What We Loved (and Hated) on Sapphire Princess

The 20-year-old Sapphire Princess is the smallest (and oldest) Princess Cruises’ ship we have sailed on to date. But, this seasoned ship had a lot more to offer than we expected. We are back from a 7-night Alaska cruise and share what we loved and hated in our honest Sapphire Princess cruise review.

Our HONEST Sapphire Princess Cruise Review

To be honest, Sapphire Princess normally would not be our first choice of cruise ship as we tend to gravitate towards newer ships in most cruise lines’ fleets. However, this trip was more about experiencing our first Alaska cruisetour.

Having sailed to Alaska six times in the past eleven years, we wanted to try something different. Combining a mix of lodge stays in interior Alaska, a scenic ride on the Alaska Railroad, and a 7-day Voyage of the Glaciers cruise, this seemed like the perfect trip. With a handful of Princess ships offering this option, we settled on Sapphire Princess mostly because the dates aligned with our travel plans.

But, would the ship live up to our standards? Well, we traveled from Fairbanks to Whittier over our five days on land and boarded Sapphire Princess to find out.

Pool Deck & Outdoor Areas

With 18 decks, Sapphire Princess offers more outdoor space than we expected for a ship of her size. We particularly appreciated the various viewing areas during our time in Glacier Bay National Park.

Deck 14 is home to the main pool in the middle of the ship. The Neptune pool is flanked by two whirlpools and several decks of loungers. Thus, we suspect this pool deck will be busy in the ship’s new summer home in the Mediterranean.

Further aft on this deck is the Conservatory, which is home to the indoor Calypso pool. There is also the outdoor Splash pool located next to the youth activity centers. Not to mention, there are several hot tubs on Deck 15 as well that were popular places during scenic cruising through Alaska’s Inside Passage.

Down on Deck 12 is the Terrace Pool, an aft-facing pool that overlooks the wake. There is also the adults-only Lotus Spa Pool. This pool is tucked away forward on Deck 15. During our cruise, this pool was open to all guests 18+, not only those using the Spa or the Sanctuary.

While there are plenty of outdoor spaces, guests seeking a more intimate setting should consider the Sanctuary. Located all the way forward on Deck 16, this upcharge sun deck boasts upscale loungers, an exclusive menu, and dedicated staff. While we didn’t see many guests utilizing this area in Alaska, we suspect this space might be worth it when there are more families on board the ship and/or in warmer climates.

Along with several terraced outdoor areas on the top of the ship, Deck 7 is home to an open promenade. The promenade wraps around most of the ship. One of the hidden gems is the partially covered bow. Technically located on Deck 8, this viewing platform offers uninhibited views. A similar view is available from the top of the ship on Deck 15.

Other outdoor amenities include a sports court on Deck 19. This basketball court is also home to the cruise’s hottest sport, pickleball. If you examine the deck plans like we did, you will notice that Deck 16 features a lawn court. However, it did not appear to be in use at the moment.

Onboard Activities

Sapphire Princess doesn’t boast waterslides or rock climbing walls like the newest and largest cruise ships in the world. Besides the aforementioned sports court, there are not many onboard attractions.

Instead, the staff host a variety of onboard activities. These include games and challenges, as well as enrichment programs. Even though we are mega-ship enthusiasts, we didn’t find ourselves missing the amusements on larger vessels. With a port-intensive itinerary, Sapphire Princess offered just enough onboard fun between each destination.

Cruise Director Drew and his activity team ensured that everyone on board was entertained. The Piazza was abuzz each day with officer vs guest challenges. On an impromptu sea day, there was a very tense game of water pong, along with other challenges. Other typical cruise activities included a variety of trivia happening in the Explorer’s Lounge.

Not to mention, the Lotus Spa’s thermal suite was available. Featuring several experiences, guests can opt for a voyage-long pass or a day-long pass, based on availability.

Additionally, as part of the cruise line’s North to Alaska programming, there were talks and interactive activities throughout our voyage. The onboard naturalist offered a couple lectures and narrated scenic sailing on a few occasions. Given a slight change in our itinerary, we were able to sail the Johnstone Strait, which resulted in multiple humpback whale sightings right from our ship.

There was also a local award-winning photographer and a storyteller offering presentations from the Northern Lights to the Gold Rush.

During our stop in Skagway, the piazza was overflowing with guests waiting to get a glimpse of Alaskan husky puppies. The line’s signature Puppies in the Piazza event featured Iditarod champion Ryan Reddington. In addition to bringing along two adorable 8-week-old puppies, he answered questions about their training and his family’s legacy competing in the race.

Sailing through Glacier Bay National Park, we had a full day of park ranger-led presentations and Q&A sessions. Ranger Rianne’s talk, accompanied by ship-wide narration, brought the national park’s history, unique landscapes, and wildlife to life. For us, this is always a highlight of Alaska cruises.

While we expected there to be more enrichment, similar to our previous Princess Alaska sailings, the sessions we did attend were engaging and informative.

Nightlife and Entertainment

Sapphire Princess had a traditional lineup of evening entertainment. Typically, there is a game show around 8:30 PM in the Explorer’s Lounge. Cruiser favorites like Yes or No, Rock the Room, the Marriage Match, and the Perfect Couple were just some of the highlights.

Following the game show, we typically went to the main theater for that night’s performance. The main theater offered three signature productions as well as headliners during our sailing. We have never been big fans of Princess Cruises’ productions, and this sailing did not change our minds.

The second night’s show, Do You Wanna Dance, was a hodgepodge of popular radio hits from several genres of music. On the second formal night, Bravo featured a mix of operatic-style tunes and classical crossover music with songs from Josh Groban and Andrea Bocelli. Finally, the last night of the cruise was the most energetic show, Let Me Entertain You. With the most up-to-date soundtrack and the shortest runtime, the show was a pleasant send-off from the production cast.

We did not catch any of the headliners in the main theater, but they included a magician, a Whitney Houston tribute, and a ventriloquist.

Along with the nighttime game shows, several venues offered live music. The Wheelhouse Bar was often home to a solo guitarist or one of the two onboard duos. Two piano players tickled the ivories at Crooners Bar. The rock band NeoFunk was everywhere, from being part of piazza parties to performing for some of the game shows.

Besides the rock band, none of the other musical acts were particularly memorable. But, they served as a nice backdrop when savoring a drink at one of the bars.

Like any Princess ship, the Piazza was the central hub during the day and evening. Princess Cruises isn’t known for its over-the-top parties like some other cruise lines. But on Day 6, the Back to the 80s dance party had the piazza grooving.

One thing Princess Cruises is known for though is Movies Under the Stars. In the evenings, the pool deck regularly played a variety of family-friendly movies, like Snow White and Wicked.

During our sailing, there were two comedians in Club Fusion aft on Deck 7 as well. Club Fusion turned into the ship’s karaoke bar and was also home to bingo during the day, but the venue did feel underutilized throughout the cruise.  

Another venue that seemed underutilized is the Skywalker’s Nightclub on Deck 18. Home to the late-night scene, it was relatively empty the couple of times we ventured up there.

Bars and Lounges

Sapphire Princess is home to over a dozen bars and lounges. Regardless of the venue, it is easy to determine which drinks are covered in the Princess Plus and Princess Premier packages as the menus are clearly labeled.

Heidi and I had the Princess Premier package. Nearly all drinks by the glass are included with this upgraded drink package. For any of those over the $20 allotment, you only pay the difference plus the 18% service charge.

For the most part, all the outdoor bars serve a reduced version of the ship’s standard menu. So, we were never far from a drink while admiring the Alaskan landscape.

Given that we were in Alaska, all bars also had a “North to Alaska” menu. This menu offered local beers and wines, along with some specialty cocktails featuring regional spirits. Although, since we were on the last cruise of the Alaska season, the ship was running out of these specialty beverages.

A few bars and lounges on Sapphire Princess do feature specialty cocktail menus. Our personal favorite is Good Spirits. Unfortunately though, this Good Spirits did not have any live cocktail demonstrations. Still, you could get drinks like the Bangkok Mule by asking for the Good Spirits menu. The Crooners Bar is the cocktail bar on the ship. So, a Woodford Premium Old Fashioned felt right at home at this bar right off the piazza.

The Wheelhouse Bar, forward on Deck 7, is a massive space. With a small stage on the port side, the venue wasn’t particularly conducive to enjoying the live music. This signature bar menu features modern takes on classic drinks, such as a Jack Daniel’s smash. With nautically-inspired early 20th-century vibes, the Wheelhouse Bar is a more refined spot for a pre-dinner or post-dinner drink.

Vines Wine Bar, located on Deck 5, features a curated list of red, white, rosé, and sparkling wines. Most pours here are under the $20 allotment of the Premier Package.

The remaining indoor lounges serve the standard bar menu. While the lineup of bars is not as diverse as some of the larger ships in the fleet, there was enough variety in terms of menus and live entertainment to find something unique to enjoy each evening.  

Casual Dining

On Sapphire Princess, our go-to for something quick to eat in the morning and afternoon was the International Café. When compared to cafes on brands like Royal Caribbean, Carnival, or Celebrity Cruises, the International Café offers better food selections.

Options in the morning include breakfast sandwiches, pastries, fresh fruit, and continental items. During the day, sandwiches, savory pies, and other handheld favorites are easily accessible. But, you can’t pass up the cookies.

The International Café is also the spot for all your espresso-based drinks. During peak morning hours, the same drinks are also brewed up at the Wheelhouse Bar. But, I was usually a step or two ahead of everyone else in the mornings. So, I didn’t have to wait long for our usual order of an iced caramel latte and double espresso.

Out near the pool deck, you’ll find two additional spots for casual dining that are included in the cruise fare. Prego Pizzeria slices up freshly made pizza with a standard menu of pepperoni, margherita, and vegetarian. While not as good as the upcharge Alfredo’s, this poolside pizza is still far better than most of the competition.

Next door to the pizzeria is the Trident Grill, serving made-to-order burgers and sandwiches. These burgers were just okay, roughly on par with the Mast Grill on Celebrity Cruises. But, they did not compare to the freshly made ones at Guy’s Burger Joint on Carnival or at Dive-In on Holland America Line.

A staple on cruises, free soft serve and ice cream are available throughout the day at Swirls on the pool deck as well. This is also where guests can currently enjoy the premium ice cream desserts.

The central casual dining spot is the Horizon Court buffet on Deck 14. If you know us, then you know we are not big fans of buffets. But, we did try it once for lunch and once for breakfast. As cruise ship buffets go, it was pretty average. However, the setup was a bit tight and closed off making it difficult to maneuver when crowded.

Breakfast had all the standard fare, with a selection of hot items and an omelet station that could easily be missed. Unlike the buffets on larger ships, there weren’t any designated sections for lunch and dinner. Besides the designated salad bar, menu items did not seem like they were in any predictable order.

With Princess Premier, guests also have access to OceanNow. This food delivery service includes a limited menu available for breakfast and lunch/dinner. In addition to their staterooms, guests can have food and drinks delivered to them throughout the ship.

Main Dining Room

Over the course of our seven nights on Sapphire Princess, we had dinner in the main dining room on four occasions. We also tried the main dining room once for breakfast and once for lunch. For the most part, the main dining room exceeded our expectations.

Both breakfast and lunch offer the same menu throughout the cruise. Each day, there is a unique special for breakfast. For lunch, a new vegetarian option is available each day. But the rest of the menu remains the same. While breakfast is served every day, lunch is only offered on sea days and late port arrival days.

Oddly, Sapphire Princess actually has five main dining rooms. The largest one is the International Dining Room. In addition to serving breakfast and lunch, this venue also offers traditional dining. For our cruise, there were two seatings here, early seating at 5 PM and late seating at 7:30 PM.

Like most major cruise lines, the dinner menu offers rotational selections. There are also Princess Favorites as starters, entrees, and desserts. Furthermore, the rotational menu options feature regional dishes made with locally sourced ingredients as part of the North to Alaska programming.

The four other dining rooms on the ship are reserved for cruisers with flexible dining. During our cruise, Savoy, located on the port side of Deck 5, was open for guests who had made pre-reservations. This is where we dined during the sailing.

Using the Princess Cruises app, you can pre-book reservations before the cruise. Or, once onboard, you can try to reserve spots.

Our service team of Robert and Vivek were amazing. These Princess Cruises’ veteran servers were friendly, attentive, and remembered our preferences after our second visit.

Along with outstanding service, the food was also much better than our previous Princess sailings. Among the standouts were the duck a l’orange, land and sea, and the crackling pork belly. With its Italian heritage, every night there is a signature pasta dish as well, which Heidi enjoyed.

Just make sure to save room for dessert. On several nights, baked Alaska was the featured dessert. The cruise line also offers a different cheesecake each night, and the few I sampled were fantastic. The regional desserts, such as the warm Alaska blueberry cobbler, are also among the best at sea.

Specialty Restaurants

Currently, Sapphire Princess is home to two specialty restaurants.

The Italian restaurant, Sabatini’s, is located aft on Deck 7. We dined here on Night 3 of our cruise. Our experiences at this restaurant on other Princess ships have been hit or miss. But, we both agreed that this visit was one of the better experiences.

The fried calamari was crispy and fresh, served with a tangy marinara sauce. The Bolognese was a rich and hearty pasta dish featuring al dente pappardelle and generous amounts of freshly grated Parmesan cheese. For my entree, I chose the osso bucco, which featured a tender shank paired with a creamy risotto. Heidi went off menu and asked the chef to make a chicken parmigiana, which he did.  

Found only on two ships in the Princess fleet, Sapphire Princess also has a churrascaria. Part of the Horizon Court buffet transforms into this specialty restaurant each evening. This Brazilian-style steakhouse offers a unique concept that you don’t typically find on cruise ships anymore.  

We dined here towards the end of the cruise and were surprised to find the venue relatively empty. The waiter came over quickly to review the menu and ensure we understood how the dining concept worked.

Before digging in, we took one pass at the expansive salad bar. Along with salad, it featured a wide variety of specialties, such as charcuterie, shrimp cocktail, and even sushi.

From there, it was on to the spits. With over 10 different cuts of beef, lamb, pork, and chicken, I had to pace myself. The food was fresh, flavorful, and very indulgent. The waitstaff, too, made sure we had more than our share of the various selections.

Lastly, Princess features a few upcharge casual dining spots across its fleet. These upcharge venues are also included with Princess Premier. The go-to casual venue for many loyal Princess cruisers is Alfredo’s Pizzeria. We made sure to visit twice, once for dinner and once for lunch. The pizza here is the best at sea. It is tough to pick a favorite, but you should try at least one of Tony Gemignani’s award-winning pizzas. The Hot Soppressata and New Yorker are amazing, but you can’t go wrong with the Honey Pie either.

During the two sea days, Vines offered a set sushi menu for $14.99, which would be included in the Premier Package as well.

However, guests sailing on the ship after its dry dock will have more specialty options. The cruise line announced that it will be adding a Makoto Ocean restaurant to the ship. There are also rumors that Sapphire Princess may offer additional specialty dining when it sets sail after dry dock.

Stateroom

We stayed in a balcony cabin, stateroom B119 on Sapphire Princess. This BE category stateroom is all the way forward on Deck 11. With approximately 168 square feet of living space and about a 46 square foot balcony, the stateroom is a tad smaller than the balcony cabins you find on most modern cruise ships.  

If you are a frequent Princess cruiser, you will be very familiar with the cruise cabin layout. Immediately entering our cabin, the bathroom was on the right, followed by a walk-in closet and some additional shelves. Past the closet, the bed was on the midship wall, facing forward. There was then a small desk on the right and cabinetry across the way with the refrigerator.

Unfortunately, if you want a sitting area with a loveseat on Sapphire Princess, you will need to upgrade to a deluxe balcony. The standard balcony stateroom doesn’t offer this additional space.

Another drawback of a 20-year-old ship is the limited availability of outlets and USB ports. The lamps on each side of the bed had one USB port each, which we used to charge our cell phones. With my cruise-approved power adapter, I was able to use one of the four total power outlets to charge our additional cameras, computers, and accessories.

Although, there is one benefit to this stateroom design— the larger-than-typical cruise ship closet. The full-length closet and additional storage shelves behind the mirror offer more than enough space. Your daytime outfits, outerwear, and nighttime attire will all fit nicely in these accommodations.

The bathroom was a standard size for a cruise ship bathroom. However, older Princess ships feature showers with curtains. Having just sailed on sister brand Carnival Cruise Line, the shower stall on Sapphire Princess felt even smaller, possibly one of the smallest we’ve ever had.

On our last Princess Alaska cruise, we had an extended balcony, which was ideal for viewing glaciers. Still, our standard balcony on Sapphire Princess had enough room for us to admire the landscapes without needing to head to the public decks all the time. We were even able to spot some whales right from our balcony during scenic cruising. This is one reason why we firmly believe a balcony is non-negotiable on an Alaska cruise.

Overall, with a few of our insider cabin hacks, we had a mostly comfortable stay in this stateroom.

Our Overall Review of Sapphire Princess

Our past cruises with Princess have been on some of the line’s newest and largest ships. We are happy to report that Sapphire Princess delivered an experience that closely compared to those more modern ships.

The ship’s outdoor spaces and various viewing areas were a highlight, perfect for wildlife sightings and sailing in Southeastern Alaska. There was a sufficient selection of casual dining options, with both upcharge and included offerings, so we never went hungry. The ship’s onboard activities and nightlife kept us on the go throughout the day and evenings with a mix of enrichment and Alaska programming, as well as traditional cruiser games and fun.

The main dining room exceeded our expectations, offering excellent personalized service and well-crafted entrees and desserts. While limited, the specialty dining was equally delicious and well worth the upcharge.

When sailing in Alaska, the cruise line’s North to Alaska programming offers immersive experiences that many other cruise lines do not provide. These additional presentations and unique interactive sessions set the cruise line apart in this region.

Bottom Line: Sapphire Princess served as the ideal backdrop to the Alaskan itinerary. The ship offers just enough culinary diversity and creature comforts to make you feel right at home. The ship does not offer loud distractions or over-the-top attractions like other mega-ships. So, you can relax and enjoy your surroundings. It is this ideal mix that makes the cruise line one of the best in Alaska, and why you will probably find us on another Princess cruise ship sailing in the region in the not-so-distant future.

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