Ruby Princess - Which balcony is best?

[batman79]

Thinking about taking a cruise to Alaska in late August or early September next year and i'm trying to figure out which balconies are mid ship & which balconies are the best and which balconies would be the worst to choose?

[Mackenzie1]

Below is the deck plan for the Ruby Princess, which shows the locations of the cabins:

 

http://www.princess.com/deckPlans.do?shipCode=RU

 

Many have enjoyed the Caribe deck (deck 10) because it has an extended balcony.

Edited December 7, 2014 by Mackenzie1

[skynight]

Thinking about taking a cruise to Alaska in late August or early September next year and i'm trying to figure out which balconies are mid ship & which balconies are the best and which balconies would be the worst to choose?

 

Mini suite balconies on Dolphin Deck 9 are 9'x6' and uncovered. Mini Suite balconies on Emerald Deck 8 starboard and port all the way aft are the same size but are covered.

Most balcony cat. cabins have balconies that are 9'x5' and are covered, except balcony cat. cabins on deck 10, Caribe Deck which are 9'x9' and half covered & half uncovered.

For Alaska in September you probably will not be spending too much time lounging on your balcony. Scenic viewing is best from the open decks.

Balcony sizes and coverage for aft facing cabins are a little different.

With few exceptions all balcony cat. cabins have the same interior and all minis have the same interior.

Review the deck plans on the Princess web site you will see which ones are mid ship. We personally prefer the Cat. BD balcony cabins aft section on Deck 10

[flamomo]

I'd be booking one on the Caribe deck. preferably toward the aft of the ship, in the C6-700s. Great location, convenient to the aft stairs and elevators. The ones in the 700s are in a quieter area of the ship, so that would be my first choice.

Caribe balconies are larger than the standard balconies, and are half covered in case of rainy weather.

Personally, I like to spend a lot of time on my balcony, enjoying the scenic views of beautiful Alaska, no matter what the weather is like.

[Woobstr112G]

OP;

 

I know you stated you wanted a mid-ship balcony but I'd give an aft view balcony a try as wake views are way cool. If you can splurge, try a Vista suite on Dolphin deck as the covered balcony is huge....:):):)

 

Bob

Edited December 7, 2014 by Woobstr112G

[MaChere]

Caribe deck balcony was our choice for both Alaska and British Isles cruises. Loved having this partially covered balcony, mid-aft. I've heard September weather can be kind of iffy.

[geoherb]

Price wise, I'd go with one of the Category BE or BD balcony cabins on the Caribe Deck. They're usually a great value. The BE ones are toward the front of the ship. We sailed in C714 last spring on the Ruby and in C238 on the Caribbean Princess this summer. Both were great, but we preferred the forward location for us. The biggest differences in this location for us are that we like going to the spa pool during the day and enjoy going to the show in the Princess Theater after dinner. Having a forward cabin is perfect for these.

[more cruises]

On all 4 of our Alaska cruises the port side of the ship faced Glacier Bay for most of the viewing time. That's definitely the side I would want to be on.

[Colo Cruiser]

Any balcony in Alaska works. :D

[Grammyluvs]

We had the Caribe balcony 402 on the Ruby. Loved it. I liked the part where it is half shade/half exposed. We used it every morning for bkfst and every evening for happy hour and times in between. It was our first balcony and we have had Caribe ever since.

[OCruisers]

We love the MA mini suites which are on Dolphin Deck and so convenient to the mid ship elevators. :)

LuLu

[satxdiver]

The very best balcony is the one I will be using!

 

We did an AK cruise in early September a few years ago. It was cold the whole time and we had to wear winter coats on the balcony or on top. It is a hit or miss deal and we got the miss part. Oh well, better luck next time.

 

Our other AK cruise was in late May/early June and was wonderful except rainy Ketchikan with their 200+ inches of rain per year. Good time to go.

[sassyredhat]

We have sailed 2 Alaska cruises, and both were aftish starboard Baja's.. They weren't bad. DH hurt himself so we couldn't go ashore in Victoria, but starboard faced the city/port so we were happy.

 

For our next one, the cabin will be decided where we hang out the most, which is the IC. It was a long walk from an aft cabin for a gimpy DH. :D

We took our second on in early Sept, and it was great weather.

 

Patti

[Woobstr112G]

Any balcony in Alaska works. :D

 

Exactly.....:D:D:D

 

Bob

[TXRed]

We are booked on the starboard side aft...not directly aft, but several cabins from the aft....will we ever see anything other than ocean??

[FritzG]

I'd be booking one on the Caribe deck. preferably toward the aft of the ship, in the C6-700s. Great location, convenient to the aft stairs and elevators. The ones in the 700s are in a quieter area of the ship, so that would be my first choice.

Caribe balconies are larger than the standard balconies, and are half covered in case of rainy weather.

Personally, I like to spend a lot of time on my balcony, enjoying the scenic views of beautiful Alaska, no matter what the weather is like.

 

That would be my first choice, too.

[Jules59]

I'm not saying. That's why we book as soon as we can. It is a mini suite.:)