Live from the Sapphire Princess 12 Aug 09

[billet]

This is note form only since I am scribbling whenever I can – I hope it makes sense!

Friday on the Victoria ferry to Vancouver saw 3 pods of orca whales, a fabulous start to the cruise . Stayed at Fairmont Vancouver International Airport which was exceptional, great service, very well sound proofed, good size room. The breakfast buffet was $26 which was pricey althougg the selection and quality could not be faulted. The health club is well equipped with an excellent variety of machines, a small pool and a Jacuzzi. Took a taxi at 11:15 to Canada Place where the Sapphire Princess is berthed for $40 incl tip and it took 30mins on a Saturday morning including a stop at the bank.

Because my mother was in a wheelchair we were redirected to a separate queue for US immigration and for check in and we were onboard by 12pm. The longest part of the boarding process was the security check, mainly because the man in front had a knife in his bag which caused great discussion among security. The normal lines looked pretty long but appeared to be moving quite quickly.

We were on a bargain basement fare and guarantee cabin. The Personaliser showed that we had an upgrade to L210, inside still but convenient for the outside decks.

The Sapphire is the twin of the Diamond. There is still a 1/10th mile running track, a covered centre pool, huge Internet cafe and the 3 anytime dining rooms. There is no International Café, Movies under the Stars and the Sterling Steakhouse I find unappealing since it is fundamentally just a part of the Horizon Court however well they try to disguise the fact. I gather the intention at next refit is to put the Sterling Steak House where the Internet Café is on Deck 7 and move the Internet Café to Deck 5.

Well organised with a TV guide in cabins, plenty of notices to tell guests about facilities and public areas

Our steward Jose met us soon after arrival and or baggage was put in the room by him while we were out wandering the ship at 4ish.

There is a draw at the sailaway party with plenty of prizes. You enter by completing the treasure hunt card given to you on boarding, you visit various various parts of the ship and collect all the stamps then hand it in at the start of the sailaway.

The classical quartet was playing in the Atrium and was easy to sit and listen to.

One Welcome Aboard show at 9:30, standing room only. Accessibility for wheelchairs limited to deck 7 since the deck 6 entrance has 8 stairs up and then 8 stairs down to the front stalls.

Sunday at sea. Started the day with a free stretching class at 7:30 followed by a free aerobics class. Merengue class was good- it is an easy dance but of course you then have to remember the steps after the class and that is more difficult.

Formal night the vast majority were in tux, suits with some in jackets in the dining room and at the Captain's Waterfall reception. Champagne, mimosa and OJ was served free of charge. good comedian.

Monday Ketchican. Buckets of rain. Feeling the effects of the aerobics class so went for the stretch and a run. Caught the free shuttle in to town (a blue bus painted with salmons) which took all of 3 minutes.The Tongas Trading Company was a great find with tons of good quality outdoor warm clothing, hiking and camping equipment and raingear. Walked around town getting wetter and wetter which felt like Victoria on a normal autumn day. It finally stopped raining and I went for a walk up the hillside to get a better view.

Fish cookout for lunch at the Dolphin pool. The forest service gave interesting lectures on the Tongass national park in Club Fusion. Cha cha lessons followed with good instruction by the cruise director's staff (Paul and Alicia). At dinner that night everyone at our tables loved their tours even though it was very rainy and in the high 50s. Watched the comedian - very funny. Went to Crooners and he turned out tobe a very good classic crooner.

Tuesday – well I think it is Tuesday but I am losing track Juneau -went to rhe Visitors centre and bought a Mendenhall Glacier express package $37 inluding the tram. There is also a $7 one way shuttle available from kiosks ear the tram which gives you the choice of how long you want to stay at the Glacier. We had 45mins which was very tight and I think 1.5 to 2 hours would have been better. The Glacier is well worth seeing. The tram to the top of the mountain provides spectacular views and there are many trails to explore. We only took in the view so the round trip including queuing took about 40mins.

We went shopping in Juneau looking for a sweater for my mum, found an excellent store selling (expensive) norwegian wool ones and another selling (not quite so expensive) alpaca ones.

Returned to the ship for tea in the International Dining Room. Good service and great food and company.

[wowsmom]

We were just on the Sapphire last week. Our whole family misses it. :(

 

We were in Ketchikan on Thursday and it was 80°, sunny and very humid - amazing how much the weather can change in just a few short days!

 

We never did try Sterling Steakhouse (DH wanted to, but I didn't). We had dinner at Sabatini's one night, and then ate in the Savoy Dining Room the rest of the cruise (due to my food allergies). I think DH would have liked to try the 3 other Anytime dining rooms, but I wanted to take no chances.

 

I must say it's interesting to read somebody else's experiences on board and realize the things we missed - like the champagne waterfall. :D

 

Did you love the afternoon tea? We went 4 days out of the 6 possible. :cool:

[Schplinky]

Thanks for posting! We're on her next month and are really looking forward to the experience.

 

lee

 

p.s. I love the part about losing track of what day of the week it is. That's when you truly feel as though you're on vacation.

[billet]

continued...

 

The internet connection in my cabin was very good when alongside in Juneau and at sea.

I should have mentioned that on the first sea day we had a meet and greet with was an small group of about 10. I always enjoy these meetings since they provide an early opportunity to meet like minded people.

Scagway - my expectations were not high for Scagway itself and the place certainly massively exceeded my expectations. We were booked on the White Pass railway tour but after reading this board we changed it to the Yukon expedition and White pass railway tour. It was well worth paying the extra since it turned out to be a fabulous tour.Since it was a motor coach up and then a half coach/half train back the scenery magnificent was not repetitive.

On return I walked around town, went to the brothel and then watched the salmon running up the river in Scagway Before you get the wrong impression you can go upstairs in the brothel for only $5. There are pretty ladies awaiting who then provide a historical tour of what Scagway was like in gold rush days.

The evening show was the hypnotist. I volunteered to go on stage abd enjoyed my time as Superman.

Glacier Bay - weather was amazing. The glaciers obediently calved for us. Lunch by the pool was Oriental soup - both filling and tasty. At 2pm Reindeer chili was available but I did not get around to trying it. Spent from about 3 - 5 staring out to sea to spot wildlife. Caught a few glimpses of the back fin of some humpback whale. A relaxed looking seal floated by on its back with head and feet sticking out of the water.

The second formal night found us eating early to make the Captain's Circle party at 7:15 and the show Piano Man at 8:15 which I would give 7 out of 10 . Also saw the 10:15 comedian show Derrick Cameron - he was hilarious

[garden2]

Question-why do you have that bug that moves on your postiings? Just curious-reminds me of the Bug control company TV commerical that had the very life like cockroach on the screen. They had to pull it since many people broke their TVs because they thought the roach was real & one their TV screen.

[Colo Cruiser]

Question-why do you have that bug that moves on your postiings? Just curious-reminds me of the Bug control company TV commerical that had the very life like cockroach on the screen. They had to pull it since many people broke their TVs because they thought the roach was real & one their TV screen.

 

 

Hit the ESC key and it will stop. :eek:

[NotWthOutablcony]

Thanks so much for the "Live From" thread! The Sapphire is our favorite ship! How do you like the ship? Whats the crew and staff like? Who is the CD on board? And, any chance you can find out if the staff/crew/CD will still be on board for Feb/Mar 2011? I know its a long shot but I'm still trying to find out who our CD will be!!!:D

Our favorite spot on the ship is the very back deck with the huge round pool, we sat up there for hours, can you confirm if it is a hottub or pool? When we went it was a hottub, a cruiser posted his youttube video and he was in it and it was a hottub, however, it seems that many people are reporting that it is a pool, and is called the splash pool on the Princess website, is it maybe a pool during the dasy and a hottub at night? What have you observed?

[billet]

Thanks so much for the "Live From" thread! The Sapphire is our favorite ship! How do you like the ship? Whats the crew and staff like? Who is the CD on board? And, any chance you can find out if the staff/crew/CD will still be on board for Feb/Mar 2011? I know its a long shot but I'm still trying to find out who our CD will be!!!:D

Our favorite spot on the ship is the very back deck with the huge round pool, we sat up there for hours, can you confirm if it is a hottub or pool? When we went it was a hottub, a cruiser posted his youttube video and he was in it and it was a hottub, however, it seems that many people are reporting that it is a pool, and is called the splash pool on the Princess website, is it maybe a pool during the dasy and a hottub at night? What have you observed?

 

I consider the Sapphire to be the most organized ship I have been on recently. The crew were all highly motivated and willing to do whatever was necessary for us to enjoy the cruise. the CD was Billy London who will likely not be there in 2011 since he normally seems to reside on the Crown.

There are two hottubs up high on the stern (deck 16) and an adults only swimming pool below the Horizon Court. On the Alaska cruise the pools and hottubs at the stern were quiet. There is a pool outside the kids area above the horizon court on deck 15 which would be the round splash pool but that is for children only

[NotWthOutablcony]

Perfect! Thanks so much!!! LOL, I can't wait to find out who our CD will be, maybe we'll get some insight by the end of next year:D