Live From the Sapphire Princess! (29 April - 10 May)

[Drdarkknight]

44 minutes ago, szizo said:

Which tour company was this? Did you book direct or thru Princess.  I specifically asked about that and was told I don't need it for my May 13th excursion

It was through Princess

[EDVM96]

3 hours ago, Drdarkknight said:

It was through Princess

At least we will do the Vancouver Island Inside Passage on our return journey as the captain said. And with a nice weather forecast. 

 

No more chances of northern lights tho.

[Drdarkknight]

I can’t believe it is our last port today. Because Ketchikan looked like a good town to explore independently, we chose to not book an excursion here. We slept in a bit, until 9:30, and headed to breakfast at the International Cafe. 

 

We hopped off the ship and immediately headed towards Creek Street. We absolutely loved it as soon as we got there. We took a thousand photos and found the last of our souvenirs. I spotted a really nice patio that seemed to belong to a bar so we went in for an early morning pint. It turns out the bar is owned by a group called the ‘Eagles’ and if we wanted to drink we had to become ‘Eagles for the Day’, and the proceeds go to charity. We were happy to oblige and took our pints out to patio right along the creek side. While we drank a couple different members approached us and struck up conversation. They were so friendly! 

 

We continued our walk along Creek Street. I really enjoyed the various plaques describing their uses. I was surprised by the amount of history surrounding women and people of colour. We next decided to walk closer to the ship and find a place for lunch. That would turn out to be 108 Taphouse, a burger bar. It was small and busy! Always the sign of a good spot. They were out of a few items we wanted to try, unfortunately (elk burgers and the charcuterie board) but they still made a mean burger. Huge portion sizes. 

 

We had some time to kill so we wandered up the street and found a place called Uncharted Distillery, located in an old fire station. The lady working was so nice. I tried the Lavender Lemondrop and my husband had the Fire Station. I wish I’d gotten the Fire Station. If you like spicy drinks it’s a real winner. 

 

We next headed back down towards the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. We weren’t doing an excursion but had bought tickets independently. The line was massive but I was surprised how spacious it was inside. There was plenty of room for everyone and a lot of extra space. The show was really well done. I enjoyed it, especially the climbing and water events. My husband absolutely loved it. We had only decided a few weeks ago to buy tickets and that was the right call. 

 

We went across the car park to Fat Stan’s for our last Alaskan beer. We returned to the ship and got ready for dinner. I’m sure you’ll all be shocked to hear we went to Vines. Dinner was at Santa Fe at 5pm and I had the vol au vent, beef carpaccio, spaghetti carbonara and goat cheese soufflé. 

 

After dinner we went to the Wheelhouse Bar to watch a set by Allure Strings as we sailed away from Alaska for the final time. She is so talented I definitely want to catch her one more time tomorrow. We next went to the Princess Theatre for another show by Tricia Kelly. She was as talented as always and I can’t believe we had two different female performers on this cruise sing Bohemian Rhapsody. I also loved how in the lead up to the performance they played her performance on Don’t Forget the Lyrics. I wish they’d do similar videos before the performances more often. I’ve met her twice by now: once in Sitka and once outside the theatre last night and she’s so friendly. 

 

Then it was back to Vines for the Love Boat party. One of the cruise director staff asked if my husband and I would participate but we declined. I felt it was ‘greedy’ since we’d already participated in the Marriage Match game show. Spread the love. Since all six couples ended up being new I stand by that decision. It was a fun show combining game show activities with the Sapphire Princess Singers & Dancers and live music from Topaz. Probably my favourite Piazza party and probably the busiest as well. 

 

We left a few minutes early to head to Explorers Lounge for Big Screen Bingo. We had no idea what that meant but I can’t say no to free bingo. As it turned out, it was about movies. Totally in my wheelhouse! We had a great time and I won the third round, along with two others! 

 

As we approach our final day I’m definitely feeling the post-cruise blues. I’m excited for tomorrow but also wish I could do this for another eleven days. 

[dalsnibba]

On 6/5/2023 at 17:07, Buckeye10640 said:

Grazie, ho fatto delle ricerche dopo aver letto il tuo post e sono giunto alla conclusione che non esiste alcuna prova del requisito del vaccino per un cittadino statunitense. Ho anche ricontrollato il sito della nostra compagnia di escursioni - Chilkoot Tours - e menzionano solo che è richiesto il passaporto. Li porteremo comunque con noi. Grazie. 

In the USA, until 11 May the anti-covid protocols are active.
after that date all anticovid protocols will end.
From the CDC Centers of Disease Control and Prevention USA

 

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/end-of-phe.html

End of the Federal COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) Declaration

Updated May 5, 2023

Español | Other Languages

Print

What You Need to Know

• The federal COVID-19 PHE declaration will end on May 11, 2023.
• Most tools, like vaccines, treatments, and testing, will remain available.
• CDC’s ability to collect and share certain data will change.
• CDC is updating its guidance to align with data changes.

 

May 11, 2023, marks the end of the federal COVID-19 PHE declaration. After this date, CDC’s authorizations to collect certain types of public health data will expire.

The United States has mobilized and sustained a historic response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a nation, we now find ourselves at a different point in the pandemic – with more tools and resources than ever before to better protect ourselves and our communities.

CDC has been working for many months to fold the agency’s COVID-19 emergency response activities into its existing structure and programs, as part of an ongoing transition to sustainable public health practice. The agency has also been working with partners, including states and local territories, to prepare for the end of the PHE declaration and communicate updated reporting requirements and cadences.

While reporting frequency and source data for some metrics will shift when the PHE declaration ends, CDC will continue to report valuable data to inform individual and community public health actions to protect those at highest risk of severe COVID-19. Our priority remains providing the information necessary to protect the nation’s public health.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

I attended my 5th chef’s table last Friday with my travel partner who had never been. Remo our executive chef did a great job with the menu and presentation of the food. For those who have never been the execution was impressive but to me it was severely lacking. 
Mario will be back as Maitre d’Hotel after the next cruise and knowing him, I’m sure he will bring the execution of the dinner back to all its glory. 
They did not serve the dishes to all at the same time with one waiter per person as is customary. The sense of excitement and pageantry in presenting Remo’s dishes was gone. 
 

The gorgeous sugar bowls/plates/decorations were non existent. 
 

Not one bottle of wine was properly wrapped in a towel before pouring. Not even the whites that were pulled from an ice bucket. Water was flung all about as they went around pouring it. even the new “sommelier” did this. Btw the sommeliers know next to nothing about wines, glassware and how to serve wine. 
 

They only did a group photo. They did not take pictures of travel companions with the chef and Maitre d. I really don’t want a group photo. 
 

They did not give the signed cookbook either. I don’t need a 5th one but others might have enjoyed it. 
 

The portions were much smaller. I was able to eat most all of each course except the raw lamb that was served. Everyone’s lamb came out raw. And that should never happen at a chef’s table. 

 

While I liked the smaller portions I’m not sure my DH would have. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 9, 2023 by HaveDogWillTravel

[XBGuy]

1 hour ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

 

 

 

 

 

Apologies, @HaveDogWillTravel, but that lamb looks perfect to me.

 

My prejudice notwithstanding, I agree that they should ask the diners for their preference.

 

I get wrapping iced wine bottles with towels, but I am struggling to recall ever seeing red wine wrapped in a towel for service.  Heck, I want everybody in the room to see the label of the wine that I am drinking.  I am getting older every day.  Maybe those are more memories that I have lost. 😁

 

Your comment about the expertise of the sommeliers does not surprise me.  However, all a Princess sommelier really has to do is find the guy in the dining room who "knows" that Silver Oak is the finest wine in the world and fawn over him.  Actually, it will not be necessary to find him.  He will have the sommelier summoned.

[nini]

A true certified Sommelier would know about wines, glassware, and proper service. Apparently, it appears to just be an assigned job title on Princess.

[wallyj]

4 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

 

They did not give the signed cookbook either. I don’t need a 5th one but others might have enjoyed it. 

I had a chance to speak to the DORO who was Neville S. on the Majestic last October and was told a ‘new’ cookbook is in the works as the previous one has ‘old’ recipes, no date was given when the new cookbook would be available 

Edited May 9, 2023 by wallyj
Format, delete pictures not needed

[FrankieJayIII]

On 5/8/2023 at 8:18 AM, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I used 

Michele Martin 

Martin’s Private Tours

(907)738-0619

 

THank you for sharing this information; that is the exact trip I want to take and I didn't know where to find it NOT FROM THE SHIP.    what was the cost for this? 

 

[FrankieJayIII]

@HaveDogWillTravel  How did you book the chef's table?  I am always curious to hear the best approach.   What was cost?   How was the wine? 

[EDVM96]

 

Farewell sunset on the Inside Passage 

[Carnevale]

The chef’s table looks interesting.  Are they able to accommodate dietary requirements?  We eat fish but no meat or poultry.  Might not be possible given the set menu approach.

[nini]

2 hours ago, Carnevale said:

The chef’s table looks interesting.  Are they able to accommodate dietary requirements?  We eat fish but no meat or poultry.  Might not be possible given the set menu approach.

We have enjoyed one Chef's Table; on the Grand last September. As far as I know, you can tell them of allergies, but I do not think they would be as cooperative excluding meat or poultry. But, who knows?

[Drdarkknight]

The time change destroyed me a bit today, even if it was only one hour. I woke up and it was almost 10am! I dragged myself out of bed and down to the International Cafe where my husband was sitting. Because I’d slept in I missed the culinary demonstration, which was a bummer. 

 

After breakfast we decided to finally go play some real Bingo. It was a blast and Bingo prices seem to be the only thing that’s not going through inflation. We didn’t win though my husband was only one number away on the coverall so he was mock-disappointed. 

 

We went to check out the Effy Boutique and quickly noped out of there when we saw the prices. We attempted to go to Alfredo’s but it was incredibly busy. We instead went up to the pool deck for a couple of beers. We like the bartender up there, Rahul, and had a nice chat with him. It turns out he’s likely to be working our cruise next year on the Sun Princess! 

 

We tried our luck at Alfredo’s but they were still busy. We said we’d be heading over to Good Spirits at Sea if something should open up. We were there about ten minutes before someone came to get us. Our final lunch was at Alfredo’s, where we shared a pepperoni pizza. 

 

Next it was off to the room to do some packing. My husband is a packing genius so I basically let him do his thing. We had to leave it partially unfinished due to the Grapevine Wine Tasting at 2:45pm. It ended up starting a fair bit late due to the popularity. I much preferred the Fine Wine Tasting. These wines left a lot to be desired. But the sommelier was brutal. In a lot of ways he seemed to be reciting from a script and then went he went off-book he went really off. Most people wouldn’t notice probably but as a wine nerd, I was cringing. Not sure if do Grapevine again. Also - please, people. Don’t talk throughout a presentation. I struggled to hear because the person beside me was talking the entire time. I don’t care that you’ve loved the white wine on the cruise. I don’t need to hear it three times. 

 

Then it was back up to the pool deck to watch some of the Inside Passage. Back to packing and then I abandoned my husband to go to Vines. I wasn’t being helpful anyways. Then it was off to dinner at Savoy. I think this is the slowest dining room. It always seems to take ages here. The other spots got through their growing pains early but here it still is taking far too long. I had the seafood cocktail, salmon cake, fish soup and ravioli. It was good but I would have preferred more ‘wow factor’ in a farewell dinner. I wanted to have dessert but I really wanted to attend an event starting at 7pm so I didn’t have time. 

 

We went back to our room to finish packing before returning to Vines to listen to Allure Strings one final time in the Piazza. She is so talented. I am going to miss being able to watch her every day. At 8 we headed over to Explorer’s Lounge to check out a game called Hollywood Hiccups. It was HILARIOUS. I thought my husband was going to die laughing. The cruise director staff re-enacted (if you can call it that) famous movie scenes on a shoestring budget. There was also some challenging trivia questions along with it. What a great final game show. 

 

Then it was back to Vines where we hung out and waited for the Farewell Party in the Piazza. We didn’t really pay attention because we were busy chatting and saying goodbye to our friends that work in Vines. It’s always so sad to say goodbye. I hope I’ll see them again. 

 

I’ll be posting one more update just to talk about disembarkation and my half day in Vancouver. I might also do a pro and cons list for anyone that might be reading this. Thank you to all my fellow cruisers who contributed to this Live From. Safe travels!

[PacnGoNow]

1 hour ago, Drdarkknight said:

The time change destroyed me a bit today, even if it was only one hour. I woke up and it was almost 10am! I dragged myself out of bed and down to the International Cafe where my husband was sitting. Because I’d slept in I missed the culinary demonstration, which was a bummer. 

 

After breakfast we decided to finally go play some real Bingo. It was a blast and Bingo prices seem to be the only thing that’s not going through inflation. We didn’t win though my husband was only one number away on the coverall so he was mock-disappointed. 

 

We went to check out the Effy Boutique and quickly noped out of there when we saw the prices. We attempted to go to Alfredo’s but it was incredibly busy. We instead went up to the pool deck for a couple of beers. We like the bartender up there, Rahul, and had a nice chat with him. It turns out he’s likely to be working our cruise next year on the Sun Princess! 

 

We tried our luck at Alfredo’s but they were still busy. We said we’d be heading over to Good Spirits at Sea if something should open up. We were there about ten minutes before someone came to get us. Our final lunch was at Alfredo’s, where we shared a pepperoni pizza. 

 

Next it was off to the room to do some packing. My husband is a packing genius so I basically let him do his thing. We had to leave it partially unfinished due to the Grapevine Wine Tasting at 2:45pm. It ended up starting a fair bit late due to the popularity. I much preferred the Fine Wine Tasting. These wines left a lot to be desired. But the sommelier was brutal. In a lot of ways he seemed to be reciting from a script and then went he went off-book he went really off. Most people wouldn’t notice probably but as a wine nerd, I was cringing. Not sure if do Grapevine again. Also - please, people. Don’t talk throughout a presentation. I struggled to hear because the person beside me was talking the entire time. I don’t care that you’ve loved the white wine on the cruise. I don’t need to hear it three times. 

 

Then it was back up to the pool deck to watch some of the Inside Passage. Back to packing and then I abandoned my husband to go to Vines. I wasn’t being helpful anyways. Then it was off to dinner at Savoy. I think this is the slowest dining room. It always seems to take ages here. The other spots got through their growing pains early but here it still is taking far too long. I had the seafood cocktail, salmon cake, fish soup and ravioli. It was good but I would have preferred more ‘wow factor’ in a farewell dinner. I wanted to have dessert but I really wanted to attend an event starting at 7pm so I didn’t have time. 

 

We went back to our room to finish packing before returning to Vines to listen to Allure Strings one final time in the Piazza. She is so talented. I am going to miss being able to watch her every day. At 8 we headed over to Explorer’s Lounge to check out a game called Hollywood Hiccups. It was HILARIOUS. I thought my husband was going to die laughing. The cruise director staff re-enacted (if you can call it that) famous movie scenes on a shoestring budget. There was also some challenging trivia questions along with it. What a great final game show. 

 

Then it was back to Vines where we hung out and waited for the Farewell Party in the Piazza. We didn’t really pay attention because we were busy chatting and saying goodbye to our friends that work in Vines. It’s always so sad to say goodbye. I hope I’ll see them again. 

 

I’ll be posting one more update just to talk about disembarkation and my half day in Vancouver. I might also do a pro and cons list for anyone that might be reading this. Thank you to all my fellow cruisers who contributed to this Live From. Safe travels!

Which MDR would you suggest for the best service?

Were there any that had more choices for a table for two?

TIA

[FrankieJayIII]

8 hours ago, Carnevale said:

The chef’s table looks interesting.  Are they able to accommodate dietary requirements?  We eat fish but no meat or poultry.  Might not be possible given the set menu approach.

others have stated that chefs table does not like this and there is an acknowledgment  that there are no dietary restrictions 

[nerudapoem]

10 hours ago, Carnevale said:

The chef’s table looks interesting.  Are they able to accommodate dietary requirements?  We eat fish but no meat or poultry.  Might not be possible given the set menu approach.

My sister and myself are vegetarian and they did accommodate us, though we were a little underwhelmed overall. Because you eat fish you should have a much more exceptional experience as they can use shrimp, lobster, caviar, etc. to add variety to your courses.   If you're looking to burn some OBC, why not try it?  

[dalsnibba]

Thanks for the live and good return!

[malba2366]

Thanks for the post...looks like you had a great time and the ship and food was very good.  We are going to be on the Sapphire in July and are glad to see this.

 

One question.  Do you know where on the ship the premium deserts and the fresh juices are?

[HaveDogWillTravel]

23 hours ago, XBGuy said:

Apologies, @HaveDogWillTravel, but that lamb looks perfect to me.

 

My prejudice notwithstanding, I agree that they should ask the diners for their preference.

 

I get wrapping iced wine bottles with towels, but I am struggling to recall ever seeing red wine wrapped in a towel for service.

If you look closely at the lamb there is white fat in the middle. The meat was cold. Not cold like it was cooked and then cooled off. Cold as in raw white fat cold.  To each their own though. Medium rare is the norm for group tables. This was not.

 

The wines are discussed and displayed prior to pouring. Red wine bottles are wrapped as when the pour is finished it is not unusual for a drop of wine to drip down the side. 
 

17 hours ago, FrankieJayIII said:

@HaveDogWillTravel  How did you book the chef's table?  I am always curious to hear the best approach.   What was cost?   How was the wine? 

I called the dine line first afternoon. Two nights later I asked Francesco when and how many chef tables he’d be doing and when they would be. Well it was only one and it was the next evening so we didn’t make the cut.

 Our restaurant manager in Savoy was excellent. We had already developed a rapport with him. I mentioned wanting to do it and miraculously there was a second one that we were invited to join.  

I don’t know what the magic sauce is but I’ve always had the best luck when I’ve talked directly to a restaurant manager or DORO. 

18 hours ago, FrankieJayIII said:

 

THank you for sharing this information; that is the exact trip I want to take and I didn't know where to find it NOT FROM THE SHIP.    what was the cost for this? 

 

Michele Martin charges $100 an hour.  The tour can be from 3 to 5 hours. We thought 5 was perfect. 
 

I’m not sure about the non meat option for chef table. Sometimes beef or chicken stock is used to make courses (like risotto) so it might be hard to do a non meat version.
 

 

[Wahoo73]

Wow! What a fantastic thread. Many thanks to Drdarkknight for her superb reporting, as well as HaveDogWillTravel and several others for contributing useful information.

My wife and I are traveling on Sapphire Princess, May 24-31, from Anchorage to Vancouver and will visit nearly all the same places you did.

We have several questions that I will submit in individual posts.

This will be our first time cruising on Princess and my wife has some concerns about how dressy she needs to be on Formal Nights. Can you give us some descriptions on how women dressed on these two evenings?

Edited May 10, 2023 by Wahoo73

[XBGuy]

1 hour ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

If you look closely at the lamb there is white fat in the middle. The meat was cold. Not cold like it was cooked and then cooled off. Cold as in raw white fat cold.  To each their own though. Medium rare is the norm for group tables. This was not.

 

The wines are discussed and displayed prior to pouring. Red wine bottles are wrapped as when the pour is finished it is not unusual for a drop of wine to drip down the side. 

 

Thank you for the follow-up.

 

 

[Drdarkknight]

3 hours ago, malba2366 said:

Thanks for the post...looks like you had a great time and the ship and food was very good.  We are going to be on the Sapphire in July and are glad to see this.

 

One question.  Do you know where on the ship the premium deserts and the fresh juices are?

I didn’t try any myself but I believe they are at the ice cream place on deck 14

[Drdarkknight]

2 hours ago, Wahoo73 said:

Wow! What a fantastic thread. Many thanks to Drdarkknight for her superb reporting, as well as HaveDogWillTravel and several others for contributing useful information.

My wife and I are traveling on Sapphire Princess, May 24-31, from Anchorage to Vancouver and will visit nearly all the same places you did.

We have several questions that I will submit in individual posts.

This will be our first time cruising on Princess and my wife has some concerns about how dressy she needs to be on Formal Nights. Can you give us some descriptions on how women dressed on these two evenings?

I know I dressed really fancy because I’m dramatic like that but for the most part it was fairly laid back. The first formal night had a lot more participation. Simple dresses mostly. The second formal night barely existed. Very few people dressed up. 

[Wahoo73]

20 minutes ago, Drdarkknight said:

I know I dressed really fancy because I’m dramatic like that but for the most part it was fairly laid back. The first formal night had a lot more participation. Simple dresses mostly. The second formal night barely existed. Very few people dressed up. 

Thank you. That alleviates some packing concerns for my wife.