Great weather, each day on the islands was clear, only rain was on the drive through the leeward side of Oahu, but the rest of the island was sunny. Seas were mild with a blend of sunny and overcast sky. Service was excellent. Food in main dining room was inconsistent - my only complaint.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Excellent; walked through the embarkation process without having to wait in any line.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
For the most part, the food was good, however, dinners were inconsistent regarding food quality. On two of the three formal nights, lobster was served, and the first lobster dinner was excellent while the second lobster served was flavorless and tough. Similar with steaks, some nights the meat was very good, other nights the meat served was tough even when prepared medium rare. The dining room staff worked very hard to meet our expectations, however, they were understaffed plus this was only the second cruise after coming out of dry dock, so having to wait 30+ minutes for the main course was expected.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Standard Princess activities, no rock-climbing or water tubes, which is OK with me. I appreciated having a clean and well-equipped gym to workout in every morning and with a slightly older demographic, the gym was usually empty so no wait for any equipment.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Princess provided a lot of variation so there was something for everyone. Nothing was outstanding, very similar to past Princess entertainment venues.
Children's Programs
I don't recall seeing more than a dozen children on this cruise which is why I chose a 15 day cruise in October.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Excellent service and staff are the hallmark for Princess, and they did not fail to deliver on this cruise. Our room steward quickly figured out our schedule and always made up the room while we were at a meal. All requests presented to our room steward were executed immediately.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship layout on Sapphire is excellent. The common areas were spotless with the exception of some minor exterior rust.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This balcony provides enough room for two and the weather was perfect to spend some time just enjoying the beauty of the Hawaiian Islands as we sailed by.
Ship tip
Remember to monitor your invoice throughout your cruise. During our cruise there were sex items incorrectly added to our invoice; four bar bills plus a $31 dollar charge for the coffee package which we requested in lieu of the Elite stocked mini bar. Also, we were charged $62 for laundry service which is free of elite members. When these charges were brought to the attention of the ship service desk, they promptly removed each of the charges.
Princess did not offer any excursions that we have not visited on previous trips, so we walked into the town and strolled along the beach enjoying a beautiful sunny day before walking back to the ship.
I rented a car to take my party of four around the island to visit sites we had not seen before as well as revisiting sites that we wanted to enjoy again. Having a full day, 8am-11pm, gave us enough time to circumnavigate the island without being rushed to get back to the ship.
Princess allegedly did not pre-coordinate with the city of Kahului to ensure that the required number of security personnel were available to support disembarkation. This resulted in pushing the disembarkation time from 8am to 12:30pm. We ended up walking the beach which was relaxing and since we did not book any excursions, we were not impacted due to cancelled excursions.
I actually had low expectations for this port as most folks on the ship who I talked to recommended staying on the ship for this port. We walked through town and then signed up for the Princess excursion to La Bufadora (blow hole). At $40 per person, this was one of the most inexpensive Princess excursions offered on this cruise. I agree with many other comments stating that while walking from the bus parking lot through the shops to the blow hole you are constantly being approached to shop and buy, and if this bothers you, then you may want to miss this visit. The day was sunny and 70 degrees and the blow hole was very enjoyable to watch. This excursion was at the end of the day (1:30-4:00pm), so the site was not overcrowded, and it was relatively easy to get pictures at various positions around the blow hole. The best part for me was enjoying a meal of lobster tacos at $10 each; a full lobster tail perfectly grilled - best meal on this vacation by far.
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