Ilovesailaway

Trying to get more info but not having much luck. I have a few basic questions I hope Princess cruisers can answer.

1. I am booked on a 4 night on Ruby in March. That cruise is followed by a 5 night. Some of the people on board with me will be booked on the 4 night some the 9. Will we have a formal night on the 4? My booking says no but Princess web site says one formal night on the "Dining Options and Hours" PDF attached to their web site. Will the 9 night passengers have to wait for the 4 night passengers to disembark and the 5 night pax to start before they have their first formal?

2. Anyone know if they have canned beer on Ruby? If so what kind.

3. Do they have a martini tasting event? I have done it on Royal, NCL, and Carnival but I have seen no mention of it on Princess.

4. How is breakfast and lunch in the dinning room? Any better than the buffet? I like the convenience of the buffet for breakfast and lunch but should I do the dinning room instead?

5. Any dart boards or pool tables on Ruby?

Like I've said I enjoy the motion of the ship. I have never felt sick but I have always had a mid-ship cabin. I have an aft booked on a Princess cruise and a forward on the Breeze.

All this talk is making me a little nervous. I guess I will research sea sickness meds so I have something if needed.

I know this is an older post but I'm glad that its back to the front of the line.

Awesome video!!!!

Do you remember when we were young?

line up the horizon and the top rail, it will move several feet

love doing that

but Im weird and love rough seas

I have never had a problem walking over to the taxi line after our POM cruises and getting a van for our family of 5. Sometimes we had to wait a couple extra minutes for a van. The guy loading the cabs would just have us step aside till one arrived.

Hope this is still the case when we cruise this summer.

I agree. Carnival has been a lot of fun for my family.I appreciate the great memories that they have helped us create at a reasonable price. We are booked for the Breeze this summer and can't wait.

In addition to our yearly family cruise I always do a golf trip with friends during March Madness. For the heck of it I looked at cruises during that time. I found a Princess cruise dirt cheap. We are doing that for our March trip. I would have preferred Carnival or Royal for the fun, especially for a group of friends but Princess was a lot less. go figure.

Oh well I will give them a try.

Btw, Our family has also done NCL Epic. Awesome ship for a family w/teens. DW and I have done Royal with friends and have never been disappointed.

I like trying new lines/ships. Hope Princess is not too sleepy....;)

I agree its way to early to get an accurate idea of what airfare will cost you. Most of the lower cost carriers wont book until 6 months out. Booking with a low cost carrier as far out as possible is usually the best way to go. Also, be creative in your search. You may find a much cheaper flight if you are willing to drive a bit on either end. Another thing is be aware that a lot of the booking sites will not include all of the low cost carriers. Make sure you check the site of each airline you are considering.

We are a family of 5. My wife is a teacher and as was mentioned you get gouged during school breaks. I have used every trick in the book to cut airfare costs. I saved 3K on airfare for our last cruise by driving to an airport that was 5 hours away. It sure beat spending over 4K at our local airport or having to drive for 25 hours to south Florida.

Keep looking, be creative, good luck!!!

Not interested in spending the $ for FTTF. Also not a big fan of long lines. We usually get to port about 11 and wait with the herd. Anyone have experience showing up in the afternoon after the crowds? We will be on the Breeze out of Miami this summer.

Oops :o I missed this post so I repeated the same sentiments but not as well.

This is only true if the sole cost of a cruise is the actual cruise price.

With transportation (Air, car rental, parking etc), hotels, on and off board purchases etc etc, the actual cruise price

only makes up a third to less then half of our cruise costs. Therefore the "cruise 3x a year VS 2x in an OV or balcony" is not true for most.

The cost of Air alone has been roughly the cost of our cruises and that's for a cheap restricted ticket vs a balcony cabin !

Even those who live at/near the post have other costs.

Unless you get dropped off at the port, take off all tips and don't buy a thing ,this calculation is false.

Exactly what I was thinking. The upgrade to the balcony would have been a small increase to the cost of the vacation. I know several have said they can do without a balcony. I am the opposite, I just can't see cruising without one. For me the balcony is why I cruise. Otherwise why be on a boat?

Ill have the filet and the crab cake please :D

No, I wouldn't switch to Royal because of the drinks package......or for any other reason for that matter.

:eek:

It's a matter of preference, but I will never cruise without a balcony! Love them! :p

Ditto

I need to feel like I am on the ocean.

What if the program were based on the amount you spent on booking the cruise?

Oh well, I can dream cant I?

Cruises with family, DW and our 3 boys plus my sister, niece, and nephew. Spending time together laughing. The memories we have created. We have another booked. It will be to celebrate high school graduations for my oldest and my nephew. The reality that these opportunities will become harder to come by is making very sad.

I am so thankful that our family discovered our love of cruising.

We are a family of 5. We have always booked 2 adjoining or connecting rooms. It is awesome having 2 bathrooms and the added space. If your kids are young you should try to get connecting inside cabins. Its easier to just call Carnival instead of trying to book online. Depending on how old your kids are Carnival has rules about how close their room needs to be to yours. Calling is the best way to go to make sure you get what you need. Have your computer in front of you when you call and check to see that the rooms are in a convenient quiet area when you agree to book. Book as early as you can for a better choice of rooms and a better chance of getting connecting rooms.

Another vote for the Epic. My family and I loved that ship. The blues band at night was the best live band I have seen on any ship. Loved the freestyle. Loved the outdoor spaces. Not a big fan of the huge casino or the profile of the ship, it looks like it has a huge forehead lol. The ship is awesome though and we would love to sail her again some day.

When I started cruising I went from inside to OV to balcony. I was warned that once I had a balcony I would not go back. That turned out to be true. Time spent on my balcony is one of my absolute favorite parts of cruising. I feel like I am truly at sea. I feel small. It is also a great place to have a drink with others. We cruise as a family and always get multiple adjoining balconies. We have 3 lido deck balconies booked for a cruise this summer on the Breeze. Although from what I have read I think the ship will be awesome, the thing I am most looking forward to is being alone with my thoughts on my balcony.

Because ones wealth directly correlates with ones manners? Not in my experience.

On second thought, I agree with you and realize that my comment was a little narrow minded.

I wonder if being a lower priced cruise out of NYC equals a higher chance of rudeness. I can certainly see how this is possible. Although, others who were on the cruise didn't mention that same observation.

We sailed the Epic with a large group ages 11-46. We all had a great time and thought the ship was a lot of fun. We chose Epic because a couple people in our group were first timers and they were worried they would be bored. The ship was clean, food was good, and the staff were great. We loved all of the activities on board. Best part about the entertainment was the live blues band that played every night. Best live band I have seen on a ship. We liked the large pub on board where you could play darts on a full size electronic bar style dart board, bowl, have anything off the bar menu and hang out. It was a great late night spot. The only thing anyone complained about was the giant casino that you had to walk through. The interior of the ship is very nice.

If you want a laid back ship that is fun with lots to do then the Epic is a good choice.

Btw, I think the profile of the ship is ugly. It looks like it has a giant forehead and is stumbling through the water. lol. That didn't stop us and we are glad we tried her. We all agreed we would sail her again.

Interesting.

 

As for what happens after 15, I have seen two things. Some are able to then buy drinks and some are told they are cut off.

 

Also saw some suggest that one starts to pay for drinks after 14, to avoid the issue of getting completely cut off after 15, if they want to continue. 15 sure sounds like a lot if booze for one person. But on a sea day and personal saturation points, I guess some plan accordingly. Besides, I think there are is a thread or two in that topic. :-)

If you had Cheers and tried to pay for drinks at 14 to avoid the 15 drink limit would they not see your total for the day anyway on your card and cut you off? Or are they simply not interested in over serving and just set a limit because of the cost? I would like to get Cheers because I know it will save me me money. I tend to buy a few drinks throughout the day for people. I hope that I have that option of paying when I want and not having it count against my 15.

I am so looking forward to our cruise on the Breeze. It was awesome to read that someone who swore that she would never cruise again had such a great time.

It sounds like being better prepared to take full advantage of your vacation made a huge difference in your experience. That is why Cruise Critic is so valuable.

Hope there are many more great cruises in your future.