The Sapphire does not look like an older ship. She is spotless, up to date, interesting. Lots ofd space, variety. Excellent food, and a friendly staff. You can't go wrong with this one. Our mini suite was wonderful. I can't comment on the other cabins, but ours was top notch in every respect. We hope we are lucky enough to be aboard her again someday.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation in Southampton was especially quick and painless. We were checked in and in our spotless mini suite in minutes. We are Platinum members, and that helps of course.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The Sapphire is not like the other Grand Class ships. The dining rooms have a lot of individual style, they are spotless, and seem more quiet that other ships. Better sound control. We loved the staff in the Savoy dining room, especially Eugene & Mario. We did not use the speciality dining rooms on this trip. The anytime dining options were varied and interesting enough. The rolls, butter, and many components of the selections are all made fresh from scratch each day, and it is very good! The buffet was fine, and there always seemed to be enough tables and chairs most of the time.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We did not spend too much time seeking it out. Some music acts were excellent. It is a mix and changes of course. We enjoy the reason we like cruises, the sea. We love walking around the full classic promenade deck, taking in the fresh air, looking at distant ships and looking for dolphins, etc.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
It was a mix of amazing, enthusiastic and interesting, and uneven. The cruise director was extremely good.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The Sapphire's design is different than the other Grand Class ships we have been on. It felt very different really. The layout is different here and there. Easy to get from point to point on the ship. Decor is very good! Quality materials, colors textures and materials. The ship was refurbished in March '18 I think, and it shows. Everything looked very good. Clean, fresh, updated. She does not look like an older ship at all. All new looking carpeting, furniture, surfaces fresh& clean. She is now our favorite Grand Class ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Ship tip
Our mini suite was fantastic. Clean, new carpeting, and the new super bedding is so comfortable! The walls are not banged up or dirty as some cabins on other ships were. The balcony is very spacious. The old tube TVs are gone, replaced by big flat screen smart TVs mounted to the walls. The locations were the old tube tvs were now provide much more shelf storage space with them out of the way. Being pretty far forward, there is a bit more motion, but I like that (more than my wife does). A ship should move, and not be motionless like a (dull) hotel.
The ship docked right downtown fortunately. We just walked off, and were right there in the center of everything! Beautiful, exotic city with a long history.
To socalguppy if you mean tabletop board games, there is a selection in the library that you can borrow; if you mean deck games, there are two shuffleboard courts and maybe giant chess (I’m not sure about that!)
Thank you Kevin for your comments! I always wonder what types of board games they have on the ship? Just curious...I am thinking, "way out there" thought...thank you in advance
We were on it in September and loved it. Like you say the dining rooms are more individual and we loved the staff there, especially those in the Vivaldi.
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