Just booked Ruby Princess

[Gracie115]

normally Celebrity is our cruiseline of choice but have wanted to try Princess for sometime so found this little 4 nighter in December onboard the Ruby Princess and decided this was the time ..... so how do the lines compare?

 

We want to cruise Alaska next year and I understand Princess and HAL have the best itineraries(we've also booked a 4 night HAL cruise to follow this one) so these two little will be a preview for Alaska!!

 

I'm assuming most things are similar and there are no bad cruises but anything I should know special about Princess before we sail???:)

[flamomo]

I spent 19 days on the Ruby last October on a transatlantic from Venice to FLL, and really enjoyed every bit of it. The Ruby and her crew were wonderful.

Hope you enjoy it too!!

[Woobstr112G]

I spent 19 days on the Ruby last October on a transatlantic from Venice to FLL, and really enjoyed every bit of it. The Ruby and her crew were wonderful.

Hope you enjoy it too!!

 

I've sailed the Ruby twice and I agree. THe Ruby is a great ship and the crew is fantastic.....:):):)

 

Bob

[jimandtoni]

normally Celebrity is our cruiseline of choice but have wanted to try Princess for sometime so found this little 4 nighter in December onboard the Ruby Princess and decided this was the time ..... so how do the lines compare?

 

We want to cruise Alaska next year and I understand Princess and HAL have the best itineraries(we've also booked a 4 night HAL cruise to follow this one) so these two little will be a preview for Alaska!!

 

I'm assuming most things are similar and there are no bad cruises but anything I should know special about Princess before we sail???:)

 

Been on both Celebrity and Princess....the lines are very comparable.Even though we have been on 13 or 14 Princess cruises and enjoy them very much, I give a slight edge to the Solstice.

[Gracie115]

Been on both Celebrity and Princess....the lines are very comparable.Even though we have been on 13 or 14 Princess cruises and enjoy them very much, I give a slight edge to the Solstice.

 

 

I love the "S" class on Celebrity but if you only give them a slight edge over Princess then I think we'll like Princess just fine!! Thanks!!:)

[CintiCruzer]

My wife and I are just recently off the Ruby (Jan 20 sailing) and I have nothing but praises for the service and the crew members - We have done Carnavial, Royal Caribbean, & Princess and of these 3 lines Princess appeals to us best... I think it is mainly an age thing (both 57), we like a good meal, we enjoy some finer things (wine & cheese on the balcony) and good adult beverage and some peace & quiet... and maybe a bit slower pace on the Princess Lines... we looked seriously at Celeberty for this last cruise and the deciding factor for us was the anytime dining... to us this option is what makes the week so enjoyable... I hate when mealtime dictates when you do things... Anytime dining offers the flexibility to eat anytime that suits... if we want to enjoy a second (or third sometimes) cocktail before dinner, no one gets upset... if we want to take a nap mid afternoon until 6pm, no rush to dress and head out to dinner...

enjoy the trip and let us know what you thought

Cliff in Cinti

[DrivesLikeMario]

My wife and I are just recently off the Ruby (Jan 20 sailing) and I have nothing but praises for the service and the crew members - We have done Carnavial, Royal Caribbean, & Princess and of these 3 lines Princess appeals to us best... I think it is mainly an age thing (both 57), we like a good meal, we enjoy some finer things (wine & cheese on the balcony) and good adult beverage and some peace & quiet... and maybe a bit slower pace on the Princess Lines... we looked seriously at Celeberty for this last cruise and the deciding factor for us was the anytime dining... to us this option is what makes the week so enjoyable... I hate when mealtime dictates when you do things... Anytime dining offers the flexibility to eat anytime that suits... if we want to enjoy a second (or third sometimes) cocktail before dinner, no one gets upset... if we want to take a nap mid afternoon until 6pm, no rush to dress and head out to dinner...

enjoy the trip and let us know what you thought

Cliff in Cinti

 

Just wondering...you do know that almost every cruise line has something comparable to Princess' Anytime Dining, right? Celebrity has Celebrity Select Dining. It's the same basic thing as Princess' Anytime Dining. You just have to pay for your crew tips up front. Princess may have been one of the first to start it, but almost everyone does it now.

[CintiCruzer]

Just wondering...you do know that almost every cruise line has something comparable to Princess' Anytime Dining, right? Celebrity has Celebrity Select Dining. It's the same basic thing as Princess' Anytime Dining. You just have to pay for your crew tips up front. Princess may have been one of the first to start it, but almost everyone does it now.

 

Very Interesting!!! We did not know that... in talking with people and even reading on this site, we were not aware... I for one, could never see the sense in NOT offering that option... I just assumed people did not mind the traditional dining options that were offered...

On the Celebrity option, can you make reservations or is it first come first serve?? could you select a waiter?? if so, I must just be ignorant and somehow missed those options...

i do appriciate the heads up... we now have more options!!! You hgave me an excuse to keep reading and planning next years trip!!!

 

Cliff in Cinti

[DrivesLikeMario]

You can choose to sit in a specific area where a certain waiter is working but I'm not sure about making reservations. I know you can make reservations for the specialty restaurants from the interactive TV in your cabin.

 

All of the cruise lines call it something different, but it's basically the same thing. RCI calls it "My Time Dining", Celebrity calls it "Celebrity Select", I think HAL calls it "As You Wish Dining", etc. With RCI and Celebrity, you have to pay for your crew tips ahead of time at time of final payment.

[Gracie115]

Very Interesting!!! We did not know that... in talking with people and even reading on this site, we were not aware... I for one, could never see the sense in NOT offering that option... I just assumed people did not mind the traditional dining options that were offered...

On the Celebrity option, can you make reservations or is it first come first serve?? could you select a waiter?? if so, I must just be ignorant and somehow missed those options...

i do appriciate the heads up... we now have more options!!! You hgave me an excuse to keep reading and planning next years trip!!!

 

Cliff in Cinti

 

 

Yes, Celebrity has had Select Dining for 4 or 5 years now. It's what we always choose too!!

[caribill]

Just wondering...you do know that almost every cruise line has something comparable to Princess' Anytime Dining, right? Celebrity has Celebrity Select Dining. It's the same basic thing as Princess' Anytime Dining. You just have to pay for your crew tips up front. Princess may have been one of the first to start it, but almost everyone does it now.

 

Just to make it clear, on Princess you do not have to pay your crew tips up front. They are added to your onboard account each evening. It does not matter if you are in "anytime" or "traditional."

[jimandtoni]

I love the "S" class on Celebrity but if you only give them a slight edge over Princess then I think we'll like Princess just fine!! Thanks!!:)

 

I am sure you will! I am boarding the Ruby on Sunday Feb. 17. That's how sure I am of Princess!

[SCFCRUISER]

Gracie,

 

We just got off Ruby on 2-3-13. This being our 18th. cruise, I have to say that Ruby was the cleanest ship that we have been on!!! They have recently painted all of the white steel structures on Lido & Promenade. There wasn't a spec of rust anywhere to be seen on the ship except at the anchor area. The food, entertainment & crew were outstanding!!

 

Hopefully she is just as clean when you board in December!! We always do anytime dining & everything was perfect. Have a good time!

 

Steve

[lor74]

off back-back cruises in Jan on the Celebrity Silhouette and the Ruby. The Ruby was the better cruise because the Cruise director and her staff were great. We had a lot more fun on the Ruby!

[KruzPrincess]

I sailed on the Ruby in January and had a great time. No complaints except the beds are too hard. It was one of my best Princess cruises.

[janacin]

I'm assuming most things are similar and there are no bad cruises but anything I should know special about Princess before we sail???:)

 

Yes! Prepare to have a marvelous cruise.

[Gracie115]

off back-back cruises in Jan on the Celebrity Silhouette and the Ruby. The Ruby was the better cruise because the Cruise director and her staff were great. We had a lot more fun on the Ruby!

 

 

Did the Ruby have a piano bar player? This is entertainment that I feel Celebrity is lacking except for a few of their ships, we enjoy a good piano bar!

[Bimmer09]

David Moore was in Crooners when I was on the Ruby a month ago. Plays piano very well and is funny. He also did a show in Explorers where the focus was on his comedy. A Scotsman-he brought the house down.

 

Norris

[CintiCruzer]

Crooner's Bar was our favorite... David Moore was the pianio player an was just planin great!!! we found this bar a great place to sit for cocktails - if Moore was playing in the bar it was a good time, if someone was playing in the Piazza, you can see that too... and let's not forget the chocolate martini's either - just fantastic!!!

[Woobstr112G]

Crooner's Bar was our favorite... David Moore was the pianio player an was just planin great!!! we found this bar a great place to sit for cocktails - if Moore was playing in the bar it was a good time, if someone was playing in the Piazza, you can see that too... and let's not forget the chocolate martini's either - just fantastic!!!

 

I wholeheartedly agree. Spent some time in Crooners. I became very familiar with the 007 Martinis.....:):):)

 

Bob

[Gracie115]

Crooner's sounds like our kind of place!!! I believe we're going to like Princess just fine.

 

Another question- what is Princess smoking policy? Is it as strict as Celebrity? We are not smokers but curious what Princess policy is.

[CintiCruzer]

Crooner's sounds like our kind of place!!! I believe we're going to like Princess just fine.

 

Another question- what is Princess smoking policy? Is it as strict as Celebrity? We are not smokers but curious what Princess policy is.

 

to Answer your smoking question... I believe everythng inside the ship are non smoking , except for the casino on designated nights ( I believe there were two non smoking nights ). There were smoking areas on the Prominade Deck at the stern and on one of the upper pool deck again at the stern... I believe smoking is prohibited on the room balconies as well. (somewhere it was a whole speech on how the ashes blow back onto the ship, etc, etc)

hope that answers your question... oh yeah, I forgot. the forward pool area to the starboard side of the bar, there was a smoking section as well...

 

Cliff From Cinti

[Gracie115]

to Answer your smoking question... I believe everythng inside the ship are non smoking , except for the casino on designated nights ( I believe there were two non smoking nights ). There were smoking areas on the Prominade Deck at the stern and on one of the upper pool deck again at the stern... I believe smoking is prohibited on the room balconies as well. (somewhere it was a whole speech on how the ashes blow back onto the ship, etc, etc)

hope that answers your question... oh yeah, I forgot. the forward pool area to the starboard side of the bar, there was a smoking section as well...

 

Cliff From Cinti

 

 

Thanks...sounds like they have the same smoking policy as Celebrity now!!:)

[SCFCRUISER]

Yes, I agree, Crooners is a fine place to relax, take in a few tunes & some tasty martini's. As our fellow Cincinnatian stated a few posts ago, Crooners with David Moore doesn't get any better!

 

 

PS: CintiCruzer, what part of Cincy are you from??? We are up in Trenton!!

 

Steve.

[CintiCruzer]

Yes, I agree, Crooners is a fine place to relax, take in a few tunes & some tasty martini's. As our fellow Cincinnatian stated a few posts ago, Crooners with David Moore doesn't get any better!

 

 

PS: CintiCruzer, what part of Cincy are you from??? We are up in Trenton!!

 

Steve.

 

Hey Steve

we live in Montford Heights for the past 7 years, before that, Delhi 20 some odd years...so i'm a "westsider" completely.

very familiar with the Trenton area... used to deliver in that area many years ago

Cliff in Cinti