Live from the Ruby Princess August 15-25

[Cruise Raider]

Now, we have successfully transferred the very ill passenger off in Ketchikan, we are well on our way to Skagway.  The skies are cloudy with a little sun peeking through but no rain and the seas are super calm!  
They’ve scheduled a pub lunch for our sudden sea day!  Yay!  
They have also scheduled some extra games and naturalist presentations.  Kudos to all for the quick rescheduling!  

 

[Cruise Raider]

Oh .. and almost forgot to mention, they have the crab shack offered today, starting at 12:30 PM.  

Edited August 18, 2023 by Cruise Raider

[voljeep]

5 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

Now, we have successfully transferred the very ill passenger off in Ketchikan, we are well on our way to Skagway.  The skies are cloudy with a little sun peeking through but no rain and the seas are super calm!  
They’ve scheduled a pub lunch for our sudden sea day!  Yay!  
They have also scheduled some extra games and naturalist presentations.  Kudos to all for the quick rescheduling!  

 

fish and chips

shrimp and chips

then fried calamari for dinner  🥰

 

 

[startedwithamouse]

30 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

Now, we have successfully transferred the very ill passenger off in Ketchikan, we are well on our way to Skagway.  The skies are cloudy with a little sun peeking through but no rain and the seas are super calm!  
They’ve scheduled a pub lunch for our sudden sea day!  Yay!  
They have also scheduled some extra games and naturalist presentations.  Kudos to all for the quick rescheduling!  

 

Pad Thai! Yum!

[Host CJSKIDS]

Was just texting my good friend Kathy who is on your sailing and she said was telling me about this.  She also said it's been a bit bumpy but they are still having fun.

I forgot to ask her if they have tried the charcuterie platter that you posted a picture of.  K & B do enjoy vines so I'll send her the picture. 

 

 

[fsdorado]

@Cruise Raider We really enjoyed the CD, Cole, and his staff!!  They did a really great job with activities on the multiple sea days.  Please say hello to Javi from Frederick and Mickie from Texas if you see him around.

 

 

Frederick

[Bollycats]

On 8/16/2023 at 11:24 PM, Cruise Raider said:

Someone that ordered off the menu at vins was kind enough to let me take photos of their food order.  It did look very nice!  

So you said before we can't share using the fixed price menu? So all this is for one person? I was hoping to share as a pre-dinner snack. (plus I don't eat meat)

[lstone19]

Making lemonade out of lemons, we’re now enjoying our rare daylight passage of the Clarence Strait and soon Sumner and Chatham Straits. I believe all our previous cruises had had us here after dark northbound and middle of the night southbound.

[CynCyn]

55 minutes ago, Bollycats said:

So you said before we can't share using the fixed price menu? So all this is for one person? I was hoping to share as a pre-dinner snack. (plus I don't eat meat)

This is a a la cart menu item from Vines.  I am sure you can share.  You can also share a la cart at GiGi’s/Alfredo’s. 

[memoak]

1 hour ago, Bollycats said:

So you said before we can't share using the fixed price menu? So all this is for one person? I was hoping to share as a pre-dinner snack. (plus I don't eat meat)

The plate is mostly meat with some cheese. Might not be something you would enjoy 

Edited August 18, 2023 by memoak

[Cruise Raider]

9 hours ago, fsdorado said:

@Cruise Raider We really enjoyed the CD, Cole, and his staff!!  They did a really great job with activities on the multiple sea days.  Please say hello to Javi from Frederick and Mickie from Texas if you see him around.

 

 

Frederick

We love Javi!  I will definitely pass the message to him!  
 

[Cruise Raider]

8 hours ago, Bollycats said:

So you said before we can't share using the fixed price menu? So all this is for one person? I was hoping to share as a pre-dinner snack. (plus I don't eat meat)

I was told you couldn’t share the price fixed menu from the GastroPub but cannot imagine you can’t share the charcuterie board from Vines.  Since you can take it to wherever you’re seated, how would they even know.  The GastroPub is different as it is a sit down restaurant.  

[Cruise Raider]

So, the entertainment director’s skills were put to the test today and I give her an A+ for filling in the day with activities and lectures.  She did an amazing talk on life in England from the view of a ‘peasant’ throughout history.  We weren’t sure what to expect but it was a great talk!  
The tribute to Elton John show this evening only featured one Sir Elton John song.  While I can appreciate the immense talent of the performer, it was mislabeled.  But again, I believe it was thrown together on a matter of hours so, I will give them a pass.  
 

The food at the pub lunch was excellent this afternoon.  We’ve been skipping dinner in the MDR and opting for some light snacks in the PES lounge instead.  As with previous nights, the snacks have not disappointed us at all. The service is also fabulous there and of note, Frank plays the ukulele and sings some fabulous songs for the guests in Skywalkers during the happy hour. This is such a treat!  
 

[Cruise Raider]

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that the 50% off on select cruises if you book while onboard is still going on through the end of the month.  While I booked several cruises on the list while we were on the Emerald last month, I booked one last sailing on this cruise on which I was debating.  The policies and restrictions seem to be different on different ships. It’s all good, though.  On our previous sailing, the cruise was to be paid off at the time of booking.  Not so on this booking I made yesterday.  Also, I was able to get additional OBC on bookings made on my last cruise but not on this one. No complaints from me .. just happy to get such good deals on future cruises.  

[bobpell]

Can you expound on the shows in the Princess Theatre?

bob

[Cruise Raider]

3 hours ago, bobpell said:

Can you expound on the shows in the Princess Theatre?

bob

The one production show so far was Magic Can Do.  Despite the very talented singers and dancers, we just did not like the show!  
I believe their other production shows are Colors of the World and Stardust.  We’ve seen both those shows many times in the past so will probably skip them as well.  They’ve been having so many activities and live music all over the ship so we certainly won’t be at a loss of finding something to do.  
There was the funniest comedian we’ve seen in a very long time in the theater the first night.  They filled the theater with the Crooners piano player as entertainment had to be scheduled on the spot.  I think Libby Riddles was possibly going to be on stage last night before our stop in Juneau was canceled.  
There have been singers scheduled for other nights.  There’s really nothing scheduled for tonight as they will be having “puppies in the piazza”.  
 

[Cruise Raider]

We are docked in Skagway this morning down by the helicopter pads.  I believe it will be a bit of a longer walk into town but at least not a tender port for us. 
There are cloudy skies and cool but no rain in the forecast.  Yay!  

[lstone19]

6 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

There have been singers scheduled for other nights.  There’s really nothing scheduled for tonight as they will be having “puppies in the piazza”.  
 

The Patter has a movie in the Princess Theater tonight. So no big live show tonight. It's an 8:15 All Aboard tonight.

[Petersonfcu]

On 8/16/2023 at 8:25 AM, Cruise Raider said:

This is the first cruise on the Ruby since the new changes have been put in place.  I thought I’d clear up some of the confusion to the best of my ability.  

Embarkation was a piece of cake in the Port of San Francisco yesterday.  The port was busy with loads of traffic when we showed up right around 11:30 AM.  While the security lines were long, they moved pretty quickly.  Once past security, there were basically no lines for check in.  They still had the priority line available for elite, suites .. so no change there.  The QR code on the app was never checked.  There was no line the the blue lane passengers, either.  
It looked like business as usual as I saw no difference in the boarding process.  
We normally get to the port before 11:00 AM but there was so much traffic on the Bay Bridge, it took an extra 30 minutes to get there.  As we were arriving in the terminal for check in, we heard the announcement that all boarding groups could proceed onto the ship. 
So, if anything, embarkation proceeded just as before, if not faster.  
 

My wife and I will be embarking the Ruby for our Alaska cruise the day you get back to SF ( August 25).   So I am glad I found your live review!  Thanks for doing it!

 

Two questions if I may.  

 

 I just finished checking in for the cruise, but the medallion app does not give me an arrival window for embarkation. Where do I find that time window?   There is a countdown clock on the app that suggests my arrival time might be 10:00.   But based on  your boarding experience, I am thinking it might be a good idea to wait until 11:30.

 

Also, could you swing by the casino and look at the Fun21 Blackjack table?  It used to be the only table game on Princess ships that is not dealt from a machine - but I hear now that some Princess ships may have converted Fun21 to machine dealt.   I hate the machines, and am really hoping the Ruby’s Fun21 still doesn’t have one.  If you can take a picture of the table, great.  If not, just look to see if there is a black plastic object in the far right corner of the table  (that would be the machine). 

 

Thanks for doing this!!

[Petersonfcu]

On 8/18/2023 at 9:25 AM, lstone19 said:

 

We're currently on Ruby Princess.

 

The second table game pit (including the craps table) is only open after 8pm. So it's largely wasted space. I only play Craps on the ships as I will not play 6:5 blackjack and to get 3:2, you need to be at the $25 minimum table which is more than I want to risk.

 

@Istone19   You are familiar with the Ruby casino.  Perhaps you can tell me whether the Fun21 BJ game is hand shuffled or dealt from a machine.  Thanks!

[Cruise Raider]

So, we usually order off the app about once a day.  We’ve so far noticed the following items  that have been taken off the menu:  

 

Turkey Sandwich (they still have a club sandwich that has turkey and bacon) 

Chicken Salad Sandwich 

Chicken Tacos 

Chips and Guacamole 

 

There’s probably more but those are the things we’ve ordered in the past that are no longer available.  
it may have already been available in the past but have never ordered dessert from the app.  It does show that they have SMIZE ice cream crayons available in the different flavors for $6 each.  

[lstone19]

41 minutes ago, Petersonfcu said:

@Istone19   You are familiar with the Ruby casino.  Perhaps you can tell me whether the Fun21 BJ game is hand shuffled or dealt from a machine.  Thanks!

Fun21 is hand shuffled.

[Petersonfcu]

53 minutes ago, lstone19 said:

Fun21 is hand shuffled.

Thanks for the info! Makes me happy.  🙂

[Cruise Raider]

2 hours ago, Petersonfcu said:

My wife and I will be embarking the Ruby for our Alaska cruise the day you get back to SF ( August 25).   So I am glad I found your live review!  Thanks for doing it!

 

Two questions if I may.  

 

 I just finished checking in for the cruise, but the medallion app does not give me an arrival window for embarkation. Where do I find that time window?   There is a countdown clock on the app that suggests my arrival time might be 10:00.   But based on  your boarding experience, I am thinking it might be a good idea to wait until 11:30.

 

Also, could you swing by the casino and look at the Fun21 Blackjack table?  It used to be the only table game on Princess ships that is not dealt from a machine - but I hear now that some Princess ships may have converted Fun21 to machine dealt.   I hate the machines, and am really hoping the Ruby’s Fun21 still doesn’t have one.  If you can take a picture of the table, great.  If not, just look to see if there is a black plastic object in the far right corner of the table  (that would be the machine). 

 

Thanks for doing this!!

I see your second question has been answered.  We have yet to hit the casino and it seems really smoky in there so it may be something we miss out on for this cruise.  I love the triple play video poker machines and they are only on the smoking side of the casino.  
 

Anyway, there are no more scheduled arrival times.  We’ve been pretty successful showing up between 11:00 - 11:30 AM with very little wait time for check in and boarding the ship.  
We are still on in time for lunch that way.  

I’m sure you will have a great time next week on the Ruby!  The staff is great and the entertainment director, Lauren, is amongst the best in the business.  I feel as though there have been some degree of cutbacks, even since last month.  None of them are dealbreakers for us, though.  We are still enjoying this cruise so much!  
 

[Petersonfcu]

41 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

Anyway, there are no more scheduled arrival times.  We’ve been pretty successful showing up between 11:00 - 11:30 AM with very little wait time for check in and boarding the ship.  
We are still on in time for lunch that way.  
 

Thanks for the embarkation info!   And its also nice to be able to Uber to the cruise port instead of to the airport....  🙂