It was a hard summer, we were celebrating our 54th anniversary and the price was tempting. We were told the Sapphire Princess was a beautiful ship (it is) and the cabins were large (they are). We were also told by the cruise company that the service was superb, that Princess put the pssengers' satisfaction first and that the food verged on divine. Well, two out of five isn't bad. It's true the price was remarkable. We paid about $800 each for a mini suite on Dolphin Deck for a 7-night Mexican Riviera round-trip from L.A. I want to add that, although the price could qualify as a bargain, I believe that a bargain happens when you pay less for something than it's worth. By us, the Sapphire Princess was not a bargain.

I had read on Cruise Critic that the balconies on the Princess were mostly open to view by anyone on balconies above. This is an understatement. We could hear the people on both sides, above us on decks 10,11 and 12 and some scraps of conversation from deck 13. It was especially noticeable when people yelled from one balcony to another. In fairness, we were fortunate in having quiet neighbors on both sides and doubly lucky that none of the passengers above us threw anything or worse. The "worse" was done by the seagulls, which added touches of color to the balcony tables, chairs and lounges.

Then there was the noise. Everything was played at high volume. At the capitain's reception, I couldn't hear my wife, who was standing a foot away. The music was provided by three guitarists and a bass. If you prefer ruptured eardrums with your mariachi, Princess is the place. The pity is that the guys were good; we just couldn't stand sticking around to listen. By the way, as far as I could tell, this combo was what Princess advertised as a "string quartet," since I couldn't find anything else that could qualify. The show band (again, a good group), were also members of the crank-'er-up club. I can only assume that they were working under instructions from management since most good musicians I know would prefer letting their audience appreciate what they're playing. Read more