Sapphire Princess Review

Sapphire Princess - Alaska

Review for Alaska Cruise on Sapphire Princess
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BlueSapphire
First Time Cruiser • Age 40s

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Sail Date: Jun 2007

We cruised southbound from Whittier on the Sapphire Princess on 6/23. Just some background information: we are a married couple in our early 30s who have cruised multiple times before with other cruise lines. This was our first Alaskan cruise and also our first with Princess. We didn't do the land-tour component of the cruise with Princess. Instead we arranged our own seven-day road trip and then took the Magic Bus to Whittier.

Embarkation: We intentionally arrived late in the day so that we could enjoy Anchorage in the morning. When we arrived around 5:30, there was a very short line. We waited approximately 5 minutes before receiving our cards and being able to proceed to onboard. I was very impressed with the efficiency of the process.

Cabin: We stayed in E728 which is one of the infamous minisuites on the Emerald Deck with the extra-large balcony which is fully covered. I highly recommend this class of cabin, and particularly this cabin specifically. The room layout is wonderful with a separate sitting area that is next to the balcony. The minisuites have full baths with a full size tub. There is a essentially a "walk-in" closet with a tall cabinet with shelves next to it as well. The in-room safe is very easy to use and out of the way on one of the shelves. There were two T.V.s in the room and actually some good first-run movies (for those early evenings.) Our room steward, Phillip, was very good and had a sixth sense for when we were out of the room. The bed was very comfortable. There was some vibration from the thrusters, but nothing disturbing. Club Fusion was directly below the room, but I only remember hearing it a couple of times and neither time was terribly disturbing. Perhaps it was because it was the Alaskan itinerary and the crowd was exactly into head-banging rock. Dining: We did traditional seating and enjoyed it very much. I've cruised with Royal Caribbean, Disney and twice with Carnival. The Sapphire Princess definitely held it's own with all of them. My husband and I both very much enjoyed the meals. The other people at our table also commented on the quality of the food. We only ate dinner in the formal dining rooms. For breakfast and lunch we ate at the Horizon buffet. The food was good - especially for buffet food. Always plenty available and hot. One caution - the lines can get long and kind of confusing. If you can find the end, they actually move quite quickly. Patience is the key factor. There's plenty of people-watching to be had, so we figured we might as well enjoy the atmosphere. Also - quick tip - you typically have to pay extra for ice cream from the ice cream bar BUT between 3 & 4 most days there was free ice cream in the Horizon Buffet (it's only set up on one side though so you may have to go look for it!) One warning - beware the "would you like a cup of hot chocolate" waiter at breakfast. I thought since it was just hot chocolate it would be free. Nope - $1.50. No big deal - just surprised me.

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