Torfamm

I find Sapphire and Caribbean to be almost identical. I might pick the Sapphire over the Caribbean for the covered pool. Here are some theads with comparisons of these ships. They might help you decide based on what matters to you. Covered pool? Crown Grill? Alfredo’s Pizza? Promenade deck? Window suites? https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2975634-planning-for-alaska-2025-caribbean-princess-vs-sapphire-princess/ https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2983681-coral-sapphire-or-caribbean-princess-in-alaska/

I think it’s worth a try. We booked one for the first time on a cruise where that was the only option left if we wanted to go to Greenland. It was fine even though it’s an itinerary where the scenery was important to me. The icebergs waited for me until I got outside 😉

I haven’t seen anyone eat two mains but I’ve had waiters offer two when I’ve been undecided. Ordering multiple starters is absolutely not an issue. Having an appetizer, soup, and salad or at least two of them is pretty common.

The nightlight issue is crazy. Why a blindingly bright automatic overhead light outside the bathroom seemed like a good idea is beyond me. A simple nightlight in the bathroom would be much more helpful

Apparently not.

The issue is that future bookings can’t be managed onboard a ship in the app. It was also true in the old app and I have no idea why that is.I certainly don’t know if the web based version would be different, but again, my point is that it’s a stupid hurdle to put in front of passengers. I am more likely to pay for cell service than go find a computer to try a web based version of an app.

What’s “better” will be different for everyone. If you aren’t interested in the Canal itself or the ports maybe the questions are about what does matter to you. Do you prefer the feeling of a smaller ship or larger? Do you care about viewing spaces? Do you hate heat? The buffet on the Coral is at the front of the ship provides an air conditioned view forward in the Canal. Do you care about specialty restaurants or bars? There is no Vines on Coral as an example.

I’ve done the Deadliest Catch excursion and it’s lots of fun. It’s easy to book directly and I imagine much cheaper that way than booking it as a shore excursion through Princess if that is how you did it. It couldn’t be easier since it leaves right from where the cruise ship docks https://alaskacrabtour.com/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwtqmwBhBVEiwAL-WAYTXVWQUCBVh6AQ80UD1PFykqrGuEzv6sFiujnpeW1eb9LDIeW4HlnxoC3H0QAvD_BwE

I’ve also had really good luck requesting a quiet table in a back corner of the MDR. Having a quiet table in a corner by the window is a very different experience than sitting along the main aisle near the entrance to the dining room.

Are they all the same itinerary? Have you visited all of the ports before? Do you want to see the new locks this time? My guess is the Coral does the historic locks.

I can’t get the web-based version of the app to open. The link isn’t live when I log into the cruise personalizer. It just seems weird that managing future cruises isn’t an option if you are onboard. Of course, I also find it strange that you can see the spa menu and book services pre-cruise but it isn’t possible to do so in the app while I’m actually on a cruise. If it can be done for shore excursions.

My point isn’t that I can’t afford international cell service or paid wi-fi, or try to find free wi-fi that I’m willing to use to upload credit card information, it’s that I think it’s ridiculous to have to work that hard to check in or make dinner reservations for a cruise. I don’t understand why the app blocks access to future cruises when you are on a cruise.

Yes, if you use cell service or connect to something other than the ship’s wi-fi you can manage future bookings. It’s just a nuisance (and expense) that seems unnecessary

I have had a server in Vines charge us for five glasses and give me a full bottle of wine to take to our cabin

I’ve had to ask, but they have had them when I requested one. I remember that I saved it and reused it during the cruise

Do you mean that people can’t agree on what time to make your reservation without having only the two options available with fixed dining?

That’s good to hear. I need to check in for an upcoming cruise but have to wait till we disembark our current cruise to access it. Why the old as well as the new app restrict that is beyond me. It seems like managing future bookings should be possible even onboard.

I think you’ve stated the problem as clearly as possible. We can’t expect that we’ll get the same experience as in the past unless we’re willing to pay for it. I’ve mentioned before that my first cruise - 7 days in a tiny cabin with a dinner-plate sized porthole to Cozumel, Grand Cayman and Jamaica from Miami on the Carnival Mardi Gras in 1982 cost over $1000 per person. That’s about $3,200 in today’s dollars. That cruise was closer to the experience on luxury lines than to today’s mass market cruise lines and the price reflected it. The same has happened with air travel over time.

They are still open but have no beach at the moment due to storms last fall washing away the sand according to their Facebook page.

What concerns you?

Adding that was great but no, it isn’t what I was talking about. As with the old app, it’s not possible to manage future bookings when you are on a ship and connected to MedallionNet.

They sell cans of Pringles chips and other snacks in the shops on most ships. It’s also often possible to find a shop while off the ship and purchase snacks for the next day.

No one has said that the MDR isn’t used much. I simply said that the number of passengers who eat there every single night is limited by the availability of other dining venues. Lots of people, maybe even most, eat at specialty restaurants, the buffet, or casual dining during a cruise.

You can make reservations for a shared table. There is just no way to request that it be with the same people each night unless you arrange that as a group.

Private tables for just your party are still available and you can reserve for the same time, in the same MDR for every night if you like. Generally, you can even ask for the same table. The only thing not available is asking to be assigned to the same table with the same group of strangers for the duration of the cruise. I don’t know the exact numbers, but there’s no doubt that many, if not most, passengers take advantage of specialty restaurants, casual dining, the buffet, etc for dinner at some point in their cruise. That would mean empty seats in traditional dining. In the old days, when there was no option for dinner but the MDR, traditional dining was an obvious choice. Creating that system made dinner easier to manage. On today’s cruise ships with many options, things are more complicated.