Sapphire Princess or Zuiderdam to Alaska?

[irvine]

Hi everyone,

 

I am in a dilemma and hope I can get some opinions. I can't decide between the above 2 ships. I am ok with both itineraries. It just boils down to which ship I want to take. I was on Island Princess (2005) and Westerdam (2006) previously (also to Alaska). I loved the Westerdam, but didn't like the Island Princess much because of the food. The food was poorer quality than what I had in the Westderdam or even Carnvial. But I see in that Sapphire Princess has a higher rating in the reviews than Island Princess. So, I am torn between the 2 now.

 

I prefer more formal cruising with some Asian foods in the menu. I see that HAL has that, not sure if Princess has changed their menu since the last time I was on Island Princess in 2005. I would appreciate anybody with experience with those 2 ships that can offer some advice. I am currently booked on Sapphire for 5/16. Have to decide by 3/2 (final payment date). Zuiderdam would cost me $580 more for my family of 4. Thanks in adance!

[leia2107]

We are in the middle of a somewhat similar dilemma but in our case the problem with working out frequent flyer miles from Anchorage to Vancouver (or Seattle) is the issue.

 

We were on the Zuiderdam five or six years ago and enjoyed the trip immensely (Caribbean/7-day/SB category).

 

My concerns with the Zuiderdam are:

 

1. The recent ratings by CruiseCritic members

 

2. The cost (somewhat higher than the Westerdam)

 

3. The rating by the professional writer in the review section

 

4. The disappointment factor - i.e., we've been on the ship before in a concierge/deluxe suite and anything else might seem just "so so."

 

 

I'm glad to hear that you enjoyed the Westerdam because, thanks to our FF miles problem, our choice comes down to either the Westerdam or the Zuiderdam.

 

The Sapphire Princess rates seem VERY reasonable. I had a AA mini-suite on hold a few days ago for just $1099 pp. I also like the price guarantee in case of rate decreases before sailing.

 

FWIW, friends of ours took their kids (teenagers) on the Sapphire Princess last summer and loved every minute of it. The caveat is - it was their first cruise.

 

I decided to take a closer look at the Sapphire Princess based on their recent email "review" and was pleased with what I found (thus, the brief hold on the mini-suite).

 

Your comments about the Westerdam are definitely of help . . . I hope my contribution doesn't make it more confusing for you!

[maadimom]

We also had the same issues as you. I found a thread on here somewhere and then a review on another site saying that the Zuiderdam had just had a refitting in April of last year. The newer review was much better than the ones I've found here on CC. I can't post the website, but you can google and find some newer reviews.

 

Hopefully it will be great, as we went with the Zuiderdam in the end. It will be our first cruise with HAL. We went with the fact that HAL has such a huge Alaska presence and that we needed a return trip. Zuiderdam's schedule worked best for us as it leaves/returns to Vancouver and sails on the inside of Vancouver which is suppose to be calmer.

 

I don't envy your decision. It's tough. I just hope we made the right one.

 

Good Luck!

[Coral]

Princess's food doesn't change much from ship to ship (IMO). Princess has changed their menu but a lot of it stays the same if that makes any sense.

 

If you didn't like the food on the Island Princess - I would stick with HAL.

[NancyIL]

I personally wouldn't pick my Alaska cruise ship based on the food. Both ships go to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and 2 glaciers. The Zuiderdam does roundtrips from Vancouver and the Sapphire does one-ways. Unless you plan to spend some time in Alaska before or after the Sapphire cruise, I would save money on airfare and go with the Zuiderdam.

[irvine]

 

The Sapphire Princess rates seem VERY reasonable. I had a AA mini-suite on hold a few days ago for just $1099 pp. I also like the price guarantee in case of rate decreases before sailing.

 

Your comments about the Westerdam are definitely of help . . . I hope my contribution doesn't make it more confusing for you!

 

Thanks for your input. I am not sure what the sailing date of your Sapphire princess booking is, but I was able to get a mini-suite for under $1000 per person on the Sapphire for May 16 and May 30 sailings. I was in the SY superior suite on the Westerdam. I love the fact that the room is wider so there is more window area. The mini-suite in Sapphire is more narrow and deep, so even though it has the same floor area as the superior suite in HAL, there is less window/balcony area. I walked past a deluxe suite while we were on the Westerdam. We love it! I can see what you mean about the disappointment factor. I can tell you that the layout of the HAL superior suite is more open and spacious than the Princess mini-suites. Of course the HAL deluxe suite is even better!

[irvine]

I personally wouldn't pick my Alaska cruise ship based on the food. Both ships go to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, and 2 glaciers. The Zuiderdam does roundtrips from Vancouver and the Sapphire does one-ways. Unless you plan to spend some time in Alaska before or after the Sapphire cruise, I would save money on airfare and go with the Zuiderdam.

 

My air is going to be covered with miles. That wouldn't be an additional cost. This is actually my 5th cruise to Alaska. I've been to most of the glaciers except for Tracy Arms (last time I went the cruise ship had to turn back from Tracy Arms because of too many icebergs :() So, the plus with Zuiderdam is I get to go to Tracy Arms again (hopefully if there isn't any problem with icebergs again). But my main concern is I don't want to be stuck in a ship for 7 days with bad food/service.

[Coral]

My air is going to be covered with miles. That wouldn't be an additional cost. This is actually my 5th cruise to Alaska. I've been to most of the glaciers except for Tracy Arms (last time I went the cruise ship had to turn back from Tracy Arms because of too many icebergs :() So, the plus with Zuiderdam is I get to go to Tracy Arms again (hopefully if there isn't any problem with icebergs again). But my main concern is I don't want to be stuck in a ship for 7 days with bad food/service.

 

The chance of getting far enough into Tracy Arm and to see the Sawyer glaciers in May is pretty rare.

 

My last 2 trips were on the Sapphire (B2B) and my previous cruise was on the Oosterdam. I really think service and food were equal on both ships. I actually preferred the breakfasts and buffets on HAL but the dinners on Princess.

[NancyIL]

My air is going to be covered with miles. That wouldn't be an additional cost. This is actually my 5th cruise to Alaska. I've been to most of the glaciers except for Tracy Arms (last time I went the cruise ship had to turn back from Tracy Arms because of too many icebergs :() So, the plus with Zuiderdam is I get to go to Tracy Arms again (hopefully if there isn't any problem with icebergs again). But my main concern is I don't want to be stuck in a ship for 7 days with bad food/service.

 

We cruised on the Coral Princess to Alaska in 2007 and HAL Veendam in 2008. I'd give the edge to HAL for food and service, but we had traditional dining on HAL and Anytime Dining on Princess. I chose Anytime Dining again for our Princess cruise in May, but I do prefer assigned dining for most cruises.

[MercedMike]

You have probably picked our two favorite classes of ships from among all the choices!! The wonderful thing about this dilemma is that you can't miss with either ship.

 

Pehaps HAL is a bit more formal than Sapphire. You can get the wonderful Indonesian specialties on HAL. Sapphire has the specialty dining rooms. I haven't been there within the last year, but I hear that the oriental room now features wonderful scallops. Sapphire has complete Anytime dining. HAL has As You Wish which I have not experienced but I don't think it is quite as flexible.

 

If you have been both to Hubbard and Glacier Bay, that is not going to be a big part of your decision.

 

I think that whichever you pick you will have a GREAT cruise!

[Budget Queen]

My air is going to be covered with miles. That wouldn't be an additional cost. This is actually my 5th cruise to Alaska. I've been to most of the glaciers except for Tracy Arms (last time I went the cruise ship had to turn back from Tracy Arms because of too many icebergs :() So, the plus with Zuiderdam is I get to go to Tracy Arms again (hopefully if there isn't any problem with icebergs again). But my main concern is I don't want to be stuck in a ship for 7 days with bad food/service.

 

In your timeframe you are NOT going to get any farther in Tracy Arm. Full transits aren't until well into June and many times even later. My last trip there in 2007, had the FIRST South Sawyer glacier view of the season, third week of July.

[irvine]

In your timeframe you are NOT going to get any farther in Tracy Arm. Full transits aren't until well into June and many times even later. My last trip there in 2007, had the FIRST South Sawyer glacier view of the season, third week of July.

 

In your timeframe you are NOT going to get any farther in Tracy Arm. Full transits aren't until well into June and many times even later. My last trip there in 2007, had the FIRST South Sawyer glacier view of the season, third week of July.

 

Hmmm... Our cruise didn't make it into Tracy Arm in Aug because of the icebergs. So, I thought that maybe the heat in the summer was causing a lot of calving therefore more icebergs. If I go in May, it would be easier to go into Tracy Arm. But from what I am reading now, it seems that May is not a good time either? I will need to reconsider that because seeing Sawyer Glacier would be one of my pros for going on the Zuiderdam. Anybody with any luck seeing the Sawyer Glacier in May?

[vbmom87]

Hmmm... Our cruise didn't make it into Tracy Arm in Aug because of the icebergs. So, I thought that maybe the heat in the summer was causing a lot of calving therefore more icebergs. If I go in May, it would be easier to go into Tracy Arm. But from what I am reading now, it seems that May is not a good time either? I will need to reconsider that because seeing Sawyer Glacier would be one of my pros for going on the Zuiderdam. Anybody with any luck seeing the Sawyer Glacier in May?

 

If seeing the Sawyer Glaciers is our priority, then you might want to look at an itinerary with a full day in Juneau so you can take an add on trip to Tracy Arm with Adventure Bound. They have a daily tour that starts at 8:00 a.m. (Not sure when it begins in the season, so you would have to check with them.) Some weeks they also have a tour that starts at 9:00 a.m. We went with Adventure Bound the third week of June last year and were able to get up close and personal with South Sawyer Glacier, but were not able to cruise up to North Sawyer due to the ice flows in the water. We were able to see it in the distance, but not up close.

[Coral]

Hmmm... Our cruise didn't make it into Tracy Arm in Aug because of the icebergs. So, I thought that maybe the heat in the summer was causing a lot of calving therefore more icebergs. If I go in May, it would be easier to go into Tracy Arm. But from what I am reading now, it seems that May is not a good time either? I will need to reconsider that because seeing Sawyer Glacier would be one of my pros for going on the Zuiderdam. Anybody with any luck seeing the Sawyer Glacier in May?

 

You are far more likely to make Sawyer Glacier in August then you are in May.

[Coral]

If seeing the Sawyer Glaciers is our priority, then you might want to look at an itinerary with a full day in Juneau so you can take an add on trip to Tracy Arm with Adventure Bound. They have a daily tour that starts at 8:00 a.m. (Not sure when it begins in the season, so you would have to check with them.) Some weeks they also have a tour that starts at 9:00 a.m. We went with Adventure Bound the third week of June last year and were able to get up close and personal with South Sawyer Glacier, but were not able to cruise up to North Sawyer due to the ice flows in the water. We were able to see it in the distance, but not up close.

 

Even booking Adventure Bound doesn't guarantee making it to the glaciers either. We were iced out with Adventure Bound. Still a great trip though!

[NancyIL]

I think of the glaciers at the end of Tracy Arm the same way I do wildlife at Denali: if you see them - great. If you don't - you'll still see some spectacular scenery.

[vbmom87]

Even booking Adventure Bound doesn't guarantee making it to the glaciers either. We were iced out with Adventure Bound. Still a great trip though!

 

 

Yes, you are correct, there are no guarentees even with a small boat. We were iced out of North Saywer, but did make it to South Sawyer. It just increases your chances if you go on a small boat excursion.

[Budget Queen]

Hmmm... Our cruise didn't make it into Tracy Arm in Aug because of the icebergs. So, I thought that maybe the heat in the summer was causing a lot of calving therefore more icebergs. If I go in May, it would be easier to go into Tracy Arm. But from what I am reading now, it seems that May is not a good time either? I will need to reconsider that because seeing Sawyer Glacier would be one of my pros for going on the Zuiderdam. Anybody with any luck seeing the Sawyer Glacier in May?

 

It is just about a given in May, that cruise ships will NOT make the full Tracy Arm transit. If this is a priority, then you really need to look at a non cruise ship option, either with Adventure bound or NCL.