Sailed on Sapphire to Antarctica in December 2022. Overall, a good cruise despite cancellations due to poor weather. We missed Punta Arenas, Port Stanley, and Cape Horn. However, we were lucky to see wonderful land- and seascapes in Antarctica, going further south than is usually possible. At the time, the captain said we’d made the record for southernmost pizza delivery, as the ship was able to provide pizza to a group of Chilean researchers.
We had a very sweet server in the International Dining Room, who always greeted us warmly, like family, even when we saw her in other places around the ship. We found the food to be quite good in general. The menus for Christmas and New Year had special items, like lobster. There were some shortages later in the voyage due to difficulties restocking, but nothing awful (i.e., no Diet Coke and only limited fresh produce in the buffet).
This was my favorite of three Princess ships I've sailed (Caribbean Princess and Diamond Princess being the other two). We found our cabins to be very well kept and the furnishings in much better condition than either Caribbean Princess or Diamond Princess. The dining room was also better run, and the food quality better. I believe the maitre’d was Mario, and he took the time and care to come around to diners’ tables every night.
The ports that we did manage to visit, Ushuaia and Montevideo, were pleasant. We took the “Drive to the End of the World” excursion in Ushuaia. I wasn’t thrilled with the excursion as it was rushed, but the scenery was beautiful. We walked around Montevideo on our own, which was easy to do and enjoyable, but hot.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Embarkation in San Antonio, Chile, was quick and smooth. We used ilovechile Tours for a private van transfer from our hotel in Santiago. Can recommend them also for tours to Valparaiso.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Good quality in MDR. Buffet sometimes hit-and-miss. Better food overall than other Princess ships I've sailed.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Entertainment
Did not go to any shows.
Children's Programs
Did not travel with any kids.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The crew were lovely. There were issues with flooding in the crew cabins (due to a broken pipe), but the crew remained professional and didn't let it affect their service.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Ship was well maintained. Enjoyed the generous amounts of outdoor space, such as promenade and observation deck above the bridge, etc.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Our cabin was a comfortable and well-maintained. Spacious enough even on a 16-day voyage. We had a connecting cabin with our family, which was convenient.
The cabin was located on Deck 12 aft, which provided easy access to the Terrace Pool area and also the buffet to pick up snacks or drinks. This was great on a long cruise with many sea days. Also easy to get to the International Dining room via aft elevators. Balconies on this deck are fully covered, which is good for privacy and inclement weather.
No complaints about embarkation at this port. Staff were helpful, process was quick. Only downside is the distance from Santiago/airport, so definitely plan on flying in at least a day ahead.
Beautiful port, with mountains framing the city.
My overall experience was marred by a mediocre excursion and some unfortunately rude tour staff. The "Drive to the End of the Word" excursion was just too rushed (basically only a series of photo stops), but the scenery was beautiful. Tour could have eliminated one of the stops to give more time at the other ones.
While our own tour guide was fine and helpful, some of her colleagues were disrespectful toward both her and my mother. Extremely unprofessional. Our guide was kindly helping my mother navigate an unpaved gravel parking lot as mom had lost her balance earlier and almost taken a nasty spill. As you can imagine, I was already stressed because of this. The icing on the cake was the behavior of the rude tour staff. Some of our guide's colleagues from another group were standing near us as we walked, and they started making fun of our guide in Spanish about escorting "grandma" (i.e., my mom). They were assuming, I imagine, that we wouldn't understand them. Luckily, my mother didn't seem to hear/notice, and our guide just shot her "friends" a look and ignored them. Left a bad taste in my mouth about the whole day.
Scenery can't be beat. Wildlife spotting seemed to be best toward the front of the ship, but you will be able to see whales and penguins wherever you are, if you are patient. You will need good binoculars, especially for the penguins. Bundle up and get out on deck!!!
We walked around Montevideo on our own, which was easy to do and enjoyable (if you're mobile), but hot. Felt pretty safe, although watch your step as people did not clean up after their dogs, unfortunately. Definitely pick up some alfajores (sandwich cookies traditionally filled with dulce de leche caramel) at the shop near the port if you have a sweet tooth.
The port itself is not the best. Rough disembarkation, with a bad shuttle bus system.
City is pretty, with lots of nice architecture and character. Tango show and lunch excursion was nice, but the show was a little too long for me.
Disembarkation in Buenos Aires was a mess, but it wasn't really the fault of the cruise line or ship's crew. There were long waits for the port-provided shuttle buses. It's the system that the port uses, where passengers are taken from the ship only in the port-provided buses. Ostensibly, it's for safety because the port is mostly industrial, so they're constantly moving large shipping containers around, so the buses have to navigate around those. I really don't see why they can't give the tour bus operators special training/permission to enter the port area, though. Even those of us on Princess debark tours had to wait for the port's shuttle buses to take us to our tour buses. When we finally were able to board the shuttles, they were very difficult to step up onto for older folks and those with mobility issues. Not really easy to bring luggage onto them either.
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