Sapphire Princess is approximately three months from delivery at the time this photo was taken at the end of February. By keeping the ship in drydock, it allows the yard to have access to both sides of the ship. (No, the ship is not bent, the camera lens distorts the view.)

This is typical of the outdoor areas of a ship under construction. Shown here is the center pool area.

This is typical of one of the less-cluttered areas inside the ship.

This is the indoor pool area on Sapphire Princess.

One of the unique things about this visit to Sapphire Princess was that I only had to use my imagination for a matter of hours. The next day after visiting Sapphire Princess, I was aboard the completed Diamond Princess which is virtually identical. This is what the indoor pool will look like aboard Sapphire Princess in just a few weeks. The photos were taken from approximately the same angles.

The Princess Theater aboard Sapphire Princess.

What it will look like in a few weeks as seen on Diamond Princess.

This will become the atrium. Notice the curved stairway at the left and that the atrium is almost completely filled with scaffolding.

Typically, all over the ship we saw the Japanese workers paying meticulous attention to detail.

Driving down into the bottom of the drydock gives you perspective on the size of the ship. 

This is a close-up of the area of the bow thrusters. Note the size of the workers (in blue) and the blocks that are supporting the ship. The links in the chain by the workers are each about three feet long.

And finally the Fellini-esque reception at the bow of the ship, complete with hardhatted waiters serving champagne and sandwiches.