SAPPHIRE PRINCESS

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 19

Review summary

I recently did a cruise with Princess for 7 seven days to Mexico. Of course the Mexico part of the cruise was canceled due to the swine flu. Overall a pleasant cruise, but there are major deficiencies in the way Princess carries out business and the actual cruise environment. The service by the largely Phillipino crew was excellent. The entertainment was excellent. 1) The ship has almost nowhere for non-smokers to sit. All over the boat, the waft of foul cigarette smoke is on the air. For this reason alone, I will not cruise with them again. 2) The food, although fair, has gone down in quality since I last sailed, especially the breakfasts and the dessert menus. The desserts are bland and uninteresting, smacking of mass-production. 3) The Horizon 24 hour restaurant is chaotic: it is much too small & crowded, with few sea view seats, and long lines. A definite negative. 4) There were drunks and loud people all over the place. Princess should limit the amount of drinks served per person per day. Yells and foul language was heard all over the ship. 5) The cabins are thin-walled, and you can hear your neighbor clearly. I was woken up repeatedly by noisy neighbors. 6) The cabins are OK, but stained carpets and duvets were seen. I also don't like the idea of the duvet (one sheet per week - yuck!). Also two comfy chairs would be nice. The beds were uncomfortable, as were the pillows. 7) One of the worst aspects on the voyage was the constant selling of stuff by princess: art, photographs, coffee, special deals; you name it. This was most irritating. 8) I hate the new deal of charging a 10% daily service fee. I prefer to tip my stewards personally. That way I am sure they get what they deserve. This is simply Princess's way of increasing their profits, and their over-worked staff get nothing. 9) There was no menu change between restaurants, except Sabatinis, and you could not get in here. 10) The Purser's desk was poorly run, with always a long line. Several issues came up, and I did not have the time to stay in line for half an hour. 11) One last thing: the excursions are too expensive. Buy them ashore, and you can pay 20% less. These excursions are never fully detailed anywhere, and taking one is a shot in the dark. I think I will stick to Celebrity & Crystal in future, despite the cost.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

Entertainment

Service and Staff

Ship Quality

Cabin / Stateroom

Pros: Service

Cons: The pushy sales and the cigarette smoke

Recommends Sapphire Princess? Yes!