Our chosen itinerary is not new territory for us, but this cruise is noteworthy for two reasons: 1.) it’s an early celebration of our 40th anniversary (which is actually next month, and we’ll be riding a train through the Rocky Mountains on THE day); and 2.) it gets me back on a Princess ship, something that looked pretty questionable for awhile.
We never tire of Alaska cruises. These are our 8th and 9th cruises on similar itineraries. By taking the ship from Vancouver up to Whittier and returning, we double our chances for decent weather in every port, not an insignificant benefit in the rainforest that is the Southeastern Alaska coast.
We were originally booked to depart a few days earlier on the Majestic Princess, but when it was discussed on Cruise Critic (and again I say thank you to those who pointed me in the right direction) that the larger Royal Class of ships to which the Majestic belongs have to sail on the outside of Vancouver Island instead of the Inside Passage route (much more scenic), I cancelled it and rebooked on the Sapphire Princess. We love the Sapphire, and have done many cruises on the ship in the past. Thankfully, like the Majestic it has a covered pool area, which I consider a necessity on an Alaskan itinerary.
One more sleep and a 5am pick up are all that stand between me and my first real vacation since October 2021. I am so ready for this!.