Sapphire AK first timers

[Staying Focused]

DH surprised me today with a June 2025 AK cruise on Sapphire!!  We've only been on two other cruises before and neither were Princess.  I was surprised that we would be assigned cabin at check in as choosing ahead of time added $700/pp!!  We are booked though for mini suite with balcony so fingers crossed there's no bad locations.  I'm excited to search the forum for the helpful hints for both AK and Sapphire!  

[startedwithamouse]

1 hour ago, Staying Focused said:

DH surprised me today with a June 2025 AK cruise on Sapphire!!  We've only been on two other cruises before and neither were Princess.  I was surprised that we would be assigned cabin at check in as choosing ahead of time added $700/pp!!  We are booked though for mini suite with balcony so fingers crossed there's no bad locations.  I'm excited to search the forum for the helpful hints for both AK and Sapphire!  

Best crew in the fleet. 

[Coral]

Great ship for Alaska.

[wallyj]

@Staying Focused, sounds like you booked a ‘guarantee’ , which can be assigned at any time up till sailing, you MAY get an assignment well before checking in at the pier/port. The longest I have had to wait was 3 days before sailing before I found out my cabin assignment.

 

Keep an eye on fares as you should be able to take advantage of fare drops for an assigned cabin before final payment.

[latebloomer56]

12 hours ago, Staying Focused said:

DH surprised me today with a June 2025 AK cruise on Sapphire!!  We've only been on two other cruises before and neither were Princess.  I was surprised that we would be assigned cabin at check in as choosing ahead of time added $700/pp!!  We are booked though for mini suite with balcony so fingers crossed there's no bad locations.  I'm excited to search the forum for the helpful hints for both AK and Sapphire!  

We love mini suites, have had one on all three Alaska cruises, and the Sapphire crew was absolutely wonderful in 2022 Hawaii cruise.

Have a fantastic cruise and let us know all about it.

[Leo37]

What a fantastic gift from your DH! We cruised with Princess in Alaska back in 2019 and had a great time. Enjoy!

[Torfamm]

Have a wonderful time!

[VaCruzers]

We sailed AK May 2023 on Sapphire in an aft facing balcony - the only cabin type I would have for that itinerary. The Sapphire was wonderful! Enjoy the planning and have a great trip!

[NWA395]

We had a mini suite on our first AK cruise on the Sapphire.  No regrets at all.

[opshannon]

We just got off a 14 day Alaska on Sapphire. Perfect ship for that itinerary. Wonderful crew. Wonderful cruise. If you have questions, I may have answers. We did NOT have a balcony cabin and have ZERO regrets about it. 

[Luv2cruz1000]

8 hours ago, opshannon said:

We just got off a 14 day Alaska on Sapphire. Perfect ship for that itinerary. Wonderful crew. Wonderful cruise. If you have questions, I may have answers. We did NOT have a balcony cabin and have ZERO regrets about it. 

Where is the best quiet spots on the ship?

[opshannon]

17 hours ago, Luv2cruz1000 said:

Where is the best quiet spots on the ship?

We always found loungers on the Promenade deck. Even on the pool deck, because they rarely played things on the big screen, there was a clamness unlike what you find there in the Caribbean. I suppose, though, on a warm run through Alaska, that area could be more filled up. Skywalkers was generally okay in the day time, but when kids started playing basketball, it was time to leave.

 

[Coral]

17 minutes ago, opshannon said:

We always found loungers on the Promenade deck. Even on the pool deck, because they rarely played things on the big screen, there was a clamness unlike what you find there in the Caribbean. I suppose, though, on a warm run through Alaska, that area could be more filled up. Skywalkers was generally okay in the day time, but when kids started playing basketball, it was time to leave.

 

The loungers on Promenade deck are so comfortable. Great view!