The title for me was inspired by the comfort of the cabin but I will come to that shortly.
Our 3 day forum cruise on Sapphire Princess was a resounding success. I booked this cruise last November just because my OH and I wanted to try the Princess product, never having sailed with them before. We didn't want to risk a longer cruise with Princess because we guessed that it wouldn't measure up to our favourite cruise lines. However, I am a believer in the 'don't knock it until you've tried it' attitude so for 3 days thought it worth a go.
It became apparent soon after we booked that the cruise was popular with others on the forum too and so it morphed into the 2018 Forum cruise.
We were delighted of course because we knew from the experience of past forum cruises that we were in for a great time, whether or not we liked the ship.
On arrival in Southampton, despite being given a boarding time of 12.30, we were whisked through check in and were on the ship well before the time given.
The crew were very welcoming ( I've never known a crew be anything else) and we were soon up in the buffet restaurant having lunch. Before we knew it, we were joined by forum friends and began a 3 day catch up on life since our last meetings.
Unfortunately, I was not impressed by the Horizon restaurant (Buffet). The food on offer for lunch was fine but as someone else said and I agree, I don't like melamine plates, dishes and mugs. I also found that the staff were so keen to clear away used plates, that my OH had barely taken the last mouthful of his lunch when his plate was whisked away whilst he was still chewing.
We ate breakfasts in the buffet because we prefer to see the wide variety of choices before we help ourselves rather than go to the MDR and order a specific meal.
After lunch, we made our way to our cabin, which was an inside on deck 14 forward. Our cases had arrived and so we set about unpacking and getting organised before the muster drill which was scheduled for 3.15 ish.
We found the cabin to be more than adequate with plenty of hanging space in a walk in area opposite the bathroom.
This is where the Princess and the Pea comes in. The bed was SO comfortable which scores lots of Brownie points for me, given that I do not generally sleep well. That said, I slept like a baby on this cruise.
The downside of the cabin however, was the stained runner across the bed and the lack of a shower cap or extras that normally come as standard on most other cruise lines. When I asked the cabin steward for a shower cap however, he gave me 2! Nevertheless, it was a pleasant cabin and very comfortable.
Our pre-dinner drinks gathering was soon upon us and so 21 of us spent a happy time catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.
Although we had all chosen Any Time Dining, it soon became apparent that we would be breaking into 2 groups. We were among the early group and managed to get 10 of us into the Vivaldi restaurant at 7 pm. Those that wanted to eat later either had to wait ages for a table in either of the 3 designated MDRs or eat in one the specialist venues or the buffet.
I'm not sure how the restaurant staff manage to juggle set dining times and Anytime Dining in the same 3 restaurants, except to say that if you don't book early in the morning for dinner that evening, you cannot guarantee getting a table without a significant wait.
I have no complaints about the food on Sapphire but I did find the service a bit lacking at times. Maybe that was because tables were in demand, which is why some of our number felt rushed at times.
The ship itself was OK but a bit underwhelming. I liked the many pictures on the walls but many of the bars were furnished with dark wood and the lighting made it look even more dismal. It reminded me of the Holland America ships.
The 2 pools were popular as there quite a few families on board and the kids had little else to amuse them apart from swimming.
The on board entertainment was varied, There was a sports bar, where I got got to see the Arsenal Match, having elected to stay on board that day. There was also a massive screen on the pool deck but too noisy for me and not very warm either. Films were shown in the evening on the open deck too, if you could stand the chill.
Other bars offered live music in the evening and The Explorers Bar (dark wood again) was the place to go for games and quizzes.
There were no guest speakers, which is always a disappointment for me but I suppose that was because it was a mini cruise.
So, would we book another Princess cruise? I think it very unlikely.
We will always prefer smaller, traditional ships (with the exception of Cunard) and are not keen on American style cruising.
That said, if a future Forum cruise happened to be on a Princess ship, we would book instantly.
Our 3 day forum cruise on Sapphire Princess was a resounding success. I booked this cruise last November just because my OH and I wanted to try the Princess product, never having sailed with them before. We didn't want to risk a longer cruise with Princess because we guessed that it wouldn't measure up to our favourite cruise lines. However, I am a believer in the 'don't knock it until you've tried it' attitude so for 3 days thought it worth a go.
It became apparent soon after we booked that the cruise was popular with others on the forum too and so it morphed into the 2018 Forum cruise.
We were delighted of course because we knew from the experience of past forum cruises that we were in for a great time, whether or not we liked the ship.
On arrival in Southampton, despite being given a boarding time of 12.30, we were whisked through check in and were on the ship well before the time given.
The crew were very welcoming ( I've never known a crew be anything else) and we were soon up in the buffet restaurant having lunch. Before we knew it, we were joined by forum friends and began a 3 day catch up on life since our last meetings.
Unfortunately, I was not impressed by the Horizon restaurant (Buffet). The food on offer for lunch was fine but as someone else said and I agree, I don't like melamine plates, dishes and mugs. I also found that the staff were so keen to clear away used plates, that my OH had barely taken the last mouthful of his lunch when his plate was whisked away whilst he was still chewing.
We ate breakfasts in the buffet because we prefer to see the wide variety of choices before we help ourselves rather than go to the MDR and order a specific meal.
After lunch, we made our way to our cabin, which was an inside on deck 14 forward. Our cases had arrived and so we set about unpacking and getting organised before the muster drill which was scheduled for 3.15 ish.
We found the cabin to be more than adequate with plenty of hanging space in a walk in area opposite the bathroom.
This is where the Princess and the Pea comes in. The bed was SO comfortable which scores lots of Brownie points for me, given that I do not generally sleep well. That said, I slept like a baby on this cruise.
The downside of the cabin however, was the stained runner across the bed and the lack of a shower cap or extras that normally come as standard on most other cruise lines. When I asked the cabin steward for a shower cap however, he gave me 2! Nevertheless, it was a pleasant cabin and very comfortable.
Our pre-dinner drinks gathering was soon upon us and so 21 of us spent a happy time catching up with old friends and meeting new ones.
Although we had all chosen Any Time Dining, it soon became apparent that we would be breaking into 2 groups. We were among the early group and managed to get 10 of us into the Vivaldi restaurant at 7 pm. Those that wanted to eat later either had to wait ages for a table in either of the 3 designated MDRs or eat in one the specialist venues or the buffet.
I'm not sure how the restaurant staff manage to juggle set dining times and Anytime Dining in the same 3 restaurants, except to say that if you don't book early in the morning for dinner that evening, you cannot guarantee getting a table without a significant wait.
I have no complaints about the food on Sapphire but I did find the service a bit lacking at times. Maybe that was because tables were in demand, which is why some of our number felt rushed at times.
The ship itself was OK but a bit underwhelming. I liked the many pictures on the walls but many of the bars were furnished with dark wood and the lighting made it look even more dismal. It reminded me of the Holland America ships.
The 2 pools were popular as there quite a few families on board and the kids had little else to amuse them apart from swimming.
The on board entertainment was varied, There was a sports bar, where I got got to see the Arsenal Match, having elected to stay on board that day. There was also a massive screen on the pool deck but too noisy for me and not very warm either. Films were shown in the evening on the open deck too, if you could stand the chill.
Other bars offered live music in the evening and The Explorers Bar (dark wood again) was the place to go for games and quizzes.
There were no guest speakers, which is always a disappointment for me but I suppose that was because it was a mini cruise.
So, would we book another Princess cruise? I think it very unlikely.
We will always prefer smaller, traditional ships (with the exception of Cunard) and are not keen on American style cruising.
That said, if a future Forum cruise happened to be on a Princess ship, we would book instantly.
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