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Live From The Sapphire Princess October 15, 2023 R/T to Hawaii

Woobstr112G

By Woobstr112G,
in Princess Cruises

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Mary Ann 2

Mary Ann 2

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So happy to see that they have a Nobile di Montepulciano by the glass!! It's one of our favorites. So much so that we often bring a bottle onboard to have at Sabatini's. That will save us some room in the suitcase! We get the Premier package, so prefer by the glass.

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Steelers36

Steelers36

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On 10/16/2023 at 10:29 AM, chamima said:

We got an email from Princess saying DuVaul Gamble is our cruise director (unless that was just a generic email sent to all future Princess cruisers).

It's generic.  No more advance notice of ship personnel.  I think it used to be incorrect before at times, so perhaps they gave up since changes can happen and if they don't promise someone specific, then no one can complain.

 

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Steelers36

Steelers36

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11 hours ago, Woobstr112G said:

 I don’t remember the name. When I go down for breakfast in a bit, I’ll snap a picture of the wine list and post it…..

 

Bob

If you visit the MDR where they have the FULL wine list, it would be nice if you could snap photos of each page.  It appears there have been changes in both labels and prices in recent times and AFAIK we don't have any records here of the full wine list.  Much thanks in advance as I know it is several pages.  Perhaps do it over a couple of visits if possible.  Anything would be helpful. 

 

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L11

L11

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1 hour ago, travelin.sisters said:

thank you so much for sharing your cruise with us...we are halfway between Hawai'ian cruises so this is a nice chance to sail along...do you have Hawai'ian ambassadors doing 'ukulele, hula & such?

We are on the Discovery Princess to Hawai'i in December and would also like to know if they still have the ukulele and hula programs and if so the names of the ambassadors. We love these programs and enjoy bringing our own ukuleles to strum along. Thank you so much for your excellent live report!

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Musky Ike "Live from...." Rare

Musky Ike

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3 minutes ago, L11 said:

We are on the Discovery Princess to Hawai'i in December and would also like to know if they still have the ukulele and hula programs and if so the names of the ambassadors. We love these programs and enjoy bringing our own ukuleles to strum along. Thank you so much for your excellent live report!

Brian and Rowena 

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chamima

chamima

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Posted (edited)
6 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

If you visit the MDR where they have the FULL wine list, it would be nice if you could snap photos of each page.  It appears there have been changes in both labels and prices in recent times and AFAIK we don't have any records here of the full wine list.  Much thanks in advance as I know it is several pages.  Perhaps do it over a couple of visits if possible.  Anything would be helpful. 

 

 

Or the wine list in Vines. They usually have a better selection than in the MDR.

 

Question - the "plus" list shows wines at $10 and $11/glass but I thought it covered drinks up to $15. Which is correct?

 

***

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Steelers36

Steelers36

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44 minutes ago, chamima said:

 

Or the wine list in Vines. They usually have a better selection than in the MDR.

 

Question - the "plus" list shows wines at $10 and $11/glass but I thought it covered drinks up to $15. Which is correct?

 

***

Vines may have more WBTG, but not more bottle labels.  I was inquiring about the main wine list which has both bottle pricing and glass pricing (for those that they do pour BTG).

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Woobstr112G "Live from...." Rare

Woobstr112G

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A very good early morning from the Sapphire Princess. It is 0417 (Ship's Time) as we begin our third of four sea days en route to our first Hawaiian port stop of Hilo. It might seem I'm up a little early but nope; as last night/early this am was our second time change (getting an additional hour). I slept almost seven hours and didn't feel like laying in bed wide awake with my CPAP mask on.  So here I sit in the IC with my first of several morning Americano's. The IC's graveyard shift barista ("Romel") is a great asset to Princess. He always has a smile on his face and starts making your drink even before you actually reach the counter.

 

So last night we were scheduled to dine in Sterlings Steakhouse. Holli was feeling a little under the weather so we ended up skipping it with her staying in bed. I ended up getting her a Pizza from room service. The room service Pizza's (ordered off the Medalion app) are pretty decent. There are three choices (Margherita, Pepperoni, and Vegetariana) available. My favorite is the Vegetariana whiole Holli likes the Margherita. My only gripe (a small one) is you are charged $8.50 per pizza. It doesn't matter which package (Plus or Premier) you have, the pizzas still coste you $8.50 a pop.

 

Before ordering a pizza for Holli I ventured to the buffet for a quick bite. Before I go on, I know that food is very subjective so these are my SUBJECTIVE observations. First off service in buffet service was very chaotic. This is do to the fact they shut down one side to be the kitchen for the nightly Sterling Steakhouse offerings. I went to the buffet around 1800 and the lines were long, long, long. I saw several people, who obviously only wanted one particular item walk ahead of other people waiting in line. This caused a couple of minor arguments. Needless to say I stayed in line as I didn't feel like getting into an argument over buffet food.

 

As far as the food offerings go (Remember these are my SUBJECTIVE observations), they left a lot to be desired. Dinner was a German themed night (Schnitzel, etc) and I found every hot entree item I tired to be ice cold, boring, and pretty tasteless. I'm sure others found the menu items acceptable, but I personally did not enjoy them one bit.  

 

Enough about the food issues all ready. As far as the rest of the Sapphire goes, I continue to be impressed with her. She is aging gracefully and the great crew takes good care of her. I have absolutely zero complaints about the ship or the fantastic crew.  

 

Not sure what we'll be doing today as it's another "Do what you feel like sea day" aboard the Sapphire Princess. I'm thinking I might hit the gym a little later to work off some of what I've put on since the start of our vacation.

 

For the entertainment options, "Puss & Boots The Last Wish" will be shown on MUTS at 1000. The movie "Gifted" will be shown in the Explorer's lounge at 1200. The ship's band "Gravity will play a set at the pool at 1215. DJ Deep will take over fat the pool at 1315. The movie "Book Club the next chapter) will be shown on MUTS at 1500. A concert "Imagine Dragons: Smoke & Mirrors Live will be shown on MUTS at 1730. Moondance Duo will be performing in the Wheelhouse bar at 1815 & 2115. Diamond Strings Duo will be in the Piazza at 1845. The evening movie on MUTS will be Champions (2023) at 1900 and 2130. The show in the Princess theater will be Hawley Magic at 1930 & 2130. Comedian Robbie Printz will be in Club Fusion at 2030 and 2130. Gravity will be doing their late set in the Piazza at 2200. Lastly, Andy Morris will be in Crooners for two shows at 2100 and 2300. 

 

That's about all for now. Hope all are well.....


Bob 

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LawDog61 "Live from...." Rare

LawDog61

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Really enjoying your post.  Thanks for posting.   Sapphire is my favorite Princess ship I think.   I got to agree with you about the buffet.   Generally the buffets on the Grand class ships are lacking, although I find the buffets on the Royal class ships to be outstanding.  

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Woobstr112G "Live from...." Rare

Woobstr112G

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Good afternoon from the Sapphire Princess. I'd like to point out a few personal observations. They are not rants or complaints, but rather just what I said; personal observations. Bar service at the two pool bars is extremely, extremely snail paced slow. This is due to a combination of only one bar tender at each bar, rude passengers, and the number of people wanting a drink. The Trident Grill was so busy, they are actually handing out beepers (same kind used at a restaurant). The buffet continues to disappoint as they love to only open only one side at a time. This causes huge lines/ques to form. One bright spot regarding the buffet is their coffee has gotten 1000% better.....

 

Remember, I said they were personal observations and not rants/complaints.....

 

Bob

 
 
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voljeep

voljeep

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2 minutes ago, Woobstr112G said:

Good afternoon from the Sapphire Princess. I'd like to point out a few personal observations. They are not rants or complaints, but rather just what I said; personal observations. Bar service at the two pool bars is extremely, extremely snail paced slow. This is due to a combination of only one bar tender at each bar, rude passengers, and the number of people wanting a drink. The Trident Grill was so busy, they are actually handing out beepers (same kind used at a restaurant). The buffet continues to disappoint as they love to only open only one side at a time. This causes huge lines/ques to form. One bright spot regarding the buffet is their coffee has gotten 1000% better.....

 

Remember, I said they were personal observations and not rants/complaints.....

 

Bob

 
 

Has Princess 'chosen' not to increase staffing? - or can't find ?

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RV Queen

RV Queen

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Enjoyed your posts.  We are sailing on Sapphire next year. We are booked in a partially obstructed view on deck 8.  I’m seeing different diagrams of bed placement. Some pictures show the bed under the window (I really don’t want to climb up onto the bed )tand some show the window at the side of the bed.  Any insight would be greatly appreciated. 

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c-boy "Live from...." Rare

c-boy

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1 hour ago, LACruiser88 said:

Recruiting new crew continues to plague the cruise industry.  Who knows when this tide will turn? 🤷‍♂️

😟  this problem still persists in the vintner industry. 

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