Hello from the Ruby!

[ckb104]

The movies I remember being shown:

 

Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them

Passengers

Arrival

LaLaLand

Star Wars: Rogue One

Lion

Hidden Figures

Fences

 

I never got around to watching any except for part of Fantastic Beasts while I was getting ready to leave on Saturday morning. I had to rent it from Amazon when I got home to see the whole thing. I will never understand people who say they were bored on a cruise! I didn't get the chance to do even half of what looked interesting to me. =)

[ckb104]

Other random activities I did:

 

Hector in Horizon Court convinced me to do the $25 wine tasting on Sunday. I'm an easy target - he wasn't overly pushy. I'm not much of a drinker and know nothing about wine, but it was fun. We had a good table of people. The $25 tasting is higher end wines, they ranged from $40 to $115 a bottle. You also got some simple, but nice canapes. I am definitely not a fancy girl because my favorite was the cheapest. One of the whites smelled just like cat pee and tasted like what I imagine cat pee tastes like. Others loved it, so what to I know. lol. It was fun and I learned a little about wine.

 

The other cool thing we did was the Ultimate Ship Tour. I've talked a little about in on other threads. If you can swing it, I recommend doing it once. I found it fascinating! We visited the mooring room, laundry room, galley, food storage, print shop, photo shop, theatre backstage, costume/dressing room, engineering control room and, of course, the bridge. In each place, the person in charge talked about it and answered all our questions. Along the way, we had group pictures taken and they were delivered to our rooms with our other swag. I think there were 4-5 photos. The ultimate was the picture with the Captain. I was standing right next to him and really wanted to give him bunny ears. My Mom would have thrown me overboard.

Our gifts were: a robe, an apron (I think you sometimes get a chef's jacket, but I was happier with the apron), a picture frame, a pad of personalized Princess stationary, and the photos. I feel like I'm forgetting something, but can't think of what it might be. In the galley, we were given a yummy mocktail and chocolate-covered strawberries. After the tour, we had champagne and more chocolate-covered strawberries. They were so good!

If you are at all curious about what goes on behind the scenes or how things manage to happen, you should try to do the tour. It's $150 per person, so not cheap. You will want to go to Guest Services as soon as you embark to get on the list. Our cruise had over two pages full of wait-list names. They only take 12 people.

 

Before the tour, I was curious about the level of activity and, especially, the stairs. If you have mobility issues, you might still be able to do the tour - not if you are chair-bound, though. You have to step over doorways. I asked right before about how many flights of stairs we would do at one time. I was concerned that we would have to climb from deck 4 to the bridge in one go. The most we did at one time was 2 flights and he asked if everyone was ok with it. We used the service elevators to climb more decks than 2. You need to be ok with walking and there is a lot of standing. My fitbit told me that we did 2 miles over the tour.

[rubyhereicome]

Other random activities I did:

 

Hector in Horizon Court convinced me to do the $25 wine tasting on Sunday. I'm an easy target - he wasn't overly pushy. I'm not much of a drinker and know nothing about wine, but it was fun. We had a good table of people. The $25 tasting is higher end wines, they ranged from $40 to $115 a bottle. You also got some simple, but nice canapes. I am definitely not a fancy girl because my favorite was the cheapest. One of the whites smelled just like cat pee and tasted like what I imagine cat pee tastes like. Others loved it, so what to I know. lol. It was fun and I learned a little about wine.

 

The other cool thing we did was the Ultimate Ship Tour. I've talked a little about in on other threads. If you can swing it, I recommend doing it once. I found it fascinating! We visited the mooring room, laundry room, galley, food storage, print shop, photo shop, theatre backstage, costume/dressing room, engineering control room and, of course, the bridge. In each place, the person in charge talked about it and answered all our questions. Along the way, we had group pictures taken and they were delivered to our rooms with our other swag. I think there were 4-5 photos. The ultimate was the picture with the Captain. I was standing right next to him and really wanted to give him bunny ears. My Mom would have thrown me overboard.

Our gifts were: a robe, an apron (I think you sometimes get a chef's jacket, but I was happier with the apron), a picture frame, a pad of personalized Princess stationary, and the photos. I feel like I'm forgetting something, but can't think of what it might be. In the galley, we were given a yummy mocktail and chocolate-covered strawberries. After the tour, we had champagne and more chocolate-covered strawberries. They were so good!

If you are at all curious about what goes on behind the scenes or how things manage to happen, you should try to do the tour. It's $150 per person, so not cheap. You will want to go to Guest Services as soon as you embark to get on the list. Our cruise had over two pages full of wait-list names. They only take 12 people.

 

Before the tour, I was curious about the level of activity and, especially, the stairs. If you have mobility issues, you might still be able to do the tour - not if you are chair-bound, though. You have to step over doorways. I asked right before about how many flights of stairs we would do at one time. I was concerned that we would have to climb from deck 4 to the bridge in one go. The most we did at one time was 2 flights and he asked if everyone was ok with it. We used the service elevators to climb more decks than 2. You need to be ok with walking and there is a lot of standing. My fitbit told me that we did 2 miles over the tour.

 

I agree 100% on the ultimate ship tour. We did it back during the first year that the ruby princess was in service...it was excellent!

[EndersFoul]

Thank you for answering all of our questions!!

 

On Glaciery Bay day where did you go? We have a balcony- I assume we can sit there and hear the narration thru the TV? Any tips or tricks of where to go and when?

[AF-1]

Thanks for the update on your Ruby cruise. I hope to get my name on the ultimate ship tour list when we go in July. What time did you board; and what time did you go to guest services to put your name on list? Thanks

[Photofinish4]

Food:

We only ate in the MDR three times. Both fancy nights and one random other night when the menu looked good. The first time, I had the duck breast starter, which was very nice. For my entrée, I had the fettucine, from the every night menu. I had heard so much about it and it did NOT disappoint. There was a maple glazed salmon on the every night menu for Alaska and I had them add the salmon to my fettucine. He brought the entire plate (with sides), but I asked him to just give me the salmon. I'm pretty picky about salmon and I thought it was very tasty and well-cooked. For dessert, I had crème brule and we shared a chocolate journeys hazelnut bar. Both were so good!

Next MDR night, I had the crab and artichoke dip starter, which wasn't bad. I'm not an onion fan and there were a few too many for my taste, but most people probably wouldn't even notice. For my entrée, I had the pappardelle with wild boar ragout. It was fine. Tasty, but nothing to write home about. They had a halibut dish that looked really good, but it involved curry and I'm not a curry person. That night, there was surf and turf, which was a small filet mignon and prawns. My Mom had that and I coveted it. =) For dessert, we both had the cheesecake from the every night menu and it was delicious.

Our third time in the MDR was the second fancy night, which was the Captain's Gala Dinner. I had the veal ravioli in mushroom sauce as an appetizer. It was good. This was the night they has lobster and prawns, which my Mom had. I tried the beef wellington. I had never had it, but always wanted to try. I wasn't impressed. The puff pastry seemed a little under-done. The beef was great. Nothing was terrible and it might just be my taste and choices. For dessert, I had crème brule again. I love crème brule. We never had lunch or dinner in the MDR.

Way back when I had last cruised, they used to give you menus to take home. They don't do that now. I asked a head waiter about getting copies of the dinner menus and he said he would try and to come back the next day. He had them for me and swore me to secrecy. (sorry!). He even wrapped them in a Patter for me to take away. I will try to get them scanned this week and posted. If anyone has any questions about what is one them, I'm happy to look and answer.

 

Our first night, on a whim, we tried The Salty Dog. It is located in the Wheelhouse Bar and is a $12 upcharge. Oh my gosh! It was so good! You get a little starter of these long, thin, crispy breadsticks and beer cheese fondue to dip them in. I could have just eaten a pile of those. For your entrée, you pick two. They are little plates. My Mom had the burger, which was fancy with lots of stuff, and the lobster mac & cheese. I had the grilled cheese with white tomato soup. My other entrée was the beef short rib poutine and I want to eat it every day for the rest of my life. It was beef short rib meat in a gravy that defies description (I wish I was better at describing food. I could never be on Food Network). It was over parmesan fries with cheese curds. Wow. For dessert, we had the bourbon chocolate pot de crème and the strawberries and crème mousse. Both were delicious. I recommend trying The Salty Dog. At $12, it's definitely worth it.

 

Our favorite dinner was at Crown Grill. It is always my Mom's favorite. I am blanking on our starters, but I know I liked them. The entrée made me forget everything. We both had filet mignon and lobster. No one blinked an eye when we ordered both. It was made clear that we could have as much as we wanted. They do the sides family-style and we ordered mashed potatoes, asparagus and wild mushrooms. They accidentally brought us creamed spinach, which neither of us had every had. I liked it, but my Mom loved it and ate most of it. Everything was amazing. Our steaks were cooked perfectly and the lobster was melt-in-your-mouth. I could have eaten at Crown Grill every night, but they would have had to roll me off the ship. That was the one night when we both pigged out. We had the dessert sampler. You get little versions of all four of their desserts. Everything was so yummy.

 

We didn't eat at Share. Nothing on the menu really spoke to my Mom. We ate our breakfasts at Horizon Court and there was plenty to choose from. For lunches, we had sandwiches from the International Café once. I loved my mozzarella and tomato sandwich! There was a really good shrimp and fennel salad, too. We had burgers at Trident Grill and Pizza on deck a couple times. I loved both!

 

The International Café is my new happy place. I discovered a tea fusion called Fruit Favorites. It is an iced drink and so tasty. I may have eaten my weight in fruit tartlets and I'm not even sorry. =)

 

There are always such mixed reviews on Horizon Court. We found it to be great. So much variety, so there is something for everyone. I like to try little bites of things that I might not usually eat or something new to me. I thought everything was really good. If you try to avoid the peak times, it's not usually too busy. We rarely waited in a line and when we did, it was short and we got in quickly.

I was surprised that you got to order both steak and lobster and as much as you want. That is how it was last year on the Ruby for us but this year on the Star Hawaii we could only order one thing. My lobster was no bigger than a large shrimp. I was very disappointed. The lobster in the MDR was bigger and I did not have to pay extra.

[socaljo]

Thanks for the update on your Ruby cruise. I hope to get my name on the ultimate ship tour list when we go in July. What time did you board; and what time did you go to guest services to put your name on list? Thanks

 

Hi AF-1

For the tour, go immediately after you board to Passenger Services & ask to be put on the list. As Christine said, there were 2 pages of people, but the first 12 on the list don't always accept the chance, timing or whatever is off for them. Just get on the list & you'll get a letter in your cabin if you get to do the tour!

Her Mom is Elite, so they were on board before noon.

**And to OP Christine - great review! Thanks for taking the time! I've only done one, and whew! It was fun, but a lot of effort...which is probably why my lazy self has not done more...maybe this summer after taking my granddaughter to the Med!

[ckb104]

Thank you for answering all of our questions!!

 

On Glaciery Bay day where did you go? We have a balcony- I assume we can sit there and hear the narration thru the TV? Any tips or tricks of where to go and when?

 

We started the day in Skywalkers. It was a nice view and that's where the Rangers set up and did the 7am talk. We headed up on deck after that and enjoyed the view. We had a port side balcony and went there for the time close to Margerie Glacier. Port side had the first turn and we got to see the glacier calve, which was amazing! The whole side of the ship cheered when it happened. :D

On your balcony, you can hear any narration on the TV. It's not constant, but she came on to point out certain things or give info. You could spend the entire day on your balcony, but we spent time on deck so we could go back and forth to the different sides. Plus, there was food up there. They did some special things for Glacier Bay day on deck. I think there was reindeer chili and salmon tacos.

I recommend going to the Ranger talk at 7am. It was fun and interesting. Plus, you get first look at everything they brought with them. I was surprised at how few people were there.

[ckb104]

Thanks for the update on your Ruby cruise. I hope to get my name on the ultimate ship tour list when we go in July. What time did you board; and what time did you go to guest services to put your name on list? Thanks

 

We were lucky in that my Mom is Elite, so we were in the first wave of embarkation. We boarded around 11:30am and were near the front of the line. We went immediately to Guest Services, so we were the first on the list. If you don't have preferred boarding, I recommend getting to the pier early and sitting near the boarding door. Then go to GS right away to get on the list. I'm not sure how quickly they filled up. There was an ad in the patter for the tour on Sunday, but not after that.

[Jeter02]

Christine, You have gone above and beyond. Your tips, reviews, and Q&A have been fabulous. I've done many cruises, but this is my first Alaskan cruise, so you've raised my excitement levels to the millions. I'm thrilled you did the ship tour. I have not personally done it, but had the lovely opportunity to visit the bridge on the Regal, which is loads of fun. Being Elite does have its perks once in awhile. If you haven;t tried already, I always recommend the chefs table. Its such an amazing experience, with phenomenal food.

[Eaglecw]

Thanks for the update on your Ruby cruise. I hope to get my name on the ultimate ship tour list when we go in July. What time did you board; and what time did you go to guest services to put your name on list? Thanks

 

 

Christine is right about getting to Pier 91 early. We’ve done the Alaska cruise many times and I like to get to the Pier at around 10:45, do all the processing and get in line, we are Platinum so we also board early, we usually get on the ship around 11:30 or so. Last year I wanted to do the Ultimate Ship tour so as soon as we boarded I went to Passenger Services and signed up, there were already 6 on the list. I highly recommend Ultimate Ship tour, we ended up at the Adagio bar for champagne and fancy treats. It was supposed to be a 3 hour tour, it ended up being a 4 1/2 hour tour.

USAF F-4 Phantoms and F-111 Aardvark

[AF-1]

Christine, thank you for the advice. I have no status since this is my first Princess cruise. Will being in a suite allow me to board early? I don't know the protocol on Princess. With Royal and NCL being is a suite allowed me be escorted by a concierge who made all my reservations for me. So I will show up at 11 am and hope for the best I can get. If I get on list wonderful; but if I don't get tour it won't damper my vacation; I'm with my grandkids we will have fun

[EndersFoul]

Christine is right about getting to Pier 91 early. We’ve done the Alaska cruise many times and I like to get to the Pier at around 10:45, do all the processing and get in line, we are Platinum so we also board early, we usually get on the ship around 11:30 or so. Last year I wanted to do the Ultimate Ship tour so as soon as we boarded I went to Passenger Services and signed up, there were already 6 on the list. I highly recommend Ultimate Ship tour, we ended up at the Adagio bar for champagne and fancy treats. It was supposed to be a 3 hour tour, it ended up being a 4 1/2 hour tour.

USAF F-4 Phantoms and F-111 Aardvark

 

Any idea if we aren't platinum but arrive at 1045 how long we will be standing in the security line and how long til we board?

[roomba920]

A lot of people wonder about the size of the showers. I'm a size 28 (us), so that was a concern of mine. My fat butt fit in the shower just fine. It wasn't roomy and a couple times, I stuck my leg out and propped it on the toilet, but I was able to do everything I needed and get clean.

 

I had seen advice to use the showers in the spa. We looked around the ship the first day and saw the showers in the Lotus Spa. There were two and one has a seat. They are bigger and have removable shower heads. I never used them, but no one looks at you twice if you just walk into the spa area and locker room. There are towels and lockers. The showers have the same shower gel and shampoo in them that the rooms do. If anyone has concerns, feel free to ask me here or, if you are more comfortable, email me directly. I'm at ckb104 at gmail. I understand the concerns and am happy to try and alleviate any fears.

 

Did you notice dry wood saunas in that area as well?

[roomba920]

Wednesday, May 10

6pm - Grazia Duo, Wheelhouse Bar

8 & 10pm - Once Upon a Dream, Princess Theatre (scheduled for this time, but postponed due to illness)

8:15 & 10pm - Caberet of Mark Cornish (member of CD staff. He was great!)

8:15pm - Crimson Duo, Wheelhouse Bar

9pm - David Williams, Crooners Bar

9 & 11pm - Ruby Princess Showband, Adagio Bar

 

Can you tell us please what the location is for the Caberet of Mark Cornish?

[DaniB53]

Tips, etc.

 

I know I'm all over the place, but I'm posting about things as they pop into my head. Tips can be a bit controversial, but I thought I would tell what I did. Take it how you like or ignore it completely. For context, I'm not rich. =) This trip was a huge deal for me and not to be repeated. I can't afford to throw money around the ship to everyone I liked.

 

We left our daily gratuities on our account, of course. Sorry if the "of course" offended anyone, but come on. I left $15 for our room steward. He was nice and they work so hard! Well, everyone on the ship does.

I gave $20 to my favorite IC server. He always remembered the drink I liked, even when I couldn't remember what it was called. He also once winked at me and didn't punch my coffee card. Plus he was cute and flirty and I'm a 46-year-old spinster who loves that sort of thing. (LOL).

 

I also filled out 6-8 comment cards. You get a couple in your room and they are to say nice things about specific people. You can get more from Guest Services. The Cruise Director told me that filling those out is so helpful. They go in their personnel files and follow them to any ship they might move to. Promotions and bonuses are often based on good comments they get, so if you liked someone, please fill those out. I sat in the bar the last day while listening to music and did them. They don't take long and it can really make a difference. Tips are nice, but those are more important.

 

I thought they charge your account with tipping. ???

[EndersFoul]

I thought they charge your account with tipping. ???

 

 

They do, daily charge per stateroom passenger. You can see each charge on your folio. Or you can prepay on your cruise personalizer before your trip.

 

Some people choose to give extra to people they feel gave great service, in extra cash. The automatic gratuities also go to the people you don't see. You can also choose to opt out of them, done once you board at guest services... and give all cash tips as you desire.... or no tips at all.

 

There is strong debate and lots of information on tipping if you search these boards.

 

In summary: Princess will automatically charge a daily gratuity amount to you and after that it's up to you. Hope that helps!

[tracid]

I'm

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[jrh1953]

We just got back from our Alaskan cruise on the Ruby yesterday. We stayed in th Sanctuary on Glacier Bay day. The cost $60 per person. We got earmuff headbands, insulated mugs, 3 photos. We were served breakfast, lunch and tea. There were two blankets for each person. Hot coffee and hot chocolate for drinking, mimosas and bloody Mary's. We felt so pampered. We did not have to fight the crowds. One of our favorite things on the cruise.

I really enjoyed "Magic to Do" show. The other show was good, but not great. Enjoyed the singer/storyteller at Skagway, listening to the band playing Dixieland jazz, David Williams in the Crooners lounge, Great time!

[Jeter02]

That sounds lovely the special offerings in the Sanctuary during an Alaskan sailing. Curious was it fully booked in there on Glacier Day? Such a cleaver idea on your part.

 

We just got back from our Alaskan cruise on the Ruby yesterday. We stayed in th Sanctuary on Glacier Bay day. The cost $60 per person. We got earmuff headbands, insulated mugs, 3 photos. We were served breakfast, lunch and tea. There were two blankets for each person. Hot coffee and hot chocolate for drinking, mimosas and bloody Mary's. We felt so pampered. We did not have to fight the crowds. One of our favorite things on the cruise.

I really enjoyed "Magic to Do" show. The other show was good, but not great. Enjoyed the singer/storyteller at Skagway, listening to the band playing Dixieland jazz, David Williams in the Crooners lounge, Great time!

[LoveOurBalcony]

Do you book The Sanctuary ahead of time (like an excursion) or onboard? Is it $60 for the day or the whole cruise? Thank you!

[Colo Cruiser]

Do you book The Sanctuary ahead of time (like an excursion) or onboard? Is it $60 for the day or the whole cruise? Thank you!

 

 

Have to book onboard.

$60 is for that day in Glacier Bay.

[ams cruiser]

Thank you for posting about your cruise! We will be on the Ruby in July and have a couple of questions about dining.

 

1) Which nights are formal nights?

 

2) Is it possible to board the ship (without any kind of preferred boarding status) in time to have lunch in the main dining room on embarkation day? (I realize your post stated you didn't eat in the main dining room, so perhaps I need to start a new thread to ask this question.) If so, we are wondering what time we should arrive at the port. We would like to get on the ship as early as possible, but don't want to arrive too early if we have to wait for hours until all of the preferred boarding passengers are accommodated.

 

Thanks to anyone who can answer these questions!

[Colo Cruiser]

Thank you for posting about your cruise! We will be on the Ruby in July and have a couple of questions about dining.

 

1) Which nights are formal nights?

 

2) Is it possible to board the ship (without any kind of preferred boarding status) in time to have lunch in the main dining room on embarkation day? (I realize your post stated you didn't eat in the main dining room, so perhaps I need to start a new thread to ask this question.) If so, we are wondering what time we should arrive at the port. We would like to get on the ship as early as possible, but don't want to arrive too early if we have to wait for hours until all of the preferred boarding passengers are accommodated.

 

Thanks to anyone who can answer these questions!

 

 

Just get to the terminal by 10:30 or so and be in one of the first non preferred groups boarding.

The DR is open for lunch from Noon-1:30.

[Lucky TGO]

Yes he is!!!!!! He is one of my favorites!!!!

 

I totally agree with you. Generoso Mazzone is one of the best Maître d' that Princes has working for them.

Tony