Embarkation in sydney was obviously well streamlined before we embarked in march as we were prepared for a long wait in sydney but only took 40 minutes to board the ship. The sapphire princess was magnificent and the amenities very lovely. The only thing we found were the costly prices for onshore excursions compared with local prices and the disorganization of the tour desk on board. Book your tours before you board your cruise to avoid disappointment, though expensive.
The staff were very obliging and the dining room staff were better than a 5 star restaurant. We prefer set dining and found out we were allocated to anytime dining when we boarded. This was changed on the second night and was very much appreciated, We spoke to many other passengers whom had their set dining request denied by princess and were quite sure that princess cruises were trying to steer all cruisers to anytime dining as there were many empty seats in the international dining room for the whole cruise. Anytime dining is fine if you wish to queue for a table which we are not used to doing. And people tend to have an infinity for food (especially some older patrons!!!!!)
The stateroom was very nice and had plenty of room for our many pieces of luggage(we don't travel light), the balcony was lovely and adequate for two people and we enjoyed morning breakfasts out there on several mornings. Our stateroom attendant was a bit slack and we found had to be asked for the simplest of things that would be placed in your room in any 5 star hotel or ship. Needless to say there was no extra tip for the stateroom attendant. Make sure your departure cards are handed back to you on disembarkation as our passports were and they were not handed back to us. Therefore when we left Bangkok 3 days after the cruise we had to prove how we entered the country and proved a little scary being pulled to one side in a strange country and made wait for 30 minutes till they proved we arrived by ship. (a sapphire princess stamp was in our passports).