Sapphire Princess Review
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We flew from London, Ontario with a NorthWest connector to Detroit in below zero weather with lots of snow and delays. Connected with NW and flew nonstop to LAX. We always like to arrive a day before the cruise to avoid unpleasant delays. I have to give kudos to a flight attendant named 'Michelle' who was delightful. Liked chatting with my hubby about golf and brought us (hubby, me and a female pax in middle seat) a complimentary large bottle of wine from first class plus a container of potato chips. Later brought us mini bottles of Bailey's and Scotch for our coffees. With no music nor movies on NW, this made for a very pleasant journey.
We arrived in LAX at 11:30 their time and as previously instructed, I called Embassy Suites South to let them know we had arrived. Twice. After waiting over an hour, the shuttle finally arrived and apparently there had been a mix-up in communications. I explained/complained about how tired we were from being up since 4 a.m.(eastern time) and having such a long wait at the airport for their shuttle, to a gal on the front desk named 'Sharon' who was very sympathetic and offered us a free lunch but we declined, so she offered a comp dinner which we accepted and she personally brought the coupons to our room when she was leaving for the day, to make sure we were okay. The concierge took us shopping for wine to take onboard and waited for us. Nice touch.
Saturday, Jan. 31/09 - We had a great night's sleep and Prime Shuttle picked us up at the hotel and a 35 minute drive to the pier had us boarding the Sapphire Princess at 11:30. It's a nice touch having a separate room for Platinum/Elite members however it would be a courtesy to others in such a small room, to not occupy 3 seats with legs stretched across, or luggage placed on seats or in front of chairs. Many of us had to wait outside until boarding call. Unfortunately I couldn't bring one of my suitcases - 25" - on board as it was just a bit too large to fit through their scanner. Consequently, I never received that piece of luggage until 4 pm.
Cabin Review
Our cabin was an uncovered mini-suite which we've enjoyed in the past. Lots of room, especially the bathroom where there is a tub which makes for a comfortable shower and more overall space. Dolphin deck is visible from everywhere including outer space! Having said that, it's also closer to the water without having to look over other balconies and sometimes has better views. I'm sort of getting used to them.