Blogging from the Sapphire Princess

[ceilidh1]

On 7/26/2023 at 6:19 AM, PescadoAmarillo said:

We’re in Vancouver and are boarding the Sapphire Princess today for a two week cruise to Alaska. I’m not doing a Live From as I’m not certain about onboard WiFi speeds, but I am blogging about our trip at

 

http://pescadoamarillo.blogspot.com/2023/07/an-anniversary-cruise-to-alaska.html

Welcome to my city! I assume you are back here in 2 weeks - would love to meet up if you have time and repay the kindness G showed me on the Ruby back in December! I almost missed that you were cruising as I just got back from a 10 day on QE2...

[icat2000]

Welcome back. I have enjoyed your blogging for many years. I can remember being stuck on a long layover and reading all your blogging posts over your cruises (especially your Pacific Princess blog) whereby you provided a wealth of information of the years. 

 

I'm going to Alaska next year. First time ever. 

[KLM3164]

@PescadoAmarillo I’m caught up on your current blog now and your posts about Chicken Korma brought a smile to face. 😊 You see I had never tried Chicken Korma until I read about it in your May 2022 post about what happened on your cruise to Hawaii. After I read that I decided to try CK on our recent cruise in February. Let’s just say I’m a believe now! It’s something I don’t think I ever would have ordered so thank you for the recommendation.

[phonejock]

@PescadoAmarillo I just read your blog about your 26 glacier excursion. The pictures were absolutely wonderful. Thank you so much for posting. 

[PescadoAmarillo]

21 hours ago, KLM3164 said:

@PescadoAmarillo I’m caught up on your current blog now and your posts about Chicken Korma brought a smile to face. 😊 You see I had never tried Chicken Korma until I read about it in your May 2022 post about what happened on your cruise to Hawaii. After I read that I decided to try CK on our recent cruise in February. Let’s just say I’m a believe now! It’s something I don’t think I ever would have ordered so thank you for the recommendation.

I had it again for lunch today!! I’m glad you like it!

[SSAtlantic]

So happy to read you are enjoying cruising again. I know you have said how much you are enjoying the Sapphire. We are looking to do a similar trip in 2025 and are debating between the Coral and the Sapphire. Which would you recommend? We do book mid aft on Caribe deck for the half covered balcony. 
Enjoy the rest of your trip. 
Hope all is well with your mom, have traveled and worried about elderly parents. It is not easy. 

[PescadoAmarillo]

4 hours ago, SSAtlantic said:

So happy to read you are enjoying cruising again. I know you have said how much you are enjoying the Sapphire. We are looking to do a similar trip in 2025 and are debating between the Coral and the Sapphire. Which would you recommend? We do book mid aft on Caribe deck for the half covered balcony. 
Enjoy the rest of your trip. 
Hope all is well with your mom, have traveled and worried about elderly parents. It is not easy. 

Thank you very much. 
 

I prefer the Sapphire for Alaska. Check out the aft viewing decks pic I put on my blog. Then there are the forward decks on Deck 8 and 15, over the Bridge, and the covered Peomwnade Deck.

[Musky Ike]

Following along as we will sail on the Sapphire in October for the first time on that ship. The wake view bar looks interesting.

[ashpam]

Thank you so much for taking the time to blog your adventure in Alaska!

 

If it's not too much trouble, would you be able to advise when the crab shack luncheons occurs on your Southbound leg? Didn't see it listed in the patters uploaded on the first leg. Trying to allocate the stomach space accordingly when we go. 😄 

[DougH]

I'm like you and love the aft interior cabins on Aloha. Being just steps from the aft open deck is liking having your own balcony. Can you let me know if they have I think they call it Luggage Direct when you get off in Vancouver? This is the program where you pay extra cost and they take your luggage from the ship and you then claim it when you arrive at your final home airport.

[1025cruise]

3 hours ago, DougH said:

I'm like you and love the aft interior cabins on Aloha. Being just steps from the aft open deck is liking having your own balcony. Can you let me know if they have I think they call it Luggage Direct when you get off in Vancouver? This is the program where you pay extra cost and they take your luggage from the ship and you then claim it when you arrive at your final home airport.

Due to needing to clear US immigration/customs at the Vancouver airport, I would heavily doubt this is an option.

[DougH]

28 minutes ago, 1025cruise said:

Due to needing to clear US immigration/customs at the Vancouver airport, I would heavily doubt this is an option.

I'm pretty sure I did this last year

[PescadoAmarillo]

Is this what you are referring to?  We did sign up for this. There us no cost but a Princess transfer in required. 

Edited August 5, 2023 by PescadoAmarillo

[azbirdmom]

11 minutes ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Is this what you are referring to?  We did sign up for this. There us no cost but a Princess transfer in required. 

 

Good to see that program return.  It's fantastic, we've done it a couple of times pre-Covid.  You skip the terminal entirely and go directly to the airport.  And you'll find your luggage in a "roped-off" area at the airport.

[Steelers36]

1 hour ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

<no text kept>

 

J, you are surely blessed this voyage.  Blog sounds like you are having a grand time and the weather looks amazing.  The Great Carnac sees more PCL voyages in your future. 

 

[PescadoAmarillo]

7 hours ago, ashpam said:

Thank you so much for taking the time to blog your adventure in Alaska!

 

If it's not too much trouble, would you be able to advise when the crab shack luncheons occurs on your Southbound leg? Didn't see it listed in the patters uploaded on the first leg. Trying to allocate the stomach space accordingly when we go. 😄 

I will try. My husband booked my reservation for it. I have no idea how he did it, but I’ll try to find out. 

[PescadoAmarillo]

2 hours ago, Steelers36 said:

J, you are surely blessed this voyage.  Blog sounds like you are having a grand time and the weather looks amazing.  The Great Carnac sees more PCL voyages in your future. 

 

Hmmmm… did you find that unasked question in a mayonnaise jar on Funk and Wagnall’s porch after noon today??

[PescadoAmarillo]

An Opposite Day for us. Totally laid back, we’re in shorts and T’s on the Terrace Deck. Dinner is Parmesan shards, red grapes and a glass of merlot with a phenomenal view. Feels like home. 

Edited August 6, 2023 by PescadoAmarillo

[DougH]

Thanks, that is a similar program to the one I was thinking about. The other one you sent your luggage directly to the airline and never saw the bag again until you got home. This one does help a bit getting thru the Vancouver airport. Sure hope the weather holds up for the next couple of weeks, forecast is mostly shows with 60% chance of rain almost daily. I know it changes rapidly but in 30+ cruise to Alaska I have had great weather almost every time even with similar forecasts. Negative is most of my cruises have been in the May/June time frame

[seamwoman]

I too am so happy to be cruising along with you again!  On your blog you said you received many emails saying the same thing - what is your email address?  After five years of not cruising after my husband passed away, Covid and a serious health crisis I have a Christmas cruise with my son booked on Enchantment. I hope it will be as good of a reunion as you have enjoyed. Thanks for taking us along!

[milogurd]

Hope this doesn't affect any planned shore excursions:

 

Glacial break causes major flooding in Juneau, Alaska, officials issue emergency declaration

 

https://abcnews.go.com/US/glacial-break-causes-major-flooding-alaska-destroys-structures/story?id=102056193nneau&fbclid=IwAR26VXnxLJaJEmvarbm0HMXTEAlGX1kHB-FZUsBG_hSDSTKBf64yf7ZqkPE

 

Edited August 7, 2023 by milogurd

[Steelers36]

10 hours ago, seamwoman said:

I too am so happy to be cruising along with you again!  On your blog you said you received many emails saying the same thing - what is your email address?  After five years of not cruising after my husband passed away, Covid and a serious health crisis I have a Christmas cruise with my son booked on Enchantment. I hope it will be as good of a reunion as you have enjoyed. Thanks for taking us along!

Go to her blog.  Look at the "About Me" link.  Open up her profile.  There is an "Email" link there you can use.

[Steelers36]

On 8/5/2023 at 11:33 PM, PescadoAmarillo said:

From the Blog:

About 1pm we went to Alfredo’s for the first time since the pricing change. Theoretically, we are grandfathered in under the old (free) pricing since we are in transit guests, but we also have Princess Plus, so we would get two free meals here, regardless. Let me just go on record as saying I’ve do not like the change, at least for Alfredo's. This is one restaurant where extra courses were not needed and are, frankly, too much. At home, we don’t have a starter and a dessert when we have pizza. Pizza stands on its own quite well. 

The extra dining charge makes much more sense for restaurants that were previously extra cost anyway, and less sense for Alfredo's, which was free. To justify the charge, Princess added superfluous courses which are way too much food. 

 

Alfredo's/Gigi's did have the appetizers and dessert before, plus additional mains - at least on Royal Class ships.  Perhaps you were thinking of smaller ships where I understand the menu was pizza's only (I have forgotten that as not been in one of those for a long time).

 

One piece of good news is that the menu photo you posted indicated pizza's are $8.50 a la carte, which seems reasonable based on other for-fee casual dining menus.  The menu drafts that were posted in other thread(s) here in the this Forum indicated that a la carte pizza's were going to be $12.  So, it will be interesting to see if the charge is $12 on a Royal Class ship or $8.50.  I thought the $12 fee was on the high side.  There are two different Alfredo menus - the smaller scope one like yours with one App and one Dessert and the larger one with more Apps and Mains

 

 

[PescadoAmarillo]

On 8/5/2023 at 10:25 AM, ashpam said:

Thank you so much for taking the time to blog your adventure in Alaska!

 

If it's not too much trouble, would you be able to advise when the crab shack luncheons occurs on your Southbound leg? Didn't see it listed in the patters uploaded on the first leg. Trying to allocate the stomach space accordingly when we go. 😄 

I finally have the answer for you. Crab Shack is offered twice, on each of the two sea days of the Alaska cruises (the first and last full days) in the Savoy Dining Room from noon to 1:30pm. The cost is $29. 

[PescadoAmarillo]

On 8/6/2023 at 9:09 AM, seamwoman said:

I too am so happy to be cruising along with you again!  On your blog you said you received many emails saying the same thing - what is your email address?  After five years of not cruising after my husband passed away, Covid and a serious health crisis I have a Christmas cruise with my son booked on Enchantment. I hope it will be as good of a reunion as you have enjoyed. Thanks for taking us along!

Thank you!  I’m deeply sorry for your loss, and not fair to have health issues on top of it!  I wish you a wonderful and peaceful Christmas cruise. We’ve done several and I’ve really enjoyed them. 
 

My email is pescadoamarillo(at)gmail.com