Ruby Princess 7/8-15 review

[kdowneymd]

Snow day are you from West New York as in hear Union City or Western New York? My husband grew up in Union City

[SnowDay]

Snow day are you from West New York as in hear Union City or Western New York? My husband grew up in Union City

 

We are from Orchard park, NY, near Buffalo.

[Bibble]

Thanks so much for the Taxi info!

[peety3]

What were lunch options like on the ship before going into Juneau? Seems like the buffet could be a mad house and so could the pizza and burger stands on the Lido deck, as it's too early for an MDR lunch and they probably don't do lunch on a port day anyway.

[kdowneymd]

Lunch options were actually almost nil before scheduled arrival, it was still breakfast. All of the venues stick to their timetables as in lunch at 11:30 etc. so you could eat a large breakfast or wait until 11:30 and have lunch and then disembark the ship

[kdowneymd]

We had a lovely dinner in the Crown Grill last night, the second formal night. Again a few tuxes seen while we had a glass of wine in Crooners and one dresses. Many in casual clothes but I have no idea where they actually ended up eating. In the Crown Grill, dress was more smart casual, sports jackets

[kdowneymd]

It was glorious sleeping in this morning 8:15!. I went to get our cappuccinos and there has evidently been done sort of GI outbreak. All menus were removed, cup lids and cup carriers removed and given out individually; later in the day, no limes available for Pelligrino or an orange slice for an aperitif. But, a beautiful day cruising with multiple whale sights nags off the ship (still not nearly as good as he whale watch excursion, where it is close up).

[kdowneymd]

We have arrived in Victoria, a lovely sunny early evening. We have decided to stay on board and relax although Victoria looks lovely from our balcony. We have first walk off at 7:25 AM. We are hoping to be able to get on the 10 AM flight to NYC rather than our 1:30 flight which is overbooked.

Some thoughts about the ship: I wish there were more open seating areas with windows to look out. On Deck, 7 the Explorers lounge has some lovely seats next to windows with beautiful views. Then there is an extended space displaying photos and blocking all windows! On RCCL ships, the photo galleries and shops are always interior located opening up viewing, and we really missed that on this cruise. The Adagio bar at the rear is lovely for views as well. Crooners Bar is very crowded and then there are really no other nice viewing/ bar areas. If I could redesign the ship, I would add more.

[kdowneymd]

It has been six years since we were on a cruise, and it was an eye opening experience. The quality of the food is noticeably down. We were willing to pay the upchage for Share and Crown Grill but many passengers won't and that is okay. Room Service breakfast was better than the Horizon Court. The fact that I needed to buy a coffee card to get a decent cup of brewed coffee ridiculous ( but I sure was happy I had read about that on these boards and we had very good cappuccino every morning) the yogurt and fruit in the IC and croissants were a good breakfast.

The service continues to be a strength but for the first time ever, we found several of the servers in bars were off-putting to put it mildly. On one occasion, we actually spoke to the manager. We had the same server two nights in a row and she was aggressive and rude. So, not our typical experience. Our room steward, Eden could not have been better. He knew our schedule better than we did, brought us wine glasses, water glass s, knew when we needed bottled water: truly a pleasure, and a reminder of why cruising is so enjoyable.

[kdowneymd]

Many often ask the question; is a balcony necessary. We had a balcony on the port sideand it was wonderful. We enjoyed it immensely. However, I must qualify that statement with the fact that I feel claustrophobic in an inside cabin and will always pay the price for one. Looking at the views was spectacular but we found we often went up to deck 16 in order to see both sides easily. If paying for a balcony means one might take fewer excursions, I would not pay for a balcony (assuming you don't have my claustrophobic issue)The excursions are what make this cruise so phenomenal. Walking around the ports seeing Diamond International is not what makes it breathtaking. If at all possible, spend the money on great excursions, they are life changing experiences.

[ams cruiser]

Thank you so much for your thoughtful, informative review. We will be on the Ruby in a couple of weeks, and will also be doing the Coastal helicopter tour (with dogsleds) and Island Wings Misty Fjords, weather permitting of course.

 

You mentioned a very smooth embarkation. Did you have some kind of elite/suite status for early boarding, or was your experience in general boarding? (We're trying to figure out what time to get to the pier.)

 

We're still debating whether or not to book a dinner in the Crown. We thought the food on Princess was excellent, but that was 13 years ago!

[SnowDay]

Thank you so much for your review. It has been very helpful. I am also interested in what time you got to the pier. It has been 14 years since our last cruise and so much has changed!

One more question- Is there a dress code for the Crown grill? Do men need jackets? Thanks!

[peety3]

Lunch options were actually almost nil before scheduled arrival, it was still breakfast. All of the venues stick to their timetables as in lunch at 11:30 etc. so you could eat a large breakfast or wait until 11:30 and have lunch and then disembark the ship

I appreciate the info. We were going to do a 12:15 excursion but we're now switching to an 11:30 so we'll have to get creative.

[kdowneymd]

This was our first Princess cruise, so we had no tier status and we weren't in a suite, so it was absolutely general boarding. We arrived at the pier at 12:40 and were in our room at 1:10! Very efficient and quick and as I mentioned earlier we used the morning to explore Seattle which we really enjoyed.

[kdowneymd]

The Crown Grill dress code is smart casual, jackets and ties not required. One night we were in jeans and sweat shirts in Share.

[kdowneymd]

We used AJ from SEATAC limo to return to the airport. The lines in the airport for screening were long at 9 AM

[kdowneymd]

The cruise was a fabulous experience and definitely we would like to return and hopefully add-on the land package to go up to Denali. We were very ply with all four excursions. The only thing I would do differently would have been to either take the train/ van all the way from Carcross or add on a kayaking trip in the afternooonin Skagway, as well as adding an extra day in Seattle on either end.

[peety3]

Another quick question: did the clocks change, and if so, which mornings? Someone recently posted the Patters from their Ruby Alaska RT, and I see no mention of clock changes there.

[kdowneymd]

Yes, the clock went back ab hour the first night out of Seattle, so essentially from New York we had a four hour time change the entire cruise: i.e. 7 PM New York City time was 3 PM cruise time

[kdowneymd]

From Seattle you will gain one hour before you arrive in Juneau

[kdowneymd]

To be clear, you will set your clock back one hour, sorry for the confusion

[satxdiver]

Alaska has its own time zone and is one hour behind PT and four hours behind ET.

 

Everyone needs to see Denali (ex-Mt McKinley) the highest point in NA.

[gotthetravelbug]

We are on the Ruby this Saturday and I have a question about "Anytime Dining".

 

Do you have any suggestions on when we should go to dinner since there was always a long line? Do you suggest earlier or later?

[kdowneymd]

There was always a line by 5 PM, so I would suggest 6-6:30 to start

[kdowneymd]

It was a wonderful experience, enjoy your vacation. I would go again next week if possible