Alaska on Sapphire-would you pick Sapphire again?

[elaine5]

If you have sailed on Sapphire to Alaska, would you pick Sapphire again? When did you sail (this summer or other) and how was condition of ship? Any issues other than the May propulsion problems? What did you like (dislike), esp. related to common areas, open decks, viewing, etc. I think Sapphire is what we'll pick, but Coral is also an option. We have sailed on Caribbean, Crown, and Royal classes. Thanks, Elaine

[Thrak]

I would be happy to book Sapphire Princess any time at all. Love the ship. Love the full walk-around Promenade deck. Love the covered pool. (I don't use the pools but my wife does. I like sitting in the Conservatory which is the deck above that pool and reading. It's out of the sun/weather and there is a bar right there. 😉)

 

On the other hand I would also be happy to book Coral Princess anytime. We have a favorite cabin on the ship B731 - it's actually an Ocean View cabin - that is all the way aft and a few steps from the door is an outer door to a ship-wide observation deck with loungers. Not a lot of folks even find that spot during the cruise so it's kind of like having a gigantic balcony. The window to the cabin is the first one past the door in the picture. (There is an identical cabin on the port side of the ship.) Caveat: I'm not a huge fan of the layout of the Piazza on Coral Princess but having the buffet all the way forward makes it a great spot for viewing while eating.

 

 

Bottom line: Whether you choose Sapphire Princess or Coral Princess you will have a great ship.

Edited August 19 by Thrak

[Sprocket]

We were on the Sapphire late June, loved the ship and staff were awesome.  Skywalkers, Vines and Good Spirits are our favourite hangouts on this class of ship.

 

Food was great also!

[Sprocket]

11 minutes ago, Thrak said:

I would be happy to book Sapphire Princess any time at all. Love the ship. Love the full walk-around Promenade deck. Love the covered pool. (I don't use the pools but my wife does. I like sitting in the Conservatory which is the deck above that pool and reading. It's out of the sun/weather and there is a bar right there. 😉)

 

On the other hand I would also be happy to book Coral Princess anytime. We have a favorite cabin on the ship B731 - it's actually an Ocean View cabin - that is all the way aft and a few steps from the door is an outer door to a ship-wide observation deck with loungers. Not a lot of folks even find that spot during the cruise so it's kind of like having a gigantic balcony. The window to the cabin is the first one past the door in the picture. (There is an identical cabin on the port side of the ship.) Caveat: I'm not a huge fan of the layout of the Piazza on Coral Princess but having the buffet all the way forward makes it a great spot for viewing while eating.

 

 

Bottom line: Whether you choose Sapphire Princess or Coral Princess you will have a great ship.

Is that only on the Coral?  Looks amazing.

[Paula_MacFan]

We sailed Alaska on Sapphire this year May/June and would absolutely sail on her again.  We were aware of the propulsion issues and were nervous but it wasn't any issue at all for us thankfully.  We had an aft cabin which was awesome for Alaska beauty -- saw lots of wildlife sitting on our balcony.  We loved the food and the ship was in good condition.  

[Thrak]

1 hour ago, Sprocket said:

Is that only on the Coral?  Looks amazing.

Yes, that is only on the Coral. It used to be the same on Island Princess but they butchered the ship, removed a bunch of aft public space, and replaced it with cabins.

[elaine5]

Thanks, sounds like Sapphire is a solid choice!

[walkingsoon]

Sapphire and Coral, two of the top ships in the fleet - my opinion. If you're booking inside or OV, the "semi-private" (seldom used) aft viewing areas, as described by Thrak, would help. Otoh, the promenade deck on Sapphire is very compelling as well. I was on Sapphire in March, saddened to hear of subsequent propulsion issues and illness outbreaks, but have confidently rebooked for November.

 

Also consider where you sail from. Vancouver is preferable (again - my opinion) to Seattle. Both are amusing, but Johnstone Strait (E of Vancouver I) instead of the Strait of Juan de Fuca is a plus. Also prefer 14 days to 7, getting you to College Fjord and Hubbard, if you can swing it. All Alaska cruises should please, but the 14d Sapphire round trip is a big step up from a Royal class 7d out of Seattle.

 

Walkingsoon

[Oceansaway17]

excellent to hear about Sapphire since I booked a cruise for 2026 out of Copenhagen doing Northern Capitols including Sweden and Finland.

A lot of other cruise lines has given up on Copenhagen as well as them not wanting a lot of ships either. But it looks like in 2026 Sapphire and Sky are going out of Copenhagen

[Coral]

She is my favorite ship for Alaska!

[BDevilCruiser]

I was on the first Sapphire cruise in Alaska this May, the one with the propulsion issues.  I would absolutely sail on the Sapphire again.  That was a one-off problem, and I thought Princess handled it as well as they could (still have to chose which new cruise I'll apply my FCC from that one!)

 

I never felt crowded on the ship, even though it was at/close to listed capacity.  The crew was friendly and handled the extra sea days well.  While an older ship, and if you look closely you can see some signs of that, it was clean.  I understand from a contractor on-board that week that some work will be done this fall on interior spaces (hearsay, of course - my speculation is that it'll be done while at sea.)  The buffet was small, and my very picky tastes didn't always find something, but the burger grill and pizza at the pool filled in nicely.  The MDR was terrific; good choices and properly cooked with great service.

 

What I wouldn't do again is sail Alaska the first week in May.  Too cold for me.  I'd wait until June or July.

 

[BamaVol]

We sailed Sapphire last September and loved the ship.  It had everything we needed.  Our favorite spaces are Wheelhouse bar, Vines, Good Spirits, Crooners and International Cafe. The size is perfect.  We had all the room we needed.  A walk around promenade deck is a big plus for us. No issues with decor or facilities. Some of the nicest and best crew we’ve encountered, although most have surely moved on. You don’t mention cabin, but IMO a balcony at a minimum is a must for Alaska. We had one on the Aloha deck and were pleased with it.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Absolutely would choose her again. I sailed last year in April/May. These B4 cabins I stayed in are only available on Sspphire (maybe Diamond?)

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2934389-sapphire-diamond-d736737-review-with-photos/

[startedwithamouse]

32 nights on Sapphire this spring, she's our favorite ship and crew. 

[elaine5]

5 hours ago, walkingsoon said:

Also consider where you sail from. Vancouver is preferable (again - my opinion) to Seattle. Both are amusing, but Johnstone Strait (E of Vancouver I) instead of the Strait of Juan de Fuca is a plus. Also prefer 14 days to 7, getting you to College Fjord and Hubbard, if you can swing it. All Alaska cruises should please, but the 14d Sapphire round trip is a big step up from a Royal class 7d out of Seattle.

yes, we're planning 14 days RT to get further up in Alaska. Definitely out of Vancouver and not Seattle and not on a Royal class ship for Alaska. Thanks to all! Elaine

[Auntiejo]

We sailed her in June of this year from Vancouver to Whittier. Ship is an excellent shape - especially considering her age. We definitely missed having more specialty dining options but we knew that in advance and was a worthwhile trade off for us. Dining room food and service were excellent though.  We had a mini suite with a really big balcony that you just can’t get in Royal class ships.
 

Service was impeccable too. The only miss was entertainment. It was downright awful sans one comedian. We usually ended up going to the cabin after dinner vs our normal night out. The entertainment was that bad. But I’m sure it was a random combo of bad performers that happened to be there at nice vs that ship always having bad entertainment. I wouldn’t hesitate to book her again!

[rcprncss]

I highly recommend Sapphire for Alaska.  We just went on our first Alaska cruise May/June.  We booked the 14 day roundtrip from Vancouver. Sandra, the naturalist, said she will be on Sapphire again next year.  She really helped make our first Alaska cruise experience so much better. We went to her presentations and looked at her map for wildlife hotspots and stood on the bow with her. We love this ship. We love deck 7 because you can walk completely around that deck.  You can view wildlife from the front bow.  There is so much open deck space for viewing everywhere. 
I am not a fan of the extreme cold and there were times at the bow it was very cold but I would do it again at the end of May. The snow is just so beautiful. 
We loved the Sapphire so much, we are going to Antarctica in December on the Sapphire!

[rcprncss]

On 8/18/2024 at 6:22 PM, Thrak said:

I would be happy to book Sapphire Princess any time at all. Love the ship. Love the full walk-around Promenade deck. Love the covered pool. (I don't use the pools but my wife does. I like sitting in the Conservatory which is the deck above that pool and reading. It's out of the sun/weather and there is a bar right there. 😉)

 

On the other hand I would also be happy to book Coral Princess anytime. We have a favorite cabin on the ship B731 - it's actually an Ocean View cabin - that is all the way aft and a few steps from the door is an outer door to a ship-wide observation deck with loungers. Not a lot of folks even find that spot during the cruise so it's kind of like having a gigantic balcony. The window to the cabin is the first one past the door in the picture. (There is an identical cabin on the port side of the ship.) Caveat: I'm not a huge fan of the layout of the Piazza on Coral Princess but having the buffet all the way forward makes it a great spot for viewing while eating.

 

 

Bottom line: Whether you choose Sapphire Princess or Coral Princess you will have a great ship.

Thank you for sharing this!  I would love to go on Coral some day.  I love the smaller ships. 

This is a nice secret!

[geoherb]

We loved our Alaskan cruise on the Sapphire, but it was a dozen years ago. 

[rcprncss]

@Thrak  I am studying the deck plans and see your favorite cabin is below the aft pool. Is it noisey?  Also, on Emerald, there are two similiar cabins E733 and E732.  On the deck plans, the space behind it looks the same. Do you have any idea if it is? Thank you.

[Kay S]

I haven't done Alaska on the Sapphire, but I have sailed on her.  Both Sapphire and Diamond are beautiful ships, right behind the Coral, IMO.  I have been to Alaska a bunch of times, but most of the ships I sailed have gone to the Princess graveyard (the previous Star, the previous Regal, the Pacific Princess and the Golden, as I recall.)  I've also been on Majestic, Royal, current Regal, and others (?)  The experience is much better on the smaller ships, so grab the Sapphire if you can.

[Thrak]

8 hours ago, rcprncss said:

@Thrak  I am studying the deck plans and see your favorite cabin is below the aft pool. Is it noisey?  Also, on Emerald, there are two similiar cabins E733 and E732.  On the deck plans, the space behind it looks the same. Do you have any idea if it is? Thank you.

 

We've had zero noise issues from the pool. The only noise problem is caused by clueless passengers to don't realize the outer door is going to SLAM shut. Most seem to figure it out after the first time and, as the area seems to be largely unknown, it isn't really much of an issue.

 

The other deck space looks the same on the deck plans but there are no loungers.

[rcprncss]

Thank you @Thrak.  

[Texas travelers4fun]

Sapphire was a really nice ship.  We sailed on a 14 day (b2b) out of Vancouver end of July.  Thisis is our 8th cruise to Alaska and 6th on Princess.  This was our first time on Sapphire, but would book it again without question! A wonderful trip!

[elaine5]

Thanks to all! We debated Sapphire and Coral for next summer. The seems fairly similar. Coral is 20% more and only GTY cabins. I also read that Coral Int Cafe layout is different and (maybe that) smoke can filter in from casino. So we went with Sapphire-glad to hear it is a good pick! Elaine