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

[Alaskan Joe]

tell me more.....tell me more (biting nails):eek: how will it ever end!:D

[Alaskan Joe]

When my wife and I was in Alaska that was my favorite port Skagway. And yes the red onion brings back a heap of good memories....haha

Edited May 19, 2016 by Alaskan Joe

[Nimbusteach]

Thank you for the review! It has been making me even more excited for our upcoming cruise!

[JF - retired RRT]

But a moose race, that's unique!

If I had to guess (and I do...never been to Alaska), the moose race is the same as the "horse" racing only with wooden moose cutouts instead of wooden horses.:cool:

[twentyknots]

Enjoying your review.

 

You mentioned that that were quite a few families on board. I was surprised to see that considering the time of year and school still in session in most parts of the country. When you said families, am I right in assuming you mean parents with young children? We're strongly considering the May 8, 2017 Alaska cruise from SF in part because we believed there would be fewer children on board at this time of the year, but your report has us thinking we made an incorrect assumption.

[New York Nana]

Enjoying your review.

 

You mentioned that that were quite a few families on board. I was surprised to see that considering the time of year and school still in session in most parts of the country. When you said families, am I right in assuming you mean parents with young children? We're strongly considering the May 8, 2017 Alaska cruise from SF in part because we believed there would be fewer children on board at this time of the year, but your report has us thinking we made an incorrect assumption.

 

I never gave it any thought, and frankly WAS surprised to see more kids than we've seen in our June trips. BUT, I can say you never heard them! (well, except for this one young boy who had the uncanny ability to spot WHALES off the side of the ship! I'm not kidding you - this kid had the eyes of a hawk and I would have probably missed seeing the pods of Orcas off our starboard side if I didn't keep hearing his call of "WHALES!!!" haha! )

 

I owe him a triple chocolate milk shake!!

 

There were several international families, so it's hard to say what their school schedules are. And with more families 'home schooling' their children, their schedules are the most flexible.

 

I really didn't find them affecting our trip and actually enjoyed seeing their reactions to their experiences.

 

I would say a May trip out of SF would not have the same numbers of youngsters than one in mid-summer for sure.

[twentyknots]

Thanks for your quick reply. It's good to know the children were generally well behaved. We just returned from a cruise on Carnival and that too was chosen because we believed it would not have many children on board this time of the year but it was packed with kids. They weren't ill mannered just being kids on vacation I guess. But there were so many running around it was difficult to maneuver in the Lido and other crowded areas. We made a decision then to try and avoid cruises in the future with children as much as possible.

 

We are very interested in the Grand princess on April 23, 2017 to Hawaii, returning May 8, and then on to Alaska on the same ship for 10 days. We assumed the first leg of the trip being 15 days that might make for fewer children and it being early May and for 10 days on the Alaska leg there might be fewer children as well.

[New York Nana]

I have received your emails requesting them and I PROMISE I will get them done - but family first!

 

The granddaughter has commandeered my computer and printer/scanner to complete her "OMG - the MOST ANNOYING PROJECT EVERRR!!!!":eek:

 

I will get them out to you ASAP!!! (project is due tomorrow, so I should have my equipment back soon! haha)

[srsh1]

I am loving this review. Will be on the Ruby Aug. 7th. We are arriving the night before and are staying at the Westin in Seattle. any suggestions of what to do on our "free night"? We are booked on a promotion where we get a dinner in one of the upgraded dining rooms - do you think we will know which one and what night when we check in? Lastly any shore excursion suggestions for Ketchikan or Skagway would be appreciated. Already decided we are doing the Bike and Brew in Juneau. Thanks! Sally:)

[New York Nana]

NYN your review is a answered prayer! Just 11 days till we board our first cruise ever!! Woo hoo!!!

 

 

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Woo hoo! I suspect it WON'T be your last! I'm excited for you because I remember how we felt for OUR first ever cruise!

 

Take in as much as you can and enjoy every thing about it!

 

Keep an open mind and a positive attitude and you'll find a LOT to enjoy!

 

Happy sailing and report back to us how your trip went!

[New York Nana]

I am loving this review. Will be on the Ruby Aug. 7th. We are arriving the night before and are staying at the Westin in Seattle. any suggestions of what to do on our "free night"? We are booked on a promotion where we get a dinner in one of the upgraded dining rooms - do you think we will know which one and what night when we check in? Lastly any shore excursion suggestions for Ketchikan or Skagway would be appreciated. Already decided we are doing the Bike and Brew in Juneau. Thanks! Sally:)

 

 

 

Thank you Sally!

 

As far as Seattle - 2 things to see/experience if you have limited time: Pike Market and the Space Needle. We stayed at the Mayflower which connected to the shopping center where you can pick up the monorail to the Needle. It was also a couple blocks from Pikes Market. Not sure where your hotel is in relation to either of these.

 

Dinner - in the past, we've had our reservation card waiting for us in the cabin when we arrived. IF there is an assigned restaurant with a day and time, and you'd like to change it - CALL RIGHT AWAY to see if you can change it! ALSO, be sure to bring your reservation card with you when you DO go to eat so they know not to charge you.

 

Excursions - Not sure of your interests or budget, but Ketchikan offers great flight tours to Misty Fjords. It is a very easy walking town. The library has a nice Totem pole museum, but there are also different excursions to other parks.

 

I really recommend making your Princess tour reservations BEFORE you depart - the lists of 'sold out' tours on board went on 4-ev-er!

 

Skagway has the White Pass rail, or I could suggest Dyea Dave or Chilkoot tours up to the Yukon. They both offer 1 way bus with a return by train.

 

The Alaska port forum is where I found a lot of information on tours in each of the ports.

 

No matter what you wind up doing - you'll have memories to last a lifetime!

 

Have a wonderful trip and be sure to check back in and let us know how it went!

[kt6453]

I've enjoyed this review so much I went back and looked at your other ones! :). We leave in 9 days on first cruise with our boys 3yo and 7yo. So excited. Thank you.

 

 

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[cruiseintoheaven]

Post # 84 - we have been in Seattle for two days pre-cruise. Highly recommend the sky observatory - you can see soooo much, including the space needle, and it's less $$. Also, Chihuly Gardens and Glass near the space museum was amazing.......you can get a discount if you decide to do both the gardens and space needle if you decide on that vs. sky observatory......great city [emoji3]

[New York Nana]

Sea Day! Yeah! Friday, the 13th!

 

Not really 'yeah', but it was nice to have a day (and nearly TWO days) of time to just chill out on board.

 

Our daily routine was to head to the Fitness Center for about 30-40 minutes and then stop at Horizon Court/Cafe Caribe for a 'normal' breakfast (for us). We considered going to the DR for breakfast one morning, but we honestly just preferred to get something quick and easy.

 

I love being able to special order an egg white omlette in the mornings and all the fresh fruit. DH is a cereal kinda guy.

We never had a problem finding a seat, but we always walked back to the Cafe Caribe to sit so we could visit with our MDR Head waiter, Ion.

 

This morning we grabbed our Kindles and headed to the Piazza to find a couple chairs, but it was hopping! So, we headed up to the Adagio bar for some 'quiet' time. We had the place to ourselves for about an hour before the "Voice" contestants and house musicians arrived to set up to rehearse. They didn't kick us out, so we got to get a sneak preview of their performances for the next day's finals.

 

Lunch most 'sea' days was pizza - we were eating SO GOOD at dinner each night, we were trying to leave some ROOM to do so by having light lunches. We also would get salad's or paninis from the IC.

 

Oh, I almost forgot that they had CRAB CAKES up at the Grill while we were in Ketchikan! They didn't really announce it anyway other than have it listed on the back page of the Patters under the 'hours' column next to the Trident Grill. Most people had no idea about it until we asked for them. They didn't even have them listed on the menu board (cheeseburger, chicken and hotdogs/kielbasa were listed). They were smaller than you might imagine, and breaded, but the filling had quite a bit of crab meat. (I know - shoulda taken a picture! Sorry! :(

 

Tonight was the 2nd formal night (and LOBSTER night!). It was also the Captain's cocktail party for Elite/Platinum members. I can report there was NO shortage of drinks (either what they had already on the trays or any special drink requests). They also had several trays of appetizers being served. Nexus performed and are really a great band! There were a few couples up dancing.

 

Activities for the day:

 

North to Alaska activities/presentations

 

MUTS: Minions, Jurassic World, Maroon 5, Spectre

 

Gold Nugget Bracelet making (ticket required!)

 

Outlet Sale! - 75% of retail!

 

Snowball Jackpot bingo!

 

Wine Tasting @ SHARE - $40 pp

 

Dance classes

 

Grapevine Wine Tasting - $9.50 pp

 

Happy Hour - 3-4pm & 9-10pm

 

Vodka Tasting (in case the 1st one this week wasn't enough!)

 

CRAB SHACK-$29

 

Production show in theater - "Stardust"

 

Explorer's Lounge - Magic Maker Justin Gentry

 

Balloon Drop Party in the Piazza

 

Menu for the formal evening:

 

 

 

Coming up - 1/2 a sea day and a quick stop in Victoria, BC

 

 

 

 

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[maun]

New York Nana (and anyone else who my know),

 

Does Princess offer EZ check in Seattle? If so, which airlines participate?

We are doing this itinerary in September and are trying to make plans for our trip home.

 

Thanks for your help.

 

~~maun

[New York Nana]

New York Nana (and anyone else who my know),

 

 

 

Does Princess offer EZ check in Seattle? If so, which airlines participate?

 

We are doing this itinerary in September and are trying to make plans for our trip home.

 

 

 

Thanks for your help.

 

 

 

~~maun

 

 

 

OH! I'm glad you asked! Well "yes" and "no". At least, I was told by my other CC members that YES, EZ check is available in Seattle.

 

Phew! I thought - we will not have to schlep our heavy (and potential overweight) bags to the airport! YEAH!

 

Well, the 1st day on board, I asked at Pax Svcs when the forms to sign up for that would be sent out and I was told that it would NOT be available due to some 'contract' not being signed/finalized.

 

So, for THIS trip - it was NOT available (major bummer! Glad I stuffed an extra collapsible bag in one of my cases!)

 

I hope it is available for future cruises out of Seattle. So, I would suggest you check on board as soon as possible OR as it gets closer to your cruise, to post the question back here on CC to see if any current pax can give you updated info.

 

One of these days I'll actually be able to use it!

 

Thanks for asking!

[ametrinel]

Do you know if there are any restaurants near the port in Juneau? Hubby and I will be celebrating our 30th anniversary in July and our Juneau excursion gets back to the shop around 5:30. We thought it would be fun to grab some dinner before heading back on the shop, but don't want to have to go a long way.

 

 

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[HI-C-Dubs]

 

The granddaughter has commandeered my computer and printer/scanner to complete her "OMG - the MOST ANNOYING PROJECT EVERRR!!!!":eek:

 

 

 

 

Lol!!!! I totally got a kick out of this :) I kinda wish I was on your cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[snoopy5386]

I have received your emails requesting them and I PROMISE I will get them done - but family first!

 

The granddaughter has commandeered my computer and printer/scanner to complete her "OMG - the MOST ANNOYING PROJECT EVERRR!!!!":eek:

 

I will get them out to you ASAP!!! (project is due tomorrow, so I should have my equipment back soon! haha)

 

I would love a copy of the patters, we are sailing this itinerary in July. Can't find your email in the thread, but mine is snoopy5386@gmail.com

[maun]

OH! I'm glad you asked! Well "yes" and "no". At least, I was told by my other CC members that YES, EZ check is available in Seattle.

 

Phew! I thought - we will not have to schlep our heavy (and potential overweight) bags to the airport! YEAH!

 

Well, the 1st day on board, I asked at Pax Svcs when the forms to sign up for that would be sent out and I was told that it would NOT be available due to some 'contract' not being signed/finalized.

 

So, for THIS trip - it was NOT available (major bummer! Glad I stuffed an extra collapsible bag in one of my cases!)

 

I hope it is available for future cruises out of Seattle. So, I would suggest you check on board as soon as possible OR as it gets closer to your cruise, to post the question back here on CC to see if any current pax can give you updated info.

 

One of these days I'll actually be able to use it!

 

Thanks for asking!

 

New York Nana, thanks for the information. I am hoping it will be reinstated by September and will continue to ask.

 

Has anyone reading this thread taken a late night flight home from Seattle? What did you do all day and what did you do with your luggage? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

New York Nana, your review and pics are great! Thanks for sharing your experience with all of us. It's always fun to read a review and see pics from the cruise that we'll soon be on.

 

~~maun

[kellp049]

thanks so much for your reviews!! 21 days till we go!!

[Near PDX]

I'll scan in the Patters in the next day or two and will be able to email them - if you want them.

 

New York Nana, we just received the Patters. As we'll be boarding the Ruby on June 12th we really appreciated your offer. Thank you for all the effort of doing this for all that requested them.

 

Gary

[New York Nana]

I'm back! Came down with a bit of bronchitis, so took a couple days 'off' to re-energize!

 

OK - back to the review - where was I? Oh right, it's a VICTORIA day! (Night? Few hours? Quick looksey? Well, I'll take what I can!)

 

It was a 7:00pm arrival time, so the day was pretty much a standard sea day.

 

We took time in the morning to pack (boo!), hung out by the IC (HAD to get another serving of Gelato! - among other treats!)

 

Took care of purchasing our future cruise deposit (you can either fill out and drop off the form at the Future cruise consultant office, or you can access it from your smart phone/tablet through Princess@Sea.)

 

Some activities on board that day:

 

Table tennis competition

Culinary demonstration & Galley tour

Naturalist, Shari Newitt was available in the Wheelhouse bar for questions and answers (haven't seen this offered on past Alaskan cruises).

Susan G. Komen-On Deck for the Cure

MUTS: Oz The gReat and Powerful; Now You See Me; Paul McCartney; Billy Joel @ Shea Stadium

Princess Pop Choir Concert

Voice of the Ocean Finale

 

Open seating dining in all MDRs. All opened at 5:30. I think EVERYONE showed up to eat at 5:30! We didn't have a problem getting a table in DaVinci.

 

Now, I should have mentioned that they held the Baked Alaska parade on FRIDAY night (formal night) instead of tonight. They traditionally hold it the last night of the cruise, but this itinerary would make having it on Victoria night a bit chaotic. So, tonight was the "USA" night - Tom Turkey and meatloaf! (Well, they had other choices too, but these are our 'comfort' foods! Haha!

 

The Casino closed around 1:00pm and did not reopen the rest of the trip.

 

Boutiques were open from 9:00 am until arrival and did not reopen.

 

Vines was open 11:am - 7:00pm and did not reopen.

 

We pulled alongside around 6ish, but didn't get the all clear until 7ish. There were several people being called by Pax Svcs to contact them immediately or to report to a location. I suspect these may have been pax who had 'issues' that the Canadian authorities wanted to review with them.

 

We put our 2 big suitcases out in the hall before heading downstairs. Left our 'overweight emergency' bag out around 10:00pm.

 

Originally, I had reserved a couple different tours. One to Buchart Gardens, then a walking tour from the ship to downtown. Well, as I kept track of the weather, I wound up cancelling them both and we just purchased the Princess provided shuttle to downtown. It was $10 USD.

 

We arrived to an overcast and misty evening. It didn't stay that way for long. We walked off the ship after we saw the lines disembarking getting thinner. The NCL Pearl was across the pier from us - not sure when they arrived. There was no CBP to pass through, although you walked through their building to the outside.

 

The Princess provided shuttle pulled up right in front of the building. The line was a bit long, but one bus after another pulled up and we made it on the 3rd one. I saw a double decker bus that said 'shuttle' on it that pulled into the area that other people were lined up for. I don't know if this was an NCL shuttle or the local one.

 

 

The shuttle dropped us off right around the corner from the Empress Hotel and across the street from the Information/Tours center. By the time we'd arrived, the rain started coming down much more steady and hard. The information center was closing at 8:00 (it was 7:50 when we got there), but they were very helpful and had a lot of information/maps.

 

We walked into the lobby of the Empress, but it was in a newer building and there was a lot of renovations going on.

 

 

 

There were beautiful flowers everywhere and I bet they looked very nice during the day!

 

 

We hit a couple souvenir shops (they seemed to be the ONLY type stores open on that part of Government St). Then we headed back to get a shuttle. They ran about every 20 minutes and we didn't have to wait.

 

Once on board (people kept returning to the ship all night long), we got a couple teas from the IC and headed up to our cabin to enjoy our last night on board.

 

I was disappointed we didn't get to see the Gardens. I understand they stay open late for the ship excursions and the flowers are lit after dark. I didn't speak to anyone who took the tour, but in retrospect, I'm glad I cancelled. The weather would have just made it uncomfortable for us to really enjoy it. So, another excuse to visit Victoria! Hmm, sounds like something to plan for next June when we get off the Coral in Vancouver!! (Yes, we're going back!)

 

OK, so tomorrow I will do a short post about disembarkation and final thoughts and anything else that I forgot to mention!

 

Barb

 

 

 

 

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[New York Nana]

thanks so much for your reviews!! 21 days till we go!!

 

 

 

Need someone to handle your bags?

 

Enjoy every moment of it!

[New York Nana]

New York Nana, we just received the Patters. As we'll be boarding the Ruby on June 12th we really appreciated your offer. Thank you for all the effort of doing this for all that requested them.

 

 

 

Gary

 

 

 

Oh! I'm glad they came through! Have a wonderful trip! And report back on how you liked it!