Sapphire Princess
Cruise line
Princess Cruises
Sapphire Princess current position
Sapphire Princess current location is at North America West Coast (coordinates 15.14598 N / -98.65244 W) cruising at speed of 20.1 kn (37 km/h | 23 mph) en route to CR PUNTARENAS. The AIS position was reported 15 minutes ago.
All Itineraries Current PositionCurrent itinerary of Sapphire Princess
Sapphire Princess current cruise is 18 days, one-way from Los Angeles to San Antonio. Prices start from USD 599 (double occupancy rates). The itinerary starts on 01 Dec, 2023 and ends on 19 Dec, 2023.
Date / Time | Port |
---|---|
01 Dec 15:00 | Departing from Los Angeles, Long Beach-San Pedro, California hotels |
07 Dec 08:00 - 19:00 | Puntarenas, Puerto Caldera, Costa Rica |
10 Dec 05:00 - 19:00 | Manta, Ecuador |
13 Dec 05:00 - 14 Dec 22:30 | Callao-Lima, Peru |
15 Dec 08:00 - 17:00 | Pisco, Paracas-Puerto General San Martin, Peru |
18 Dec 07:00 - 15:00 | Coquimbo, La Serena, Chile |
19 Dec | Arriving in San Antonio, Chile hotels |
Specifications of Sapphire Princess
Year of build | 2004 / Age: 19 |
Flag state | United Kingdom |
Builder | Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (Nagasaki, Japan) |
Class | PRINCESS GRAND |
Building cost | USD 400 million |
Speed | 22 kn / 41 km/h / 25 mph |
Length (LOA) | 290 m / 951 ft |
Beam (width) | 48 m / 157 ft |
Gross Tonnage | 115875 gt |
Passengers | 2678 - 3214 |
Crew | 1100 |
Passengers-to-space ratio | 36 |
Decks | 16 |
Cabins | 1339 |
Decks with cabins | 7 |
Last Refurbishment | 2023 |
Sister-ships | Caribbean Princess, Crown Princess, Diamond Princess, Emerald Princess, Golden Princess (Pacific Adventure), Grand Princess, Ruby Princess, Star Princess (Pacific Encounter) |
Christened by | Nancy G. Murkowski |
Owner | Carnival Corporation & PLC |
Operator | Princess Cruise Lines Ltd (USA) |
Sapphire Princess Itineraries
Date | Itinerary | Departure Port | Price from |
---|---|---|---|
2023 Oct 30 | 32 days, round-trip South Pacific Islands Hawaii | Los Angeles | |
2023 Dec 01 | 18 days, one-way from Los Angeles to San Antonio | Los Angeles | $599 |
2023 Dec 01 | 34 days, one-way from Los Angeles to Buenos Aires | Los Angeles | |
2023 Dec 19 | 16 days, one-way from San Antonio to Buenos Aires | San Antonio | |
2024 Jan 04 | 16 days, one-way from Buenos Aires to San Antonio | Buenos Aires | $899 |
2024 Jan 20 | 16 days, one-way from San Antonio to Buenos Aires | San Antonio | $1179 |
2024 Feb 05 | 14 days, one-way from Buenos Aires to San Antonio | Buenos Aires | $929 |
2024 Feb 19 | 14 days, one-way from San Antonio to Buenos Aires | San Antonio | $1021 |
2024 Mar 04 | 14 days, one-way from Buenos Aires to San Antonio | Buenos Aires | $1198 |
2024 Mar 04 | 32 days, one-way from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles | Buenos Aires | $2348 |
2024 Mar 18 | 18 days, one-way from San Antonio to Los Angeles | San Antonio | $1148 |
2024 Apr 05 | 32 days, round-trip South Pacific Islands Hawaii | Los Angeles | $2198 |
2024 May 07 | 4 days, one-way from Los Angeles to Vancouver | Los Angeles | $228 |
2024 May 11 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $398 |
2024 May 11 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | |
2024 May 18 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $398 |
2024 May 25 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $448 |
2024 May 25 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $828 |
2024 Jun 01 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $448 |
2024 Jun 08 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $448 |
2024 Jun 08 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $878 |
2024 Jun 15 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $498 |
2024 Jun 22 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $498 |
2024 Jun 22 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $968 |
2024 Jun 29 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $548 |
2024 Jul 06 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $548 |
2024 Jul 06 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $1018 |
2024 Jul 13 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $548 |
2024 Jul 20 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $498 |
2024 Jul 20 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $918 |
2024 Jul 27 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $498 |
2024 Aug 03 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $498 |
2024 Aug 03 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $918 |
2024 Aug 10 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $498 |
2024 Aug 17 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $448 |
2024 Aug 17 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $828 |
2024 Aug 24 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $448 |
2024 Aug 31 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $398 |
2024 Aug 31 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $2168 |
2024 Sep 07 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $398 |
2024 Sep 14 | 10 days, round-trip Inside Passage Roundtrip Vancouver | Vancouver | $748 |
2024 Sep 24 | 4 days, one-way from Vancouver to San Francisco | Vancouver | $427 |
2024 Sep 24 | 20 days, one-way from Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale | Vancouver | $1557 |
2024 Sep 28 | 16 days, one-way from San Francisco to Fort Lauderdale | San Francisco | $1127 |
2024 Oct 14 | 10 days, round-trip Eastern Caribbean with Tortola | Fort Lauderdale | $777 |
2024 Oct 24 | 10 days, round-trip Eastern Caribbean with Martinique | Fort Lauderdale | $777 |
2024 Nov 03 | 10 days, round-trip Eastern Caribbean with Tortola | Fort Lauderdale | $697 |
2024 Nov 13 | 18 days, one-way from Fort Lauderdale to Buenos Aires | Fort Lauderdale | $1747 |
2024 Nov 13 | 35 days, one-way from Fort Lauderdale to Buenos Aires | Fort Lauderdale | $3747 |
2024 Dec 01 | 17 days, round-trip Antarctica | Buenos Aires | $1997 |
2024 Dec 18 | 17 days, round-trip Antarctica | Buenos Aires | $2087 |
2025 Jan 04 | 17 days, round-trip Antarctica | Buenos Aires | $2087 |
2025 Jan 21 | 17 days, round-trip Antarctica | Buenos Aires | $2087 |
2025 Feb 07 | 14 days, one-way from Buenos Aires to San Antonio | Buenos Aires | $1587 |
2025 Feb 21 | 14 days, one-way from San Antonio to Buenos Aires | San Antonio | $1587 |
2025 Mar 07 | 14 days, one-way from Buenos Aires to San Antonio | Buenos Aires | $1587 |
2025 Mar 07 | 32 days, one-way from Buenos Aires to Los Angeles | Buenos Aires | $2597 |
2025 Mar 21 | 18 days, one-way from San Antonio to Los Angeles | San Antonio | $1297 |
2025 Apr 08 | 32 days, round-trip South Pacific Islands Hawaii | Los Angeles | $1997 |
2025 May 10 | 7 days, one-way from Los Angeles to Vancouver | Los Angeles | $347 |
2025 May 17 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $477 |
2025 May 17 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $1027 |
2025 May 24 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $547 |
2025 May 31 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $527 |
2025 May 31 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $1177 |
2025 Jun 07 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $647 |
2025 Jun 14 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $597 |
2025 Jun 14 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $1297 |
2025 Jun 21 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $697 |
2025 Jun 28 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $597 |
2025 Jun 28 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $1347 |
2025 Jul 05 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $747 |
2025 Jul 12 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $647 |
2025 Jul 12 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $1397 |
2025 Jul 19 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $747 |
2025 Jul 26 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $1397 |
2025 Jul 26 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $647 |
2025 Aug 02 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $747 |
2025 Aug 09 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $1347 |
2025 Aug 09 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $647 |
2025 Aug 16 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $697 |
2025 Aug 23 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $1297 |
2025 Aug 23 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $597 |
2025 Aug 30 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $697 |
2025 Sep 06 | 14 days, round-trip Voyage of the Glaciers Grand Adventure | Vancouver | $1197 |
2025 Sep 06 | 7 days, one-way from Vancouver to Whittier | Vancouver | $547 |
2025 Sep 13 | 7 days, one-way from Whittier to Vancouver | Whittier | $647 |
Sapphire Princess Review
Review of Sapphire Princess
The 2004-built Sapphire Princess cruise ship is the 5th Grand-class Princess Cruises liner, with sisterships Caribbean, Crown, Golden (Pacific Adventure), Grand, Emerald, Ruby, Star (Pacific Encounter) and Diamond.
The vessel (IMO number 9228186) is currently UK-flagged (MMSI 235103357) and registered in Southampton.
History - construction and ownership
Princess Cruises is a USA-based passenger shipping company headquartered in Beverly Hills CA. A former subsidiary of P&O Princess Cruises (1977-founded), in 2003, the company merged with Carnival Corporation - the world's largest cruise shipowner. Among Princess Cruise Lines Ltd's assets is the Caribbean private island resort Princess Cays (on Bahamas Eleuthera Island's southern end), located approx 80 km (50 mi) from Nassau.
The 2700-passenger ship Sapphire Princess and nearly the same sister Diamond Princess have some Grand-class variations in terms of size and facilities. Distinctions aside, over the past half-decade, Princess has been busy standardizing this class of vessels - adding poolside jumbotrons (Movies Under the Stars), "Piazza-style" atriums and adult-only deck areas (the Sanctuary) originally found only on the line's newest vessels, Crown, Emerald and Ruby. Sapphire Princess emerged from a month-long overhaul in February 2012, gaining signature facilities. The formerly dull atrium has been reorganized into the effervescent Piazza, a public zone with a wine and tapas bar, bakery, pizzeria and performance place. And after years of dedicated service, the rest of the vessel benefited from the refurbishment, too. Throughout Sapphire Princess cruisers will find new bar countertops, tiling, teak decking around the major swimming pool, furniture in the casino, an upgraded buffet and a new top-deck "lawn court" (artificial grass) for putting, bocce and croquet.
Decks and Cabins
Most Sapphire Princess staterooms (1339 total, in 33 grades) are 170-ft2 balcony cabins (522). Almost 75% of the ship's outside staterooms have private step-out balconies. Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 27. The largest accommodation is the Grand Suite (615 ft2 / 57 m2, with terrace sized 115 ft2 / 11 m2).
The boat has 16 decks, of which 13 are passenger-accessible and 7 with cabins.
Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks
Nearly all dining options onboard Sapphire Princess are complimentary, including the five main dining rooms: Vivaldi, Pacific Moon, International, Santa Fe and Savoy Dining Room. There is also a free of charge buffet, pizza place, ice cream counter and grill. All main dining rooms offer the same menu items, though each has a small selection of signature items, most of which can be made in appetizer size. On cruises that are not full, certain main dining rooms will not be open. On some of the sea days, Savoy opens for a special British-Style pub lunch featuring fish and chips, steak and kidney pie.
Follows the complete list of Diamond Princess restaurants and food bars.
- Savoy Restaurant (ship's aft Dining Room; offers traditional dinner at 5:30 pm, as well as Anytime Dining between 8-10 pm, and British pub lunch)
- Pacific Moon Restaurant (ship's forward Dining Room for Breakfast 7-9 am, Lunch 12-1:30 pm, Afternoon Tea 3:30-4:30 pm; features Anytime Dining for Dinner between 5:30-8 pm or 8-10 pm)
- Vivaldi Restaurant (dinner only aft Dining Room; offers traditional dinner at 5:30 pm, as well as Anytime Dining between 8-10 pm)
- Santa Fe Restaurant (forward Dining Room, Anytime Dining/dinner only)
- International Restaurant (aft Dining Room, with 2 dinner seatings at 5:30 and 8 p.m.)
- Sabatini's Restaurant (Italian speciality restaurant; reservations recommended)
- Trident Grill & Prego Pizzeria (self-service, complimentary fast food bar)
- Horizon Court (self-service buffet restaurant, complimentary)
- Sterling Steakhouse (speciality restaurant for seafood, grills, steaks)
- Alfredo's Pizzeria (complimentary).
Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport
The 2-deck Princess Theater serves as ship's main entertainment venue. There, guests can catch one of the traditional song-and-dance Princess Cruises' production shows. The theatre also offers a variety of other acts, including magicians and juggling comedians. At night, virtually every bar offers some kind of music and enough room for dancing: from Latin and ballroom music in Club Fusion and DJ dance music in the Skywalkers Nightclub to light piano at Crooners. Theme nights (50s rockabilly, Country & Western and Caribbean deck party) are also common.
Follows the complete list of Sapphire Princess lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens and adults.
- The Piazza Atrium (3-deck open floor area; features live performances entertainment and lobby Bar Piazza)
- International Cafe (24-hour specialty coffee bar and patisserie)
- Princess Fine Arts Gallery; Photo Gallery & Shop; Platinum Studio
- Library (with Internet stations); Internet Cafe (24-hour)
- Princess Diamond Theatre (2-level musical and show productions; hosts workshops, seminars, game shows)
- Churchill Lounge & Bar (smoking lounge and sports bar)
- Calypso Cove Shop; Essence Shop; Meridian Bay Shop; Facets Shop
- Princess Sapphire Grand Casino
- Crooners Lounge & Bar (live music; also used for seminars)
- Explorers Lounge & Bar (disco/show lounge; hosts karaoke, comedy, game shows and art auctions)
- Wheelhouse Bar (piano bar during the day and an English pub nightly)
- Club Fusion Lounge (hosts dance classes and quizzes, after 7:30 p.m. becomes Disco Nightclub)
- Scoops Bar (Sundaes Ice Cream Bar, complimentary)
- Vines Bar; Outrigger Bar (poolside bar); Tradewinds Bar; Wake View Bar
- Lotus Spa complex; Beauty Salon; Fitness Center (with Aerobics Studio)
- Hearts & Minds (Wedding Chapel)
- Movies Under the Stars (LED screen outdoor cinema)
- Video Games Arcade; Teen Center; Youth Center with Paddling Pool and outdoor playing areas
- The Conservatory (recreation area); The Oasis relaxation area
- The Sanctuary (adult-only sundeck/open-air area)
- Calypso Reef & Pool area; Neptune's Reef & Pool area
- Jogging Track; Sports Court (volleyball, basketball, European football); Deck Chess, Shuffleboard; Princess Links mini-golf course, Cybergolf simulator
- Skywalkers Disco Nightclub.
Itineraries
Sapphire Princess itinerary program is based on seasonal Asia cruises departing from homeport Singapore and China (Beijing, Tianjin, Hong Kong). The list of visited ports of call, includes Bali, Penang, Langkawi, Kota Kinabalu, Kuala Lumpur, Saigon, Nha Trang, Phuket, Ko Samui, Bangkok, Sihanoukville. Itineraries lengths vary between 3- and 13-days.
In summer 2019, the liner was relocated to Europe via 37-day Suez Canal repositioning cruise from Singapore to Southampton UK (homeport). After ending the summer European season, the ship returned back to Asia for a 6th Singapore-homeporting season (2019-2020).
Sapphire Princess is scheduled to enter drydock in April 2020 and then to cruise on two "Grand Asia" voyages between Shanghai and Singapore. The liner was to be homeported in Shanghai (May through October 2020) when was planned to depart for Melbourne to start an inaugural Australian season.
Due to the Coronavirus crisis, the Sapphire Princess ship was paused for ~2,5 years (March 2020 thru September 2022). Operations were scheduled to restart on August 28, 2022 (repositioning voyage from Asia to Australia/Hong Kong to Sydney). However, this program was canceled (the liner was redeployed from Australia to the USA) as well as the summer 2022 season (Mexican Riviera and Hawaii) based on homeporting in Los Angeles/Long Beach California. The ship restarted services on Sept 24th.
Sapphire Princess - user reviews and comments
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Sapphire Princess Wiki
Princess Cruises Sapphire ship is of company's Grand-class vessels, with sistership Diamond. The other fleet mates from this class are Caribbean, Crown, Emerald, Golden (now Pacific Adventure), Grand, Ruby, Star (now Pacific Encounter). Sapphire is the fleet's second liner built by a Japanese company - MHI (Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Corporation). Both vessels have no spoilers across the stern. Ship's godmother was Nanci Gore Murkowski (First Lady of Alaska between Dec 2002 - Dec 2006). The christening ceremony was on June 10, 2004, held in Port Seattle WA. Sapphire cruise ship was the first ever to be named in that port. The inaugural cruise (maiden voyage) started on May 16, 2004. nearly a month before the naming ceremony.
The hull of what is today Diamond Princess was initially named "Sapphire Princess". Fire damaged the decks of the other ship in the Japanese shipyard (with hull name "Diamond Princess"). Princess Cruises wanted to have first a ship called Diamond, so Sapphire was renamed to "Diamond Princess" and completed first. Diamond was renamed to Sapphire and completed soon afterward.
Ship's engines can work with either HFO (heavy fuel oil) or MGO (marine gas oil). MGO emissions are much lower, but it is also rather costly. However, some cruising destinations, as Alaska for instance, have very high emission standards, so MGO is a necessity.
Sapphire ship's flag-state (registry) was changed from Bermuda (Hamilton) to UK (London) in 2014. Ship's Captain was Paolo Ravera - brother of Diamond Princess' Captain Stefano Ravera. Ship's current Captain (Master) is Paul Slight.
Sapphire Princess 2018 refurbishment review
The ship's drydock refurbishment in 2018 (2-week project conducted in Singapore) resulted in a new bow livery.
All cabins were upgraded with custom-made Princess Luxury beds.
Also renovated were the wellness complex (Fitness Center and Lotus Spa), all retail shops, all corridors and hallways.
Princess Theatre (indoor show lounge) received a new LED screen (15x5 m / 49x16 ft). Theater's show program was upgraded with the new production show "Bravo". The musical is offered on formal nights.
A new category cabin (Club-Class Mini-Suite) was introduced with VIP amenities and a reserved dining area. Price-inclusive amenities also include expedited dinner seating, priority services (embarkation/disembarkation), complimentary wine, expanded menu, premium bathrobes.
The ship's last drydocking was in April 2023 (conducted at Vigor Shipyard in Seattle WA USA) and included mainly regularly scheduled maintenance works, as well as hull cleaning and painting.