I Love the Ruby Aft Pool

[lovetocruise2020]

If you can get one of the few lounge chairs around the lotus spa pool, that's a great pool tool. The swim against the tide machine is a nice touch there as well. The AFT pool can get overcrowded and loud. Not a fan.

 

 

Is that a retractable roof or covered pool?

If so amazing. I am not sure why the Royal does not have one.

We are used to always having one on HAL. very very nice.

[bachcruise]

I hope to sail on the Ruby someday soon. I loved the aft pool on the Sapphire Princess, which looks to be fairly similar.

[Cruise Junky]

Is that a retractable roof or covered pool?

If so amazing. I am not sure why the Royal does not have one.

We are used to always having one on HAL. very very nice.

 

No, it's open. You're seeing the roof of the sanctuary, it doesnt cover the pool

[dmwnc1959]

Great pictures!

 

THANKS! The ones I downloaded using Tapatalk weren't showing up there for quite a while this evening but are now visible. Not sure what happened but I don't think I'll be using them again for the time being. :cool:

[lovetocruise2020]

No, it's open. You're seeing the roof of the sanctuary, it doesnt cover the pool

 

Aww darn. We have been spoiled with HAL and the retractable roof pools for bad weather days.

[dmwnc1959]

Glad you like it. Never go to any pool so it doesn't matter to me. :)

 

Same here. I'd go check out the stern to make sure the wake was still there but never set one toe in any pool or jacuzzi, tried to access to bow via the Promenade Deck but it was almost always closed (same for the 'observation' decks, even when entering Saint Martin), and more often that not any evening stroll on the promenade turned into a headlong battle with the wind after I struggled to even open the door to get outside! :eek:

 

I'm sure if my experience on Ruby Princess had been as wonderful as everyone cracks it up to be my opinion might certainly be different, but I have 'zero' desire to ever set foot on a Grand-class again. And after I come back in December from my B2B on Royal Princess I'll decide then whether to keep or cancel my Jan 2015 cruise on Regal Princess. I have my eye on the Celebrity Constellation doing a 10-night B2B so hopefully Princess won't let me down! :D

[dmwnc1959]

Aww darn. We have been spoiled with HAL and the retractable roof pools for bad weather days.

 

Here's a slightly expanded view but with twice as many people in the pool...

 

[dmwnc1959]

This is also a good place to take in some fresh sea air and enjoy some after dinner sunsets.:D

 

Lots of room for a stroll since literally no one was out there this calm evening....

 

 

 

[lovetocruise2020]

Lots of room for a stroll since literally no one was out there this calm evening....

 

 

 

 

Lovely photos. Your photos are always awesome and you somehow find a way or the search to work very well for you. I really do enjoy all of your posts. Thank you for all the help u give here.

[lovetocruise2020]

Same here. I'd go check out the stern to make sure the wake was still there but never set one toe in any pool or jacuzzi, tried to access to bow via the Promenade Deck but it was almost always closed (same for the 'observation' decks, even when entering Saint Martin), and more often that not any evening stroll on the promenade turned into a headlong battle with the wind after I struggled to even open the door to get outside! :eek:

 

I'm sure if my experience on Ruby Princess had been as wonderful as everyone cracks it up to be my opinion might certainly be different, but I have 'zero' desire to ever set foot on a Grand-class again. And after I come back in December from my B2B on Royal Princess I'll decide then whether to keep or cancel my Jan 2015 cruise on Regal Princess. I have my eye on the Celebrity Constellation doing a 10-night B2B so hopefully Princess won't let me down! :D

 

Dave,

Check out the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam. They might be right up your alley... You would love the cabanas, thermal suite, and Tamarind.

[dmwnc1959]

Dave,

Check out the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam. They might be right up your alley... You would love the cabanas, thermal suite, and Tamarind.

 

I've never been on one of the HAL Vista-class ships (did cruise Rotterdam VI and Volendam) and have actually checked out both of those ships you mentioned. The main thing that keeps me from going back on HAL is that it still feels like it may be a bit more formal than I'd like, and that sort of scares me off. I'm all about 'casual' dining now, and the large number of dining options on Royal Princess and the Oasis-class ships really appeals to me. I'm sure I'd absolutely love the features you highlighted, a LOT :D, but I'd still a bit apprehensive about going back. :o

[lovetocruise2020]

That sounds like a ton of fun!

 

I've never been on one of the HAL Vista-class ships (did cruise Rotterdam VI and Volendam) and have actually checked out both of those ships you mentioned. The main thing that keeps me from going back on HAL is that it still feels like it may be a bit more formal than I'd like, and that sort of scares me off. I'm all about 'casual' dining now, and the large number of dining options on Royal Princess and the Oasis-class ships really appeals to me. I'm sure I'd absolutely love the features you highlighted, a LOT :D, but I'd still a bit apprehensive about going back. :o

 

Those ships in caribbean are awesome :)

Tamarind is amazing, i love Canaletto and i love MDR room service.

If you do it, i know all the best cabins in every catagory. :)

 

The older ships are much more formal. I really really think you should give it a try.

 

That is if you aren't wine obsessed like us, they do not have what we like on the menu, so this year will be our last year, unless they implement a corkage for each bottle...

[dmwnc1959]

Those ships in caribbean are awesome :)

Tamarind is amazing, i love Canaletto and i love MDR room service.

If you do it, i know all the best cabins in every catagory. :)

 

The older ships are much more formal. I really really think you should give it a try.

 

That is if you aren't wine obsessed like us, they do not have what we like on the menu, so this year will be our last year, unless they implement a corkage for each bottle...

 

Thanks! Just in case I don't do a three-peat with the Royal Class I'll have to check them out. May need something completely different to shake things up a bit. And I always book Inside Staterooms. And I'm not wine obsessed at all. Just the casual glass here and there. Maybe one day I'll be posting over on the HAL Forum, much to the relief of some of the good folks here. :D

 

.

[dmwnc1959]

Lovely photos. Your photos are always awesome and you somehow find a way or the search to work very well for you. I really do enjoy all of your posts. Thank you for all the help u give here.

 

THANKS for the kind words! I may be having a mediocre time on the ship, but I am still and avid photographer and want to make the most of it. That way I can at least post a nice pictorial when I get back no matter what my personal experience may have been. :D

[lovetocruise2020]

I've never been on one of the HAL Vista-class ships (did cruise Rotterdam VI and Volendam) and have actually checked out both of those ships you mentioned. The main thing that keeps me from going back on HAL is that it still feels like it may be a bit more formal than I'd like, and that sort of scares me off. I'm all about 'casual' dining now, and the large number of dining options on Royal Princess and the Oasis-class ships really appeals to me. I'm sure I'd absolutely love the features you highlighted, a LOT :D, but I'd still a bit apprehensive about going back. :o

 

Perry Ellis makes awesome linen suit separates. Macys has them 50% off right now, last year I scored a whole suit for DH under $40 * I am talking under $10 a piece) they had gone so low. Year before got a good deal at 50% off. Best thing we ever did for Caribbean, and very comfy. Looks very sharp too. A more casual approach. :)

Very lightweight. So glad we got them. He loves them. Happy to see so many wearing something similar. Younger crowd too.

[dmwnc1959]

Perry Ellis makes awesome linen suit separates. Macys has them 50% off right now, last year I scored a whole suit for DH under $40 * I am talking under $10 a piece) they had gone so low. Year before got a good deal at 50% off. Best thing we ever did for Caribbean, and very comfy. Looks very sharp too. A more casual approach. :)

Very lightweight. So glad we got them. He loves them. Happy to see so many wearing something similar. Younger crowd too.

 

Last year for my Allure/Ruby B2B, the year before for my Celebrity Millennium B2B, and this year for my Royal Princess B2B a 'suit' or 'tux' wasn't/won't be part of my wardrobe.:( Pretty much decided against formal night in the MDR and will opt for either casual or poolside dining. The aft section of Royal Princess has the Outrigger Bar with made to order burritos and other tasty goodies as does Lido Deck Trident Grill Smokehouse BBQ and Horizon Bistro.

[lovetocruise2020]

Last year for my Allure/Ruby B2B, the year before for my Celebrity Millennium B2B, and this year for my Royal Princess B2B a 'suit' or 'tux' wasn't/won't be part of my wardrobe.:( Pretty much decided against formal night in the MDR and will opt for either casual or poolside dining. The aft section of Royal Princess has the Outrigger Bar with made to order burritos and other tasty goodies as does Lido Deck Trident Grill Smokehouse BBQ and Horizon Bistro.

 

Ok you JUST read my mind, where the heck can i find those menus! I see them in the cc review but no one has reported on them! That and the gelato menu is too small to see. Im into those two venues, as they and guys burgers are why i wanted to try the Sunshine! Bbq, Burrito Bar and Burgers. Omg. Im going on the Royal just to eat, i will miss my pan asian staple Tamarind, but these look awesome.

[Genessa]

If you can get one of the few lounge chairs around the lotus spa pool, that's a great pool tool. The swim against the tide machine is a nice touch there as well. The AFT pool can get overcrowded and loud. Not a fan.

 

 

I love the Lotus pools - lounge chairs are comfy.

 

Also, all of the aft pools (that I've been in) are about 4 inches too deep for me to relax in - I can't touch the bottom and have to hold onto the sides or actively swim.

[Cruise Junky]

Same here. I'd go check out the stern to make sure the wake was still there but never set one toe in any pool or jacuzzi, tried to access to bow via the Promenade Deck but it was almost always closed (same for the 'observation' decks, even when entering Saint Martin), and more often that not any evening stroll on the promenade turned into a headlong battle with the wind after I struggled to even open the door to get outside! :eek:

 

It's becoming very clear why you're so in love with Royal, you book insides, don't go to pools and never hit the Promenade.

[dmwnc1959]

And it's abundantly clear that if those things are that absolutely important to someone, are that absolutely critical to enjoying a cruise, and are that absolutely essential to ensure someone has an absolutely wonderful time, then book another ship. It really is just....that....simple. Go ahead. There are 16 other (clones) ships in the Princess Cruises fleet, and dozens more within the Carnival Corporation and Royal Caribbean families that might please someone as well. But it really sounds more and more like someone is just mad they don't get to go on the big shiny new Princess Cruises flagship, now with more and more Cruise Critic folks coming off of her having had a great time despite all the 'sky is falling' predictions and 'design flaws'. And that must just really chap someones hide. :cool:

 

 

If the shoe fits....

 

The last thing I would then do is go onto other boards and threads and seek out other cruise lines and slate design flaws in a manner that might undermine another persons experience.

 

I would think it is ok to point out that there is not a mid ship stairwell for passengers to use, eqaully helpful to state that there is no wrap round external promenade and no aft pool. To do so with venom, might seem tactless and disrespectful to some.

 

Do people truly feel let down by Princess to such an extent? I am sorry you feel that way...I would suggest that you take this up with Princess and stop pouring water on people who are just trying to prepare for a holiday and try to ensure that others have a great holiday too.

 

 

Nailed it....

 

I think what will happen is that PCL will learn from its design mistakes and build future ships with many of the features that it now wishes it had put on Royal (and Regal) but now cannot. Once 5 or 6 new ships come on line, Royal and Regal will drift to the bottom of the pecking order and perhaps at that time, a major retro-fit might be attempted, or perhaps they will sell those ships to another cruise line. It's hard to imagine how they are going to sell cabins on Royal and Regal once PCL has 6 or so newer ships, all with better Promenades, wider balconies and more public pools. Of course, all of this is 15-20 years down the road and many people reading CC right now won't even be sailing then.

 

 

 

Finally....(and with all due respect)

 

Hey - you cancelled' date=' so GO AWAY!!![/size'] :D :p :D :p

 

Like that will ever happen... :rolleyes: ....lol

[need2cruisesoon]

Lots of room for a stroll since literally no one was out there this calm evening....

 

 

 

 

I find it odd that all the pics you have posted doesn't show one passenger. Not one crew member not one towel. Not even a mop or cigarette butt or a bird.

 

How can ship that carries 4,000 passengers and crew be void in your photo's?

 

A ghost ship?

[TorontoTL]

I'd say that Dave was getting up very early in the morning to take those photos.;)

[dmwnc1959]

I'd say that Dave was getting up very early in the morning to take those photos.;)

 

Hi Benny!

 

Just the opposite actually. Those were taken very late in the afternoon and early evening right around sunset and before it got dark.

[dmwnc1959]

I find it odd that all the pics you have posted doesn't show one passenger. Not one crew member not one towel. Not even a mop or cigarette butt or a bird.

 

How can ship that carries 4,000 passengers and crew be void in your photo's?

 

A ghost ship?

 

Not a ghost ship. Just a demographic of passengers on that sailing that didn't always flock to the promenade decks and aft pools. As I've mentioned before in Post #8 of this thread and on others, not every sailing is the same.

 

Post #8

"It is odd how space utilization changes from one cruise to another. Not sure how much a sailings onboard demographics and itinerary play into it, but everything from specialty restaurants to pools and show attendance can be affected."

[cpristash]

I too have enjoyed the aft pool however, unfortunately Smoking is permitted at the same venue and and it appeared that several people took it upon themselves to sit there and smoke their way thru an entire cruise, is so very sad.....I am an ex smoker and finally had to vacate the premise and go to the lotus pool .....:(