Sapphire Princess Review
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Additional details
Our family flew from Eastern Canada to Los Angeles, where we spent a few days before boarding the Sapphire Princess. In L.A. we stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn at the edge of Beverly Hills; this was a great choice, as it was convenient to our sightseeing and fully equipped for relaxing without getting in each other's hair every evening. After a very busy day we were all happy to get stuff from the local grocery and veg out in our suite over a bottle of wine and dinner, rather than trek out again in search of a restaurant. We were also able to do all the accumulated laundry in the hotel's laundry room before starting on our cruise trip.
Boarding day couldn't have gone more smoothly; really, it was the most easy and stress-free experience we've had yet; we literally just walked in from the pier, got our cruise cards, and boarded the ship in about ten minutes.
The ship is nice but there were things we didn't love; having big-screen concerts and movies blaring over the outdoor pool at all hours of the day was a bit of a drag; on Mother's Day, we were told early in the morning that we couldn't tender in to the first port of call, Santa Barbara, because of fog, but it turned out to be a gloriously sunny day and we decided to lounge in the sun, only to discover they were playing a movie from the 1980s followed by a Barry Manilow concert. Really? I don't think so. There aren't enough Drinks of the Day to get me through that.
Cabin Review
We usually take inside rooms because we've discovered that it costs a lot less and we get a wonderfully dark room for sleeping; none of us cares about looking at water out a porthole, and if we want to see outside we need only go out on deck.
However, our rooms on this ship, which were as far forward as one can get on the E deck, were apparently directly next to the main employee door; all night long we could hear crew members going past on their way out or in, speaking in full voices even after midnight and at 5:00 a.m. Next time I'd make sure to avoid that situation.
The room itself was fine, with plenty of storage/hangers, etc., a good safe, a decent and very clean bathroom, and super-great service from our steward.