Going on Princess Sapphire Vancouver to Whittier AK 7/28/07 tibit questions

[georgigirl]

We welcome ANY tips and tricks to help us get the most out of the Princess Sapphire cruise. We are celebrating our 50th birthdays, and our 25th anniversary. Is there anything included for free for us, or am I just being hopeful? We have another cabin with my inlaws it that one. We are bringing our 14 year old and he is graduating 8th grade so we have a lot to celebrate. Can we ask for anything special? We are dining "anytime dining" due to being off the ship and not wanting a schedule. Any tips or tricks to get the most bang for our buck? Any other well behaved, polite 14 year old kids for our son to associate with?

 

We are doing public bus and the walk to Mendenhall Glacier. Anyone want to do the public bus with last 1 to 1 -1/2 mile walk when we are in port? Just let us know. We would like to chat with folks around our age group! We are down to earth folks! Thanks!

[jlp20]

If you include this information on the Personalizer page of the website, you might get balloons on your door.

 

If you remind the dinning room staff, you will most likely get a “special” desert they provide for such events.

[georgigirl]

Thanks! It's been ages since we cruised, and it's all new to us now. Are the robes free also on the Princess Sapphire? Thanks about the neat tips!:)

[rdsqrl]

Yes, they have free robes -- you can put that in your Personalizer also, and the steward should have them in the cabin waiting for you, but if he doesn't, just ask for them. If you haven't already (and forgive me for stating the obvious if you have), make sure you visit the Roll Call board for your cruise -- you can probably find other 14 year old kids there, as well as people who would want to share shore excursions with you. And congratulations/happy birthday!

[ellenchristie]

Hi, we just returned from a southbound trip on the Sapphire from Whittier to Vancouver (June 9-16, 2007).

 

If you are at a specialty restaurant, (there are four) and mention it is your birthday or anniversary, the waitstaff will gather and sing to you, and bring you a special dessert. Make sure to chat it up a lot with the waitstaff, that can make your dining experience a whole lot more fun.

 

There is a "secret" bar called the Wakeview Bar. At the back of Club Fusion there is a circular staircase (you'll have to cross the dance floor to get there) and it is not well known, so if you want to be alone, check it out. The ironic thing is you can't really see the wake out the back windows unless you are coming down the stairway. Still, a neat little place.

 

If you are eating at the buffet at busy times, get a table first and have a member of your group hold it while the rest get their meal. If you are in a hurry for food, there is a pizza place where they always have cheese and pepperoni pizza, and a specialty pizza each day. It's right across from another spot where you can get brats and burgers, but you will need to wait in line there most likely. There is also an ice cream shop in this area, but you will be charged for it. I recommend the "Death by Chocolate"!

 

If you enjoy relaxing, the Lotus Spa has a family deal for the Sanctuary. It's a special place within the spa with heated beds (heaven!) and three steam rooms, two with special scents, lime and orange. There are also rainforest showers available. They gave us the family deal even though we were two couples. We could enjoy the sanctuary as long as we wanted, whenever we wanted for less than $10 per day, per person. We found it by accident while walking around the ship before it left port. They gave us a tour of the Spa for free and mentioned the deal at the end of the tour. You also have access to the changing rooms at the spa, which have their own saunas, steam rooms and showers.

 

On the lower deck with the library there is a little lounge that always has little snacks set out on the corner of the bar, those are free. We would take a game from the library and sit in the lounge and play for a few hours. There is also an afternoon tea every day on the ship from 3:30 - 4:30. It's not just tea, it has everything, so check it out. The only beverages you will not be charged for are the juices in the morning at the buffet and the tea and coffee, so take advantage of that if you enjoy those things.

 

When you visit Glacier Bay they will have the Park Rangers on board. Make sure to visit them to get the most out of the visit. The ship cannot make announcements over the public address system that day due to the sensitive environment, and you will be clueless as to where you are unless you check out the map they have set up. For us it was set up in the Calypso Pool area. They also have some beautiful dvds and books on glaciers available, if you are so inclined.

 

There is a fun little putting area that is free (not mini golf but you could play it that way - 9 holes), but a little hard to find, so ask. They even have bird and golfing sounds piped in to make it feel like a real golf course.

 

If you are planning to listen to Libby Riddles in Juneau, plan to get to the dock a little early. She brings several of her dogs for you to meet prior to her talk. And be warned... the buses to and from Mendenhall Glacier do not always come at the top and bottom of the hour as promised. If you are trying to get back to the ship at a certain time, you might not make it, so plan accordingly. The walk out to the glacier is about 4 miles (from the visitor center there), so bring your walking shoes if you plan to see it. There is an awesome waterfall there as well.

 

The best advice is to walk several blocks away from the ship, find a visitor center or a friendly local, and ask about what there is to see and do. In Skagway, find Dyea Dave for the best time. He knows the area very well and will give you the best bang for your buck. And even if you don't hire him for the day, he will be honest and straightforward with you about how best to spend your time there.

 

Have a wonderful trip!

[Winepourer]

We will be on the Sapphire on the 28th of July also!

Thank you for your response and tips!!! If you think of anything else, please post it.

[lake5298]

It can get busy on deck in Glacier Bay and College Fjord. If it's too crowded, why not go outside on the Promenade deck instead... it's less crowded and a bit more sheltered from the cold.

 

If you fancy eating at the Sterling steakhouse, book it for the day of College Fjord... because it's right by the Horizon Court, you get a great view out of the windows as you eat. Make sure and book a window table... ideally about 7pm for the best views.

 

Sabatini's is a must.... a real dining experience. Just make sure you have got a BIG appetite!

 

In Skagway, the Street Car tour is excellent... really entertaining and superb value too.

 

The salmon bake in Juneau is also very good.

 

We did the same cruise in May and had a great time. Enjoy!

[ellenchristie]

The hot tub and swimming pools are busiest in the mid-ship area. We found the ones located at the front and the back of the ship almost deserted most of the time. The ones at the back of the ship have an awesome view of the ocean, and there are several levels to choose from back there. The pool in the front of the ship has an "endless lap" (a current you can swim against).

 

And if you plan to buy souvenirs in the ship's stores, wait until the last day of the cruise, they will put a lot of stuff on sale. The shirts will be 75% off. Although they sell a book about the places you will visit on the cruise that comes with a map. It has a lot of nice photos and information about the areas you will be in. I would buy that the first day on the ship. The daily Patter will tell you which pages in the book to read about where the ship will be that day.

 

I agree about the post about the Promenade deck, a beautiful view and yet you are more protected from the elements. The only problem is that smoking is allowed in that area, and if you are not a smoker, it can be rather unpleasant.

 

The only real downside of the cruise was that the staff was constantly trying to sell us something, whether it was bottled water or a soft drink cup. There was a wine tasting event one day and three different staff members came up to us at breakfast to tell us all about it. The first had given us a card with some information on it about the event and everytime another staff member saw it on the table, they would stop and give us the same schpiel all over again. We finally put the card away so we could eat!

[nanalady]

Georgigirl, We have a thread going on the roll call boards - not alot of responses but it should pick up the closer we get to the cruise date. I saw your thread on it but you put 2006 not 2007 as the date of your cruise. You can check out our ages, etc. by reading our thread. Hope to "see" you there!

[Host Caroline]

 

We are doing public bus and the walk to Mendenhall Glacier. Anyone want to do the public bus with last 1 to 1 -1/2 mile walk when we are in port? Just let us know. We would like to chat with folks around our age group! We are down to earth folks! Thanks!

 

You need to go to roll call for this cruise to find others who might be interested in sharing your day in Juneau. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=307

 

Would suggest unless not feasible economically that you take advantage of whale watching, glacier landing or something in this port.. Mendenhall is impressive but it's really not that scenic getting out there and you won't find an hour there more than enough time. Will be like walking along a major thoroughfare at home. There are a lot of options in Juneau.. even if you don't book anything ahead of time at least check w/ some of the locals when you get there about tours. Just my recommendation since this is a special trip and there is just so much more there. Check Alaska boards as well.

[Host Caroline]

Hi, we just returned from a southbound trip on the Sapphire from Whittier to Vancouver (June 9-16, 2007).

 

When you visit Glacier Bay they will have the Park Rangers on board. Make sure to visit them to get the most out of the visit. The ship cannot make announcements over the public address system that day due to the sensitive environment, and you will be clueless as to where you are unless you check out the map they have set up. For us it was set up in the Calypso Pool area. They also have some beautiful dvds and books on glaciers available, if you are so inclined.

 

 

We were also on Sapphire on June 9 and the naturalist/Rangers can do some narration in the Bay but it's early on and not while the ship is "parked"/turning at the Marjerie Glacier area.. They will point our Reid Glacier, Hopkins and Lampeau (you will see best on the way out).. Rangers are out on bow usually as ship is at the last glacier if you don't wnat to spend time inside. Also there will be narration from ship naturalist as you are in College Fjord (wishing you a sunny evening as we had the Sunday morning we were there.. first one in my 4 visits) and at other times.. Also lon Sunday (check on time) there will probably be narration as you get closer to Seymour Narrows you will have some interesting narration about that stretch of the waterway.. In fact that entire morning shoudl be very scenic so get out an enjoy it.. interesting little towns like Alert Bay, lovely scenery etc. you will see on deck!

Steve Hites comes onboared in Skagway usually about 6:00 and does a show.. local guy... entertaining...usually in Explorers I think.

They will have Alaska port t-shirts on sale Sunday or Monday for 9.99 in atrium... the ones at the last day sale are not itinerary related but they have a great buy on a jacket that I bought last year on the CB at a sale like that for $12 (reduced from 60) that I could have sold at least 25 times the week in Alaska.

Have a great trip!

[clarencebyer]

Don't think I have seen this mentioned on this thread. Just got back from the Sapphire and they had free Ice Cream in the Horizon from 3-4PM. It was a special station set up just outside the entrance to the regular food stations. We were there Monday and Tuesday, but I imagine they have it daily. Chocolate and Vanilla ice cream with assorted toppings.

[kaseyoz]

In the buffet you dont need to have someone hold a table, they have little cards that you put in your spot that says you will be back. Then again we never had a problem finding a table, but it is a great idea to keep it while you go for seconds or thirds or.....