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Sail Date: December 20- December 27, 2008
Passengers: We had a 53 year old man, a 43 year old woman, a 38 year old woman celebrating her birthday (39), and a 14 year old teenager.
Itinerary: Day 1- Los Angeles Day 2- At Sea Day 3- At Sea Day 4- Puerto Vallarta Day 5- Mazatlan Day 6- Cabo san Lucas Day 7- At Sea Day 8- Los Angeles
EMBARKATION: We arrived at the San Pedro Pier at around 2:30 PM, after wishing our nearby relatives a Merry Christmas. We are from LA, so this was a very easy trip to the embarkation point. We arrived, dropped off our car, and went through security. We were in the ship in about 30 minutes from our arrival, and about 15 minutes after checking in. Very smooth embarkation.
Day 1- Los Angeles: After embarking the ship, we went to look at our room, unwinded for a few minutes, and went straight to the buffet ( =p ). It was very crowded, but the food was really good, and we knew that we were going to gain wait on this trip! After eating, we walked around and toured the ship. To be honest, the ship's appearance fell below my expectations, but after being on it for a few days, my opinion of it changed. It was a very nice, comfortable ship. We returned to our room, and just relaxed for about forty five minutes or so. We went to the sailaway and loved to hear the ship's horn signal our departure. We stood on the ship's balcony and we enjoyed the sailaway sunset. After this, we went to our stateroom and geared up for our 8:15, second seating, dinner in the International Dining Room. There, we met our server, Mateo, and we enjoyed a great opening dinner.
Days 2 and 3- These were both sea days with very calm waters, and we participated in the ship's activities and ate great food on both nights. These days went by so quickly! Before we knew it, we had reached our first port of call!
Day 4- We arrived in Puerto Vallarta, and we got off the ship around 11 AM. We just walked around town, had a magnificent lunch in the mountains at an empty, family-owned restaurant, overlooking the entire city, and relaxed! It was a great stop, beautiful. We have been here before, so we just enjoyed coming back for a few hours!
Day 5- Christmas Eve. in Mazatlan. It was a nice stop, as well. Here, we did a little less. We went to the Golden Zone and had lunch on the beach. We overlooked the beautiful ocean, relaxed at a hotel, and returned onboard. We had also been here before, so it was a nice sampler to make us want to return!
Day 6- Christmas Day! We were given stockings filled with candy, and Santa Claus came onboard! We stopped in Cabo today, but only for a few hours. Princess should rearrange the itinerary, so that passengers can have more time here. We went jetskiing, had lunch, and our time was up. Back on board, we enjoyed the festivities and saw whales, and dolphins on board leaving Cabo!
Day 7- At Sea- Perhaps the worst sea day that I have experienced in my time as a cruise. Never have I seen such rough seas. Bags laying across the ship, public venues being closed due to sanitization methods, and half the ship locked away in their staterooms, left a bitter taste on our mouths for the last day of this cruise. It was smooth sailing upto today. I played Bingo to pass the time, and it was really bad in the Explorer's Lounge. People ran out of the room, ready to regurgitate. Mother and Son ate in the dining room, alone this night, as everyone else was sick as a dog. The food was really good in the dining room, this particular night as well :D.
Day 8- Los Angeles- We had breakfast on board, and we were off the ship by 8:45, and it was hard to say goodbye!
DINING: The ship's food was good to very good. The only dish that really disappointed me during the whole trip was the Beef Wellington. It was soggy and disgusting, and I wish that I had ordered lobster. Everything else, was fantastic, and I've never had better Chicken Kiev in my life. The lunches were great, breakfast was plentiful, tea was great, and dinners were the highlight of every evening. Our server was okay; he tried to please us, and we were generally happy with Mateo.
ENTERTAINMENT: The Sapphire was lacking in this department. Onboard activities weren't that abundant, even on Sea Days, and it was disappointing. Nevertheless, it was fun to be onboard. The shows were okay, some were good, but we're not big Broadway-style people. The comedians were okay, one was particularly good, and we had a great time onboard.
SERVICE: The service was great onboard, the staff was friendly, and always managed to present a smile, and give a friendly greeting.
SHIP: The ship was generally nice. It was a very comfortable ship, and it was in great condition. Beautiful artwork all around the ship.
STATEROOM: This was the first time we had booked an inside- and the first we had four people to a room. Usually, we had three in a balcony, or ocean view, but we had no problem with an inside. It was a bargain, and it was a very nice room!
OVERALL: I enjoyed this cruise. It was a great one week escape from hectic life, and it was great to be pampered for a week =D. I recommend this cruise to anyone, as it was a great experience!
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