Which ship for Alaska?

[sirclean]

Stay Healthy!

[Papa Yoda]

14 hours ago, Pluto_fan said:

 

So excited to have booked the Sapphire for our Alaskan adventure!

 

Can you tell me what the Sapphire's Thermal Suite includes?  No aft suite for us, but I'm considering booking the week-long Thermal Suite pass if it's a nice facility.  Thanks.

 

5 heated tile loungers, gentle sauna, gentle steam, and aromatherapy rooms, just forward of the Lotus Spa (adults only) pool.  the only negative is no thalassotherapy pool

[leck57]

On 3/31/2023 at 3:38 PM, SuzieQ521 said:

 

thank you for this! We are sailing the Royal in May and I was getting nervous regarding everyone's comments!

 

What were the best viewing spots for Glacier Bay? It looks like our balcony room (E411) is starboard side. 😞

 

Thanks!

 

Your balcony will be fine as the ship does a full turn around while in Glacier Bay. However we found a great spot on Deck 7. There is a small deck area outside Crooners on one side and behind the shops on the other side. I reckon there were no more than 10 or so people outside here and being a bit lower was good as well. 

I have no idea what that person is on about glass obstructing you. I assume they just picked a lousy spot and stayed there. Even on higher decks, such as the area near the Outrigger Bar, there are no obstructions, just more people. We had a balcony and found we were moving between deck 7 and our cabin quite frequently.

Photo of deck 7 location and view from there. (What obstruction?)

 

[leck57]

17 hours ago, sirclean said:

"That is absolute rubbish. I did Alaska on Royal Princess and I had no issues seeing everything from many different venues. I don't know what glass obstructed you, assuming you are able to stand. I've been on Majestic as well and the enclosed pool area would also be great for Alaska. "

 

The point is Who ants to see glaciers THROUGH TINTED GLASS?  That was the obstruction!   Not that there was no view, but that the view was spoiled by looking at it thorough Green or Blue Tinted Glass!

IS the Glacier Blue or Is the GLASS you are looking through making it look like It  is Blue? 

 

THAT was the point! 

Perhaps a better term would be Obscured, not obstructed.  You might as well watch them on TV if your view is going to be changed looking through green or blue glass! 

 

Get on the Sapphire or Grand and be able to see them With Your Own Eyes, without anything changing the splendor you paid handsomely to see!  

 

I know what your point was, and I'm saying it is completely wrong. I assume you just picked a spot behind glass and didn't move from there. There are heaps of locations without having to look through glass. I think you just needed to explore the ship a bit more. 

[Cali Viajera]

We sailed to Alaska last year on Majestic. Loved her! Big, new, all the bells and whistles for our family. We had a port side balcony and we didn’t have any trouble walking around to view the glaciers. I personally liked Hubbard glacier for its immensity. We did the Off the beaten path land tour first then one way Voyage of the glaciers afterward. 

[sirclean]

"

have no idea what that person is on about glass obstructing you. I assume they just picked a lousy spot and stayed there. Even on higher decks, such as the area near the Outrigger Bar, there are no obstructions, just more people. We had a balcony and found we were moving between deck 7 and our cabin quite frequently.

Photo of deck 7 location and view from there. (What obstruction?)"

 

Well, you found a space a missed!   I walked all over Deck 7 and there were no chairs anywhere on the deck.  Where did you find it? On Discovery, In many places deck 7 was not wide enough for 2 people to walk side by side.  And even then all of the view was blocked by the life boats.

 

Perhaps I was looking for something that isnt on Discovery, a place like the Grand where there is a large open deck above the Bridge. 

 

But clearly, you found a place that had a good view and was uncrowded. 

 

When you traveled, where were most of the passengers during the Glacier Bay portion of the trip?

[leck57]

16 hours ago, sirclean said:

 

When you traveled, where were most of the passengers during the Glacier Bay portion of the trip?

 

Pretty much spread out, and as you are in the Glacier Bay area for a few hours people moved around. Very few were on deck 7 where we spent most of the time but quite a few were on the decks above the pool deck.

[nini]

We have cruised Alaska 5 times, 4 on Princess. I will tell you right up front that we love the Grand and Crown. MANY love the Sapphire but we have not had the opportunity to cruise on that ship.

 

Skywalker's is a true gem. It is a great quiet area for viewing, reading, playing games.You can just step outside for viewing as well and pop inside to warm up a bit. We always book (try to anyway) an aft Caribe balcony and so love it! The views and covered decks are lovely, as well as more privacy.

 

We have only been on one of the newer ships and loved the Regal! It is true, the buffet is huge. However, that may have changed a bit since covid.

[PescadoAmarillo]

On 3/30/2023 at 7:44 AM, JimmyVWine said:

Sapphire.  It will sail the true Inside Passage (which is a deal breaker); it has the best Promenade of all of the ships mentioned.  

Is this a certainty?  We are booked on a B2B on the Majestic but I have a hold on a cabin on the Sapphire too, based on your recommendation. We’ve done multiple cruises on both ships, so I know the ship offerings, but the Inside Passage would be a deal breaker, if we can count on that.  

[Coral]

3 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Is this a certainty?  We are booked on a B2B on the Majestic but I have a hold on a cabin on the Sapphire too, based on your recommendation. We’ve done multiple cruises on both ships, so I know the ship offerings, but the Inside Passage would be a deal breaker, if we can count on that.  

Yes the Sapphire should sail inside passage.

 

Nothing is certain but in the past the Grand class ships have sailed inside passage and the Royal Princess (and later) ships do not.

Edited April 5, 2023 by Coral

[Ombud]

On 3/30/2023 at 6:39 PM, tjcletzgo said:

All I know is that the Sapphire ticks off all my expectations and I can’t WAIT to take this cruise🛳️🛳️🛳️

Enjoy Skywalkers Lounge! It sits up above the ship (unlike Skywalkers on the Grand)

[tjcletzgo]

4 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Is this a certainty?  We are booked on a B2B on the Majestic but I have a hold on a cabin on the Sapphire too, based on your recommendation. We’ve done multiple cruises on both ships, so I know the ship offerings, but the Inside Passage would be a deal breaker, if we can count on that.  

The Majestic is too big to go thru the inside passage. Princess says it sails the inside passage but it doesn’t👎 The Sapphire DEFINITELY sails the true inside passage🛳️🐳

[tjcletzgo]

2 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Enjoy Skywalkers Lounge! It sits up above the ship (unlike Skywalkers on the Grand)

Also has an indoor pool😜😜

[Coral]

5 minutes ago, Ombud said:

Enjoy Skywalkers Lounge! It sits up above the ship (unlike Skywalkers on the Grand)

The lounge is called One5 on the Grand. It is not in the same location of Skywalkers.

 

I think the Sapphire is the best ship that sails Alaska amongst the Princess fleet (for route, Skywalkers, covered pool and extra wide promenade deck).

[JimmyVWine]

37 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Is this a certainty?

If past performance is a predictor of future performance, then yes. 

[fpsphil]

14 hours ago, Coral said:

The lounge is called One5 on the Grand. It is not in the same location of Skywalkers.

 

I think the Sapphire is the best ship that sails Alaska amongst the Princess fleet (for route, Skywalkers, covered pool and extra wide promenade deck).

+1 on the Sapphire. We are booked on the Sapphire for next May and are super super excited

[PescadoAmarillo]

@JimmyVWine @Coral @Ombud @tjcletzgo Thank you all for your input. I have just cancelled our reservations on the Majestic and booked the Sapphire for 4 days later. I thought that no Princess ships went through the Inside Passage any longer, and we booked the same cabin on the Majestic that we’ve booked for several cruises next year, thinking we would see if we were happy with it, but the Inside Passage and smaller ship is a much larger draw.  

[voljeep]

13 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

@JimmyVWine @Coral @Ombud @tjcletzgo Thank you all for your input. I have just cancelled our reservations on the Majestic and booked the Sapphire for 4 days later. I thought that no Princess ships went through the Inside Passage any longer, and we booked the same cabin on the Majestic that we’ve booked for several cruises next year, thinking we would see if we were happy with it, but the Inside Passage and smaller ship is a much larger draw.  

how long is the ship actually sailing in the 'inside passage'?

[PescadoAmarillo]

2 minutes ago, voljeep said:

how long is the ship actually sailing in the 'inside passage'?

About a day and half each direction, with some of it being at night. I recall from our Island Princess  cruise that the scenery the first night was fantastic, plus we didn’t encounter the rough seas from going around Vancouver Island. 

[Ellipooh]

On 3/30/2023 at 4:05 PM, sirclean said:

For Glacier Bay, you really want to see the glaciers.  IF you have a balcony cabin on the Port SIde, great!  IF you are on the Starboard side OR an inside Cabin part of the time you will want to be outside on deck.

 

Look at  the ship diagram for The Grand.  Look on Deck 14 at the front.  There is a walk area at the front of the ship on top of the bridge. This gives the best view of the glaciers! 

https://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=AP

I had a different experience on Grand.  As another poster noted, the Captain will turn the ship a full 360’ while in Glacier Bay. Won’t really matter which side your cabin is located. 
 

I do agree with the recommendation to go topside for the best opportunities. The Deck 14 description that sirclean provided is a no-so-secret spot that’s worth checking out. 
 

‘’I’m surprised no one mentioned the Sanctuary. We purchased a full pass and felt like royalty on GB day. Loungers, blankets, steaming hot chili, wait service, and a 180’ view. If you miss getting a Suite, this is a nice substitute. Have a great time!

[JimmyVWine]

15 minutes ago, Ellipooh said:

I had a different experience on Grand.  As another poster noted, the Captain will turn the ship a full 360’ while in Glacier Bay. Won’t really matter which side your cabin is located. 

It depends how picky you are and how much photography matters to you.  It is true that the ship will turn 180 degrees.  But the viewing ALWAYS starts with the glaciers on the port side and then flips to starboard.  The early morning light is definitely better for glacier viewing than the mid to late morning sun.  So if you have a port side cabin and are willing to get up early (and you should), your the view of the glaciers looking west from a port side balcony with the soft, early morning light peeking over from the east onto the western bank is superior to what the starboard side will see several hours later. 

 

The other advantage of starting on the port side is that if one wants to enjoy some of the viewing from their balcony, and some of the viewing from an open deck, being on the port side would allow you to stay on your balcony in your robe, or sipping some coffee for the first couple of hours, and then transition over to the exterior for starboard side viewing later in the morning.  This has its advantages over having to leave a starboard side cabin early in the morning to head out to see the port side, and then return to the cabin later in the morning when the starboard side has the better view.  Personal preferences for sure.  But there definitely are some differences.     

[zackarykeef]

Do we know for a fact that Majestic doesn't sail the inside passage? I know the ones sailing from Seattle don't, but I wasn't sure since the Majestic is sailing from Vancouver if it would go all the south around Vancouver Island as opposed to just going north and through the passage. I understand if it's too big, but just checking before we book anything!

[tjcletzgo]

Just now, zackarykeef said:

Do we know for a fact that Majestic doesn't sail the inside passage? I know the ones sailing from Seattle don't, but I wasn't sure since the Majestic is sailing from Vancouver if it would go all the south around Vancouver Island as opposed to just going north and through the passage. I understand if it's too big, but just checking before we book anything!

The Majestic is too big to go into the Inside Passage😊

[memoak]

3 minutes ago, zackarykeef said:

Do we know for a fact that Majestic doesn't sail the inside passage? I know the ones sailing from Seattle don't, but I wasn't sure since the Majestic is sailing from Vancouver if it would go all the south around Vancouver Island as opposed to just going north and through the passage. I understand if it's too big, but just checking before we book anything!

All Royal class ships go around the island to the south from Vancouver 

[Kay S]

I'm doing Alaska number six in July on the Royal.  It was the only itinerary that worked.  My other Princess Alaska cruises were Grand class, except for years ago on the Regal I and then Pacific Princess II.  The smaller ships both got us into ports like Kodiak and Sitka.  This one is a grandkids cruise, so the ports aren't as important to me.  These kids have done the usual ports several times before, and that's what they like.  This will also be the end of the FCC, so...