Review Sapphire Princess - California Costal - Apr/May 2012

[Cruizer]

[Cruizer]

Friday, May 4 – Ensenada

I checked outside for the sunrise a little late this morning. However, I didn’t missing anything, as there were no clouds in the sky, and thus sunrise was nothing more than an orange ball rising above the mountains. There is nothing really special about cruising into Ensenada, until I noticed all the seals. I was able to get a few good pictures of the seals. There must be more than sixty seals that had hauled out on the rocks near where the ship docks. These are wild seals, not trained seals like at Sea World.

After taking a few pictures I headed back to the cabin to shower and dress. Then it is off to the buffet for breakfast. After that I grab my travel camera and head out for my 9:15am wine tasting tour. First we stopped at some hotel that was originally run by the mob back in the days of prohibition. Well, it was close and across the street from the dock, but other than that it was not that interesting. Then we drove though the shopping district before stopping at the old winery (it is no longer used for making wine). This group was more than twice the size of the Santa Barbara group. The tour guide spoke perfect English (she grew up in the United States) but she was not as knowledgeable about wine as the Santa Barbara tour guide was. I felt the wine tasting was disorganized. In short the Santa Barbara tour cost seven times as much ($155 vs. $24) and was ten times better. I guess you get what you pay for.

One note, the tour guide correctly stated that each passenger (over the age of 21) is allowed to bring back one liter of an alcoholic drink. She then said that Princess was considered a common carrier and as such you could bring back five or six cases, as long as you were honest about it on the customs form. I figured she just misspoke and I pointed out two her that five or six cases would be 60 to 72 bottles. She acknowledged I was correct. I said nothing more. If a couple shows up at the customs station with three bottles (2.25 liters) properly declared, most likely (but no guarantees) the customs agent is going to let it go. If you show up at the customs counter hauling five cases of wine behind you, I assure you, you are going to hear something a little more complex than just, “Have a nice day”.

The end of the tour consisted of one hour of shopping time. I told the tour guide I would walk back to the ship. On the way I bought a belt, a wallet and some vanilla. I arrived back at the ship about fifteen minutes before the bus. I dropped everything off in my cabin and got my good camera and tried to get more pictures of the seals. The guards would not let me near the seals, but I still got a few good pictures.

The travel agent that died really liked ducks. Now there is a lot of duck stuff that the live travel agent (the owner of the agency) would like to get rid of. I was given several small plastic ducks to give to the kids. So I took my Princess tote and about a dozen ducks and went on a small kid hunt. In about one hour I had given out all the ducks I was allotted and the Princess tote that I was given as a returning passenger. The way I see it, one, I don’t need the tote (I have several from Royal Caribbean) and two, I’ll get another one on my next Princess cruise anyway.

Most of the kids I was able to sneak up on and surprise them with a small duck in my hand which I was clearly trying to give them (and they took it). However, one little boy saw me coming and ran up to me with his hand open. Before he could ask for money I stuck the duck in his hand. Boy did he have a surprised look on his face. His mother just laughed (she got the tote).
Then back to the ship to join the group for a farewell to the travel agent (and friend to many in the group) who died. The group of people I was with are great. I would love to cruise with them again (though I already have already done my two cruises for this year and already have 2013 booked, I am hoping to go to Europe in 2014). However, my favorite lines are Carnival and Royal Caribbean (and they seem to prefer Princess and HAL). I will remain loyal to my regular travel agent, but I think the two of them (the owner who is still alive and the one that died) are great. If I go with this group again I'll certainly book with her. Other than the person I wanted to meet dying, this was a very enjoyable cruise.

That said, I think the service on Royal Caribbean is better than the service on Princess and I think the food on Carnival is on par with the food on Princess (even though Princess is supposed to be a step above both).

For example, though I told the room steward I would eat late, several times he came into the cabin before I left for dinner. Also, there were things on the desk that were in my way, so I moved them to the table behind the desk. He kept moving them back. Also, I felt that guest services were understaffed. I also do not like the lack of forward observation areas on this ship. There are two decks and one of the decks is blocked off most of the time. And even when that is open, access to the observation deck above the bridge is even more limited. I also don’t like the fact that you cannot get your own drinks in the buffet and if you want silverware (so you can eat on your balcony), you have to take it from a table that is not being used. Finally the lack of energy on this ship subtracted a bit from the overall atmosphere in my opinion.

That said, the overall layout of the ship and the especially the cabin is better than the Royal Caribbean or Carnival ships. At least in my opinion the layout of the ship was very logical. I understand from one of the members in the group that has been on this ship several times, Princess added more seating in the atrium during the revitalization (done earlier this year) which apparently was badly needed.

The cabin is divided into two parts. The closet and bathroom are separate from the sleeping and sitting area. I really like the layout of the cabin; though I wish the shower was bigger (it is bigger than the standard Royal Caribbean shower but not as big as the standard Carnival shower). To be fair, I’ve also been on NCL twice, and although the shower size is generous, I don’t like the layout of the bathroom (I have not been on the Epic). The cabins on the Caribe Deck (deck 10), which is what I am on, have big balconies that are about one third covered and two thirds open. The balconies above me (the Aloha and Baja decks) have smaller balconies that are completely covered. The mini suites below me have completely exposed balconies (don't even attempt to join the balcony club if you are in a Dolphin Deck mini suite). Also, the self service kiosk, where you swipe your card to get a printout of your onboard account that Princess offers is better than an interactive TV (in my opinion) and much better than having to get in line at guest services.

So, I certainly would like to cruise with these people again, and I am sure I’ll cruise with Princess again. However, I still intend to spend most of my time on Carnival and Royal Caribbean ships.

The itinerary was good except that I would like the first and last days to be sea days. Also, I would like to see Monterey substituted for Santa Barbara. Another one that would only work (but only in the summer) would be San Francisco (it would be a late arrival, like noon to 8:00pm) followed by a sea day, then either Seattle or Vancouver, then Victoria and two sea days back to Los Angeles. Or it could begin in San Francisco, visit Monterey, sea day, Seattle, Vancouver, Victoria, and finally a sea day back to San Francisco. Unfortunately Mexico is having some problems right now and it is not a real popular destination for most cruise passengers. I just read that Princess will homeport the Grand Princess in San Francisco year round starting in May 2013. So, there may be some interesting new itineraries soon.

Well, it is late now, or early, depending on your point of view, as it is 12:10am on Saturday (meaning it is disembarkation day). So, I better get some sleep (as I have to drive home). I didn’t get my pictures sorted nor did I finish proof reading this, so I’ll have to do that later today so I can get my review posted in a timely fashion. So, see ya later.



The Pub lunch menu ...

[Cruizer]

Saturday, May 5 – Disembarkation

Clouds on the horizon and none overhead made for a pretty boring sunrise. In fact, we were already in the harbor by the time the sun peeked above the clouds. Also, to my surprise, we pulled straight into the dock (normally Princess backs in). I wonder why? Well at any rate the cruise is over. I’m showered and dressed and soon I’ll be meeting my new friends for a last meal together (hopefully not forever). Then I’ll drive home, perhaps take a quick nap (I'm tired), and then work on this. My goal will be to have it fully posted before Sunday (tomorrow) morning.

I note that I did not mention dinner last night. We were at the same table we were at Thursday night. We had fun, though not as much fun as we had the prior night. The eight of us ordered six different dinners. I had the New York steak. While good, it is not as good as a rib eye (even though they cost the same in the stores I shop at). Just so you know, many of the dinners can be ordered as an appetizer (just point out to the waiter that you want it as an appetizer).

I almost made two rookie mistakes while packing last night. I almost packed my room key. I left it in the shirt pocket when I put the shirt in the laundry bag. Then I almost packed the luggage tags, which I put with the Princess Platters (the ship’s newspaper). I kept all my Princess Platters and I am taking them home. That would have been the perfect mistake to compliment the mistake of not packing the luggage tags that are all printed out and ready to be put on the luggage – back home. At least I remembered to keep a set of clothing to wear today (some people forget and pack all their clothes and then the next day don’t have anything to wear (except for a smile) until they get their luggage (which has already been off loaded).
My experiment with the camera has mixed results. Taking the single lens (18-105 zoom) rather than two lenses (a 16-85 zoom plus a 55-200 zoom) worked out great. However, other itineraries will require the longer lens. The tripod produced too few rewards for the effort, so it will not be traveling with me in the future.

My onboard account was a little bigger than I would have expected (since I didn’t buy anything in the onboard stores). However, over three hundred went to shore excursions ($179) and the photo gallery ($160) and that accounts for more than two thirds of my onboard account. The gratuity is automatically charged at the rate of $11.50 per person per day (another $80). That basically means I spent $35 on drinks (including milkshakes), not counting the wine tasking.

I meet with most of the group for breakfast in the International Restaurant which is the traditional restaurant at the rear of the ship on deck six (but you can't get to it on deck six) and we had our last (and out first - at least for me) breakfast together. My departure time was 9:35am and my color and number were called right on time.

The customs agent asked a question I didn't like. "Why did you cruise by yourself?" I found the question rather insulting. Of course this was not the time or place to make a big scene. I simply replied, "Because I am not married." As far as I was concerned, the reason I cruised by myself was none of his damn business which is why I didn't volunteer any information about the group I was with.

By 10:00am I was loading my luggage in the trunk. By 10:50am I was taking it back out again.

[Cruizer]

[Cruizer]

Oops! - I just realized that I forgot Sunday. So it is a little out of order, but Sunday will follow in the next post ...

[Cruizer]

Sunday, April 29 – Santa Barbara

I wake up at 6:00am and the sunrise is nothing special. However, it is happening just outside my balcony door so I take a few pictures just to prove I was there. I’ve got an 8:30am wine tasting tour so after working on this for a while it is time to get ready.

First I have a power breakfast consisting of one banana (no monkeying around). Then it is off to the Princess Theater where we meet before getting on the tender to the pier. This is our only tender port. We are directed to a white bus where the tour guide informs us that we are at the wrong bus. There is another white bus and again we are told it is the wrong bus. Finally it takes a Princess employee to get everything straightened out. The people on the first white bus somehow convinced the tour guide that they belonged on that bus and they didn’t. So they had to off load and then we loaded on the bus and began our tour.

The tour was one of the best tours I have ever been on (and one of the most expensive at $155). We visited two places, both very different and both very enjoyable. First was a wine club operated by someone who obviously enjoys fine wine. His club features very highly rated wines and provided the best advice I have heard for pairing wine with food. Eat what you like and drink what you like. We were able to sample six wines (one white the rest red), all from California. He grows grapes but does not bottle them himself. The area he lives in is beautiful.

I noticed that someone in our group had a very nice camera setup and seemed more interested in taking pictures than participating in the tour. I asked if he was one of the ship photographers and he is. I asked if his footage would end up in the Reflections DVD and he said yes, so I’ll likely buy it.

Next we visited a commercial winery. The growing season just started so no bottling was going on. It is interesting how little is involved in making the wine. There is a press for squeezing the graphs and big vats where the grape juice turns into wine – and that is it. We were given the chance to sample eight wines, three white, three red and two desert wines. After that we enjoyed a nice trip back to the ship.

Given that Santa Barbara is only about one hour from where I live, I really was not interested in doing any souvenir shopping (which I did on an earlier land visit about two years ago). So I took the first tender back and then had lunch. After lunch I uploaded my photographs and then worked on this.

It is around this time that I realize that I am so confused by all the dinner switching around that I have no idea what or where I am now assigned. I may just go buffet tonight. Tomorrow night our travel agent has arranged a dinner at the sterling Steak House, at which time I’ll find out what is what.

Speaking of pictures, I am traveling light this time (if you don’t count the tripod). On my last cruise I realized that I took most of my pictures with the 16 – 85 zoom lens. So I bought an 18 – 105 zoom lens and left the 55 – 200 zoom at home. I want to see how it works out. For travel off the ship I take a point and shoot camera that is small enough to fit in my pocket. I am not real interested in lugging around a DSLR with me while on a tour. I hope to put the tripod to good use much later tonight on the ship.

While I am spell checking my review the phone rings. Now I have a new plan for dinner. One of the group I am with made reservations for 8:00pm at the Savoy Restaurant and I have been invited. One of the things I like is that the embarkation Patter (the ship’s newspaper) is that it includes the dress code for the week and the dining room hours for the week. This is very helpful in my opinion.

So, with my evening now planned, I’m going do some photo editing. If I feel like catching the production show, it is at 10:15pm (given that I’ll be eating during the earlier show).

Dinner in the Savoy restaurant was great. Good service and good food. I had the Surf & Turf. Apparently one of the waiters recognized one of the couples I was eating with. They said he was a great waiter, so now we have reservations for his table at 8:00pm on Tuesday (San Francisco). Monday is a sea day and we will be enjoying dinner in Sterling’s Steakhouse at 6:00pm thanks to our travel agent.

After dinner four of us head over to the Princess Theater for the production show, Do You Wanna Dance. The show was very good, though I prefer a little more energy. After that it is back to the cabin to update this and edit a few photographs. Then I have plans to sneak out around 1:00am with my tripod and see if I can get some good photographs. The seas are fairly calm, and we are not moving that fast. Also, the fog has rolled in which makes it rather nice in my opinion. I’m not sure why I feel that way. Maybe because of the mystery, ‘cause I can’t see a thing outside. It is gray on top and black on the bottom except right next to the ship where the lights highlights the waves the ship is making as we move through the water.

And here are the Santa Barbara pictures ...



Tendering to shore ...



Our first stop, the wine club (the man standing with the dark cap on is the owner) ...



His vineyard ...





He also has several flower beds ...

[Cruizer]

Our second stop ..



These are the wines we sampled ...



Tendering back to the ship ...







I am going to stop here. The written review is complete (though out of order). I have more photos to post (later).

[bob]

Zef.... Nothing less than awesome, as usual for your reviews, and glad you didn't mention my name anywhere.......................

BUT, I will get you out of the hole on one of them. I was the one that ordered the Cajun seafood dish on the first night. I love Cajun food, Zef described this to a "T", what I got was a seafood pot pie in a brown gravy............ . I asked the waiter for some kind of seasoning that would resemble Cajun or even spicy, and he was at a loss, when the head waiter came over to ask what I needed, I asked for some seasonings that would add some flavor, and as mentioned, someone suggested tabasco sauce. Well, that would be better than nothing, which was the alternative so I told him that would be fine. Zef isn't kidding, that is the first time I have ever gotten a bottle of tabasco served up on a silver platter, they must be proud of the stuff.

Even though Zef isn't fond of anytime dining, he did tag along with us the whole cruise and did manage to survive personal choice with minimal lacerations and scars, and we had some fun dinners the rest of the cruise. Anyone planning a Sapphire cruise, go for the Savoy dining room and then ask for Jasper or Allan's station, good waiters, but don't tell them I sent you............

[audrey]

can't wait to see more pictures and hear about the cruise thru your eyes

[ewheelock]

Great review and pictures!