I recall walking back to Cabana from the parks the month before Sapphire opened. The landscaping was a vast mud pit and the pool wasn't installed yet. I thought, no way this opens on time. Well, it did open on time but they had problems registering people and things like that, but that was fairly brief. We were booked into the hotel a couple of months later and by then everything was just about perfect. I remember a nice opening review on Strongwater by
@Brian G. that applauded the bar/restaurant. So we went there, I believe three times, and it was just pure perfection. Carlos, the food chef/manager sat down with us and explained his vision for the restaurant, and the most excellent server Maggie gave us the best restaurant service we ever had anywhere. They are both still there. Food was excellent then and still is. We also had the breakfast buffet, sitting on the terrace, at Amatista and it was a very good experience. So, they recuperated from that tough opening month pretty quickly. I still regard it as superior to Royal Pacific, with the exception of not having the Express hotel pass. I've booked there three or four vacations, and even when not staying there we eat at Strongwater and Amatista. Sapphire is the jewel it's named for.