We recently returned from a sailing aboard the Sapphire (8/8-8/15/2004). Two couples who did different things. We are in our 40s. We have been on many cruises before (this is our third Alaska cruise). The other couple's first Alaska cruise and first aboard Princess. We were on the inaugural cruise of the sister-ship Diamond in March, so we knew the ship like the back of our hands. Here's our brief report:

Embarkation--We do not like the Princess transfers. You have to wait around for their buses, and be herded around like cattle. From SEA to the pier is about a $22 cab and it's well worth it. We got to the pier about 12:15 p.m. and were aboard by 12:30. The Seattle operation is one of the worst I've seen. One line for Platinum/Suites, and about 13 lines for everyone else. It went reasonably quickly for everyone else, I guess, but didn't seem very efficient. We got through the Platinum/Suites line quickly.

Ship--Stunning. Like the Diamond, perhaps the nicest ship we've been on. Laid out very well, and even though there were 2600 passengers aboard, it rarely felt crowded. We were very happy with our category AD mini-suites on the Emerald deck. They are fully covered, private, and perhaps the best category of mini on the ship. (We were in a category AA mini-suite on the Diamond earlier this year, on Dolphin deck, amidships, but preferred the Emerald deck location). Read more