Ruby Princess 4/19/2010

[JonAlone]

ooops .. I appear to be hogging the forum! :eek:

 

Well,,, I have now booked and paid,, so guess will meet you guys on board.

 

Let me know if any of you will be going home through London. It is my home town and I live very central...by the side of Tower Bridge .. (most Americans think this is London Bridge)

[DenvCruiser]

I agree with your suggestions for excursions.

 

Funchal is a great place to have a cheap dinner in the old town. The local fish and a beercost about 15 E.

 

We tried to do some of the sites in Gibraltar on oue own the last time I was there, but town was jammed with Europeans on spring break. Lines were everywhere, so we had expensive fish and chips and a pint. But, the view was priceless. I may do a tour this time to see the WWII tunnels.

 

We are in Rome on a national holiday. I hope I can talk the Canadian I am travelling with to do the tour that drops us off for a day in Rome on our own. I Know Rome pretty well, and he has never been. People who were on the cruise last year said that Rome was jammed when the ship was in on the holiday.

 

Last time in Genoa we went to Portofino. Big mistake. Beautiful town overrun with toursits. We wanted to have lunch, but didn't have time. We waited about 15 minutes just to get a gelato. I would like to go back to San or Santa Margarita, which was a cute town on the way to Portofino.

 

We have anytime dining and would not mind having dinner with some other guys, if you want.

[Bigsmiles]

so where else are you going as we get on the boat on confused is this a btob cruise ?? if your on it since the 4th ???:confused:

 

Sorry to confuse...we are on the transatlantic april 19th from FLL to Barcelona

just wondering what the good shore excursions...

Nate and Grove

[SgpMBL]

Jeremy and I haven't decided yet on excursions as we're both doing our research still on the particular ports of call. Here are possibilities that we're considering:

 

Madeira: Take the cable car to Monte, walk a levada, and then stop by a winery before we leave port to buy some madeira.

 

Gibraltar: Go to Europa point (either by bus or cable car). See Barbary Macaques, then walk down to explore town.

 

Cagliari: Poetto Beach.

 

Civitavecchia: It's supposed to be a holiday so we're not sure what to do about this one. Probably we'll just book the Rome on your own with Princess, see the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and whatever else is open on that day. I read that trains do run, but they are packed. One horror story I read online indicated that people sometimes waited 3 hours to board a train towards Rome's Termini station.

 

Livorno: Florence. Considering seeing the Ufizzi and Accademia. Probably won't have time for much else. Pisa is a possibility, but the mail site there the Campo del Miracolo (with the Leaning Tower) will probably not take the whole day.

 

Genoa: Train to Monterosso and explore Cinque Terre.

 

Monaco: Start off be heading to France and see Eze village between Monaco and Nice. Then head back to Monaco mid-day and just explore the city.

 

Barcelona: Likely Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell. We have a 7:00 PM flight, so we won't be able to stay too long.

[JonAlone]

wow... I am glad you are taking this research seriously... (it may mean I dont have to..:rolleyes:)

 

The Rome on your Own sounds good.. as does Pisa and Genoa. If you need more to fill a cab let me know please...

 

Be warned that if you buy some bottles of Madeira, the cruise ship security may well take it off you as you go back on board, and store it for you until the end of the cruise. They dont like you keeping your own alcohol in the cabin.. If you do get it back to the cabin, you may need to keep it hidden from the cabin steward too...

 

Remember that you can probably buy Madiera too in Barcelona.. it is a Europe wide desert tipple..and a cooking ingredient if you like sweet wines other than Sherry and Marsala.

 

Re Barcelona: I can not stress enough the wonder of Sagredad Familia!!!

I could spend hours with a pair of binoculars looking at the intricate construction and gargoyles.. the more you look , the more you see...

 

I wonder if it would be fun to get a few of us together for the Chefs Table Dinner one evening towards the start of the trip... it looks amazing!

 

Looking forward to meeting you guys...

 

Jonathan

[SgpMBL]

I definitely agree with Jonathan about the Sagrada Familia. With the intricacy involved, there's one reason why it's taking over a century to build. I saw it almost a decade ago when I was in college, and I'm looking forward to seeing the progress.

 

Thanks for suggesting getting madeira in Barcelona. I've been concerned that the levada walk that Jeremy is mapping out will not give us time to do wine-shopping since the ship gets there so late and I'm not sure when the wineries close. Good to know that I can get some in Barcelona if we end up missing it. (We bought madeira in our last TA, and recently gave our last bottle to a very good friend. So I'm looking forward to replenishing our stocks.)

[SgpMBL]

please bear in mind that I dont tend to do trips with the ships as experience with Royal Caribbean has taught me that there is more to see than tacky tourist shops.. In Cairo RCCL gave 30 mins at the Pyramids and 45 mins in a fake papyrus institute where you could buy replicas of the things you didnt have enough time to see for real!!

 

We'll be going on RC's Navigator the day after this cruise and it goes to Cairo. Would appreciate any recommendations you have. I take it the papyrus institute is not worth seeing. Any sense on whether Memphis, the museum, or a felucca ride would be better?

[JonAlone]

 

Thanks for suggesting getting madeira in Barcelona. I've been concerned that the levada walk that Jeremy is mapping out will not give us time to do wine-shopping since the ship gets there so late and I'm not sure when the wineries close. Good to know that I can get some in Barcelona if we end up missing it. (We bought madeira in our last TA, and recently gave our last bottle to a very good friend. So I'm looking forward to replenishing our stocks.)

 

I dont know if you are flying home from Barcelona or Madrid, or perhaps via London?? But Madeira wine will be available in the airport duty free shops too...

[JonAlone]

We'll be going on RC's Navigator the day after this cruise and it goes to Cairo. Would appreciate any recommendations you have. I take it the papyrus institute is not worth seeing. Any sense on whether Memphis, the museum, or a felucca ride would be better?

 

Cairo Museum is fantastic... I think the felucca ride is in Cairo area, which is a bit pointless, the Nile is great for the felucca when you get to Upper Egypt, where it is rural,..say Aswan, Karnak and Luxor. (well worth another Nile cruise)

 

Navigator likely pulls in to Alexandria ? This is a long way from Cairo, and last year the ship's tour coaches got back 3 hours late due to traffic in Cairo! Of course the ship waited.. but be sure ot book 'any-time dining' that night... Dont go to Cairo unless you are on a ship's excursion... and perhaps then try to confirm how much time you will have at the pyramids in Giza, and try to minimise the time in the (so called) papyrus institutes.

 

I spent the day walking round the old markets and seeing the fort in Alexandria, but carry only a pocket camera and dont stop to talk to the locals who call you in the street.... a little banter with the stall holders is ok though...

 

I have been on Navigator and Explorer and think they are great ships, with the mall and the ice shows. Even if you hate ice shows, you must see these....(there will be 2 different shows and about 3 repeats of each as it seats around 400)

Other things to look out for:

The Schooner bar is a great venue if the pianist is talented.

(sometimes some of the show crew will spend the late evening there too, and take turns casually entertaining themselves and singing songs they actually enjoy singing.)

The night club (Chamber) can be fun.. better than any other ships I have been on!

Look out for the jazz evening in the Sky Bar... very intimate venue with talented crew.

 

The Promanade Cafe serves free snacks and tea/coffee as well as pastries and cookies 24hrs a day. Nice when the nightclub closes at 2am and a good place to meet some of the show crew etc.

 

There is also a gameshow run in Studio2 (the ice rink covered over) that can be hilarious if the cruise director is any good.

 

Lastly, tell your table waiter that you want your food served HOT.... otherwise it can be left standing a bit before serving which can be a diappointment.

 

The adult only pool witht he glass sliding roof is a great place for the cooler days sailing out of Barcelona..

[SgpMBL]

Thanks so much for the suggestions.

[Bigsmiles]

Wow.. thanks for the info. I was a bit overwhelmed by all the tours and knew it would be crowded. my email is nateklarfeld@gmail.com if anyone wants to know our room #'s etc to meet up for dinners, etc. We are staying in Barcelona 2 nights at the Axel before flying back to Ft. Lauderdale.

[JonAlone]

the only cabins they offer for singles are "guarantee" cabins, so until I get on the ship all I know is I have an outside cabin with a window rather than a porthole.. could be anywhere and more than likely with a ruddy great lifeboat blocking the window!! Still, at least I will have somewhere to stash any porn... (joke!!!)

 

It would be good to meet you guys at sailaway somewhere... any suggestions?? as I havent been on this ship before so no idea what is where yet.. and likely will take me 17 days to find everything...:rolleyes:

[SgpMBL]

You'll probably know what your cabin number is fairly soon. We did a guarantee rate as well and ours got assigned about a week after booking.

 

It's our first time on Princess so we're not sure where a good place to get together for the sailaway would be. The terrace pool (at the rear of the ship) would be convenient for us since we're on the Reviera deck. Any other suggestions?

[JonAlone]

You'll probably know what your cabin number is fairly soon. We did a guarantee rate as well and ours got assigned about a week after booking.

 

It's our first time on Princess so we're not sure where a good place to get together for the sailaway would be. The terrace pool (at the rear of the ship) would be convenient for us since we're on the Reviera deck. Any other suggestions?

 

The terrace pool sounds excellent to me... I am sure there are vantage points if it is raining, but to me that looks like the best pool for the trip.. I like to see the wake and feel that I am actually on a boat... I am hoping any of the few children aboard will use the centre pools.. it would be cool if "we" could "aquisition" this pool if there are enough of us...

 

 

When I went on Brilliance of the Seas last year, I didnt get my cabin number til I arrived on the ship, and had a massive upgrade to a wonderful cabin, but on a low deck... this was so much better than I imagined as being low in the ship I had great view of the sea and the waves when we hit high seas.. I loved lying in bed and watching the waves!!!

 

Cant wait for some sunshine... freezing cold and grey in London...

[SgpMBL]

I dont know if you are flying home from Barcelona or Madrid, or perhaps via London?? But Madeira wine will be available in the airport duty free shops too...

We fly out of Rome with a stopover in Dublin. Hopefully, one of those cities will have madeira.

[DenvCruiser]

The Terrace Pool is a wonderful vantage point. I think it is my favorite area to view the sea on any ship I have ever been on. The views should be amazing leaving Fort Lauderdale, Funchal and Gibraltar.

 

I haven't been on the Ruby, but I have been on the Emerald and Caribbean Princess. Love this part of the ship.

[JonAlone]

Thanks for the advice on the cabin numbers for guarantee bookings...

Princess have upgraded me to an E from a GG, so now I have an unobstructed view on Propeller Deck. The cabin has the optional upper beds that I particularly didnt want... I called Princess to see if there were any alternatives, but they advised me that as I have received the upgrade so early, I could have a few more upgrades before the trip and not to worry.

 

my email is jaygee1243@hotmail.com.

 

and in case you arent following the main roll call for the Ruby Flames, there is a page of logo stuff on www.cafepress.com/PrincessRuby that could be of interest.

[JonAlone]

I have looked at the tours offered by Princess.. and there is a private train to Rome, close to Vatican City, which allows you to take a walkabout for the day, have some lunch at your own pace and then takes you back to the port... if booked by Princess I would doubt the ship would leave without us if it is delayed...

 

I was wondering if anyone else fancied doing this??? around $65 I think....

[DenvCruiser]

My Canadian cabinmate and I have signed up for this excursion. He has never been to Rome before, so we plan to hit the major sites at our speed. We will probably have lunch south of the Tiber in a residential area. I ate in this area the last time I was in Rome, and my mouth is watering thinking about that meal.

[JonAlone]

My Canadian cabinmate and I have signed up for this excursion. He has never been to Rome before, so we plan to hit the major sites at our speed. We will probably have lunch south of the Tiber in a residential area. I ate in this area the last time I was in Rome, and my mouth is watering thinking about that meal.

 

wonder if we can get a good group together, or are u planning something more intimate?

[DenvCruiser]

The more the merrier. We are planning to visit the major sights where there are no lines, have a gelato or two, have lunch in a non-touristy area, get lost, and have a fun, unstructured day in Rome.

[JonAlone]

sounds ideal to me, but from experience, a party of three would spoil the day.... so if others join in too, please let me know...

[SgpMBL]

sounds ideal to me, but from experience, a party of three would spoil the day.... so if others join in too, please let me know...

Still haven't figured out our excursions. We may end up joining, but not sure. Went ahead and reserved though.

[JonAlone]

Still haven't figured out our excursions. We may end up joining, but not sure. Went ahead and reserved though.

 

I didnt realise you could reserve with a cancellation option later... will do the same if that is the case.

[SgpMBL]

Jeremy and I are happy to announce that this has now become a honeymoon cruise for us.

 

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/local-breaking-news/dc/first-same-sex-couples-prepare.html?hpid=artslot