Princess Alaska Cruise Sapphire or Majestic?

[Grambler]

I need some help! So we haven’t cruised on Princess for years but doing our first Alaskan (from  Whittier to Vancouver) so thought Princess would be best option. Was originally going to book Majestic which has great reviews, but then read smaller ships are better as you get closer up views so booked Sapphire, not just for us but friends as well! I can’t find any recent reviews on Sapphire Alaskan cruises and the ones from 2020 and before are not good. Should we switch to Majestic, for a very similar price? I am very familiar with Celebrity and Royal but I feel like a duck out of water with Princess, I really want to see Glacier Bay and Princess has a contract with them so that is biggest reason we chose them. I am worried about choosing a sub par ship for our friends, the reviews I read were awful! Any advice? We don’t need anything Super elite but do want the ship to be in good condition with great food & Service, mind you I have never met a cruise I didn’t love!

[matadams4u]

I’ve did Alaska last year on the Majestic and there were no problems with Glacier Bay.  It is a really nice ship and somewhat more upscale in appearance than other ships of its class.

[Coral]

I love the Sapphire and would choose that ship. The Sapphire has not started sailing since COVID shut down. I think their first sailings are in September.

 

I was on the ship in 2018 and it was a great ship and in great condition. I have been on this ship more times than any other ship in the Princess fleet and the Coral and Sapphire would be my first choices for any itinerary!

[VibeGuy]

Sapphire by a mile.  The covered pool, the wider promenade, the near-perfect aft terracing. 
 

you give up crown grill for the atmosphere-free Sterling Steakhouse, but the four midship MDRs border on *intimate*, rather than “fancy mess hall”. 

[caribill]

Alaska ports are often overcrowded with multiple ships in port.

 

Thus I would always select the smaller ship as that will mean less people in town as well as shorter lines when returning to the ship itself.

[mlgb]

Majestic was not really designed for Alaska cruising.

 

Have you considered Holland America instead? 

 

They also go to Glacier Bay.

[capriccio]

I agree with @Coral and @VibeGuy. 

 

We've done the Alaska cruise three times - twice on the Coral Princess and once on the Ruby Princess.  We've sailed on the Sapphire Princess twice - a California coastal and a Norway cruise in the summer of 2019; the latter under similar weather conditions and many small ports as you can expect on an Alaska cruise.  We've never sailed on the Majestic Princess but have over 60 days on other Royal class ships mostly on warm/hot weather cruises.

 

On an Alaska cruise size matters because the ports are so small.  A smaller ship with fewer passengers is better. The weather can vary greatly. Sapphire has a full size, covered promenade excellent for walking in both lovely and inclement weather.  The Royal class ships do not.  Sapphire has a covered pool that includes an observation deck with lounges above the pool with glass walls and beautiful views and easy access to the outside deck.  I've read that the Majestic Princess also has a covered pool and I'm sure someone will chime in with a more detailed description.

 

All that said, Alaska is wonderful and I think most people would enjoy it regardless of the ship.

 

 

 

[Coral]

2 hours ago, mlgb said:

Majestic was not really designed for Alaska cruising.

 

Have you considered Holland America instead? 

 

They also go to Glacier Bay.

Princess and HAL are run by the same group in Alaska.

[mlgb]

59 minutes ago, Coral said:

Princess and HAL are run by the same group in Alaska.

Yes and perhaps the OP thought only Princess is hooked up with Glacier Bay. Majestic does not have good viewing in the forward areas of the ship. In general outdoor walking and viewing areas are poor. 

Edited May 23, 2022 by mlgb

[Coral]

3 minutes ago, mlgb said:

Yes and perhaps the OP thought only Princess is hooked up with Glacier Bay. Majestic does not have good viewing in the forward areas of the ship. In general outdoor walking and viewing areas are poor.

I completely agree about the Majestic. I would never choose it for Alaska.

NCL also goes to Glacier Bay. I don't think NCL would be a good fit for me though.

[mlgb]

1 minute ago, Coral said:

I completely agree about the Majestic. I would never choose it for Alaska.

NCL also goes to Glacier Bay. I don't think NCL would be a good fit for me though.

I wouldn't pick Bliss because it's too big but has better viewing indoors and out. I would go with HAL or a different class of Princess ship (does Coral go there?)

[capriccio]

15 minutes ago, mlgb said:

I wouldn't pick Bliss because it's too big but has better viewing indoors and out. I would go with HAL or a different class of Princess ship (does Coral go there?)

Yes Coral goes to Glacier Bay.

[Coral]

33 minutes ago, mlgb said:

I wouldn't pick Bliss because it's too big but has better viewing indoors and out. I would go with HAL or a different class of Princess ship (does Coral go there?)

Both Coral and Sapphire are excellent choices for Alaska.

 

I haven't followed NCL ships and which ones have good viewing areas. 

Edited May 23, 2022 by Coral

[Dar & Bob]

We are finally going to Alaska in July of this year.  We have been trying since 2020 when we were cancelled for Covid.  That said we were booked for 2020 on Sapphire and moved that to 2021 on the Sapphire, Princess "stole" the ship to do another itinerary and a comparable cabin was not available on the remaining ships so we moved it to 2022.  Princess once again reassigned the Sapphire and we were to be on the Royal.  We had picked the small ship on pupose and finally convinced them to lift and shift us to the Grand.   We really wanted the Sapphire but twice they have reassigned the ship and not really sure why. 

 

[latebloomer56]

Been three times Coral, Golden and Pacific Princess loved all three equally for their own charm, but would have to say for the ports a smaller ship for us.

We are on the Sapphire for the first time this Oct. for Hawaii again can let yoh know what we thought of her when we return. I assume you are looking at 2023 because we are on her second sailing once she starts up again.

[latebloomer56]

2 minutes ago, Dar & Bob said:

We are finally going to Alaska in July of this year.  We have been trying since 2020 when we were cancelled for Covid.  That said we were booked for 2020 on Sapphire and moved that to 2021 on the Sapphire, Princess "stole" the ship to do another itinerary and a comparable cabin was not available on the remaining ships so we moved it to 2022.  Princess once again reassigned the Sapphire and we were to be on the Royal.  We had picked the small ship on pupose and finally convinced them to lift and shift us to the Grand.   We really wanted the Sapphire but twice they have reassigned the ship and not really sure why. 

 

We have been on the Grand twice same as the Golden we sailed to Alaska on. You should have a wonderful cruise, enjoy Alaska is beautiful.

[Dar & Bob]

8 minutes ago, latebloomer56 said:

We have been on the Grand twice same as the Golden we sailed to Alaska on. You should have a wonderful cruise, enjoy Alaska is beautiful.

I don't doubt that it will be a great cruise and pretty excited about it.  It was just frustrating for Princess to keep taking the ship and leaving us to have to beg to get the same class of ship.

 

[losfp]

I have sailed on Majestic (and will do so again in January to New Zealand). She's a lovely ship, but maybe a smidgen too big for my tastes.. and there's a few things about her that I'm not sure would work well in Alaska - no walkaround promenade deck in particular.

 

I have not sailed on Sapphire, but I HAVE sailed on her sister ship Diamond Princess in Asia. I loved that cruise and the size I think is ideal for Alaska. We've done Alaska twice. Once on a small ship cruise (IMO that is the absolute best way to cruise Alaska.. but they are in a completely different price point entirely) and once on Star Princess. Loved both cruises and Star was perfect for Alaska.

 

I think if the itineraries are otherwise identical (For Alaska, I highly prefer to cruise one-way so that I can sneak in Denali National Park, and I will completely refuse to step on any Alaska cruise that doesn't go into Glacier bay hahaha) I would lean to the Sapphire for various reasons as listed by others here.

[PescadoAmarillo]

I would definitely choose the Sapphire. Like Coral, as of now, the Sapphire and Coral are probably my favorite Princess ships. I’ve sailed a fair bit on the Majestic Princess and it’s the only Royal Class ship I have any interest in (because of the covered Hollywood Pool and Hollywood Conservatory) but it really lacks covered outdoor viewing areas which are a must in Alaska. The Sapphire has Deck 8 forward, Deck 7 on the wide covered Promenade, and areas on Deck 15 aft. 

[mtnesterz]

"The reviews I read were awful!" Which reviews?

Sapphire has a wrap around prommmenade deck for viewing Alaska. It also has a Skywalkers lounge for near 360 viewing out of the changing weather. Passengers, 2700 vs. 3600. Your focus seems to be making an impression and what would make a good impression varies by person.

I would go Majestic if they are eaters. It's among the biggest food barges at sea. Buffet is impressive and more varied types of food specialties, leaning toward Asian tastes, Noodle Bar etc...

If they just want to eat and drink, Majestic, if they want to see Alaska, Sapphire.

[mlgb]

4 hours ago, capriccio said:

Yes Coral goes to Glacier Bay.

I don't see Coral going to Alaska any time soon....

 

[capriccio]

Just now, mlgb said:

I don't see Coral going to Alaska any time soon....

 

You are right.  The Coral did the Alaska routes Vancouver to Whittier for more than a decade before Covid.  I forgot that she will now be sailing out of Australia (and I should have known that since we made reservations on the March 2023 Around Australia cruise on her in April 2021) starting this summer!

[Bimmer09]

I sailed Alaska on the Sapphire's sister ship the Diamond(2012) which became my favorite ship in the fleet before being sent to the Japan market.

Photo/video review www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1798138

 

I booked the Sapphire for our next (#4) Alaska cruise/tour in May 2023 over the Majestic which is a beautiful ship but seriously lacking in public decks to view Alaska. Of course you can stay on your balcony  but there can be so much to see that moving around the open decks means you don't miss anything. The  Sapphire Promenade deck is lounger-wide and offers viewing with a roof over your head-all the way around the ship as opposed to the two tiny slivers of Prom each side(uncovered) on the bigger ship.

 

The tiered aft decks offer space for hundreds of people to get good views. Wear layers and get a hot whisky inside you! Hot beverage carts will find you. Hot chocolate if you don't want a buzz.

 

The 4 extra smaller dining rooms offer a more intimate dining experience from the main dining rooms and then there is the unique "Wake bar" on the stern.

 

Another factor making me choose the Sapphire is her age-built in Japan in 2004, so she won't be around for nearly as long as the Majestic.

 

Norris

[mlgb]

Good summary of Majestic's limitations by Norris.  I was on that ship for a 7-day Mexican Riviera cruise. If one likes to walk or run laps, it is very problematic. Only a small area on the very top deck, uncovered.  Promenade mostly one-person wide, with only a few wider uncovered deck spaces. Portions of the limited promenade spaces are set aside for smoking areas for crew and passengers, further limiting outdoor space. There are a few covered outdoor spots for dining, such as at the back end of the buffet. 

 

The covered and enclosed indoor forward space (Hollywood Conservatory) is unique to this ship. The windows were not kept clean, the space was used mostly for board games and card play. There are some semi-private and free cabana-type seating and the pool is enclosed, and I did find it pleasant on cool sea days. 

 

So really it depends on the passenger preferences, if you don't care about the outdoor spaces it might be suitable. Also, the casino and shopping areas are much larger than normal on this class of ship. It still has the disadvantage of carrying a lot of passengers. One thing to be aware of on Majestic is how narrow the standard balconies are, as well as the standard balcony rooms have no seating other than a desk chair. 

 

On a personal note, I think the interior design of this ship is kind of ugly, as my niece described it "Looks like a middle of nowhere Hilton & the Cheesecake Factory had a baby."

 

Easy enough to check that out by looking at photos. I've not been on Sapphire and the rooms like similar but I guess it doesn't have that flashy multi story atrium. 

Edited May 23, 2022 by mlgb

[Grambler]

13 hours ago, mlgb said:

Majestic was not really designed for Alaska cruising.

 

Have you considered Holland America instead? 

 

They also go to Glacier Bay.

Yes but our friends did not want to do Holland, thanks