LIVE - Ruby Princess, Nov 6 - 20, 14-day Circle Caribbean

[aring75]

We made our way up the mountain side to an overlook where we could see the Ruby docked below. 
 

 

 

 

There were quite a few vendors set up in this area. Try to remember to bring some smaller bills. They don’t have a lot of cash for change. Especially early in the day. 
 

[aring75]

We stopped at a second overlook (with more vendors, but no one was pushy or insistent). 
 

 

 

[aring75]

And our last stop was at a restaurant on Maracas Bay. Here we had a little time to grab a bite to eat, use the washroom, or take a walk on the beach. 
 

It was a little rainy for us today, so not many people walked out on the sand. 
 

 

After our short beach stop we headed back to the ship. Nadine passed out bottles of local juices for the ride back. 
 

Once back to port, we wandered around the craft market before reboarding. 

[cltnccruisers]

3 minutes ago, aring75 said:

And our last stop was at a restaurant on Maracas Bay. Here we had a little time to grab a bite to eat, use the washroom, or take a walk on the beach. 
 

It was a little rainy for us today, so not many people walked out on the sand. 
 

 

After our short beach stop we headed back to the ship. Nadine passed out bottles of local juices for the ride back. 
 

Once back to port, we wandered around the craft market before reboarding. 

Terribly sorry.  Where for art though?

[schnapperin]

Lovely warm welcome at the port today - I decided to join an island experience excursion which picked up at the Hyatt next door. Sadly there happened a mix up and another couple got in another tours car, so it turned into a very private tour to central Trinidad to a local food market and then onwards to some temples. We unannounced stopped for lunch (i don’t mind paying for the guide for lunch but like a heads up and also don’t like that I got local currency back that I couldn’t use otherwise and it seems that the guide went after lunch to get a recipe) before a short drive trough the city with a stop at the view point

 

 Port of Spain felt a lot safer then expected to be honest - but it’s clear that not many locals are walking around the sights aswell

[schnapperin]

Also found the new plus dessert cakes - had to search for the cherrys at the Black Forest version (the cake wasn’t for my liking as it seems to be partly still frozen) 

 

ordered at the IC and the cake showed up 10 minutes later

[aring75]

1 hour ago, schnapperin said:

Also found the new plus dessert cakes - had to search for the cherrys at the Black Forest version (the cake wasn’t for my liking as it seems to be partly still frozen) 

 

ordered at the IC and the cake showed up 10 minutes later

Mark and I talked about sharing one of these. Now you have me wondering if the calories would be worth it!?! 😩

[schnapperin]

Just now, aring75 said:

Mark and I talked about sharing one of these. Now you have me wondering if the calories would be worth it!?! 😩

have to be honest I only picked out the cherries- it’s def a super sweet American cake, since it’s included in the plus I might try to other two aswell and just eat a bit to see if at least one tastes good 

 

same with the icecream - was able to just get a spoon of the gelato and it’s just not real gelato in my opinion and my calories are spend better elsewhere (like the key lime room service menu bit - that cream is soo good)

[DistinguishedCruiser]

 

How popular are the "PLUS" and  "PREMIER" packages on your cruise?

 

 

[schnapperin]

22 minutes ago, Old-but-not-Done said:

 

How popular are the "PLUS" and  "PREMIER" packages on your cruise?

 

 

not easy to say - a lot don’t have the plus package to be honest 

 

I personally love it - had a bit of a cold (tested daily negative for Covid with at home tests) and loved the ability to order ginger lemon tea via room service, have my daily double espresso on ice with almond milk and a couple of cocktails at night 

 

also WiFi works pretty well - even streaming videos (and hopefully F1 later this week) thanks to starlink

 

if the package is worth it really depends in my opinion how important WiFi is for you and how many cocktails you drink. The wine isnt the best, but some places make some pretty good cocktails for example. Think it’s down to math, specially if one can get a good plus included cruise deal 

[aring75]

I think we are going to skip the MDR tonight and try the Salty Dog Gastropub. 
 

Tonight’s MDR menu according to the app. 
 

 

 

 

[canadarocks]

Thanks for posting the menu anyway and hope you have a great dinner at the Salty Dog Gastropub!

[cltnccruisers]

3 minutes ago, canadarocks said:

Thanks for posting the menu anyway and hope you have a great dinner at the Salty Dog Gastropub!

I'll have to bring my Salty Dog tee and hat just for the occasion.

[schnapperin]

The idea had a few tonight - at 7.30 pm it was a 8 pm time and to be honest that was too long for me 

 

time to try out vines

[Ronanc]

1 hour ago, aring75 said:

I think we are going to skip the MDR tonight and try the Salty Dog Gastropub. 
 

Tonight’s MDR menu according to the app. 
 

 

 

 

I’m interested to hear about your dinner and if it is worth skipping the MDR. Do you need to make a reservation?

[Pirateskigirl]

Once again thank you for taking time to do this live and all the others contributing on this thread.

Couple of questions:

Do they still have the option of escargot appetizer in the MDR?

Have they offered the pub lunch this cruise?

Do they have the Sanctuary on the Ruby?  

Is the only smoking area by the fan tail/aft bar? (i don't smoke just curious).

Did the Lotus pool open?

 

Edited November 15, 2023 by Pirateskigirl

[aring75]

Dinner tonight at Salty Dog Gastropub located on Deck 7 just inside the Wheelhouse Bar.
 

No reservations required, but there may be a wait if tables are full. We waited around 10 minutes for a table. 
 

One nice thing though. While you wait for your table, you can have a seat in the Wheelhouse Bar and they will come get you when it’s ready. You can have a drink and listen to the music while you wait. 
 

 

 

 

[aring75]

I decided to go for a cider this evening. Angry Orchard is the only one listed on the SDG menu, but Wheelhouse Bar has Strongbow and the waiter was happy to get one for me. 
 

 

 

They serve these “breadsticks” to everyone regardless of what you order. They are lightly crunchy and are served with a seasoned beer-cheese sauce.

 

[aring75]

Mark tried the SDG burger. He liked it, but said he wished it was a little flatter so it went all the way to the sides of the bun. It was thick in the middle and was a little awkward to eat (though very flavorful).

 

 

He also had the asparagus with toasted haloumi cheese.
 

 
 

 

I opted for the chicken sandwich and lobster mac & cheese. I enjoyed them both but Mark had to finish the lobster mac. That was a big sandwich!

 

 

[aring75]

 

Dessert was the lemon posset. It was a creamy lemon custard. It was nice and light after such a heavy meal. 
 

 

 

We had a little bit of a wait at the beginning but agreed that we would like to eat here again. Maybe this cruise, maybe not. But we definitely enjoyed the food and listening to the music from Wheelhouse Bar while we ate.

[aring75]

I’ve also enjoyed all of our nighttime sail-aways. 
 

[Ronanc]

14 minutes ago, aring75 said:

 

Dessert was the lemon posset. It was a creamy lemon custard. It was nice and light after such a heavy meal. 
 

 

 

We had a little bit of a wait at the beginning but agreed that we would like to eat here again. Maybe this cruise, maybe not. But we definitely enjoyed the food and listening to the music from Wheelhouse Bar while we ate.

This looks great!  We have princess plus. Can under 21 year olds go here?  Our son will be 16. 

[partybarbie]

47 minutes ago, Pirateskigirl said:

Once again thank you for taking time to do this live and all the others contributing on this thread.

Couple of questions:

Do they still have the option of escargot appetizer in the MDR?

Have they offered the pub lunch this cruise?

Do they have the Sanctuary on the Ruby?  

Is the only smoking area by the fan tail/aft bar? (i don't smoke just curious).

Did the Lotus pool open?

 

On the previous cruise, the escargot was served on the last formal night. The pub lunch was held in the Da Vinci dining. There’s no smoking allowed in the aft area. It’s mid-forward, next to the upper bar above the pool. The Lotus pool was open.

[aring75]

27 minutes ago, Ronanc said:

This looks great!  We have princess plus. Can under 21 year olds go here?  Our son will be 16. 

Yes he would be welcome. For anyone who doesn’t have a package, I believe you can pay a la carte or the $14.99 cover charge (which includes two large plates and one dessert). With Plus you can eat here twice and with Premier you get unlimited casual dining for no additional charge. 

[LidoLiz]

The Lotus pool has been lovely and quiet in the morning and a respite from the louder pool areas. 
We have also really been enjoying Sabatini’s during the afternoons for peaceful book reading.