Since we are older, we wanted to take our children and grandchildren on a land tour of and cruise along Alaska. We chose the Sapphire Princess because it had a Grand Suite that could accommodate all 13 of us when we got together. We have sailed on various cruise lines and had different suites. The Grand Suite on the Sapphire Princess was far and away the best suite in which we have stayed. There is a round table for six, a hide-a-bed couch, a wet bar, a lovely bedroom, a jetted tub, which our grandsons enjoyed, a shower with way too many shower heads and handles, a double vanity, and separate room for the toilet and even an ante room before the bathroom. The closet was the most spacious one we have ever had. The deck was spacious was spacious with sufficient deck furniture. Due to the weather, however, we did not sit or lie outside. (People always ask why clothes should they bring to Alaska. A variety of clothing is always advisable. Plan for the weather to cold, inclement or sometimes really wet. Layering is the way to go in bad weather. Yes, there are 2 formal nights, but many people did not dress up much. The men and young boys in our group wore suits on those nights.)

The cruise did not disappoint. Our room steward Roger, who also was the room steward for the suites in which our kids were, was superb. He and his assistant did an excellent job of cleaning our suites and providing whatever we needed. Because we were in suites, we dined in the Santa Fe Dining Room. Vasco, the manager was very accommodating. At first he got us a table for 10 and a table for 3 for the young grandkids. When they didn't behave, he arranged 2 other tables for our group. He made specialty dishes just for our daughter and son-in-law and their children, since they are vegetarian/vegan. He always checked to see if we needed or wanted anything. The staff in the Santa Fe was also excellent. We enjoyed the food and service. Likewise, breakfast in Sabatini's was great, as well as was the attentive servers and maitre 'd. The magician/comedian was very entertaining. Due to watching our grandchildren, we did not participate most other activities so our children could enjoy some alone time.

Our grandchildren loved the children's club; they were ages 11 and 9. They always wanted to go there and would stay until closing time. One teenager used the teen club a fair amount, while the other went to the gym every day. Read more