Ruby Questions 1st Time Princess Cruiser

[Quench]

Hi All, planning on cruising to Alaska 08/30/15 and I have some questions.

 

1. Will Sanctuary be open on Alaska cruise and is there a $ 20.00 fee to enter ? If so, is the food and smoothies included in the price?

 

2. If I dont want eat at the buffet on embarkation what other restaurants can I go to?

 

3. Is there a fee for the Lotus Spa Pool ?

 

4. Which pool on Ruby has a cover ?

 

5. Is there a fee for " Behind The Scenes With The Ultimate Ship Tour" ?

 

6. Can I order a seafood or chicken dish at Crown Grill if I dont eat beef?

 

7. Are all the specialty restaurants $25.00

 

8. How much are the spa passes and what do they include?

 

9. Can traditional dining be booked for a table of 2 or will i have to reserve anytime dining on a daily basis?

 

Thank you so much for your help!

[Pam in CA]

Hi All, planning on cruising to Alaska 08/30/15 and I have some questions.

 

1. Will Sanctuary be open on Alaska cruise and is there a $ 20.00 fee to enter ? If so, is the food and smoothies included in the price?

 

2. If I dont want eat at the buffet on embarkation what other restaurants can I go to?

 

3. Is there a fee for the Lotus Spa Pool ?

 

4. Which pool on Ruby has a cover ?

 

5. Is there a fee for " Behind The Scenes With The Ultimate Ship Tour" ?

 

6. Can I order a seafood or chicken dish at Crown Grill if I dont eat beef?

 

7. Are all the specialty restaurants $25.00

 

8. How much are the spa passes and what do they include?

 

9. Can traditional dining be booked for a table of 2 or will i have to reserve anytime dining on a daily basis?

 

Thank you so much for your help!

1. Sanctuary is open. Cost is $20/half-day, $40/full day per person.

 

2. The dining room should be open until 1:30pm. The International Cafe is open 24/7.

 

3. No fee for the Lotus Spa pool.

 

4. None.

 

5. Yes. I believe it's $150/pp.

 

6. There is chicken and fish on the Crown Grill menu.

 

7. Yes. I think.

 

8. Haven't a clue as I don't do the spa.

 

9. You can request a table for two but no guarantees. Go to the Maitre d' after boarding to check on your table and size. Often, tables for two are literally right next to each other an separated by just a few inches.

[skynight]

Hi All, planning on cruising to Alaska 08/30/15 and I have some questions.

 

1. Will Sanctuary be open on Alaska cruise and is there a $ 20.00 fee to enter ? If so, is the food and smoothies included in the price?

 

2. If I dont want eat at the buffet on embarkation what other restaurants can I go to? Dining Room Open from Noon until 1:30, International Cafe, Trident Grill, Pizza Bar

 

3. Is there a fee for the Lotus Spa Pool ? No Fee

 

4. Which pool on Ruby has a cover ? No Pool is covered

 

5. Is there a fee for " Behind The Scenes With The Ultimate Ship Tour" ? Yes, look here http://www.princess.com/news/backgrounders_and_fact_sheets/factsheet/Ultimate-Ship-Tour.html#.U0MXV6KcxZo

 

6. Can I order a seafood or chicken dish at Crown Grill if I dont eat beef? Seafood yes. Don't see Chicken on the menu. The Crown Grill is a Chop, Steak & Seafood restaurant. Look here http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/Onboard_Experience/CrownGrill-2013-Sample.pdf

 

7. Are all the specialty restaurants $25.00 Sabatini's and Crown Grill are were $25 this past January and the Crab Shack was $20

 

8. How much are the spa passes and what do they include?

 

9. Can traditional dining be booked for a table of 2 or will i have to reserve anytime dining on a daily basis? Yes, but it is not guaranteed. Work with your TA on this. Traditional dining is in the Botticelli DR and some overflow in Davinci DR. If you examine the deck plans you will find a limited number of two top tables.

 

Thank you so much for your help!

 

Some answers above

[olsonfive]

We were just on the Ruby last week on the Caribbean cruise. Just thought I would offer our experience with table for two since that is what DW and I had. As Pam indicated, I was worried about the tightness given some of the previous reviews.

 

In our case, it turned out ok last week. In the Botticelli room there was a row of about six tables for two in a row (comfy bench seating on one side, chair on other). We were in the middle of a small section of three - there was a decent amount of space between us, but it would have been tight if all parties showed up each night in the MDR. We did enjoy some conversation the first night with adjacent party, but most of the other nights one or more of the parties were dining elsewhere (hopefully not because of us!).

 

I agree that good advice to check out the situation the first afternoon after boarding (we felt it would work just fine in our case). However, I should point out that there were two of the tables that were very close to each other with only a small separation which I would have thought "too close for comfort".

[Colo Cruiser]

No fee for any pool.

[geoherb]

We've only had a table for two once for dinner. It was one of the great ones--separate from other tables and not one of the ones in a row. But since we prefer sharing a table with others, we requested a move.

 

Occasionally at breakfast and lunch, we'll request a table for two. The advantage is that your waiter is able to serve you according to the courses you ordered. You're not waiting for others to finish their appetizers, salads, and soups when you ordered only an entree.