cruzin4us

Tonight was Italian night. 

Originally I was going to go Tracy’s Crab Shack and get some Alaskan King Crab Legs.  However the price was $89/lb and the line was long so I just decided to head to the MDR instead.  

Today I thought it would be fun to do a comparison of 3 items I ordered on the Diamond Princess in January that were being offered tonight (prosciutto & melon, Veal Marsala and lemon meringue cheesecake).  The first pics are of the Diamond and the second pics are from the Ruby that I had tonight.   

Sandia en Fuego Cocktail

Prosciutto & Melon - the melon was underripe and the prosciutto was hard (not like prosciutto I’ve ever had) - didn’t care for this one and I love prosciutto & melon - compare to Diamond pics.  There was no comparison.   

Mushroom & Truffle Arancini - This was really good even though I didn’t taste the truffle.  It was a little deep fried rice ball stuffed with mozzarella and mushrooms.  Served nice and hot and the cheese was melted in the center.  Really good, would order again 

Penne Pasta (special that wasn’t on the menu) - it was basically penne in a spicy tomato sauce  and it was the best pasta thus far.  It was nice and hot, and a little spicy.  Yum

Veal Scaloppine, Marsala Wine Sauce - It was ok, the veal was a bit on the tough side and the green beans & onions were way over cooked and mushy.   All the veggies have been overcooked thus far.   The only person I know that likes overcooked veggies in this day and age is my grandma.     

Lemon Meringue Cheesecake - not my favorite.   It was very dry and tasteless.   Not lemony at all. 

It’s interesting how different two ships can be when serving the same item.  Presentation is very important because people taste with their eyes too. The Ruby needs to up her game in the presentation department and fixing off the soggy vegetables.   Diamond is doing it right.  

Juneau

We were able to disembark the ship at 3:30.  Kind of a bummer getting to port so late in the day, but the cruising into Juneau was beautiful.   There is a lot more snow on the mountains than there was when we were here last June.   It’s really a different perspective cruising earlier in the season.   The weather was absolutely beautiful today.   Clear skies, and warm enough to just wear a light jacket.   
 

The Wi-Fi was been getting slower and slower as we headed north and between the mountains.   Up until last night it was working pretty fast compared to last June. 

I just walked around town and did a little souvenir shopping.   

Tomorrow is Skagway

3 hours ago, CruiseCrabs said:

I have a selfish ask. Can you tell me if Ruby currently has the dumb wall hair dryers or the nicer, in-drawer ones? I’m trying to reduce packing weight, if possible.

It’s the dumb wall hair dryers that are on the wall.   At least on the Ruby.  I’ll take a picture when I get back to the room 

Lunch in MDR:

Beef Carpaccio - if you like beef carpaccio, this was really tasty.  Super happy with this choice

Four Flavors in Asian Broth - a nice warm broth with a few small pieces of shrimp and meat.   

Crispy Spicy Chicken and Artichokes - it was good but there wasn’t any hint of “spicy”.   Tasted like fried chicken 

We just arrived in the port of Juneau and we are waiting to disembark.  It’s a chilly 53 degrees with a slight breeze

There were a couple of beautiful women playing a violin and a cello in the piazza last night.  They were so good an I enjoyed watching them. 
 

Got back to my room last night to some chocolate strawberries which was a gift as part of the VIP casino promotion that I’m booked under.  

Today I woke up and opened the curtains to the beautiful scenery of Alaska.  Went on the balcony and went “wow” it’s cold!   Went back inside and grabbed a jacket!  After snapping a few photos, I took a shower then headed to get a much needed cup of coffee and a donut from the IC.  Tummy full and coffee cup in hand I headed to deck 15 to look around.  Some people saw a pod of whales but I missed them unfortunately.  

Weather in Juneau is supposed to be a high of 53 but no rain.  I’m glad we are here today and not tomorrow!
Our ship gets to port at 2:30, but in the meantime we are slowly cruising in beautiful Alaska.

34 minutes ago, FrankieJayIII said:

she posted the schedule and there was a slot tournament today from 3pm-6pm.  she's there for playing and winning.  

the slot tournament was for players that had earned 100 pts in the casino.  It was a bit of a cluster and the made announcements all day long.   The top prize was $200.   I didn’t bother doing it cuz I wouldn’t get back on my machine I was playing.   I believe next cruise is a slot tournament cruise, but I booked it so long ago I don’t remember the details.  I’ll post more info next week if there is one 

Ruby Princess - Alaska 

Dinner:   Food is always subjective and I’m trying to give you my honest opinion, everyone else might have a different opinion.   

Hot Smoked Alaskan Steelhead Salmon Cocktail - ok, this was weird.   It says “hot” but it actually was served chilled?   I didn’t see or taste any salmon, it tasted like cold dill potato salad with shrimp on top.  That being said, it was really good and was one of the best appetizers thus far, but the description in no way shape or form matched the actual appetizer - lol

Warm Alaskan Shrimp and Spinach Dip - it was really tasty but I wish it was hotter 

Penne Alla Vodka - tasted like vodka penne pasta.  Probably would have liked it better without the peas, but that’s a personal preference.  The last 3 nights the pasta has arrived lukewarm.  If this is an issue for you, just ask to make sure your pasta is served hot because it tastes much better that way 

Whole Roasted Turkey - I order the turkey (which is supposed to be served with cranberry sauce).  I know that’s a trivial thing, but I sent it back and ordered something else.    The cranberry is what makes the turkey dinner which I always look forward to.   The couple at the table sent theirs back too.  

Panko Cod - well, this was a complete fail and don’t recommend.  It was really heavily breaded, cold, rubbery and way overcooked.   The worst thing by far they served 

Try #3 - beef stroganoff- this arrived hot, but the meat was very tough & gristly, extremely salty and I’m not sure why there are beets in it?  I did eat it because it was better than the other 2 items, but it wasn’t something to write home about.   It left a lingering bad aftertaste in my mouth.   

Lyche, Raspberry & Rose Mousse - even the dessert was meh.   The mousse had little flavor (or maybe I just couldn’t get rid of the beef stroganoff taste).    The cake was super dry.  The Lychee was good that was buried inside the mousse 

Tonight’s dinner was not my favorite by any means (except for the warm salmon appetizer).  I will not be going to this dinner on the next cruise, I think I’ll go to the Gastropub and get a burger.   It is always is disappointing when the meal isn’t up to par and tonight was one of those nights.    This would be a good night to do Specialty dining.  It really does pain me to write about this meal.  If this was my first Princess meal I wouldn’t be happy.   

Did what I said I wouldn’t do today, I met some new friends in the casino and we played Buffalo Chief.   Won $1000, and played all day and had fun.   Now, I’m officially ahead, but not by much.   Sitting down now for dinner and then I’m going to bed ‘cuz I’ve been up way too late every night.   

The casino host also switched my Crown Grill dinner out for a Swedish Massage.   Currently I’m at 7,100 pts for those that are curious.

Ruby Princess to Alaska

Last night they had picture taking with the Champagne Fountain in the piazza.   

Today is another relaxing sea day.   We set our clocks back an hour last night.  

Spent most of the evening in the casino.   I have now accumulated approximately 5100 points which was my goal.  Didn’t win on Buffalo Chief and as my last ditch effort I played Pompei on Wonder Four.   Hit $791 which I was grateful for.   Went to the cashier and cashed out.   I have now broken even with the money I brought so I’m done gambling for the cruise.  Had fun but the machines are pretty tight as can be expected.   The host offered me a free dinner at Crown Grill when I reached 5,000 pts.  Went to bed about 2:00 am

Princess beds are so comfortable as well as their pillows.   I sleep like a baby with the gentle movement of the ship

We have to fill out a customs form before we reach Canada whether we get off the ship or not.    

Got a cup of coffee and a warm almond croissant at the IC this morning.  If you haven’t indulged in one, make sure to try one.   Brought the patter with me to figure out what to do today.   Tomorrow’s stop is Juneau and it looks like we won’t be getting any rain.  There are 4 ships in port tomorrow so it’s going to be crowded (Noordam, Brilliance of the Seas, Discovery and Ruby)

thus far the WiFi has been working with no issues, but it seems to be getting a tad bit slower the more north we get.  At some juncture It will probably stop if it’s anything like last June, fingers crossed I’m wrong

just another observation.  There are very few kiddos on board.  If you want less kids, May is a good time to cruise to Alaska.  

Ruby Princess - Alaska

My table is in the Michelangelo dining room which is located mid ship on deck 5.  The Botticelli is located on Deck 6 aft and is more of a pain to get to because you need to walk aft on deck 7 and then either take the elevator or walk down to deck 6.   The DaVinci is located on deck 6 midship.  

Today is formal night (or dress to impress).  I’d say everyone is dressed in smart casual + to very formal.   Dinner took 1 hour and 20 min

I was a hungry today because I slept in pretty late and haven’t eaten.   It was a great night to be hungry because all the food was very good. 

Drink:  Sandia en Fuego - watermelon muddled with a jalapeño, Black Sea salt around the rim, some agave syrup and tequila.   Served at the good Spirits Bar only.   They can sneak up on you if you aren’t careful.  Tastes like watermelon with a touch of heat. 

There is a few things on the menu that are Alaska inspired.  

Tonight I had the Alaskan crab cakes which was delicious

Sunchoke Soup - I like to try things that sometimes don’t scream out at me.  This is creamy soup with a bit of a tang.  Not sure what to expect but it was quite tasty 

Gnocchi Truffle - I ordered a small portion of pasta because I like gnocchi and I love truffles - there wasn’t any truffle pieces like I thought there’d be.   It was good and very rich, but it wasn’t what quite what I was expecting.    Probably won’t order it again 

Medallions of beef tenderloin - ordered medium rare and they came out exactly as I wanted.  Comes with au gratin potatoes topped with some crispy onions. The serving size was much smaller than I  remember on my past few cruises but it was plenty for me.   If you are starving and like a larger portion, you just need to ask. Super good 

Dessert - Peach Melba with raspberry sauce & vanilla gelato - ordered this because it didn’t sound too heavy, didn’t need it but it’s formal night after all.   It was nothing to write home about but it wasn’t super rich.   It was just ok.  

Here is a copy of today’s patter, the Breakfast room service tag you can fill out and leave on your door the night before.   
The weather is chilly but nice.  The ship has been rocking a bit but not super bad.  
Just grabbed myself a cup of coffee and I’m heading out to explore.

I can't post the patter from yesterday because it's already in the trash and long gone.   When I wake up in the morning, I'll try to remember to take a picture of the one for tomorrow.

I have not tried the NY steak in the MDR, I'm kind of a steak snob and I wasn't impressed with it last 2x I've eaten in Crown Grill.   An 8 oz NY steak just seem like it wouldn't be good to me......could be wrong, and who knows, by day 20, I may order one 🙂

Final thoughts from day 1:

So, played Buffalo Chief in the casino and the Buffalo's (or lack thereof) were extinct and didn't want to show their furry heads.   Started out playing $1.60 a spin and then dropped it to .80 cents because nothing was hitting.   Accumulated about 1100 pts.    A woman sitting next to me hit $2,700 on a $3.20 bet.   Another woman hit $10k on a .88 cent bet on Fortune 88.   Me, I'm a loser....

My luggage arrived after we were pulling out of SF......I started to have that sick feeling in my gut that somehow it never made it on the ship.   I was really, really relieved when it showed up.   I was thinking maybe it got sent to the naughty room for some reason (no, I wasn't smuggling anything bad onboard).

I never even read the patter for day one (sorry for those that are interested).   Tomorrow I'll check it out and seen what's happening around the ship.   

When I can back to the room today it was bloody hot (or it could have just been a hot flash kicking in).   I thought it was because I was lifting my suitcase and moving around quite a bit.  The thermostat was set as cool as it could go, so I was praying there was nothing wrong with the air conditioner.   When I came back from dinner, it was still stinking hot so I went and shut the drapes thinking that might help.....then I noticed the other thermostat in the room and it was set to heat and the highest setting to boot.   What a dummy I was.   Now, my room is finally cool.

With that I'm signing off for the night.....more later!

If you ever have a chance to sail out of SF do it!   Sailing by Alcatraz and under the Golden Gate Bridge never gets old.   We were fortunate enough to have beautiful weather.   We are now headed north towards Alaska

When I went to lunch today the Maitre D said to come see him in the Botticelli dining room.  He told me he would get me a nice table for 1.   When I arrived he took me to the worst table in the restaurant.   Don’t get me wrong, I can eat anywhere just about but this table was smack dab in the walkway of everyone that walked through the dining room.   So, I walked back to the Michelangelo dining room which was where my reservation was originally made.   
 

I now have a quiet table in the most awesome location.   I’m very happy and it will be home for the next 20 days.  

My waitress is Jing from Thailand and asst waitress is Tyrisha from Barbados. 

For dinner tonight it’s:

House-made Gravlax of Wild Alaska Salmon - It was good, tasted a bit like lox.  

Seared Garlic Prawns - Not so great, the prawns were way overcooked and hard.  

Linguine and Clams - was nice and hot and tasty.  It’s a good choice if you like pasta 

Roast pork tenderloin medallions - Star of the show tonight.    It was super good and nice and tender!
 

Left dinner with a full tum tum

Had a nice lunch in DaVinci dining room. Embarkation lunch in the dining room is always so nice, I highly suggest it.    
 

Asked about getting a permanent table for the next 20 days and I was told to ask when I go to dinner.  The Maitre D said to go to Botticelli tonight and he will hook me up.  Fingers crossed 😁

First up was the crunchy roll which are what dreams are made of. Princess does them perfectly.  There were crumbs everywhere and I felt right at home.   I had the shrimp & Avocado salad and the salmon.  Both were delicious. 
 

The rooms are now ready so I’m stopping by my muster station which is in the Explorer’s lounge, then I’ll go drop of the carry on and see if my luggage arrived yet

Continued later…

Went to my room, dropped of my carryon but my luggage hadn’t arrived yet.   

I’m in a mini suite about midship.  The room is nice and has lots of storage.   There was some info in my room regarding what is included in the VIP casino cruise.  

Because I’m elite, there is a mini bar setup (see pics).  

I met my room steward Angelo (not sure I spelled that right).  He brought me a cheap glass of champagne which I downed happily.   

More later…

Had a nice lunch in DaVinci dining room. Embarkation lunch in the dining room is always so nice, I highly suggest it.    
 

Asked about getting a permanent table for the next 20 days and I was told to ask when I go to dinner.  The Maitre D said to go to Botticelli tonight and he will hook me up.  Fingers crossed 😁

First up was the crunchy roll which are what dreams are made of. Princess does them perfectly.  There were crumbs everywhere and I felt right at home.   I had the shrimp & Avocado salad and the salmon.  Both were delicious. 
 

The rooms are now ready so I’m stopping by my muster station which is in the Explorer’s lounge, then I’ll go drop of the carry on and see if my luggage arrived yet

Continued later…

Ruby Princess to Alaska
I was onboard just before 11:00.  Super fast and easy!    Couldn’t drop off my carryon because they finally got smart and blocked off the corridors so no one was allowed into their rooms.   
I took a gander at the casino and the Speakeasy smoking lounge.  Then I went and grabbed a cup of coffee at the International Cafe.  Found out where they serve the specialty desserts.   The cakes are offered at the IC and the ice cream sundae’s are on deck 15.   Did not find out if they have gelato yet.   
I watched the muster video and got hookup to the WiFi.   Still need to check into the muster station D, but I’ll do that in a few minutes.  
The Ruby has added an electronic Texas Hold Em machine that is a lot of fun, but note you DO NOT earn points towards a free cruise while playing this (don’t kill the messenger).   
Also included are a few pics of the current offerings at IC and a picture of Vines (the wine bar)
To be continued….

After sleeping like a baby in my comfy bed at the Orchard Hotel, I woke up at 5:30 with the excitement I always feel when I know it’s embarkation day! 
 

It’s a beautiful sunny day and I’m all packed up and ready to get this show on the sea.    I still have 2 hours to kill so I was on a mission to find a cup of cappuccino and light breakfast.  So, I headed downstairs to the cafe located inside the hotel.  The cafe opens at 6:30 and there are quite a lot of choices to chose from.  I ended up getting bacon, sourdough toast and 2 poached eggs along with a nice cup of cappuccino.  Might as well start my vacation eating because Lord knows I won’t be eating for the next 20 days 😁.  

I walked outside after breakfast and let me tell you, SF isn’t made for the out of shape and overweight.  The hills are insane (thus the cable cars).   You have to be a mountain goat in some areas.   I’m such a flatlander.  I walked about 1/2 block and thought I’ll probably fall and break a leg and ruin my trip so I turned around and headed back to the room and watch some TV before I call for an Uber.   

To be continued….

10 hours ago, SwimCarrie said:

Can you share if you tried to do an upgrade bid and if it was successful? (I won't make you share your cabin number. LOL. But category.) 🙂

Thanks!

I did not do an upgrade bid.  I’m in 2 rooms on this B2B.  Both are mini suites.  The first is 506 and the 2nd is 213.  

22 minutes ago, FrankieJayIII said:

Can you tell me what you ordered at Maru?  I am going to go there today.  Those pictures convinced me!

Soft shell crab hand roll, hamachi carpaccio, kamikaze roll (I think), sea bass nigiri and eel sushi.  

The Details:

I'm traveling solo again, leaving DH at home to tend the cats and the garden.  Booked on a casino comped cruise.   This time I'm doing a B2B to Alaska, the 1st segment is Glacier Bay and the 2nd is Endicot Arm.    

Just to get this part out of the way......I am not a writer, my grammar is usually not correct and I do this just for fun and half the time I don't proofread my stuff, so there are definitely some errors to be seen.  I also take lots of food pictures and critic my meals.  I do this when I'm eating dinner, because I eat by myself and it passes the time.

So, let's get on with the trip.

Today, I flew Southwest Airlines out of San Diego to Oakland.   For those of you who ever cruise out of San Francisco, be sure to consider flying into Oakland.  The airport is MUCH smaller, and so much easier to get from point A to point B.   Uber was right outside the baggage pickup, not like SFO where you have to walk forever to get to the ride share pick up.   The distance is about the same to the pier too.    Cost of Uber was $42.99 (I hit it at a peak time).

I'm staying at the Orchard Hotel which is like 1.5 miles to the pier.  Cost of the room was $207.    The room is very clean, and it's quiet inside my room.   I hear no road noise.  I've stayed at Columbus Motor Inn and RIU on prior trips, but I think I like this hotel the best of the 3.  It's within walking distance there are a few places to eat.   There is a Wallgreen's and a Starbucks 1 block away.  For dinner,  I chose Maru sushi, which hit the spot.  It was about 1/2 block away.   One bottle of sake later and I'm already lying in bed and it's not even 7:00.

The weather is overcast and the 10 day forecast shows Alaska is going to be raining most of the time.  That's the luck of the draw going this early in the season, but of course last week is was sunny.    

I'm in group A with a boarding time of 11:00, but I'll probably mosey down to the pier about 10:00 because I have nothing else to do.  

Make sure you get a picture going under the Golden Gate Bridge.   It's usually windy and cold and in what seems like a flash you are under it and then you aren't.   Have your camera ready, I took this with my iPhone.....seriously, an "aim and shoot" picture.

Here's my little post on the Premium Desserts

56 minutes ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Honolulu - bow pointed toward city. Diamond Head / starboard side

 

Nawiliwili - bow points to ocean. Port side dock. Get up early to watch remarkable S turn in harbor. 
 

Lahaina - anchored.  Walk the deck to see Lana’i, Moloka’i, and whales,,,Jan-March. 
 

 

 

Agree with Honolulu and Nawiliwili but Lahaina in January had whales galore off the port side while anchored.    

I didn't have any FCC but even I knew they were expiring at the end of 2022.    Everything always has an expiration date, and I sure as heck would have kept track of it.....that's just me speaking