Sapphire Review from Princess noob

[cr8tiv1]

I was once told that the Promenade "does have" a walking protocol/direction.  But I can't remember.   I always seem to be going upstream.

[Ken the cruiser]

6 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

I was once told that the Promenade "does have" a walking protocol/direction.  But I can't remember.   I always seem to be going upstream.

The "traditional" route accepted by the "old cruisers" used to be counterclockwise. However, unless a ship decides to actually post directional arrows, like Crystal and HAL used to do on some of their ships, either direction is acceptable.

[Gaynors]

Thank you so much for posting!

 

I'm on the same itinerary in April 2024.  I've also never been on the Sapphire (but have been on princess before so I already know about the lack of seating besides a desk chair in the lower category rooms..🙁 ) so I really appreciate all the little details!  Please keep them coming.

 

Really glad to hear the internet has been good.

 

What do you have planed for the south pacific ports?

Edited November 9, 2023 by Gaynors
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[alyssamma]

5 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

The "traditional" route accepted by the "old cruisers" used to be counterclockwise. However, unless a ship decides to actually post directional arrows, like Crystal and HAL used to do on some of their ships, either direction is acceptable.

Also, note that this promenade requires you to walk to deck 8 for a portion. Many on this cruise have mobility issues that make that difficult, so they simply stay on 7 and walk back and forth, thereby going both clock and counterclockwise 😀

 

Even if you can climb stairs, if you walk at night the stairs are closed so you have no choice but to go in both directions 

[alyssamma]

Just now, Gaynors said:

What do you have planed for the south pacific ports?

On Moorea we are renting a roadster and driving around. On Papeete we hired a private driver. On Suva we have a tour through Viator that does a river cruise, waterfall  and local village. On Dravuni we are just walking around.

 

We are in Pago Pago on a Sunday so are thinking about doing a church but it will be very hot so not sure about that, lol. On Samoa we have another Viator tour that takes us to waterfalls and different spots on the island.

[KKB]

On 11/4/2023 at 5:43 PM, alyssamma said:

Lol, yeah, I was exaggerating a little 😀 but it def FEELS like the 80s.

 

And fyi, not live, lol. Just wanted to give some initial thoughts. Definitely having fun and enjoying the trip. I actually booked the same itinerary for April 2025, so something must be clicking with me 😀

Ha--we are seriously considering that cruise!

We are looking at the Transpacific on the Royal Princess but DH would rather sail than fly to Sydney...plus air will be much cheaper just to LAX.

 

Overall agree w/ your Princess "grades"--Celebrity is our fav, followed by Princess.

You get used to the funky ship design--similar amongst ships.

No sofa in balcony cabins--as DH said, we aren't in our cabins much, we just lay clothes on it, lol.

Internet is VASTLY improved even from last year--YEAH

Not much of a fan of production shows on Princess (like Carnival--meh), but game shows are great fun. DO NOT miss Hollywood Hiccups if they do it!

Edited November 10, 2023 by KKB

[MustangGT]

On 11/8/2023 at 9:34 PM, alyssamma said:

A note about laundry. We did it today for the first time and it went fine. $3 each for wash and dry, take pods or laundry sheets to avoid the extra 1.50 cost of detergent.

 

We are on deck 10, but it is actually closer for us to go down to deck 9 for laundry. And, there are  twice as many machines there. So, know your closest laundry room 😀

Thanks for the info!  We sail round trip LA-Hawaii-South Pacific and our cabin is on Deck 10.  Good to know there are more machines on Deck 9.

[alyssamma]

Just now, MustangGT said:

Thanks for the info!  We sail round trip LA-Hawaii-South Pacific and our cabin is on Deck 10.  Good to know there are more machines on Deck 9.

I believe they are on every floor, but not at the same location. So for us, the one that is one deck down is closer than the one on our floor. Lol, one deck up might be even closer...we should look...

[Cairns Cruisers]

Appreciate your feedback Alyssa, We are on Sapphire next September to Alaska. Have you tried the specialty restaurants and if so how were they?

[RV Queen]

We are also doing this itinerary April 2025.  We have an ocean view cabin booked, but wondering about ocean view cabins that are at the very front of deck 9 and 10.  It’s my understanding that they are actually balcony cabins but the balcony doors are locked on sea days. Have you come across anyone in those cabins that could tell you if the steward actually locked those doors?  Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[alyssamma]

On 11/12/2023 at 12:47 PM, Cairns Cruisers said:

Appreciate your feedback Alyssa, We are on Sapphire next September to Alaska. Have you tried the specialty restaurants and if so how were they?

We have not but we know several people who have tried the steak restaurant and they all said the food was really good.

[Olinsky_Cruisers]

I am on the Sapphire now and have an hdmi cable with me. How do you change the input on the tv?

 

[alyssamma]

On 11/12/2023 at 1:23 PM, RV Queen said:

We are also doing this itinerary April 2025.  We have an ocean view cabin booked, but wondering about ocean view cabins that are at the very front of deck 9 and 10.  It’s my understanding that they are actually balcony cabins but the balcony doors are locked on sea days. Have you come across anyone in those cabins that could tell you if the steward actually locked those doors?  Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.

 

I have not unfortunately. There is a website that lists "cruise deck plans" and has pics and videos...have you tried looking there?

 

If I look there I don't see any OV on deck 9 but on deck 10 I  see a video of a premium OV at the front of the ship. They are on the balcony there.

 

On other lines these types of cabins are open when in port but closed otherwise 

[alyssamma]

23 hours ago, Olinsky_Cruisers said:

I am on the Sapphire now and have an hdmi cable with me. How do you change the input on the tv?

 

Bottom center of the TV, underneath the edge, there is a toggle switch. Press it and you'll see a menu that allows you to select the input

[alyssamma]

So, two things I'd like to comment on since I've spent a little more time on this ship. I'd have to up my rating slightly for the staff...in general. I'd say there are 10% who I think are a little below average. We know them and avoid them now. The other 90% are far above average.

 

And for some the A/C has quit. We are lucky in that we still have it but the sink and shower water in our cabin is scalding hot (others have this problem too). Not ruining the cruise for us at all, but definitely annoying lol.

 

Oh, and a third thing...food. Beef is pretty much always excellent. Fish and chicken are very good. Pork and lamb we find to be subpar. Definitely like the IC...and you can customize your sandwiches which is a huge plus IMHO.

[KKB]

8 hours ago, alyssamma said:

 

Oh, and a third thing...food. Beef is pretty much always excellent. Fish and chicken are very good. Pork and lamb we find to be subpar. Definitely like the IC...and you can customize your sandwiches which is a huge plus IMHO.

Interesting about the pork. 

Sept 2022 we were on Discovery. Aunt had pork loin in buffet & said dry & tasteless.

She ordered it a couple days later in MDR--SAME. She did politely let waiter know.

Luckily I rarely order pork or lamb; seafood nearly always my 1st choice.

[JF - retired RRT]

On 11/4/2023 at 2:43 PM, alyssamma said:

One thing to note is the walking track...a very poor design. Since there are deck chairs on it, it gets crowded. Especially since people seem to walk in both directions. They also have a smoking area there for some reason. Finally, you cannot make a complete lap without climbing stairs to deck 8 (which might be a bonus for some because of added cardio), but the stairs are closed at night so it you want a walk after dinner you can't make a full lap.

We've been the Sapphire many times. When we walk in the evening (or when the stairs are closed for the weather) we walk as far as we can, go in the furthest forward doors, go inside, walk to the other side and come back out. It works for us.

[alyssamma]

18 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

We've been the Sapphire many times. When we walk in the evening (or when the stairs are closed for the weather) we walk as far as we can, go in the furthest forward doors, go inside, walk to the other side and come back out. It works for us.

It seems to work for many...esp those that can't climb stairs. But I wanted to make it clear to people. Some, like myself, like the cardio, so if that is what you want you need to be aware of when it is closed.

[JF - retired RRT]

12 hours ago, alyssamma said:

We are lucky in that we still have it but the sink and shower water in our cabin is scalding hot (others have this problem too). 

While you wait for maintenance to fix the shower/sink temp...there are showers on Deck 15 near the exercise area and the beauty salon. BTW: they're nicer than the showers in the cabins.

[alyssamma]

18 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

While you wait for maintenance to fix the shower/sink temp...there are showers on Deck 15 near the exercise area and the beauty salon. BTW: they're nicer than the showers in the cabins.

Ty, lol, someone just told me that yesterday and even with normal water temp that is appealing as the shower is coffin sized.

 

Luckily maintenance fixed it a few hours after we reported it...now I feel stupid for waiting a day, lol

[CPCruisers]

Regarding the showers on Deck 15- can these be used by all guests or only those who have a spa treatment?  Also, is there a Thermal Spa package offered on the Sapphire?  Thanks! Hope you are enjoying you cruise and thanks for all the info!

[alyssamma]

22 hours ago, CPCruisers said:

Regarding the showers on Deck 15- can these be used by all guests or only those who have a spa treatment?  Also, is there a Thermal Spa package offered on the Sapphire?  Thanks! Hope you are enjoying you cruise and thanks for all the info!

My understanding is they are for the gym (also? Only?) So anyone can use them.

[chamima]

On 11/15/2023 at 8:41 AM, alyssamma said:

My understanding is they are for the gym (also? Only?) So anyone can use them.

 

Hi V

Just found this.

Interesting to read the perspective from a younger and first time Princess cruier.

Yes, the showers and steam rooms are available for anyone.

 

We are longtime Princess and Celebrity cruisers.

Yes, we miss the couch in the Celebrity cabins but feel the nice closet/dressing area on Princess more than makes up for that.

As far as food - first of all we sail in Aqua on X and we're pescatarian/vegans (me pescatarian, husband vegan) so we can't really compare.

I also find the crew on Princess to be slightly friendlier and more personable FWIW.

We also find longer and more interesting itineraries (like this one) on Princess.

 

 

Edited November 16, 2023 by chamima

[monakayk]

We will be going on the April 2025 South Pacific Cruise also as many others here have stated. Thanks so much for all the information about the Sapphire. We sailed on her many many years ago and wondered how she's holding up now. I hope you continue to post more about your cruise on the Sapphire.