cruzin4us

Skagway

Last night the Head Waiter Martin asked if I would like authentic Indian food the way the Chef’s prepare it at home. I jumped at the chance and I pretty much starved all day and waited with much anticipation for 5:20 to come. They said it would be a surprise and not to eat a bunch of filler stuff before dinner (bread, etc) I patiently awaited my Feast of Indian Cuisine. The meal arrived which was Naan, Rice, Lamb Curry and Rita (yogurt sauce) I devoured every bite and 3 glasses of iced tea. That Indian food packed a punch and I was sweating and my eyes watering before I finished. I ate a bite, savoring it then BAM, the heat came followed by 3 gulps of iced tea…..repeat, repeat….. Eating spicy 🌶️ food is not for the wimpy. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the Maitre D checking on me to see if this gringo of a gal would be able to eat it. They probably had side bets going to see if I’d finish it. I did and loved every bite!!

More pics of Dawes Glacier & Endicott Arm

Today May 20th we entered the Endicott Arm and cruised towards Dawes Glacier. Lady luck was on our side and we have an excellent Captain who is experienced in navigating icebergs, so we made it all the way to the glacier. Apparently this is the first ship of this size to get this close to Dawes Glacier in over 10 years. According to the Captain it’s a one in a million chance opportunity. Score one for our Captain 👨‍✈️ as he got us super close and enabled us plenty of viewing opportunities from all sides of the ship. I did the best at picture taking with my iPhone, but I was jealous of those that had much more sophisticated cameras. Hopefully some others got some good photos to share.

Yes, the food is labeled but they didn’t photograph real well when trying to take pics of the food

I haven't found (or looked for) the juice bar.....I'm a coffee gal in the morning, so I head to the IC and grab a coffee and a quick donut (usually). The Wake view bar is at the aft end of the ship (thus the name) and I'm so far forward that it's just not somewhere I tend to go. If this was a warm weather cruise I'd be more apt to head down to that area. I have not met Doro. I can tell you I didn't care for the Head Waiter at Botecelli, and my friends didn't either. Don't recall what his name was. I've been in Michelangelo and they have been very nice and accommodating. Although once I got my permanent seat, I really haven't had much interaction with them.

Final thoughts after my 1st 10 days.... The menu is repeating itself, so I won't be doing daily reviews on food unless something stands out either good or bad. On embarkation day, the salmon in the main dining room was excellent last week, but this time they used sockeye salmon and it was really flat and dry (sad, cuz last week was so good). Most tender vegetables were almost (no, always) overcooked and mushy. Harder veggies such as carrots, broccoli, potatoes were usually pretty good. Snow peas, asparagus and brussel sprouts were mushy and disgusting. Most people were getting their food served lukewarm at best, and I did as well for the first 2 days. After mentioning it to my server that I wished my food to come out hot and on hot plates, I never had a problem. My guess is that they are preparing the dishes and then are waiting for servers to grab them instead of plating the meal after it is ordered. I know you might say, why of course they are, how else would they feed this many people? Regressing back to my Diamond Princess Cruise when I spoke with the head chef at the Chef's Table Dinner: He said all meals are plated right before serving, nothing is pre-plated. It is obvious the difference.....also there was no mushy veggies ever. Off of the food for a bit. Went to Karaoke a couple of times to watch one of my new friends sing. Had a bunch of fun (no, I don't sing). Played some trivia....no cheap champagne for me. Did you know there are 366 dimples in a golf ball? Me either, but I do now. The International Cafe - The Barrista's are extremely friendly, remember me and my stupid oder of a small flat white with 4 shots of espresso. I managed to polish off many a sandwich at 3:00 in the morning. Cookies - Now, I like the peanut butter cookies that are kinda warm when you get them. I agree, the choco chip cookies can get dried out. The raisin cookies have walnuts in them (I can't do nuts) and wasn't told there was nuts in them.....Just a heads up if you have nut allergies Room Service - Ordered a pizza one night and it took almost 2 hours to get here (that's after I called). they need to up their game on the time it takes. Internet - I judge the internet on whether I can open my bank account or watch Netflix. I had problems with both periodically, but it was much, much better since I went to Alaska last June on the Ruby. I'm sure I'll think of more later, but I'm typed out. Thanks to all of you that were concerned about me.

After my first cruise was over, they had all the Guests who were on B2B's (also called In Transit" meet in the Wheelhouse bar until all other passengers had gotten off the ship. For some reason they couldn't find a couple of people so it took longer than normal to get us off the ship so we could turn around and walk right back on after getting out faces electronically scanned at the customs check-out. It's a pretty painless ordeal all in all. After re-boarding I was able to go to my new room around 1:00. Everything had been moved to my new room D215 (forward) which is another mini suite. I unpacked and sprawled out on the bed and fell asleep until we just passing under the Golden Gate Bridge. I threw open my curtains, and was about to set outside when I saw a Pelican asleep on my deck. Scared the bejeezus out of me. So, I stayed in my room with the door shut. The next morning I opened the curtain to find a dead pelican sprawled out on my balcony. That also scared me. I'm guessing he was sick? Anyway, I called the front desk and I said "I'll bet you never had this call before.....but I have a dead pelican on my balcony'....the woman replied "what did you say?" I said "I have a dead pelican on my deck". I think she heard "dead and man" or something cuz she let out a sigh of relief. So, men in environmental hazmat suites arrived to dispose of the pelican.

Ruby Princess - Alaska - Farewell Dinner Well, it’s always sad when a cruise comes to an end. I’ve met a slew of nice people but I’m fortunate to get to start up again tomorrow. Probably will post a little bit next week but I’m cutting way back on my food intake. It’s real easy to over indulge on breads, butter, cocktails and desserts. It’s been a fun cruise and a relaxing trip. There was a couple of items I was just too full to order. The lamb shank and prime rib are always favorites but I just couldn’t do it. Saw a couple of porpoises jumping while at dinner but the were too far out to get a picture. Packed up all my stuff because I need to change rooms for the next cruise. My room steward will move everything tomorrow so it’s easy. Watermelon with Feta Cheese - comes on a bed of lettuce with a few pepitas it was good but it would have been better if it was colder. In the past it was served in a smaller cocktail glass if I remember correctly (may be mistaken) Alaskan Cocktail - had scallops, cod and shrimp - it was served close to room temperature so I didn’t care for it. It should have been chilled. I personally don’t trust seafood that is room temp. They tried to use the cod to mimic the appearance crab (it didn’t work) Grilled Marinated Portobello Mushroom - ok, this was downright weird. I expected Grilled Portobello Mushroom stuffed with apples, butternut squash, cream and almonds. What I got was mushrooms chopped up, mixed with everything and shaped into a portobello sized blob on the plate. Tasted kinda like my Thanksgiving stuffing I make. It was very heavy on the rosemary. Wouldn’t order again. Grilled portobello mushrooms are pretty hard to screw up, but they managed somehow. Crackling Pork Belly - you either love or hate pork belly because it is fatty, but that’s what makes it tasty good . The outer skin was crackled. The savoy cabbage was the consistency of sauerkraut without the sour. It was dreadfully overcooked. The rice was not sticky. Didn’t hate it, but didn’t love it either Apple Pie - ooey gooey apple pie. Crust not cooked and was mushy. Lots of filler used and less apples. Get the crème brûlée instead.

Ruby Princess - Alaska - Day 8 — Formal Night Today started out nice & sunny but now we are in a fog bank and the fog horn is going off. I hung around with some newly made friends and we told jokes and laughed. I’m going to miss them next week. They are all starting to pack and it’s soon coming to the bittersweet goodbyes. Tonight was formal night. Before you all ask, people were dressed in smart casual to full on dance gowns & tuxes. Escargot - or snails as my kids call them. Cooked in a garlic butter which you have to dip your bread into. It’s required. The first escargot I had was on a cruise ship in 1979, so this is a sentimental dish for me. The individual escargot were large and it they arrived super hot. I’ll can finally say these were better than on the Diamond. pic 1 Ruby, pic 2 Diamond. I wished they were a tad bit more garlicky but that’s a personal preference. Seared duck Breast - I’ve never tried the duck breast so I went out on a limb and tried it. It was pretty good, but it wasn’t hot. I liked the cherry sauce and wished it came with a bit more sauce. The green snow peas were way over cooked and mushy but the duck was good Lobster - This was a no brainer, it’s the night everyone waits for: Lobster night. I love lobster and I’m a lobster snob. Not going to lie, I love Maine lobster and always have to tell myself this isn’t Maine lobster so quit trying to compare it. Kinda like comparing salmon roe to caviar. The lobster did taste sweet, was tender and didn’t like boiling salt water. I wish they would serve it with drawn butter instead of the buttery looking stuff that was on it. It might’ve been Hollandaise. Overall it was very good and cooked perfectly. Medallion was cooked exactly like I asked for (med. rare) Warm Alaskan Blueberry Cobbler - didn’t need it but I Ordered it. It arrived warm and it was good. Not overly large which was nice. Sometimes I’ve ordered blueberry cobbler and it comes in a crème brûlée dish. This one came in a ramekin so the berries didn’t dry out. It was good Dining time 1 hr 15 min

I don’t regularly eat at the buffet, but today I wanted to grab a quick snack. Here are some of items offered I’m still not a buffet fan because I hate elbowing in to get something to eat. Regardless, here are some pictures

Ruby Princess - Prince Rupert, Canada - Day 8 French onion soup - This item is on the menu every night. I try to get it once a cruise. I’m not quite sure what was missing, but I think the beef broth was a little on the weak side. The cheese was good. Don’t get me wrong, I liked it but it was just missing something. Vegetable Biryani - sticking with Indian food when available. They are consistently good. This one didn’t disappoint. It was very spicy however, if you order this, be prepared I loved it! When I order a 7 out of 10 and at home, this is how it comes. It packs a punch Beer-Battered Cod Fish & Chips - my fingers were crossed that this would come out hot and crispy —- OMG, I wanted to like this so badly but it was horrible. The fish was so overcooked and there was so much breading/oil. The picture is of the 2 cut up pieces, the fish could barely be found. It was greasy. Wasn’t a fan. NY cheesecake - It was good but it was swerved closer to room temp instead of cold. I find all cheesecakes are served this way. The Star of the show was the Vegetable Biryana. Dinner felt really slow tonight. Waited a long time between courses. Dining time 1 hr 40 min

Ketchikan - Kind of drizzled on and off all day, but I still got off the ship and wandered around a bit. Went up Creek street which is a nice easy walk. stoped and had some expensive fish and chips which were ok, nothing special. They included salmon, halibut and cod. Check out the prices of the 🦀 legs. I passed.

I didn't do any organized excursions. I was just happy meandering in town and just being in Alaska. We have booked excursions in the past, but sometimes the weather isn't real cooperative in Alaska, and it it's cold/raining/snowing, I don't want to go on a dog sled ride 😉. Ketchikan is a great little town to walk around in, especially if you go in July when the salmon are going up the creek. There is a Lumberjack show that is right off the ship and would be an easy one if you looking for something fun. I'm not going to lie, the excursions are costly in Alaska, and sometimes they are cancelled do to bad weather or being late to port (such as we are this cruise). I'm just as happy taking in the scenery as anything else.

Ruby Princess - Ketchikan - Day 7 Chef’s Dinner - I wish I could have fit in ordering the Goat Cheese Soufflé because that’s one of my favorites. Maybe next week. Had I looked at the menu I would have forgone the fish & chips today in Ketchikan. Drink - Prosecco Bread - Oatmeal roll. Just as good as all the Princess rolls Beef Carpaccio - it was good but nothing to write home about. I know you all get tired of me comparing to the Diamond, but again it fell short in comparison. It was good but it just lacked the flair. 1st pic Ruby, 2nd Diamond. Lamb Curry - a few days ago the head waiter approached me and said they would make an Indian Dish for me. I was tickled because the Indian Food has been so good. Tonight was going to be a lot of food! Oh my heavens was the Lamb Curry delicious. It was hot and a massive amount of food. I thought they were binging me just a side dish of curry. Wasn’t expecting enough for 4 people. Never would’ve ordered anything else had I known. Took most of it back to my room. I won’t let one bite of this go to waste. This was the best thing I’ve eaten all week by a mile. I tried to share with my neighboring table but they said the don’t care for Indian Food (they missed out….lol). They knocked this dish out of the park. A++++ Oven Roasted Cauliflower - I order this because I wanted some roasted veggie if any kind. I was hoping it would be similar to how I eat it at home. The veggies up til now have been way over cooked. They added it to my plate of Beef Wellington. The cauliflower was Al dente and it was a smart decision to do because the asparagus that was served with the Wellington was limp and gross. The cauliflower was perfect Beef Wellington, Truffle Madeira Demi-Glacé - the meal arrived hot and on a hot plate. Cooked exactly how I ordered (med rare). Crust was a bit soft but not too bad. Came with mashed celeriac which was a nice touch. It was very good. I waddled out of the dining room way too stuffed for dessert Dinner was 1 hr 20 min which was fast considering all that I ordered.

It was better!

The Ruby Princess - Alaska - Day 6 - Ketchikan Late Night Snack from International Cafe: 2 Mortadella & Cheese Sandwiches and an Oatmeal Cookie. The IC will heat your sandwich if you like it warm. The sandwiches are pretty good. I usually gravitate to the Mortadella & Cheese and the Salami Sandwiches. One sandwich they no longer have is the Cuban (ham, turkey cheese, pickle), which is a bummer because that was my favorite. Tonight I also got an Oatmeal Cookie which I was told had no nuts. It did however, and I'm glad I wasn't allergic to them.....So, if you have a nut allergy, make sure you double check. The cookie was moist and good. Sometimes I like to order a pizza when my friends are gathered in my room.......haven't done so yet this trip, because past experiences the delivery time took about an hour (sometimes more). I think next week I'll skip the MDR when the food doesn't appeal to me. I'll even make an effort to get to the buffet and also to the Platinum/Elite/Suite Guess Happy Hour. This girl can only eat so much!

Wasn’t going to order dessert but I want to see how the Cherries Jubilee was compared to the Diamond’s Both were good but different. The cherries were much smaller in the Ruby’s. I don’t think they were Bing’s. Don’t smack me if I got my cherries wrong. 1st pic Ruby’s, 2nd Diamond

Day 6 Dinner: I think part of the problem with the food is they aren't serving the food on hot plates. This makes the food cold by the time it gets to your table. Lukewarm food for me is a big turn off. The food also is hit and miss. Occasionally, I get something that's really good, but most of the time it's been fair to mediocre. I know you all think I'm picky and cruising isn't all about the food. I will eventually get to the buffet and try it out, but I prefer the dining room. Since I'm traveling alone, I sit by myself at dinner and do my little reviews while I'm eating. For lunch, I sit with a group of people because usually there is a wait if you want to sit by yourself. It really is amazing how the food can differ from ship to ship. Since I had such great food on the Diamond in January, I know it can be done.....thus my expectations are set high. The Ruby thus far has not been up to par. The last couple of nights, my dinners have arrived hot. I think this is because the staff see I'm writing and snapping pictures of the food. It shouldn't take me writing a review to get your food served hot. I hear this complaint often when talking with others. The chili relleno dish Again, I'm not starving (far from it), however the dining experience could be enhanced if a few changes were made (and they need to be if Princess wants people to be happy). One thing Princess does right is their rolls. Every type are delicious. Oh, before I forget: While in Glacier Bay, they do not serve coffee in paper cups.....Coffee is served in plastic cups (like coke/water glasses). So, if you are headed to Glacier Bay, bring a thermal cup for this particular day. I did see a whale today, but it was so far out I couldn't get a picture. The weather has been cold all day. I think it's currently 32 F at the moment. It's downright chilly outside. I recommend bringing a nice thick jacket and a pair of gloves if you want to hang outside for a long period of time. Officially done in the casino for this trip. I know some of you are probably curious (or maybe not) but here are my results: Money lost $980. Points earned: 11,395. Perks given: 50 min Swedish Massage. I held my own for the first few days, but the last two days I had a black cloud over my head and nothing I played seemed to work, so I'm giving up for the rest of the cruise. Since I'm doing a B2B cruise, I won't get any free cruise offers until the end of the next cruise. I get some more free play on the 17th, so I'll wait until then to play. Wild Coho Salmon - this came nicely plated and it was chilled, the salmon tasted fresh. It was good. Crab & Corn Chowder - tasted good with more of a tomato flavor but there wasn’t one piece of crab to be found…..oops, I lied I did find a microscopic piece of crab (see pic of spoon) and only 6 kernels of corn. There was a couple of pieces of bacon however. Crab & Corn Bisque would have been a more appropriate name. That being said, it was good. Classic Caesar salad w/kale, chickpeas, croutons Fettuccine (I asked to have it with salmon which I had some resistance from my waitress, this is the same thing that happened with the woman that try to order hers with chicken). I’ve never run into this on Princess before. Usually they are very accommodating. I’m the past they would bring you a baked potato or extra veggies if you request it. Some of you may disagree with me on this, but I didn’t find that a crazy request. They did accommodate my request but the salmon was overcooked, dry and tasted fishy. I was hoping it would be the same type of salmon that was served on embarkation day but it wasn’t. It was sockeye which isn’t my favorite but it’s the cheapest for Princess. Pasta was hot so they are improving on that (at least for me). No complaints with the Fettuccine, it was perfect. It would be really easy for Princesses to add Fettuccini with your choice of chicken, shrimp or salmon. It was good and please they altered the dish for me. Indian Vegetable Korma - Because I liked the Indian last light, I ordered it again - the dish arrived piping hot. Indian food is not the most photogenic but score another A for princess on this dish. The food was amazing. The only issue is it’s not enough food in my opinion. (I know I could order more), but one little piece of Naan isn’t enough. If I see more Indian Food on the menu, I’m ordering it. Seasoning was spot on. Score 1 for the Ruby!! Wasn’t going to order dessert but I want to see how it holds up to the Diamond. Total dining time 1 hour

Ruby Princess - Alaska - Glacier Bay Lunch Couldn’t figure out what to order so I just picked some random items. Nothing looked very inspiring to me. Lunch was extremely slow today. It took almost 1 hour to get our first course. And a totally time of almost 2 hours. No one’s food arrived hot which all 8 people mentioned at my shared table. Ruby needs to work on this because lukewarm food is very consistent. Chinese Egg Drop Soup - this soup was not my favorite. Egg drop soup should have some egg in it. There was very little. Tasted like green onion broth. Had they just added a few more eggs it would have been better. Egg Fried Monte Cristo Sandwich - the sandwich and fries were cold. Didn’t come with sauce. Cheese wasn’t melted Yuck. Not impressed Baked Red Bell Pepper (vegetarian) - Happy to report this was really good. Could have been hotter, but it was delicious. Ate the whole thing

Chocolate Cake which is part of the Specialty desserts. I have tried it twice now and both times it was disappointing. It tastes like the cake has been refrigerated and it’s really dried out. The frosting has No chocolate flavor and tastes really blah. The Discovery had Amazing chocolate cake…..Ruby’s was meh Pic one is Ruby’s, pic two is Discovery

They let people hold them for a few seconds while they snapped a photo and then they moved on to the next guest. They are trying to socialize the puppies, but the crowd is pretty overwhelming because everyone wants to hold them. I was fortunate to get a picture when they were bringing them in.....she is a lot cuter than me holding a puppy 🙂

Puppy time!

I had a difficult time trying to figure out what to order for dinner tonight. I had a massage and I really just wanted to crawl into bed and take a nap, but I hadn't eaten since I had a donut this morning so I was hungry. Nothing really inspired me, so I picked some random items off the menu and figured I'll order something else next week. I met a woman onboard who said she has ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo with shrimp and it was wonderful. The woman next to me tried to order Fettuccine Alfredo with Chicken and she was met with resistance. Found that a bit odd, it’s not that hard to add some grilled chicken so I’m curious to see if they accommodate her request. (They did) There wasn't really much continuity in the menu. Tonight I'm ordering Alaska, Italian, Mexican, Indian and Viennese food figuring I just order item’s I’ve not tried before. Dinner: Cream of Wild Alaskan Mushroom Soup - was pretty good. Would like to have had a bit more mushroom pieces but I’m being nit picky on that count. The bread dipped in the soup was delicious. Heirloom Caprese - It always makes me laugh when I see the word "heirloom" and I end up with Roma Tomatoes which aren’t Heirloom tomatoes. I just ate the mozzarella cheese balls. The tomatoes were extremely underripe and tasteless. Maybe if they had sliced the tomato instead of quartering it would have been better? Heirloom tomatoes should look like the kind I grow. - Don’t recommend this dish at all. Chili Rellenos - I wasn't going to order this, but I really wanted to see how Princess did their Chili Rellenos - Frankly, I didn't have much hope for this but I ordered it anyway. I wasn’t wrong, they can’t do Mexican Food. What a joke for a main course. The chili relleno was only 2 bites and the sauce was just a tomato sauce like used on pastas. It was horribly plated. The 2 bites of relleno tasted ok, but literally it was only 2 bites. Rice did not taste like Mexican rice. Giving them an F on this dish Indian Style Butter Shrimp - The Maitre D came up to my table and suggested this dish so that’s what I ordered - This was delicious. It had 4 medium sized shrimp, so, you might want to order more if you are a big eater. The flavor was spot on and it arrived piping hot. Really good, and I would order again. This is the first meal I felt was seasoned properly. According to my waitress, many of the cooks are from India which explains a lot! Now I know why this dish was so good 😁 Viennese Apple Strudel, Vanilla Sauce - it tasted ok, but the crust was kinda soggy. I’ve had worse but I’ve had much better My massage was very good, she gave me a nice deep tissue massage and I'm relaxed beyond belief. Tomorrow we are cruising Glacier Bay and I'm hoping the weather is kind to us. Ketchikan is supposed to be getting 1.65" rain tomorrow, so I'm glad we aren't in port tomorrow. At 7:00 they are bringing the Alaskan Husky puppies onboard for picture taking opportunities. They are set up in the Piazza. It's always a super popular event, so get there early if want to see them

Hopefully, some of you that are concerned about the food can remember the ones I suggested (and didn't suggest). Next week, I'll try different items and post them too so you get a good idea of the entire menu. I think what's lacking is the presentation is sub par, the food hasn't been real hot with the exception of today. This might have been a result of what happened with my meal yesterday. The dining room was really slow when I went to dinner because many people were still in Juneau. I spoke with my waitress and we talked about making sure my food comes out hot. I wasn't rude about it and my table is tucked away in a corner so I wasn't making a scene. She knows as well as the Maitre D that I'm posting my mini review here and on FB so maybe that's why my food came out hot.....I dunno, but either way, I'm pleased that issue was much, much better today. I think the other thing that is lack of appropriate seasonings. Everything is bland for the most part. If you order something say spicy, garlicy or with truffle very rarely do you taste it. The Diamond excelled in the seasoning.....there is no comparison. I still have 6 days left (I think) so I'll keep you all posted.