I've been on a lot of cruises. I usually cruise on small ships and avoid large ones. I selected this cruise because it was a fairly inexpensive way to go to Alaska and my favorite cruise line does not go there. There are larger ships than the Princess Sapphire but it is still a gargantuan ship. Nevertheless, there was hardly anywhere on the ship that was not crowded and there were long lines for everything. The fitness center is nice as long as you get there early. About 7:00 am it starts filling up with people who look like they have never before been to a fitness center.

This ship has a dress code but it is not observed. I took a tuxedo all the way across the country in carry-on (yes, this is possible if you are an experienced traveller) but many of the passengers considered "formal" to be a clean T shirt, jeans and a ball cap. This kind of attire was permitted even in the restaurants that require a supplement. There were only a handful of other men wearing tuxedos on formal nights. I'm not opposed to smart casual. My favorite cruise line is smart casual every night. However, if there is a published dress code, it should be observed.

Like most cruise lines, the shore excursions were overpriced and not a good value. Like most cruise lines (but not good ones) the photographers were very annoying. Drink prices and wine prices were not bad, about like on shore. Like most cruise lines, the internet service was overpriced so I didn't use it. My Blackberry worked in the ports. Read more