Sapphire Princess - Notes from First Time Cruisers - Value for Money

At $800/day for a small suite, you would expect a bit more than all the food
you can eat. Actually, how much can one eat? The cabin (B753) carpets were
worn as was the slip sheet they throw around the comforter of the bed, which
BTW was two twins they threw together to make a double; Well, that was the
idea. This generally results in a big lump right down the center of the
the two beds (duh - what do you expect Princess?).

The third morning on our 16-day cruise, I came back to our stateroom after a
jog on deck and found my wife scrubbing the jacuzzi drain of our tub. It
seems our cabin steward in alergic to cleaing our bathroom, which also had
used, slimy soap still on the glass holder (unlike 4 and 5 star hotels that
replace everything daily). Our steward really didn't do much but Princess
will slap an extra $10/day per person on your bill for the great service
they insist you received. You need to fill out a form if you want to adjust
the 'charges' (gratuities)accordingly. Talk about balls!

I'm getting ready to plan our next vacation. I wonder what sort of
accommodation, food and service I can anticipate at $800/day for a
land-based tour? Cruising is over-rated. I am beginning to think it's for
those who about ready to check out in this life. I'm not one of them - at
least yet.

rg

rg,

First, the handle you have chosen doesn't lend a lot of credibility; thus,
the kind of feedback your posts have drawn.

Second, did you really pay $800/day for your cruise accommodations? No, I
think not. You must be factoring your airfare and other trip expenses into
the per diem. It is impossible to do a comparative evaluation of travel
options when you distort your figures to make a point. If you told us how
much Princess really got from you on a daily basis, it would be easier to
talk about relative value.

Third, I don't get the feeling you researched your travel options to the
extent you should have to insure your needs, tastes and expectations were
met. You are all over the map with references to Silversea, 4-star hotels,
land-based tours and your idea of what your travel dollars will get you.
Have you stayed in a 4- or 5-star resort hotel lately? dined out for all 3
meals? gone out for a show that night? and tallied up the day's bill????

I sure hope you had a good time seeing the fascinating ports you went to
see!

Diana Ball
Austin, TX

D Ball wrote:

A nice review of rg's serial complaints on his one cruise. I've seen
at
least two others no one even bother to comment because of the
absudity of his whining.

rg,

First, the handle you have chosen doesn't lend a lot of credibility; thus,
the kind of feedback your posts have drawn.

Second, did you really pay $800/day for your cruise accommodations? No, I
think not. You must be factoring your airfare and other trip expenses into
the per diem.

Not necessarily so, but I think his is mainly bragging how much he
paid and whining because he paid the rack price about twice the
amount most others would pay on discounted prices.

He stayed in a Suite on the Baja deck listed at $5385 pp/do for 2007
for the 16 day Asian cruise comparable to his. The mini-suites
have a rack price of only $3495 pp. which would have come to
about $450 a day for TWO, about half of his $800, even if he paid
the rack rate for the mini-suite. He was suckered by his TA to
overpay and he is just whining about it.

Third, I don't get the feeling you researched your travel options

That's rather obvious.

Have you stayed in a 4- or 5-star resort hotel lately? dined out for all 3
meals? gone out for a show that night? and tallied up the day's bill????

For 16 nights in Oct 2007 (date of the China cruise), he could have
stayed at the room I stayed last month at the HK Conrad for $10,687
USD or at the cheapest suite for $18,240 USD. That comes to
$667 or $1,123 per night for just the lodging.

$800 per day in a suite with all the meals and entertainment AND
cruising in Asia is a bargain compared to sitting in the SMALLEST
suite at the Conrad in Hong Kong for $1,123 per day without eating
anything, seeing any entertainment, or going anywhere for 16 days!
:-)


I sure hope you had a good time seeing the fascinating ports you went to
see!

Diana Ball
Austin, TX

Whiners will ALWAYS find ways to whine. He looks and sounds like
a miserable person whose misery is mostly self-inficted.

-- Reef Fish Bob.

D. Ball wrote:

First, the handle you have chosen doesn't lend a lot of credibility

What the hell has a handle got to do with this? Read some of the other
handles in the posts to follow. Are they credible?

Second, did you really pay $800/day for your cruise accommodations? No, I
think not.

Shows how little you know about Princess pricing. You must stick to those
inside staterooms with bunkbeds. Short of sending you a copy of the
invoice, the numbers are below:

16 nights - 15 days:

1. Net fare for PS-class suite - $ 11,270.00 (booked directly through the
Princess website)
2. Travel Protection - $ 758.00 (didn't buy their policy but one with better
coverage for my entire 5-week vacation.
3. GVT fees - $ 44.24
4. Total $ 12,072.24

Daily cost average: $ 804.82
Nightly cost average: $ 754.52

Cathay Pacific open JAW tickets were purchased separately for about $ 1,800
for two of us. The above excludes $400 of gratuities given directly to
staff, including waiter, assistant waiter, room steward, and room steward
assistant. Above also excludes liquor purchases at dinner, for the
stateroom and associated service charges. Above also excludes land-based
tours.

Have you stayed in a 4- or 5-star resort hotel lately? dined out for all 3
meals?

I hope you're not comparing an inside stateroom to a suite in a 5-star
hotel. Yes, last year we stayed at the Four Seasons Chiang Mai. Included
in our 750 sq ft Garden Pavilion suite was daily breakfast, a 90 minute
massage on the first day, a 60 minute reflexology treatment the second day,
and private yoga session on the third day along with a 4 hour spa body
treatment at $650 a night.

If you're a Princess cruiser, you will know that daily spa treatments alone
for two would have easily added another $200/day to the Princess tab. So,
yes. I know what 5 star luxury is. Or how about the following we also did
last year.

Raffles, Singapore, 3-room, Palm Court Suite at $500/night, with teak
floors, separate parlor, and separate dining area. Yes, you can easily eat
the best food at the best restaurants for less than $100/couple (liquor
included).

Or, how about The Oriental in Singapore - Harbor View Suite (665 sq. ft) for
$400/night
5-star dining for two of us at the much acclaimed Mango Tree in Singapore
set us back $80 US, including drinks.

Or, how about The Peninsula - Hong Kong - Deluxe King Room (495 sq. ft) for
a little over $435/night

Or, how about the Shanghai JOCK Mandarin - Executive Suite King Bed - 750
sq. ft., free broadband and butler for $410 night, including service and
taxes. That leaves about $390/day to eat and pretty well I might add.

Or, if you love those Princess casinos, how about the Bellagio in Las Vegas,
where a 'Bellagio Suite' of over 1,000 sq. ft. can be had for $575 a night?
You can eat fresh sushi and sashimi until it comes out of ears for $50. The
sushi onboard the Sapphire honestly tasted like cardboard.


You got to be kidding. It's clear you have no clue about the cost of 5-star
hotels and 5-star dining. I don't even think you know what a 5-star hotel
is. There are tons of 5-star hotels, including meals for $800 day. BTW, if
you want a steak on Princess that is comparable to lets say Morton's, you
will have to pay extra for that as well baby. Don't compare any steak on a
Princess ship to Morton's unless you're ready to shell out some more clams
for beef in one of their 'specialty' restaurants. I would have thought for
$800 a day, I would get a decent steak on Princess. I did get twin
langoustine tails, I mean lobster tails one evening.

Go down to 4-star class hotel, and I can add a private car and driver for
the day most anywhere in Asia and still stay under $800/night.

I sure hope you had a good time seeing the fascinating ports you went to
see!

Yeah right, the ship is so damn big, it couldn't get within 50 miles of Ho
Chi Minh city. Same goes for Bangkok. Tourists have to board a bus for 5
hours worth of travel to and from the city and get back by 5 PM. Now that
is really seeing a city!

Third, I don't get the feeling you researched your travel options to the
extent you should have to insure your needs, tastes and expectations were
met.

On this point you are dead correct. Expectations for this cruise were far
higher than what was delivered. One thing for sure; I know a bit more about
5-star hotels and 5-star dining than you.

Sharkbait










"D Ball" wrote in message
...
rg,

First, the handle you have chosen doesn't lend a lot of credibility; thus,
the kind of feedback your posts have drawn.

Second, did you really pay $800/day for your cruise accommodations? No, I
think not. You must be factoring your airfare and other trip expenses into
the per diem. It is impossible to do a comparative evaluation of travel
options when you distort your figures to make a point. If you told us how
much Princess really got from you on a daily basis, it would be easier to
talk about relative value.

Third, I don't get the feeling you researched your travel options to the
extent you should have to insure your needs, tastes and expectations were
met. You are all over the map with references to Silversea, 4-star hotels,
land-based tours and your idea of what your travel dollars will get you.
Have you stayed in a 4- or 5-star resort hotel lately? dined out for all 3
meals? gone out for a show that night? and tallied up the day's bill????

I sure hope you had a good time seeing the fascinating ports you went to
see!

Diana Ball
Austin, TX

Reef Fish wrote:

He was suckered by his TA to overpay and he is just whining about it.

Ahhh, the credible Reef Fish Bob. Well Mr. Fish, I guess I have another
thing to whine about. I paid too much for the suite that I booked directly
on the Princess website. Gee, Princess screwing their own customers. I
guess I'm becoming more credible by the minute.

No, other travel agencies were also charging the same prices at the same
time. As usual, you're full of it. How's your VISA expedite business doing
these days? Sucker anyone lately?

Sharkbait

"Sharkbait" wrote in message
news:Peqhh.2707$JL5.440@trndny03...
D. Ball wrote:

First, the handle you have chosen doesn't lend a lot of credibility

What the hell has a handle got to do with this? Read some of the other
handles in the posts to follow. Are they credible?

Second, did you really pay $800/day for your cruise accommodations? No,
I
think not.

Shows how little you know about Princess pricing. You must stick to those
inside staterooms with bunkbeds. Short of sending you a copy of the
invoice, the numbers are below:

16 nights - 15 days:

1. Net fare for PS-class suite - $ 11,270.00 (booked directly through the
Princess website)
2. Travel Protection - $ 758.00 (didn't buy their policy but one with
better
coverage for my entire 5-week vacation.
3. GVT fees - $ 44.24
4. Total $ 12,072.24

Daily cost average: $ 804.82
Nightly cost average: $ 754.52

Cathay Pacific open JAW tickets were purchased separately for about $
1,800
for two of us. The above excludes $400 of gratuities given directly to
staff, including waiter, assistant waiter, room steward, and room steward
assistant. Above also excludes liquor purchases at dinner, for the
stateroom and associated service charges. Above also excludes land-based
tours.

Have you stayed in a 4- or 5-star resort hotel lately? dined out for all
3
meals?

I hope you're not comparing an inside stateroom to a suite in a 5-star
hotel. Yes, last year we stayed at the Four Seasons Chiang Mai. Included
in our 750 sq ft Garden Pavilion suite was daily breakfast, a 90 minute
massage on the first day, a 60 minute reflexology treatment the second
day,
and private yoga session on the third day along with a 4 hour spa body
treatment at $650 a night.

If you're a Princess cruiser, you will know that daily spa treatments
alone
for two would have easily added another $200/day to the Princess tab. So,
yes. I know what 5 star luxury is. Or how about the following we also
did
last year.

Raffles, Singapore, 3-room, Palm Court Suite at $500/night, with teak
floors, separate parlor, and separate dining area. Yes, you can easily
eat
the best food at the best restaurants for less than $100/couple (liquor
included).

Or, how about The Oriental in Singapore - Harbor View Suite (665 sq. ft)
for
$400/night
5-star dining for two of us at the much acclaimed Mango Tree in Singapore
set us back $80 US, including drinks.

Or, how about The Peninsula - Hong Kong - Deluxe King Room (495 sq. ft)
for
a little over $435/night

Or, how about the Shanghai JOCK Mandarin - Executive Suite King Bed - 750
sq. ft., free broadband and butler for $410 night, including service and
taxes. That leaves about $390/day to eat and pretty well I might add.

Or, if you love those Princess casinos, how about the Bellagio in Las
Vegas,
where a 'Bellagio Suite' of over 1,000 sq. ft. can be had for $575 a
night?
You can eat fresh sushi and sashimi until it comes out of ears for $50.
The
sushi onboard the Sapphire honestly tasted like cardboard.


You got to be kidding. It's clear you have no clue about the cost of
5-star
hotels and 5-star dining. I don't even think you know what a 5-star hotel
is. There are tons of 5-star hotels, including meals for $800 day. BTW,
if
you want a steak on Princess that is comparable to lets say Morton's, you
will have to pay extra for that as well baby. Don't compare any steak on
a
Princess ship to Morton's unless you're ready to shell out some more clams
for beef in one of their 'specialty' restaurants. I would have thought
for
$800 a day, I would get a decent steak on Princess. I did get twin
langoustine tails, I mean lobster tails one evening.

Go down to 4-star class hotel, and I can add a private car and driver for
the day most anywhere in Asia and still stay under $800/night.

I sure hope you had a good time seeing the fascinating ports you went to
see!

Yeah right, the ship is so damn big, it couldn't get within 50 miles of Ho
Chi Minh city. Same goes for Bangkok. Tourists have to board a bus for 5
hours worth of travel to and from the city and get back by 5 PM. Now that
is really seeing a city!

Third, I don't get the feeling you researched your travel options to the
extent you should have to insure your needs, tastes and expectations
were
met.

On this point you are dead correct. Expectations for this cruise were far
higher than what was delivered. One thing for sure; I know a bit more
about
5-star hotels and 5-star dining than you.

Sharkbait



"IF" you paid that much, then that proves the old saying about one being
born every minute.............

And, some of the complaints that you have made indicate an utter lack of
preparation and just general knowledge on the cruise you chose.

Sharkbait wrote:
At $800/day for a small suite, you would expect a bit more than all the food
you can eat. Actually, how much can one eat? The cabin (B753) carpets were
worn as was the slip sheet they throw around the comforter of the bed, which
BTW was two twins they threw together to make a double; Well, that was the
idea. This generally results in a big lump right down the center of the
the two beds (duh - what do you expect Princess?).

The third morning on our 16-day cruise, I came back to our stateroom after a
jog on deck and found my wife scrubbing the jacuzzi drain of our tub. It
seems our cabin steward in alergic to cleaing our bathroom, which also had
used, slimy soap still on the glass holder (unlike 4 and 5 star hotels that
replace everything daily). Our steward really didn't do much but Princess
will slap an extra $10/day per person on your bill for the great service
they insist you received.

We are thinking about taking the first sea cruise of our lives, and
I've noticed
that this $10/person/day seems to be standard in the industry. So,
just what
does this include? We're not ones for things like room service (do
they even
have this on ships?) We don't care to be "waited" on, "pampered,"
etc. Is this
for maid service, the people who empty the trash on the ship, etc.
Sounds like
a rip to me... Also, do they try to charge non-alky drinkers like us
for alcohol?
Hell, I'm just learning.....

wrote in message
ps.com...
We are thinking about taking the first sea cruise of our lives, and
I've noticed
that this $10/person/day seems to be standard in the industry. So,
just what
does this include? We're not ones for things like room service (do
they even
have this on ships?) We don't care to be "waited" on, "pampered,"
etc. Is this
for maid service, the people who empty the trash on the ship, etc.
Sounds like
a rip to me... Also, do they try to charge non-alky drinkers like us
for alcohol?
Hell, I'm just learning.....


Most of the hotel staff you'll have contact with are contract employees from
poor third world countries. Ever wonder how Princess can afford to discount
a 7-day cruise on a balcony for 799 bucks??

If they don't get good reviews, their contracts aren't renewed. That is one
reason they try to please so hard--there families rely on their tips and
meager incomes to survive. The tips are what they LIVE on. Don't punish the
workers for corporate policies. And, the corporations are doing what they
have to do to remain competitive, even if it means moving $10.00 a
person/day from the fixed price to a gratuity system. The gratuities are
broken down on many websites--go to vacations.com and select the ship you're
sailing on. It will show exactly how the gratituities are divided for the
cabin stewart, restaurant staff, etc.

Sharkbait,

I didn't lodge any personal attacks on you. Was it necessary for you to
reply by making personal attacks? You don't know anything about me or my
travel experiences. It is rather arrogant for you to assume that the
foundation for my views can be summarily dismissed as being an "inside
cabin" point of view.

Diana

Sharkbait wrote:
Reef Fish wrote:

He was suckered by his TA to overpay and he is just whining about it.

Ahhh, the credible Reef Fish Bob. Well Mr. Fish, I guess I have another
thing to whine about. I paid too much for the suite that I booked directly
on the Princess website. Gee, Princess screwing their own customers. I
guess I'm becoming more credible by the minute.

Princess is running a PROFIT making BUSINESS. Of course Princess
would love to screw 1st time customers who are Clueless Newbies in
cruising. You happened to be the clueless SUCKER. Anyone else
would have found better fares booking ELSEWHERE.

If you read my "credible" reports, you would have learned that I have
cruised the Princess 21 times in the past 4 years and I ALWAYS had
much better fares than the ones listed by Princess.

No, other travel agencies were also charging the same prices at the same
time. As usual, you're full of it. How's your VISA expedite business doing
these days? Sucker anyone lately?

Sharkbait

What VISA espedite business? You are suffereing from delusion of
newbie-cluesnesses.

-- Reef Fish Bob.