Sapphire Princess
The Sapphire Princess is a Gem-class of ship owned by the Carnival Corporate and operated by the Princess Cruises brand, for whom she has sailed with since entering service back in 2004.
Back then, she was one of the biggest cruise ships in the world but now she is more of a medium sized ship that is capable of hosting a little over 2,500 cruisers.
For my sailing on her, to Patagonia and Antarctica, I was looking for a ship that had lots of outdoor spaces, plenty of vantage points for looking at the scenery and wildlife we would see and after comparing all of the ships to head down to Antarctica in our budget range, she was the one that stood out in that regard.
My sailing on her was the first time I had cruised with the Princess cruise line as well but it was a line I had wanted to sail with for some time, so she had a lot to live up to but just how did I get on for my cruise on her, where did she excel and what issues popped up?
Those questions and more are what I will answer in this review, where I take you through my whole experience of cruising onboard the Sapphire Princess.
Sapphire Princess Review
Currencies accepted: USD
Summary
Owner: Carnival Corporation
Line: Princess Cruises
Builder: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries
Launched: 2004
Tonnage: 115,875 GT
Length: 290m (951ft)
Capacity: 2,670 passengers (1,100 crew)
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Overall
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Onboard Experience - 8.5/10
8.5/10
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What’s Included - 8.5/10
8.5/10
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Entertainment - 8.5/10
8.5/10
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Food and Drink - 8.5/10
8.5/10
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Accommodation - 8.5/10
8.5/10
User Review
( votes)I was lucky enough to sail on her between December 2025 and January 2026 when me and my wife did a round trip cruise from Buenos Aires that would call into Punta Arenas in Chile, Ushuaia in Argentina, Stanley in the Falkland Islands and Montevideo in Uruguay but the highlight of the trip was 4 days cruising around the stunning Antarctic Peninsula, including spending New Years Eve in the southern continent.
This really was a dream getaway for me and my wife and something that was years in the planning, so the Sapphire had a lot of expectations on her to deliver a great getaway for us.
The Sapphire is a ship that offers a slow pace of cruising, where there is often down time with little to nothing to do onboard and even when activities are offered, they tend to be basic.
There are a few lounges and venues where musicians play but they tend to short sets with gaps in-between.
For a cruise such as the one that I did, where I spent a lot of time outside enjoying the scenery and it didn’t matter to much, but if you like to keep busy on a ship, she may not be the one for you.
The style of cruising onboard the Sapphire is one of offering the chance to relax, enjoy great food and prepare for the next port whilst been onboard a ship that just functions well.
You don’t get any big attractions, such as Go-Karts or even Flumes and you don’t have things such as street party’s or gimmicks such as a Magic Carpet but that is one of the issues.
The décor is somewhat dated for me and whilst I have no issues with the style of her and the cruise you have on her, the line has played everything safe with the Sapphire, so nothing really stands out and grabs your attention.
As is the case for the majority of cruise ships, there is plenty included in the cost of your cruise holiday on the Sapphire including food, drink and entertainment.
There is a choice of 3 different main dining rooms that you can enjoy meals in each night and for lunch on sea days, with one set aside for traditional dining, or at the same tie at the same table every night, and two set aside for those wanting the flexibility of dining when they want to dine.
There are also a few grab and go places to eat from including a pizza shop and a burger bar on the pool deck, whilst there is also an included ice cream shop, a 24 hour café and there is a buffet that offers food and included drinks such as tea, coffee, hot chocolate and fruit drinks.
Entertainment wise, the theatre is the main place for shows but there is also an entertainment lounge that featured musical acts and gameshows.
There is a large screen on the top deck that shows movies and there is also an inside and a couple of outside swimming pool, plus lots of hot tubs. There is a night club for late night music and activities, and the piazza also acts as a hub of entertainment throughout your adventure.
The ship has a large gym which is included in the cost of your cruise.
As is the way with cruising across just about every line, there are extra costs involved in your sailing including alcoholic drinks, speciality coffees and sodas.
There are also a number of speciality restaurants, including a pizzeria and a steakhouse which all cost extra.
Although most activities are included there are a few pay extra ones, including classes in the gym.
There is a private sun lounge area at the front of the ship called the Sanctuary that is pay extra and things such as the tips and the internet are extra.
The entertainment onboard the ship was good but nothing more than that but as is the case with lots of aspects of the ship, it was quite repetitive.
In the theatre, there was a mix of production shows and guest entertainers, but I should start by saying that the great think about the ship was that there were still actual musicians playing in the theatre, for both shows and entertainers.
On the flip side of that, all of the guest entertainers were singers and many of the songs were performed across the different shows.
Each production show was themed, but they were all basically the same across the board, with them just singing songs in different costumes.
Again, I had no issue with the quality of them, but it did get a bit repetitive and some variety would be great, especially in the production shows and I should also mention that there was an issue with one of the guest performers who it’s fair to say was a bit of pain around the ship and he struggled to focus for his performances.
The lounges, bars and atrium onboard also had some performers who again were good quality but a few songs did get repeated often.
This is another aspect of Princess where they deliver a great offering but again, there is just that lack of creativity and variety.
I ate at a couple of grab and go places, the Main Dining Room and the buffet and enjoyed all of the food that I had in each of them.
In the MDR, I had one of the best meals I have had at sea, a cocoa pork dish, and the chicken tenders with loaded fries from the Trident Grill was my go-to for a quick lunch.
The food in the buffet was always of a good standard, was always kept warm (or cold) and tasted fresh but again, it was just really repetitive.
I think I had some sort of beef, potatoes and veg roughly half of the times I ate in there, which was most nights.
Drinks wise, there are plenty of bars and lounges around the ship to grab a drink, relax and maybe listen to some music or enjoy an activity, with each offering a wide range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic options.
I enjoyed the banana-chocolate mocktail and that was my go-to drink wise but one big issue was with soft drinks. It was great that the line had coke zero, my favourite pop and it was included in my drinks package, at least it was until it wasn’t.
At the main bars inside the ship, you are served a pop in a glass and there are no issues but if you want one outside, say around the pool or in the solarium, you are served from a can.
If the bartender opens it and then either pours it into a glass for you or just hand you it, its included, if they pass it to you closed, you are charged for it!
I stayed in an inside cabin, as I usually do, and it had everything you could need including a large tv, a spacious bathroom, plenty of storage and a large comfy bed.
I like that the room has a separate area for hanging your clothes, but it is lacking any hooks, which would have been an issue on a cruise such as the one that I did where you often had a wet coat but thankfully, I had taken a few magnetic hooks which solved the problem.
Despite been an older ship, the cabins have been upgraded which included having some usb ports put next to the beds- always handy and it was also useful for the door to unlock as you walk up to it thanks to your medallion.
The biggest downsides were the lack of a glass door for the shower and also the lack of a seating area and they do feel a bit dated in places but much of that is down to the theming of the line as much as anything.
The Princess line is a premium one that tends to aim towards older cruisers and that is the case for the Sapphire.
Aside from the medallion, there has been a lack of investment in anything modern or to differentiate the line and that can be said of the Sapphire- she has everything you need, she does it well, but you are not going to get anything that surprises or impresses you.
On our cruising, our cruise director gave a speech to say thank you us all for choosing the Sapphire, as they always do, but he said a line that sounded incredibly scripted and obviously given to him from head office.
To slightly paraphrase, it was basically “whilst our competitors spend gimmicks, we invest all of our money on great staff to make your holiday special”.
That was obviously a did at Celebrity and their Magic Carpets and yes that is a gimmick, but they also invest in things such as gardens and the Eden area whilst still having incredible staff, so it doesn’t have to be a choice of one or the other and it just made Princess sound like they aren’t up to the standards of their competitors.
I say that as that gives an insight into who the corporates at Princess expect to sail with them, those who don’t expect much and who are loyal but thankfully, they offer more than what is expected of them in that regard.
It is a relatively basic offering, especially when compared to similar standard lines, so if you want good food, good entertainment and to visit great ports of call- they offer that.
If you want lots of fun things to do, constant activities and lots of surprises- you aren’t going to get that. For me the line is best suited to older cruises and to couples and is perhaps one to avoid for kids and younger families.
The main standouts for me were the outside decks as down on the promenade level you can walk all of the way around the ship for great views from both the bow and aft whilst upstairs, there are loads of places you get great views.
From the viewing platforms towards the middle of the ship to the multi-level back of the ship and from the open sides of the ship to been able to stand on top of the bridge at the very front of the ship- if you are sailing somewhere with a view, she is the ship to choose.
For my sailing on the Sapphire, there were no major issues so its only nit-picking things for this one. There is the issue with soft drinks that I mentioned before where you can easily get charged for them even though they are part of your package.
The repetitive nature of meals, entertainment and activities is disappointing but again, they are all of a good quality.
A issue that was a bit more of a problem, as it is something you pay for, but if you have a drinks package that allows you to get drinks delivered to you via the app, as I did, you often didn’t get your drink.
You would watch it go through the process or ordered, been made, out for delivery and then it would change to delivered, despite you getting nothing.
Sometimes you would have to wait 20 minutes only to not even get your drinks, which was frustrating especially when ordering to go with your meal in the buffet.
The Sapphire Princess entered service in 2004 when she had a capacity of 2,670 passengers- making her one of the biggest ships in the world at the time.
She was built in Japan by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, where she was built alongside her sister ship, the Diamond Princess, with the two ships actually swapping names during the building process.
That was due to a fire on the Diamond Princess which delayed construction and of course, after the name change, the Diamond Princess is now the Sapphire.
I enjoyed my time on the Sapphire and can have little to fault her on but I am somebody who likes to keep busy, or at least have the option to be busy if I want to be and there were a few times when we looked at the schedules and there was just nothing to do but sit and play cards.
Thankfully, on my itinerary it was mostly about taking in the incredible scenery of Patagonia and Antarctica, so that didn’t matte to much but if I was sailing somewhere like the Med, it maybe more of an issue.
Having a bit more variety in all aspects of the cruise would really help but if you are looking at a port intensive cruise on her or if you like to simply relax on holiday, she is a great option.
Princess Sapphire Review and Guide
In 2023, the Sapphire received a distress signal from the Wilderness Discoverer whilst cruising in Alaska after they had suffered a fire.
With the help of the coast guard, the Sapphire helped to rescue 51 passengers and 16 crew members.
