Firstly disregard any negative reviews about the food and staff on the Sapphire Princess as both these areas are the highlights.
The California Coastal cruise was my first cruise ever and I was not sure what to expect. We arrived at San Pedro about 11am and were checked in straight away by very warm and very friendly Princess staff. This only added to my child like excitement. We were told that we would be boarding at 2pm however at 1230pm the call came out for us to board and we were soon on board being greeted by friendly smiles and happy faces. We were told that our rooms were ready and that we could drop off our carry on luggage before going to have lunch. I was very impressed with our mini suite and even more happy to find our luggage outside the door when we left to get lunch.
The sun Gods smiled upon us as we set sail and enjoyed the sail away party on the top deck. Yes the cruise resembled a floating retirement home but the staff still made it fun and enjoyable.