2021 Ruby Princess out of SFO?

[Vineyard View]

We are looking to book the PNW out of SFO but may not be able to make that happen until spring 2021. I am only seeing one sailing at this time on 4/24 on the Ruby. Will there be more options as time moves forward?  Is the Ruby going to be the only ship sailing RT out of SFO  starting in 2021?  We are not fans of any ships in the 3000+ passenger range. Thank you

[Thrak]

Love Ruby. Tastes differ. I do "think" that the plan is for Ruby to replace Grand as the "San Francisco ship".

[cruisingrob21]

Correct.  Ruby will be SFs ship for 2021 most likely.  HAL has started some sailings from SF lately...just one or two a year and they are generally short coastals.  X may do some also.

 

I believe in 21 there is a shorter coastal on the Sun from YVR to SF also.

Edited June 27, 2019 by cruisingrob21

[skynight]

What you see for 2021 on the Princess web site is what there is. After the April 24th sailing the Ruby will probably begin it's 2021 Alaska season, which just might include a 10 day RT to Alaska. The 2021 Alaska season will most likely be out in the fall. Even though the Ruby has 3,100 passengers it is a comfortable ship with lots of venues. 

[Vineyard View]

Thank you all. I appreciate this feedback. We really want to book an easy sailing out of SFO - no planes. We have a couple longer cruises booked already. We have narrowed this one down to two different sailings. I would appreciate your input. 

 

Star Princess Sept or October 2020

or Ruby April 2021 (guessing they may add Fall 2021) - so which ship do you prefer?

 

Also - is the Mini-suite on both of these ships worth the extra $500 vs Premium Balcony, vs regular Balcony?  

Thank you

[voljeep]

36 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

is the Mini-suite on both of these ships worth the extra $500 vs Premium Balcony, vs regular Balcony?  

Thank you

to us, no ... but we also don't book minis because of the shower/tub combo ... which i'm sure is a reason to book a mini

[pris993]

50 minutes ago, Vineyard View said:

Thank you all. I appreciate this feedback. We really want to book an easy sailing out of SFO - no planes. We have a couple longer cruises booked already. We have narrowed this one down to two different sailings. I would appreciate your input. 

 

Star Princess Sept or October 2020

or Ruby April 2021 (guessing they may add Fall 2021) - so which ship do you prefer?

 

Also - is the Mini-suite on both of these ships worth the extra $500 vs Premium Balcony, vs regular Balcony?  

Thank you

It depends how much time you spend in your cabin.   We like to do room service for breakfast, love the tub,  use the two tv,  larger balcony...we have cruised both the Star and Ruby... either is good for us.  If we book a smaller cabin we spend less time in the cabin... so extra space is  of value to us. 

[Vineyard View]

Thank you for that feedback. I really didn’t hone in on the tub/shower. I was thinking more about the seating area in a suite - and we do like room service breakfast as well. There is also aft balcony available which in good weather might make up for that. We have never sailed in an aft and I read they are really a great. So maybe my better question is aft balcony vs mini suite. 

Edited June 28, 2019 by Vineyard View

[mina]

my husband is 6'2" and hates the mini suites due to the tub -- not comfortable for him to shower as the tub is a bit elevated decreasing shower height.   We also do not use the extra room.  The second TV is pretty much a waste as they are right next to each other so unless on the same channel - the sound conflicts.  For three people in one cabin, the extra room would be great.  For two  -- love the aft deluxe balconies - especially the corner rooms.   So, it just depends.  

[iBeatle71]

Good morning all.

The roll call tool does not work for Hawaii cruise out of San Francisco.

Please refer to Ruby Princess April 2, 2021 San Francisco Roundtrip.

Link to roll call.

[jondfk]

I'll weigh in.  Star and Ruby are both great in my opinion.  Ruby, being later in the series, is in my opinion a bit more glitzy but I'd sail either in a heartbeat.  One difference not mentioned is the substitution of Sabatini's (Star) with SHARE (Ruby).  I'm not a fan of SHARE, but others are.  If you have a preference this might nudge you one direction or the other.

 

Likewise, no Skywalkers on Ruby (boo) but the lovely Adagio lounge exists only on Ruby (yea).  

 

As for a mini versus balcony IMHO this comes down to how much time you expect to spend in the cabin.  The additional space in the mini is nice, but if you won't use it, why pay for it?

[cr8tiv1]

On 6/28/2019 at 8:19 AM, pris993 said:

It depends how much time you spend in your cabin.   We like to do room service for breakfast, love the tub,  use the two tv,  larger balcony...we have cruised both the Star and Ruby... either is good for us.  If we book a smaller cabin we spend less time in the cabin... so extra space is  of value to us. 

 

On 6/28/2019 at 7:25 AM, Vineyard View said:

Thank you all. I appreciate this feedback. We really want to book an easy sailing out of SFO - no planes. We have a couple longer cruises booked already. We have narrowed this one down to two different sailings. I would appreciate your input. 

 

Star Princess Sept or October 2020

or Ruby April 2021 (guessing they may add Fall 2021) - so which ship do you prefer?

 

Also - is the Mini-suite on both of these ships worth the extra $500 vs Premium Balcony, vs regular Balcony?  

Thank you

 

Check your passenger data.  I think...the Star has less passengers than the Ruby (information from Princess' website)

 

Star Princess:  

Guests 2,600   Crew 1,100

Ruby  Princess

Guests 3,080   Crew 1,200

 

Mini-Suites have the same room service breakfast as any other cabin category (continental breakfast).   I am not sure if there is a confusion between mini-"suite" and a full suite benefits..  

Edited September 1, 2019 by cr8tiv1

[Belle]

Unless they changed it (don't think so) Ruby has SkyWalkers.

 

Star comes to SF in 2020 for the Alaska season and then the Ruby will come to be docked in SF.

(Grand will go to Alaska and do the 7 day cruises) After that who knows where the Grand will be

for good.

[knippsel]

For those who know the Grand and the Ruby, what are the main differences? I see that Ruby has no covered pool, and no Alfredo's.  Are the Caribe deck balconies  half covered on the Ruby?

Sorry we're losing the Grand, which we preferred to the Star, but perhaps we'll learn to love the Ruby.

[pris993]

16 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

 

 

Check your passenger data.  I think...the Star has less passengers than the Ruby (information from Princess' website)

 

Star Princess:  

Guests 2,600   Crew 1,100

Ruby  Princess

Guests 3,080   Crew 1,200

 

Mini-Suites have the same room service breakfast as any other cabin category (continental breakfast).   I am not sure if there is a confusion between mini-"suite" and a full suite benefits..  

Thanks for the info... since we spend more time in our cabin... number guests less important to... actually did two cruises on the Ruby a T/A and 7 day in Caribbean .. enjoy both a lot, so did not notice.  We have also done several 10 Mexico cruises on the Star. 

 

In the past, when we ordered room service for breakfast.. often wrote in eggs and got them.  Last time on the Grand didn't.  So that varies by ship I suspect.

[Vineyard View]

Thank you for pointing this out. Glad we are booked on the Star. It is larger in capacity than we would choose if we could. It is also interesting to see the crew/pax ratio. It will be good to have the opportunity to sail on her out of our nearby SFO, because I highly doubt we will consider Ruby or any larger ship in the future. Wish we could have caught the Grand before her replacement. 

Edited September 2, 2019 by Vineyard View

[jondfk]

22 hours ago, knippsel said:

For those who know the Grand and the Ruby, what are the main differences? I see that Ruby has no covered pool, and no Alfredo's.  Are the Caribe deck balconies  half covered on the Ruby?

Sorry we're losing the Grand, which we preferred to the Star, but perhaps we'll learn to love the Ruby.

 

Ah, now Grand vs Ruby.  Okay, I'll bite again 😉

 

Grand (vs Ruby):  No Skywalkers (any more) has Club One5 instead which is a nice space but for views, nothing like Skywalkers.  Has Alfredo's Pizzeria, a really nice feature.  Is one of the 3 Grand class ships to have Window Suites on deck 6, these have no balcony but are huge rooms added some years after construction - some love these cabins, most don't even know they exist.  Has Sabatini's Trattoria (new menu).  All decks are now ADA accessible after April '19 dry dock.

 

Ruby (vs Grand):  Also no Skywalkers (it never had this), instead, Adagio is a nice lounge up high, but has essentially no views.  Is a very quite place to get away from the crowds.   Has SHARE instead of Sabatini's.  As I wrote previously as the last of the Grand class ships is considerably more glitzy than here earlier sisters - the difference is really quite noticeable if you go on Grand and the Ruby in quick succession as we did last year.

 

To the greatest extent though these girls are far more similar than different.  

[CynCyn]

25 minutes ago, jondfk said:

 

Ah, now Grand vs Ruby.  Okay, I'll bite again 😉

 

Grand (vs Ruby):  No Skywalkers (any more) has Club One5 instead which is a nice space but for views, nothing like Skywalkers.  Has Alfredo's Pizzeria, a really nice feature.  Is one of the 3 Grand class ships to have Window Suites on deck 6, these have no balcony but are huge rooms added some years after construction - some love these cabins, most don't even know they exist.  Has Sabatini's Trattoria (new menu).  All decks are now ADA accessible after April '19 dry dock.

 

Ruby (vs Grand):  Also no Skywalkers (it never had this), instead, Adagio is a nice lounge up high, but has essentially no views.  Is a very quite place to get away from the crowds.   Has SHARE instead of Sabatini's.  As I wrote previously as the last of the Grand class ships is considerably more glitzy than here earlier sisters - the difference is really quite noticeable if you go on Grand and the Ruby in quick succession as we did last year.

 

To the greatest extent though these girls are far more similar than different.  

Am I missing something? It’s on my list for my next cruise.....

[RJAM3]

On 9/1/2019 at 2:50 PM, jondfk said:

I'll weigh in.  Star and Ruby are both great in my opinion.  Ruby, being later in the series, is in my opinion a bit more glitzy but I'd sail either in a heartbeat.  One difference not mentioned is the substitution of Sabatini's (Star) with SHARE (Ruby).  I'm not a fan of SHARE, but others are.  If you have a preference this might nudge you one direction or the other.

 

Likewise, no Skywalkers on Ruby (boo) but the lovely Adagio lounge exists only on Ruby (yea).  

 

As for a mini versus balcony IMHO this comes down to how much time you expect to spend in the cabin.  The additional space in the mini is nice, but if you won't use it, why pay for it?

Ruby still has Skywalkers

[brisalta]

On 6/27/2019 at 1:59 PM, Thrak said:

Love Ruby. Tastes differ. I do "think" that the plan is for Ruby to replace Grand as the "San Francisco ship".

To do that they would need to add Window Suites 😉 otherwise it is just a poor substitute.

[Colo Cruiser]

5 hours ago, jondfk said:

 

Ah, now Grand vs Ruby.  Okay, I'll bite again 😉

 

Grand (vs Ruby):  No Skywalkers (any more) has Club One5 instead which is a nice space but for views, nothing like Skywalkers.  Has Alfredo's Pizzeria, a really nice feature.  Is one of the 3 Grand class ships to have Window Suites on deck 6, these have no balcony but are huge rooms added some years after construction - some love these cabins, most don't even know they exist.  Has Sabatini's Trattoria (new menu).  All decks are now ADA accessible after April '19 dry dock.

 

Ruby (vs Grand):  Also no Skywalkers (it never had this), instead, Adagio is a nice lounge up high, but has essentially no views.  Is a very quite place to get away from the crowds.   Has SHARE instead of Sabatini's.  As I wrote previously as the last of the Grand class ships is considerably more glitzy than here earlier sisters - the difference is really quite noticeable if you go on Grand and the Ruby in quick succession as we did last year.

 

To the greatest extent though these girls are far more similar than different.  

All Grand Class type ships have Skywalker's except the Grand because it was removed from the ship.

[jondfk]

14 hours ago, Colo Cruiser said:

All Grand Class type ships have Skywalker's except the Grand because it was removed from the ship.

 

Thank's to all who corrected me.  What I intended to write was that Ruby lacks the "shopping cart handle Skywalkers" that I prefer but I forgot those crucial extra words.  All Grand class ships, save Grand herself, has one of two versions of Skywalkers.

 

Apologies for any who I confused, I'll take more care in future.

[CynCyn]

4 hours ago, jondfk said:

 

Thank's to all who corrected me.  What I intended to write was that Ruby lacks the "shopping cart handle Skywalkers" that I prefer but I forgot those crucial extra words.  All Grand class ships, save Grand herself, has one of two versions of Skywalkers.

 

Apologies for any who I confused, I'll take more care in future.

Now I am curious.  Please describe this shopping cart handle Skywalkers! 

[jondfk]

25 minutes ago, CynCyn said:

Now I am curious.  Please describe this shopping cart handle Skywalkers! 

 

Well, the first few in the series Grand (originally), Golden & Star had Skywalkers perched very far aft and accessed by an inclined moving walkway (The Skywalker) from the aft elevator core.  Positioned as such you had fantastic wake views and decent forward views.  The walk up the moving walk could be a bit of a thrill ride in it's own right in rough seas.  Likewise, even once you reached Skywalkers being so high and so far back could make for a lot of motion at times - fun!  

 

Out back, such as it was, and elevated above the rest of the ships structure, it really does look like a handle on a shopping cart!

 

Later ships in the series had Skywalkers built into the top of the aft elevator core which, while easier to access has somewhat less good views (in my opinion).  Since it is no longer all the way aft, the wake views are less spectacular.  

 

On Grand, Skywalkers was reportedly constructed of steel adding a lot of weight to the very back of the ship, this caused some undesirable characteristics (wallowing) at sea which is why Skywalkers was surgically removed a few years ago (there are some neat videos of the cutting away of the structure online).  Later ships used much more aluminum and light weight material on upper decks which eliminated the wallowing problem and also allowed for an additional deck full of passenger cabins - but that's another subject.

Edited September 3, 2019 by jondfk

[CynCyn]

23 minutes ago, jondfk said:

 

Well, the first few in the series Grand (originally), Golden & Star had Skywalkers perched very far aft and accessed by an inclined moving walkway (The Skywalker) from the aft elevator core.  Positioned as such you had fantastic wake views and decent forward views.  The walk up the moving walk could be a bit of a thrill ride in it's own right in rough seas.  Likewise, even once you reached Skywalkers being so high and so far back could make for a lot of motion at times - fun!  

 

Out back, such as it was, and elevated above the rest of the ships structure, it really does look like a handle on a shopping cart!

 

Later ships in the series had Skywalkers built into the top of the aft elevator core which, while easier to access has somewhat less good views (in my opinion).  Since it is no longer all the way aft, the wake views are less spectacular.  

 

On Grand, Skywalkers was reportedly constructed of steel adding a lot of weight to the very back of the ship, this caused some undesirable characteristics (wallowing) at sea which is why Skywalkers was surgically removed a few years ago (there are some neat videos of the cutting away of the structure online).  Later ships used much more aluminum and light weight material on upper decks which eliminated the wallowing problem and also allowed for an additional deck full of passenger cabins - but that's another subject.

Thank you for that history lesson.  Wish they could have figured out a way to counterbalance in the Grand.  It’s on my list for the Ruby this month! I missed it in May!