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Live from the Ruby Princess Med-T/A October 7, 2009

Woobstr112G

By Woobstr112G,
in Princess Cruises

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TBetti

TBetti

Posted
Posted

Ann, Sounds like you and Al are having a great time. Looks like you crossing is smooth. We wish we were there, had such a great time the last time on the Emerald. Take care, will E-mail you about our trip on the Pacific Princess.

 

Tom & Mary

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choochella

choochella

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Bob, glad you are having smooth seas on your TA voyage. I've been looking at the bridge cams daily, and the sea almost seems glassy.

 

I have enjoyed reading your posts. Please take care of the Ruby as we board on Sunday.

 

Enjoy the remainder of your voyage!!

 

Karen

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Woobstr112G "Live from...." Rare

Woobstr112G

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I'd like to thank all the cruise critic memberes out there who took the time to post on my "Live From" thread. All of us Ruby Stars had a great time on the cruise. There were good and some bad things but all in all, it was a fantastic cruise. As always it was sad as I was walking off the gangway yesterday.

 

On thing on getting off the ship. When I put my cruise card in the box an alarm went off and I was ushered off the ship to a seperate customs area due to a large purchase I made while onboard. I wasn't in trouble or anything because I did declare it on my customs form. I just had to pay an extra $360.00 in duty. This is a reminder to those out there who might be thinking of not declaring their purchases made on board that it's just not worth it. While I did pay the extra duty the fine, according to the customs agent, would have been almost $3.000.

 

In a while I will be posting a complete review of the ship. I have also begun to upload pictures to my the flickr site. the link is in my signature.

 

Take Care All..............:):):)

 

Bob

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kidder kid

kidder kid

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Posted

Although I did not contribute to the "Live from" since travelers more experienced than I had that well in hand, I do want to make some observations as a "newbie."

 

My husband and I have never cruised (or visited) in Europe before so this was not only our first Transatlantic, but our first time in the Med. We arrived in Venice on 10/5. I loved the whole trip but Venice was magical and I really want to go back some day. Although I was a little fearful of doing private tours, after reading so much on our Roll Call, I decided to give it a try. We did private tours in Naples (Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast,) Rome, Florence and Lisbon. Thank you, Joanne, Martha, and Char for arranging them. Traveling in 8 person vans was so much nicer than in big buses. I'm not knocking the Princess tours. We did them in Barcelona and the Azores and had a great time. It was just nicer not to have to load and unload so many people.

 

The Ruby was beautiful. We felt very "at home" since we have sailed on her sister ships, the Crown and the Emerald. Captain Yeomans is one of the most personable captains we have had on Princess ships. I am happy that he will still be on the Ruby in March when we do our 10 day Caribbean. The food was good to very good. On our long tour days (Naples, Rome and Florence) we were so tired that we ate in the Caribe Cafe. Not as good as the dining room but it took less time.

 

We were lucky enough to be chosen for the Chef's Table (thanks, Char for getting our names in early) and I can wholeheartedly recommend this experience. As has been mentioned, you start with a tour of the kitchen and are served champagne and hors d'oeuvres in a quiet area in the kitchen. Then on to the dining room for a special meal presided over by the Chef and Maitre 'd. I would be happy to share the details of the menu if anyone is interested. Our Chef's Table group was made up entirely of our new Ruby Stars friends which made it special. Also, to make it extra special, we were lucky enough to be hosted by the Master Chef of all Princess cuisine, Alfredo Marzi, who had joined the ship in Barcelona. It was a wonderful experience and well worth the money.

 

I cannot say enough about how helpful all the experienced folks on our Ruby Stars roll call were. Their advice was invaluable. We enjoyed meeting everyone, and hope we are lucky enough to cruise with you again some day. (Dorothy, we'll see you in March.)

 

For those who asked about the seas in the Med and on the crossing, all I can say is perhaps we were very lucky. The rough day when we missed Marseilles, the movement of the ship was not bad and did not bother me at all. There was one day when the seas seemed relatively calm but I felt like my stomach was doing a few "flip flops" - not bad but noticeable. The weather was great for the most part - I packed way too many long sleeves that we did not need.

 

Would I do a Med TA crossing again? You bet I would.

 

Carolyn

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  • 1 year later...
canadianim

canadianim

Posted
Posted

Hi Bob - we are doing 4 nights in Paris, 2 nights in Venice & then doing the 12 day Venice to Barcelona Ruby cruise.

 

We've booked everything so I have a few questions re transportation, based on your VAST experiences !

 

1. What's the best way to get to MarcoPolo to our hotel (which is by the Grand Canal by the Rialto Bridge)? Want to minimize the distance we have to drag our suitcases, but also don't want the MOST expensive route...

2. From CharlesdeGalle airport into the heart of Paris - what's your recommened route? Taxi? Any idea of cost? We're central somewhere between L'arc du Triomphe & La Tour Eiffel.

3. After the cruise, we are staying only ONE night in Barcelona, so that we do a day trip/city tour with the cruiselline - we were looking for a hotel that best suits the purpose. Should we just stay the one night near the port? or near the airport? or near the city centre? Want to reduce the stress in getting to the airport early the next morning, so we're thinking a hotel near the airport w/ a free shuttle.

Any other advice about anything in Venice/Paris is appreciated. Take Care. Marc

 

Hello all. DW & I will be boarding the Ruby on Wednesday for a great Med-T/A from Venice to Florida. I am statrting this "Live Fom" thread a little early because we are doing two days in Paris before flying onto Venice. We are leaving on Sunday for Paris. There we will be spending two days. I'll post my observations on Paris while we are there. When we get to the Ruby, I will try to regularily to post my observaions of the Ruby. Feel free to ask any questions you may care to ask....:):):)

 

Bob

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