A recent Princess cruise in December took us to Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand, sailing on the Sapphire. We knew beforehand that this is now an old ship, but it has weathered well, and apart from a few marks of wear and tear it is well preserved. Overall we found it to be well maintained, with scrupulous attention to cleanliness and hygiene. Embarkation on the first day in Singapore was chaotic, mainly because there were two sets of travelers mingled together, one for Princess and the other for Royal Caribbean. No one knew where to go or what queue to join. A simple barricade down the centre of the great hall separating the two sets of travelers would have improved matters greatly. In contrast, disembarkation on the last day was perfectly organised, and trouble free.

The central piazzo of the ship was beautiful, cheerfully decorated for Christmas, and our veranda cabin comfortable, with unusually good storage space, and an exceptionally comfortable bed. There was one cabin feature that we did not like. Leaning on our balcony rail and looking downward, we did not look down in to the sea. Instead we looked directly down into balconies of the decks below us. These were tiered and jutting out, so that their privacy was directly compromised by us peering in to them from above.

There was the usual program of social events and entertainments, with lots of music throughout the ship. The main theatre was large, comfortable, and well designed, and the dance/music performances by the Sapphire Song and Dance Company offered some of the best programmes of this type that we have ever seen. Read more