Princess
Sapphire
7 Day Alaska Cruise

Michele Inishi

Age: 45
Occupation: Registered Nurse
Number of Cruises: 6

A friend and I just returned from the July 17th sailing to Alaska aboard the Sapphire Princess. Overall, we enjoyed our experience, and believe that many couples and families with older children would find the ship and activities agreeable. Alaska is very beautiful, and the chance to conveniently arrive at different ports with relatively little fuss or muss while enjoying fantastic scenery makes up for some of the inconveniences.

“Express Boarding,” which means you have pre-registered your credit card information and completed immigration information in advance could well have been called “Typical Boarding,” as everyone but Platinum or special needs passengers must go through the same lines. The cruise staff member who checked us in took me to task because my birth certificate was not in the same name as my driver’s license. I pointed out that I was not born married, and she said it was alright this time, but I should do something about that!

Right when you come onboard, you are offered a soft drink deal – for $21, you can have all the soda pop you want on the trip. This was a surprise, since there was nothing in our paperwork that indicated we would be charged for anything but alcohol, but sadly, it is true: you will be charged for many beverages. Take the deal if you like soda – otherwise you’ll be paying a 15% gratuity every time you order.

Our mini-balcony suite on Dolphin deck (9) was nice, very clean, although the “twin” beds are definitely smaller than average twins. The toilets flush using some kind of air-assisted pressurized system, and it sounds like a bomb going off! Fortunately, you don’t hear too much flushing from other cabins – there was noise in the hallway, but not between cabins. I don’t think there is any great difference in what deck you’re on – the motion of the ocean was very mild throughout most of the trip. A word while you’re trying to figure out where your cabin is: carpeting on the port side of the stateroom decks has a red border, starboard a blue border.

We had late seating, traditional dining at a large table, and very much enjoyed the people we met and the relatively formal setting in the dining room. The food is what I would call superior country club – if you are used to fine dining in your city, you will find it quite adequate, though perhaps not exceptional. Presentation was very nice, there were always plenty of choices and courses, the low-fat salad dressings were outstanding, and the desserts were varied but not really that tasty, except the ice creams. There was a noticeable lack of real dark chocolate on any of the menus – if you need your chocolate, better smuggle in some Dove bars! I heard many complaints from those who ordered steaks – to a one, they were overcooked.

If you choose to go to the dining room for breakfast or lunch, beware that you will be seated with whoever comes in the door with you at the same time. Mostly this worked out well and we met nice people from around the country, but there were a few silent or awkward meals. The only other place to get food other than the dining room (and a very few choices from room service), was on Lido deck (14), which was typically overrun with children. There is a grill, ice cream bar (extra $$), and the buffet on this deck. Many of the items served in the dining room make their appearance in the buffet selection; things can get crowded and seating scarce sometimes. There were also special buffets set up in the afternoons, like a sushi bar, or a seafood BBQ, etc.

The Lotus spa was, in my opinion, not worth any price. While the estheticians were well trained, there was no luxuriousness or pampering to the experience. The changing room was like the locker room at the gym, with miniscule lockers, no foot soak, no tea, just the opportunity to sit out in a public hallway waiting for your therapist to come get you. For the facial I scheduled, I had to shuck my top and shoes in the treatment room and clamber onto the facial bed in my jeans. This is not what I would call special. If you have a favorite spa at home, treat yourself before your trip.

Some favorite places on the ship: the Terrace pools (go aft on Aloha deck); Skywalker’s for a beautiful view astern, Club Fusion for activities and dancing, and the Wheelhouse bar for a quiet game of Scrabble and a drink.

Ketchikan is the place to do your souvenir shopping. Prices were a little more reasonable, and the selection greater. There were some beautiful native art galleries and the museum was worthwhile. I didn’t go ashore in Juneau, and Skagway was cute in a hokey kind of way. They try hard, got to give them credit.

Disembarkation was not delightful. We chose to haul our own luggage, thus were among the first group off the ship. We lined up in the Atrium around 6:40, but weren’t able to get off the ship until about 7:20. Customs was a snap. We are considering taking this ship again, when it moves on to the Mexican Riviera later in the year.

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