no1racefan1

7 hours ago, karatemom2 said:

Depends on the ship. The newer Royal Class ships have a real blow dryer that is kept in the drawer of the bureau next to the desk. These work pretty well and are comparable to most standard blow dryers. I have medium length, somewhat thick hair and they work absolutely fine for me.

 

Some of the older ships, however, still have the version that basically is attached to the wall by the desk and is very weak at best. Not sure if the Sapphire replaced those in a recent retrofit, but I would try to get the information from someone who has been on the Sapphire recently.

 

Here is a link for a review from someone who just returned from a cruise on the Sapphire. You might pose your question here:

 

 

I am the person.... hair dryer on Sapphire was the squarish wall-mounted kind. I never used it because I just let my hair air dry, but can't imagine it would have been very effective.

9 hours ago, Aquahound said:

Bike and Brew excursion that goes to the Hangar for the brew?  Ugh.  It's disappointing to hear they aren't using one of the fantastic breweries.  

Maybe, but it was perfect for us because I had already picked out that place for lunch. They had beers on tap from several different breweries and since there were only 4 people (actually 3 because I don't drink beer) he let everybody choose which ones they'd like to sample instead of sticking to the predetermined tasting menu.

58 minutes ago, BoundForSea said:

Anyone done the Bike and Brews Juneau excursion with NCL (or another line using the same company)? Looking to get an idea of how long and hilly the ride is and what you thought of it. Considering it but not finding a lot of info out there on it. Thanks in advance!

We did the Bike & Brew w/ Glacier View last week through Princess. The company was Cycle Alaska. The ride was around 9 miles, mostly either flat or downhill. There were opportunities to stop, including a longer photo op/bathroom break midway through the ride. There were only 4 people on our ride with 2 guides, but we were told they have up to 20! One of the guides rode in front of us and the other followed along in the van and also offered to take photos of us. We were able to leave our belongings in the van.

Because we were a small group and ahead of schedule, we had ample time at Mendenhall Glacier (not sure if the tour your looking at includes this stop). After Mendenhall, they drove us in the van to the Hangar on the Wharf for the beer tasting, where we were handed off to a bartender. That was the end of the tour and we could do whatever we wanted--ended up ordering lunch at Alaska Fish & Chips Co next door, and then walking around Juneau.

We really enjoyed the tour, thought the guides were professional and the bikes were in good shape--one of the other people on our tour got a flat tire and the van was right there with a spare bike in no time. The ride seemed pretty easy--we are occasional/recreational bikers.

Oooh yeah, now I can relive my trip vicariously through you!!!

5 hours ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

I’ll be waiting for @Georgia_Peaches to report on temp especially the inside dining venues.  I’m trying to determine if I can do short/sleeveless dresses for dinner or whether I should be packing dressy sweaters.  lol.

I am usually cold and I brought a cardigan to wear over sleeveless dresses. I ended up removing my cardigan most of the time because the interior spaces were warm! You'll want to bring a jacket to dinner if you want to step outside afterwards though.

9 hours ago, sharon_pei said:

I am amazed by the level of details and richness of information of this thread. Glad that I followed it and I learned so much for the cruise in less than 2 weeks. Thank you so much!

 

Wonder if you mind sharing how many pieces of suitcases did you end of packing for this trip? I started pre-packing. Layers, shoes, winter gears, etc are already overflowing one 28 inch check-in + one 25 inch check-in (for two adults). I wonder if I am over-packing already.

We each packed one 25" checked bag and one backpack. It was hard, lol. I made sure to use every inch of space, for example I stuffed my rolled up socks inside of my shoes. Anything that I didn't mind getting wrinkled (like bathing suits) got stuffed in the outside pockets of my suitcase. I also wore my bulkiest top (fleece pullover) on the plane. My puffy jacket stuffs down pretty small so I shoved that in the bottom of my backpack.

10 hours ago, Jolie214 said:

If you went back to Alaska on another cruise, would you book another inside cabin or splurge for a balcony room?  Looking to book for next year and the price difference is crazy!

I think we would still book an inside cabin. We were happy with that. While I like the idea of having a balcony, I heard several people commenting it was too cold to use their balconies much. If you have money to pay for a balcony and excursions, I'd say go for it, but if spending that money on a balcony means having to forego some excursions, I think it's more important to spend on excursions so you can experience Alaska!

47 minutes ago, abbydancer2003 said:

Great, balanced review.  Only one comment.  You seem surprised that your Princess excursions were with local companies.  All mainstream (I think), lines use local operators for all their tours.  In fact, if you book through a booking company such as, but not limited to, Viator will sell the tours at less money and sometimes smaller groups.  They'll do that when other companies hold the cruise line contracts.

 

 

Not surprised, sharing because I think here on CC the advice tends to skew towards not booking cruise line excursions if you want them to be more 'local' or small. I was pointing out that our excursions were all local and small even booked through the cruise line 🙂 

We did a DIY land tour before our southbound cruise last week. Weather was amazing most of the time! Sunny and high 50s in most places we went. Hubbard Glacier scenic cruise day was very cold and drizzly, and Glacier Bay started out cold but the sun came out right when we got to the glaciers, and it was warm!

Juneau and Skagway were both decent weather-wise. Ketchikan unfortunately poured rain all day but it wasn't super cold. Everybody still got out in their rain gear.

We saw lots of moose (in Anchorage and on the train to Whittier), two pods of killer whales, mountain goats, dall sheep (wildlife cruise in Seward), humpback whales, harbor seals, steller sea lions, arctic terns, cranes, sea gulls, kittiwakes, lots of sea otters, and a bear in a tree (at Mendenhall visitor center).

I booked Alaska May 2024 in Feb 2023, and the price dropped around August 2023. I was able to re-fare. It never got lower after that but it did stay fairly steady.

13 minutes ago, ldubs said:

I didn't even know there was a QR code. We show up.  The only doc's we give them are our passports.  They give us each a medallion.  We board.   And then there is much happiness!  😀

Yes, this is the way!! 😄

10 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

I know from following your thread on the Alaska board how much time, planning, and anticipation went into this cruise. I hope it exceeded all your expectations. Thanks for sharing your review!

It really was an amazing trip, thank you!

That's a wrap on my Alaska planning adventure! Feel free to ask any questions and thanks for following along and cheering us on! We really had an amazing time.

Post-cruise #3: Budget

Alright, here's how everything landed budget-wise! 

$1,000.05 Plane tickets--I used a combination of miles, a companion fare, and cash. I did splurge on Economy Plus for the SEA-ANC and ANC-DEN legs, which seemed worth it.

$219.07 Rental car--booked through Budget.

$131.83 Gas in rental car--we used a lot more gas than I originally budgeted because we decided to have a driving day and ended up driving up to Glacier View before heading down to Seward. We had prepaid for a tank of gas at pick up and ended up putting in another half tank of gas.

$1,161.74 Cruise fare+protection--paid for partially with AARP gift cards bought at a discount

$0.00 Lodging at Alyeska Resort--booked using Alaska Airlines miles

$0.00 Parking at Alyeska Resort--when I read the website I thought the only option was $27 valet parking, but turns out there was a free parking lot also!

$192.00 Lodging in Anchorage--this was to purchase extra Hyatt points so I could book both Hyatt hotels 

$512.94 Lodging in Seward--this was a little bit of a splurge at the Resurrection Lodge on the Bay. Worth it!

$178.00 Alyeska Nordic spa--definitely worth it!

$0.00 Wifi on board--I had budgeted for this because I wasn't sure if we'd want to have wifi to keep an eye on our dog, but we decided we could go without it. It was hard for those two sea days though!

$224.00 Onboard gratuities

$848.60 Shore excursions

$80.00 Anchorage bike rentals

$280.71 Orca quest tour

$196.54 Seward kayak tour

$700.00 Dog sitting--I counted visits wrong so this ended up being more than I had budgeted, plus we included a tip. Obviously worth it for the peace of mind!

$160.00 Guide tips

$40.00 Tip for steward

$1,008.13 Meals--we went way overbudget on dining. This was partly because eating out in AK is very expensive, and partly because DH likes to leave generous tips so he was hitting 20% even on the checkout kiosks, lol. I originally was thinking we'd buy some groceries to save money on eating out, but we discussed it and agreed that one of our favorite parts of vacation is getting to eat out at local restaurants, so we splurged.

$202.00 Train to Whittier

$99.18 Taxi/Ubers--I underestimated this a little bit. Ubers are slightly cheaper than taxis but sometimes getting a taxi was just easier.

$145.03 Miscellaneous--I got a massage, DH had a few drinks. Came in a few dollars under budget though!

$30.00 Fishing license--I budgeted $15, then the paper we got from Princess said to add the salmon stamp for an additional $15, so DH did that. Then found out from the fishing captain that they couldn't catch salmon yet and he didn't need the salmon stamp. Oh well!

$31.50 Laundry--I ended up doing laundry more than I though I would, because it was nice to have all of our layers available to us.

$0.00 Bear spray--we decided we weren't going to be in any situations that we would need bear spray so we didn't purchase any. All the guides on our tours carried it.

$331.93 Shopping--underbudget on shopping! We aren't really big souvenir shopping. We each bought an Alaska Railroad jacket and we bought some truffles and other goodies.

Total $7,773.25

All in all I think we did a pretty good job! I was aiming for under $7K and I think having that goal in mind helped us keep it manageable. 

Post-cruise #2: Places

I want to give a little review and shoutout to all the places we visited, in case it gives anybody else some ideas. 

Anchorage:

Hyatt Place--chosen because we could book with points. Midtown was a great location and easy to get around to restaurants and other places. Would stay again.

Hyatt House--also chosen because we had points to use. Also in the Midtown area. I found this area easier to get around than Downtown, and if we were to go back I'd stay in the Midtown area. Would stay here again.

Moose's Tooth Pizza--easy to find and really delicious! They have a very unique menu of pizzas. Ours had reindeer sausage and I don't remember what else. They have an awesome gf cauliflower crust. They don't take reservations but the wait wasn't too bad. It's a very popular place. One of the cheaper places we ate in Alaska, too!

Wild Scoops--oh my, best ice cream shop ever!! They have really unique flavors and their ingredients are locally sourced. We went to the Midtown location the first night, and the downtown location the second afternoon we were in Anchorage. The Midtown location is bigger with dine-in tables. The downtown location was just a walk-up window. Great if you're walking around downtown and want to take your ice cream to go!

Intl House of Hot Dogs--this was really good! Decent menu selection. It is a little out of the way now because apparently it just moved locations. We were able to walk there but it was about .6 miles from the bike shop. We thought it was worth the effort!

Pablo's Bike Rentals--I rented bikes in advance to bike the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. They had our bikes ready for us and the staff there was really cool and knows the trail very well. They made sure to point our their phone # and tell us to call if we have any issues and they would come and get us. Apparently some people got a flat tire and just walked all the way back instead of calling for help. 

49th State Brewing--this was a really busy downtown restaurant that I had made reservations for about a month in advance. Well, when I called to see if we could change the time of our reservation, they said I didn't have one! I had an email and text confirmation. The manager did end up fitting us in so it all worked out. They have a really diverse menu and the food was excellent. We took an Uber here from our hotel, Ubers were really easy to get in Anchorage.

Alaska Railroad--we took an Uber to the train station in Anchorage. They are very organized with dropping off bags, checking people in, etc. The train ride was enjoyable. 

Girdwood:

Alyeska Resort--we stayed here one night (booked free with Alaska Airlines miles) and it was nice. It's a very glitzy-feeling resort, and I'm sure we wouldn't be able to afford it if we had paid for it 😉 We booked the Nordic spa--you have to book the spa separately, it's not included with your stay, and that was one of DH's favorite experiences from our trip! 

The Bake Shop--we went here for breakfast. It was average--probably the most underwhelming meal of our whole trip. This place was highly recommended so I think I had a little bit higher expectations, but we still got a decent meal and it fueled us up for our driving day. 

Glacier View:

We stopped at Butte Burger Place for lunch. It's a little run-down looking shack on the side of the highway that I would not have known about except for Trip Advisor, and it was awesome!!! The burgers were huge, cooked to order and soooo good. We sat out at a picnic table next to highway with views of the mountains. Definitely recommend if you're in that area!

Seward

Woody's Thai Kitchen--we liked it so much we went there twice! We had dinner here both nights we were in Seward. I felt a little bad about not trying other restaurants, but it was so good and we don't have a lot of opportunities for good Thai food. Obviously recommend this one!

Gold Rush Bistro--we went here for lunch. It was pretty good but I felt like the halibut was overcooked and the portion sizes were a little skimpy. 

Adventure 60 North--this is the company we used for our kayak excursion. They are locally owned and all the staff we interacted with seemed to be really happy and enjoying their jobs. Our guide, Declan, was fun but also took safety super seriously, which I appreciated. They were very professional and I would not hesitate to recommend them. They offer a variety of other tours as well.

Major Marine Tours--they have the tour thing down pat and everything was very smooth. They did ask us to park in the paid parking lot across the street so we weren't taking up hotel guest parking. We did the 4-hour Orca Quest cruise and it was really great, although it did get pretty chilly! We were really happy with it.

Skagway

Hike and Float--we booked this excursion through Princess but it was a local tour company. There were 10 people in our group. The hiking portion is definitely technical, so take that part of the tour description seriously. Lots of stairs and rocks and moss. Our guide was very conscious of everyone's speed and ability. It was a really cool, adventurous excursion.

Skagway Brewing Co--we had lunch here and it was really good. They were busy, but a little off the beaten path so it wasn't a huge wait. They had some really good salad options which was a nice change of pace. 

Juneau

Bike & Brew Glacier View--this was booked through Princess but was once again a local company. There were only four people on our tour! It was awesome. There were two guides, one who rode with us and one who drove the support van. We felt really spoiled by this small group. They dropped us off at the beer tasting which was right on the wharf.

Alaska Fish & Chips Co--we ordered halibut and cod so we could try both. They were both amazing! I highly recommend this place. Second-best fish and chips we had, right behind...

Ketchikan

Alaska Fish House--BEST fish and chips we found in Alaska! Like, so good. I can't even describe it.

Fishing & Wilderness Dining--booked this excursion for DH through Princess. It was with Baranof Fishing, which seems to be a pretty popular local company. There were only 5 people on the tour. DH said it was really fun and everybody caught fish. The food was good and they were able to accommodate his food allergy with no issues.

Post-cruise #1: Weather and Packing

Weather-wise, we knew to expect similar conditions to what we have at home. I did check the forecast for all the places we were visiting and we packed accordingly. We ended up being blessed with great weather almost the entire trip--high 50s and partly sunny. For us, that's nice enough for a light jacket or sometimes just long sleeves. There were a couple of times that it was pretty cold though, such as Hubbard Glacier. For those times we needed all of our layers, gloves, hats, etc.

What I was glad to have:

Thermal layers--I brought lightweight and midweight thermals, as well as quick-dry hiking pants, a fleece pullover, puffy jacket, and rain jacket. I wore some combination of these every day, and on the coldest days I wore all of them together.

Gloves/hat/earmuff--We didn't need these every day, but you'll be very glad to have them on the days you need them! I brought those cheap stretch gloves that were fingerless, with the mitten top that could fold over. That made it easy to take pictures but cover up my fingers in between photos. I could also slip the Hot Hands hand warmer pouches into the mitten tops.

Cold/sinus medicine--lots of coughing and sneezing and people even telling us at the MDR that they had colds. Sure enough, DH ended up sick the last couple of days and I was really glad I had packed sinus medicine, kleenex, zicam, and cough drops.

Waterproof phone case--these were really cheap on Amazon and a last minute purchase. I was glad to have these for our kayak and raft trips so we could hang our phones around our neck and not worry about them getting wet or lost. They were also handy when it was raining all day.

What we didn't need:

We used pretty much everything we brought with us. The only thing we didn't really need is the bug repellent wipes. The mosquitoes aren't bad yet, although we did encounter a few. I would imagine we would want these if it were later in the season.

We didn't need to purchase medallions ahead of time, and I'm glad we didn't. It was just as fast to get them at check in.

I didn't need my hair straightener. I thought I might do my hair for formal nights (we did dress up) but it just seemed like too much work, so I never used it.

I didn't need as many workout clothes. I brought 3 sets (shorts/tee/sports bra) and I could have just brought 1 and re-used it. Although we were active every day, most of the time it was while we were out doing excursions, not going to the gym.

DH and I are just off Sapphire Princess yesterday and I wanted to share some things while it's still fresh 🙂 This thread will be specific to Princess. I've been chronicling our Alaska trip over on the Alaska forum if you want to check that out: 

I'll start by saying DH and I aren't 'frequent' cruisers, this being our 5th cruise in a 20-year time span, and our 2nd cruise on Princess. We are also not brand-loyal, but rather look for the right fit for our budget, itinerary, etc. I went into this with pretty level expectations. I've read about all the changes to cruising and Princess post-COVID, and was just trying to keep an open mind and knew that we would enjoy our trip regardless of any little things that might come up. Let me just say our expectations were exceeded in almost every way!

The ship: Sapphire Princess was lovely. Not gaudy, not too big, and facilities crew that really seemed to take care of the ship at every turn. We found it easy to navigate after a day or two getting our bearings. We loved that we could walk laps on the Promenade. No complaints about the ship. We didn't frequent a ton of the public spaces too much, but we loved that there was ballroom music in one of the nightclubs one night for dancing, and I especially loved the decor in Crooners. We tried a couple different hot tubs (warm, not hot, as reported) and the ones in the Lotus Spa area were the best--the warmest and the jets worked there. They were also not popular and we regularly had the area to ourselves. There are steam rooms and dry saunas inside the changing rooms in the spa area. The spa staff didn't point these out on the spa tour (presumably because they want to sell the thermal spa package) but they are free to use and we enjoyed them. Again, this is a space that seems rarely used.

Our cabin: We were in B733, an interior cabin. DH exclaimed when we entered that it was a lot more spacious than he remembered from previous interiors. I don't know if that's because it really was more spacious or if we just don't remember since it's been a while, but we found the cabin very comfortable. The bed was awesome, it felt just like our bed at home. There were no annoying lights that came on the middle of the night. There was plenty of storage for our clothes, tons of hangers, and enough outlets for all our devices. Our room steward, Richard, was a pleasure. We never had to ask for anything because it seemed like he just anticipated our needs and things were magically taken care of during the times we were out. We had twice daily service (not requested, just happened automatically). Richard also surprised us on my birthday with totally over the top cabin decorations, a towel birthday cake, towel animals, towel swans for our anniversary, birthday banner, and rose petals on the bed. It was such a fantastic surprise and one of the things I'll definitely remember from our trip!

The food: We ate in the main dining rooms for nearly every meal. International Dining Room for breakfast and lunch and Pacific Moon dining room for dinner. I made reservations at Pacific Moon for either 5:20 or 6:40 every night, depending on our schedules that day. We never had to wait for a table and to be honest, the dining room never seemed busy at all. I didn't pick that dining room for any specific reason, but it was lovely decor and the staff was wonderful. DH has an uncommon allergy (onion) and Enrico, the asst. restaurant manager, brought him lunch and dinner menus every night to pre-order for the next day, which was remembered no matter where we dined. Enrico also made sure we were in the same section every night (again, not requested, just done) so we had the same wait staff and they remembered us. All of the dining staff everywhere we went were wonderful. The food ranged from good to excellent. We were never dissatisfied with a meal. I was nervous having read that quality has gone down but we were pleasantly surprised and pleased by our dining experience. We never went to the buffet except to get coffee and hot water. There was staff at both entrances of the buffet encouraging people to wash their hands, which was nice. We didn't go to any specialty dining.

Entertainment: I will fail you here because we didn't go to many things onboard. We decided to just keep our own schedule and if we had some free time, we'd check and see what was going on and drop by if something sounded interesting. We didn't make it to any production shows, comedians, etc. We did attend the first enrichment lecture and enjoyed learning about Alaskan wildlife. We also had fun at music trivia and listened to some acoustic sets here and there. I really enjoyed scheduling our time this way instead of trying to make sure we made it to things on Princess's schedule.

Embarkation & Disembarkation: Easy, easy, easy. It was seriously less than 5 minutes from when we stepped off the train in Whittier to when we were walking up the ramp onto the ship. We weren't on a tour, we just booked the train on our own. We also did not pay to have medallions shipped to us. That was no problem as there was literally nobody in the 'blue lane' and we walked right up and got our medallions. The 'green lane' was actually longer, but still seemed to move very fast. Disembarkation was pretty easy as well, the only hiccup was they were about 15 minutes behind so the different groups were kind of backing up. We were in the second group for self-assist walk off and we got a taxi and got to the airport in Vancouver in under an hour.

MedallionNet app: We did not pay for wifi. I didn't think we would care too much about the app but we ended up using it a lot to track each other's locations and to see what was on the schedule at various times. I also liked that I could take a look at our folio and any photos that were taken of us. Sometimes the app would freeze on my Journey and I would have to close it and reopen it, but that takes seconds so it wasn't a big issue. Other than that, it worked as expected. We didn't try to order anything through the app so can't report on that.

Packages: That leads me to my next topic, packages. We did not purchase a Plus or Premier package. I mathed it out beforehand and it just really wouldn't make sense for us. Our total bill onboard was only about $100 for drinks and laundry tokens. We did of course pay the crew appreciation. That being said, DH said he thinks he would like the package just so we wouldn't be thinking of charging things and we could try out some of the fancy desserts, fitness classes, etc. So, I didn't know DH was one of those people, but I guess he is! So we might be getting the Plus package next time 😉

I think that just about sums up my Princess review! I was a little bit hesitant but keeping an open mind, but our experience was excellent and any complaints we have are minor and not worth mentioning. I would consider Princess again in the future based on this trip!

We got home late last night. DH brought home a cold/sinus infection and I feel like I'm fighting something off, so today's a rest day. There was definitely some 'crud' going around onboard. I'll come back to post some more thorough follow ups.

On 5/24/2024 at 7:31 AM, KRRMCruising said:

We are interested in doing this same hike prior to embarkation in June 2024. Did you end up making it work? I am assuming you walked from the port to the trailhead- is that true? Any highlights or lessons learned would be appreciated. Thank you!

We didn't because when I looked up trail conditions on Alltrails, reports were that it was still partially snow-covered and hard to navigate. It was also rainy and cold when we got to Whittier!

7 hours ago, MudderBear said:

Just got off the Princess Sun.  OMG what a ship.  We had the plus program and looking back, we wish we had upgraded to premiere.

 

That being said, we are supposed to be on Sapphire next year in Alaska.  As far as dining, is it worth it to get Premiere Vs. Plus?  It seems as though there are only two specialty restaurants, Sabatinos and the Brazilian One.  Am I missing any?  Also, I can't figure out what, besides Alfredo's, would be considered Casual on Sapphire.

 

By the way, we also had reserve dining on The Sun. We have a regular balcony room on Sapphire.

 

Your thoughts would be appreciated.

Yes, you covered it. If you're only considering specialty dining, it wouldn't be worth it on Sapphire.

FWIW, we just got off Sapphire today and ate nearly every meal in the main dining rooms. The food was excellent!

Here's some photos from the inside passage last night and the bridge this morning. The weather was perfect.

We made it to Vancouver Airport! We were in second walkoff group D at 7:45. They were about 15 minutes behind schedule. Even so, it was very fast and the taxi line moved quickly. We got to the airport in less than an hour. Going through security and passport control was almost no lines. Now we wait... 🙂

22 hours ago, sharon_pei said:

What a wonderful live trip report! Thank you for sharing it with such details!

May I ask that based on your 1st hand experience is dining on this ship crowded? I am scheduled to take this same journey (NB though) in 2.5 weeks and wonder what time is best to schedule for dining to allow enough time for evening shows or any other entertainment. 

Another question is: does the weather in this season make swimming on the cruise ship enjoyable? I am still now sure if they have an indoor pool and if so how heated is it going to be.

Hope everything for the rest of this journey goes on as smoothly as it has been!

In our experience dining has never been crowded. I made reservations in Pacific Moon dining room every night at either 5:20 or 6:40, depending on our schedules each day.

There is an indoor pool, not sure of temperature. IMO it was too chilly to use the pools but I did see other people using them. We used the hot tub every day though. The one in Lotus Spa is the best.

Still pouring rain in Ketchikan, definitely glad to have my rain jacket, quick dry pants, and waterproof hiking shoes. You would be fine without the waterproof shoes but your feet would probably get soaked on a day like today, if you're spending it outside.

By the way I don't eat seafood ever because I don't like fish. I decided to try halibut since we're here at the source and I know it's not fishy. I've had halibut at 4 places and all were excellent, but THIS place wins the award for best fish and chips, its next level!!!

6 hours ago, Paula_MacFan said:

Really glad to hear this and that everything is working out for you!  We fly tomorrow to start our cruisetour and then join the Sapphire next week.  I assume your itinerary has been unchanged this week and the propulsion issue widely reported on last week's sailing has been fully repaired? 

 

Thanks for all your updates and pictures 🙂 

Yep, ship is fixed and there have been no itinerary changes 🙂