Perfect Sapphire Cruise + Kid's Program Age Info

[holton]

First of all...a little background. We are in our mid-sixties, have taken 10 cruises, nine of them on Princess and this was our 5th cruise to Alaska. There were 10 of us all together...2 sons, 2 daughters-in-law, and 4 grandkids- ages: just under 3, 8, 10 and 13. BTW...we do not carry insurance - but were fully aware that we were putting $13,000 at risk.

I mention that in light of the earlier post about Princess and refunding.

 

We sailed out of Seattle July 11th and had a perfect trip. I'm not going to go over the whole cruise...but, we did, even after all our trips on Princess, learn a few things and thought they might help others.

 

We booked our first suite since we wanted a gathering place for everyone. Our cabin was Caribe 752 right in the center aft. It was great...we loved the view the entire time and watching the wake. Our 2 families had inside cabins just down the hall 724 and 736, each held 4 with the drop-down bunk beds. They had no problems and the kids loved the beds. Our original plan was to put us all in connecting balcony rooms...this plan with a suite and 2 insides was actually a bit cheaper and was much better. It was never over crowded in our suite and everyone loved the whirlpool tub. We often had a group on the huge balcony...another few playing cards in the living room area and kid's watching cartoons on the bedroom TV. Never felt crowded.

 

We are from the Seattle area (Whidbey Island) and one son and family live just north of Seattle in Edmonds. The other son and family flew in Saturday from Michigan. We stayed at the Hampton Inn/Southcenter

Saturday night and arrived at Terminal 30 by 10:30 Sunday morning. We had pre-paid on the Internet for parking, which was not necessary. You are not reserving a spot when you pre-pay and it did not save that much time when

we left. There is PLENTY of parking, so never worry about that.

 

By the time we got our luggage unloaded and ID's checked (they do that before you even enter the terminal and several times after)...they had opend the check-in lines. We were able to go dirctly to the Platinum/Suite line and were thrilled to find out that your entire party can check in with you at this priority site. About 11:30 they opened the doors and moved us to another waiting area to ease up the main room. We waited about 10-15 minutes and then they started letting us through (taking pictures as you go) to the area where they scan your carryons and then onto the ship. It is a long walk and I had been concerned about that since I have a bit of difficulty walking. Three Bufferins just after checking in did the trick...I made it all the way to the ship and then all the way to our suite at the back!

 

Our 'local' family didn't check in until about 1pm and they had no wait. It always amazes me when people are upset about having to wait in lines before, sometimes during, or after a cruise with a ship that holds 2600 passengers. One couple complained to our kids while having to wait in line to reboard the ship in Skagway after the train trip that included '15' railcars.

They said they had cruised 9 times and that Princess ought to get their act together. They didn't feel you should wait in line and that they were upset that they often could not find a seat at the shows if they didn't get there early...that Princess should have space for everyone. Well, folks, when you cruise on a ship that is carrying 2600-3000 people...it will be different than one that holds a thousand. I think Princess does a great job at offering several different choices at any one time and then repeats their shows several times.

 

I had asked several times on this board about the age breakdown for the Kid's Program on the Sapphire...well, here's the scoop. The ages are: 3-6, 7-9, 10-12, and 13-17. But, here's the good news...they allow your child to move 'down' if they want to...but not 'up'. However, they allowed our 8 year old to move up to be with his 10 year old sister...I'm not sure if this was because he is so tall for his age or because they needed more kids in that age group. Whatever, the kids didn't use the program a whole lot as they wanted to be with their families most of the time.

 

We did notice an improvement with room service...much better food and it arrived very quickly. They confirmed that room service is now handled by the 'food' department rather than the 'accomodation' or hotel part of the operation as it was in the past. We did take advantage of the special area for Platinum and/or Suite passengers for disembarking. We had never done this before and it was really nice...quiet, coffee, muffins. They also allow all of your party in with you. Actually, no one was checking to see if we qualified...they just had a sign out front.

 

Well...that's about it...a perfect trip. We are already booked for next year's Alaska trip. On the Island Princess out of Vancouver to Whittier May 7th, we are then renting a car to tour the Kenai Peninsula and north of Anchorage for a week and then cruising back on the Coral. The Sapphire is a beautiful ship...as are all of the Princess Line (as far as we are concerned). Happy

Cruising!!