This was our 4th cruise (3rd on Princess) and second cruise to the Mex Riv. Since we had never been to Los Angeles before we opted to use Princess transfers and their recommended hotel. We flew into LAX, we were met by Princess Rep who took us to get our luggage and shuttle to Marriott (which was a very nice hotel). The next morning, Princess reps were at the hotel to make sure we were on our bus to the pier. This process was very painless and inexpensive. We couldn't have done it cheaper on our own. I highly recommend it.

The Sapphire is an older ship and medium sized. It was very nice, clean, some upgrades. We were very happy with the ship. Only complaint were the somewhat hard beds. Our cabin steward, Ronnie, was wonderful. He took care of us perfectly. We had a balcony cabin. Balcony's are small on this ship, but I'm not complaining, just passing on information.

On the cruise south, we did see whales and dolphins. That was exciting for us. Read more