We cruised with Princess some five years ago, and loved it. Food was amazing, service exemplary and cabins comfortable. We were excited about this cruise around the Far East. Oh dear. Embarkation was in Singapore. Fairly efficient if your a sheep.... One holding pen to another, and eventually we got on board. Obviously straight to the buffet. There we were met by a long line waiting to get in. Princess has now installed two wash hand basins in the entrance and a crew member instructed all passengers to wash their hands. (Apparently the alcohol sanitizer wasn’t effective against norovirus.) Can you imagine how long it takes two thousand people to wash their hands using four sinks? The cabin next. (Superior balcony) Superficially clean enough, but dust was everywhere. They have installed two large TV, but have left the old fitted cabinets as a complete waste of space. The table on the balcony was rusty then simply painted over..... The tiles in the bathroom was very worn and looked blue moulded. That led to the best experience on board. Guest services. I took photographs down and they agreed it looked terrible. They were covered over with new grout the next day. (Semi successfully) They then phoned to officially apologise and add a $250 credit to our shipboard account. This is customer services and in all my dealings with them they were all efficient, polite and a pleasure to deal with. That is a real credit to the company. To dinner. What a disappointment. Much less choice, tiny portions, and a reliance on fish and shell food. It was the worst MDR menu in all the twelve cruises we have taken. Four nights we ate in the buffet as none of us four travelling could find anything desirable. The international cafe. This is open 24/7 for snacks that are complimentary, but charge you $1.35 for a coffee?? Please. This ship was updated in 2018. This seem to amount to new, and very stylish carpets. This ship still looked it fifteen years old. It was superficially clean but when I retrieved my cruise card from the side of the sofa it was filthy. A wee word for the smokers. You are a second class citizen. There are three areas you can smoke. A small area on deck 15, with chairs and tables (always packed) A small area on deck 7 (promenade) with no chairs, just a small wooden storage bench. And Churchills cigar lounge. (Filthy) Good luck to you with that.... To me it appears that the accountants have nickel and dimed Princess into a second class three star vessel. Yes the staff were lovely and customer services were excellent. But the food on offer is poor, except in the buffet which was great but always crowded. (Unsurprising) Will I cruise with Princess again, probably not. I would need to be seriously cheap. Even then i would rather go with someone else..... Read Less

Arrived Singapore with two full days before embark on Feb 28th. Split our nights between Sofitel City Center and Marina Bay Sands - while Marina Bay Sands is quite an experience and everyone should go see it, we preferred the overall elegance of the Sofitel. We booked in Club Class - essentially a nice sized, mini-suite sized cabin with some nice perks. Our cabin - Dolphin 329 - was quiet, in good shape and centrally located. My only gripe would be that the balcony had no privacy from cabins above us. Dining for Club Class is in the Santa Fe Grill - a lovely setting with nice decor and great acoustics. We were a table for eight and could actually hear from one end of the table to the other without shouting. The overall experience - food and service - we experienced was amazing - best non-specialty dining experience we've had on 20+ cruises across a fairly broad segment of the cruise industry offerings. We tried both specialty restaurants - Sabatini's was good; Sterling Steakhouse was a total disaster. We called on Bali, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, and Phuket - ship excursions in Bali and Phuket; private excursions in both Malaysian ports. Private excursions were excellent (Tours by Locals - Tony - in KL; Simply Enak - Liz - in Penang); ship excursions were acceptable (Bali) and unsatisfactory (Phuket - James Bond Island - 3+ hours each way on a bus...) In Summary - really enjoyed the itinerary and will definitely book Club Class again. Read Less

Choose this cruise due to the ports of call offered by Princess in South East Asia. Overall we were very satisfied with this cruise. In fact we completed two back to back 10 day cruises which covered different ports of call. A couple ports of call had 2 to 3 hours of driving to the main City attractions which took a lot of time away from actually seeing attractions. Princess should allow more time in port or overnight to be able to spend enough time at attractions. Two different ports only allowed about 2-1/2 to 3 hours before having to drive back to cruise ship. We usually love the entertainment on board Princess cruises except both of these cruises had mostly singers as their main attraction and only 1 comedian over the 20 day cruise experience and two acrobatic performances which both were great. There were no ventriloquists, illusionist or Hypnotists etc. to give some variety to the show offerings. A second comedian would have been a nice since this cruise was 20 days long. Meal quality at the main dinning room varied. We were not pleased with any of the steaks offered in the dining room. You have to pay extra to get better quality steaks in the main dining room which we did not want to do. This was new to Princess other than going to a specialty dining room. Other dishes were very good though and the deserts great as always. Service in the dining room was top notch. We had several excellent waiters & waitresses which always adds to the dining experience. Rooms are not large but the most annoying aspect is the Showers are way too small. The cold water coming out of the tap is not cold and was very warm probably due to the water desalination systems that use sea water. The Ocean temp. was in the Mid 80's. and they do not cool the water very much after purifying it. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the destinations. We had visited vietnam in 2004 and wanted to see how it had developed. Never visited Thailand and Indonesia. So this cruise was to tick off these destinations. Vietnam was a dissapointment. It was dirty, smoggy and the touts are really in your face. Want to remember it the way it was on our first visit. Bali was a lovely surprise, a beautiful island and lovely people. Phuket I am glad I have seen, but have decided won’t bother to visit again. Loved Singapore and Kuala Lumpah. Basically I now feel I dont need to visit this area again, unfortunately Asia is smoggy everywhere and it was sad how much rubbish was floating in the oceans. Saw very little sea life or birds. Biggest dissapointment of the cruise was our dining experience. The buffet was repetitive, basically same thing every day. They were not strict enough with hand hygiene and there were many people coughing and sick. The dining room menus for all meals were rotated and after not many days became boring. I do like Princess but the Sapphire although a beautiful ship would not be my first choice. The staff however were as always magnificent. They are all friendly, courteous and efficient. Read Less

Well just back after a cruise visiting Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand. Check in was relatively easy at Singapore and luggage delivered to room quickly. Balcony room on Baja floor basic but adequate. No bottles of water or bottles in room as advertised, no tea or coffee and no pictures on wall. Room attendant was fabulous and nothing was to much trouble. Bed very comfortable. Restaurants struggled to seat 6 of us. All except Vivaldi where we ate most nights. Lovely menu. Changes every day but it’s the same in all restaurants other than the ones you pay extra for. The steaks were lovely. Staff seemed to struggle daily with a my white wine and soda. Please train staff on this it’s not a difficult drink. A few annoying aspects of the cruise other than the above, staff eating in guest restaurants and drinking and taking part in bars on a night time, some childish entertainment, staff at the coffee bar who seem frustrated with you when busy and the urgency to get you off the boat on check out day. Good points, food, polite and helpful staff in shops, great choice of bars, The tours. One tip. Bangkok is advertised as 2 1/2 hours away. This is rare and it was 3 hours 45 to our first temple. A refreshment stop on Route was overcrowded and disgusting. Malaysia tour was disappointing and upsetting. The animals at the zoo were clearly distressed. Please please please stop the tour of riding the elephants at Koh Samui. The show is upsetting with baby elephants dancing to pop music and staff continually prodding the elephants ears with sticks with hooks on. READ the reviews on this awful place. Read Less

We chose this cruise for the itinerary. We started with a 3 day cruise Singapore to Kuala Lumpur and back and then Singapore to Kota Kinabalu, 2 stops in Vietnam and 2 stops in Thailand and then back to Singapore. As I stated in my first review, the ship was great, crew was great and our cabin Steward Catherine and dining room waiters Alexander and Katherine were outstanding. We only ate at the buffet a few times and it was what you would expect, we ate ate Sabatini's and it was very good. We saw a couple fo the the shows in the theater and they were good. Since we were already aboard there was no issue with embarkation but when we did embark a few days earlier it was quick and easy. The lectures on the ports were very informative and though we did not see them in person, we were able to watch them on the TV in our rooms. Read Less

Like princess Cruises before and friends Go out together to have fun Very disappointed the room services person never smiles and not friendly at all And the international dinning room waiter very unprofessional After complaining to the PIC and It did not received any Apology From either the waiter or the person in charge Especially the waiter ignore us after that Encounter bad service on this ship The food is not satisfying Would like to have more fruits and food that relate to the country’s which we Are visiting Never saw the captain visiting regular customers TheExcursions Are poorly arranged Not enough time and Monkey performance only five minutes shows are good and enjoyable Pizza in the deck five is very good The services at the deck five six and seven are very good The wake up call always on time Appreciated very much Hope to improve your services in South East Asia trip Read Less

Southeast Asia was on our bucket list. We looked at the various itineraries and chose Princess. We flew in a few days early and went to Cambodia to see Angkor wat on our own as it was also on the bucket list. It did not disappoint. If u have the opportunity to do so, do it. It was the most Amazing place and the Cambodians could not have been more friendly and helpful. We stayed at the Saem Siem Reap hotel and could not find any fault with the accommodations or the service. We booked the tour of Angkor Wat through the hotel and I can confidently say that the guide was one of the best we have had. He was ever so accommodating to our needs, we were travelling with 3 octogenarians, and gave that extra effort to ensure the whole group was well looked after.i would highly recommend the hotel and the tour. We spent 2 nights in Singapore on our own prior to boarding. If u r able to do so, I would recommend it. Singapore is a very clean and safe. The people were super friendly. We easily navigated ourselves to the various sites on the very efficient MRT (subway system). If ever we looked lost, there was always someone willing to guide us in the right direction. Marina bay sands hotel and the gardens of super trees r not to be missed! The MRT even dropped us at the new Marina Bay cruise terminal for boarding, all well signed and accessible. Embarkation went smoothly, though a bit chaotic at times since there was a second ship boarding at the same time. The facilities though large, seemed to be challenged accommodating 2 large ships at the same time. The ship, despite recent dry dock, is still in desperate need of an update. The cabin was retrofitted with large flat screen TV in the room, but the furnishings and bathrooms are showing their ages. Our cabin steward tried his best, but the air conditioning and toilet struggled . The lounges looked tired and very dated. The one nice spot was the new Internet cafe that was recently retrofitted from a bar. The internet service unfortunately was still abysmally slow and unreliable. Our waiter and his assistant tried their best, but it was difficult when the food was such a let down. It was either bland or severely over salted. The coffee was so watered down that I had no choice but to purchase a coffee card in order to get a decent cup. There were better food options at the buffet than in the dining room. We were resigned to tolerating the dining room because it was easier to find seats rather that doing endless search in the buffet. The entertainment was lacklustre. I was disappointed that the afternoon movies were shown outside rather than in the air conditioned theatre. Needless to say that we chose not to sit out in 35C heat to watch movies. The shore excursions were subpar. We were rushed around to the various sites, with little explanations and guidance. With such large groups, we were unable to keep together let alone hear the guide without some sort of headphones. Needless to say we lost valuable time waiting for lagging/lost guests. When we spoke up, the guides were either didn’t understand or indifferent. If there are opportunities to use non princess shorex, my advice is to do so. I would definitely return to SEA, but not with princess. They seemed more interested in nickel and dime everything. Read Less

we chose this cruise as it is a destination we hadn’t been to before, we were not disappointed. The Saphire is a lovely ship, very easy to find your way to dining rooms and activities, the entertainment on board is varied and suits all tastes, The Drop band had a good range of music and entertained us in club fusion, around the pool on at sea days and in the Explorers lounge. The trivia games were fun and tested our knowledge. The art auctions, balloon drop, deck parties and movies under the stars plus shows in Princess theatre provide entertainment for all. The tours were well organised by the excursion team were reasonably priced and interesting. Great service in the dining rooms especially for people with food intolerance. Loved seeing Kuala Lumpur Petronis Towers. Chinatown in Singapore, James Bond Island excursion is well worth the 90 minute bus ride not suitable for people that have mobility issues though. Read Less

A new area we had not traveled. We chose Princess, because we think they are the Best. We have cruised on the Sapphire Princess before, it's a lovely ship, well maintained. We had a great balcony cabin on the Baja deck 11 port side. Embarkation was amazing, 15 minutes from taxi to our cabin. Disembarkation was almost as speedy. Airlines should take notes on how to get bags to claim area. We chose anytime dining, we like the flexibility,our waiters were the greatest. They made our dinners every evening a special occasion. Greeted us at the door of the dining room, had our wine ready for us, recommended special dishes. Entertainment was good most nights, singers and dancers terrific. We took shore excursions with Princess at every port, something we don't normally do, however thought it would be easier this trip. Most of the guides were good, fairly easy to understand. Beautiful temples, modern buildings mixed in with ancient architecture gave us insight into very different cultures. Thailand, one of our favorites. The vibrant city/country of Singapore is incredible. We spent 3days there pre cruise, took the hop on/off bus to help get a feel for the city. Wonderful restaurants,delicious food, friendly people. An amazing trip, providing us with memories to last a lifetime. Read Less