Just Off the June 14th - June 21st sailing of the Ruby

[Eaglecw]

We just got off the Ruby Princess this morning. If anyone has questions we've got answers. We'll be doing a full report later, when we get more time

[CanICruiseSoon]

Patters please???!!!

[Working 2 Cruise]

Patters please???!!!

 

Good luck with that!

 

OP, did you have a good cruise?

[riclop]

Looking forward to it.

[Eaglecw]

Patters please???!!!

 

I don't have a scanner anymore so no Platters. In comparing some of the other Platters that were posted they are different. The entertainment is different. We had Steve Morris and Tyler Bryce. I believe they both are on another ship, they change often.

 

The weather could have been better. Tracy Arm was cold cloudy and foggy in some parts, with a few showers. If it's nice in Seattle it's normally raining in Southeast Alaska. Other than that the cruise was great.

[lauren0309]

I've read it can be quite rocky leaving from Seattle and returning to Seattle. Did you experience this? I'm thinking of doubling up on my seasick meds.

 

I'm looking forward to your review. We will be on Ruby this coming weekend. Can't wait. We were on her once before to the Caribbean, this time to Alaska.

Edited June 22, 2015 by lauren0309

[Woobstr112G]

Looking forward to your full report.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Colo Cruiser]

We just got off the Ruby Princess this morning. If anyone has questions we've got answers. We'll be doing a full report later, when we get more time

 

 

 

Looking forward to it. :)

[Dinda]

Just wondering about check-in timing. Received an e-mail today about our check-in times and wondering how strict they are about it. Our hotel

pick up time is scheduled for 11:00 and scheduled boarding time is 2:30. We are staying in hotel at SeaTac so it will take a while before we get to pier. A couple of us have trouble with standing for long periods, so just wondering if we need to reschedule a later hotel pick up time. We have no problem with checking in and then having to wait on ship if our cabins are not ready. Just want to make sure they will let us go ahead and check in.

 

1:00 PM - Caribe & Plaza Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with C & P 1:30 PM - Baja & Lido Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with B & L 2:00 PM - Emerald & Dolphin Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with E & D 2:30 PM - Aloha & Riviera Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with A & R

 

[sh2738]

Just wondering about check-in timing. Received an e-mail today about our check-in times and wondering how strict they are about it. Our hotel

pick up time is scheduled for 11:00 and scheduled boarding time is 2:30. We are staying in hotel at SeaTac so it will take a while before we get to pier. A couple of us have trouble with standing for long periods, so just wondering if we need to reschedule a later hotel pick up time. We have no problem with checking in and then having to wait on ship if our cabins are not ready. Just want to make sure they will let us go ahead and check in.

 

1:00 PM - Caribe & Plaza Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with C & P 1:30 PM - Baja & Lido Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with B & L 2:00 PM - Emerald & Dolphin Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with E & D 2:30 PM - Aloha & Riviera Decks - Cabins on these decks begin with A & R

 

 

 

I have been receiving these as well. You can do a search on the forum for Seattle sailings about this. According to the documents our boarding time is 2:30 as well. Judging from what I have read though on here, everyone has been saying that you can board usually around 11. I plan on getting there sometime around noon. But do a search for Seattle and you can see other seasoned Seattle cruisers experiences.

[caribill]

Just wondering about check-in timing. Received an e-mail today about our check-in times and wondering how strict they are about it.

 

Not strict. It is a suggestion to help even out the crowds.

[sh2738]

We just got off the Ruby Princess this morning. If anyone has questions we've got answers. We'll be doing a full report later, when we get more time

 

 

Wondering. Did you have a progressive boarding time later in the afternoon such as we do? Did they enforce it? I have heard that they don't but let's check with you since you just sailed. Thanks.

[Working 2 Cruise]

Wondering. Did you have a progressive boarding time later in the afternoon such as we do? Did they enforce it? I have heard that they don't but let's check with you since you just sailed. Thanks.

 

Arrive when you want. As you've been told several times, it's a suggestion, nothing else. Most of us have sailed several times (or more) with Princess, so we know.

[Xenni]

We are travelling to Alaska with Ruby next week :). If you have any photo of the ship to share, that would be great!

[Working 2 Cruise]

We are travelling to Alaska with Ruby next week :). If you have any photo of the ship to share, that would be great!

 

Do a search for Ruby Review. There's a really good one by Bimmer.

[Eaglecw]

This is our report of our Alaska cruise on June 14th – June 21st on the Ruby Princess. I’m sorry but it is pretty long

 

EMBARKATION

 

We live 43 miles from Pier 91 in Seattle. We left our house at 10am and arrived at Pier 91 about 10:50am or so. Dropped off our checked bags downstairs and proceeded upstairs, before you go upstairs they have you fill out the Health questionnaire, we already had ours filled, thanks to Tom. There was a pretty good crowd filling out the Health questionnaire so I was glad that Tom supplied the form. Prior to going upstairs you have to show your Passport and boarding pass. Upstairs security was very fast, they moved people though the line pretty fast. The line for check-in moved along very quickly. After we checked in we got in line to board, I don’t think we waited more than 10 minutes before boarded. Once on board, about 11:3am we went to our room dropped off the carryon bags, unpacked a few things and then went down the Da Vinci Dining Room for lunch, which is on Deck 6. We got there short after Noon and they closed the door at 1:15. We both had the salmon, which was very good. After lunch we walked around ship getting our bearings, the ship is in very good condition, clean and the crew is very friendly. The ship is laid out similar to the Grand class ships.

 

We opt for the 8pm traditional dinning, it’s less crowded and it works well for us with excursions etc. while on the cruise. We normally eat dinner at 5pm so we had a little snack about 4pm from the Trident grill or the international cafe. I had the Prime Rib on sail away dinner which was very good, if you get the Prime Rib always substitute something else for the corn on the cob. The corn on cob is over cooked, I learned that a few years ago. After dinner we went to the production show in the theater and saw the Ruby Princess singers and dancers, they put on a nice 45 minutes show. Billy Hygate the cruise director came out and gave his little talked about what happening around ship. We sat out on our balcony till will after dark.

 

Day 1 Sea Day

 

There was a slight roll to the ship and some people were complaining about being sick, it never affected us. I thought the seas were pretty flat, I’ve seen it a lot rougher. We try to eat all of our meals in the MDR, sometimes it’s hard to find a place to sit in the Horizon court, nothing ticks me off faster than a “table hog” you know the ones who sit at a table reading there book, texting or working on the their lap top. They sit there for hours like gargoyles. Breakfast in the MDR was always good, the fruit was wonderful, even the coffee was pretty good this time. On sea days at the Wheelhouse Bar they have the English style pub lunch, we both have fish and chips and I had a second plate of mashed potatoes and banger’s, both were very good. If Capt. David Lethin from the Deadliest catch is his talk on owning the Aleutian ballad and crabbing in the Bering Sea be sure to catch his talk. Also the ships naturalist Jules Talario gives great lecture on Whales. Tons of things to do on the ship, so check your Platter for all the information on what’s going on.

 

Day 2 Ketchikan

 

We arrived at Ketchikan at 6:30qm.

Cold and cloudy. We had nice breakfast in them MDR then walked around town. Ketchikan is the best place to buy gifts, jackets, hats etc. The place to go is the “Tongass Trading Post”, had to stop in there and pick up a few things. We like to go the Forest service discovery center. When we came out of the Discovery center it was pouring down rain. So we waited awhile until it stopped raining and then walked over to Creek street, pretty dead over. Then up married man’s trail.

 

Day 3 Tracy Arm & Juneau

 

We entered Tracy Arm at 5am. The weather was cold, foggy, and cloudy, with a light drizzle. Those who took the small boat excursion had a wonderful view of Sawyer glacier. Those of us who stayed on the ship ad a nice ride. We arrived in Juneau at around 12:45 and we took the Whale watching tour off the ship with Allen Marine. This an excellent excursion, nice equipment, not crowded. We saw a lot of whales bubble feeding, which is very impressive. The naturalist on the boat they don’t normally see that many whales bubble feeding. There were 11 boats in the area of the whale watching. Some of them appeared to be over loaded. We didn’t go out the Mendenhall glacier, we’ve been there many times. Libby Riddles comes onboard in Juneau to give her talk about winning the Iditarod. In the evening in the Princess theater the Alaska String band performs, this is a good show not to be missed.

 

Day 4 Skagway

 

We got into Skagway again early, at around 7:15. We took the first fast ferry to Haines, it’s a 45 minute ride and took the “Alaska Wilderness River Adventure” up the Chilkat river in a jet boat. We saw a lot of Bald Eagles, no bears or Moose. This was a 4 hour excursion counting the ferry ride so it was a long day. We still had time to do a little looking around in Skagway. Skagway wasn’t crowded at all by the time we got back from Haines.

 

Day 5 Sea Day

 

 

This was a lazy day. Had late breakfast in the MDR. Had a mid-morning snack at the international café, this place is awesome. This is the last formal night, if you can call it that. I was over dressed at our table I had on a nice shirt and tie, one of the guy’s had on polo shift, another had on a cowboy shirt. This the only night that they had King Crab legs, they came cut in half so they were easy to eat, they were so wonderful. This also the Baked Alaska night. The Baked Alaska they bring out when they do the parade are fake now and they bring slices of Baked Alaska to the table, I remember from years past that a lot of the Baked Alaska would go to waste.

 

Day 6 Victoria

 

Today they had another English pub style lunch at the Wheelhouse bar, very good. You don’t get to Victoria until about 7:00pm. This doesn’t give you much time in town. We had an early dinner then walked into town to the Inner Harbor area. It was pretty crowded with 3 ships in town.

 

Day 7 Seattle Disembarkation

 

Now Princess has this down, this a is smooth operation. We were scheduled to go off the ship 8:15, our group was called at 8:05 we walked off the ship and down to claim our bags walked to customs, never stopped. Out to meet our shuttle to the parking lot and on our way home by 8:45.

 

Food on the ship. Overall the food is very good, I don’t believe we had anything complaints with any of the food we ate. The ice cream was good, the deserts were all good. They always have my favorite Fettuccine Alfredo with a chicken breast cut up on top, get that as an appetizer it’s great. The Horizon court buffet was good the few times we ate there. The International café is always good, on the Ruby Princess they have more seating so you can sit down and enjoy what’s going on in Piazza.

 

If you’ve never cruised on Princess before the key is to check the Platter often, there are a lot of things going on thought out the day on the ship. If you lose your Platter they have available at passenger services. There is so much to do on the ship that we came home exhausted.

Edited June 25, 2015 by Eaglecw

[sh2738]

This is our report of our Alaska cruise on June 14th – June 21st on the Ruby Princess. I’m sorry but it is pretty long

 

EMBARKATION

 

We live 43 miles from Pier 91 in Seattle. We left our house at 10am and arrived at Pier 91 about 10:50am or so. Dropped off our checked bags downstairs and proceeded upstairs, before you go upstairs they have you fill out the Health questionnaire, we already had ours filled, thanks to Tom. There was a pretty good crowd filling out the Health questionnaire so I was glad that Tom supplied the form. Prior to going upstairs you have to show your Passport and boarding pass. Upstairs security was very fast, they moved people though the line pretty fast. The line for check-in moved along very quickly. After we checked in we got in line to board, I don’t think we waited more than 10 minutes before boarded. Once on board, about 11:3am we went to our room dropped off the carryon bags, unpacked a few things and then went down the Da Vinci Dining Room for lunch, which is on Deck 6. We got there short after Noon and they closed the door at 1:15. We both had the salmon, which was very good. After lunch we walked around ship getting our bearings, the ship is in very good condition, clean and the crew is very friendly. The ship is laid out similar to the Grand class ships.

 

We opt for the 8pm traditional dinning, it’s less crowded and it works well for us with excursions etc. while on the cruise. We normally eat dinner at 5pm so we had a little snack about 4pm from the Trident grill or the international cafe. I had the Prime Rib on sail away dinner which was very good, if you get the Prime Rib always substitute something else for the corn on the cob. The corn on cob is over cooked, I learned that a few years ago. After dinner we went to the production show in the theater and saw the Ruby Princess singers and dancers, they put on a nice 45 minutes show. Billy Hygate the cruise director came out and gave his little talked about what happening around ship. We sat out on our balcony till will after dark.

 

Day 1 Sea Day

 

There was a slight roll to the ship and some people were complaining about being sick, it never affected us. I thought the seas were pretty flat, I’ve seen it a lot rougher. We try to eat all of our meals in the MDR, sometimes it’s hard to find a place to sit in the Horizon court, nothing ticks me off faster than a “table hog” you know the ones who sit at a table reading there book, texting or working on the their lap top. They sit there for hours like gargoyles. Breakfast in the MDR was always good, the fruit was wonderful, even the coffee was pretty good this time. On sea days at the Wheelhouse Bar they have the English style pub lunch, we both have fish and chips and I had a second plate of mashed potatoes and banger’s, both were very good. If Capt. David Lethin from the Deadliest catch is his talk on owning the Aleutian ballad and crabbing in the Bering Sea be sure to catch his talk. Also the ships naturalist Jules Talario gives great lecture on Whales. Tons of things to do on the ship, so check your Platter for all the information on what’s going on.

 

Day 2 Ketchikan

 

We arrived at Ketchikan at 6:30qm.

Cold and cloudy. We had nice breakfast in them MDR then walked around town. Ketchikan is the best place to buy gifts, jackets, hats etc. The place to go is the “Tongass Trading Post”, had to stop in there and pick up a few things. We like to go the Forest service discovery center. When we came out of the Discovery center it was pouring down rain. So we waited awhile until it stopped raining and then walked over to Creek street, pretty dead over. Then up married man’s trail.

 

Day 3 Tracy Arm & Juneau

 

We entered Tracy Arm at 5am. The weather was cold, foggy, and cloudy, with a light drizzle. Those who took the small boat excursion had a wonderful view of Sawyer glacier. Those of us who stayed on the ship ad a nice ride. We arrived in Juneau at around 12:45 and we took the Whale watching tour off the ship with Allen Marine. This an excellent excursion, nice equipment, not crowded. We saw a lot of whales bubble feeding, which is very impressive. The naturalist on the boat they don’t normally see that many whales bubble feeding. There were 11 boats in the area of the whale watching. Some of them appeared to be over loaded. We didn’t go out the Mendenhall glacier, we’ve been there many times. Libby Riddles comes onboard in Juneau to give her talk about winning the Iditarod. In the evening in the Princess theater the Alaska String band performs, this is a good show not to be missed.

 

Day 4 Skagway

 

We got into Skagway again early, at around 7:15. We took the first fast ferry to Haines, it’s a 45 minute ride and took the “Alaska Wilderness River Adventure” up the Chilkat river in a jet boat. We saw a lot of Bald Eagles, no bears or Moose. This was a 4 hour excursion counting the ferry ride so it was a long day. We still had time to do a little looking around in Skagway. Skagway wasn’t crowded at all by the time we got back from Haines.

 

Day 5 Sea Day

 

 

This was a lazy day. Had late breakfast in the MDR. Had a mid-morning snack at the international café, this place is awesome. This is the last formal night, if you can call it that. I was over dressed at our table I had on a nice shirt and tie, one of the guy’s had on polo shift, another had on a cowboy shirt. This the only night that they had King Crab legs, they came cut in half so they were easy to eat, they were so wonderful. This also the Baked Alaska night. The Baked Alaska they bring out when they do the parade are fake now and they bring slices of Baked Alaska to the table, I remember from years past that a lot of the Baked Alaska would go to waste.

 

Day 6 Victoria

 

Today they had another English pub style lunch at the Wheelhouse bar, very good. You don’t get to Victoria until about 7:00pm. This doesn’t give you much time in town. We had an early dinner then walked into town to the Inner Harbor area. It was pretty crowded with 3 ships in town.

 

Day 7 Seattle Disembarkation

 

Now Princess has this down, this a is smooth operation. We were scheduled to go off the ship 8:15, our group was called at 8:05 we walked off the ship and down to claim our bags walked to customs, never stopped. Out to meet our shuttle to the parking lot and on our way home by 8:45.

 

Food on the ship. Overall the food is very good, I don’t believe we had anything complaints with any of the food we ate. The ice cream was good, the deserts were all good. They always have my favorite Fettuccine Alfredo with a chicken breast cut up on top, get that as an appetizer it’s great. The Horizon court buffet was good the few times we ate there. The International café is always good, on the Ruby Princess they have more seating so you can sit down and enjoy what’s going on in Piazza.

 

If you’ve never cruised on Princess before the key is to check the Platter often, there are a lot of things going on thought out the day on the ship. If you lose your Platter they have available at passenger services. There is so much to do on the ship that we came home exhausted.

 

 

Awesome review. Getting very excited for my cruise just a. Week away [emoji16]

[Crabby_Cruiser]

Thanks for the awesome review! I was wondering if you could either link me to the questionnaire or post it here? I'd love for our group to have it ahead of time when we go in August. I'm assuming that they didn't give you any trouble for having it filled out ahead of time? Thank you!

[Bimmer09]

Do a search for Ruby Review. There's a really good one by Bimmer.

 

Thanks for the plug Nina!

 

Ruby review with photos/video in signature below.(last in list)

 

Norris

[Working 2 Cruise]

Norris, your reviews are fabulous! Can't wait for your next cruise!

[Working 2 Cruise]

Thanks for the awesome review! I was wondering if you could either link me to the questionnaire or post it here? I'd love for our group to have it ahead of time when we go in August. I'm assuming that they didn't give you any trouble for having it filled out ahead of time? Thank you!

 

It literally takes less than a minute to fill out... no need to fill it out ahead of time.

[sh2738]

It literally takes less than a minute to fill out... no need to fill it out ahead of time.

 

 

But then you can bypass everyone else that is filling it out and less of a hassle then. Matter of opinion.

[caribill]

But then you can bypass everyone else that is filling it out and less of a hassle then. Matter of opinion.

 

I always fill it out while waiting in the long line for port security.

Edited June 25, 2015 by caribill

[ROWSE]

Thank you for the review!

 

We are on the Ruby in August. I just wondered if you could recall if you were docked ready to get off in Victoria at 7:00, and was it time consuming getting off the ship?

 

I have a private excursion booked and just wondered how things were running for getting off on time and quickly.

[Bimmer09]

Norris, your reviews are fabulous! Can't wait for your next cruise!

 

Thanks Nina!

 

My next cruise is 91 days away according to my Ship Mate app, so pour yourself a very long stiff drink while you're waiting!

 

Cheers,

 

Norris