Mrgoodbar Posted March 21, 2023 #1 Share Posted March 21, 2023 I am surprising my wife with a Panama Canal cruise next year. Looking at the aft suites on Aloha or Caribe decks on either Emerald or Ruby. Do both decks have totally covered balconies? Are aft balconies able to be used during canal passing? We usually pick partially covered but I cannot find a lot of updates info on these older ships. Any info is appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Ombud Posted March 21, 2023 #2 Share Posted March 21, 2023 Sister ships, pick Caribe deck as it has larger balconies 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thrak Posted March 21, 2023 #3 Share Posted March 21, 2023 Same ship - different name. Caribe deck balconies are larger than other balcony cabin balconies. They are half-covered, half-uncovered. I always choose a Caribe deck balcony if possible. I'd choose aft-facing balconies but they are more expensive and I'm too cheap to pay for them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nini Posted March 21, 2023 #4 Share Posted March 21, 2023 Aft facing Caribe deck- the balconies are much larger. WE were not crazy about the Emerald last May, but maybe the crew and vibes have improved. But we have not been on the Ruby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare talkorpi Posted March 21, 2023 #5 Share Posted March 21, 2023 Emma Cruises (one of the best Cruise YouTubers) recently did a video on the Emerald and she had one of the aft-facing cabins. Might be worth your time to take a look at the video, it's pretty comprehensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wcflats Posted March 21, 2023 #6 Share Posted March 21, 2023 Both ships are our favorite layouts. Crews change but ships don’t. Agreed that deck ten is the best for balcony size. Don’t care for aft balcony but that’s an individual preference. Won’t go wrong with either one. We’re going on emerald in May which is essentially identical to both ships mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Essiesmom Posted March 21, 2023 #7 Share Posted March 21, 2023 Choose your cabin location for the itinerary, not for canal day. It’s only one day of the cruise and you should want to be moving around for different views. Remember, Ruby and Emerald will be using the new locks, not the original historic locks. Emerald on full transit today: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclue Posted March 21, 2023 #8 Share Posted March 21, 2023 Both are pretty much the same - go with the itinerary and ports. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare gottagocit Posted March 21, 2023 #9 Share Posted March 21, 2023 We’ve sworn we would never sailing on the Ruby again. It’s probably only a coincidence but the two times we sailed on her we both got awful stomach sickness and couldn’t leave our cabin for a few days. As I said it’s probably only coincidence but why tempt fate. Lol. Never had any digestive system issues on any of our other Princess voyages on 10 other ships. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare sonomaphil Posted March 22, 2023 #10 Share Posted March 22, 2023 (edited) During canal day on Emerald back in January FLL-LA we moved around the ship for different views so much we set a record with out Fitbit steps. You really don't want to just stay in one place like your own balcony. Pick whatever balcony and price you are comfortable with. If doing full transit you're on board for 15 days...consider a mini, that extra space is very appreciated on the longer cruises. We love both ships and have two Ruby cruises scheduled for this season out of San Francisco. Edited March 22, 2023 by sonomaphil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
claudia814 Posted March 22, 2023 #11 Share Posted March 22, 2023 Join us April 5th next year on Emerald for a Total Eclipse of the Sun cruise from Los Angeles through Panama Canal to Fort Lauderdale 😎. Enjoy the surprise! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclue Posted March 22, 2023 #12 Share Posted March 22, 2023 19 hours ago, gottagocit said: We’ve sworn we would never sailing on the Ruby again. It’s probably only a coincidence but the two times we sailed on her we both got awful stomach sickness and couldn’t leave our cabin for a few days. As I said it’s probably only coincidence but why tempt fate. Lol. Never had any digestive system issues on any of our other Princess voyages on 10 other ships. We have sailed on the Ruby 4 times since last June and never had a problem! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Papa Yoda Posted March 22, 2023 #13 Share Posted March 22, 2023 Those ships are almost identical and issues can happen on any. We tend to avoid Vista Suites (S6) on Caribe or Emerald decks aft - too many pillars. Dolphin Deck Vista Suites are our favorites, but don't tell anyone! But you can't go wrong with Penthouse or Owner suites on Aloha or Caribe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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