BDevilCruiser

Boarded the (then broken) Sapphire Princess on May 11th. The ship was late, with the last passengers disembarking just before noon. The email told us boarding would start around 3PM. I walked over and got to the terminal about 2:45 (ready to stand outside if not allowed in yet) and people had already embarked. So I walked into the parking deck to start the process. (Signs clearly marked the baggage drop-off area.) Because we were so late in starting boarding, almost all of the passengers in the terminal were for the Sapphire, not the two (larger) ships also in port. That helped the crowds at the two common pinch points (customs and security.) But also meant that Sapphire passengers were "compressed" into a smaller time window. There are lines for: baggage drop-off (very minor), getting your medallion (longest line, maybe 25 minutes), customs (very short), security (also very short), check-in (second longest) and boarding. Based on my photo time stamp, I was at my cabin at 3:32PM. Everything was organized and kept moving.

Back from my cruise, and have recovered from the redeye across country (SEA to RDU) so catching up. My machine is an AirCurve 10 (https://www.resmed.com/en-us/sleep-apnea/cpap-parts-support/sleep-apnea-full-products-list/cpap-machines/aircurve-10-bilevel/) I placed the machine on the side of the lamp towards the bed (see copied picture in comment #51, without the BiPAP), and used an extension cord to connect to the power at the desk. (While the extension cord was on the floor the entire time in my obstructed view OceanView, it wasn't in the way as I got in/out of the bed on the other side.) I did find that the machine got pulled onto the mattress during the night. More of a "lean" than falling onto the mattress. No harm to the machine. I didn't need humidification (unlike home; guess being surrounded by the Pacific Ocean helped there!), so there wasn't a water issue. The new USB lamps were a help, I was able to plug in my phone to use as a clock/alarm.

Just in case you haven’t read the other thread on the Sapphire issues, they flew a team into Juneau and were able to fix the issue while at sea. We made College Fjord yesterday (spectacular!) and things seem to be back to normal. So no reason not to book in her.

No, the shaft is broken! 😀 the crew is doing great in keeping us happy while on board, and I think the compensation is quite fair. Back to the original poster (who I took off topic with my attempt at a joke), I think either itinerary is great. For the differences in the glacier cruise says, pick which one you think you’d like more. That, and which order for the ports you’d prefer for embarkation and disembarkation. For me, hotels in Vancouver were easier than in Anchorage, so northbound made sense for me. (edit: to be clear, they’ve said it’s an electrical issue, not the actual shaft. Somebody might take my comment too literally.)

Pick the one with the fully functional ship! 😉 (says the guy currently on the Sapphire!)

I haven’t had any issues in my cabin on Emerald deck, nor in any of the men’s public bathrooms I’ve visited.

To clarify, my discussion on board with a contractor was for a”dry dock” for interior work, not for the propulsion issue or anything else. My asking him about the “dry dock” may have been technically incorrect and he didn’t bother with a correction, as he knew what I was asking (when the interior work would be done.). While I did see contractors measuring, of all things, the Trident grill counter, I think they are also looking at replacing some things that need height adjustments to better serve all passengers (some may be too tall for those in wheelchairs, as an example.)

I think he said October. You can probably check online and search for future cruises on the Sapphire and find the “blank” weeks.

OP here. Didn’t get the Wi-Fi package, so on my phone now that we’ve docked in Juneau with four other ships. Reading the thread you’ve been brought up to date. earlier, I heard different things about missing College Fjord on Friday; one was the propulsion issue, another was weather. The propulsion issue affects maneuvering ability, and the time to get there and out probably played a factor. I’m sure getting to Whittier on time was most important (the captain said that in his announcement about missing Glacier Bay) and after getting passed by a row boat getting to Juneau 😏, I’m guessing we can’t go to either. I’ll add a more detailed review once I get home (hopefully Sunday). Quick notes - the ship is superficially in good shape, until you start looking at details. There’s contractors on board measuring for upgrades for the scheduled dry dock later this year, which is definitely needed. I think the captain’s announcements have been somewhat lacking, but I put more blame on corporate likely dictating his announcements rather than it being his full fault. That said, he is ultimately responsible on ship, and no doubt is bearing the brunt of the criticism on board. something that others have said that’s I’ll emphasize, the crew has been positive and terrific. im OK with the 75% x2 compensation and will look for a warm weather cruise to take next year (this is my first, and likely last, cold weather one. Cold is not my thing!)

Well, dinner was very good (Alaskan Cod,). And I didn’t have to do the dishes. there is a tug next to the ship, so maybe will set sail soon.

Am on the Sapphire right now ( still at the dock in Vancouver dealing with propulsion issues.) Here’s a picture of the bedside table in an ocean view cabin. www I’ll be a tight fit for my CPAP, but the lamp has a USB port, which is an improvement. Still need to plug in at the desk, though.

Captain made an announcement a few minutes ago. Said we’re trying to leave around 10-11. I question that right now. propulsion issues will prevent best speed, we will miss Ketchikan on Monday, and late to Juneau on Tuesday. doesn’t bode well for the following cruises. Hope we actually make it out of the port. sounds similar to the issues the Crown Princess had a couple of years ago.

On board about 3:45, got to the dock around 2:45. Many lines to go through. Due to the late arrival, the Blue Line to pick up a medallion was the longest, probably 20 minutes. Security and customs was quick, then another long line (maybe 10minutes) to actually check in, then five minute line to get on board. last time I had a delay in boarding, the Celebrity Edge was 12 hours late due to being diverted for a passenger emergency. And the Edge is currently across Canada Place, about to set sail. (As Yogi would say, Deja vu all over again.) we don’t know when we’re leaving the dock yet.

I usually fly with the CPAP case and a carry-on. Haven’t tried to take three items on, yet. (Male, so no purse as a personal item.). I especially wonder how the budget airlines (Spirit, Frontier etc.) deal with it, even if legally it should be Allowed. Had a problem yesterday in that I was in the last group to board, and there was limited bin space overhead. Couldn’t put my carry-on backpack up there so it went under the seat. The CPAP didn’t fit, but it’s a lot smaller, so I was able to put it up above so I had a little bit of leg room.

I have a ResMed AirSense BiPap that came with a nice travel bag. (Unlike aCPAP, no reasonably priced travel model out there.) I have enough room inside the hose compartment to fit a generic non- surge 10 foot extension cord. Outside, it has a pocket that fits my iPad. So, it serves as my airplane “personal item”. Fits fine under the seat and still leaves me leg room. Be careful, there’s a lot of those machines/bags out there. Yesterday at security, another guy tried to pick my bag up. (His identical bag came out 30 seconds later. Fortunately I recognized the “bulge” from my iPad and phone in the outside pocket.) I saw about five others during my travels. i have TSAPre, so I haven’t had to take the machine out of the case in a long while. It never gets checked as regular luggage, it and my passport are the two main essentials and never leave my possession while traveling.

Woke up this morning in Vancouver to an email indicating that the Sapphire Princess would be late docking this morning due to a “technical issue”. CC Member “that” in the roll call posted a letter sent to all on-board indicating it was a propulsion issue. Ship should dock about 11, with boarding times starting at 3PM. Don’t know if this is an isolated problem or if it’ll linger throughout our cruise and potentially for later ones. If we hear something, we’ll post when able.

When there was no other choice, I’ve made due with putting the machine on the floor. With a six foot hose, it wasn’t a problem. Helps that I’m a side sleeper typically facing the machine. but I’d check with my steward to see if other, level, arrangements can be done. Even to removing the end table with the lamp with something else that would fit your machine.

Remember this conversation next time you see an old guy (like me) wearing sandals…with socks! 🙄

Just called to cancel, took about twenty minutes, as the CS rep had to call his supervisor, and then (I think) two different departments to confirm that there would be no cancellation fee. (I will be watching my credit card statement online to make sure!) A question: On the cancellation notice, there's a line item called "NCF*" with the * referencing "Included in Cruise Fare". Looks like that stands for "Non-Commissioned Fare". Anybody know why they would add this? Could it be the lower (zero) fare was a third-party mistake, or they treat casino offers as travel agent bookings? Back to CS, I could barely hear the agent because of the background noise in the call center. Worse than almost any other I've dealt with (in addition to accent issues.) And, I never got the original email offer, I looked online after Dog gave us the heads-up (and Dog, please continue to do that if you spot a great offer, nothing wrong with what you did. The fault is entirely with Princess.) So, could somebody send me Jen Wright's email address? And, I know I saw it recently, but could somebody also send me the name/email of the head of customer services? Besides mentioning the background noise issue, I'd also like to complain about not being able to search for "1 guest" on my PC (I created a separate thread about two weeks ago, still no resolution.)

I wouldn't trust my car being left at IKEA for a week.

$45 US per night. (Man, that's gone up, it was $13/day when I cruised from there in 2007!) https://cruise.nyc/BCT-directions-parking You can take a look at the terminal, and measure the walk here on Google Maps (I get about 750 feet (225M) from the middle of the lot to the entrance): https://maps.app.goo.gl/MvUE52GwwPS3bamW8

I didn’t see “casino offer” when I booked (I found out due to the posting here, not through a direct offer email. I did do a search by lowest price and found the two “zero” cruises.) the Booking Confirmation says this under payment details: Booking is paid in full. Complimentary stateroom cruise offers are non-transferable. Invited guest must sail or full cruise fare will be applied to other guests sailing in the cabin. Casino offers are not combinable. Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses are the responsibility of the guest and not included in this offer. A non-refundable deposit of $200 per guest is required at the time of booking (applies to first two guests in stateroom only). Deposit will be returned to guest as onboard credit on folio. In the event of cancellation, the non-refundable $200 per guest deposit will be held as a cancel fee and is in addition to the cancellation schedule outlined on the booking… I have never had a casino offer, so I don’t know if “Complimentary stateroom cruise offers” is standard wording.

Update Monday morning (EST in the US) I tried to do an online chat, the AI or actual person (not sure which) told me I needed to call the Princess phone number. After making it through quite a few menu options, I was quickly connected to an actual person. After taking my info, and putting me on hold to check with somebody else, she told me that it was a glitch, and I needed to log out and refresh the web page, and if that didn't work, check back in 24 hours to give the technical team time to work on the glitch. So, no actual resolution of the issue, and I'm not sure she understood the actual problem. I'll check in again tomorrow. (Summarizing what we've found previously, the problem is on my PC and iPad using desktop browsers (my main one is Chrome, and Safari on the iPad, but I've tried Edge and DuckDuckGo as well.) Using the mobile version of Safari on my iPhone, I do see the "option" pull-down. On the PC, the options were always at the bottom of the initial search page, or towards the top of the results page (see previous messages for screen captures.) This appears to be a US-Only issue, as our friends from Canada and Australia have been able to see the "number of guests" option pull-down.)

Well, started by programming an HP 2000 mainframe in high school in 1977. Although, much different experience than programming web pages in the 21st Century. Or, more specifically, using them i can’t tell but does the web page for those in Canada (and the New Zealand person who responded earlier) show prices in your native currency? If so (and I’m assuming that’s the case) then there must be a country code built in the code. (It’s certainly the way I’d program it.). Doesn’t explain why this option wouldn’t be shown in the US, though. one thing I haven’t done yet is contact Princess to ask why this is happening. I’ll do that later when their customer service is open.

That’s it! I’m moving to Canada! 😁