Sapphire Princess Review
First Princess Cruise - Baltic 14 days over the last week of the World Cup
Rating by category
Additional details
I had originally booked this cruise on the basis that England would have exited the world cup by the time the ship departed from Southampton so it was with some reluctance that I boarded the boat on the day of the quarter final with Sweden in the middle of the summer heatwave. The check-in was swift and efficient however we were the last people to board as we had been delayed on the M25 - the porters could have been a bit more helpful. The bags were quickly sent onboard - in fact they were there waiting for us when we got to our cabin.
This was my first time cruise with Princess having travelled with Royal Caribbean, Disney and P&O previously and they compared favourably. I would say that the food is infinitely better and the entertainment comparable. However I would not bother with the supplementary restaurants - we tried Sabatini and I have to say that the food in the MDR was just as good if not better. This was a slightly older cruising crowd perhaps because the school holidays had not officially started. The crowd as a good mixture of Brits, Americans and Australians.
To cater for the diverse audience, there were Twinnings English Breakfast teabags and an English and American style breakfast meaning proper bacon, sausages but also American style French toast (try it in the breakfast or lunch restaurant - James Beard's recipe).
Cabin Review
Oceanview (obstructed view)
The cabin room was spacious and the obstructed view was not a problem as the lifeboat was below the window line allowing for plenty of light and partial view of the sea. The twin bed arrangement with the pull down beds were excellently configured for the 3 of us and the new beds and flat screen TV excellent. There was a good choice of British and American TV channels and the free on demand system had plenty of free movies and TV series. The bathroom had seen better days but was of a good size and fully functional.