Sapphire Princess NB Alaska review

[DrD]

Sapphire Princess NB Alaska review

 

This was our 7th cruise, 4th on Princess, 2nd on the Sapphire.

 

NB Vancouver to Whittier

 

We are late 30’s, professional, and love to eat.

 

Overall the cruise was pretty much perfect.

 

Embarkation: What can I say, about 40 minutes from hotel to cabin, of which 20 minutes was in the cab. The fastest embarkation ever, no lines at all to check in. We arrived around noon. It was weird to go through security first, then customs, then check in to the cruise. Kind of backward from our previous cruises.

 

Our cabin, E712, was perfect. I became a big fan of the covered balcony minisuites on our last cruise, and this time it was even better. We realized that when it started raining in Vancouver and everyone above us had to go inside, while we were cozy on our covered balcony. It rained almost the whole week, so those people on Dolphin almost never got to use their balconies. The best part is that ours was a lower category and therefore cheaper! I would feel ripped-off if I had a Dolphin deck mini. Do yourself a favor and if you go to Alaska get an Emerald deck mini or just skip the mini and go to Caribe deck. No way is a mini on Dolphin worth it in that climate.

 

The ship: Beautiful of course. No changes from last cruise. One minor complaint is that as the cruise progressed there was a stronger and stronger sewer smell on the outside decks, presumably because we were always too close to shore to dump sewage. I think (but I could be wrong) that when far our to sea they can dump their black and grey water. Certainly I never noticed it in the Riviera. It did seem more crowded than our last cruise which I suspect is because there was no one by the pool and few people on deck much of the time, so they had to go somewhere. Overall, though, it was always easy to find some space. I had to laugh at people who were still lost after 5 days, come on it’s not that hard! I had fun though helping people who were obviously lost.

 

Food: Fantastic! We ate in the buffet only rarely, so I can’t comment too much. We did go to breakfast there a few times and I am pleased to report that they now have an omelet station, it’s off to the sides by the windows. We had PC which worked great, each morning we looked at the patter and picked a time to eat, made reservations, and we never had to wait and were also at a table for 2. One night we didn’t go at all, without the guilt of jilting our table and waiter. The food in the dining room for lunch and dinner was just great, I did not have a bad selection. I never ordered off the always available menu, and only got the special once (the shrimp and scallop special in Pacific moon, very good!) We also did tea for the first time ever and that was fantastic, we will go more often now.

 

We went to Sterling’s instead of Sabatini’s this time and it was very good. The best part is the view, it’s in a part of the horizon court and you sit right up next to the window. Nice. Champagne breakfast was very nice but way too much food, I took a picture of the stack of plates they brought because it was just ridiculous.

 

Entertainment: We did very little so I won’t comment much. The main shows were the same as last time so we didn’t go. The more we cruise, the more it all starts to be the same. We saw 2 comedians who were good, but I heard the same old jokes about cruising, and the same all tricks with cards, cigar boxes, etc. We were lucky to have a woodwind orchestra on board for a tour and they were nice enough to give us a concert one afternoon. I found out later they were not paid and did not receive any compensation at all from Princess for doing this. Thanks!

 

Ports/tours:

 

Ketchikan: We did the adventure fishing which was great! 4 of us who had never fished caught 8 big fish: 5 cod, 3 halibut, and a yellow-eyed rockfish. Then we went into the woods where they had a cool kitchen set up and they cooked our fish for us and made a kind of stew that was one of the best meals of the whole trip. Pricey tour ($300 each) but if you have the means I highly recommend it.

 

Juneau: We did Mendenhall Glacier and Salmon bake in the morning which was nice but a bit crowded. Certainly worth the money. Then I went up the tram which is totally cool but expensive ($25 each) and then we did a whale-watching excursion (evening whale tour) and saw about 8 hump-backed whales. This was a great tour with a great buffet dinner, and this was the only time we saw whales, so don’t assume you will see some from the ship.

 

Skagway: 4 x 4 jeep adventure, awesome! Beautiful country. Luckily I read the ticket because it said bring a passport which seemed strange but it turns out you go into Canada on this tour. Darn I left all my Canadian coins from Vancouver in my cabin. In the evening we did the valley of the glaciers helicopter tour, also very pricey and short but what an experience! My wife is afraid of heights and a bad flier but she had no trouble in the helicopter. We got to walk around on the glacier which was cool.

 

Glacier Bay/ College Fjord: now this is Alaska! What stunning scenery! I loved the fact that on 6pm of the last day of the cruise we were still doing stuff, specifically looking at glaciers and sea otters while a naturalist told us about everything over the PA. Certainly not the typical “full steam back to port.” Speaking of, Whittier has got to be the nicest port to end a cruise in ever, it’s pristine and beautiful.

 

Disembarkation: man they have got this stuff down. No customs of course, we had purchased transfers to Anchorage. We got right off the ship, went right to a bus, and were off. Our luggage had been sent ahead by a truck. If you have a late flight the bus will take you to the hospitality center in downtown Anchorage and they will watch your luggage all day in the airport. Then when it’s time to get your flight they have a shuttle back to the airport.

 

Other: Despite rumors to the contrary, the bar hop card is alive and well. On the last night we went to the last bar we needed, the wake view, and there were about 10 other people down there doing the same thing! The bartender told us that the only people who come down there are people doing the barhop. We got 2 nice t-shirts that say “ I survived the Princess barhop” or something like that.

 

There was recently a debate about lunch on embarkation day, I was able to confirm that the dining room was open from 11-1, and this was advertised in the Patter, so I don’t think they’re trying to keep it secret.

 

Conclusion: a great cruise! I’m afraid Alaska may have spoiled us for other itineraries. The Sapphire remains my favorite ship and Princess my favorite line, although RCCL is a close second. I’m now fully sold on PC dining, once you figure it out the flexibility is just wonderful, especially in ports where you stay late and may want to eat really late or not at all.

[#1survivorfan]

DrD

Great review....thanks for the post. We are two adult couples cruising NB on the sapphire in July. This is both couples first time with Princess and only second cruise each. I wanted a mini-suite and decided on the Dolphin deck because it looked like most of the mini's on Emerald were obstructed. Guess that isn't so. How did you decide which cabin to stay in? You mentioned how great PC dining is "once you figure it out". We have opted for PC dining, what did you mean by "once you figure it out"? I have learned so much and feel more prepared by reading and asking questions on CC. Would really appreciate any insight you have for our cruise. One other question....we aren't really into the casino or drinking in the bars. Is there enough to do on "at sea" days? We are very active and are going to Alaska for adventure.:)

[DrD]

DrD

Great review....thanks for the post. We are two adult couples cruising NB on the sapphire in July. This is both couples first time with Princess and only second cruise each. I wanted a mini-suite and decided on the Dolphin deck because it looked like most of the mini's on Emerald were obstructed. Guess that isn't so. How did you decide which cabin to stay in? You mentioned how great PC dining is "once you figure it out". We have opted for PC dining, what did you mean by "once you figure it out"? I have learned so much and feel more prepared by reading and asking questions on CC. Would really appreciate any insight you have for our cruise. One other question....we aren't really into the casino or drinking in the bars. Is there enough to do on "at sea" days? We are very active and are going to Alaska for adventure.:)

 

None of the minis on Emerald are obstructed, just the regular cabins. The minis are the cabins aft, from E710 back. We learned about this from this board and observing the layout from the outside when we were on the Grand Princess.

 

Figuring it out is like this: you can make a reservation, but only for either 6pm or 830 pm. At any other time you can walk in and take your chances, if you insist on a table for 2 you may wait awhile, unless it's very late. Also, if you come at an "off" time, the service is spotty, since they still seem to work in a defined sequence, and if you come in the middle of a bunch of others people's dinner they will not get to you for awhile. So think of it as a choice between those 2 times and it's easy. If you think it really is "anytime dining" you will be frustrated.

 

Yes, the sea days are great. There isn't much to "do," but you will be going up to glaciers, and for most people just standing on deck amidst all that splendor was adventure enough (especially as it was cold and wet.) In both glacier bay and college fjord we had a narration over the PA regarding the names of glaciers, history, animals spotted, etc, all quite interesting.

[Mooguy]

Going in late July with a Dolphin mini (D721) I hope it does not rain... I really was not thinking well when I booked the cruise about the uncovered balcony but I remember it being the only starboard side mini available when I booked back in December.

[DrD]

We were port side but there was almost always land on both sides. Most of the cruise is spent in little inlets or between islands, there was only about half a day when we didn't have land on our side.

 

When you get to the glaciers they turn the ship around so everyone can have a view from their own balcony.

[Weagle]

Thanks for the review. My wife and I will be taking the Sapphire NB to Alaska in September. It'll be the last trip the Sapphire makes to Alaska this year. We're hoping to see fresh snow (at least on the mountain tops) and the aurora. I grew up in northern Wisconsin and my wife in Colorado so, the cold doens't bother us. Once there we'll spend 3 days inland on a cruise tour. This will be our first cruise, our first trip to Alaska, our first train ride, and out 5th anniversary. I can't wait.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll keep the tips about the PC dining in mind. We also opted for that.

[Colo Cruiser]

Thanks for the review, glad you had a great time. :)

[DrD]

Thanks for the review. My wife and I will be taking the Sapphire NB to Alaska in September. It'll be the last trip the Sapphire makes to Alaska this year. We're hoping to see fresh snow (at least on the mountain tops) and the aurora. I grew up in northern Wisconsin and my wife in Colorado so, the cold doens't bother us. Once there we'll spend 3 days inland on a cruise tour. This will be our first cruise, our first trip to Alaska, our first train ride, and out 5th anniversary. I can't wait.

 

Thanks for the info. I'll keep the tips about the PC dining in mind. We also opted for that.

 

Yeah, we liked the cold too, it was kind of an adventure. We're also from Colorado, but Alaska is a wet cold, which is way worse than our dry weather. But cetainly a nice change form hot and dry as it's been here all summer.

[bdwyer]

We were on the same cruise as DrD and also had anytime dining. We usually made a dinner reservation for 8:30 and never had to wait to be seated. On the Juneau night, we did not make a reservation and had to wait about 5 minutes, but more people seemed to eat late that night because of the late departure time from port. In my opinion, anytime dining is the ONLY way to go, especially in Alaska. The dining room food is excellent.

[Tinkerbell]

We just returned from Alaska on the Sapphire and the sewage smell onboard was terrible! Disembarkation was a nightmare.......... We had never had that before on a cruise. People were getting upset the staff was sending people to one place then someone else would send them to another. One problem was they were having the people pick up boarding passes for their flights in the wheelhouse bar but that was the same deck they were sending us to get off the ship so eveyone was confused. One person would get on the PA system and say one thing then a few minutes later someone else would come on and change it? We got the heck off the ship as fast as possible. All and all it was a great trip!

[minke]

you said Whittier is one of the nicest ports to end a cruise at. We are interested in what we will see when we sail out in mid sept (on way to fes east). Were you up early enough to see the scenery on way in? if so is it good scenery with lots of snow capped mountains etc to be seen?

[West Coast]

you said Whittier is one of the nicest ports to end a cruise at. We are interested in what we will see when we sail out in mid sept (on way to fes east). Were you up early enough to see the scenery on way in? if so is it good scenery with lots of snow capped mountains etc to be seen?

 

Click the following links for some pics of Alaska from our trip on the Dawn Princess in May 05. Whittier is a beautiful place :)