Ruby Princess in pictures; Dec. 9-16, 2012

[dmwnc1959]

Yup thats Ryan...and Ryan was moving over to the Star (bummerrrr).

 

Yes, that is a bummer. :( I thought he was the better of the two.

[gelo7]

Truly magnificent photos!!

[dmwnc1959]

Truly magnificent photos!!

 

THANK YOU for the kind words! I am so glad that you enjoyed them! ;

:D

[Hobart Hurricane]

Awesome pics mate, looking forward to the photos you take on the Royal Princess

[dmwnc1959]

Awesome pics mate, looking forward to the photos you take on the Royal Princess

 

Hi Hobart Hurricane!

 

THANKS! I am an avid photographer and LOVE taking pictures, and have seen many camera 'artists' on Cruise Critic that definitely give me a run for my money. ;)

 

I'll probably take a thousand pictures of Royal Princess during my week on her and will follow the dozens that come before me in posting all of the details and pictures I can of her. This way those cruising her in the Winter/Spring 2014 can enjoy the ship and get to know her even more before they sail her. :D

[Hobart Hurricane]

Id love to be able to do the Royal one day. Being so far away in Hobart I can only dream, so your photos will help me through :). Also would love to do the B2B cruise you did. How do you find Royal Carribean? Id love to go on the Oasis or the Allure

[dmwnc1959]

Id love to be able to do the Royal one day. Being so far away in Hobart I can only dream, so your photos will help me through :). Also would love to do the B2B cruise you did. How do you find Royal Carribean? Id love to go on the Oasis or the Allure

 

That was my first cruise with Royal Caribbean since 1999. Celebrity Cruises is my preferred cruise line, but I absolutely loved, loved, LOVED the Allure of the Seas. Hands down the best cruise experience I have ever had. Period. Best food, best shows, best of everything. And never felt crowded.

 

As far as being down in Hobart, you'll want to vacation at least two weeks up here to make it worth the trip. If you do a similar B2B do the smaller ship first, save the Oasis-class for last. It will make both trips more enjoyable. ;)

[Hobart Hurricane]

Ok thats great, how much of the ships restaurants, activities etc are included in your price with Allure? Yeah i would really love to do that would be great. Partner and I are planning on doing Hawaii, Tahiti and South pacific round trip from Sydney next but wont be until prob 2015 when we have both finished University

[dmwnc1959]

Ok thats great, how much of the ships restaurants, activities etc are included in your price with Allure? Yeah i would really love to do that would be great. Partner and I are planning on doing Hawaii, Tahiti and South pacific round trip from Sydney next but wont be until prob 2015 when we have both finished University

 

You can go on Allure and not spend an extra penny for dining and food...

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/General_Info/Flyers/10021925_Whats_included.pdf

 

...but specialty restaurants and a la carte venues (7 of them), the Ice Cream Parlor at the Boardwalk, The Cupcake Cupboard on the Royal Promenade, and Johnny Rockets are among the things you find extra charges for.

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/General_Info/Flyers/10020614_Allure_Specialty_Restaurant_Flyer.pdf

 

P.S. the room service menu is the most extensive and comprehensive I have ever seen on any ship. It's amazing!

 

.

[gambee]

 

P.S. the room service menu is the most extensive and comprehensive I have ever seen on any ship. It's amazing!

 

.

 

 

Oh my, don't tell me this. I thought it was quite limited :(, I was hoping for the one on Celebrity to be better. I noticed that Carnival offers smoked salmon on theirs for breakfast and bagels, those are my favorites. Allure had neither :(

[dmwnc1959]

Oh my, don't tell me this. I thought it was quite limited :(, I was hoping for the one on Celebrity to be better. I noticed that Carnival offers smoked salmon on theirs for breakfast and bagels, those are my favorites. Allure had neither :(

 

I looked at the room service menu while on the Celebrity Millennium B2B in Dec 2011, but maybe the Celebrity Silhouette will be have more/different options? ;) Maybe ask LSimon over on the Celebrity Forum.

 

.

[Hobart Hurricane]

You can go on Allure and not spend an extra penny for dining and food...

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/General_Info/Flyers/10021925_Whats_included.pdf

 

...but specialty restaurants and a la carte venues (7 of them), the Ice Cream Parlor at the Boardwalk, The Cupcake Cupboard on the Royal Promenade, and Johnny Rockets are among the things you find extra charges for.

 

http://www.creative.rccl.com/Sales/Royal/General_Info/Flyers/10020614_Allure_Specialty_Restaurant_Flyer.pdf

 

P.S. the room service menu is the most extensive and comprehensive I have ever seen on any ship. It's amazing!

 

.

 

Ok nice so its still pretty good. I think I may have to see if i could do a b2b with princess and then on royal. Your photos have pretty much given me the bug to really want to do it :)

[dmwnc1959]

Ok nice so its still pretty good. I think I may have to see if i could do a b2b with princess and then on royal. Your photos have pretty much given me the bug to really want to do it :)

 

If you want to 'up the ante' read Gambee's review on Allure of the Seas. Simply the BEST ever review on Cruise Critic.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1737751

 

Enjoy Princess, the Allure and Oasis are unequalled in the industry.

 

Happy Cruising!

[Hobart Hurricane]

I have been loyal to Princess as I love the ships and the service on them but would love to go on the Allure or the Oasis

[dmwnc1959]

I have been loyal to Princess as I love the ships and the service on them but would love to go on the Allure or the Oasis

 

Good luck and happy sailing in whatever you choose. You have some nice ships coming to Australia in the next couple of years if you would rather not make the jump across the Pacific. You can always try one of the others, and if you don't like it, continue to sail Princess. You never know, you might find a new 'favorite' cruise line. :D

[Hobart Hurricane]

Just out of curiosity how do the prices compare between the Allure and the Ruby cruises you did?

[dmwnc1959]

Just out of curiosity how do the prices compare between the Allure and the Ruby cruises you did?

 

For the Allure of the Seas I paid a premium of 200% over the standard accommodation rates, whereas on Ruby Princess the surcharge was a bit less. Combined with the fact that Allure is still commanding much higher fares than most other ships, along with the fact that Allure has more than twice as many inclusive options in regards to dining and entertainment (which is superior to anything Princess can offer), a price comparison between the two is hard to do unless you personally define what benefits and features you are getting from each.

 

I did not use the zip line, rock climbing walls, dual flowriders, huge putt-putt golf obstacle course, ice skating rink, or full sized basketball court, features a lot of folks complain about that they never use so why should they cruise those types of ships. But I did eat or snack in 21 of the 26 different places available, and enjoyed most all of the stunning shows, including a 90 minute production of CHICAGO, full hour-long Comedy Shows, entertainment acts in the main Amber Theater that were also an hour long, and incredible full production water shows at the Aqua Theater. Other features like the enormous Adult-only Solarium are free, whereas the forward facing Sanctuary on Princess is not.

 

Some things I thought I might not enjoy or participate in like the DreamWorks Move It! Move It! parade and the 70's disco party in the massive Royal Promenade turned out to be a blast!

 

I also had two different types of accommodations on these ships. On Allure of the Seas I had a Central Park View (no balcony) stateroom with a large picture window (that looked out into the park itself), a very large seating area with a full couch and a separate love seat under the window, making the stateroom nearly twice the size of my Inside Stateroom on Ruby Princess.

 

With all that said, and taking into consideration all of those factors, as a single occupancy solo traveller I paid $1895 for my week on Allure of the Seas not including the extra charges (roughly another $200) for the seven lunches and dinners I had the the specialty restaurants and other fee venues like the Ice Cream Parlour and Cupcake Cupboard. For my week on Ruby Princess I paid $922, not including dining twice in specialty dining ($50) and other extras.

 

Was Allure of the Sea worth twice the cost of Ruby Princes? To me, YES. The ship is stunning, the entertainment and dining far beyond anything Princess can begin to offer, and the wonderful afternoons and glorious evenings I spent enjoying the breath taking Central Park make it simply the best cruise I have ever taken. And despite the naysayers, there are plenty of places on the ship where you can still see the ocean or enjoy a lounge chair with a view of the ships wake. ;)

[Hobart Hurricane]

Awesome mate thanks for that. Im presuming everythings in US dollars so with our conversion rate atm would be great. If only I wasnt still at uni and could go. Would love it. Thanks for the help you seem the man in the no, ill have to keep in contact with you

[dmwnc1959]

Awesome mate thanks for that. Im presuming everythings in US dollars so with our conversion rate atm would be great. If only I wasnt still at uni and could go. Would love it. Thanks for the help you seem the man in the no, ill have to keep in contact with you

 

You're welcome, glad to help. And yes, those were US $'s. ;)

 

And if not this year, maybe another. Don't forget there is a 3rd Oasis-class ship due to come out in 2016 as well as many other fun ships from NCL and Royal Caribbean (Quantum-class) being built too. Lots of choices! Now is the time to start planning (and saving)!!! :D

[Hobart Hurricane]

Yeah i saw there is another class coming out. They are a little bit smaller arent they?

[dmwnc1959]

Yeah i saw there is another class coming out. They are a little bit smaller arent they?

 

For size comparisons:

 

Oasis-class

225,000grt 1,181' length

 

Quantum-class

167,000grt length not yet published but will be over 1,000'

 

Norwegian Breakaway Plus

163,000grt length not yet published but will be over 1,000'

 

Royal Princess

141,000grt 1,083' length

 

Ruby Princess

113,000grt 951' length

[Hobart Hurricane]

Gee didnt realise the Royal was that much smaller. The Oasis Class ships must look so bloody big in person

[dmwnc1959]

Gee didnt realise the Royal was that much smaller. The Oasis Class ships must look so bloody big in person

 

Now you KNOW how I felt going from the Allure of the Seas to the Ruby Princess! ;)

 

Royal Princess is still going to be a fairly large cruise ship, and bigger in size and length than any of her fleet mates. Still, I wouldn't not go on a ship just because it is only 140-150,000 tons. Look at the features and amenities each offers and decide whats right for you. That's why I cancelled both the Norwegian Gem and Celebrity Constellation for December and opted to keep the Royal Princess. Just something a little different than what I've already experienced. Plus, it will be my first cruise with Princess as a Platinum member (yea! ;)). Not a deciding factor, of course, but getting some of the perks and extra OBC through the military personnel onboard credit program sure helps.

 

And, it's a BRAND NEW SHIP!!! :D

 

297 days and counting....

[Hobart Hurricane]

Awesome mate cant wait to hear about it :)

[sjn911]

Dear David,

 

Wow..I needed some beautiful ship travel. Came across this reading in the Carnival blog. The Allure and the Ruby were absolutely beautiful. I can't think of a more wonderful back to back to explore this upper so called mainstream category...on today's new and gorgeous ships...I really feel like I got a taste of what it was like. I have been on the Star Princess and love the Princess feel and ship...I wondered about Oasis Class...but I think I would like it..I got the feel you could have many getaway places..but the size is absolutely astounding...the venues unbelievable. What a gorgeous cabin too, was it quiet enough??...I still loved Princess I could tell, both your different and extremely beautiful ships were greatly enjoyed...thanks sooo much for sharing..it was a needed escape and lift.

 

Sarah