We will be on this cruise as well! This will be our 2nd Alaska cruise out of San Francisco, but our very first trip with a balcony. One of the best things anyone ever told me before our first cruise is the great thing about cruising is you can do as little or as much as you want. I like to try all the things. Crafts? Sure! Exercise class? Why not! Fruit carving demonstration, towel folding, bingo, naturalist talk? Sign me up! My husband wants to get his coffee, sit with his book and look at the ocean. We're both happy!
One of the dining rooms will be open on embarkation day and we find having a nice relaxed lunch is a great way to start the trip. They will try to steer you to the buffet, but you can ask which dining room is open. Be sure to be out on deck for sail away. Sailing under the Golden Gate bridge is amazing!
The walls of your cabin are magnetic, so bring some magnetic clips to hang anything you need. There aren't alot of outlets in the cabin, so a power strip is handy. Make sure it does not have a surge protector. Some people bring some sort of a door decoration to make their cabin door stand out from the hall way.
On the day we cruised the glaciers in 2018, they had the most amazing pizza slices available. It was a white pizza and they only served it that day. We were on the Grand and I'm hoping the Ruby serves it as well!!
Are you planning any excursions? I hope you have an awesome trip!!