SAPPHIRE PRINCESS
May 8, 2023 | Ketchikan, Alaska
Sapphire Princess (Princess Cruises) is seen in Ketchikan, Alaska, on May 8, 2023. The Grand-class ship was photographed during Day 15 of our Fire & Ice voyage aboard Norwegian Spirit, when both ships visited Ketchikan during the final days of our journey through Alaska.
Sapphire Princess is seen in Ketchikan, Alaska, on May 8, 2023. We photographed the Princess Cruises ship during Day 15 of our 16-night Fire & Ice voyage aboard Norwegian Spirit, when both ships were visiting Ketchikan during the final portion of the Alaska itinerary.
Built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki, Japan, Sapphire Princess entered Princess Cruises service in 2004. Princess identifies her as a Grand-class ship, part of the generation of large vessels that expanded upon the successful design introduced by Grand Princess in the late 1990s.
At 115,875 gross tons and 952 feet long, Sapphire Princess was among the larger passenger ships of her generation. Her design combines extensive balcony accommodations, multiple dining rooms, large entertainment venues and substantial open deck space, features that have allowed her to operate successfully in destinations ranging from Alaska to Asia, Australia and the Pacific.
Information List
Name: Sapphire Princess
Operator: Princess Cruises
Class: Grand class
Builder: Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Nagasaki, Japan
Inaugural Cruise: May 16, 2004
Gross Tonnage: 115,875 GT
Length: 952 feet / 290 meters
Beam: 123 feet excluding bridge wings
Draft: 28 feet
Guest Capacity: Approximately 2,680
Crew: Approximately 1,100
Guest Staterooms: 1,337
Decks: 18
Christener: Nancy Gore Murkowski
Gallery Date: May 8, 2023
Gallery Location: Ketchikan, Alaska
Photography Context: Day 15 of our Norwegian Spirit Fire & Ice voyage
History and Features
Development and Construction:
Sapphire Princess was built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Nagasaki, Japan.
Her inaugural Princess Cruises voyage began on May 16, 2004.
Princess Cruises identifies the vessel as part of its Grand class.
The ship was built during a period of significant expansion in the Princess fleet and developed many of the concepts introduced by the earlier Grand-class ships.
Former Alaska First Lady Nancy Gore Murkowski served as the ship’s christener, giving Sapphire Princess an additional connection with a region that would become an important part of her service career.
Design and Accommodations:
Sapphire Princess measures 115,875 gross tons and approximately 952 feet in length.
The ship contains 1,337 guest staterooms.
Approximately 750 cabins have private balconies, representing a substantial proportion of the ship’s outside accommodations.
Princess lists approximately 2,680 guests and 1,100 crew.
The ship has 18 decks and extensive public spaces distributed throughout her superstructure.
Her large number of balcony cabins and open deck areas are particularly well suited to scenic itineraries such as Alaska.
Passenger Spaces:
Sapphire Princess includes several main dining rooms rather than relying on a single large dining space.
Public areas include Princess Theater, Explorers Lounge, Wheelhouse Bar and Club Fusion.
The ship also includes specialty dining, casual restaurants and café spaces.
Outdoor and recreation facilities include pools, whirlpools and extensive open decks.
Skywalkers Nightclub occupies a distinctive position high toward the stern and remains one of the recognizable exterior features associated with Princess ships of this generation.
The ship has continued to receive updates to dining and passenger spaces during her career.
Princess Cruises and Alaska:
Alaska has long been one of Princess Cruises’ most important destinations.
Princess operated seven ships in Alaska during the 2023 season, including Sapphire Princess.
Ketchikan is a regular call on both Inside Passage and one-way Alaska itineraries.
The city’s cruise berths place passenger ships close to downtown and the surrounding forested landscape.
Princess itineraries frequently combine Ketchikan with ports and scenic destinations such as Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage.
May 8, 2023 – Ketchikan:
These photographs show Sapphire Princess in Ketchikan on May 8, 2023.
We encountered the ship while traveling aboard Norwegian Spirit during the Alaska portion of our Fire & Ice voyage.
Ketchikan was our final Alaska port before beginning the southbound journey toward Vancouver.
Seeing Sapphire Princess in port added another passenger ship to the collection documented during the voyage.
The surrounding mountains, forests and waterfront provide a distinctly Southeast Alaska setting for the ship.
Our Norwegian Spirit Fire & Ice Voyage – Day 15:
May 8, 2023 was Day 15 of our 17-calendar-day journey aboard Norwegian Spirit.
We had boarded Norwegian Spirit in Honolulu on April 24 for the 16-night Fire & Ice voyage.
After visiting several Hawaiian islands, the ship crossed the Pacific before reaching Southeast Alaska.
Our Alaska calls began at Icy Strait Point on May 4, followed by Glacier Bay on May 5, Skagway on May 6 and Juneau on May 7.
Ketchikan followed on May 8 as Day 15 and our final Alaska port.
Sapphire Princess was also in Ketchikan during our visit, allowing us to photograph her while traveling aboard Norwegian Spirit.
May 9 was spent at sea as we continued south.
We arrived in Vancouver and disembarked Norwegian Spirit on May 10.
The Sapphire Princess gallery therefore forms part of the photographic record of the final days of our larger 2023 Fire & Ice journey.
Two Different Cruise-Ship Generations:
The Ketchikan encounter brought together two ships from different periods of modern cruise-ship development.
Sapphire Princess entered service in 2004 as part of Princess Cruises’ expansion of its large Grand-class fleet.
Norwegian Spirit entered service several years earlier and was originally designed for Star Cruises before joining Norwegian Cruise Line.
Their different profiles and design histories reflect two distinct approaches to passenger ships developed around the turn of the twenty-first century.
Both ships have remained in service through extensive updates and changing deployments.
Continued Service:
Sapphire Princess has operated around the world during a career extending for more than two decades.
Her deployments have included Alaska, Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and the Pacific.
Princess has continued to update the vessel while retaining the overall Grand-class arrangement and profile.
Her combination of moderate contemporary size, extensive balcony accommodations and large open decks continues to suit destination-focused itineraries.
Legacy:
Sapphire Princess represents an important generation in the expansion of Princess Cruises during the early 2000s.
Her Mitsubishi-built design developed the successful Grand-class concept while providing a large number of balcony cabins and passenger spaces.
Her long association with Alaska is particularly appropriate given that former Alaska First Lady Nancy Gore Murkowski served as the ship’s christener.
The May 8, 2023 Ketchikan gallery documents Sapphire Princess during the opening weeks of that year’s Alaska season while preserving an encounter from Day 15 of our Norwegian Spirit Fire & Ice voyage.
