We choose this cruise as a family vacation that would take us half way around the world, Southampton to Singapore, in 37 days. We had some good times and some not so good times, and met many new friends, but I can not recommend the Sapphire. The service is good, but the food is not good. You can always find something to eat, but as a rule, the overcooked meats buried in tasteless brown sauce, ...
This is where it goes a little off course---so to speak. Do to this being the first time the Sapphire did this route. Well the weather dictated the what, when and how the cruise would unfold. We wanted and did the cruise for 2 reasons: To see the Eiffel Tower ---weather made us bypass that port---the the Vatican---Oh guess what "closed" on our tour date.
That made our trip of a lifetime ...
I must have been on a different cruise than some of the other reviewers. After 20 + cruises on various cruise lines, I found this one mediocre. Perhaps I expected too much of the exotic 37 day Singapore to Southampton itinerary.
I have to admit the highlight of the trip, Petra, definitely did live up to its hype and my expectations. The Suez Canal on the other hand was a major disappointment ...
First the good: 1. Excellent staff across the board. Everyone we dealt with was cheery and accommodating and truly nice. 2. The destinations lecturer was terrific. She was informative and interesting and helpful. 3. The itinerary was well-paced. 4. The dining rooms were well managed and tranquil. There are four of them, three of which are for "anytime dining" and that works surprisingly ...
Main reason was to go along the Suez Canal and then see Petra. We saw and liked the Suez, but Petra had to be cancelled due to the flood there the day before our arrival.
Practically nearly all of the other ports we had visited before, and this ship and it's itinerary (apart from the Sea or Sun Princess World Cruise) go through the Suez and gave the chance of going to Petra.
Had we seen ...
Ports of Call were our main reason for choosing this cruise.
Ship was tired. Many unhosted events. Some of the guests were voluntary speakers onboard.
Crew service was brilliant in some areas and woeful with attitude in other areas. Many crew seemed as though they didn’t want to be there.
I am convinced Phillippino crew are the best.
Entertainment was downright poor,
Cabin was ...
This cruise was very disappointing. We are seasoned cruisers and this was our 7th cruise on Princess. This ship was headed for a extended stay out of Shanghai where it was being leased by a Chinese company for 6 months. So this was the last cruise for a while for international passengers. During the cruise you were extremely aware that staff was being trained and changed out with those that ...
We went with Princess again largely because of the 5-day pre-cruise land content in Beijing (for the Great Wall and other attractions) and Xian (for the Terracota Army). We enjoyed the experience with an excellent guide, top hotel accommodation and many fine meals. Well organised and highly enjoyable,
Unfortunately the cruise that followed was not up to our past Princess experiences. High ...
In keeping with the baby boomer penchant for cruising! and my wife's gentle persuasion(she had done a cruise to Europe);I decided to go on a cruise on the Sapphire Princess in April of 2016!
quite a few setbacks e.g. embarkation,visa problems,lack of communication, shore excursions.
Embarkation: endless wait,form filling;chaotic! a young staff member suffered a seizure! mass confusion! no ...
Chose cruise for fabulous ITINERARY-Beijing China, Busan South Korea, Nagasaki and Kagoshima Japan, Shanghai and Hong Kong China, Ho Chi MInh City (Saigon) Vietnam, Bangkok Thailand and Singapore. Weather changed from 60F to 100F, cool to uncomfortably hot and humid, and no rain except in Singapore. Some did pre cruise to Xian and Terracotta warriors but said they were worn out! We had 3 days in ...