Alexv500

Thank you for asking this! I will also be on the Glory in March and the other half of my group doesn't fly back home till 8PM from MIA so they also have this dilemma as well! I'm trying to help them out and figure out what they can do too haha!

The Good Life Starts coming to an end: The Last Dinner and saying goodbye

Wow it has been a while since I have posted to this!! School has been driving me nuts and I am always so busy with homework and have not had the time to sit down on my laptop and finish up my review! Finally on Thanksgiving Break so I will finally finish this up for you all! Also, have been super busy with planning next years cruise! My whole family will be joining us along on our cruise next year to the Caribbean, my grandma doesn't know my family is going LOL she think they are going to Punta Cana, so she will be in for a surprise!! I am so excited because not only will my brothers and parents be sailing with us, but my aunt and cousin are joining in as well, so my grandma will be sailing with all 5 of her grandkids and both her daughters, so it will be an amazing cruise; the wait is killing me!! Anywho, on with the review!

So after spending a wonderful final evening at sea, it was time for our last dinner on the Ruby, and I was sooo sad because I knew this would the last night with our amazing waitstaff who were amazing!! You could feel the sad and somber mood throughout the ship, everyone was sad for the dreaded disembarkation the next day, myself included.

Tonight for dinner was: Steak night!!!

We arrived to the Botticelli for the final time, and since our table was at the very aft of the ship, and the waves were still very rough, it was a rocky dinner!! For Dinner, me and grandma both ordered the New York steak and it was THE BOMB!! And tonight was also Baked Alaska for Desert! After enjoying our wonderful meal, the waitstaff did the Baked Alaska Parade and after that followed, the Goodbye. It was so heartbreaking saying goodbye to our wonderful waitstaff, they were amazing and pampered us so well every evening!! I even teared up as I gave my waiters a hug goodbye, that's just how sad I was to be leaving the ship..I think even my grandma teared up!

Residence for the past week

After putting out our suitcases, we were delivered the dreaded disembarkation packet explaining the disembarkation process, along with our luggage tags and disembarkation group. We were to disembark at 10:30am and had to be out of the cabin by 8 am- Princess does this in order to have enough time to clean the cabins for the next set of passengers, so keep that in mind! :-)

After studying the disembarkation info, I headed down to the Piazza, my Grandma went to bed early because she was exhausted and wanted to get some rest! I met up with my friend Marissa in the Piazza and we talked about how sad we were to be getting off the ship tomorrow, but also how amazing the cruise was and all the fun we had onboard, all while drinking a yummy smoothie from the coffee bar down on Deck 5. We decided we were going to have an amazing last night, and we decided to go see the comedy show that was going on in the Princess Theater, and the comedian was HILARIOUS!! I forgot his name, but he made me laugh so much to the point where I was in tears of laughter, LOL! We then went on adventures around the ship and hung out with some friends, it was late at this point, probably like midnight now and we just walked around the Promenade and all talked, it was a great end to an amazing cruise!! I headed back up to the cabin, and went to bed to get some rest for the disembarkation tomorrow, which I cannot express how much I was dreading it and not looking forward to it at all, I did NOT want to get off or go home haha!

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y348/Al300/The%20Last%20Day/SAM_0767_zpsuqelv5fm.jpg' alt='SAM_0767_zpsuqelv5fm.jpg'> One last shot of the beautiful Piazza

Next up: All Good Things Come to an end...sadly.

I just came across your great review and after reading every post and enjoying every photo, I cannot wait to cruise Ruby Princess! A friend and I are booked on her for February 7, 2016 to Mexico...exactly the same itinerary you and your lovely Grandma were on. I have not sailed on the Ruby, but your review clearly made me feel very fortunate to have booked the cruise on her!

 

 

 

Thank you again for your very informative and entertaining review. You are one remarkable young man! Your Grandma is one lucky lady too! :)

 

 

 

Cheers to you and your Grandma on your next cruise! Have a blast!

 

 

 

John

Awww!! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my review! Still gotta finish it up Lol! You are going to have such an amazing time on the Ruby! It was an amazing and unforgettable cruise for me, and I had the best time ever, I'm still suffering from post cruise depression and it's already been like 8 months already!

You sure picked the perfect ship and the perfect itinerary, I am super jealous! Hope you have a wonderful cruise and I look forward to seeing a review :)

Hi all! I've been browsing for some information on what we can do post cruise in Miami with a late flight that doesn't leave till 8pm. All the threads I've found were all for post cruise in Fort Lauderdale so I am looking for some info on what to do in this situation in Miami. We will be on the Carnival Glory in March, disembarking on March 26. Our flight doesn't leave till 8pm and we will have 3 kids with, including a 2 year old.

My main concern is where are some places where I can store all of our luggage for the day? since our flight back home won't be till 8pm and we definitely don't want to be carrying around ALLL that luggage all day!

Thanks in advance!

I would constantly check on Kayak for airfare deals. Booked my flight to Miami for my March 19th Cruise aboard the Glory, and got my tickets for $323 pp roundtrip from LAX, nonstop on American Airlines. Outstanding deal if you ask me; still in shock that we scored such a great deal. We've been waiting for so long on the airfare and were about to give up till today we grabbed an amazing deal! You just gotta constantly check kayak because the prices are always changing!! You can give up on the airfare, there'll be a great deal for you, you just gotta be patient with the prices :)

Wow I can't believe Miracle will be heading to China. It'll be a good start for Carnival, but it makes me sad to see her go to China.

I bet they will probably send the second Vista class ship to China to compete with all the new ships heading to China such as Quantum of the Seas, the under construction Majestic Princess, and the new NCL ship (the Bliss I believe, which is under construction). China is slowly turning into the new Caribbean in a way.

I wish they would bring over another ship other than the Splendor. I hate the 3 tier pool deck. How about the Magic or Breeze? But who am I kidding. West coast always gets the short end of the stick. Look at the "upgrades" Miracle recently got.

It would be an absolute MIRACLE if they ever sent any dream class ship here. Maybe they will in like 20 years once those ships are old! Ugh I wish they would send a newer ship, at least maybe a Conquest class ship here?? It is my dream to see a conquest class ship here in Long Beach!

And don't get me started on those "upgrades"! I was going to book the Miracle before I knew what actual upgrades it got, assuming it would've been just like the other Spirit class ships with all the cool upgrades and awesome water park, but glad I didn't!! Ended up going on a Princess cruise from San Pedro to the Mexican Riviera, and Princess does care about what ships they send to the west coast! I was fortunate enough to aboard sail their former flagship the Ruby Princess on her inaugural Mexican riviera This past March!! Now that was an awesome ship they sent to the west coast!!

Can't wait till the day we get a ship with all the bells and whistles!

Hmm it depends on what amenities you're looking for! If you want a ship with the 2.0 upgrades (Guy's Burgers, Blue Iguana Cantina, etc.) then Glory for sure.

Splendor and Glory are very similar in layout, they're pretty much almost the same, except Splendor has a really cool lido pool with a retractable dome over it, but doesn't have the 2.0 upgrades! Also, a lot of folks tend to complain about the splendor's interior design, especially her atrium, it's VERY pink! So if stuff like that bothers you, then don't go on Splendor, LOL!

I have heard very great things about the Glory, which is what convinced me to book a cruise onboard her for March!

If anything, you can always YouTube videos or both ships and see which one you'd prefer to spend your vacation on, it's just all really personal preference! :)

Just went under advanced search, and Carnival Fantasy pops up for a cruise from Fort Lauderdale, for Feb. 2016? Is this new?

Hope we do not get hacked and loose the 7 day cruises again. Just wish they would put a nicer ship for the 3-4 day cruises also.

I hope we don't either! They can't stop the 7 day to Mexico, they're very popular and I think pretty profitable, since prices for Mexican riviera cruises are usually more than what a 7 day Caribbean cruise would cost! I'm really hoping we get a newer ship again, I want Splendor to come back home to Long Beach!!

There are so many clues about this whole Mobile speculation on John Heald's page. Last picture is a Fantasy class ship sailing from Mobile, and from what I've read, there's supposed to be some big press event @ the port of Mobile tomorrow morning. So tomorrow's announcement highlight will be what ship is going to Mobile.

I still have some hope we will possibly find out where Splendor and Miracle are going, but like TheCruiseDirector mentioned, we will probably see another home port getting a ship that was not expected! I'm super anxious to find out tomorrow announcement though!!

John Heald posted some pictures of the Carnival Fantasy, "Carnival Fantasy have you sailed on her??" I have a big feeling tomorrow's announcement will most likely be what ship is heading to Mobile, and I think that ship is most likely going to be the Fantasy.

He also mentioned about what ship will be getting 2.0 upgrades, we also find that out tomorrow! I hope it'll be the Splendor or Magic getting them!

Agree, that would be outstanding. I'm just wondering though if they would make another announcement regarding those two so soon on the heels of last week's extension of their current itineraries through the end of February 2017. I kind of got the impression those extensions were a "buying time" situation while the Canal work progresses. Guess we'll find out in a couple of days..... maybe. ;)

That's what I was thinking too! Hopefully we will find out soon what going to happen! ;D I have a feeling this next round of dancing w/ the ships may have something to do with the future of the Fantasy?? Since that was left to he continued from the last move of the dancing! What I've been dying to know is where splendor and Miracle will be heading!! I just want the Splendor to come back home to Long Beach!!

John Heald posted on his FB page that the next round of ship dances will be announced on Wednesday (Sept 23).

Let's see what happens this week! Hopefully we will find out what's in store for the Splendor and Miracle!

Thank you for you wonderful, informative, thoughtful and funny review!!!! I loved it!!!!! Will be on the Ruby in March for 10 days......

 

 

 

Your pictures are beautiful.....Grandma looks like a sweet heart as do you!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks ever so much...

Awww why thank you so much, you made my day!! :) Glad you enjoyed, and thank you so much for reading along!

You're going to have such An amazing time on the Ruby; such a beautiful ship! Oh how I would love to be onboard the Ruby for 10 days, 7 days just wasn't enough! I'm surprised they didn't have to drag me off the ship, I didn't want to get off!! Haha!

Dang, I just spent an hour reading your entire review and thoroughly enjoyed it! I took my first cruise last summer on the Regal and now I have the bug so it's a cruise every year now! I've heard great things about the Ruby, perhaps one day I'll sail her.

Thanks for taking the time to read!! Once you cruise once, that bug will be stuck with you! I got it too, LOL and that is why I just had to get my grandma to go on another cruise with me, so the Caribbean it will be next year! [emoji41]

You are so lucky, I have heard such great things about the Regal; hope to sail on her one day. They say your first ship will always have a special place in your heart, and the Ruby Princess will always have a special place in my heart, can't wait till I can sail on her again, she's pretty special to me. [emoji4]

The "Last" of Everything

So after our wonderful lunch, we headed to our room to start packing, since we had received a notice to have our luggage outside our cabins no later than after dinner! The dreaded packing I had avoided thinking about all week had finally came, and it was time to do so! Luckily, it didn't take me long to pack, I practically just threw everything I didn't need right back into my suitcase, LOL.

Speaking of Deck 19, I just remembered that earlier this day I took my Grandma up to this deck! My Grandma was still in shock of how many decks this ship had, and she had never been all the way up to deck 19 throughout the entire cruise, so I thought today we be a great day to take her up! We went on the special aft elevator (the only one that goes up to deck 19) and she had no clue where we were going, I had her close her eyes and once we got up there I was like SURPRISEEE!! Her reaction was PRICELESS! She was like terrified and amazed at the same time of just how big this ship was, and she got to see the amazing view of the wake that we had from that spot! It was so funny! I loved deck 19, I got some amazing pictures from up there!

Here are some pictures to illustrate my point; I may or may not have posted these already BUT I'll just show them again, because I am still fascinated with these pictures!

http://i1028.photobucket.com/albums/y348/Al300/SAM_0137_zpsocoaa62s.jpg' alt='SAM_0137_zpsocoaa62s.jpg'>

Next up: The Last Dinner on the Ruby and saying Bye to Everyone!...yep I said Bye :(

I'm so happy for you!! Sounds like you will have a great time. We leave on our Mexico trip in a week and a half. Super excited too! Your review has helped me a lot. Thank you.

Thank you!! I'm beyond excited for cruise #2! Not only for the cruise, but for the destinations as well! And I am so glad I could help!! You're going to have an absolute blast! Be sure to take lots of pictures so you can do a review too, I will keep an eye out for it if you do decide to do a review! :)

I have really been loving your review! And how wonderful that you have booked for your whole family next time ! We have been to the Caribbean three times on Carnival ships with teenagers in tow, and all of us have always loved it. I am sure you will also.

Thank you for reading and following along! I cannot wait to try Carnival; seems like they are a lot of fun! To me, as long as I am on a cruise, I will be happy, LOL!

Congrats on booking your next cruise! I have done that exact itinerary (on HAL) and enjoyed it. The Glory, as you may know, is almost exactly the same tonnage as the Ruby, so you should feel comfortable with the size of the ship right off the bat. I have heard good things about Guy Fieri's burger venue on board as well. While I am not a huge Carnival fan (too much noise and activity for a middle-aged guy like me), it sounds like a good fit for you with three generations on board. There should be something for everyone to do!

Thanks!! I am super excited and looking forward to those Guy's Burgers! The Glory looks like such a beautiful ship, and I cannot wait to finally be onboard! 6 more months to go, the wait is killing me!

Agree with having ships different and not cookie cutter shapes of each other. With that said the one must requested thing for the Miracle dry dock was Guys since we have nothing with it on the west coast. Fire the matter Guy is a California resident abd we couldn't get one put on a ship in his home state.

 

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Exactly! Guy's and the new waterworks that all the other Spirit class ships already have, would be very nice to have on the Miracle. I have heard so many complaints of how the current waterslide on the Miracle sucks!

What upsets me is how 3/4 of the Spirit class ships got all the good 2.0 upgrades and the Miracle didn't. Like what is the purpose of upgrading 3/4 of the Spirit class ships, and then not do anything to the Miracle?? You would think Carnival would want all their Spirit class ships to have the same features in order to attract various types of cruisers. I know out here on the West coast that if the Miracle would've gotten the new waterpark, guy's burgers, blue iguana, the Seaside theater, and all the other cool stuff that the Pride and Spirit recently got in their recent dry docks, it would've been a huge hit here on the West Coast. There wouldn't be a need to fly all the way to Florida to enjoy these features when we could have it here on our Miracle.

The Pride, Spirit and Legend look so stunning and amazing with all their new upgrades, I hope one day the Miracle could get the same.

Thank you for all the responses! I am super excited. The only cruise I have been on before was a 4 day baja cruise, which went to Catalina Island and Ensenada. I had heard mixed reviews is Ensenada, but I really enjoyed it! My husband and I had gotten a map ahead of time, and just walked around to an art museum and a couple of bars that are apparently famous or something (I can't remember the names). In Ensenada, all the vendors took dollars and spoke English. I understand in Mazatlan and the other ports on this cruise we should exchange the currency. Do people speak English at the Mazatlan, Cabo, and Puerto Vallarta ports? I speak no Spanish and my husband only knows a few phrases. Has anyone gone to the archaeological museum in Mazatlan? Is it in a safe area? I love museums and old buildings and stuff. http://mazatlantoday.net/museo_arqueologico_mazatlan.html

There are many who speak English at all ports, especially in Cabo, there's plenty of English speaking people! You'll be fine! In Mazatlan, they have dedicated retirees who all come from Canada and they are there just help the cruise ship passengers get around and they are very knowledgeable about he Port! They're very nice and very helpful people! (You'll see them in blue shirts!)

You're going to love the Mexican riviera!! I did this exact same itinerary this past March and I LOVED IT!!! Puerto Vallarta won over my heart, and I fell in love with that place!

We only did one excursion and that was in Cabo, which there isn't much to do if you don't have an excursion. However, in PV and Mazatlan, there is so much to do that you don't even need an excursion unless you really want to!

In Puerto Vallarta, there's so much to do! We got around on the public bus which was like $1 U.S. And they will accept dollars (I saw many pay the bus fare with dollars) but, luckily I had some Mexican pesos with me already so I payed With that to make things easier! I Highly recommend you exchange currency, it'll just make paying for things so much easier in Mexico! We took the bus from the cruise terminal to El Malecon, which is this beautiful boardwalk with lots of shops, right in front of the ocean, and there's even beach access right there, and that's pretty much where we spent our day in PV! Once we finished at El Malecon, we headed to this mall that's right in front of where the ship docks, and there's even a Walmart right next door in case you need to do some shopping for items. overall, I LOVED PV and had so much fun there! In March, the weather was absolutely Beautiful and very warm!!

In Mazatlan, we got around on taxis and headed to the Golden Zone, which was a $10 Taxi ride from the cruise terminal there. I had so much fun, there's a beautiful beach, lots of shopping and restaurants and even wifi! We saw many from our ship spending their day in the Golden Zone along with us! We had such a fun day in Mazatlan!

In Cabo, we did do an excursion which was a glass bottom boat ride that took us all around Cabo, up close and personal with the famous Cabo arches, and they took us to Lover's beach (such a beautiful beach, with clear water!) and we spent around an hour or so at the beach, and then our excursion boat picked us up and Took us to ANOTHER beautiful beach! Both beaches give you great views of the cruise ships anchored! I loved Cabo, it was so beautiful and I highly recommend a glass bottom boat ride, it was amazing!

Sorry for the long paragraphs, LOL just wanted to give you all the details on what we did during our first cruise/ first time to these ports! You're going to have a blast, this itinerary was amazing and I would so do it all over again in a heartbeat, so much fun and such beautiful places!! If you have any questions, let me me know :)

One last Lunch out at Sea

After relaxing in our room for a bit, we decided to hit up the main dining room for one last spectacular lunch on the Ruby. We headed down to the Da Vinci dining room one last time. The dining room was a bit crowded, but we were lucky enough to get a seat close to a window! I just love eating and watching the ocean go by, just such an amazing feeling to be enjoying your meal and watching the ocean go by. I was just so sad to think that by this time tomorrow, I will be back at home; I just didn't even want to think of the dreaded disembarkation that awaited tomorrow!

Anyways, for lunch today we had: soup and salad, and then a delicious cuban sandwich (I think that's what it was, sorry for the bad memory!)

*Warning: Food Porn ahead, sorry if anyone gets hungry*

My Grandma's salad, she really enjoyed it!

And some Kiwi flavored ice cream to top it all off!

Next up: One last afternoon stroll at sea!