Changes to the Ruby Princess post-drydock - with photos

[Jasperdo]

My wife and I just returned from a 10 day Sea of Cortez cruise on the Ruby Princess. I don't plan on writing a full review of the cruise. Although I'll try and answer any questions anyone might have about the ship or the itinerary. (Both were terrific, BTW.) I want to concentrate more on what changes were made to the Ruby since it's December drydock in Esquimalt, BC.

 

This was our first time on the Ruby Princess, so I can't compare how she looked before. For the most part, the ship looked very much the same as the other Princess ships we've been on before. One change that was not made in the drydock was a re-configuration of the dessert station in the Horizon Court Buffet. A few other ships have had the dessert station moved out of the central buffet area, so you did not have to re-enter the buffet just to get dessert. This was not done to the Ruby. The Horizon Court and Cafe Caribe look the same as always. There might have been some new carpets around the ship, and other touching up, but overall, most public areas looked the same as they did before the drydock.

 

Now on to the changes that were definitely made. First off, the new beds have been installed. At least our inside cabin, A407, had it. I really liked the new bed. It was softer than the infamous Princess mattresses, but not so soft that you sunk into it. There was a white duvet/comforter and a top sheet. I was very glad to see the return of a top sheet. The pillows seemed new as well. Here's a photo of the new bed:

 

 

More to come...

[shredie]

You always do the best photos!

[Keith1010]

Thanks for not only report but photos.

 

Keith

[memoak]

Agree with you regarding the new beds - I was on the Ruby earlier this month and it may have been the most comfortable bed I have ever experienced

[Working 2 Cruise]

Thank you for, once again, fabulous photos! Can't wait for the rest!

[Jasperdo]

Now on to the heart of the changes, SHARE and the Salty Dog Gastropub. Let me start off by saying that we did not eat at either Specialty Restaurant. I'm a cheapskate at heart, and am perfectly happy with the included food on a cruise. So I feel that I can be impartial about these new restaurants, because I'm not upset that SHARE replaced my beloved Sabatini's.

 

Out of curiosity, on three different nights I walked by SHARE, the Salty Dog, and the Crown Grill between 7PM and 7:30PM. I felt that this would be a good judge of how busy they would be at a popular dining time. On all three occasions, the Crown Grill was packed. I'd say about 80% full. On those same nights, at the same time, SHARE was pretty empty, maybe 20% full. And the Salty Dog was practically deserted. One of the three nights, there were only 2 couple at the Salty Dog. I realize that this is a very un-scientific survey, but it did say to me that the two new venues are not as popular as the Crown Grill. Maybe I picked the wrong nights, or the wrong time. But there was a very noticeable difference on the 3 nights I went.

 

More to come...

[Jasperdo]

Next up is the Curtis Stone menu in the Main Dining Room, and how it affected the Always Available menu. Short answer, not much. There were no Curtis Stone items at all on the Always Available side. Here's a photo that shows what the menu looks like:

 

 

The menu was similar to our cruise on the Star 2 years ago: the Shrimp Cocktail, Caesar Salad, Salmon and Chicken are all still there. The main difference is in the beef dishes. Neither the Beef Medallions or the Tri-Tip were on the menu. They've been replaced with a hamburger.

 

On the right side of the menu, on some nights there was one Curtis Stone dish at the bottom of the page. It was usually either a Pork Belly or Chicken Pot Pie. And it wasn't even there every night. There were a few evenings that there was on Curtis Stone dish on the menu at all. Makes me wonder if Princess is listening to the complaints. Here's a photo of a menu with the Curtis Stone Dish, and one from a night when there was no Curtis Stone offering:

 

 

 

More to come...

[Jasperdo]

You always do the best photos!

 

Thanks for not only report but photos.

 

Keith

Thank you for the kind words. Sometimes I think I take way too many photos. Glad you enjoy them.

[Jasperdo]

Agree with you regarding the new beds - I was on the Ruby earlier this month and it may have been the most comfortable bed I have ever experienced

The beds were quite an improvement over the old Princess mattresses. Very happy to see they're being installed fleetwide.

[Jasperdo]

Thank you for, once again, fabulous photos! Can't wait for the rest!

Thanks. I'll be posting photos of SHARE and the Salty Dog soon.

[Astro Flyer]

Thanks 'Jasperdo'...your photos & insights are always greatly appreciated!

 

Sometimes I bookmark your great photos to help other passengers on this forum & I always post they were taken by you.

[Jasperdo]

Thanks 'Jasperdo'...your photos & insights are always greatly appreciated!

 

Sometimes I bookmark your great photos to help other passengers on this forum & I always post they were taken by you.

Thanks for using my photos to help other CC members. That's the reason I take them.

[Jasperdo]

As most of you probably already know, SHARE by Curtis Stone replaced Sabatini's on Deck 16 aft. Sabatini's had an elegant Italian look and feel to it. SHARE, on the other hand, is very bright and modern. On the one hand, I did like the look of SHARE. It felt like we were in someone's kitchen, with lots of knick knacks and a clean, modern feel to it. However, I'm not sure how this will relate to a pleasant dining experience. The dining room was very bright, and it felt like it would be noisy when full. I've read complaints about how uncomfortable the chairs were, and walking through the room it did look like many of the chairs were hard looking.

 

Let's start off with the menu and the entryway it shares with the Adagio Bar:

 

 

 

 

This is the foyer when you first enter the restaurant:

 

 

 

More to come...

Edited April 1, 2016 by Jasperdo

[Jasperdo]

Now I'll just post my remaining photos of SHARE, and let you decide what you think of it:

 

 

 

 

 

[Jasperdo]

 

 

 

 

 

[Jasperdo]

 

 

 

 

 

 

Next up ... The Salty Dog Gastropub

Edited April 1, 2016 by Jasperdo

[Jasperdo]

Moving on to the Wheelhouse Bar - Salty Dog Gastropub. To put it mildly, the classic Wheelhouse Bar has been sliced down the middle and destroyed. The entire middle section has been taken over by the Salty Dog, which leaves two unconnected sections of the Wheelhouse Bar left. I don't know what they were thinking when they did this re-design. First, let's talk about what is still the nautical themed Wheelhouse Bar. The port side is exactly the same as it was before. The stage and dance floor are still there. There is high, comfy seating along the window, and some lower seats across the aisle from that. Here are a few photos:

 

 

 

Over on the starboard side is an alcove that's still set up like the Wheelhouse Bar. Problem is, it is cut off from the band and dance floor by the Salty Dog seating. Here are a few photos of the alcove section:

 

 

[Jasperdo]

Now let's talk about the Salty Dog.

 

 

Here's the menu:

 

 

To me, the seating for the Salty Dog looks tacky and unappealing. I liked the look of SHARE for the most part, but the Salty Dog is another story. It is just a bunch of high tables with extremely uncomfortable high seats. They are just thrown willy-nilly in the center of the Wheelhouse Bar. It looks jarringly out of place. There is no homey feel to it at all. It just looks so uninviting to me, and totally destroys the feel of the Wheelhouse Bar. Here are a few photos:

 

 

 

 

[Jasperdo]

That concludes my short review of the latest changes to the Ruby Princess. The two new Specialty Restaurants didn't really affect me one way or another, since I never eat at them anyway. Although I do feel that the nice cozy atmosphere of the Wheelhouse Bar has been destroyed by the Salty Dog.

 

As for the cruise itself, we had a wonderful time. "Magic To Do" is a great new show, and it was actually 53 minutes long! Most of the other shows ran about 35 minutes, and were only shown twice. Has Princess abandoned the 3 shows a night concept already?

 

I thought the Cruise Directors Staff was excellent. Very funny and engaging. The Music Trivia sessions that Dave hosted were hilarious. The most fun I've had playing trivia in 16 cruises.

 

All of the crew were friendly. Lots of smiling faces. Service in the Horizon Court Buffet was excellent. Drink orders taken right away, tables cleaned quickly. We wound up eating most of our dinners there.

 

The main reason we took this particular cruise was for it's unique itinerary. We've done the Mexican Riviera many times. But we liked that this cruise sailed up the Sea of Cortez and went to La Paz and Loreto. They were both great ports, and I'd love to see more cruises go to them. Loreto was especially nice. A small, laid back town. Charming and historic, in a very scenic setting. My favorite port this trip.

 

If anyone has any questions about the Ruby Princess or the Ports of Call, I will try and answer them as best I can. If you're interested in the Patters for this cruise you'll find a link to them below in my signature. Also a link to more photos of the ship. I haven't uploaded all the ship's photos yet. It may take awhile. I took 2500 pictures on the cruise.

 

Happy cruising to all.

Edited April 1, 2016 by Jasperdo

[Bimmer09]

Thanks for the pics of the Salty Dog Ghastlypub. Is there a stepstool to help people up into the high chairs? I've heard chefs on TV talking about "elevating their food" but I thought they meant cooking it better.

 

Share is too bright from the photos I have seen. I prefer the tables to be lit well which usually means directly from above and not the whole room bathed in white hospital light. I am up for the menu though and that beef cheek pie has my name on it. I hope there are white tablecloths and table pads when people are eating to absorb some of the racket of people putting their glasses and flatware down on a hard wooden table. Carnival has their new American Table concept in the MDR which is shorthand for "we're tired of washing the tablecloths".

 

Glad you had a good cruise but you really owe it to yourself and the Missus to have a slap up feed in the Crown Grill. You only live once. Should we ever cruise together you will be our guests in the CG! That's a promise.

 

Cheers,

 

Norris

[ducklite]

That has got to be one of the most uninspired wine lists I have ever seen in a place that purports to be a gastropub. Shameful. Also, since when I'd Bud an "international" beer?

[Kenosha Cruiser]

Thanks for your review with photos. My wife and I want to try the Salty Dog at the end of this month on the Crown Princess. We figure if we don't like it the first time then we will skip it in the future. I'm happy to see the layout of the Wheel House Bar with your great pictures. Thanks for taking time to do this.

Edited April 2, 2016 by Kenosha Cruiser

[Astro Flyer]

Here's a link to the menu & drink lists for SHARE and Salty Dog from the Princess website which may be easier to read on mobile devices which is what I use.

 

http://www.princess.com/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/specialty-restaurants/the-salty-dog-gastropub/salty-dog-menu.pdf

 

http://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/ships-and-experience/food-and-dining/curtis-stone/SHARE-by-Curtis-Stone-Menu.pdf

Edited April 2, 2016 by Astro Flyer

[casavaha]

I am a big supporter of the Wheelhouse. I like to dance and that is generally the best

dancing, sometimes the Explorers Lounge. I can only judge the change in the wheelhouse

on the Crown Princess. It was terrible. They took out the good furniture and replaced it

with Walmart beauty.

However, I was told by someone who knows is there will be a change to the Wheelhouse.

They will used\ the Starboard section for the salty Dog and leave the other two sections

to the dancers. That is a good compromise.

I do not know who makes these decisions about new venues because many of them do

not work.

The Royal Princess, which is design disaster. The Wheelhouse Bar is nothing more than

a Piano Bar, although we have danced on the carpet.

Your photos and review were great. The Ruby is my favorite ship outside of the Sapphire.

 

Greg

[sammyboots]

Thanks for your review, I enjoyed reading it and found it particularly interesting as we will be sailing on our first Princess cruise about the Ruby in a few weeks. :)