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Ruby or Grand??

mike x ftc

By mike x ftc,
in Princess Cruises

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mike x ftc

mike x ftc

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Considering our first Princess cruise, a round trip Hawaii next year, can anyone give any hints to which might be better for us?? Do the extra passengers on the Ruby make her feel crowded?? Does it make a difference?

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VibeGuy

VibeGuy

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Ruby is a great ship with a really nice layout for Sabatini's/Adagio, but for this itinerary, I'm gonna go with the Grand.

 

Grand has a covered pool for those first couple of sea days that can be kinda chilly and breezy. It also has the very nicely done Alfredo's for delicious pizza.

 

People are going to bitch, loudly, about the lack of a central staircase on Grand. It's really only a huge issue if you've got a cabin in the range of Caribe-Emerald 300-599 and are trying to get to the midship dining rooms without using the elevator.

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VibeGuy

VibeGuy

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I'm possibly the only fan of One5. I think the layout is superior, there's more room, it doesn't shake constantly, bar service is vastly faster, the access to the outside is better and the seating areas immediately aft are some of my favorite places on any Princess ship. You do lose the daytime views but I tend to prefer to be outside during the day.

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shredie

shredie

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Considering our first Princess cruise, a round trip Hawaii next year, can anyone give any hints to which might be better for us?? Do the extra passengers on the Ruby make her feel crowded?? Does it make a difference?

 

Ruby is a beautiful ship. I don't fee more crowded on her. Adagio bar is spectacular. She would be my choice.

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fishywood

fishywood

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I was on Ruby last year and didn't find it any more crowded than the Grand-class ships. But there is a special intangible feeling about sailing on Grand Princess and being able to say you were on the very first ship of its class anywhere. Yes she is 18 years old but to me that is part of her character. The covered pool, the smaller intimate Wheelhouse Bar, the original Vista Lounge as second showroom rather than the useless Club Fusion: Grand wins it for me even though I agree that Ruby is more ergonomically laid out (and yes, the missing Skywalker's was a much better happy hour location than One5).

Edited by fishywood
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FritzG

FritzG

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We much prefer the Ruby. We've sailed on her numerous times and loved it every time. We were on the Grand to Hawaii three years ago, and it is by far our least favorite ship due to many plumbing problems in our Baja hallway among many other issues. We enjoyed One5 but not enough to sail the Grand again.

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paul32

paul32

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I'm possibly the only fan of One5. I think the layout is superior, there's more room, it doesn't shake constantly, bar service is vastly faster, the access to the outside is better and the seating areas immediately aft are some of my favorite places on any Princess ship. You do lose the daytime views but I tend to prefer to be outside during the day.

You're not alone. We love Skywalkers in the daytime, but in the evenings and late night we definitely prefer the One5. The layout of Skywalkers is terrible for a dance/festive atmosphere with everyone separated by the design of the seating and the proximity to the dance floor.

 

The One5 is fantastic for dancing and meeting up for a late night club-like party. Not everyone's cup of tea, I do understand that. There are benefits to both for sure. But we do love the One5. :)

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J-D

J-D

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We notice the 500 or so extra people on the Ruby and the other three Princess ships with the added Riviera deck. The Grand has fewer pax and a better space ratio, and the covered pool. On the other hand, the Grand is our least-favourite Grand class ship, for a variety of reasons, including the missing passenger-accessible central staircase, loss of Skywalkers, and smaller closets. On balance, a toss-up for us. I would instead choose based on itinerary.

 

Now if the question concerned the Ruby (or Crown or Emerald or Caribbean) vs. any Grand- or Gem-class ship other than the Grand herself, we would prefer the Grand-or Gem-class ship. Our preference is mainly attributable to their better space ratios in the absence of a Riviera deck, and the resultant reduced crowding, especially during Anytime Dining. Of course, some other people have different experiences and opinions...

 

John

Edited by J-D
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iceleven

iceleven

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I'm possibly the only fan of One5. I think the layout is superior, there's more room, it doesn't shake constantly, bar service is vastly faster, the access to the outside is better and the seating areas immediately aft are some of my favorite places on any Princess ship. You do lose the daytime views but I tend to prefer to be outside during the day.

 

I'm in agreement here. I also found that the floor, being some sort of weird vinyl or plastic, made it more difficult to dance on. It lacked any ability to slide shoes across the floor; perhaps a safety factor. I had to give up any effort to dance. Small and not all that important but if one really enjoys the dance floor at night, good luck.

 

And there is a better "Happy Hour" (price-wise/selection wise) in the Wheel House bar. We don't even bother going up to the Elite/Platinum happy hour anymore as the drink choices are generally ones I don't enjoy.

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peety3

peety3

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Grand has a covered pool for those first couple of sea days that can be kinda chilly and breezy. It also has the very nicely done Alfredo's for delicious pizza.

 

People are going to bitch, loudly, about the lack of a central staircase on Grand. It's really only a huge issue if you've got a cabin in the range of Caribe-Emerald 300-599 and are trying to get to the midship dining rooms without using the elevator.

Yes, yes, they will bitch loudly. :) It's a problem for more than just DRs...arriving in port creates a mess too, as does scenic cruising in glacier areas. Last year on the Grand, we did the small-boat excursion in Tracy Arm, which got us back to the ship at 2pm as lots of people were getting off the ship on deck 4, port side, mid and forward. We reboarded the ship from the starboard side tender platform, about deck 3, forward, and climbed stairs to deck 4. I honestly don't know how/why, but I could never get to an empty upward-bound elevator to get back to my cabin.

 

But the Alfredo's pizza is amazing! We got back on the ship the final night in Victoria on deck 5, and raced up to our cabin to drop off our cameras so we could get back before they closed (or filled up). Such an awesome late-night treat!

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19woody19

19woody19

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Considering our first Princess cruise, a round trip Hawaii next year, can anyone give any hints to which might be better for us?? Do the extra passengers on the Ruby make her feel crowded?? Does it make a difference?

 

 

We just got off the Ruby yesterday after a 15 day Hawaiian cruise and it was wonderful. Never felt crowded at all and loved the Ruby lay-out. We had an aft, corner cabin and on a couple mildly rough days it was never a problem. We were told by several others, that have sailed on the Grand, that there seems to be numerous plumbing issues ( leaks, etc) and that the whole ship seems to be much less stable in rough waters. We scheduled a cruise on the Grand to Alaska but, after hearing so many others complain about it, we cancelled that and re-booked for the same cruise to Hawaii next March 24th on the Ruby again. I'm sure there are others that love the Grand but, if I'm going to spend the money for a great cruise I prefer to not chance a bad experience and go with what I already know is a great ship.

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Colo Cruiser

Colo Cruiser

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We just got off the Ruby yesterday after a 15 day Hawaiian cruise and it was wonderful. Never felt crowded at all and loved the Ruby lay-out. We had an aft, corner cabin and on a couple mildly rough days it was never a problem. We were told by several others, that have sailed on the Grand, that there seems to be numerous plumbing issues ( leaks, etc) and that the whole ship seems to be much less stable in rough waters. We scheduled a cruise on the Grand to Alaska but, after hearing so many others complain about it, we cancelled that and re-booked for the same cruise to Hawaii next March 24th on the Ruby again. I'm sure there are others that love the Grand but, if I'm going to spend the money for a great cruise I prefer to not chance a bad experience and go with what I already know is a great ship.

 

Yes the Ruby is excellent. :)

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