sharichka

On 2/5/2024 at 7:00 AM, Cruise Raider said:

Here are a few pictures from the ship.  While not very noticeable, the carpet on the starboard side has small green dots and on the port side, small red dots.  I always think of port (red) wine to help me remember which side is which.  
Also, I’ve included a photo of our usb ports built into the desk.  
 

The cruise director, Jody and her assistant Shaun gave a talk on the the ships features, mostly for those that are new to cruising but I still like to learn something new every day.  With the exception of the two elevators on the sides that are midship, when you are exiting the elevators, you are walking forward.  Good to know.  

The cabin TV’s are not mounted on the wall as we’ve seen on other ships.  It works out nicely in the corner as the balcony door opens from the other side. If it didn’t, I’m sure that would be quite the hazard as it reaches far over the shelf on which it sits.  

 

We just got off the Crown on 2/17.  In our cabin (A640), the balcony door opened right next to the tv.  My 6'3" husband caught his shoulder on it several times as he was going out to the balcony.  I wish it had been wall mounted, but it was a small inconvenience to deal with.

I highly recommend Alaska Humpback Adventures.  The boat only takes 6, I believe.  When we went, my husband and I were the only ones.  We were picked up at the pier and got a great tour of the area as we drove to where the boat was.  I would definitely choose one of the independent companies over the ship tour for this.

We are on this same trip in February.  I'm excited to read your recap and "get to know" the ship and itinerary.

We loved whale watching with Humpback Adventures in Juneau.  The boat can take 6 passengers, but when we went in 2018, my husband and I were the only ones.  Captain Steve was so kind and gave us a great overview of Juneau and Alaska.  We can't wait to go out again with him in July.

On 4/20/2023 at 9:36 PM, sharichka said:

I submitted my online renewal on Feb. 6.  Today I received an email letting me know it was shipped.

 

Update:  Passport arrived today!  I feel like now I can really start to get excited about our trip.

I submitted my online renewal on Feb. 6.  Today I received an email letting me know it was shipped.

I'm trying to figure out what we want to do on this stop as well.  I'm wondering if it is feasible to do the cannery on our own, as opposed to the ship excursion.

1 hour ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

As said above...it can vary from ship to ship, port to port depending on sourcing.  I *always* pre-purchase a 12 pack of water for our cabin.  It's the best deal at only $7.08 per 12 pack.  Yes, you can get a bottle at any bar location you happen to be near but at that price you just can't beat having your own stash in your cabin.

Where do I go on the website to pre-purchase water?  I did it on my last cruise 5 years ago,but I have no recollection of where I found it.

1 hour ago, snoozecrooze said:

Hello and welcome! Great choice for your first ever cruise and I hope you have a blast!

 

Some miscellaneous tips I have for the ship itself:

- Walk all around the ship and explore everything on your first day/night. Take advantage of the fact that others are probably tired or waiting to do it on their first sea day. You'll find your favorite nooks much faster than everyone else.

- Bring motion sickness remedies if you haven't already. The Pacific can be unpredictable and rough as you head straight out from San Francisco and all the way up north.

- You can bring less clothes than you think you will need as there will be a laundromat on every cabin deck ($3/wash load and $3/dry load). You can also hand wash some delicates in the sink/shower and then let it hang dry -- you can buy some magnetic hooks on Amazon to hang dry somewhere specific or just hang it in the large walk-in closet.

- Quiet spots that people don't really seem to discover or at least not really until midway through the cruise: Adagio Bar on the aft of deck 16 and the Skywalkers Nightclub on the aft of deck 18. Fabulous spaces to just relax and unwind during the day when you're out at sea but don't want to be cooped up anywhere else. The whole aft area on Ruby Princess, with the varied outdoor seating, might just be my favorite part of the ship in general.

- You can access the deck that's on top of the bridge by walking all the way to the front of deck 15 and then going through those exit doors. Fantastic panoramic views. If you are eager to be out there during primetime (AKA glacier cruising), then you'll need to plan ahead to beat the crowd.

- You can also find a good spot for scenic viewing from the front of deck 8. You get there by going out to the promenade on deck 7 and then walking to the front of the ship, and then take the stairs towards the ship's bow. If you want to be perched there, though, you'll also need to plan ahead.

- All dining rooms serve the same menu so you don't have to stick to the one you know if a different one is more convenient for you to reach.

- If the buffet seems busy at breakfast, head aft and there will be another nook open. Many people seem to ignore this aft area's food stations and seating.

- All cabins are equipped with motion sensor lights under the nightstands and in the closet. If you don't like them, you can ask your room steward for assistance with the closet light and also just put a rolled beach towel against the sensor on the nightstand.

- Speaking of towels, if you anticipate needing them, grab some on the first day for your convenience and then just stow them in your cabin. You'll never be asked to check them out or be liable for any fines if any go unreturned; it'll just make your life a bit easier.

- Same with blankets; Princess offers red-and-black checkered blankets at night when they show the movies at night on the pool deck. Grab some on the first night and then you'll be guaranteed to have blankets to use early in the mornings when you're on your balcony or out and about on the open decks for scenic cruising.

- Lastly, don't be afraid to ask for assistance and let someone know if you've appreciated their assistance via their comment cards. A little goes a long way to help the crew gain "brownie points" (for a lack of a better term) when it comes to career advancement.

 

If you have something specific, please ask away. There's probably too many things to actually discuss here lol.

 

Thanks for these tips.  This will be our first time on the Ruby.  I never would have thought about getting a couple of blankets to use on the balcony.

4 hours ago, ninka26 said:

My husband and I will be taking our first ever cruise on Ruby Princess (Inside Passage Glacier Bay) RT San Francisco leaving July 6th. We booked an aft balcony on the Caribe deck. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated! I want this to be an extraordinary cruise experience for my hubby!  

We will be on this cruise as well!  This will be our 2nd Alaska cruise out of San Francisco, but our very first trip with a balcony.  One of the best things anyone ever told me before our first cruise is the great thing about cruising is you can do as little or as much as you want.  I like to try all the things. Crafts?  Sure!  Exercise class?  Why not!  Fruit carving demonstration, towel folding, bingo, naturalist talk?  Sign me up!  My husband wants to get his coffee, sit with his book and look at the ocean. We're both happy!  

One of the dining rooms will be open on embarkation day and we find having a nice relaxed lunch is a great way to start the trip.  They will try to steer you to the buffet, but you can ask which dining room is open.  Be sure to be out on deck for sail away.  Sailing under the Golden Gate bridge is amazing!  

The walls of your cabin are magnetic, so bring some magnetic clips to hang anything you need.  There aren't alot of outlets in the cabin, so a power strip is handy.  Make sure it does not have a surge protector.  Some people bring some sort of a door decoration to make their cabin door stand out from the hall way.  

On the day we cruised the glaciers in 2018, they had the most amazing pizza slices available.  It was a white pizza and they only served it that day.  We were on the Grand and I'm hoping the Ruby serves it as well!!

Are you planning any excursions?  I hope you have an awesome trip!!

On 3/16/2023 at 10:24 AM, donaldsc said:

Check out the Northern Pacific Cannery National Historic Site.  https://northpacificcannery.ca/  Sounds blah but it was extremely interesting.  The town also has a really great regional museum.   We spent 3 days in Prince Rupert on our AK driving trip and we enjoyed ourselves very much even when it was raining.

 

DON

Did you do a ship excursion for this or on your own?  If on your own, how did you get there?

I just wanted to mention Alaska Humpback Adventures as another option.  We had a fantastic trip with them in 2018 and will be doing it again this summer.  The boat can carry 6, but my husband and I were the only ones on our tour.  Captain Steve previously was a captain for Harv and Marv.  I'm sure whatever one you choose, you'll have a great time!

We loved our whale watching with Alaska Humpback Adventures out of Juneau in 2018. It is a small boat, that just takes 6 passengers.  It was such a great experience, that we just booked it again for this summer.

I wonder if there will be any excursions through the ship offered.  Time to start researching what there is to do.  

We loved our tour with Alaska Humpback Adventures in 2018.  We are looking forward to booking with them again for our 2023 cruise.  I highly recommend!

We did the 10 day out of San Francisco last summer and loved it! It was  great to be out of a port so close to our home and not have to fly anywhere.  The ship was a little worn in some places, but the service was wonderful.  Our children our grown, but I think if we had taken them where they were younger, they would have enjoyed the craft classes, zumba classes, swimming, board games and watching movies.  Good luck with your choice!

We are on Grand Princess this July 5th to Alaska. We have 52 members posting and have about 42 planning to attend. I'll be acknowledging 5 - anniversary, 2 - birthdays, 2 - retirements, 4 - 1st time to Alaska and 1 - 1st time on a Princess ship.

I can't wait for our Meet and Greet. Just a few more days!

On our Alaska sailing, the Crab Shack filled up quickly.

I would to to Tracy's anyhow!!!

But, mentioning this just in case.

Is the Crab Shack another dining venue on all ships? Sounds like something we would like! Do I need to make reservations ahead of time for this?

So I know for next time, does the Princess website always close dining reservations a few days before the first day of the trip or does the fact that it is closed mean they are completely booked?

We leave for a trip to Alaska aboard the Grand in 4 days. This will be our second Princess cruise. We decided we'd like to have dinner at the Crowne Grill this time. I mistakenly thought I could reserved that right up until the day we sailed, but when I went on today to make the reservation, it said the reservations are closed. Will there be any problem making a reservation once we are on board, or is my husband out of luck getting the steak dinner he is dreaming of (the man loves a good steak dinner!)?

You can bring additional bottles of wine from ports which are subject to a $15/bottle fee to be consumed anywhere on the ship. I’ve never been assessed that fee however we pay the $15 when we take it to the dining room so we either pay sooner or later.

 

Steelers36 has created an excellent document using the most recent wine list & compares the net cost to purchase wine onboard vs. bringing wine.

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=410218&d=1503617110

This is a very handy price comparison. Thank you for passing it along!

Does Carnival offer an on board credit for military veterans? Our only other cruise was on Princess and we were happy to find out they offer military an OBC. I was wondering if Carnival does also.