First of all. let me say I had some trepidation after booking this cruise. We were originally booked on the Diamond Princess out of San Diego in October. We were anxious to have a Princess ship ported out of our hometown and yes it was "that" Diamond Princess of Covid fame. But unfortunately, Princess cancelled the cruise along with about seven or eight other San Diego departures due to a lack of available crew members. While disappointing, we realized this was the right decision by Princess rather than trying to spread already thin crew members and hurt service on all the ships. Luckily we were able to book the following month on the Sapphire just a short (2 1/2 hour) drive north in Long Beach.

As soon as everything was set, I began to regret my decision. I began reading reviews on this site about a ship with balcony doors that didn't open right and air conditioning running full tilt and passengers having to wear sweatshirts the whole cruise. Yikes ! Not a good outlook for a 16 day cruise to Hawaii. But what's booked is booked. Full steam ahead !

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