Review-Ruby r/t Alaska Inner Passage May 8-15, 2016

[New York Nana]

Sorry if I missed this (crazy busy packing and talking our 3 cats out of a cruise protest/riot:)......are the stores onboard open on the one-nighter? We have done stockholder OBC to burn [emoji3]

 

I just checked the 1 night Patter:

 

Boutiques were open from sailing till 11:00 pm

 

Casino was NOT open at all during the 1 nighter and only opened the 1st night out of Seattle after 8:30pm due to local gaming restrictions.

 

Also, our military OBC was carried over to the 7 night cruise, as well as our internet minutes. We had to use up the 150 minutes 1st before we could activate the 2nd set of 150 minutes. Initially, it wouldn't recognize the loyalty minutes and I went to the Internet manager who said they were working on the glitch. I checked again about an hour later and it worked fine.

 

The Princess @ Sea works very seamlessly. I

[New York Nana]

While we were still docked in Seattle, I was on my balcony when I definitely smelled smoke from a cigarette. Just looking over the balcony, I saw an adult 2 decks below and over 1 cabin sitting at the balcony table smoking.

 

I took a photo and called pax services. The agent I spoke with was very alarmed and said a member of Security would be coming to my cabin so I could point out what I saw. About 5 minutes later, a security officer came, but by then the smoker had left their balcony.

 

I showed him my photo and pointed out the cabin and he thanked me.

 

About 1 hour later, I saw the same person walk out to the balcony and sit down and use a glass as an ashtray. I called Pax Svcs again and the clerk said she was just writing up the report and would send security to that cabin right away.

 

Judging by the swiftness that this pax leaped up and put the glass under the table, I assumed security arrived there. About 5 minutes later Pax Svcs called me to say that security had emphasized to this passenger the smoking policy. The passenger claimed to be unaware of the policy. They thanked me for pointing it out and to be sure to let them know if I observed any future incidences.

 

I don't know if there was a fine placed on their account, or if they just received a warning, but it worked.

 

There were no more issues after that. I was impressed with the ship's quick response and appreciated them following up with me.

[Alaskan Joe]

My wife and I are sailing on the Ruby in December thank you for your review. I am looking for answers to some questions. First what night is good for booking at Crown Grill? We are going to do this one night but want to do it on a night that the MDR has a bad menu selection. Second are the formal nights on sea days? Thirdly (beer question) I am what my wife calls a beer snob I do not drink the normal domestic beers (Budweiser, Bud-Light, Miller-Lite ect....). I love 'CRAFT' beers IPA, Stouts, English style beers ect... can you tell me if they have a craft beer selection and if so do you know the price of a craft beer? Just looking for updated info on the Ruby Princess Thanks in advance.

[kt6453]

Love this review- thank you!! Any advice on best night fur Crab Shack?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Woobstr112G]

OP;

 

I'm enjoying reading your installments......:):):)

 

Bob

[AF-1]

very informative review. Thanks for taking the time to post.

[shanecindy21403]

We have Southwest points, so that is why we flew r/t to Seattle. I booked the car early and kept checking on any price changes. There are limited number of Enterprise vehicles available for 1 ways to Vancouver. The final cost was $119.

 

The cost of flying from upstate NY to Vancouver was way more than that.

 

 

Thank You! We have Southwest points also that's why I was considering R/T Seattle.

[kirenne]

Great review! While I am not doing the inside passage cruise, this information was very helpful. Really looking forward to seeing the puppies

[snoopy5386]

Loving this review! Did you by any chance save the patters?

[bassmaster150]

I just checked the 1 night Patter:

 

Boutiques were open from sailing till 11:00 pm

 

Casino was NOT open at all during the 1 nighter and only opened the 1st night out of Seattle after 8:30pm due to local gaming restrictions.

 

Also, our military OBC was carried over to the 7 night cruise, as well as our internet minutes. We had to use up the 150 minutes 1st before we could activate the 2nd set of 150 minutes. Initially, it wouldn't recognize the loyalty minutes and I went to the Internet manager who said they were working on the glitch. I checked again about an hour later and it worked fine.

 

 

The Princess @ Sea works very seamlessly. I

 

Interesting...we were able to activate both of our Internet loyalty minutes at the same time. We had two different log in ID's, but we were able to use both.

[New York Nana]

Loving this review! Did you by any chance save the patters?

 

YES! I did save them and will try to get them all scanned in a couple of days.

 

Interesting...we were able to activate both of our Internet loyalty minutes at the same time. We had two different log in ID's, but we were able to use both.

 

I wasn't very clear in my comment. Yes, we each received the loyalty 150 minutes for our 1 night cruise, and we also both received 150 loyalty minutes for the 7 night cruise. We had to use up the 'first' 150 minutes each before we could activate the 2nd 150 minutes. So it worked out to 300 minutes each over the course of the 8 nights. It's nice that Princess doesn't wipe out any unused minutes when moving from one voyage to the next.

[New York Nana]

My wife and I are sailing on the Ruby in December thank you for your review. I am looking for answers to some questions. First what night is good for booking at Crown Grill? We are going to do this one night but want to do it on a night that the MDR has a bad menu selection. Second are the formal nights on sea days? Thirdly (beer question) I am what my wife calls a beer snob I do not drink the normal domestic beers (Budweiser, Bud-Light, Miller-Lite ect....). I love 'CRAFT' beers IPA, Stouts, English style beers ect... can you tell me if they have a craft beer selection and if so do you know the price of a craft beer? Just looking for updated info on the Ruby Princess Thanks in advance.

 

OK - I'm at work right now - SHHHHH! Don't tell my boss!!! (haha! - she knows anyway!)

 

1. Your December cruise will be a different itinerary, and I suspect that the menus will reflect the locale of your cruise, so I can't really say which night would have a 'bad' menu. I tend to reserve the Crown Grill on a night that suits us, rather than by the menu. I chose the night in Juneau because I knew it was an 'open' seating night in the MDR and it happened to also be a meaningful date to us. I just encourage to call when you board to reserve your time/day.

 

2. Yes, Formal nights are ALWAYS on sea days. On a 7 night cruise, they typically fall on the 1st sea day and the last sea day (and never on the night prior to disembarkation).

 

3. Oh boy - you got me there! My DH is the total OPPOSITE than you in beer choice (it's Bud Light or it ain't BEER!) haha! Yes, they have craft beers (or as my husband describes them - 'yuppy beers'!) I know they have their own IPA (Seawitch, I think?) I've seen them available around the ship. A Bud is around $6 with gratuity included. I don't think the specialty beers were much more than that.

[New York Nana]

Magic To Do was performed on the 4NT previous, but unlike the other shows, it requires one specially-trained cast member as the Magician. If he wasn't onboard, they may not have an understudy who could fill the role.

 

Sorry you missed it - I think it's the best show I've seen on Princess.

 

Thanks for the explanation! I had no idea that the 'magician' was a REAL one! We did see this show last October on the Regal. It really is a great production and I was disappointed to not get to see it again this trip.

 

Hopefully, the rest of the season on the Ruby will have it!

[LHARTWICK]

Thank you SO much for this review! We board this Sunday - this will be our 3rd visit to Alaska. And I could NOT agree with you more about the elevator etiquette comment. That is our #1 gripe when we cruise. Let people OUT of the elevator so that you can get IN - Duh!!

[New York Nana]

Apologies for inconsistent posts - trying to juggle several life events at once here! I will post pictures later.

 

OK, so 1st day was a sea day (I'll scan in the Patters in the next day or two and will be able to email them - if you want them, email me at beh614@gmail.com and put "Patters" in the subject).

 

It was a bit rocky that day - not "hang onto the railings" kind of rocky, but definitely not smooth. The weather was cool and overcast when we left Seattle.

 

There were plenty of activities onboard to keep people entertained. Pub Lunch was held in the Crown Grill. The Lotus Spa pool was closed (empty), but one of the hot tubs were open and we took advantage of it (although, it WAS cool with the wind whipping through!)

 

Fitness Center - No treadmills could be used until 7:00 am (this is an improvement from our March cruise on the Emerald when they didn't permit use of treadmills until 8:00!! - that REALLY made people unhappy!!).

 

HOWEVER - the Free weights had a sign of no use until 8:00am! This did not make DH happy! These restrictions were due to complaints from pax in the cabins below the Fitness Center. (a little venting here - while I can understand trying to accommodate as much as possible, if you CHOOSE a cabin located under a fitness center, a pool, a buffet, etc - then you are (should) be aware of the negatives of that cabin. Is it entirely fair to the other 3000 pax to limit their activities? A consistant 7:00am 'opening' time period is not unreasonable IMHO - enough said.)

 

This was also the 1st Formal Night and Captain's Welcome and Champagne fountain. The makeup of the cruise was across the board. Many families, but also many mid-aged couples. The general mood of the ship was very upbeat.

 

The breakdown:

Blue cards - approximately 2,125

Gold - 497

Ruby - 143

Platinum - 209

Elite - 126

 

Most Traveled: 97 cruises/973 days.

 

I'll be back later to fill in some more details on the day.

[cruiseintoheaven]

Anyone know - on this type of b2b - will OBC be visible when you swipe your card at the kiosk? Or will second leg not show till the beginning of 7 day cruise?

[New York Nana]

Anyone know - on this type of b2b - will OBC be visible when you swipe your card at the kiosk? Or will second leg not show till the beginning of 7 day cruise?

 

Our military OBC for the 1 day showed on our account immediately. The following afternoon (I believe after the ship is 'zeroed' out), our OBC for the 7 night trip showed up and was added to the balance of the 1 night OBC.

 

We had $50 each military OBC for the 1 night. Our gratuities were deducted ($12.95) and the balance of $37.05 was added to our military and promotional OBC for the 7 night cruise. If you have OBC for only the 7 night cruise, it will not show up until that leg starts, but any charges you make on the 1 night cruise will be automatically carried over to that balance.

 

Also, FYI - all 'non-refundable' OBC was charged first. Refundable OBC (military and a $20 port tax refund - not sure why or where) were charged last. We actually left the ship with a nice check to arrive in the mail in about 4 weeks!

[nooptere]

I will be sailing on the Ruby June 19th to Alaska. Thank you for your time and effort to share your observations and experience on the Ruby :)

Edited May 17, 2016 by nooptere

[VibeGuy]

Thanks for the explanation! I had no idea that the 'magician' was a REAL one! We did see this show last October on the Regal. It really is a great production and I was disappointed to not get to see it again this trip.

 

Hopefully, the rest of the season on the Ruby will have it!

 

The other issue can be that it is VERY sensitive to sea conditions. I believe it was scrubbed on a November sailing due to the aerial illusions.

[cruiseintoheaven]

Our military OBC for the 1 day showed on our account immediately. The following afternoon (I believe after the ship is 'zeroed' out), our OBC for the 7 night trip showed up and was added to the balance of the 1 night OBC.

 

We had $50 each military OBC for the 1 night. Our gratuities were deducted ($12.95) and the balance of $37.05 was added to our military and promotional OBC for the 7 night cruise. If you have OBC for only the 7 night cruise, it will not show up until that leg starts, but any charges you make on the 1 night cruise will be automatically carried over to that balance.

 

Also, FYI - all 'non-refundable' OBC was charged first. Refundable OBC (military and a $20 port tax refund - not sure why or where) were charged last. We actually left the ship with a nice check to arrive in the mail in about 4 weeks!

 

Thanks so much for your quick and helpful replies! I can't imagine walking away with leftover OBC, but something to shoot for:-). One last question if you have a chance: did you have to do a second muster drill for the 7 night? Really hoping you say no....:)

[XBGuy]

Well you STILL get the bonus points for planning for your anniversary!

We have very good feelings about the Ruby (or the Emerald). They are very classic in design. The ONLY downside (to us) was they replaced Sabatini's with SHARE. We have not eaten there, so I can't say anything about it - but we had enjoyed eating at Sabatini's on the Ruby in 2014 while having a wake view up on the aft of the ship.

 

I was aware of that. We dine in the specialty restaurants often. On the last few cruises (all on the Crown Princess) we have enjoyed Sabatini's much more than we have enjoyed Crown Grill. There seems to be a lot of inconsistency in the service levels at these venues. When we first started sailing on Princess (2011) we consistently found the service at Crown Grill/Sterlings superior to that of Sabatini's. Now. it seems to go the other way. I am convinced, though, that each ship has its own "culture" or "vibe," and I ascribe this to the management--namely, the Maitre d' and the room's headwaiter.

 

We will check out Share and Crown Grill on the Ruby. We have never tried Crab Shack or Salty Dog on ourprevious cruises, but I'm sure we will, some day.

 

On the evening of our anniversary, I am voting for the Ultimate Balcony Dinner, but Mrs. XBGuy will get her vote, also. :)

 

Again, thanks for the great reports.

Edited May 17, 2016 by XBGuy

[Alaskan Joe]

OK - I'm at work right now - SHHHHH! Don't tell my boss!!! (haha! - she knows anyway!)

 

1. Your December cruise will be a different itinerary, and I suspect that the menus will reflect the locale of your cruise, so I can't really say which night would have a 'bad' menu. 1.) I tend to reserve the Crown Grill on a night that suits us, rather than by the menu. I chose the night in Juneau because I knew it was an 'open' seating night in the MDR and it happened to also be a meaningful date to us. 2.) I just encourage to call when you board to reserve your time/day.

 

3. Oh boy - you got me there! My DH is the total OPPOSITE than you in beer choice (it's Bud Light or it ain't BEER!) haha! Yes, they have craft beers (or as my husband describes them - 'yuppy beers'!) I know they have their own IPA (Seawitch, I think?) I've seen them available around the ship. A Bud is around $6 with gratuity included. I don't think the specialty beers were much more than that.

 

Thank you for the quick response back;

 

1.) Yes however it can not be Lobster night in MDR my DW would not be happy:mad: she loves, loves, loves, lobster me on the other hand YUK!

 

2.)Thank you for the heads up however we know. The first thing we do is get a "welcome on board drink":D. Then with drinks in hand we head to the MDR to sort out the menus then Crown Grill.

 

 

P.S. if you don't tell my boss I will not tell your boss (He does not know).....haha:D

[New York Nana]

Thanks so much for your quick and helpful replies! I can't imagine walking away with leftover OBC, but something to shoot for:-). One last question if you have a chance: did you have to do a second muster drill for the 7 night? Really hoping you say no....:)

 

Nooooo! Shhhh-we hid in our cabin! Ha! Surprised our steward, but he knew we didn't have to attend a second time.

 

Oh, and having leftover OBC wasn't a goal and I did my best to use it, but we were generously blessed with more than usual due to a combination of different OBC categories.

 

I have to say that Princess' military OBC benefit keeps us coming back to them-no other line consistently offers this, and it is VERY appreciated!

[Jasperdo]

Any advice on best night fur Crab Shack?

The Crab Shack typically isn't held every night. It's set up a few evenings in a section of Cafe Caribe. If you really want to go, I suggest you check the Princess Patters, and when you see it, go that night. It might not be held again during your cruise. For example, on our 10 day cruise on the Ruby in March, Crab Shack was offered on only 4 evenings. A 7 day cruise will probably have even less. Edited May 17, 2016 by Jasperdo

[New York Nana]

Some more Sea day observations/notes:

 

MUTS movies: 'Inside Out'; 'Ant Man'; 'The Killers live @ Royal Albert Hall'; 'Brooklyn'

 

Holiday Store at Sea - $10 blow out!!

 

Several "North to Alaska" presentations in both the theater and in cabin TV channel 21.

 

The ship's Naturalist, Shari Newitt, was very good. She had several presentations in both the theater and on TV. She was frequently speaking from the bridge while we traveled through areas and was very passionate about her subjects. A very pleasant lady that I had a chance to chat with while we were in Ketchikan.

 

Production show "Colors of the World" - 8 & 10 pm

 

From 8:30pm till 10:30 - live music in Adagio, Wheelhouse, Club Fusion and Crooners

Skywalkers had DJ each evening starting at 11:00pm

 

Happy Hour - Buy 1/Get 1 for $1 - 3-4pm in Wheelhouse and 9-10 in Club Fusion. This was offered throughout the cruise during these time periods.

 

Chef's Table was advertised @ $95 pp.