Bimmer09

We had backed into our berth. Nieuw Amsterdam was bow first nearby.

Celebrity Apex behind Nieuw Amsterdam

We've never berthed at this dock before. Doesn't look crazy yet.

We returned to our stateroom to get our carry-ons and the cameras.

We had the last-off luggage tags and Suites were to muster in Wheelhouse Bar before leaving at 9.30

Carol preferred to sit outside on Promenade Deck

Sky Princess

Symphony of the Seas

Carol had a series of foods that had been photographed before so everything that follows was mine

Meat!

Kelloggs Frosties-they're GRRRRREAT!!

a favorite fruit

43 minutes ago, nini said:

@Bimmer09 / Norris:

Thank you so much for taking us along with you on this adventure. I also appreciate your comments regarding other cruise lines as well as your search for a new cruise line experience.

What are your thoughts on Viking Ocean? We have considered it, but are not too crazy about paying the total upfront a year ahead. We love Virgin Atlantic, but do not think the Virgin cruise line is a good match for us.

Safe travels!

Hi Nini, I avoid Viking Ocean (and River) for the payment business and for the Scandinavian furniture.  I like big padded chairs, leather especially. No romantic novel has ever began "She sank onto his  warm Scandinavian sofa" as far as I know.

Adults only means Christmas Cruises, nothing special without kids. If I was Santa I wouldn't even bother to show up. No casino? I don't gamble but a casino draws adults away from places I might be and gives the ship a lively buzz at night.

I flew Virgin Atlantic Business Class (free upgrade) while I was working for RCI in the 1980s. Loved that but will never sail on one of their gimmicky cruise ships. I'm not their demographic.Good food I hear and that goes for Cunard too and Regent/Silversea. Not high on our priority list.

We'll try HAL-seems a good fit on paper/video.

Thanks for your comments!

See you next December I hope!

Norris

We had packed our luggage for pick-up before we went to dinner last night in Da Vinci.. A first for me.

da Vinci

Said Goodbye to our fun service team

and were up early for the sail into Port Everglades

Sabatini's would open at 6.30 so we had time for breakfast before quitting our room at 8.a.m

Cleanup on Aisle Six

1 hour ago, ljhershey said:

Norris,

 

Our upcoming Princess cruise is our first as Elite.  Did you find the laundry service dependable?  I am hoping to pack  "less" if possible.

 

The laundry service on HAL for $49 per cabin per week is fantastic.  Get a bag to your room steward by 9 am and next day you will find clean clothes hanging in your closet and clean undies folded nicely in a basket on your bed.  We sent out clothes daily.  Well worth it for the peace of mind.  I did write laundry instructions (like warm wash) on the order sheet.

 

The artwork on HAL is exceptional.  If you like to experiment, one lunchtime in MDR, try the "stropfwaffel" (I have stumped the spellchecker on that word).

 

So any other Princess elite tips we should know?  I will be swapping the refrigerator contents, likely for pop/soda.  Getting afternoon tea worthwhile?

 

Thanks so much for sharing your experience.  I will look forward to hearing about your next adventure.

 

Looking forward to my upcoming Orange Souffle!

Leslie, I only sent out one load of laundry. I requested same day even though not in a hurry. Gave to steward before 9 a.m and it was back by turndown same day.

Thanks for the tips on HAL laundry.

I included a page with the Elite perks a page or two ago. I would try all of them, starting with afternoon tea in your stateroom. It's a lot of food. There will be a food coma and you'll want to eat a later dinner.

You should check out the 5-7pm Elite/Suite cocktail event in Skywalkers. Ditto the Captain's Cocktail Party. Try it all if you have time. You've earned it.

Your room steward can take care of the mini bar swap out.

I've seen the artwork on Pinnacle class mainly. Rotterdam is a standout.

I intend to spend some time each day in the Grand Dutch Cafe! 

We have Club  Orange as we are in a Neptune Suite but I will have at least one MDR meal to take pictures. I'll be having a stroopwaffel for sure!

Thanks for your many comments and for reading along!

Norris

It's our last night on Ruby Princess. Just a breakfast and a disembarkation to go. I will remember to show you the last two days of Patters as I am a "completist". Once ashore we have a day at the Marriott and some cruise ships sailing away that yielded some photos I was very happy with, followed by our best meal of the holiday. Followed by a flight to Chicago on New Year's Eve.

You'll see any photos I haven't yet shown you as I do my "clean up on aisle 6".

We weren't compelled to book another Princess cruise while on the Ruby. 2026 is a year we don't have a cruise booked and  we can take our time thinking about how to proceed after we cruise with HAL and X.

We will certainly sail the Panama canal again, next time a full transit as we loved the experience. I hope to  see more of Cartagena next time- we saw the trashy side as we went to the amazing aviary but I know there's a very colorful old town. Costa Rica has more to offer than the sloths I'm sure. We'll see Falmouth in December and visit Half Moon Cay, new to us. It will be warmer than Chicago so two thumbs up.

Cruising is still a huge lure for us. We wish we had more time to devote to it but Carol has an expanding business to attend to. 

The Ruby service and entertainment was top notch. The food disappointing at dinner. Fish was the way to go. Specialty restaurants good for the price although not super memorable. We've paid more but got better and think that's a fair trade. If you've eaten in Murano or Eden on X you'll know what I mean.

I should finish this tomorrow and want to thank you all for following along.

Norris

We've done two Harv n Marvs and each time just 6 passengers and the Captain. There were other excursions out there with 100 + people on big boats straining to get a good look at the whales in Auck Bay. They pick you up as you get off the ship in Juneau.

Always H and M for us. See some whales-point them out to the skipper and he goes there.

Norris

It's a smaller World...

This happy smiley face is Fernanda from Guatemala. She was my favorite server up at Tradewinds on the Diamond Christmas cruise December 2022

 and this is the same Fernanda I bumped into on her way to a shift in Wheelhouse Bar December 2023

So cool to meet up with her again!

2 hours ago, Kauai Kid said:

Norris, we haven’t sailed on HAL, but members of my family have, and loved them.

We have sailed on, I believe one of your favorites,The Song of Norway, around 1978, before she was expanded.

We have sailed NCL, Sitmar, X, and Princess. On our next Princess cruise we will be Elite for the first time. We have a round trip out of SF, in 2025. Most often we sail out of SF because we can drive to the pier, and Princess does round trips out of there.

2024 sounds like an exciting year for you and Carol.

I’m looking forward to your reviews.

Safe travels,

Mark

Mark, yes I was fond of the Song of Norway and sailed on her 44 times as a drummer.

Here we are in Labadee April 1986.

I got to see some fine ships in Miami. This is SS Norway which was operated by NCL

Carnival Holiday

Congrats on becoming Elite on your next sailing! We have only one cruise booked for 2024 because of a trip to Germany which always takes priority. We have 2 in 2025. Hopefully we like HAL enough to keep them in the mix. I have looked at so many lines. Some like MSC we decided Never as we had a long chat with someone who had sailed in the "Owner's suite" (she said) and never again MSC for her.

They didn't deliver on the brochure hyperbole. I am not keen on the ship within a ship concept which is turning us away from X. I have even looked at Seabourn when looking at Med cruises and most recently Regent 7 Seas but I think it is too fussy looking inside- we are not chandelier people and don't need butlers or caviar. Not worth going bankrupt over although the food looks great. We still need to have a ship with plenty going on- the show shouldn't be a guy playing solo trombone to a beatbox rhythm and we don't need a ship so small the cabaret is a guy playing spoons. HAL may be a good fit and we'll see in 11 months from today.

I did look at Cunard for a TA and for some Caribbean sailings around Xmas but the QM2  is a good ocean liner but a poor excuse for a cruise ship, upper deck wise and their dress code is not for me and I'm not a scruffy guy. It's kind of headache inducing as there are still so many choices after I cross off MSC, Costa, Royal, NCL, Virgin and Carnival. So many itineraries, prices and of course you have to consider that some are cutting back  and getting worse while some have woken up to smell the coffee and are trying to get back to an acceptable standard.  

I read so many boards and no line is perfect. Seabourn guests have complained they don't have enough places open for breakfast-a poor way to start one's day. Regent Mariner is out of bananas today a week into a World Cruise. And so on. Celebrity is losing future customers by their cutbacks and price hikes. Most migrating to HAL, Viking and even Seabourn.

Thanks for the comments and for reading along once again. 

See you after we sail the Rotterdam at Christmas.

Norris

CLUB FUSION

They play Bingo here, hold the Captain's cocktail party, host bands and comedians and it's the home of Karaoke. After the Princess Theater this is where we usually wind up.

Each GC ship I've been on has had different art themes around the walls

There's a huge wooden dance floor 

Housekeeping staff folding hand/face towels

People can walk by the windows looking out onto Promenade Deck 7

Deck 7 now has a few ADA electronic doors installed. Celebrity had those when they built their ships in 2008. The non-electric doors can be a heavy push and a slamming pull when it is windy on deck. The far door on the right opens with the press of a large button.

The only cameras I see for sale are GoPro

The Photographers

Deck 7

 There's a Medallion Desk nearby

The beautiful Explorers Lounge ladies and gentlemen. Make Some Noise!!

Stunning decor in this amazing room

International Cafe deck 5

Snacks

Serving 5.30 a.m (yikes) until 9 pm and busy during normal waking hours is...

1 hour ago, ljhershey said:

Love the description...harbor bottom sludge...exactly ... Why I asked.  Is this available shipwide or just at IC?

 

It would be like a miracle if it were shipwide ❣️

Lavazza is also available in the buffet. 

Illy is not available anywhere.

Norris

5 minutes ago, ljhershey said:

How was the coffee on board...has been iffy in the past?

It was harbor bottom sludge before they switched to Italian Lavazza. X had Lavazza in 2016 when we first sailed them. It's still second best.

ILLY, not IFFY is what the Doctor ordered.

Smooth, rich, tastes like caw-fee! Accept no substitute.

Since1933. Trieste, Italy

Norris 

Spa Deck 16 forward

Changing rooms, Spa restrooms and forward swimming pool access from this corridor

Salon

Gym accessed from Spa corridor

 Senior Officers 

Welcome plaques from ports around the World

Ruby birth certificate

We sped through our last dinner as there was a Farewell Show to attend. No more crew talent show apparently-we enjoyed those.  The Captain, his wife and daughter came onstage to say goodbye first.

27 minutes ago, 57eric said:

All my research, on both CC and the Princess site, says there's no charge for food at the International Cafe.  What am I missing?

Free if you have the Plus package as I had 

Norris

The Last Supper

Very small shrimp in a super zesty sauce for Norris

Carol's Caesar salad with anchovies

Carol's Mahi mahi with a rice cake

I had had one tasty Indian dish earlier in the week and so I ordered this chickpea dish

I ate two forkfuls and suggested to Kevin he palm it off to the next customer. It didn't transport me to India which is a good thing as it's a bit of a madhouse there with crazy traffic, blind men shaving each other and cows going to the toilet on the street. The sauce somehow had zero flavor, like it had been scientifically removed by sophisticated instruments. I could have asked the concerned Kevin for a replacement but Carol was already eating and my head was filled with images of blind barbers drawing blood and cows going potty in the streets of Delhi. I think I sought consolation in a glass of cures-all Sambuca Romana.

We planned it so that our last dinner on the ship would be in Da Vinci (incidentally-did you know there's a painter with that same name?)  We wanted to be able to say bye to the team that looked after us for almost 10 days. It all starts at the door....

( I will be sending them a copy)

I found a menu from our last lunch in Da Vinci

I know i had the Farmer's omelette

Carol went the salad route

the Seafood salad was a $19 upcharge

29 minutes ago, ljhershey said:

Thanks so much Norris.  I feel well prepared for our Jan 29 cruise.  I really appreciate your thoroughness, illustrations and humor.

 

Leslie

 

Leslie, thanks for the compliments.

I'm glad you found this helpful. I didn't have much in the way of humor-it's been a rough couple of weeks since we got back and the energy level is low. Sleeping a lot.

I have a couple of friends who just joined the Ruby today so they'll be getting off as you get on. You'll have a great time!

Meantime I have our last day to recount then our day in Ft Lauderdale where we get the best meal since we left Chicago and I get some good photos of the Ruby sailing away and leaving us weeping on the beach.

Stay following and catch us on the Rotterdam! Christmas is only 11 months away!!

Norris