Which ship for Alaska?

[xlxo]

On 4/4/2023 at 4:58 PM, PescadoAmarillo said:

Is this a certainty?  We are booked on a B2B on the Majestic but I have a hold on a cabin on the Sapphire too, based on your recommendation. We’ve done multiple cruises on both ships, so I know the ship offerings, but the Inside Passage would be a deal breaker, if we can count on that.

Check this link of the previous route from this morning... https://www.marinetraffic.com/en/ais/home/shipid:4033390/zoom:7

 

The Majestic Princess came through the Graveyard of the Pacific instead of the South Inside Passage.

[RedJessi]

On 3/30/2023 at 9:44 AM, JimmyVWine said:

Sapphire.  It will sail the true Inside Passage (which is a deal breaker); it has the best Promenade of all of the ships mentioned.  It has Balcony cabins with large, comfortable balconies.  It has fewer passengers than any of the other ships mentioned, and that makes a difference when the crowd descending from the gangway can overwhelm a small town.  It is not the newest or shiniest Princess ship, but it is still a wonderful ship that has most of the features of the more modern ships. (Vines, Crooners, Alfredo's, International Cafe, Sabatini's.)  And it has the Explorer's Lounge which I find to be a much nicer venue than "Princess Live!" on the newer ships.  The only thing that Sapphire does not have is a Crown Grill steakhouse, which may not be a loss at the moment.  It does have a Specialty Dining "Steakhouse" called "Sterling Steakhouse", but that is really just a cordoned off area on the buffet area and lacks the same special atmosphere of Crown Grill.  But all things considered, I think that Sapphire is the absolute best Princess ship for Alaska.  Not just among the ones you are choosing from, but among every ship in the entire fleet.   

We are sailing on the Sapphire in about a week and chose it for exactly these reasons! 

A note about choosing your cabin - picking port or starboard depends on which direction the ship is sailing - Northbound, you want to book a starboard cabin, southbound, you want port. Also, the ships tend to turn in glacier bay, so both side gets a pretty good view, from my understanding. 

So excited!

[JimmyVWine]

9 hours ago, RedJessi said:

Northbound, you want to book a starboard cabin, southbound, you want port. Also, the ships tend to turn in glacier bay, so both side gets a pretty good view, from my understanding. 

Opposite. Going north the sun will always rise from the east casting a nice morning glow on the western shores in the early morning which is the best time for photography.  Looking east (starboard) at that time you get dark shadows . If you are up taking photos between 6:00-8:00 you will almost exclusively be taking shots of the port side when going north. And with a port cabin going north you get the sunsets. And yes, the ship will flip around in Glacier Bay, but the port side gets the view first with the softened light reflecting from the east while the sun is still low in the sky when it casts the best light. By the time the ship flips, the sun is higher in the sky and far less flattering for photography. 
 

Here are a couple of photos that make the point. They are commercial photos of a NCL ship in Glacier Bay. See in the first photo how the port side has great lighting sailing in?

 

Now look at the darkness off the starboard side sailing in. 

Edited May 29, 2023 by JimmyVWine