This was our longest cruise. We were a little nervous about 32day with only 8 port days. We do love sea days, but wondered about this many and about the weather.
Well, we were blessed with absolutely fabulous weather and calm seas. Even the Captain remarked this on his daily reports. The time at sea made for a nice, relaxed getaway for us... our daily routine quickly became sleep, pickleball, gym, pool and hanging out with new friends.
The food and staff were fantastic and the Sapphire is great. 2600 people but you really couldn't tell. There were always plenty of deck chairs available.
We did get a little bored on the 8-sea-day stretch back to LA. We thought a stop in Mexico would have been nice -- an extra 3-4 days for a quick Mexican Riviera even better!
There is something special about being so far out at sea.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Quick and easy. We had arrived a day early.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food was great from MDR to Buffet. Service always wonderful in MDR.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Not many organized activities. There was a single pickleball court, with gear, and an organized timeslot (mid morning). People self-organized around that. Also used the fitness center, which was clean and well equipped, though mostly just treadmill and some dumbbells for me.
Though I did not participate, I did see quite a number of new ukulele enthusiasts with their cases, many times during the cruise. Wasn't my groove, but it could be yours.
Casino
5 out of 5
Nice casino -- except for the money part ;-)
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Theater shows were as usual. Good production shows and invited performers (for 2 show). So good variety over 32 days.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Princess seems excel here
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was spotless. Love seeing the maintenance crews painting on days I could exercise on the Promenade.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We had booked a GUAR oceanview obstructed cabin. We were assigned E400, which we were thrilled with. No lifeboat and no passers-by, with a pretty clear view past a maintenance platform. Super quite and great location for accessing out favorite locations.
Ship tip
The aft pool decks are a great place to get away. The spa pool hot tubs are usually empty.
Pearl Harbor is a must. We took a tour, so no worries about ticket lines. The guide tipped us about the memorial stand-by line, and we scored the last ferry before it closed for a few hours due to wind.
Highlight of the ports. Take a shark/stingray/turtle snorkel. You'll have a blast. We had booked in advance, but it seems they are also available on the tender port. Some include lunch
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