LIVE - Ruby Princess, Nov 6 - 20, 14-day Circle Caribbean

[memoak]

7 minutes ago, LidoLiz said:

I have taken my book to both…..I like Sabatini’s better because of the expansive ocean views on three sides.

And Adagio’s has actually been a bit too chilly!

 

But be advised that Sabatini’s is sometimes reserved for afternoon events like most traveled luncheon

[LidoLiz]

Sorry, I meant Skywalkers, not Sabatini’s!! (Evidently food on the brain).

 

[canadarocks]

Hope everyone onboard is enjoying the formal night! 

[aring75]

MDR Dinner - Day 10 - 2nd Formal Night

 

 

 

[aring75]

Our waiter, Edgar, is convinced we have not been ordering enough food. He’s has been suggesting multiple appetizers, multiple entrees, multiple desserts! Tonight he wouldn’t take no for an answer!

 

First, he brought the fried Camembert. We didn’t order it, but he thought we would like it. He was right! 
 

 

 

I ordered the Thai Beef Salad (delicious)

 

 

 

And Mark ordered the Caesar. 
 

 

 

And then Edgar brought the beer cheese soup. “Try it with the bread!” He says. Yep. Very tasty!

 

[aring75]

Mark got the Chili-spiced Barramundi. He finished it so I’m guessing it was good. 
 

 

 

I ordered the garlic shrimp and Mark said it looked really good…so Edgar brought another one for Mark to try!

 

We are only at a table for two you guys!!

 

 

 

After a lovely dinner I declined dessert and coffee. I wanted to be able to walk out under my own power after all. 

[aring75]

But Edgar had other plans. 
 

 

 

Mark wanted to try the peach and blueberry cobbler. It came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (even though it doesn’t specifically say so in the description).

 

 

 

Edgar brought the turtle cheesecake (to try). I did. I tried two bites. It was rich and delicious, but that was all I could do!

 

 

 

We have really enjoyed our dinners since we requested this table for the remainder of the cruise. I’m so glad we were able to find this team. Edgar and Tanesha have been top-notch!

 

 

[cltnccruisers]

3 minutes ago, aring75 said:

But Edgar had other plans. 
 

 

 

Mark wanted to try the peach and blueberry cobbler. It came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (even though it doesn’t specifically say so in the description).

 

 

 

Edgar brought the turtle cheesecake (to try). I did. I tried two bites. It was rich and delicious, but that was all I could do!

 

 

 

We have really enjoyed our dinners since we requested this table for the remainder of the cruise. I’m so glad we were able to find this team. Edgar and Tanesha have been top-notch!

 

 

That peach and blueberry cobbler looks fantastic.  As I sit here with my breakfast of plain yogurt and blueberries.  Working on my A1C.  😔  What is left?  Curacao (a favorite of ours) and Aruba?  Can't wait for the comments on those.  Enjoy.

[aring75]

We did a little bit of walking around after dinner. I needed to move a little after eating so much.
 

We stopped in the casino for a bit. So far we are down this cruise, but not by much considering it’s been ten days and we’ve played a little almost every night. 
 

A woman sat down next to me who had 17k casino points. Yes seventeen thousand.
 

Is that a lot? That seemed like a lot! I don’t know how many points you need before you start receiving offers, but we are NO where near 17k. 

 

After about an hour in the casino we decided to see the production show. We sat in the reserved “Premier” seats since Mark like the location, but there were lots of other places to sit. (They reserve the last two rows of the bottom section of the theater.)

 

 

The show was Colors of the World. And we both enjoyed it. The singers and dancers are quite talented, but it felt very dated. Like a show you would have seen 15-20 years ago. Not bad! But it was hard to not compare it to the newer, more spectacular shows on Royal, Celebrity, etc.

[aring75]

3 minutes ago, cltnccruisers said:

That peach and blueberry cobbler looks fantastic.  As I sit here with my breakfast of plain yogurt and blueberries.  Working on my A1C.  😔  What is left?  Curacao (a favorite of ours) and Aruba?  Can't wait for the comments on those.  Enjoy.

Mark said the cobbler was great. Served warm with vanilla ice cream (sugar-free ice cream is available!).

 

Curaçao is today and I love this stop. It’s a great place to get out and walk around. Find a good spot for lunch! It’s easily walkable and feels very safe. 

Then we have Aruba (which is also great on your own) and two more days at sea. This two weeks is going by faster than I would like, but I have really enjoyed the overall leisurely feel of this cruise!

[aring75]

And I found a description of the layer cakes this morning. These are served at International Cafe. They bring them out after breakfast and then they are available the rest of the day. 
 

[cltnccruisers]

2 minutes ago, aring75 said:

We did a little bit of walking around after dinner. I needed to move a little after eating so much.
 

We stopped in the casino for a bit. So far we are down this cruise, but not by much considering it’s been ten days and we’ve played a little almost every night. 
 

A woman sat down next to me who had 17k casino points. Yes seventeen thousand.
 

Is that a lot? That seemed like a lot! I don’t know how many points you need before you start receiving offers, but we are NO where near 17k. 

 

After about an hour in the casino we decided to see the production show. We sat in the reserved “Premier” seats since Mark like the location, but there were lots of other places to sit. (They reserve the last two rows of the bottom section of the theater.)

 

 

The show was Colors of the World. And we both enjoyed it. The singers and dancers are quite talented, but it felt very dated. Like a show you would have seen 15-20 years ago. Not bad! But it was hard to not compare it to the newer, more spectacular shows on Royal, Celebrity, etc.

I'm not sure why we started getting our casino offers.  We'd only sailed on Princess 3 times when they started.  We have 2 future cruises booked on Majestic and Sun that only cost taxes and port fees plus a few hundred $$ to bump up from a deluxe balcony to a minisuite on Majestic.  It'll keep using cruising into retirement.  That is, if I ever do retire.

[cltnccruisers]

5 minutes ago, aring75 said:

Mark said the cobbler was great. Served warm with vanilla ice cream (sugar-free ice cream is available!).

 

Curaçao is today and I love this stop. It’s a great place to get out and walk around. Find a good spot for lunch! It’s easily walkable and feels very safe. 

Then we have Aruba (which is also great on your own) and two more days at sea. This two weeks is going by faster than I would like, but I have really enjoyed the overall leisurely feel of this cruise!

Please let us know where you lunch in Curacao.  DW was saying just the other day that she wants to find a new spot this trip.

[DistinguishedCruiser]

10 hours ago, canadarocks said:

Hope everyone onboard is enjoying the formal night! 

How formal was the "Formal Night"?

[MissP22]

2 minutes ago, Old-but-not-Done said:

How formal was the "Formal Night"?

It's as formal or as casual as you want to make it. Everything from tuxes to shorts are being admitted to the DR.

[cltnccruisers]

Just now, MissP22 said:

It's as formal or as casual as you want to make it. Everything from tuxes to shorts are being admitted to the DR.

Shorts in the MDR?

[DistinguishedCruiser]

50 minutes ago, MissP22 said:

It's as formal or as casual as you want to make it. Everything from tuxes to shorts are being admitted to the DR.

I'm asking how formal WAS THE FORMAL night, not how informal could it be?

[partybarbie]

1 hour ago, Old-but-not-Done said:

I'm asking how formal WAS THE FORMAL night, not how informal could it be?

From the cruise prior to this one.

[LidoLiz]

We spent the morning taking a guided tour of the Rif Mangrove park, which is just across the street from the cruise pier. Great value ($20) for those interested in birds, the coastal environment, and the history of this reclaimed area. Or you can walk through by yourself for $15, and there are lots of interpretive signs.

Most of the park is accessible by wheelchair on well-maintained walkways through the mangroves.

We saw lots of swooping parakeets, herons and even a baby barracuda. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LidoLiz]

 

We saw a few of these species, including finches and some Trupial nests.

 

[LidoLiz]

Lovely breezy afternoon in Curacao…and a visit to our favourite gelato joint. It’s a long port stop here, with a 10 pm departure before we head to Aruba.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2023 by LidoLiz

[LidoLiz]

Italian night tonight in the MDR, with the twinkling lights of Willemstad off our port side.

With Limoncello.

 

 

Eggplant Parmigiana 

 

 

Scallops and shrimp, photo is upside down for some reason. I blame the Limoncello.

 

Elixir of the gods. With a complimentary shot glass.

 

Goodbye, Curacao!

Edited November 17, 2023 by LidoLiz

[trin880]

14 hours ago, aring75 said:

But Edgar had other plans. 
 

 

 

Mark wanted to try the peach and blueberry cobbler. It came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream (even though it doesn’t specifically say so in the description).

 

 

 

Edgar brought the turtle cheesecake (to try). I did. I tried two bites. It was rich and delicious, but that was all I could do!

 

 

 

We have really enjoyed our dinners since we requested this table for the remainder of the cruise. I’m so glad we were able to find this team. Edgar and Tanesha have been top-notch!

 

 

Please remind me what MDR is it? I have tried on Royal to ask for the same table, but they could not accommodate. We usually like early dinner. I have reserved table for 2 at Botticelli at 5:40 based on several positive feedbacks in this thread. 

[aring75]

19 minutes ago, trin880 said:

Please remind me what MDR is it? I have tried on Royal to ask for the same table, but they could not accommodate. We usually like early dinner. I have reserved table for 2 at Botticelli at 5:40 based on several positive feedbacks in this thread. 

We are dining in Michaelangelo MDR on deck 5. But I know that others have been able to secure a table in the other dining rooms. I think most important is to talk to the dining room manager (do they still say Maitre D?) after you board and explain that having the same table every night is important to you. It may take a night or two before they can accommodate you, but it does seem like they make an honest effort to make people happy. 

[aring75]

Today was Curaçao!

 

We love this port. We’ve done a couple of tours here in the past, but this is one of our favorite spots to just get off the ship and head to town on our own. 
 

 

 

 

If you decide to walk into town on your own, you will follow a well-marked pathway with lots of benches to take a break if needed. 
 

As you reach the end of the pier, turn right to follow the path to the RIF fort, and then continue to the pontoon bridge.