Our flight to Seattle was uneventful.  The Princess bus transfer to Vancouver took 3 1/2 hours.  Our bus was Number 10 of 11 buses.  Going through Canadian Custom took 10 minutes.  It seems that our bus driver was scheduled to arrive at Canada Place Cruise Pier at 3 pm and not a minute sooner.  We got to see a bit of Vancouver.  Embarkation/Check-In only took 5 minutes because there were no lines.  Fastest ever.  Buffet lunch was ready for us on deck 14, Horizon Court.  We headed to our stateroom to freshen up.  Announcement of the mandatory "Life Boat Muster Drill" in 15 minutes came over the PA System.  Oh well, there goes lunch.  After the Muster drill, we went to the buffet for a snack.  NO crowds at all.  There were lots of meat choices and plenty of fruits, salads and great rolls.  Overall, the Sapphire is still in great condition.  We were doing the Mexican Riviera Cruise on Sapphire back in October 2004 when she was brand new.  Our stateroom was clean, sheets felt very smooth and the mattress was firm.  Towels were a bit rough (cotton fibers washed out).  Public Areas and Restrooms showed no signs of wear and very clean.  We wanted early dining in the International Dining Room but was assigned to "Anytime Dining", which worked out fine.  At the Anytime Dining Rooms, we found they all used the same basic menu but added a specialty item.  The Santa Fe Dining Room served a Chicken and Beef Fajitas, Pacific Moon's was Asian Scallop/Shrimp Noodles, Savoy's was Pork Chops and Vivaldi's was Veal Oso Boca.  All were EXCELLENT.  We did not dine at Sabatini Trattatoria (a 14 course venue) or Sterling Steakhouse.  Trident grill on Lido deck 14 served burgers, brauts, dogs, fries and onion rings and they were cooked on request.  Across from the Trident Grill was Prego Pizzeria, serving cheese, pepperoni and combo pizzas, having a great crust but often needed more tomato sauce.  Finally there is the Horizon Court Buffet, a safe haven for picky eaters.  Lots of varieties for the three main meals and Late Night Snack Buffet. There were lots of entertainment - Broadway Style Shows performed by Sapphire's vocalists and dancers.   They did a great job and were very entertaining with lots of energy.  We danced to ballroom music played by XTRASEA, an outstanding group.  Dances classes were taught by Cruise Staff Karen and Jorge.  Both energetic and showed their love of teaching dance.  Their classes were fun.  Guest Speaker Libby Riddles (First Women Iditarod Champion), Liar's Club Game Show, Bingo, Trivia, Karaoke, Fine Art Auctions, Texas Hold'em tournament, Internet Cafe, Spa & Beauty Salon, Shopping and Ports of Call Presentations were additional events.  And if thats not enough, there was also movies like Valkyrie, Quantum of Solace, Milk and Slum Dog Millionaires.Doing a Back-to-Back Cruise  was fun.  If I missed anything going north, I got to see it going south.  Cruising northbound,  the ship covered 1788 miles and  southbound it travel 1989 miles.  The fourteen days of very calm seas and the weather was warm for Alaskan Natives, mid 70's and it reach low 80's in Juneau.  The Master of Sapphire Princess is Captain Nicolo Binetti, a gentle and gracious Skipper.Thanks to Jenny Streeck (On-Board Services) and Alessandro Menegrazzi (First Purser) for making the Skywalker Night Club Lounge available for Cruise Critic Group's "Meet & Greet " gathering.  Overall, this Alaskan Cruise was Excellent.Gimer