Sapphire Princess Alaska Cruise
We share details from our Alaska Cruise on the Sapphire Princess. We sailed a one-way seven night inside passage cruise from Whittier, Alaska to Vancouver, British Columbia.
This cruise was the second half of our Princess cruise tour. We started our adventure in Fairbanks and visited both the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge and the McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge. A train ride from Talkeetna to Whittier marked the transition from the land portion of our Alaska adventure to the cruise.
Why Take an Alaska Cruise Tour
Visiting Alaska is a bucket list item for us. We would love to see the best of what the United States has to offer and Alaska is that rugged frontier that is a must visit place. We knew that there would be so much to see and wanted to experience things both on land and by sea. A cruise tour seemed like the perfect way to get some of each.
The main reason we chose to book an Alaska cruise tour was to see Alaska’s amazing scenery. Our our series of Alaska Adventure posts, we have described all the great things we say from Fairbanks to Denali National Park to the cruise including Glacier Bay National Park. Be sure to check out those posts and videos for more starting with Alaska Cruise Itinerary & Ports.
Sapphire Princess Overview
We sailed on the Sapphire Princess. This is one of two Princess ships built by Mitsubishi in Japan. The ship can hold 2,680 passengers and 1,100 crew. It was launched in 2004 and has been updated at least twice. While it is a relatively old cruise ship, it was a beautiful ship and in great condition. We appreciated amenities like the covered swimming pool area and the International cafe.
Princess applies a consistent design to their ships. They share many of the same venues and restaurants. The color palette is warm tones which are nice but not too flashy. Toward the rear of the Sapphire, you’ll find the Piazza. This is a multi-story entertainment area surrounded by shops and restaurants. During the day, you might enjoy relaxing here with a bite from the International Cafe. In the evenings, entertainment like a band is often provided.
The ship has both an outdoor and covered pool area. Each has a bar and several hot tubs. The indoor pool area was appreciated on this Alaska itinerary as we did encounter some cold & rainy weather.
We always enjoy having a place to walk. Sapphire Princess has a Promenade deck. However, to complete the entire loop, you’ll have to climb up and down stairs as the forward part of the deck is not accessible.
The Sapphire Princess is a traditional cruise ship. It has all the essential amenities like a pool, hot tubs, restaurants, and entertainment venues. What you won’t find are things like go karts, water slides, ice rinks or the other things that are being added to newer ships. It had a casino which was open for quite a bit of the on this Alaskan journey.
A few shops were available. One feature Princess logo items where we were able to pick up a Sapphire Princess refrigerator magnet. There are other shops that sell clothing, travel items, jewelry, and duty free goods.
Check-in and Boarding
We did as much as possible before getting on the ship. We did as much of the prep work using the Princess app. Our medallions were delivered to our home and we were ready to go. During our train journey, Princess crew members completed the check in process so that when we arrived in Whittier, we walked right on. Being able to walk directly from the train to boarding the ship was fantastic.
As we arrived later in the day, we headed to the buffet area for a bite to eat and to watch the required safety video. Before we knew it, we were underway. Sail away is a bit different from what you might experience in the Caribbean. Rather than a deck party, there was a sail away event in the Piazza. The ship’s cruise director and entertainers welcomed everyone aboard with a few upbeat songs.
There was only one glitch with the process. Princess directed us to watch the safety video, which we did right after boarding. We watched it again in the room. However, a pretty scary sounding note was left in our room the next morning indicating that we had not completed the process. We were directed to check in with guest services right away. Rather than enjoying the first day of our cruise, we spent time resolving that only to be met with a ‘no big deal’ response from guest services.
Port Access
One reason many select Princess Cruises for Alaska is they often get the better locations to dock when in port. We found this to be the case.
For example, in Skagway, our ship docked at a prime location in town so we could just step off the ship and board the train. We had similar prime ports in Juneau and Ketchikan.
Additionally, we found that the ship stayed in port for longer than some other cruise lines. That allowed us to visit Ketchikan in the morning when it was raining and return again after lunch when the weather had cleared.
Balcony Stateroom on the Sapphire Princess
After enjoying a balcony stateroom on the Pride of America, we felt like it would be a good choice to do the same for our Alaska cruise. We opted for a port-side balcony stateroom. With all of the beautiful scenery on this itinerary, having a balcony was much appreciated.
We found that on the days when we visited scenic areas like Glacier Bay, other indoor viewing areas were packed with people looking for a comfortable place to enjoy the scenery. Having the option of being on deck or watching from our room was appreciated and we were definitely glad we opted for the balcony.
On our deck, the Baja Deck, the balconies are covered. However, we could look down into balconies on the decks below us that did not provide the same level of shelter. Each balcony had two chairs with foot rests and one small table between them.
While cruise ship rooms are usually not large, the room was big enough for us. Everything was clean an comfortable. One thing to note is that Princess balcony staterooms do not have a couch or other sitting area. To get a room with seating, you’d have to upgrade to the next level of stateroom.
Our stateroom had plenty of storage. We unpacked our bags at the start of the trip and stowed our luggage under the bed. A closet area with hangers enabled us to hang our clothes and there were shelves for folded items. We brought a lightweight folding laundry basket which made for a good place to put dirty clothes. A safe was provided in the closet.
To provide a bit more space, we brought magnetic hooks. We attached these to the wall near the door for items like hats. This worked great.
While there was a nightstand on each side of the bed, it had a lamp attached, making setting things like a phone, book, or glasses on it a bit challenging.
Our room had a desk with chair, and a small refrigerator. Power outlets were somewhat limited. We did bring multi-outlet adapters which just barely fit due to the outlet style and where it was placed. We tried two different sizes of power adapter and found the smaller one with one traditional plug, two USB, and one USB C fit better, though it barely fit without hitting the light switch.
The bathroom was small but functional. A combination shampoo & conditioner and body was were provided. The shower head was fixed in place. A handheld shower head would have made getting clean much easier.
Our room steward did a good job keeping things nice. However, one thing we encountered was a lack of towels. On several days, we had no washcloths. Our room steward said that laundry restrictions in Alaska made it impossible to provide clean towels. While it may be the case that laundry cannot be done when visiting pristine locations like Glacier Bay, it would be helpful if the ship had prepared sufficient laundry to be able to provide a set of clean towels each day.
Dining on Sapphire Princess
One of the reasons people like to cruise is for the dining experience. How was the food on the Sapphire Princess? Overall it was good. The best options for us where the International Cafe, the buffet, and poolside pizza.
Main Dining Rooms
There are multiple main dining rooms on the Sapphire. While they all serve the same menu, the difference is in when you dine. We chose the flexibility to dine when it was convenient, so we ate in the Pacific Moon and Sante Fe dining rooms. They are in the same part of the ship, but have different decor and different staff. If you prefer to have a fixed dining time with the same wait staff each time, you can opt to use the Savoy or International dining rooms. All serve dinner each night but only the International is available for breakfast.
Both Santa Fe and Pacific Moon were good dining options. We preferred the decor of Santa Fe but found that it often had a longer wait to be seated which made Pacific Moon the easier choice.
In both restaurants, we were often seated at a table for two which was in a line of tables closely spaced together. After several nights of small talk with those seated at the neighboring tables, we requested to have a larger table which was provided.
In typical cruise fashion, dinner includes an appetizer, entree, and dessert. With our Princess Plus package, basic wines were included. We could upgrade to a better glass of wine for a small upcharge.
We tried a variety of entrees including halibut, salmon, seafood risotto, beef tenderloin, gnocchi, fettuccini, chicken cordon bleu, and more. Overall, the meals were good but not outstanding.
Due to limited hours of operation, we only ate breakfast in the main dining room one day. We wish it had been open a bit longer.
Specialty Dining
The Sapphire Princess has two specialty dining rooms. Sabatini’s is their Italian option. A second option is Churrascaria Brazilian Grill. We opted not to try specialty dining on this cruise. Based on our experience on past cruises, we wish that a steakhouse option would be available.
Poolside Dining
While the weather was cool, the dining options by the pool were still open. We enjoyed the hamburgers and tacos one night for dinner as this made an easy alternative to either the main dining room or the buffet.
The pizza available poolside was also really good. You could get pizza by the slice which we had this several times. For poolside pizza, this was really good.
Alfredo’s Pizza
Since we had Princess Plus, we also had the option to dine at Alfredo’s up to two times. We opted to have Pizza at Alfredo’s rather than eating in the main dining room. With our package, an appetizer, pizza, and a dessert were included. On our first visit, we tried the full meal. The one appetizer offered with fresh mozzarella and tomatoes.
While the menu had some amazing looking pizzas, we were limited to only a limited selection and so opted for a pepperoni and a margherita pizza. We were both pretty excited to try one of the specialty pizzas and were pretty disappointed that they weren’t included. But, the pizza we had was good. Finally, the sole dessert offering was Tiramisu.
The Buffet
The buffet on Sapphire Princess is called the World Fresh Marketplace. It was open most of the time, though it closed for certain hours during the day, maybe to change meal types. There was a good variety of choices and the food was tasty. Wait staff was available to bring drinks to your table, which was appreciated. Drink stations had water, lemonade, and Lavazza coffee. We were able to get a good breakfast each day in the buffet.
International Cafe
The international cafe offers breakfast and small bites throughout the day. You can also get specialty coffee at the international cafe. We discovered that this was the perfect place to get pre-breakfast coffee to bring to our room.
And, we enjoyed have a snack here rather than a full lunch. The international cafe quickly became one of our favorite offerings on the Sapphire Princess. Try the mini chicken pot pie, it’s delicious.
Specialty Desserts & Gelato
With Princess Plus, you can get specialty desserts and gelato. On the Sapphire Princess, these are offered poolside at Scoops.
While we appreciated the specialty desserts, we really liked getting gelato. The flavors changed daily. One day we were able to get a scoop of blueberry and a scoop of vanilla served in a cone. Yum!
Bars on the Sapphire Princess
There is a good bar selection on the Sapphire Princess. There are multiple bars available and each has a unique atmosphere helping you to ensure you’ll find a place for you. During our week on the Sapphire Princess, we had the opportunity to try a few of the venues.
Good Sprits at Sea offered a variety of cocktails both at the bar and delivered to the nearby Piazza area. We found it to be a good place to sample a beverage from one of the friendly staff.
Explorer’s Lounge was a great place for evening entertainment. The cruise director staff hosted trivia and other games which were a lot of fun. We paired up with another couple one night for musical trivia and ended up with the best score – wining us a new Princess wine bottle stopper. The bar staff at this venue tend to get busy. Princess is trying hard to discourage people from visiting the bar and instead tried to have people order using the OceanNow feature in the mobile app.
Better wines are available at Vines. On our one visit, the wine was good and we had the venue to ourselves.
Though the weather on our Alaskan cruise was often chilly, the poolside bars were open with good service. These were perfect for ordering a beverage to have in the hot tub in the covered pool area.
Skywalkers Nightclub looked like it could be a great venue. However, it was not active during our visit, except for a place to the National Park staff to set up during our visit to Glacier Bay. One evening we tried to order drinks using OceanNow but it did not function in this part of the ship.
Given that our cruise was to a cooler climate, it would have been appreciated if the bars on Sapphire Princess offered a few hot beverage options. Maybe they could add options like hot buttered rum, hot toddy, or hot chocolate with mint. A few of the bartenders knew how to create a hot option when requested but these weren’t standard menu offerings.
Sapphire Princess Entertainment
While many newer cruise ships have fantastic Broadway show quality entertainment, the offerings on the Sapphire Princess were a bit more basic. Each night, you’ll find solo performers or duets at each of the bars. And you’ll often find musicians or other entertainment in the Piazza.
The main venue on the Sapphire Princess is the Princess Theater. This was a very nice and very comfortable theater. It was often full for both evening entertainment as well as for naturalist presentations. The naturalist talks on Alaska were informative and enjoyable. Seats were comfortable and there was more legroom than often found in a large theater.
One of the best things on our Alaska Cruise was the nature talks by Sandra the naturalist. She gave several talks during the cruise which were really good. She shared about some of the abundant wildlife that we might be able to see during our cruise.
The Piazza often had fun entertainment such as musicians. One day we saw a ‘martini demonstration’. Several bartenders shared their favorite cocktails. A few lucky guests got to sample their creations. This was a fun show where the team got to demonstrate their talent. We really enjoyed the experience.
Another fun event was Puppies in the Piazza where they shared information about how sled dogs are trained while we got to enjoy some very cute sled dog puppies.
There was also some great entertainment in the Explorer’s Lounge. We enjoyed the games, like majority rules, and trivia led by the cruise director staff. While we don’t often do trivia, we paired up with another couple for a music trivia game and actually came in first. Fun!
Was the Sapphire Princess Cruise Worth It?
We really enjoyed our visit to Alaska on the Sapphire Princess. It was great to have the cruise as part of a land and sea adventure. .
- Was a trip to Alaska worth it? Yes!
- Was a cruise on the Sapphire Princess worth it? Yes!
- Would we do another Alaska cruise? Yes, absolutely.
- Was a balcony stateroom worth it? Yes. The views were fantastic.
- With a port-heavy itinerary, did you still have time to relax and enjoy the Sapphire Princess? Yes. There were several scenic cruising and sea days which were very relaxing. The three ports were all great.
- Was Princess Plus a good deal? Overall, yes. It’s nice to not have a surprise bill at the end. We didn’t take advantage of all of the features but gratuities, Wi-Fi, and beverages were a decent value.
- Did we get a good sample of the Alaska? Yes. As part of a cruise tour, we saw many of the must do Alaska attractions.
- What would you do differently next time? Overall, this was a great trip. It would be amazing to do the small boat excursion at Hubbard Glacier and we might like to try a fishing excursion.
Sapphire Princess Alaska Cruise YouTube Video
Check out our Sapphire Princess Alaska Cruise YouTube video where we show the highlights of the cruise portion of our Alaskan adventure.
Leave a Comment
Have you taken an Alaska cruise or sailed on the Sapphire Princess? What was your experience like? Do you have tips to share? We’d love to hear all about it. Please leave us a comment.
If you like this, be sure to watch for our the rest of our Alaska Adventure series.
Pike’s Waterfront Lodge Fairbanks
Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge
McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge
Alaska Cruise Itinerary & Ports
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