Ruby Princess (Jan 13-18, 2014) Photo Review

[cristi roulston]

So enjoyed your Review!! We are going Feb.10 on the Ruby and can't wAit!! My question is about the wine? Can each passenger bring 2 bottles of wine in there suitcase? No charge if we drink it in our room?

[Wehwalt]

Also enjoying.

 

I treated the Princess Cays day as a sea day as I had been there a few days before and done the ATV excursion which was rather interesting.

 

I was in an aft suite like yours for the first five days, though my cabin attendant was appalling. Getaways Promotion Rocks!

 

Grand Turk was nice though very limited as I am not a beachgoer (which explains my lack of interest in the Cays!) Still, I agree, a nice time.

[WinksCruises]

After Princess Cays, we spent a day at sea while Ruby made her way to the Turks and Caicos archipelago. It was a terrific opportunity to explore the vessel - starting with the atrium, which hosted numerous events and entertainers over the course of our journey; from fruit carvings and towel folding demos to a champagne waterfall. From a steel-drum aficionado and a British acoustic guitarist to a machete twirling juggler. Plus daily shop “sidewalk” sales that featured specials on watches, t-shirts, handbags and inch of gold, etc.

 

It’s a small but beautifully appointed atrium space

 

At the lowest atrium deck, we found the Future Cruise Desk… which was line-out-the-door busy when the cruise consultant was holding office hours and generally busy other times when all us Getaway Promotion cruisers could log on to princess.com to start researching how we’d use the cruise credit from this excursion as a chunky down payment for our next adventure on the high seas. Words like Regal, Royal, Alaska and Mediterranean popped up quite frequently. In contrast, next door was the Internet Café where the words slow, molasses, and rip-off were peppered with assorted expletives as frustrated CC bloggers struggled with especially sluggish connection speeds.

 

The Future Cruise Desk and Internet Cafe

 

 

Princess offers several self-serve laundry facilities on board. Most useful I suppose if you’re on an extended back-2-back itinerary… but equally practical if you just need to iron a shirt or blouse that got wrinkled in transit. The machines and detergents are all coin operated and a full wash & dry is going to set you back 5+ dollars in quarters. There is a change machine. All odd to see in an environment where you never usually need to reach for cash, just a cruise card.

 

The Laundry Facilities

 

 

Another amenity that sets Princess apart is its onboard pizzeria. The freshly baked, out of the oven pizza here blows every other cruise line’s lame attempt to serve an Italian slice totally out of the water. This stuff is incredible! (and this is coming from a NYer!) We found ourselves sneaking pepperoni and Hawaiian slices many more times than I want to admit here…

 

Princess Pizza!

 

 

I was glad to see the book library on this ship was well maintained. On my last voyage, I think it was on Celebrity, the books were not kept locked up… so people had free access 24/7. And what that led to was a depleted selection of titles and unorganized shelves, which made finding anything a hardship. The Ruby’s library has scheduled hours where passengers check out books at staffed desk. And I was thrilled to find David Foster Wallace’s The Pale King in their collection (although I was actually looking for his Infinite Jest) and quickly dismissed my tablet e-book for the joy of reading the printed page while relaxing in a lounger outside on the Promenade deck. Pure heaven.

 

The Library

 

 

Ruby’s casino is also worth mentioning for its unique design and wide open use of floor space. While most cruise line casinos cram slot machines and gaming tables into every available inch, at Ruby’s you feel more like you’re in a lounge. It was a refreshing change… though, not very busy. Well, except for the infamous Casino Vault game which attracted crowds of players and on-lookers. It broke my heart watching folks physically twist and contort trying to align the “key” up perfectly, only to lose. And I kept my mouth shut, choosing to mind my own business – but this is a random number generated game, not a game of skill. You have to land the key just right AT THE RIGHT TIME (as determined by the RNG) in order to land a prize.

 

The Casino and notorious Vault game

 

 

Thanks for reading this far! That's about it for now... Next up: our misadventures trying to find postage stamps on Grand Turk island.

[WinksCruises]

My question is about the wine? Can each passenger bring 2 bottles of wine in there suitcase? No charge if we drink it in our room?

From what I understand, according to Princesses' alcohol policy, each passenger of legal drinking age is allowed to bring on one 750ml bottle of wine for in-room consumption, free of charge. So for a couple, that's a 2 bottle exemption, total.

 

And I believe you need to bring that wine in your carry-on bag so you can declare it at the little desk just after the security scan. You can bring on more bottles if you'd like... but you'll be charged the corkage fee (15$ for each additional bottle).

 

We brought on one bottle of wine and one bottle of champagne in our carry-on bags...which we registered at the desk. No hassle at all.

 

I believe if they find ANY alcohol in your checked baggage they reserve the right to destroy it or hold it. Of course, how strictly this is enforced or how thoroughly they inspect checked baggage seems to be questionable. There are countless threads on this forum discussing that facet if you do a search.

 

My wife and I are too fuddy-duddy to play at the contraband game anymore, so we just stuck by the rules and had a stress-free embarkation.

[sminfiddle]

Enjoying the narrative and the refreshing picture layouts.

I'm a big fan of E733. Nice and steady when underway, and the wake is a powerful relaxant.

 

 

~sent using Cruise Critic app~

[rdh rules]

WinksCruises,

 

Thanks for your continued review. What beauiful pictures. We will be on her 4/17-22-a different itinary Cayman and Cozumel. Looking forward to reading/seeing more:D

Joanne

[WinksCruises]

Let me interrupt the narrative to quickly post some pictures that just didn't seem to fit anywhere else...

 

Caribe Cafe at the aft pool - I love the bartender photo-bombing the shot!

 

Vines - The wine bar off the atrium

 

The champagne waterfall event

 

 

Table for 12 at Sabatini's specialty restaurant

 

Special Occasion Door Banners that Princess puts up

 

More to come... Grand Turk later!

[WinksCruises]

Thursday morning the Ruby Princess pulled up to the lone cruise pier on Grand Turk Island. What an amazing docking area… the ship is literally 50 yards from the beach - which makes for a surreal backdrop as well as some stunning photo ops. (You can take a look at this scene back on the first page of this trip report post).

 

Grand Turk Pier

 

We took our obligatory snapshots with the photo staff dressed as pirates right off the gang plank and then headed out to the “Cruise Center” which is essentially Princess Cays on steroids - a sunny resort experience but with better shopping and food choices.

 

My wife tested the beach waters and found them to be quite cold. I pointed out we were actually sticking out into the Atlantic Ocean, not the Caribbean sea. She also found half the beach to be quite rocky… though snorkelers thought that attribute was fortuitous for their activity. For those who've had enough of the beach scene, there's also a long stretch of several pools... connected by channels and conveniently placed swim up bars.

 

The Pool at the Cruise Center

 

We didn’t stay long at the Cruise Center because I was setting out on a landlubber’s mission. While performing pre-cruise research on Turks and Caicos, I learned the country has a substantial philatelic bureau that is legendary in the stamp world for its unique and beautiful offerings. Being a big fan of postcards, I wanted to locate some Turk’s cards and then send them out, with T&C stamps, to an address list of similarly minded colleagues. According to the Bureau’s web site, their office was located on the main road into the local town, Cockburn. Despite strange looks from the taxi dispatcher and the taxi driver himself, we took a group-share cab into town where the driver pointed us back to the road and indicated the building was just a 2 minute walk up it.

 

A very long, yada, yada, yada later, we determined through information gleaned from a passerby on the street, a gas station owner and finally another taxi cab driver, that the Philatelic Bureau no longer existed! We were, in fact, on a wild goose chase! But the cabby dropped us off by the Post Office in town, where I could get some stamps and mail the postcards that I’d picked up when passing through the Cruise Center’s souvenir shops.

 

 

Frustrated at the time we had wasted, we went to the post office, where voila, we found a weathered plaque outside the building indicating the Philatelic Bureau was located upstairs above the Post Office. Makes sense. We went up, but found it closed. Ugh. We then learned from the post office clerk that, yes, the Philatelic Bureau does still exist. That it had moved to its new space above the post office a year or so back and that on cruise days, they actually man their satellite office…. wait for it… back at the Cruise Center! Aye yigh yigh! They couldn’t have provided this rather pertinent information on their web site!! What a misadventure!

 

Postcard Misadventures on Beautiful Grand Turk

 

Finally back on track, I picked up some stamps at the post office and then we explored the appropriately named Front Street of Cockburn town. To be candid, there’s not much there. Just a few overpriced shops and a shanty bar. It’s a beautiful setting, right on the water, but not very well developed. The Cruise Center, with its Margaritaville restaurant , massive pool , beach, bars, shops and proximity to the ship, was definitely the place to be. So we took another group-cab back to the Cruise Center, where I proceeded to find the satellite office of the Philatelic Bureau and its nice array of cards and stamps.

 

Front Street shops in Cockburn Town

 

While I sat under a palm tree filling out a dozen postcards, my wife did her beach thing of sunning and swimming. I mailed my cards and then explored the grounds of the resort where I found a small park dedicated to Alan Shepard’s 1962 Mercury space capsule splash down. There’s a replica of the capsule, spacemen statues and informative displays about the flight. There’s also a shop located adjacent to the park where you can buy commemorative shirts and souvenirs related to this historic event. Pretty cool stuff.

 

Having fully realized the Grand Turk experience and then some, we decided to head back to the ship for a late afternoon lunch (read pizza) and before we knew it, people were rushing down the pier as the Ruby prepared to set sail back to our originating port.

 

All aboard!

 

Tomorrow, we’ll wrap up this trip report with some ship shots from our final day at sea and overall comments about the cruise.

Edited January 22, 2014 by WinksCruises

[bhopal21]

Thanks again for the terrific pictures. We are looking forward to boarding the Ruby on February 1st.

 

Mike:)

[Colo Cruiser]

Ditto what Mike said! :D

Except for the boarding part.:(

[bhopal21]

Ditto what Mike said! :D

Except for the boarding part.:(

 

 

You're more than welcome to come along on both segments.:D

 

Mike:)

[ebandive]

Thank you so much for posting your review!! I'm thoroughly enjoying all your commentary and your photos are stunning. Our first Princess Cruise will be on the Ruby in March so your timing is perfect!

 

I'd love to see some more of your photos of the ship... pool areas, etc.

[WinksCruises]

Our last day at sea started off a little cloudy, but by noon we were cruising through a gorgeous sunny day...

 

Cruising back to Port Everglades on a brilliant afternoon

 

Here's how the day started... at Sabatini's for breakfast. This is one of those Elite /Suite amenities and it's a great one. The morning wait staff there was exceptional and each morning we took complete advantage of outside seating overlooking the aft of the ship. Just a great way to start the day...

 

Breakfast at Sabatini's outside balcony overlooking the aft pool.

 

Since it was looking like a cloudy day, we went back to the cabin to start the onerous task of... gulp... packing our luggage. It's so depressing! While we did this, we put on the television and watched, what else, The Love Boat which plays multiple times each day during the voyage. It's pretty funny to see the how cruising was portrayed back in the '70s.

 

Watching The Love Boat in the cabin

 

Another day at sea activity was the infamous Princess "Flea Market" where the main dining room becomes a crowded, sweaty, reminder of the dog eat dog life we're all returning to. Here you can find overstock for sale, mostly T-shirts and handbags from the European itineraries the ship was on during the summer. It's a crazy affair and not recommended!

 

Scoping out the Ruby Princess Flea Market (But I did find a stash of European postcards for half off!)

 

After the flea market, the weather started getting better, so we headed out to explore more. I went down to Deck 7, the Promenade deck, to check out the walkway that circumvents the entire ship. The jogging track at the top of the ship is a monotonous circuit that's probably 30 yards long. Deck 7, by contrast gives you a good 1/3 mile walk. Unfortunately, it's one of the narrowest promenade decks I've ever been on! I'm not sure how they would even host everyone if we had to have an outside muster call. Major drawback to the ship I find, since you can't even walk around it without having to squeeze by smokers or others taking their time.

 

Deck 7 - The Promenade Deck.

 

A curiously empty top deck... just outside The Sanctuary.

 

Still some more pics and commentary later on...

[ebandive]

Stunning photos again! Truly beautiful. Can't wait to see her in person. The promenade deck is always our favorite place to sit and read or just watch the sea so I'm grateful to see chairs even though there aren't loungers.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Cupcrazy]

Thanks for the great review & pictures. It brings back some great memories for me from when I was on Ruby.

[WinksCruises]

Thanks for your comments and readership. The camera used on this trip was a Nikon D-90 that I outfitted with a super wide angle lens most of the time. That’s what deserves all the credit for the dramatic shots, not the doofus behind the lens!

 

Okay, some final cruise notes: At one point, we decided to investigate what the Elite Lounge had to offer. In the past, we’ve been spoiled rotten by Royal Caribbean’s concierge lounge – where pre-dinner drinks and a choice of appetizers is completely on the house. So this Princess suite guest perk , which has you lining up for a single hors d’oeuvre selection and a 5-dollar drink special, hardly compares. The nightly event was held in the Skywalker’s lounge and it was packed! Though, interestingly enough, on the final evening, the event never materialized - even though it was clearly scheduled on our original invitation (see the picture). For some reason, that night Skywalker’s was a ghost town, except for several others, like us, who arrived wondering where the party was and left befuddled. Our inquiry about this mysterious disappearance at Guest Services later on went unanswered.

 

The Disappearing Elite Lounge

 

While on the topic of cocktails, I should also mention an interesting contest the bartender at the Wheelhouse lounge turned us on to. Every time you order a drink, you can have a special drink card punched. Fill the card completely by the end of the cruise and deposit it into a drop box at the International Café. If your card is pulled as the lucky winner, Princess will cover your bar tab on that voyage. I wonder how many other cruisers imbibed more than they might have usually, goaded on by this promotion. Buying that bottle of wine at Crown Grille didn’t seem that so bad knowing we were getting 6-cardholes punched for it!

 

The Clean Sweep Promotion Cards

 

Okay, this if for the person who wanted to see some photos of the pools... Here's a gallery of shots.

 

The Aft Pool where we spent most of our pool time.

 

The Sanctuary Pool

 

The Main Pool

 

Before we knew it we were back in Ft. Lauderdale where we had a smooth disembarkation. Off by 8:30am, using the standard method of handling luggage. There was no real wait for Customs and we breezed through. Overall, it was an excellent short cruise and we're already researching how to use our "down payment" from this cruise on our next high seas adventure.

 

Even at 6am it's hard to find a "parking space" at Port Everglades!

 

We'll post a full report on that one as well!

Edited January 27, 2014 by WinksCruises

[Mom33]

Thanks for your wonderful review. It looks like the 4 and 5 day cruises are going to be popular.:)

[LittleMissMagic]

Thanks so much for your review!

 

Camera's don't take pictures - people do! Take some credit for excellent composition, "doofus"! :D

 

I LOVE that aft pool!!! The Royal Princess sure is missing that!

[east coast golfer]

Thanks for the picture tour of the Ruby. Your pictures are amazing! The color and clearity are fantastic. Our roll call has a number of first timers on the Ruby and I am sure they will enjoy your pictures as much as I did.

 

We are on the Ruby for the 4 Day Ft. Lauderdale to Turks and Caicos sailing March 6, 2014. This cruise is a preview of the Ruby for us, as we are on her for the British Isles Cruise out of Southampton, England on August 3rd - August 15th.

 

Anyone have any hotel/parking recommendations in Ft. Lauderdale?

 

Thanks,

 

Ira

 

East Coast Golfer

[Aquahound]

My first Princess cruise...on the Ruby...is coming up in a few weeks and I am LOVING this photo review. Thank you very much. :)

[MaChere]

Great photos! Thanks for sharing. We will be on the Ruby in August. Cannot wait!

[cruzcactus]

:) Absolutely Beautiful photos!!!!! :)

[waterbugohio]

Want to also thank you for a wonderful review. As others have said the photos are fantastic.

 

We are also doing our first Princess cruise on the Ruby. We normally sail RC so this will be a first for us. Doing the same stops as you so the review was much welcomed.

 

Just a few questions for you. Since we are used to sailing RC, we normally go to the port about 11AM, is this to early for Princess??

 

And I read another thread where they almost pushed you off the last day, did you get this feeling? We have no problem being out of the cabin by 8AM, but hope all our amenities stay in the cabin to use on the last night.

 

And could you please explain, what did you mean by the "standard method of handling luggage" I assume you set the luggage outside the room at a set time the night before the same as other cruise lines. And if this is the case, did getting of the ship and finding your luggage go smoothly? time consuming??

 

thanks again for all your help

[WinksCruises]

 

Since we are used to sailing RC, we normally go to the port about 11AM, is this to early for Princess??

We actually saw the next voyage's cruisers stepping out of taxis while we were still disembarking from the Ruby at 8am that morning. So maybe you can never get there too early! Of course, those eager beavers probably had to take a seat in the embarkation lounge for a few hours before given the go-ahead to board.

 

As you well know, every embarkation day is different. I can tell you we got to port at about noon on our bon voyage day and, as I reported earlier, got through the entire pre-boarding process pretty quickly and had no wait getting on board.

 

One thing I like about Princess, they don't let you board until the cabins are ready. We've noticed a couple of times on RC, we were allowed on board - but not able to access our cabin until 1 or 2pm. Which meant schlepping our carry-ons around with us... not much fun. I think you'll be fine with an 11am arrival... but knock on wood!

 

 

And I read another thread where they almost pushed you off the last day, did you get this feeling? We have no problem being out of the cabin by 8AM, but hope all our amenities stay in the cabin to use on the last night.

They did request we vacate our cabin by 8am disembarkation morning. You either go to your assigned lounge or breakfast (or have already walked off with your own bags).

 

We went to our lounge where we sat for less than 5 minutes before our group color was called.

 

I don't think we noticed any drop in service or items the last evening (other than the disappearing Elite Lounge!). It seems to me on EVERY cruise there's a subtle underscore of "get off our ship, already!" because there is so much focus on the impending disembarkation process. But I wouldn't say we were rushed out...

 

 

And could you please explain, what did you mean by the "standard method of handling luggage" I assume you set the luggage outside the room at a set time the night before the same as other cruise lines. And if this is the case, did getting of the ship and finding your luggage go smoothly? time consuming??

Yes, instead of walking our bags off (an option provided) we went old school and had our luggage collected the night before and were given a scheduled departure time. It all went smoothly. The bags are sitting in a clearly marked color zone. And I think because so many people use self-walk-off these days, it's easier to find your bags in the throng... because there are fewer of them. Probably took us 15 minutes from leaving the lounge to cueing on the taxi line outside.

 

What we wished we could have tried is a program where Princess takes your bags that night and has a 3rd party transport company take them to your flight, pre-checked in. You literally don't see your bags again until they're on the baggage carousel at your home destination! That's a scary prospect for some, but we wished we could have given it a try. Our flight was 15 minutes earlier than their cutoff time of 11:30am (for FLL flights) so we couldn't participate. There's like a 20$ per-bag fee (plus whatever your airline charges for checked bags) and not every airline's signed on to the service. But it's an option we'll look into next time. It's called EZ-Check or some such.

 

Also... one note about the cab line for leaving Port Everglades... it was VERY long. Probably from all the walk-offs earlier! A cop directed us to group share vans that take you to the airport for 15$ a head (i think)... you travel with about 6 or 7 other people and have to wait if your terminal isn't the first one they hit.... but it's well worth it. I think we'd still be waiting for a cab if we had stayed on that line!

 

 

Bon Voyage...

Edited January 30, 2014 by WinksCruises

[cruzcactus]

Quick question, you said you can carry your own bags off the ship. (in the past I always had to leave them out the night before) Well, if so, can I get a 10am flight out of Fort Lauderdale? Would that be enough time? My Mom is handicap, one advantage, the line is shorter. I am taking a late flight due to cost, but there is a lower fare at 10am.

 

Again your photos are Absolutely Beautiful!!