Part II Asia cruise report "Whittier to Osaka 9/14-10/16"

[Sandy R]

Part II: The Sapphire Princess

Because we had previously been on the Diamond, we were familiar with the layout of the Sapphire. We always book a mini-suite and this cruise was no exception. Since we were on a B2B, we were happy to have the extra space. Because we are Elite, we had the upgraded toiletries, free internet, free laundry and dry cleaning... a big help on a long cruise.

 

The first of our 2 cruises had a large number of Brits aboard. It seemed there were more Brits than Americans. Other countries were represented, too. It was definitely an international cruise. I'd say the medium age was 75 years old, with several passengers in wheelchairs, some in walkers, some with canes. The second cruise was a dramatic change. In Beijing, passengers boarding were a medium age of about 55 years of age, with several twenty and thirty somethings. The second cruise also had about 300 Spanish-speaking passengers from the Dominican Republic, most of whom smoked, sometimes in areas where smoking wasn't allowed... a particular bug of mine!

 

We opted for late sitting traditional dining but after a few days of sitting at a table for 8 with only one other couple, we changed to Personal Choice dining and were much happier. We never had a problem finding space in one of the four dining rooms, either alone or with other couples. We ate at 8 pm but others told us they would just walk in anytime and have no more than a 10 minute wait.

 

The Sapphire will be going into dry dock for some minor work (one of which will be that casino slots will now pay off with receipts rather than having to dig for coins). I thought the ship looked fine. The crew always kept it clean and shining. We found all the crew and staff extremely helpful and friendly. There were Purell-like pump bottles at every venue... all dining rooms, Horizon Court, library, Internet Cafe, etc. and passengers did use them. I never heard Norvo-virus was going around, but I applaud Princess for their preventative measures. Toward the middle of the first cruise, a nasty virus plagued several passengers, who were sneezing and coughing. Luckily, we came prepared with Airbourne, vitamins and anti-biotics... just in case.

 

Our breakfast were usually at the Horizon Court. There was always a good selection of food but you could always ask for something that wasn't out, i.e... lox. Empty tables were hard to come by for breakfast and lunch but you could always find empty chairs, which turned out to be a plus because it was a chance to meet new and interesting people. Some days, we had pizza or hamburgers for lunch, served by the pool. The thin crust pizza was particularly good.

 

As I mentioned before, we try to avoid ship tours but we did book a ship tour of Petropavlosk and Tokyo, when the Princess website began offering tours for our cruise. Many passengers who waited to book tours once aboard the ship, were annoyed and disappointed because tours were filled. I would recommend booking tours when they are offered on-line. Tours can always be cancelled once onboard, up to a few days prior to the tour. IMHO it wasn't necessarily Princess' fault. There were always a vast number of buses lined up at every port for tours and I know for a fact, several of the English-speaking guides were transported by Princess from one port to another to lead tours. These were exotic ports that Princess visits once a year... I think logistically, they did the best they could under the circumstances. There has been a lot of talk about Visas on cruisecritic. Princess said a one-entry Visa was sufficient. We, like many others, opted for a double-entry Visa. I never heard that anyone had a problem getting off the ship. That said, twice, arriving in a Japanese port, after having stopped in China and Taiwan, all passengers were asked to walk in a single line through Club Fusion, while Japanese authorities took our temperatures with camera-like equipement aimed at us from 10 or 20 feet away. Haven't a clue if the equipment was real but as we left Club Fusion, each of us were handed a "landing card". Without that card, you couldn't get off the ship in that particular port. DH figured all this was done because we had previously visited a bird flu region.

 

As far as entertainment... we thought the shows were good but for those of us who sail Princess on a regular basis, many were repeats. Much of the alternate entertainment didn't quite seem up to Princess' standards, i.e... a few of the comedians, a juggler and a ventriloquist.

 

Next: the ports and info on some private tours we took

[Druke I]

Sandy

 

I think you can be pretty sure that whatever the Japanese authorities "pointed at you" was in fact genuine. They have some pretty advanced electronics, and some of their "facilities" in lavatories are down-right futuristic!

[phillipahain]

The temperature camera was definitely for real .......saw them demonstrating it at the exit one morning

 

As for high tech .........Osaka airport even had a machine for testing bottles of liquids

 

That should be a vital piece of kit now at all UK and USA airports .......I wonder who makes it because I am writing to the BAA Airports Authority

[mississauga]

Sandy, thanks for taking the time out to post reviews of your fantastic cruises - a dream cruise for most of us. Can't wait to read the other parts of your review.

Could I just make a suggestion if you don't mind? Could you perhaps continue on the same thread for your entire 2 cruises so others can catch up from beginning to end in case they missed the 1st or 2nd part of your postings? It is such an interesting itinerary and you are so informative that I would hate for people to miss any part of your reviews. By the time you post your next thread, others that were perhaps not on CC today, your part 1 might be on page 2 and they would not know to look for it. I personally would hate to have missed any part of it. Hope you don't mind my suggestion.

[Coral]

I guess we lucked out when I flew to Osaka earlier this year. We didn't have any strange devices used on us when we flew in or left... What a difference 6 months makes.

 

I don't understand the visa situation - did you have to get a visa(s) for this trip or was it handled through the ship for ship tours (or both)?

[Sandy R]

Coral... everyone had to obtain their own Visas to disembark in China. Princess advised a single entry Visa, which it turns out was correct. Many passengers elected to get a double-entry Visa for $25 more, just to be on the safe side.

 

BTW, we flew home from Osaka and never saw any water testing equipment, only personnel hand checking our bags we carried onti the plane. There was a market basket filled high with small water bottles that weren't allowed. When my purse was hand checked, the young woman found a small purse-size plastic bottle of Purell. She asked me to remove it from my purse and put it in my rolly suitcase. The checked luggage went through a typical x-ray machine.

[lois1112]

Sandy...I will be on the Sapphire for the Nov 11th tour. I am very eagerly awaiting your post and suggestions on the ports. I have booked ships tours...but may cancel as it gets closer. Thanks for posting.

[Coral]

BTW, we flew home from Osaka and never saw any water testing equipment, only personnel hand checking our bags we carried onti the plane.

 

I believe phillipahain flew out of the domestic airport, not Kansai (KIX). Though I would think the larger airport would have had the better technology. Go figure.

 

Thanks for the info on China. I probably would have paid the extra $25 fee to be safe.