Live From the Ruby Princess January 6, 2022 Mexico

[MishelleMcc]

8 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Thank you. I posted the patters that we’ve had so far. The smoking areas are outside only…..starboard aft promenade deck and port side deck 16 at tradewinds bar. 
 

 

Thank you so much!  I had studied the Patters but didn't see it.  I really do appreciate your reply.  Have a great cruise!  It sounds wonderful so far!  We will be boarding on the 16th so are watching your journey with anticipation!  Stay safe!!

[pris993]

2 hours ago, iamaqt2 said:

Thank you so much for the food pics.. I've never once made it to the PES "happy hour" lol.. but maybe I'll make an effort on the Ruby next month.  Salty Dog is one of my absolute favorites of all the specialty dining.  And an absolute steal at 12 bucks.

If you have a moment and happen to be passing by, would you be so kind as to see if they are still offering the avocado toasts at Slice?  Thanks!

Agree, have not gone to happy hour for a while, may do so given offerings.  Have not tried the salty dog,  your info will make me check that out too.  Short ribs sound really good!!  Thanks for sharing.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

7 hours ago, iamaqt2 said:

Thank you so much for the food pics.. I've never once made it to the PES "happy hour" lol.. but maybe I'll make an effort on the Ruby next month.  Salty Dog is one of my absolute favorites of all the specialty dining.  And an absolute steal at 12 bucks.

If you have a moment and happen to be passing by, would you be so kind as to see if they are still offering the avocado toasts at Slice?  Thanks!

Hi the Salty Dog is now $18. 
and whaaaaaaaaaat???!!? Avocado toast at Slice?  OMG YES I will check on that. Who knew? (Not me). Thanks for the tip. I have a little insomnia so am out on the balcony listening to the wake in the middle of the night. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

6 hours ago, MishelleMcc said:

Thank you so much!  I had studied the Patters but didn't see it.  I really do appreciate your reply.  Have a great cruise!  It sounds wonderful so far!  We will be boarding on the 16th so are watching your journey with anticipation!  Stay safe!!

You’ve got a great roll call (I’ve been lurking there lol). 
 

Josephine also said the crew are tested every 2 days and they have all been boosted!  I can not stress enough how impressed I am with the crew protocols on this ship. Josephine acknowledge that the rules are a little challenging at times but she said the crew are so happy to be working. Like really happy. 
 

She has the absolute cutest hair style too. So I asked her how crew mange things like that as they are all so well groomed (and again can’t get off the ship). She said that there are crew who know how to cut hair and they do it as a side gig….$10 a pop. She said they set up a chair, mirror down on deck 3 or 4 and can make $50 on a good night. She has 2 people she uses one from IT and sorry can’t remember the other. I’ll post pictures of her hair later if I can. 
 

Every time and I mean every time I sail I am always amazed at that end of first sea day (day after embarkation) feeling. I swear I feel like I’ve been on board a month!  I have no idea why that is. 
 

So in my very limited time on board I’ve noticed one couple (very old, barely walking) who wear their masks on their chin (I’ve seen them 3 times around the ship).  They are the rare exception. I hate to say it but if they had covid they would probably be in the ER so personally this didn’t bother me. It’s the healthy under 40s I worry about being asymptotic carriers. 

 

When we left the meet and greet ( shout out to @nyazcafor putting that together!) for our roll call  the few people we saw on the extremely uncrowded outdoor upper deck were almost all masked. DH almost didn’t believe me when I said masking is not required under those circumstances.  We had our 95s and cloth masks on for about 2 hours in the M&G so I needed a break!  

Edited January 8, 2022 by HaveDogWillTravel

[JF - retired RRT]

15 hours ago, Aliens_300c said:

Hello fellow cruiser! I am also going to be on the Ruby on the 31st. Hoping that omicron numbers will start coming down by that point but hey, I’ve postponed my vacation for 2 years now.. I’m going! I figure I probably have a better chance getting infected on the flight down than on the actual ship. N95’ing it all the way down on my flight.   
 

the countdown is on! I’m getting excited!

Welcome to Cruise Critic!!

[JF - retired RRT]

11 hours ago, iamaqt2 said:

Salty Dog is one of my absolute favorites of all the specialty dining.  And an absolute steal at 12 bucks.

 

Never mind. Already answered

Edited January 8, 2022 by JF - retired RRT

[iamaqt2]

3 hours ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Hi the Salty Dog is now $18. 
and whaaaaaaaaaat???!!? Avocado toast at Slice?  OMG YES I will check on that. Who knew? (Not me). Thanks for the tip. I have a little insomnia so am out on the balcony listening to the wake in the middle of the night. 

 

4 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Is it still a steal at $18??

Never tried Salty Dog and would pay $12, not sure about $18.

I did see that Salty Dog had increased in cost after I posted.  I'm sad to see they removed the Crab cake and replaced it with a chicken sandwich.  That's somewhat disappointing, as I loved the Crab cake.

So I would have to say it's definitely no longer the bargain it used to be. 

HaveDogWillTravel, yes they definitely had avocado toast at Slice, but with all these cost cutting measures, not sure if they still do.

 

[K.T.B.]

12 hours ago, iamaqt2 said:

I see they've raised the cost to 18.00.  Not quite the bargain it used to be, but I'll still be there!

 

I'm in!  Love a good burger!  I literally have 3 restaurants within walking distance of where I live that have awesome burgers.

[jascritz]

Your live commentary is much appreciated. Enjoy your cruise.

[RogueRamblers]

10 minutes ago, jascritz said:

Your live commentary is much appreciated. Enjoy your cruise.

The Production Show: Stardust is scheduled for tonight at 7 & 9 in the Princess Theatre. Hope this means all the singers, dancers, and musicians are healthy again!

[iamaqt2]

Quick question for anyone onboard.  I see in the Patter that IC is only open til midnight and not 24 hours.  Does anyone know if this is staffing related?  Or simply due to lower passenger volumes?

Gonna be sad if I can't get my late night snack in next month.

[CruisinMinnie]

I believe it’s because we have just over 1000 passengers on board.

[abbydancer2003]

40 minutes ago, iamaqt2 said:

Quick question for anyone onboard.  I see in the Patter that IC is only open til midnight and not 24 hours.  Does anyone know if this is staffing related?  Or simply due to lower passenger volumes?

Gonna be sad if I can't get my late night snack in next month.

I'm not onboard right now, but I did have a long talk with one of the headwaiters last month.  Because they're not fully loaded with passengers, they're also not 100% staffed.  They don't currently have the staff to keep a venue open 24 hours.

[startedwithamouse]

2 hours ago, iamaqt2 said:

Quick question for anyone onboard.  I see in the Patter that IC is only open til midnight and not 24 hours.  Does anyone know if this is staffing related?  Or simply due to lower passenger volumes?

Gonna be sad if I can't get my late night snack in next month.

Was onboard last month, both Majestic and Grand.  Grand closed at midnight due to lack of passengers.  But room service is always 24 hours and delivers anywhere on the ship.  

[iamaqt2]

2 minutes ago, startedwithamouse said:

Was onboard last month, both Majestic and Grand.  Grand closed at midnight due to lack of passengers.  But room service is always 24 hours and delivers anywhere on the ship.  

I was on the Sky last month, and the room service was abysmal.. it was a one and done for me.  

[gsdpidge]

My wife and I are on the 31st cruise. Are they offering a Chef's table? If so which day was/is it scheduled?

[Turbopaws]

17 hours ago, gsdpidge said:

My wife and I are on the 31st cruise. Are they offering a Chef's table? If so which day was/is it scheduled?

@gsdpidgeI'm on the Jan 31 cruise also. If you want to attend a "Meet & Greet" on that cruise, let me know.

[gsdpidge]

13 minutes ago, Turbopaws said:

@gsdpidgeI'm on the Jan 31 cruise also. If you want to attend a "Meet & Greet" on that cruise, let me know.

 

15 minutes ago, Turbopaws said:

@gsdpidgeI'm on the Jan 31 cruise also. If you want to attend a "Meet & Greet" on that cruise, let me know.

Sure, Gary and Debbie Dove

[JF - retired RRT]

29 minutes ago, gsdpidge said:

 

Sure, Gary and Debbie Dove

Have you found the Roll Call for that cruise?

Is there one?

[gsdpidge]

23 minutes ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Have you found the Roll Call for that cruise?

Is there one?

There is a Roll Call for this trip. Can't find a meet and greet. I think Turbopaws (above) might be woking on it.

[gsdpidge]

On 1/6/2022 at 9:07 AM, HaveDogWillTravel said:

I was not planning on doing a live from thread for this sailing but given the irresponsible and unsubstantiated reporting by NBC and others I felt that those sailing after us might appreciate having some insight as to what's actually happening on board.  We have a fairly large roll call so I am really hoping my fellow cruisers will help out as time allows. 

I will do my best to answer any questions that come up.  Right now I am going to load the car and drive to the port.  Will check back after lunch (and a cocktail) today.  Send us happy thoughts for the sun to break through in SF for our sail away!!!!

My wife and I are on the 31st cruise. Are they offering a Chef's table? If so which day was/is it scheduled?

[HaveDogWillTravel]

They are not sure if the chefs table will be offered on the current sailing as we are now “level 2”. This is what I was told when I called the dine line. In general if protocols allow chef tables are offered. Day is up to the chef and DORO. It is not a set day. 
 

Sadly there is no avocado toast at Slice. But the crew said to call room service and they should be able to do that. I’ll try that!  
 

Darshan the bar supervisor said since Ocean Now delivers 24 hours there were not enough people using the IC after midnight.  He’s only got 70% crew so the shift in hours makes sense. If you call room service they will customize anything on the room service menu and you can order off menu. If they have it they will send it. They are very accommodating!  I ordered cheesecake with extra strawberries and a birthday cake at 11:55 pm last night. They don’t technically have bday cakes but they did send up something quite nice.  
 

It’s been well documented that the aft facing Caribe deck penthouse suites are subject to food orders from the center vent they are next to. I will say that vent is living up to its reputation.  As we’ve sailed in this cabin before, we knew that when we accepted the downgrade from A752 owners suite (all of Aloha port side is shut off for quarantine). 
It seems that it doesn’t smell too bad until evening. A bit in the early morning but definitely worse at night. Last night from 9 pm to midnight (when I went to sleep) it was entirely unusable.  The night before from 2 am to 4 am it was fine.   Each of the 3 days so far it’s been fine from mid morning till late afternoon. 
 

There’s a small whiff of smoke occasionally but nothing to write home about. It will be interesting in April when I sail in a dolphin deck Vista. 
 

The other thing that I personally do not care for about the balcony is that it is entirely covered. Aloha deck is part covered, part open. Great for stargazing. 
 

I saw Cruisingminnie this morning and they saw a family of whales and a pod of dolphins this morning.

 

DH and I are really enjoying Good Spirits at Sea and are halfway to earning a tshirt. Lol. Went to the PES lounge again last night and quite enjoyed the food and the great view of sunset!  I had the seafood bowl DH had the slow roasted pork at dinner last night.  Both were very good.
 

We really liked our IC lunch yesterday too. Chicken pot pie, tuna sandwich & cheese plate for me.  The Cubano sand which (very good) and orzo salad (just ok) and 3 different types of cookies (see photo and he liked them) for DH. 
 

Today we spend Cabo day getting spoiled in the sanctuary and going to the thermal spa. 

I’m going to  post these comments and then try to post pictures. 

[Aliens_300c]

Kind of an odd question, anyone who has taken a stroll to the quarantine area, does it look like they've got quarantined passengers in both the inside cabins and balcony cabins? I've seen some pictures from other ships which have red quarantine bags on both sides of the hallway which would lead me to believe they're putting some guests in balcony rooms? I'm cruising in a few weeks on the same ship & in the highly unlikely chance of catching covid onboard (which I've heard cases are pretty low) I'm just curious if I'd be shoved into an inside cabin or have the option of having a balcony (for claustrophobia reasons)  I've got a balcony room booked for my normal stateroom.

I hope everyone is enjoying their cruise and I thank you for the live updates from the ship. 🙂 

[iamaqt2]

4 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

Sadly there is no avocado toast at Slice. But the crew said to call room service and they should be able to do that. I’ll try that!  
 

Darshan the bar supervisor said since Ocean Now delivers 24 hours there were not enough people using the IC after midnight.  He’s only got 70% crew so the shift in hours makes sense. 

 

DH and I are really enjoying Good Spirits at Sea and are halfway to earning a tshirt. Lol.

Thank you so much for checking on Slice.. I was afraid that might be the case.. so many things have been scaled back.

 

DH and I love Good Spirits!  I love the Sandia en Fuego.  He's a Vanilla Sky fan.

 

I know staffing has been an issue, so I understand why IC is closing,  but my recent room service order left a very bad taste in my mouth, both literally and figuratively. I'm glad you had better luck.

I'm truly enjoying following along, thanks again for keeping us all up to date!  Hope Level 2 isn't bad whatever it is.

[nocl]

On 1/7/2022 at 7:27 PM, HaveDogWillTravel said:

@deadzone1003 I just walked the length of the Aloha deck (needed it after dinner at the salty dog lol) 

all the fire doors are shut on the entire port side with a single exception. At the center elevators a single fire door (half of a pair) is open. But it’s all clearly marked Do Not Enter. 

 

Then when I got to cabin a301 starboard forward the fire doors where also locked there. 

 

I can ask again what talk this space is being used for.  I’ve already been told it’s for quarantining positive cases and for quarantining incoming crew. 

 

@AnyMajorCruiseDudetowards the end of my sailing I will be able to report on the aft balcony situation. I’ll put it on the other thread as that’s a more appropriate place for it. It’s too soon to make any assessments. 

 

so far the promenade has been open during the day and the aft shut in the evening. 

 

somebody @Ombud? Was that you? asked if   a specialty dining credit could be used at Salty Dog pub. Our server tonight said no. 

 

A quick review of the pub. The burger and the Crispy Egg with mushrooms were the stars of the night. The chicken sandwich is a pass for me. The Spicy beef short ribs were very good. 

That makes sense since protocol requires any crew joining the ship must quarantine on the ship for 10 days.

 

Wonder if that applies to crew returning from the Crown as well.