Sapphire Princess Review

Sapphire Princess - Alaska

Review for Alaska Cruise on Sapphire Princess
User Avatar
Longboat
First Time Cruiser • Age 80s

Rating by category

Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Sep 2005

This was my second cruise to Alaska and my 24th cruise; it was my significant other's first cruise, but he has heard me extol the virtues of cruising and was really looking forward to our first cruise together. We traveled to Seattle from New York the day before and stayed at an airport hotel. We were held up and arrived back at the airport at 11:00 AM, which was a good thing since the ship had not cleared as early as usual. The result was we had a 45 minute bus tour of Seattle before we were brought to the dock. The lines seemed interminable, but, in reality, we were in our cabin within an hour of arriving at the dock. The cabin, a mini suite with balcony was by far the most luxurious on any cruise line I've sailed. There was an adequate bath with a bathtub, a good sized closet, in-cabin safe, chest of drawers, queen sized bed, sitting room with couch, 2 TV's (354 square feet is roomy enough for a cabin). The balcony was large enough to hold 4 chairs and a table. I was very impressed, to say the least.

Unfortunately, the cabin and the itinerary were the highlight of the trip. I will say right here that "anytime dining" is a serious misnomer. We needed reservations every night AND could only get seated at 6:00 or 8:00 on formal nights. We made the mistake the first evening of going to the Sterling Steakhouse, which levies a $15 pp surcharge. This was the worst meal we had on board the whole cruise. The service was terrible, the steaks were adequate at best. The whole experience was a less than "sterling" way to begin our cruise. We did not eat in Sabatini's as a result of this first night experience. I was very disappointed to learn that while we could choose a different venue, in reality the menus were the same save one specialty entree in each of the themed restaurants. We never ate the specialty items as they were quite pedestrian. Let me interject here that the food at lunch and dinner was generally well prepared. The pastas were excellent (I wish they'd offered some as appetizers). There were some good main courses--a memorable osso bucco, excellent tournedos--but the king crab dinner was a huge disappointment. These were the smallest king crab I've ever seen and the portion was miniscule. The "seconds" were equally small. I dislike buffets, but did eat breakfast and lunch at Horizon Court a few times due to the excursion schedules. The layout of the buffet is such that by the time you've gone through the line and found a table, your food is cold.

I thought the idea of adding the gratuities automatically was a good thing until I saw how it reflected in the service, which was the poorest I've ever experienced on a cruise. Our room steward was surly, complained of his overwork, and did not respond to the one and only request I made during the whole week until I had left 2 messages and then found him in the hall. There were a number of lovely waitstaff whom I wish we'd been able to have for the entire cruise. For the most part, however, the service was not what we're used to in the finer restaurants we frequent at home. In fact, I'd characterize the service as sloppy and uncaring. This is not the reason I've taken 23 other cruises.

Cabin Review

Cabin E
previous reviewnext review

Find a Sapphire Princess Cruise from $197

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.