour on Sundays leaving at 54 minutes  past the hour.  We were very early for the train so purchased our tickets to avoid the queue - the special cruise passenger fare is €5 each return so that’s €15 each return from the ship to Brugge compared to a small fortune for a ship excursion)

 

As we were early we took a slow walk through the town to the beach in Blankenburg - this is a lovely holiday resort with smart beach clubs along the coast, well worth a visit on its own. There is also a lovely church on the way to the sea which is a delight to walk around and is free to enter.  

 

We got back to the station about 10 minutes before the train was due to leave and settled into a seat on the upper deck of the train.  The journey to Brugge takes about 10-12 minutes and passes through some pretty countryside - this is such an easy journey and I would encourage anyone to do Brugge on your own.  When we reached Brugge station we took the 15 minute scenic walk down to the town square - we did notice that there is a complimentary shuttle bus from the station to the town, the cobbles on the walk down could be difficult for those with mobility issues.

 

We already knew what we wanted to do today - go on a canal cruise and then visit the Beer Wall.  We headed down to the canal after stopping off for a visit to the restroom - there is a 50 cent charge for using the facilities in most places in Brugge.  At the canal we purchased tickets for the thirty minute cruise - these cost €10 each, an increase of 25% on a year ago.  The short cruise is fun and a great way of seeing this beautiful mediaeval city from a different perspective.

 

After getting off the canal boat we walked the few meters round to the Beer Wall which is a small bar selling probably hundreds of different beers in bottles and on draft.  The draft beers are described on cards which hang from the ceiling and you can either choose to buy a single beer or a tasting board of four beers which comes with a snack.  The main seating for this bar is outside and we enjoy sampling the different products overlooking the canal.  Many of the beers in this bar are strong with abv of 8 or 10 or more - so these come in fairly small measures.  We spent a pleasant hour and a half here and managed to sample three different beers.

 

One of our traditions is to purchase six large bottles of beer to take home with us, so, after finishing our beers we went into the large 2 Be in Brugge shop and selected our beers to take home (we’ll be back in December to restock for Christmas). We also bought some chocolates for colleagues back at work and some Tin Tin bags to carry everything in - total cost €109. We returned to the train station to get the 2.52 train back to Blankenburg and then the shuttle back to the ship.  Once back on board we went to the afternoon trivia where we didn’t win but had fun before going up to the terrace pool for sail away.  We were late leaving the port due to a large cargo ship coming in so we were back in our stateroom before we finally got away.

 

After our evening ablutions we wandered down to Crooners for a pre dinner libation - this is one of my favourite bars but it is often difficult to get a table as it’s so small on the Sapphire.  Dinner was in the International dining room and was ok - there were no really standout courses but there were choices for both of us (Geoff doesn’t like shell fish or strong flavoured fish) and it was well cooked - the beef satay starter was the best of the bunch and Geoff enjoyed lentil cakes for a main course, though his eggs were a little on the ‘snotty’ side I.e. the whites were undercooked.

 

This evening’s entertainment in the Princess Theatre was comedy ventriloquist Gareth Oliver and he was really quite good - we had a good laugh and he kept us awake (I often nod off during late shows).  Then off to bed - it’s a sea day tomorrow and our first formal night of the cruise so need to be well rested to manage all that relaxing!

[Geoffa30]

On 8/18/2019 at 3:44 PM, phabric said:

I will be looking forward to your review.

 

When you stop in Copenhagen, can you report back if the HOHO stops near the ship?

 

Hi. Pleased to report the HOHO stopped next to the ship. We have docked in two different places now in Copenhagen and at both the HOHO bus was there. This time the ship was closer to the town so we just walked from and to the ship. 

[Geoffa30]

On 9/1/2019 at 7:11 PM, philwill said:

Geoffa30; 

 

I will be boarding Sapphire on its return to Southampton for its next cruise. 

I wonder if you would spare me a few minutes of your time to tell me if the wine package is available on your cruise and at what price. 

Thank you for time, your response would be gratefully appreciated on our RC.

 

Hi. Wine package was being heavily promoted on the first day of the cruise. Prices are as per the picture.

 

 

[philwill]

28 minutes ago, Geoffa30 said:

Hi. Wine package was being heavily promoted on the first day of the cruise. Prices are as per the picture.

Thank you, for taking the time to post.

Greatly appreciated.

[TrixieBel]

Really enjoying your report. Thanks for taking the time to do it! 🚢 

[phabric]

5 hours ago, Geoffa30 said:

 

Hi. Pleased to report the HOHO stopped next to the ship. We have docked in two different places now in Copenhagen and at both the HOHO bus was there. This time the ship was closer to the town so we just walked from and to the ship. 

Thanks

[Lido deck main]

Following, thanks for the reports.

[Frflatt]

Sorry for the delay in posting updates due to busy schedule and rubbish internet; will try to catch up in next few days!

 

Monday 2nd September 2019 -At Sea

 

Sea days are not always the best days for us as the temptation to eat too much is always present!  We woke just after 6am - it’s difficult to adjust to relax mode and as we usually get up at 5am at home it’s not easy to make the transition to sleeping in later.

 

We took our time getting ready and eventually made our way up to Horizon Court for breakfast - it was already busy inside so when we got our cereal we sat out by the Calypso Pool - the covered pool area. Geoff was very good and stuck to just cereal but I failed and ended up having beans on toast with bacon on the side - not a good start to healthy cruising.  After breakfast we went downstairs for a coffee at the International Cafe - we’re not fans of the coffee they serve in the buffet.

 

This morning was out Cruise Critic meet and greet in Skywalkers - so at 10am we made our way up to meet our fellow CCers - it was well attended and Paul Chandler-Burns, the Cruise Director, Kelvin Joy, Entertainment Director, and other members of the entertainment staff were present; the Captain was on training so couldn’t be there.  We met a number of fellow passengers and some of those who were booked with the same tour company as us for the St. Petersburg excursion.

 

It was a chilly day outside with a good wind blowing so interior space on the ship was st a premium - the Piazza was packed and the Explorers Lounge was closed for an art auction but we eventually found some comfortable seating in the Wheelhouse Bar - here we settled for an hour or so and listened to a ukulele lesson - it sounded like fun.

 

At about 1pm we went to Horizon Court for lunch - Princess serve some really good curries in the buffet and today was no exception - we had a lovely vegetable biryani as well as chicken curry - they were delicious.

 

After lunch we went to the Princess Theatre to hear an interview with Eddie the Eagle - we had been expecting to see Linda Gray on this cruise and had asked Paul C-B about her absence at the CC M&G, apparently she is filming and had altered her schedule.  We had seen Eddie on our Scandinavian cruise last year but still enjoyed him again this time as he told us different things and went into more depth - he’s well worth seeing.  We also took part in the trivia this afternoon and whilst we did ok (16) we didn’t win.

 

After trivia we went back to our stateroom to get ready for the first formal night of the cruise - these aren’t our favourite events but we do make an effort and dress up.  At just before 7pm we went down to the Piazza for the champagne waterfall but it was so crowded that we decided to give it a miss and went instead to the Wheelhouse bar where we relaxed before heading off for dinner.

 

After dinner - which was ok but not particularly memorable (I had game hen and Geoff had a burger) - went to hear the Piano Brothers in the Princess Theatre; they were very good but not really my taste.  Geoff enjoyed them and they are definitely talented but I was tired and fell asleep during their show. Tomorrow we have a day in Copenhagen but have nothing in particular planned - we were here last year and enjoyed it so will probably just enjoy a stroll by the water.

[Frflatt]

Tuesday 3rd September 2019 - Copenhagen 

 

The forecast today was for rain so we had already decided to take our time to get ready and not rush off the ship this morning.  We had our usual coffee and a pasty from the International Cafe - we had loaded two coffee cards on our cruise card before leaving home - Geoff enjoys a cappuccino with an extra shot and a Breton and I like a skinny latte and an almond croissant.

 

We got to port at about 8am but it was nearer 10 before we disembarked - I could see from our balcony that there was a light rainfall and people were wrapped up and had brollies deployed; our new umbrella would come into its own today.  The ship was docked close to the English church and little mermaid today so there was no need for a shuttle unlike the last time we were here.

 

We walked along the quayside past the Little Mermaid statue - a bit of a disappointment to many and always very busy with tourists trying to get a selfie with this Danish icon.  The rain was intermittent but not too heavy so not really an issue.  There were many warships along the quay today from many different NATO countries, it was a naval exercise that the president of the USA was meant to be attending but cancelled when Denmark wouldn’t sell Greenland to him...

 

We walked past the royal Danish Theatre and round to Nyhavn, the old harbour with its colourful buildings, one of which had been home to Hans Christian Anderson. We had decided last time we were here that we would like to do a canal cruise so that is what we decided upon this morning.

 

The 60 minute canal cruise cost 95 Danish Krones (about £12) each and was a fun way to keep dry for an hour.  Lots of others clearly had the same idea as us as the boat was at capacity.  The guide - a student of foreign affairs - was knowledgeable and interesting and the boat ride was most enjoyable.

 

Once off the boat we wandered round to the cathedral which was closed for a funeral so we spent half an hour having a coffee and cake which cost 145 DK - quite expensive but that’s Scandinavia for you!  The cathedral was pleasant and there was some nice stained glass; however, like most Lutheran churches it was fairly simple in design being built as a place where preaching is the priority.

 

After our visit to the cathedral we walked up to the main shopping area and enjoyed the architecture before visiting the Round Tower.  You can climb the tower - which is attached to the students church - for about €3 each.  The tower is unusual in that it is mainly a circular ramp with only a few steps at the top; the view from the top is worth the climb and Geoff was able to take some good photos.

 

Next we walked to the Rosenberg Palace and, whilst we didn’t visit inside, we enjoyed a pleasant time wandering round the gardens and extensive grounds.  It was getting time to be heading back to the ship for the 4.30pm all aboard time so we made our way back to the quay. Since this morning many more warships had arrived - it was quite a spectacle. As we walked along there was a sudden downpour so we sheltered for a while before completing the journey back to the Sapphire Princess. 

 

It was about 4.15 when we got back on board so didn’t go to trivia, instead we headed up to the PES lounge in Skywalkers where tonight they were serving sushi.  We have befriended a waitress in this venue, Elena from Macedonia, it is her first contact with Princess - she had bought good shoes and this was her first day wearing them, she was in pain!

 

Our pre dinner drinks this evening were in Crooners - we managed to get a seat - I love the dirty Tanqueray martini and Geoff has either a rusty nail made with Bulleit Bourbon or a martini (not dirty).  Tonight was Italian night in the dining room - our favourite - and we enjoyed melanzane parmigiana followed by minestrone soup, spaghetti with meatballs and then veal escalopes. Geoff had his favourite Tiramisu for dessert and we are both enjoying the ice cream selections this cruise.

 

The entertainment in the Princess Theatre tonight was comedian Riki Jay - we didn’t really rate him and left after a few minutes.  We got hot chocolate from the International Cafe and headed up to our stateroom for an early night - we have another sea day tomorrow and we all know how exhausting they can be!

[Kate P.C]

Amazing itinerary! We did similar on the Regal. Baltic is our favorite cruise and we are planning on going back one day. hopefully soon. Have fun!