Need to know how is that ship?? We are hesitating between Princess and R.C.L.
Want opinion Princess Activities
Want opinion tourism ages??

And things I should know to decide myself...

thank you

Hello, tacha;

I can't give you a comparison because I have never been on an RCI ship; but I have been on Sapphire Princess several times, and am going again next October. We love her. She's big but not crowded; lots of deck space and four pool areas to choose from; kept in immaculate condition; great food and lots of choices; and always a friendly and courteous staff.

I can't tell you much about the activities; we tend to like the quieter areas and avoid the hoopla; but there are activities from early morning to late at night. One we are fond of is "Princess Pop Star"; their version of American Idol. By the end of the cruise the passengers have picked the "best" entertainer onboard. And we have always been very satisfied with Princess' shore excursions.

There are always passengers of all ages. It depends on the length of cruise and itinerary; shorter cruises in warmer climates attract younger passengers. Longer cruises and Alaska cruises draw an older average age. But there is always a nice mix.

I don't know what you look for in a cruise; but I have been cruising with Princess for over 30 years and am very satisfied with them. I think they provide the best value for your cruise dollar.

Hope this helps a little.

Rick

Finally someone who knows the Sapphire...!!! You wouldn't have any picture of that ship to send me, if yes, I would give me my email!!!

Now, I am all mixed up...!!! So, I saw picture from the Princess site, there are realy 4 pools, outside pools? The food, the dining room, great choices, great quality?? How about at lunch time, do they have a restaurant or a snack (hamb. pizza) around the pool?? The staff.. how is it?? Two formal nights??

Is it possible to buy our wine by internet before getting in the ship??

What SHOULD WE KNOW about that ship and the Mexican Riviera cuise??? Good or bad??

Thank you

Just got off the Sapphire on April 12 in Sydney after a 12 day cruise around New Zealand, through the Fiordlands, over to Tasmania and then to Melbourne before we picked-up a week Cruise Tour in Sydney. Great ship and a terrific trip!

There are actually 5 pools! Although 2 are relatively small. The food ranges from good to excellent. We found that lunch was better in the Horizon Buffet, plus on sea days (we had 6 of them on a 12 day cruise) they had a different themed buffet each sea day near the pool area right outside the Horizon. These buffets always provided very good food with lots of choices. Also, in the pool area is a hamburger and pizza area. These are open from 11 AM until 6 PM, so you can even grab an early, light, dinner (or pre-dinner if have eat late!) The pizza was good (just a bit too much cheese for me) and the burgers were very good.

The dining rooms had limited menus for breakfast and lunch, but that changed for dinner. Plenty of choices. We found the chicken, pork, lamb and fish dishes to be the best. For some reason, the only beef (other than the hamburgers) I liked on the ship was in the Sterling Steakhouse. We also ate at Sabatinis Tratatoria -- well worth the extra money, and we didn't walk away too full!

The staff was great. Our room Steward, Lino, was excellent. Ask once, and he took care of our every need. The rest of the staff was very helpful and friendly. Always said hello, good morning, "good day, mate" (hey, we were on our way to Australia), good evening, etc.

The two formal nights were a bit more elegant than on our Alaska cruise last June. The food was just a bit better in the dining rooms on those nights as well. Even the entertainment in the Princess Theater seemed special those two nights!

The ship is only four years old, and is great shape. As Rick said, they keep her immaculate. There is plenty to do, especially if this is your first Princess cruise. We didn't do some things on the Sapphire since we had just done them on the Golden less than a year ago. I have all the Princess Patters (the daily newsletter listing the day's activities) from our most recent cruise. I'll scan them in, and post a link. You can then see the plethora of activities available, even on port days.

For Wine and other spirits, go to the Princess Cellars Web Page:
http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/services/gifts/pr...ss_cellars/index.jsp

Hope all this helps.

AlaskaGolden,

We are planning to take the Princess Sapphire on the Alaskan Cruise (with 5 days sightseeing the interior prior to cruising) and would love to see the Princess Patters that you recieved. I have read reviews that state the food is not up to standard on Princess cruises, but I see your remarks and Rick's comments and feel a bit better about the meals.

How are the mini-suites? Are they fairly nice sized or just a few feet bigger than the cabin w/ balcony?

Thanks for all of the information, it will be so handy come August.

Lizzyjane

The mini suites are quite large compared to a regular cabin. The bathroom is much larger & the full size tub/shower is plus. Also, there is a good size seating area between the bedroom and balcony which was a nice place to entertain friends and family.

I agree completely about the mini-suite; it is well worth the extra expense, especially if you like to spend time in your cabin or on your balcony. In addition to what Todd said, there is much more closet and storage space and the balcony itself is much larger and has more furniture.

That is a nice photo Rick. These days hauling that luggage on the airlines is a problem in itself. I think it will only get worse. I know we always take too much, we have to cut back on our next trips.

Wow, so that's how the other half lives. Great picture Rick. Tacha, I answered your other post. I have sailed on both Princess and Royal. Royal has more "glitz" the rock wall, the ice skating, the Promenade, etc. Princess is more elegant and I think much better food and service. Again, this is my opinion only. I haven't sailed the Sapphire, but have sailed the Caribbean and Emerald. All Princess ships I have been on are immaculate. Like I said, you can't make a bad decision, it's a cruise!

Wow - thanks a lot for the picture and information. We had originally reserved a room with a balcony but there was a special and for $100.00 more a person we could get a mini-suite. We don't have our room yet - when do they usually post your room assignment?

Lizzyjane

$100.00 pp more for a mini-suite is a great deal. If you booked a "guaranteed" mini-suite, you may not find out until a few weeks before sailing. Otherwise you your travel agent or Princess should be able to tell you now. If you have your booking number you can check the Cruise Personalizer at Princess.com

You should do this anyway fairly soon and get your pre-cruise paperwork out of the way.

f-mattox,

I have checked with the Cruise Personalizer @ Princess and it only has us down as staying in a mini-suite but does not say which room. My travel agent said when she changed that she could not dictate where we would be staying (which side of ship or what floor) and I was wondering how close to embarkment we would find out. I am just so excited about the whole thing - hopefully the end of August will be here before I know it.

On another note - this has been the most helpful on-line site I have found. Thank you all of you Cruise Guru's that take the time to answer our simple/basic questions.

Lizzyjane

Thank you for the kind words. As you can tell, it is a subject dear to our hearts. We want everyone, especially new cruisers to get as much pleasure out of a cruise as we do.

Did your travel agent tell you when you might expect to learn your cabin assignment? I would be interested to know also, for future reference. Not that it matters that much; they are all good cabins and all are on Dolphin Deck, except for 18 on Emerald Deck.

Rick

Tacha,
THE Sapphire is a great ship! The Savoy Restaurant was our favorite. WE dined there every night because we wanted a table for 2, traditional dining, but they had us at a table for 8. So,we had agreat table for 2 at The Savoy, right by the window! Matzalan was our favorite stop. We foud a great little restaurant on a corner, great Margarita's & cheap, they also had a singer & piano player. We spent the day there!! have a wonderful time! We leave for a 10 day cruise from NY to the Eastern caribbean on Saturday, sooo excited! When's your cruise?
Marguerite

Hi, f-mattox,
FYI - I noticed the room assignment on Princess Personalizer about 1 month prior to the sailing date.

Thank you, csnj1w, that's about what I would have guessed.

My parents didn't get an assignment on their last PCL cruise until the day of departue. My ol' man kept calling and asking "What kind of a cruise agent are you if you can't even tell me what cabin I'll be in?" He thought I should be able to have something to do with when they assign them. No fun doing business with family sometimes. Ultimately they liked their cabin and all was well again. They love Princess, I think maybe they'd be happier with Rick or Penny as their offspring. We always have issues whith which line we're gonna take when we all go. My sis like Celebrity and Cunard but her third choice is Princess so I usually get out voted. I got 'em all on Adventure of the Seas and they were not thrilled with the whole big ship concept. My mother kept saying things like "That's not how they do things on Princess". Next time I guess I'm back to Princess for the family get together. All in all not a bad thing. I tried once suggesting Carnival but the looks I got from all parties was enough to change the subject, didn't need words. They also heard the rumors about the party life onboard. Just not worth the trouble trying to explain. Even if I am the one who make his living in this industry, I'm still no-where near the decision maker when it comes to family. I can live with that.

Cheers, Neil

I"m sure Penny or I would be more than glad to be your surrogate anytime. I'm not crazy about the big ship concept either--I would get along great with your folks.

Rick

Yes Neil, anytime. I think I like Princess the best because you don't have to stand in lines for the Florider or the ice skating or the rock wall. There are places on board that are quiet and there are places with lots of activity. On most RCI ships I've been on, there's no place to get away from the crowds but your cabin. And I just think the food and service are a little bit better on Princess. Bigger is not always better.

quote:

My parents didn't get an assignment on their last PCL cruise until the day of departue. My ol' man kept calling and asking "What kind of a cruise agent are you if you can't even tell me what cabin I'll be in?" He thought I should be able to have something to do with when they assign them.

Neil I tried not to hire or do business with family or friends. Seemed to work better that way.