skynight

I have been through the P.C. 5 times and I am currently booked for a 2024 Ruby partial transit. For a the partial transit it is best to move around to see all the different aspects. The Ruby fits into the Agua Clara locks with lots of forward & aft space as well as quite a bit of space port and starboard. The ship is kept centered by tugs. The water retention ponds will be on the starboard side when entering from the Atlantic. The ship usually approaches the locks around 6am. It takes around 2 1/2 hours for the transit. There is plenty of time to move around for the many views. There are 3 locks. Nice views are from the promenade, deck 7, and forward up the stairs to deck 8 where you and many others will be at the bow of the ship. On deck 16 above the lido pool deck there are plenty of port and starboard viewing areas. You can also walk forward for a front view. The Captain may also open the deck area on top of the bridge. Aft there is the terrace pool area and the two decks above it. There is no forward facing lounge. If you remain on your balcony you will only get a partial view. You will also have to turn your T.V. loud and to the designated channel to hear the commentary. Once through the locks the ship anchors in Gatun Lake. Those with Princess tours are tendered to a shoreside dock. Only those on Princess tours are permitted to disembark the vessel in Gatun Lake. At some point the ship exits the lake going back through the Agua Clara Locks. It then docks in either Colon or Cristobol. Passengers on tours are returned to the docked ship. Those that remain on board can exit the ship once docked. Panama is very hot and humid with strong sun. It also can rain at any time. Hope this information is helpful.

My passport renewal was processed in just under three months. It was done in Philly.

The agreement between the two lines ended in December 2017. Maybe it was a first time prospective customer promo. https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2565530-pampo-cruises-no-longer-credited-to-princess-captains-circle-recognition-really/

No levels are transferrable. Your loyalty level is measured by sailings on Princess owned ships. https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/cc/captains-circle-loyalty-benefits.pdf

Believe you will receive 2 dinners. Believe this benefit goes by booking number. If you booked the two voyages separately you would receive 2 dinners per voyage. The benefit is not provided by length of cruise. It most likely is provided by booking number, and if you are lucky by voyage number which is different than booking number.

Do you have an HCP cabin? The doors of regular cabins are 22 inches wide. Probably will not be able to go ashore at tender (water shuttle) ports if your sailing has any. Usually, not always, you have to be able to walk some to board a tender.

Sleeping options: Balcony Category: 3rd berth drops from the ceiling. Lower bed is split into two twins. One adult could sleep in the upper berth and the child in one of the lower twin beds. The bathroom has a shower, no tub Deluxe Balcony: This cabin has a two seat love seat which converts to a 3rd berth. A plus in your situation. The bathroom has a shower, no tub. Mini Suite: This cabin has a three seat sofa which converts to a bed. The mini suite also has a tub/shower combination.

Slim to no chance princess will open the center stairway on their oldest ship. Here is a short story. I was on board the Royal Princess around a year after its initial sailing. There was a talk in Princess Live from one of Carnival Corp's lead marine architects involved in the design of the Royal Princess. During the presentation passenger questions started to flow about the lack of a center stair case for passenger use. The initial response was that no one uses the center staircase. This was met with lots of response from the passengers indicating the designer's misconception about center staircases. Soon after the center stairs were re-done and opened to passengers on both the Royal and Regal.

Wear whatever shoes you like. Not an issue.

These are times set aside for non-hosted games. Passengers usually bring their own such as cards and mahjong. You will also find passengers playing at tables around the pools and anywhere else they can locate an open table. I can't comment on what games are available on the ship.

If they have it, Yes. There would not be much of a capacity issue. Lots of seating area in the buffet. There may be signs in the buffet area, it may be shown in the journey view in the app.

That would be very sad indeed. That would be 200 additional cabins. Usually when there are cabin changes the Princess deck plans indicate a before and after sailing date. No dates shown for the Ruby. I would think they would show by now so they can fill the cabins. But, I wouldn't put it past Princess to hide this as long as they can.

You should check with a travel agent to determine what promotions are currently available and when they expire. I recently sat with my T.A. while she booked some 2024 cruises. She had an entire sheet of promos. Selected the one that was best. If you do wait to book on board have the bookings assigned to a travel agent so you can receive their OBC. It also depends on how particular you are with cabin selection. The earlier you book the more chance you have of getting what you like.

Newer does not equate to better. In my opinion the layout and lower passenger load are a big plus. And, don't forget the full promenade on the Ruby. Something I missed on the Royal Class ships. I'm also scheduled for a 24 day b2b on the Ruby in 2024 which includes a 14 day Circle the Caribbean itinerary. She is scheduled for month long dry/wet dock starting the end of September. As of this posting I have not seen a summary of the scheduled maintenance and changes, if any. A month is long for just regular scheduled operational maintenance. I thinking that there are some additional deck plan adjustments in the works, but it is just speculation.

I have heard that Princess is bringing back the Crab Shack event. In the past it was held a few evenings in a closed off seating area of the buffet. They may offer it. In the past there were signs around as well as being mentions in the daily paper.

An easy way to have a robe is to just ask your cabin steward. If you do not see him/her soon after boarding just leave a note. Many times robes are not available on the first day as they are being laundered from the previous cruise.

OBC is shown as credits in your on board accounts. If you look at your accounts on the first day you will see this. All on board charges are automatically posted to your on board account as they occur. The charges net against any credit or debit balance. The system uses non-refundable credits first then refundable. It is a simple system. When passenger's accounts are linked together with a single credit card there is a summary account. The summary account nets one account against the others to arrive at a daily summary balance. A credit balance in one account will net against a debit balance in another. There is one exception. Future Cruise Deposits are charged directly to you credit card. They do not go through the on board accounting system. Believe it is also possible on request to charge large on board shop purchases directly to your credit card, bypassing the on board account system.

Did you sail the China & Japan itinerary on Feb 20th or March 6th, 2010? If so, then your ports should have been: Shanghai, Dalian, Beijing (Xingang), Seoul (IInchon), Valdivostok, Fukuoka (Hakata), Hiroshima, Osaka, (for Kyoto), Tokyo.

Some additional information. The site shown below will provide you with additional dining information on the Caribbean Princess. Regarding room service. Balcony cat cabins and below only have one desk chair and a small low approx. 18 inch dia. round table inside the cabin. Balcony cabins a a small table and two chairs on the balcony. Mini suites have a sofa, chair and the small low table indoors plus the seating on table on the balcony. Full suites have seating and tables. Vines is a wine bar in the Piazza. Vines does not serve meals. If you wish to have some meal type food you have to obtain it from the International Cafe and carry it over to Vines. You will find lots of people sitting at the Vines area tables eating I.C. selections. In the evening Vines used to serve small plates sushi with your wine, similar to getting some bar mix at other types of bars. I am not certain if they still do this. There are no meals. https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/food-and-dining/dining-options.pdf vary.

See comments imbedded in your questions

MDRs are open for breakfast and dinner each day and lunch on sea days. Breakfast and lunch are walk in, no reservations. You can make evening dining reservations in the dining section of the Princess App. Become familiar with the app. You can make the reservations once you have paid for the cruise. There is also a web version of the app on the Princess web site. You can also make specialty dining reservations in the app. Believe these can be made anytime after you book the cruise. Specialty dining reservations made pre-cruise require payment at the time of the reservation. If you book a Reserve Class mini suite or a full suite then you are entitled to a special dining area with upgraded service. Reserve Class dining is walk in at any time with prompt seating. The Sun's MDRs are on decks 6,7 & 8 aft. No one has been on board, and thus no experience with this new DR set up.

Expect cool and choppy sailing for the first two or three days until the ship crosses the Tropic of Cancer into the tropics. Probably will not be sit around the pool bathing suit days. Bring a rain jacket and clothing layers. The return is a little better as the ship heads to Ensenada before returning to S.F. ELUA, Hawaiian Ambassadors, are scheduled to be on board your sailing. (search ELUA 2023 schedule). They are very good. There will be Ukulele classes on sea days for absolute beginners with a show at the end of the cruise. You can bring along your own ukulele or there will be a limited number on the ship. If you want to get one of the ship's arrive really early for the 1st session. There are also hula classes with a combined show at the end of the cruise with the Uke class. They also offer Hawaiian crafts, a small fee is charged for the crafts. You should enjoy the Crown even though it is an older ship. There is the nice Adagio Lounge on deck 15 aft where it is very quiet. Usually the bar in this lounge will be open in the evening. Skywalker's is another nice location. It is on deck 18 all the way aft. Check out the International Cafe on deck 5 in the Piazza. Continental breakfast 3items in the morning, paninis, salads and desserts in the afternoon and evening. No charge for food. This is also where you can get your brewed coffee and espresso drinks. The free coffee served in the buffet is prepared from a concentrate. If you are looking for caffeine it serves the purpose. Recommend that you walk around the ship once boarded to find all the locations. Public areas are on decks 5,6,7,15,16,18/19aft. There is also a family pool area on deck 17 aft. The Terrace Pool, deck 14 aft and the Lotus Spa Pool on deck 16 fwd are for adults. The Terrace Pool is a popular location.

Been on one. Nothing really special about it except knowing you are the first passengers. I think I have a certificate some place. One thing I remember was that not everything, even some cabins, was "brand new." Our cabin was one of the ones that was not used. Some areas were occupied by crew and contractors during the finishing of the interiors.

I prefer the mid ship DRs. Easier to get to and closer to other activities. The Botticelli DR is on deck 6 aft. Access is only from the aft elevators or stairs on deck 7 and above. Elevators tend to be crowded at dinner time. To access the public spaces on decks 5, 6 & 7 from this DR you have to take the stairs or elevator up to deck 7 or above and walk forward.

International Cafe has espresso drinks and it also has brewed coffee from higher quality beans. I am not certain if the other two locations mentioned in post 2 has brewed coffee. There is a charge for brewed coffee at the I.C. Brewed coffee is included in the plus and premier fares. Free drip coffee is served in the buffet as well as the DRs. It is fairly decent.