LawDog61

After 3 sea days, we arrived in Juneau early today. The Grand Princess and a Celebrity ship are also in port. It is truly a beautiful day here, nice after a few days of heavy weather. Went to an ABBA tribute show last night in the main theater and it was great fun. We are in port until 8:30 tonight. I think a lot of people are doing multiple tours.

We are cruising with some friends who set up dining for different MDR every night. Not my idea. But we really hit it off with our waiters and they said to come back every night which works better for me, as I am celiac (gluten allergy) and it is much easier to deal with that on a recurring basis when you at same table. I think the waiters are not big fans of the DMW system, getting much less tips than if they serve the same people for the whole cruise.

I am on the Ruby now after flying to SF from So. Cal. And I must admit I too felt a bit overwhelmed by all the Confusing info about testing, ArriveCAN, QR codes, uploading neg. Results etc. But everything feel into place, my travel day was so easy and on time (thanks United) and amazingly, checkin and boarding was the easiest I have ever experienced. Security, checkin and waiting for 15. Minutes in the elite boarding area before walking on. So, I would say, definitely worth the hassle. And if they have similar protocols next year, it will be much easier.

Dinner in MDR Botticelli was excellent last night. We have a permanent table now with a happy group of waiters. The MDR wasn’t even half full. Maybe because it’s a little hard to get to being at the back of the ship and cut off from the rest of deck 6.

So true that our taste are all different. Lots of great music onboard. I heard SandraMaria last night in the WheelHouse. Two young ladies from Ukraine (that got them a big cheer!) playing violin and piano. And 2 Wire, a group from the Philippines. Female singer who is out standing and a male piano played/singer.

Seas are a bit quieter today, still high winds. I was able to do some walking on the Sun deck but very windy. It seemed a little better to stay on the starboard side. A crew member told us that the ship is about 75% , which seems about right.

Fudge supplies running low, but not yet critical.

The boarding process was the quickest easiest ever (a pay back for all the time spent geeking around with Medallion, AriveCAN, etc?). It took 10 minutes through security and checkin, followed by about a 15 minute wait before they started boarding. So much confusion about testing, here is what happened. We did not need to show Neg test to complete ArriveCAN, but did need to show it to board. Go figure. Dinner in MDR Botticelli was great. Good food and excellent service. It’s been pretty rough sailing since we left S.F. , Captain says it will start abating this afternoon and will be calmer tomorrow. We have altered course a bit to get a better angle on the waves and a smoother ride. My main activity in the evening is listening to the music. The wheelhouse group 2 Wire is excellent, Funch in Crooners is great-but the party band Golden Moon……oh my…., well, let’s just say, not to my liking -and I almost always enjoy the party band on Princess. Additionally, it Looks like they have a pianist, a violinist and a Guitarist/Singer which I will checkout later. The ship doesn’t seem crowded. MDR last night was only about half full, but of course a lot of people are beat after traveling/boarding day. And uncrowded feeling today, may be people laying low because of the rough seas. Overall , a great start to the cruise!

Is Ruby running late into S.F.? We are boarding today, and bridge cam shows it’s still at sea bound for S.F. I know bridge cams are not always current, but the time is correct.

A little help from those of you on board. We are boarding Sept and doimg our ArriveCAN FORMS. Which port of entry did you list for Prince Rupert (there are a few listed) thanks

I cruised on Discovery a few months ago. Took most of my meals in the buffet. Stay masked up when getting the food- lots of space there so seat away from people or out side. To me, that seemed a much lower risk than sitting in a room 90 minutes or so, where 200-300 people are maskless and talking. Just my opinion and risk assessment .

Looking forward to your reports. Thanks for sharing with us.

Since it is pretty widely known among passengers that if you report systems, you go to isolation and are treated badly, I got to think a lot of people are not reporting, just self isolating in their cabin. This of course, greatly reduces the number of reported cases and the need to set aside (and not sell) cabins for isolation purposes- which is probably OK with princess.

Joining the thanks! I always enjoy your reports.

So you were able to complete ArriveCAN without uploading test results? Wondering if they are still required.

Also on the 7th cruise. Is it your understanding testing is still required if we qualify as fully vaxed? I read the Canadian government web page as inconsistent.

Well, I hope you all are having a great cruise. If any of you could share your ArriveCAN experience with me. The Canadian gov site ( can’t get very far in the app as I am More than 72 hours out) clearly says if you qualify as fully vaccinated you do not need a test. However, a “cruise ship” link imbedded clearly say you do need to test. A friend boarded Carnival Splender inSeattle today, and completed his ArriveCAN and was boarded without testing. Totally confused. Thank

Yes, some people do dress up. Also, there was a contest for best costume for crew. Entertainers and photo department not allowed since they have access to costumes. The crew really enjoyed it.

Thank😄

Some help from my CC buddies please! Working on my ArriveCAN FOR MY Sept 7 cruise on Princess Ruby. Where it says to upload “travel documents” are they talking about passport or Ship itinerary? Thanks .

In have heard of some bringing a small tray along to haul food from buffet and I.C. To the cabin.

On the sail over, they always show the Elvis movie “Blue Hawaii”. It’s campy as heck and I have watched it many times, but the scenes of driving around 1960 Hawaii in his girlfriend’s MGA always sets the mood for me. Yea

We were on it a few months ago. Only ate in MD on first night…… service was very slow. Buffet was great ( if you worried about Covid, go off hours and grab an outside table) Gigis was great as was crown grill. Enjoy

Hopeful the impacts of Covid will continue to fad, but I do think the financial situation of most, if not all cruise lines is bad, and I think we can anticipate continued cut-backs.

Looking forward to your reports. You do a great live on board. Thanks for sharing!