aknursemom

So sad to hear that we will not have the IC because you really like it.... Also sorry that the buffet was not to your liking......This is our first cruise on Princess and first time to Alaska. In fact, we have only done 2 cruises prior and they were a while back and both to Mexico. I am hoping since we are not picky eaters (and plan to eat in the dining room as much as possible) that our food experience is enjoyable. I want to do an excursion in each of the ports as I don't know if I will ever have the opportunity to return to Alaska so hopefully that makes up for Icy Straight Point being not much of a port. We leave at the end of June. Hope you enjoyed your cruise despite everything.... How was your weather? Was it really necessary to have waterproof shoes? I am struggling with the shoes issue! LOL :ship::cool:;p

The food in the MDR was very good. It was just the buffet that I didn't care for. I enjoyed the cruise very much, and I'm sorry for giving a bad impression of it. There were just some things that I didn't like as much as others.

Our weather was beautiful in Vancouver, Icy Strait Point/Hoonah, and Juneau. It was rainy in Skagway and Glacier Bay. The sun tried to come out in College Fjord and it was rainy in Whittier. The days in Glacier Bay and College Fjord were the chilliest, in my opinion. I never did break out my coat, however. I sweatshirt and windbreaker with a hat were sufficient. I guess it is what you are used to. There were some people dressed in heavy coats, scarves, hats, and gloves.

I don't think it was necessary to have waterproof shoes, but we didn't do any hiking, just walking around. I will say, however, that I only wear waterproof shoes when I'm fishing (i.e., fishing boots).

If your steward picks up your laundry before 9 am and takes it down you’ll get back before dinner next day. Not all stewards are experienced in all suite perks. I always bring a print out of perks from the website. If I need to I will show it to the steward. Usually all that is needed is a kind request.

The laundry was indeed back before dinner. They hung the t-shirts up on hangers and my jeans looked pressed! Everything was well-done.

Oh, I wanted to say a word about the buffet and lack of international cafe. I took one for the team and tried the buffet. I did not enjoy it. The salad bar has much less on it than days gone by and to me the quality of the food has diminished. I have avoided further meals there. We have ordered dinner in our room from the MDR menu and have enjoyed it ALOT! To me that has been the best suite perk of all! DF enjoys ordering in at home and thinks it is awesome!

The lack of IC is sad, sad, sad. I didn't want it to be an issue, but I do miss it. La Patisserie is not comparable. There is a small tray that has had sandwiches or cookies or whatever, but none of the yummy salads, small desserts, panini, etc., that I am used to having. I keep saying over and over, "wait until the next cruise when you will get to have the International Cafe." DF is in awe of the atrium, nonetheless.

Oh, one more thing - we did not have movies on demand. We asked for a DVD player and it was brought in and hooked up for us. We were given a DVD order form and picked out two. We gave the form to the steward and got the movies in about 30 minutes. Very nice to have. I'll post the list of movies when I get back. There were about 100.

It looks like it went through this time!

OK, so for today - we were in Glacier Bay where it rained all morning. It has been windy most of the day. We did get to see a small calving, which was pretty cool!

We have now been to all three ports. We did not do anyexcursions. The first stop was at Icy Strait Point/Hoonah. On my previousAlaska cruises one of the ports has been Ketchikan. I hate to say it, but IcyStrait Point is a poor substitute. Wegot off of the ship and walked into Hoonah. There is not much to the tiny town.It was very sunny that day and not much in the way of shade on the walk. On theplus side, there were whales in the bay and we were able to see them. The otherplus for us is knowing what Hoonah and Chichagof are like, since we havepatients that come to the hospital from these areas. We enjoyed the uncrowdedship after our walk.

Next was Juneau. We spent time with friends there who droveus past the hospital, who transfers patients to us frequently. I can see why!It is a very small hospital. Our friends said that the hospitals are busy whenships are in town with people that are in the categories of “newlyweds,half-deads, and over-feds.” I am definitely an “over-fed” on this trip! We wentout to Tongass National Park and had a little bit of a picnic. There were porpoisesswimming around and we watched them for quite some time. Again, it was sunnyand warm to us. Our friends told us it was uncharacteristic for Juneau and thatit rains 360 days a year. I believe them, but I have been to Juneau three timesand it has always been nice for me! They suggested I move to Juneau! Ha!

Today, we are in Skagway. The weather finally gave out andit is grey, windy, and rainy. I can’t complain, though, it is the firstun-sunny day I’ve had since I left Anchorage a week ago! There are two ships intown, but the streets and shops don’t seem to be overcrowded. We walked aroundfor a little while and had some coffee in town, then back to the ship. Wechecked out the thermal suite. It was just us and another couple in there thisafternoon. It was very relaxing. They took our cruise card and ushered us rightin without any problem.

So far it has been a relaxing cruise. I didn’t realize howmuch I am on the go until I am on this ship and don’t have to do anything!

aknursemom where are you? :confused:

I've been updating the trip on my blog but miss hearing about the exciting time you're having on the same ship. Anxiously awaiting your next update!

Hi Deb! I posted yesterday when we were in Skagway, but I don't know where it went! I wrote it out in Word, so I'll try posting it again now!

Last night was formal night and we ate in the MDR. We were in club class. No waiting - we went about 1930. The special items were escargot and chateau briande (I don't know how to spell it!). We had breakfast in Sabatini's again this morning. I tried the poached eggs over potatoes. Holy hollandaise was that good! Sabatini's breakfast is one of the best suite benefits. We have dinner there tonight.

The weather is beautiful and sunny today. We have seen orcas and dolphins so far this morning. It is fun to see how people are dressed. Some are bundled up like a blizzard is coming and some are in flip flops and shorts. I think it will be warm today when in port. We are at Icy Strait today.

OK, so about the room. It is beautiful. The balcony is amazing! I think it is probably about the size of 3 regular balconies combined. It is my first time in a suite. I have stayed in inside, balcony, and mini-suite before. There is a small amount of vibration, but I don't think it's any more than other cabins I have been in. When the thrusters are in use, there is more vibration. It woke me up, but DF was blissfully unaware. The most annoying part was the hangers rattling in the closet. I just shoved them together and that put a stop to it. There is nothing rattling off the edges of tables, etc. We have a plethora of plates and glasses and even those don't rattle. I have not had to shove papers, towels, toothpicks, etc. into anything. The hot water has been more than ample and VERY hot.

There were robes AND slippers in the closet. Also, a gold mesh bag with spa goodies and another silky bag that has stuff in it that is supposed to help you sleep - a bath cube, linen spray, lip balm, etc.

We sent some laundry out yesterday morning and haven't gotten it back yet (first sea day). I'll keep you posted.

Just a few more words about embarkation: The staff was very pleasant and in goodhumor. They kept us well informed about what was happening. I think people aremore patient when they know what is going on, so I really appreciated it!

We had lunch in the dining room in the club class area. Itwas very good. I’m sorry I didn’t get a picture of the menu. What I rememberwas a salad of mixed greens, shrimp with avocado and limoncello aioli, salamiwith roasted eggplant and squash, and another app that escapes me right now. Ihad the shrimp and salami and salad. The shrimp thing and the salami/veg weredelicious. DFhad tenderloin with potatoes and veg and enjoyed it.

Muster drill was delayed until after 4. Our station was inthe fitness center. That is one complaint that I have about the ship. Havingthe muster station there is not a problem, but there were several older peoplewith mobility issues and no place to sit. It would have been nice for Princessto put chairs in there for them. The muster drill itself was fine. The little LoveBoat-ish song they play was at the beginning and the end and it wasentertaining. The actual instruction was a more serious tone. AND no life jackets to carry around!

Sail-away was beautiful and sunny. Actually, my nose is alittle sunburned today! We ate at the Bayou Café last night. It was complimentaryfor us, which was good because I would not have been happy to have paid extrafor it. I did not enjoy the food much. I had jumbo prawns and the flavors in itjust didn’t go together well. They had a special Alaska menu in addition to theregular menu, which had some nice fish dishes. DF had blackened chicken with succotash and he said it was very good. I'm probably being picky, because I'm from the south and used to grandma's cooking, which is to die for! The service was slow, but good. The music was wonderful!

This morning we had breakfast at Sabatini’s. They offeredmimosas and juice, but we did not partake. We did enjoy espresso drinks. The service was very good. You canorder anything you want, even if it isn’t on the menu. The food was good. I hadan omelet that was made to my specifications and it was just perfect! DF hadcorned beef hash and said it was just ok. There were only 3 tables occupied, so no wait at all!

The ship seems to be in good shape. It looks like some newer carpet has been put down and there are some rolls of carpet out on the Promenade deck waiting. The crew is wonderful –very friendly and willing to go out of their way to be helpful. Our cabin steward is Arthur. He is very sweet and attentive. Ice bucket filled and in the fridge without asking. We are in A726, the Livorno suite. At the back. I'll talk about the room in another post.

I'm on the sailing as well. Not to hijack the thread, but I've been posting Patters on my blog if anyone is interested.

http://www.debsdays.com/

Hi Deb,

I won't post them if you are. Hope you are enjoying the cruise. Did you see the dolphins and orcas this morning?

I have never done a live report before, so please bear with me!

We have embarked in Vancouver. We arrived early at 0930. There were plenty of porters available to take our luggage. We checked in with Princess and then went through security. That all took about 30 minutes. We then cleared customs and went to the EPS waiting area. We started boarding at 1120. We were first in line at passenger services and first to sign up for the UST! We are currently enjoying an espresso while our room is being readied. I'll keep posting. Please ask any questions you might have and I'll do my best to answer them!

we will need a taxi from the Pacific Central Station downtown to the cruise terminal. Any insight into how easy to find and cost? Want to make sure I have enough Canadian dollars. Thanks.

We took a taxi from PCS to the port area today and it was just under $10. I used my debit card.

It is the only time I feel spoiled rotten!

Thank you for your lovely review. We will be in a suite for the first time next week. Nice to read your impressions.

I just won two tickets for an evening 2.5 hour cruise on Phillip's Cruises for a Blackstone Glacier cruise out of Whittier on Saturday. It's a special "Cinco de Drinko" cruise. Jokes on them, I don't even drink...

But hey, a free Prince William Sound cruise is a free Prince William Sound cruise.

Looking for to enjoy a little of Alaska before the summer visitors arrive.

We had a little more sun today. I hope it reached you on the glacier cruise!

We are supposed to be on her in November and am not sure about our location at the back of the ship. After you return, would appreciate your thoughts!

I will definitely let you know!

In point of fact, it is not easy to find a pharmacy in Alaska necessarily! We caught bad colds and wanted to pick up some cold medicine while in port in Skagway. There was no independent drug store/pharmacy, just a section in the lone grocery store. The shelves were completely empty of almost all the various cold medications. Remember some of these towns are very, very small and don't get shipments of supplies as often as in the lower 48. Ever since then I bring along my 'cold kit' on all cruises, even Alaska.

 

Don't know if this was stated yet, but an extra pair of shoes. It rains a lot and if your walking shoes get wet you will wish you had them.

The post from shetravels was about a lack of pharmacies in Anchorage and that is what we were commenting on.

How does an editor's review manage to get posted with such a glaring misstatement of fact: that Sapphire Princess has been deployed exclusively from Singapore her entire life?

 

When Sapphire and sister ship Diamond were launched there was huge publicity from Princess as to how they were designed specifically for the Alaska cruise market (thus the differences in layout from the first generation Grand-class). After being christened in Seattle in 2004(a rare USA launching) she spent NINE YEARS summering in Alaska and most winters sailing Hawaii or Mexico from Los Angeles, with a few South Pacific sailings in the interim. But she did not become officially Asia-based until late 2013.

Indeed. My first two Alaska cruises were on the Sapphire.

Has anyone been on the Island recently who can tell me if the suites have video on demand or the DVD player? Thank you!

I wouldn't mind things repeating if they used the same trivia questions. :D

Love it!

Hi. We had c707 so not quite at the back I do remember walking past the rooms with the balconies and felt I was walking through someone’s room. Not exactly private but not too bad. No sunshine at all tho. All under cover. Not sure I would be going for it. Our cabin was a mini suite and it was perfect. There was a bit of vibration which in itself was not a problem as it was constant and quietly always there. The thing that did worry me was the "knocks" created by the vibration . I pushed a face washer between the tv and the wall which fixed the main one. Someone had jammed a toothpick in the woodwork on the ceiling ....lots of little creaks and rattles which were fixable and sometimes made me laugh. I did read all the reviews of this ship before we booked and it amazed me how some people are very negative about small things. We did not know the ship before refurbishment and I was a little worried but it was a fabulous voyage and cruise. Well balanced sea days and excursions . We really enjoyed the whole cruise. Only downside was the food. It was ok but not the usual standard of princess we expected. Almost like the kitchen staff were told to economise and save money. The menu choices were less extensive and the food itself was a little underwhelming. Not cruise destroying and not complaining just that with princess we were used to "outstanding" not just "ordinary".

Thank you for this information. I have not been on the Island but will experience her in 2 weeks. The reviews have made it a little scary, but posts like yours and a few others have been helpful and hopeful!

Denmal is correct.

If you want CC dining, switch to Anytime in your Cruise Personalizer and you'll get CC because you're in a Suite. As one of the primary benefits of CC is the ability to show up whenever you want and be seated immediately, Princess places you in Anytime Dining. I know it's a little disconcerting to give up a guaranteed TD time, but this is how it works.

It was disconcerting, but I did change to Anytime and that is how it shows on my personalizer. I figured if it was a problem, at least we could order dinner in our room!

It looks like the Grand has a 2.5 weeks dry dock in March 2019. Might they fix some of the issues then?

I will second the suggestions for Hatcher Pass. It is enjoyable any time of year. Eagle River Nature Center was one of the first places I ever visited in the Anchorage area. I love going out there. There is also Arctic Valley on the way north from Anchorage. It is fun to hike up there. Eklutna village and the lake are both fun. At the lake they have equipment rentals and also some good hiking. The idea to go to the Alaska Native Medical Center is a good one. I have given and received some lovely gifts from their gift shop. In Anchorage, there is an interesting place to eat and drink called Bernie's at the corner of 7th and D. In the warmer months they have live music outside. I think their food is reasonably priced for the area.

Another use for magnets is to use several pairs of them, sandwiching the bottom of the shower curtain to give a bit of weight, so as to stop it " attacking " you. Nothing worse than being hugged by a bit of plastic sheeting.:D

Oooooohhhhh I like that idea! Thanks for the tip!

It was not easy to find a pharmacy in Anchorage when I had a bad cold. The one recommended was far from where we stayed before the land portion of our cruise. I finally found a little Mom & Pop deli with a few cold remedies at an expensive price. Take some of your favorites with you!

There are many pharmacies in Anchorage. I can think of 20 off the top of my head. There is a 24-hour Walgreens, too. Someone misled you!