Sapphire Princess Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,020 reviews

1/29/11 Sapphire Princess to Hawaii

Review for Hawaii Cruise on Sapphire Princess
User Avatar
badgergran
6-10 Cruises • Age 70s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Jan 2011

This vacation was planned as an escape from a harsh Wisconsin winter, and the Hawaiian islands certainly provided a welcome respite from our cold weather. Sea days between Los Angeles and Hawaii were colder than we'd hoped for, probably mostly in the low 60s, which was sweater and jacket weather, even for snowbirds. However, we enjoyed sunshine during most of our 14-day journey, and immensely enjoyed meeting the people of Hawaii, most of whom acknowledge the importance of tourism to their economy and work hard to ensure their visitors have a good time. It took a while to unwind, and we would have liked more shore time on the islands of Hawaii, Kaui and Maui, but the Sapphire Princess was a relaxing home base for our Hawaiian adventure.

After boarding and inspecting our cabin on the Dolphin (9th) deck, which was spacious and provided ample room for clothing and suitcase storage, we left for lunch at the Horizon Court. We were a bit apprehensive, because previous reviewers were not enthusiastic about the food on this ship, and were pleasantly surprised to find that most of our meals were quite good, although not exceptional. However, we did not enjoy our anytime dining option on this cruise, and we purposely choose cruise lines that offer our preferred anytime dining option. When cruising to Alaska on the Coral Princess several years ago, we felt this line had mastered coordinating anytime diners, but this did not prove to be the case on the Sapphire. While we expected to be asked if we cared to be seated with other guests occasionally, we were unprepared when we were told several times there would be a wait of more than an hour at both the Santa Fe and Pacific Moon dining rooms, whether or not we cared to share a table with others. After several days, we tried the Savoy, and they seemed to handle the flow of diners easily. It became our preferred evening dining area when we didn't choose the buffet, both because the wait staff seemed more attentive and we didn't have to wait long to be seated. We usually ate breakfast and lunch at the Horizon Court, as well as a few dinners (three formal dinners were a bit much for us), and often found the service somewhat lacking, although we enjoyed the food. Hubby is impatient, and he frequently went to get our beverages when no waiter appeared after a few minutes.

Although it was a bit noisy and often crowded, we enjoyed visiting Crooners bar for cocktails most evenings. Waiters Milos and Rejilio were very personable and efficient, and also good at remembering preferences of regular customers. We usually met at different bars each night during previous cruises, but chose this as our nightly meeting place because of these servers.

Cabin Review

Cabin AA

Well-designed and adequate room for comfortable lounging. While reading on the balcony, hubby got soaked with water thrown from a balcony above.

previous reviewnext review

Find a Sapphire Princess Cruise from $218

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.