Sapphire Princess
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Sapphire Princess
The Sapphire Princess is a Princess Cruises ship offering itineraries in Alaska, the Mediterranean, and Europe. It provides an all-inclusive cruise experience focused on luxury, families, and couples, featuring onboard gastronomy, spa services, entertainment, and organized shore excursions. The ship offers a range of cabin categories and ocean cruise vacations, with onboard experiences including open-air cinema and leisure activities in an international cruise setting. This ship is well suited for travelers seeking a comfortable and versatile cruise experience combining diverse destinations, onboard relaxation, and a balance of leisure and exploration.
Itineraries of the Sapphire Princess
Price and Availability Notice
Prices displayed are provided for informational purposes only. They reflect the rates in effect at the time of their most recent update and are shown in Canadian dollars, per person, based on double occupancy, unless otherwise specified.
Supplier rates, exchange rates, taxes and fees, room or cabin categories, and promotions are subject to change at any time. The applicable price is the one confirmed by a travel advisor at the time of booking, subject to availability. Only the confirmed price shall be considered valid.
It is the traveler's responsibility to confirm the price, inclusions, and applicable terms and conditions before making a reservation. While every effort is made to keep our content up to date, transmission, display, or pricing errors may occur. In such cases, the correct price will be communicated to the traveler before any booking is confirmed. Certain terms, restrictions, and exclusions may apply.
decks plans
Deck - 17
Sky
Deck - 16
Sports
Deck - 15
Sun
Deck - 14
Lido
Deck - 12
Aloha
Deck - 11
Baja
Deck - 10
Caribe
Deck - 9
Dolphin
Deck - 8
Emerald
Deck - 7
Promenade
Deck - 6
Fiesta
Deck - 5
Plaza
Deck - 4
Gala
Ship's attributes
Services And Amenities
- Elevators
- Self-service laundry room
- Casino
- Jacuzzi
- Pool
- Beauty salon
- Spa & body care
Specific needs
- Wheelchair accessible staterooms
Technical specifications
- Classe: Gem Class
- Tonnage: 115857
- Speed: 22.0 knots
- Passengers: 2670
- Decks: 16
- Length: 290 m
- Width: 48 m
- Height: 63 m
History
- 2004: Année de construction
- 16 mai 2004: Croisière inaugurale
- 2018: Modernisation
- 2018: Année de rénovation
Frequently Asked Questions
Sapphire Princess measures 115,875 gross tons and 290 m long. It carries about 2,678 guests at double occupancy and 1,100 crew in 1,339 staterooms across 16 decks, 13 of them open to you. That ratio of roughly one crew member to every 2.4 guests is what you feel at the buffet and at the bars in the evening. It sits in the middle of the fleet: roomier than Coral Princess, more intimate than Sun Princess with its 4,000-plus guests.
Double occupancy, about 2,678, because it describes how busy the ship actually feels on most departures. The maximum of roughly 3,214 is only reached when many cabins take a third or fourth berth, which is rare on 15- to 29-day Asian voyages. One more useful distinction: 522 of the 1,339 staterooms have a balcony, which is around 75 percent of the outside cabins but just under 40 percent of the whole ship. Book early if a balcony matters to you.
This is the ship that burned. In October 2002 a fire tore through the hull at Mitsubishi in Nagasaki that was due to be named Diamond Princess; Princess moved that name to the undamaged sister hull, and the burned hull was rebuilt and completed as Sapphire Princess. Two practical differences today: Sapphire was christened in Seattle on 10 June 2004 rather than in Japan, and it has spent far more time than its twin in Alaska, Australia and on the East Coast. Its October 2025 dry dock at Vigor in Portland added two restaurants, Makoto Ocean and the Crown Grill, while Diamond had received its Crown Grill earlier.
The autumn 2026 season is the one that concerns you directly: after crossing from Copenhagen it runs 10- and 11-day voyages between Boston and Québec City, departing the Port of Québec on 14 September, 4 October and 23 October, and departing Boston on 3 September, 23 September and 13 October. The 23 October sailing leaves Québec City for Fort Lauderdale over 15 days. On 6 November it crosses from Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles in 17 days through the Panama Canal, then leaves Los Angeles on 22 November for Tokyo in 21 days. It closes the year running between Tokyo and Singapore.
Asia, essentially all year. From January to late February it alternates between Singapore and Tokyo on 15- to 43-day voyages, then settles into Tokyo from 6 March to 14 September on 8- to 25-day round trips. On 28 September it leaves Singapore for Australia and spends the southern spring between Fremantle, Sydney, Brisbane and Auckland. From Montréal, expect one connection and 15 to 18 hours to Tokyo, potentially two stops and more than 22 hours to Singapore, and a flight into Perth to reach Fremantle. By contrast, the autumn 2026 Boston–Québec season needs no flight at all: the Port of Québec is a three-hour drive from Montréal.
A midship balcony on Dolphin (9), Caribe (10) or Baja (11). The Club Class Mini-Suite category, created in the 2018 refit, comes with a reserved dining room section and extra attention, and it is the best comfort-to-simplicity trade on this ship if you dislike queues. Twenty-seven staterooms are wheelchair accessible, worth confirming early because they book far ahead. On October departures from Québec City, a balcony earns its keep in the Saguenay Fjord even in cool weather.
Complimentary dining is Pacific Moon, Vivaldi, Santa Fe and International, backed by the Horizon Court buffet, Trident Grill and Prego pizzeria. Extra-charge venues are Sabatini's, the Crown Grill, Alfredo's and Makoto Ocean, installed on deck 7 in October 2025 in place of the old Internet café, where chef Makoto Okuwa's menu runs to truffle salmon, snow crab temaki and toro tartare. Lounges include Bar Piazza, Crooners, Churchill, the Wheelhouse Bar, Vines, Outrigger, Tradewinds and Skywalkers nightclub. The two-deck Princess Theatre, the Lotus Spa, The Sanctuary and Movies Under the Stars complete the picture.
Its age, plainly. The ship dates from 2004, and despite three dry docks since 2018 the structure and the stateroom bathrooms remain of their period. Adding Makoto Ocean on deck 7 in 2025 cost the ship its Internet café, so it gained a restaurant and lost a public room. Against a Royal-class ship there is no SeaWalk; against Sphere-class Sun Princess there is nothing like the glass dome or the newer suite formats. And only 522 of 1,339 staterooms have a balcony.
The base fare covers your stateroom, the Pacific Moon, Vivaldi, Santa Fe and International dining rooms, the Horizon Court buffet, Princess Theatre shows, the pools and the fitness centre. Drinks, Wi-Fi, service charges, shore excursions, Sabatini's, Crown Grill, Alfredo's and Makoto Ocean are extra. Princess sells two bundles, Princess Plus and Princess Premier, that gather several of these together. On the Boston–Québec loop, budget for the Saguenay and Charlottetown excursions too, since they fill quickly at the height of foliage season.
Not in the base fare. Princess posts a daily Crew Appreciation charge to your onboard account, scaled by the stateroom category you occupy, from inside cabin to suite. It is covered if you book Princess Plus or Princess Premier. On a 10-day Québec City to Boston voyage the gap is modest; on a 43-day Asian voyage it becomes decisive, so run the numbers with your advisor at 1-866-628-6241.
Princess sells no standalone drink package, only two bundles that also cover Wi-Fi and service charges. Princess Plus covers fifteen drinks a day under a capped per-drink value, including specialty coffees and bottled water. Princess Premier removes the daily limit, raises the per-drink ceiling and adds specialty restaurant meals. On board, Vines for wine, Crooners for martinis and the Wheelhouse Bar will be your regular stops, with Outrigger and Tradewinds open mainly in good weather.
The ship is MedallionClass and runs on MedallionNet. The Medallion is a disc about the size of a quarter that replaces your key card, works as your payment method, speeds up embarkation and lets you order food and drink wherever you are. It registers your position on board, which is what makes delivery work, and sharing that position with other guests stays optional. Worth knowing on the Boston–Québec loop: hugging the St. Lawrence, Canadian cellular service is often usable in port, which is not the case on the Asian itineraries.
It is equipped for them without being built around them. Camp Discovery splits into The Treehouse for ages 3 to 7, The Lodge for 8 to 12 and The Beach House for teens, complimentary during the day. On a 10-day Québec City to Boston sailing in October your child may well be the only one in their age group, and on a 25-day Asian voyage even more so. The ship has no waterslide and no water park, and the onboard rhythm belongs to a mature crowd.
It pays off from the third tier. Gold comes with your first cruise, Ruby after three cruises or thirty days, Platinum after five cruises or fifty days, Elite after fifteen cruises or 150 days. The Wi-Fi discount starts at Ruby; complimentary laundry, shore excursion discounts and priority disembarkation come at Platinum. Sapphire Princess is an excellent ship for climbing the tiers, because its 2027 calendar is built from 15- to 43-day voyages where the day count rises fast.
On the Boston–Québec loop, very little: the St. Lawrence and the Saguenay Fjord are sheltered, and only the Halifax to Boston leg runs in open water. At 115,875 gross tons with stabilizers, the ship handles swell well. The legs to watch are the 21-day Pacific crossing from Los Angeles to Tokyo in November 2026 and the long Australian passages in late 2027. A midship cabin on Emerald (8) or Dolphin (9) remains the best move if you are sensitive.
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