11-Day Tour of Western Japan and South Korea on the Sapphire Princess (Seasonal Tour) - Package B

We thoroughly enjoyed our selves on the Transatlantic to Boston. Much has been written about our embarkation in Copenhagen, yes it was as bad as they say.

It was a bad ending to two enjoyable days in Copenhagen before boarding the ship. We took the Hop on Hop off bus which stopped directly in front of our hotel the Marriott Copenhagen. We also walked all around the area which is on the water and lots of restaurants and sights nearby. Their breakfast was the most varied and interesting I have ever had at a Marriott, we are Marriott members. I highly recommend this hotel as a place to stay before a cruise, it was short cab ride to the terminal, and a short ride from the airport as well.

The Sapphire Princess is the perfect size, and not crowded. Plenty of seats in the theater and restaurants. We had a mini suite and I can’t say enough about how comfortable and spacious it is for two for a two week trip. We had an excellent steward, and many great waiters in the restaurants, and we tried most of them during the two weeks.

The best was the buffet, the food here was varied and excellent. Our favorite specialty casual restaurant was Churiscuria. We are not big meat eaters, but the salad bar was superb and varied, and I enjoyed the chicken along with my husband. We enjoyed Alfredo’s pizza also and went there twice. Sabatini’s was very good, lots of food a bit too much for us. Crown Grill was our least favorite. We had an odd experience, we made reservations and showed up on time. They told us they did not have a reservation for us. With lots of concern on the hostess face and no promise we could be seated, she left to see what she could do. Then came back and directed us into an almost empty restaurant. I have no idea what the problem really was. The menu was not that appealing to us, but we decided to try something, and were disappointed with my vegetarian meal, and my husband had the roast beef. We also ate in the International Dining room, Vivaldi and Santa Fe. They were all good, the wait staff could not have been better. We went to tea twice in the dining room, don’t miss it. The quiche and deserts at the international cafe are special another must try.

We enjoyed all the shows, the activities staff were really excellent especially Charlotte and Mau.

I did crafts and we both enjoyed trivia, and liars club. The special entertainers on this cruise were exemplary, like the Trawlermen, and Irish band from the UK. All week there was lots to do and see.

I was sorry to see they shrank the library down to a few shelves, and added two offices in the library, Cruise Next and the Loyalty Desk. People on this cruise were carrying books, and lots of reading going on, a nice library adds to the experience. Since it was cold much of the time, the pool both in and out was mostly empty, with lots of chairs.

The ports were great others have described them in great detail, we enjoyed them all especially Liverpool, we did a great bus tour on the Beatles Magical Mystery Tour. We saw all the important sights, and took some fun photo’s at Strawberry Fields and Penny Lane. The ship docks very close to where the tour starts at Albert Dock.

We love a transatlantic and have done a few, this was our favorite so far. We are considering doing it again next year, many different ports, but the best part is it ends in Boston and we live just 45 minutes away.

This was our 14th cruise on Princess, and it met and exceeded our expectations. We really like the smaller ships in the Sapphire class. The Sapphire is in excellent shape with a good variety of public spaces, both indoors and on deck. The indoor pool area is great in blustery, cool weather as on the Canadian itinerary. Service was the best that we can remember. All Princess ships run rather lean with the staff but this ship is very well organized. Our service in the International Cafe and the Main Dining Room (Santa Fe) was excellent. The hostess in the MDR gave us the same table every night and our waiter and junior waiter were extremely efficient. We found the variety and quality of the food in the MDR and Buffet to be very good, with beef and lobster one night at no additional charge. We have developed the habit of eating in Sabatini's on the first night, and had another good experience. We were very disappointed a couple of cruises ago to see the cutback in Sabatini's: the pasta course has been eliminated but the price stayed at $55. Some of the entrees don't even come with pasta - at what is supposed to be an upscale Italian restaurant. It is still a pleasant experience. The ports from Boston to Quebec City are rather low-key, but enjoyable. We saw a lot of lighthouses! A pleasant surprise was Saguenay, both for the enthusiasm of the local people who greeted us and the pleasant and educational walk along the fjord in Saguenay National Park, led by a park guide. We saw two plays in Charlottetown: "Come from Away," based on the hospitality of the Newfoundlanders who hosted the passengers of diverted aircraft after 9/11, and "Anne and Gilbert," based on the Anne of Green Gables books. Both are highly recommended!

This was a British Isles and TransAtlantic cruise. I really enjoyed the ports of Lerwick, Stornoway, Belfast and Liverpool. I believe I would have enjoyed Cobh more but we did a tour to Blarney, which was overrated. The Sapphire was in good condition but I did not really like the layout of the ship. It is quite "choppy". The piazza is a bit small and not much seating, especially when the International Cafe is there and when there is entertainment. The theatre shows we're good. The food was OK but not special, even on formal nights. Variety was lacking. However, the service from the wait staff was excellent.

During the 5 day TransAtlantic, the activities were lacking and boring and since the weather was cold, windy and foggy, everyone was inside making finding a place to sit difficult.

I did appreciate that the upsetting was minimal.

Embarkation was totally unorganized and a lengthy process.

The biggest issue we had was precruise. An error was made in our booking from Princess a year after we booked and communication to get it fixed was impossible and very stressful. The app was not working great all the time and the dining reservations was a nightmare.

We have done 19 Cruises on different lines and this is the only one that was not up to par.