Sapphire 14 Day Hawaii - Long Review

[Ahhh]

I have cruised on both ships, the Golden to Hawaii, and the Sapphire. I thoroughly enjoyed BOTH of the ships, and if I had to choose between them for Hawaii, my decision would be be based on which one had the dates I was looking for.

 

In April 2011 I did the Golden to Hawaii. It has a wonderful cruise, but I came away feeling that the ship was sort "ho hum". Even though she had the Piazza upgrades at the time, and had a Crown Grill, I still preferred the Sapphire.

 

I am a big fan of the Sapphire. Perhaps because it was my first Princess ship when she was still months new. I like the intimacy of the four separate, small dining rooms, in addition to the main one. I like the hidden Wake View Bar. I like the location of Skywalkers better, as it does not cast a shadow on the aft pools most of the time, as I found happened on the Golden.

 

The Spa is much more luxurious on the Sapphire. It is larger, due to the teen area being elsewhere. The sauna and steam rooms are part of the men's & women's locker rooms. On the Golden they are co-ed and outside, by the Spa Pool. They are prefabricated plastic and smelled musty/moldy. They were more conducive to going camping, rather than a relaxing, elegant spa experience. I was disappointed. The two showers in the men's locker room are also prefabricated plastic, not like the three on the Sapphire which are nicely appointed tile. Also, the Thermal Suite is a big bonus.

 

I found the staff on the Golden to be unhappy to a degree. It was hard to put my finger on it but I was not the only one to notice, among other frequent cruisers. The staff on the Sapphire were incredibly friendly and you could tell they liked being on the ship. I did not get that feeling on the Golden. It seemed to lack that sort of pride.

 

Although I enjoyed my sailing on the Golden, she would not be my first choice with Princess. I would choose the Diamond as my second, and the Star as my third.

 

For a complete review (and much smaller than this one) of my Hawaiian cruise on the Golden: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=29415039#post29415039

[MsSoCalCruiser]

Thank you for posting your review. I love it! Also want to say how wonderful it is that you and your mom got to spend this time together.

[Ahhh]

I'm enjoying reliving the trip through your review. You can, if you want, tell your mom that when I read the embarkation day post, I was surprised to find out she's 83.

 

Hi Abby. She will be pleased to hear that. We are lucky to have good genes in our family ;). We are lucky to be able to cruise together! David

 

Thursday, 2/9/12 – Day 6 – Sea Day

 

The ship continued to rock all night. Again, the swells were getting larger, 18-20 feet. They looked much taller and more spread out than the previous days. The ship continued to rock all night. Most of the men I talked with did not seem to mind much but the women were freightened by the rolling, pitching, and unexpected bumps that we would encounter. One older woman admitted that she actually enjoyed it and, like me, likened it to a cross between an earth quake and a roller coaster. I was up at 7:30 till I realized we had another time change and had not moved my watch back an hour. I wrote for an hour and the rest of the morning was spent playing games, having breakfast, and more games.

 

We decided to have a light lunch around 1:15 and then went to the 2:15 movie, “The Help”, which, like the other two, was another very good, thought provoking movie.

 

When it ended, at 4:30, I dropped Mom off at the cabin, and went out for fresh air and to get some exercise. Having done nothing but sit all day, I was in need. I was having fun, but sitting, none the less.

 

I stopped and chatted with a couple of the independent construction workers, who were still working on the yet to be completed mini golf area. They ripped out the old one, had just finished installing the new one, and were getting off the ship the next day. I got a look at the new one, which can be cross utilized for crochet, golf, or bocci ball. The workers told me it would be open in a day or two, after the ship's crew did a final clean up. Standing on the top deck, looking at the ship, I realized that this was Princess’s newest, most up to date ship in the fleet. “The Sapphire had once again become a Diamond”, I thought.

 

I went to the gym to stretch and have a light workout, and was ready for dinner by 6:30. It was roast turkey tonight with mashed potatoes, gravy & cranberry sauce, one of my favorites! This was followed by a “sampling” of 5 good desserts, of which 3 were excellent! One was a visually layered, jello/moose in 4 colors: The top layer was clear lemon yellow followed by a white cocolate, a creamy pink raspberry, and a creamy lime. I am not usually one for jello type desserts but this was attractive and delicious!

 

One thing I noticed since the dry dock, is that there were a lot of staff in the Horizon Court, making sure everything is picked up. There was also an abundance of attractive staff on this ship.

 

I thought we could stop in the Wheelhouse for some music prior to securing seats for the production show, “Stardust”. When I realized it was 45 minutes till show time, I remembered we had better get seats soon if we wanted to sit. Of course it was nearly full already, so I knew to grab the first two seats I saw, rather than try for better ones.

 

We sat in the totally packed theater for a good 40 minutes prior to it starting. The show was just OK. I wouldn’t go see it again.

 

We stopped in the Wheelhouse for their Latin night of dancing. Most of the songs were too fast for us to dance, so I dropped Mom off to listen to Bruce, while I went to the cabin and wrote for an hour before Mom returned. We were in bed by 11. On this particular voyage, I was in bed much earlier than I usually am!

[OuiOnboard]

Cruising to/from Hawaii has always been one of our favourite holidays....thanks for the great review.....brings back a lot of fond memories.

[Ahhh]

Friday, 2/10/12 – Day 7 – Lahaina, Maui

 

We were already docked when I got up at 7:30. I went upstairs to see the view and shower, before heading to my “office”, at Alfredo’s, to write. I went back to the cabin with coffee for Mom.

 

After breakfast, we packed a bag and took a tender ashore, since Lahaina does not have a dock for large ships. The weather was warm and beautiful, and the short tender ride fun. We were on shore by 10:30 and I found an internet café, to check email, while Mom relaxed on the patio, with her book.

 

We found the location of the local bus stop that would take us to Kaanapalli Beach. It was only $1. There were several hotel resorts there, and we made our way to the beach, in front of the Westin. It was not exactly the private, secluded, sandy white, warm water I was seeking for us. The water was rough and the sand was not pristine. We stayed only a short while before heading back to the ship.

 

Mom enjoyed a glass of wine, having been traumatized by the rough seas getting off the tender, back onto the ship. We had a delicious buffet lunch featuring a carved roast pork. After this, we enjoyed a few games of shuffle board before nature put on a show, just off the starboard side.

 

Two whales, a mother and child, performed for over 30 minutes, splashing their fins and tails! It was quite a sight, so close to the ship! At 5:30 Mom headed for a nap while I went for my power walk. Our evening began in the Wheelhouse with music and dancing.

 

Afterwards we went for a light snack and a few rounds of Triominos in The Piazza, listening to the pianist. From here we briefly listened Bruce, at his piano, and then to the theater for the Elton John impersonator, but he was not to our liking. We were in bed by 11:30.

[Smokeyham]

 

..... I like the hidden Wake View Bar.

 

My understanding is that the Wake View Bar was to be removed in the refit. Can anyone confirm if that actually happened? I was looking forward to using that as a snug, comfortable, place, so would love to hear if it was "spared."

[CulverCityCruisers]

My understanding is that the Wake View Bar was to be removed in the refit. Can anyone confirm if that actually happened? I was looking forward to using that as a snug, comfortable, place, so would love to hear if it was "spared."

 

It's still there!

[Astro Flyer]

My understanding is that the Wake View Bar was to be removed in the refit. Can anyone confirm if that actually happened? I was looking forward to using that as a snug, comfortable, place, so would love to hear if it was "spared."

 

It's still there!

And the planned addition of the Crown Grill was not done so it's still Sterling's Steakhouse located in the sectioned off aft area of the Horizon Court seating area.

[Ahhh]

Saturday, 2/11/12 – Day 8 – Honolulu

 

I was up at 6:45 to see that we were nearly finished docking, at Aloha Tower. I could see Norwegian's, Pride of America at the nearby dock. I made a couple of phone calls and went down for my morning ritual of writing.

 

Around 9:00 we went to breakfast, sharing a table with Ed & Maureen. We then moved to the indoor pool area and played Rummy Tiles for a few games. The rest of the morning was spent relaxing around the pool, and having burgers before heading off the ship at 1:00, with our beach bag.

We walked several blocks to the bus stop and waited for about 10 minutes. We got off in the center of Waikiki and strolled thru the Royal Hawaiian Hotel, the oldest on the island, built in 1926. By 2:00 we were on the beach, in front of the "Pink Palace".

 

It was too hot to be in the sun for long, without shade. We went in the water up to our knees, but I felt it was too it rough for Mom, to go any further. After a half hour on the beach, it was time for some shade. I found us a bit of lawn, under some palm trees where we relaxed for 45 minutes watching people on the sidewalk. There's nothing like lounging in tropical breezes!

 

We took a local bus back to Aloha Tower, wandering thru the complex a bit, before getting back on the ship. I went to the gym for a workout and heard about Whitney Houston on the TV. I then secured lounge chairs for us, with a good view of the big outdoor screen for the 7:00 “Janet Jackson Live In Honolulu Concert”.

 

It was not scheduled as such, but for me it was a tribute to Whitney, being able to see a contemporary of hers, in a concert on the big screen, the day she died. At 7:15 I saw the Pride of America leave with the sight of the Aloha Tower, and the concert in the same view. I felt lucky to be able to enjoy my surroundings.

 

At 9:00 we went to the Wheelhouse for a couple of dances and then up to the top deck for the Ultimate Deck Party. Mom got some food from the poolside buffet. I was not impressed with all finger food offerings (chips, salsa, chicken wings, corn on the cob) so went to the Horizon Court and fixed myself a plate of real food. I brought it outside and ate, overlooking the pool party from above, with Mom.

 

As can be predicted with any pool party on a ship, they played 'YMCA'. I commented to the older, conservative couple, next to me about the origins of the song and how I find it odd that it is so embraced by middle America these days.

 

After seeing the staff packing up the inflatable alligators in the pool, and seeing the Cruise Director leave, I took it as a sign that, we too, should call it a night. We were back to cabin, and in bed by 11:45.

[Smokeyham]

It's still there!

 

Thanks.... and thanks to Ahhh for such a great review of your trip.

[meemeec]

David, GREAT review!! Thanks for all your hard work.

You are so right about Ed getting some mileage out of the "Giants" story!!BTW, we ended up with colds after we disembarked on the 25th!

Maureen

[HappiestWhenCruising]

Do you remember the name of the Elton John Impersonator?

[waterduo]

How often is it the case that ships have to miss an island due to the weather situation?

After four days at sea it is very disappointing!

I missed two islands in January last year, and thought it was probably a freak happening?

Have booked for this December,so fingers crossed.

[Ahhh]

Do you remember the name of the Elton John Impersonator?

 

Craig A Meyer. I know some people really enjoyed him, but having seen Elton in concert years ago, I couldn't make the leap.

 

Sunday, 2/12/12 – Day 9 - Kauai

 

I was up at 6:15 and saw our approach to the island, which was quite beautiful. I threw some clothes in one of the washers on board. I love that Princess has laundromats on their ships. Meanwhile, I wrote and showered.

 

Mom was up early and we went to breakfast around 9:30. We then packed our beach bag and got off the ship, taking a short shuttle bus ride to nearby Kalapaki Beach, which was almost next to the ship. I rented a beach chairs and we relaxed, napped, and went for a walk along the beautiful beach.

 

I suggested that we walk around the gardens and pool of the nearby Marriott, before reclaiming our things and heading back to the ship. I sent Mom back on the shuttle, while I went to use a nearby internet cafe. It was closed, with a sign on the door saying, “Back at Noon”. Since it was 1:00, I walked the 10 minute hike back to the ship.

 

I found Mom in the Jacuzzi, relaxing. I had enough sun for the day so headed to the gym. We had a light lunch and then headed back to the cabin for a short nap, followed by Skywalkers, with Triominos for sail away. It was beautiful.

 

We went to the Wheelhouse and had a few dances, staying till the band went on break. I suggested we go to Explorer's where Dan Bennett, a juggling comedian was going to start in 30 minutes. I had seen him before and knew he was funny, incorporating bowling balls in his act.

 

The lounge was packed, but I spotted a group of 5 people abandoning a table and quickly secured the small sofa seats for us. After the show we went off to dinner.

 

We finished the night in the Princess Theater, catching the 10:15 production show, “Motor City”. I was so tired that I dozed for a good portion of it. Cruise life is so exhausting ;). I don't feel I missed anything. At 11:00 we made our way back to the cabin and to bed.

[Ahhh]

Monday, 2/13/12 – Day 10 – Sea Day

 

We had breakfast at 9:15, and afterwards played Triominos at a small window table in Vines Wine Bar, on deck 5. It was very pleasant having a view of the ocean going by, while listening to the pianist in the atrium.

 

I needed an early nap, so stretched out at noon for half an hour while Mom took an hour. I left her a note that I would be back to pick her up to see the afternoon movie, and headed out to make a Valentine’s Day Card in Sabatiani’s.

 

I took advantage of some solo time and went to the International Dining Room for lunch. I had the tofu which not only looked good, in a wonderful presentation, but tasted great as well. It came with Asian Noodles and Chinese Cabbage. We went to the Princess Theater to see “J Edgar Hoover”, which we both enjoyed. It's such a treat to have a large theater and screen to see onboard movies!

 

Mom went back to the cabin to read, while I went for a walk. We made plans to go to the Welcome Back Party @ 7:15. I chatted with a group of guys I ran into for a bit, and then to the gym to workout. It was windy out on the decks, so I took advantage of enjoying it while I was by myself. It was great! Just what I needed.

 

Since Mom had not eaten since breakfast, we decided to have an dinner early. As usual, the food was delicious. We then went back to the cabin to change for Formal Night and got in line for the party. I was surprised they were serving cocktails, of your choice! We stayed the full 45 minutes, even getting in one dance prior to the announcements, awards and the Captain’s speech.

 

At 8:30 we were playing Rummy Tiles in The Piazza, before heading to the Wheelhouse to listen to music. We got seats up front for “So You Wanna Dance?”, in the Princess Theater, and though we both enjoyed it, I dozed during most of it. We were in bed and asleep by 11:30.

 

Tuesday, 2/14/14 – Valentine’s Day – Day 11 – Sea Day

 

I was up at 6:15 and realized, as part of my new Platinum level of benefits, I had 250 free internet minutes to use. I went to the Internet Café, using 75 of them.

 

After breakfast we played a couple rounds of Rummy Tiles. Since I had been sitting all morning, I was in need of some exercise. I went for a power walk and some fresh air, while Mom headed to deck 7 with her book, settling at a comfy couch, outside Explorer's Lounge, with a view out the window.

 

I ran into Ed in Skywalkers, where we had a good talk about enjoying mothers while we have them. I was thankful for our conversation. I am always thankful for the people I meet on ships!

 

The new Lawn Court, which replaced the old Mini Golf Course, was now open. It was completely redone into a (relatively) flat area that can be cross used for golf putting, croquet, lawn bowling, and bocce ball. All these activities are being rotated during the day, every 3 hrs.

 

After hearing Ed’s story about the problems with the it, I checked it out and saw what he meant. It was sad, but funny to me. The wind gets under the astro turf (that was not glued down) and makes it ripple. It is hard to putt golf balls when the surface ripples, is too windy, or the ship is too rocky. The croquet balls are made of light weight plastic, so just a small wind makes them roll around a lot. The lawn bowling balls I am not sure about, but the Bocce Balls are much smaller than they should be. Some adjustments will have to be made.

 

The bridge's noon speech was about safety. I don't know if was just that particular officer, or word from the head office, to increase these sort of talks in light of the Costa disaster?

 

This was the coldest of the six Hawaii sailings I have done. It was also the most rocky and windy, not that the latter two bother me. In fact, I like feeling the motion of the ocean a great deal. But Mom can't do much outdoors as she does not like the wind, or being cold, so we are somewhat limited in our activities. There are some areas that we just cannot use because of it (Lawn Club, Pools/Jacuzzi, deck chairs, the new outdoor movie screen, Promenade deck, shuffleboard, and table tennis.

 

Today there was nobody at the Sanctuary. The butlers told me they had a couple of people come up for massages, in the tents, but those were thru the Spa, not the Sanctuary. There were few lounge chairs being used around the outdoor pool, and most people were bundled up. A few devotees found places that allowed them wind-protected sun. I did a workout at the gym and found Mom in The Piazza.

 

I joined her for a snack and watched the entertainment, a balancing act at 1:30. I then suggested some fresh air on the Promenade Deck, as it wasn't too windy by then. There were some empty lounge chairs that we made use of, and I got some blankets from the pool deck. One of the best things about the Sapphire is that the Promenade is extra wide, which accommodates lounge chairs, not just chairs. I wrapped Mom up well, so she would be warm. It was perfect with the view, fresh air, and the sound of the waves crashing against the ship’s hull.

 

We both dozed, a bit, lulled by it all, and then I walked laps around the deck, checking in with her at every rotation.

 

We headed to Skywalkers with Triominos and wine, enjoying a round of games with great views of the waves breaking off the bow of the ship. I also noticed 6 large rolls of new outdoor carpeting, on the port side of deck 15, ready to be put down on the outdoor decks.

 

Afterwards, Mom went back to the cabin, while I went for a walk on the top decks, then to the spa & gym.

 

Our first stop of the evening was the Wheelhouse where we got in a couple of dances. There were so many things we wanted to do that night that we decided to have a quick dinner. After dinner we rushed to Explorers Lounge to see the 8:30 comedian, Kevin Jordan, an ex LA police officer, who was quite funny! From there we headed to the Love & Marriage Game Show, in Club Fusion.

 

We stayed for the first round of questions & answers and decided to go to the Princess Theater to hear Linda Gentille, a pianist who was very accomplished and entertaining. She studied under Liberace and it showed. We were both tired by this time, and having to change our clocks forward an hour, decided to head to bed at midnight.

[camofwilliamsburg]

We were on the Golden from Feb 1 -15 and we only had 2 sunny days.

Superbowl sunday was one, and Maui was the second. We rolled and pitched up and down every sea day. We did get to go to Hilo which I was glad to see the scenic sites. On Oahu it poured on and off and we took the local bus to the Arizona Memorial only to find they closed it for the entire day due to winds.

All in all, bad weather this past month for Pacific crossings. Still a good cruise....and I agree with you, the turkey dinner is one of our favorites too. The Golden had a lot of Hawaiian themed entrees and appetizers which were delightful.

[jrobinso]

Love reading your review. We are taking our first Hawaii cruise in October on Golden Princess.

[Ahhh]

Wednesday, 2/15/12 – Day 12 – Sea Day

 

I was up relatively late, at 8:00 and headed to the Internet Café to check emails. Mom joined me around 9:00, on deck 5, where she read while I wrote. We stayed there while the sun slowly made it’s way thru the clouds. The ocean was not too rocky that morning and we were also traveling quite slow. We decided to have a late breakfast, after the rush was over upstairs, playing Rummy Tiles for a number of rounds afterwards.

 

For exercise, we went to the gym. I did a workout, while Mom got on the treadmill. I followed this with my power walk outside while she went off to read, on deck five. It was a perfect day for taking a nap, so we indulged ourselves.

 

The afternoon movie did not interest either of us. I went to for a walk outside in the fresh air but it was too windy and cold for Mom. She preferred hanging out in The Piazza, people watching. Quite a few people were bundled up and watching Tora, Tora, Tora! On the outside screen. We finished the afternoon playing games and enjoying the views of the ocean, before having dinner.

 

We had seen both of the entertainers that were performing again in the lounges so went to the Wheelhouse, to listen to music and dance a bit, before calling it an early night.

[Ahhh]

Thursday, 2/16/12 – Day 13 – Sea Day

 

I was awake at 7:30 and went down to my “office”. Mom joined me later in the morning and read while I wrote. We went for a late breakfast again, to avoid the crowds and played numerous rounds of Rummy Tiles till 1:00.

 

We headed down to The Piazza to enjoy the entertainment with a warm bowl of soup. Because it was so cold outside, it was very crowded, but I managed to find us seats at the Bar. I was in need of some exercise and solo time, so I dressed warmly and went for a walk outside.

 

I stopped at The Sanctuary and chated with the two attendants, Luis from Colima, Mexico, and Thongton from Jacarta, Indonesia. They were very nice guys. One of them has only been on the ship for 2 months, and they both still get sea sick. They wanted to know where to go in SF when they are there for 7 stops, later in the year. I found most of the staff on this voyage to be exceptionally personable. There was nobody up there, being too cold. In fact, the area got little use on this voyage because of the cold, windy weather.

 

I stayed and chatted for over half an hour, but it became too cold for me. I took went to the sauna to warm up, and then went to the theater with Mom to see “Rum Diary”, with Johnny Depp. It was kind of a boring movie, though it is based on a true story.

 

Mom went to the cabin to take a nap, while I went for a quick walk and to the gym for exercise. I retrieved Mom and we brougt Triominos up to Skywalkers for the great view. We played quite a few games while enjoying the light snacks set out for us. While up there, I ran into Maureen & Ed and learned about Bruce Tilden, the pianist. He took ill and had to be taken to the hospital in Kauai. They ran tests on him and determined he would be better off flying home to Vancouver till he recovered. We certainly missed his piano playing and entertainment each evening.

 

We changed for formal night and headed to deck 7, overlooking The Piazza, for the Captain’s Reception with complimentary cocktails. The Champagne Waterfall was set up tonight also, since it was too rocky the previous week. From there we headed to Explorer's Lounge and got fairly good seats, for the 8:30 show, considering it was quite full already.

 

The Pat Juneau Trio, who must have embarked on Friday or Saturday, was still playing, with people dancing. The show, was Wayne Hoffman, which we knew nothing about from the Patter. He turned out to be a young mind-reader and we were both very entertained.

 

After this we went to dinner. It was great as usual – cream of roasted tomato soup among other things. We rushed to 'Piano Man' at 10:10 and got fairly good seats way in the back. Mom enjoyed the show, while I thought is was mediocre. Of the four singers, only one was good in my opinion, while the others sounded more like good karaoke, at best. Even the dancers were not that great. They just did not seem to dance in unison. They had enthusiasm, but they seemed to lack perfection. I've seen much better. The choreography and costumes were fine.

 

I did learn that this particular group would be leaving the ship the end of March. Also, the activities staff would all be gone by the same time.

 

Mom was tired after the show and went back to the cabin, while I checked out the Casino, since it was non-smoking that night. It was not my night to win and left after just three hands of Blackjack. I wandered around the ship a bit and was in bed by 12:45.

[Ahhh]

Friday, 2/17/12 – Day 14 – Sea & Ensenada

 

I woke up feeling like I was catching a cold. There were quite a few people coughing and sneezing, I noticed the past few days. With the weather on the cool side, most people were staying indoors, which did not help. We did our morning routine of breakfast, followed by games till it was time for lunch.

 

Mom read while I went to the gym and my power walk on the top decks, followed by a nap. We stopped into the afternoon movie, Captain America, but it did not hold our interest. Sapphire docked in Ensenada and most guests disembarked, I would say.

 

We went to Skywalkers with Triominos, sitting at our favorite spot with a view of Ensenada at twilight. We fixed a plate of chips & salsa and played a few games, before joining Maureen and Ed, who were already seated up there with some other couples. When they all left for dinner, we returned to our seats, overlooking the ship for a couple more games, before dinner at 7:00.

 

We went to the 'Tribute to Whitney Houston', by the lead black singer of the production shows , Stephanie Parker. It was a very moving tribute as told, and sung by someone who's career was greatly influenced hearing Whitney as a child. She had a story for each song, revealing how that particular one stood out in her childhood (singing at the Senior High School Dance, winning talent shows, etc.). All the songs she sang were spot-on perfect: “Greatest Love of ALL”, “Saving All My Love”, “I Have Nothing”, “I Will Always Love YOU”, “I am Every Woman”. She had the full orchestra as her backup, in the intimate Explorers Lounge. It was an incredible way to celebrate and process the loss of an amazing talent. It was one of the highlights of the cruise for me. Afterwards, we wandered around the ship a bit before heading to bed early, like most guests.

 

Saturday, 2/18/12 – Disembarkation Day – Los Angeles

 

I was awake at 7:30, my newly acquired cold keeping me up part of the night. I finished packing while Mom got dressed and ready. We headed to breakfast at 8:30, before the 9:00 closing. We stepped off the ship around 10:10 and were at the curb just 15 minutes later. Most people were off the ship by that time and there were no long lines for anything. Within a few minutes my brother was there and we were off to the airport. Check in was a breeze for my 12:20 flight. It was a wonderful cruise and I look forward to embarking on the Sapphire next year!

[that]

Sailing the Sapphire in April and want to Thank You so much for posting your review. Had sailed 16 days on the Diamond, Sapphire's sister, to Hawaii in 2007-2008.

[Wileyd577]

Thank you for a wonderful review. I have been trying to get some feedback on the Sapphire. Did they offer a wine package? Did they offer anything other than wine in vines? Did they have an option to send your luggage ahead using EZ CHECK? Can you shed any light on any of this.

 

Thanks

[meemeec]

Thank you for a wonderful review. I have been trying to get some feedback on the Sapphire. Did they offer a wine package? Did they offer anything other than wine in vines? Did they have an option to send your luggage ahead using EZ CHECK? Can you shed any light on any of this.

 

Thanks

 

No "Wine Packages".

Vines is for wine. There is a bar across the piazza and you can get cocktails there.

Princess does not offer EZ Check in LA.

 

Maureen

[PathfinderEss]

Thank you for your thoughtful review.

[Smokeyham]

Thanks for this wonderfully detailed review! It really helps to get a information from someone who has just been on board, especially since Sapphire is just finished with her refit.