Home from the 28 Day Sapphire Princess Cruise to Hawaii, Samoa and French Polynesia

[caribill]

I have never seen such a concentration of walkers and scooters since visiting a relative in a nursing home. It seemed to me that everyong had this cruise on their bucket list and many were getting it scratched off just in time.

 

This was a 28 day cruise.

 

In general, cruises over ten days will skew towards an older population because very few people who are not retired can take this amount of time for vacation and many younger cruisers will have children in school and cannot leave them for a long period of time.

 

Of course the vacation problem and the children in school situation is just magnified more for a 28 day cruise.

 

I suspect on any cruise line with any 28 day itinerary there will also be a tendency to have an older population aboard and the need for mobility aids would exist on those cruises also.

[CZEE]

But for us, we felt like we were sailing on a floating nursing home (and we are not young by any means). In fact, many in our local nursing homes are in better shape than a good percentage of the passengers onboard this cruise were.

 

I've been where you were, but a some years earlier. DH and I booked a cruise the first week of January. We got a substantial upgrade. The ship was not sold out and Princess dumped cabins to the local retirement facilities. Thankfully, I had a minisuite to retreat to. I've never seen so many scooters and wheel chairs on a ship. These folks fought over deck chairs to the extent that some had to visit the medical facility to be patched up. The Maitre 'd couldn't keep tables together. He personally thanked us for not asking to change our table. An elderly lady hit me so hard with her cane to get ahead of me at the MDR that she bruised my shoulder. And, I even had my food taken out of my hands in the HC. We never were able to see a show because they saved seats. I wish Princess wouldn't allow that. We called it the "cruise from hell."

 

We've found that the longer the cruise, the older the passengers and just plan for it. Both of us read a lot and are self-sufficient.

 

It would be disappointing to book and look forward to a cruise and have the outcome you experienced.

[kath00]

She has

 

see http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1522400

 

Just read the review! Excellent and truly worth reading and considering. Thanks again for posting this, Toto!

 

K

[balcony queen]

Just read the review! Excellent and truly worth reading and considering. Thanks again for posting this, Toto!

 

K

I agree this review was worth reading as was every one elses that has taken the time to report back.Thanks to everyone for contributing

[Viesczy]

Good for you...I hope that you do...and take any "poor mobility" friends with you and that you have the time of your life....

 

And give the same experience that Sue, Denise and others have lamented about to a future cruise?

 

Really? Have you read Sue's full review? It seemed like the level self absorption and actions of some of the pax bordered on criminal. From their collective descriptions it seemed that the cruise was nearly god's waiting room!

 

Derek

[pegpowell]

Just remember that rude behavior is not an exclusive or automatic trait of the mobility challenged.

[happytalk44]

I was on this cruise and we need to remember that the initial remarks on this intolerable behavior were not directed only at the mobility impaired. It just seems to have dissolved into that category. Folks should not read these comments as being only re: that issue. The rudeness and terrible attitudes I witnessed were mostly with the fully capable 60-70 year olds. Admittedly, the multitude of scooters was a real problem but the general attitude of those in my own age group was amazing to behold. The 2 confrontations I witnessed were between completely mobile and mentally capable people.

When reading some comments don't assume we are insulting "old people"---some of us are them! My comments are re: rude obnoxious people who felt entitled to be first in everything, deferred to at every activity and refused to respect others.

[balcony queen]

And give the same experience that Sue, Denise and others have lamented about to a future cruise?

 

Really? Have you read Sue's full review? It seemed like the level self absorption and actions of some of the pax bordered on criminal. From their collective descriptions it seemed that the cruise was nearly god's waiting room!

 

Derek

Derek you are very rude.The reply you quote was Viesczy reply to me. I have mobility issue (I do not have a scooter yet:D)Are we not all in Gods waiting room?I have read Totos version and I have read other versions .I dont think the elderly and infirm was Totos only negative.Unfortunately things happen on cruises .We have all had a cruise that did not go so well. On a lighter note I think it quite funny that I sometimes take suites and use unlimited internet have breakfast in Sabitinis and did I mention I am also elite. :cool:

[balcony queen]

Sorry Derek I was so upset when I read your reply that I should have said "The reply you quote was Cancuns reply to me

[4cats4me]

I've been where you were, but a some years earlier. DH and I booked a cruise the first week of January. We got a substantial upgrade. The ship was not sold out and Princess dumped cabins to the local retirement facilities. Thankfully, I had a minisuite to retreat to. I've never seen so many scooters and wheel chairs on a ship. These folks fought over deck chairs to the extent that some had to visit the medical facility to be patched up. The Maitre 'd couldn't keep tables together. He personally thanked us for not asking to change our table. An elderly lady hit me so hard with her cane to get ahead of me at the MDR that she bruised my shoulder. And, I even had my food taken out of my hands in the HC. We never were able to see a show because they saved seats. I wish Princess wouldn't allow that. We called it the "cruise from hell."

 

We've found that the longer the cruise, the older the passengers and just plan for it. Both of us read a lot and are self-sufficient.

 

It would be disappointing to book and look forward to a cruise and have the outcome you experienced.

 

DH and I had this experience in 2003; thankfully the cruise was only 7 nights but we said NEVER AGAIN the first week of December will we sail out of Ft. lauderdale. The demographic was so different than other cruises we'd been on. Rudest passengers we've ever seen --- I'd just sat down to a slot machine and a woman wanted that machine, so my husband and I still joke about how she bullied me away from "her" slot machine. I'd plunked in a couple quarters when she barks at me, 'ARE YOU PLAYING THIS MACHINE?' Uh, yeah, I was .... so she hovered over me the entire time staring over my shoulder craning her neck between my husband and myself. It's quite comical now but at the time RUDE:eek::D

That was just a small example of the behaviour we encountered aboard the ship.

DH is very mild mannered and by the second to the last day couldn't take the screaming between couples, et cet, and made the comment that he felt like he was at his mother's convalescent hospital. It was a bit of a downer at times. On the island party night by the pool, only 15 people attended, whereas we'd never seen less than a couple to a few hundred previously.