Ruby Princess: New Cruisers welcome input!

[VilleGirl]

Hi all,

 

My husband and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary in September 2015. We are considering doing a West Coast Getaway aboard the Ruby Princess during that month. I'm hoping we can get input from all you more seasoned cruisers!

 

What we want in a cruise experience:

 

* Excellent food. We enjoy fine dining.

*Overall, quiet and relaxing

* Shows/entertainment is not really important. (Although my husband will LOVE the Mixology@Sea!)

 

 

We don't care about all the waterslides and conga lines and surely don't want the constant-screaming-over-the-speaker-with-the-next-karaoke-contest, and unsupervised-children-running-around-the-adult-sections that we have heard horrors about from other cruisers. Please tell us we're making a good choice! And if not, suggestions are appreciated!

 

Thanks in advance!

[joeyancho]

You're gonna love it. The specialty restaurants offer fine dining. The mdr offers good dining. The pizza is excellent. Afternoon tea is very nice and offers delicious mini sandwiches and pastries. Your cruise can be as quiet or as active as you like. That is the beauty of cruising. As far as kids go if school is out there will be more kids than usual. Congratulations on 20 years of wedded bliss.

[JF - retired RRT]

Hi all,

 

My husband and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary in September 2015. We are considering doing a West Coast Getaway aboard the Ruby Princess during that month. I'm hoping we can get input from all you more seasoned cruisers!

 

What we want in a cruise experience:

 

* Excellent food. We enjoy fine dining. Crown Grill and Sabatini's $25pp. or MDR no charge and nearly as good

*Overall, quiet and relaxing Everywhere, mostly laid back

* Shows/entertainment is not really important. (Although my husband will LOVE the Mixology@Sea!)

 

 

We don't care about all the waterslides and conga lines and surely don't want the constant-screaming-over-the-speaker-with-the-next-karaoke-contest, and unsupervised-children-running-around-the-adult-sections that we have heard horrors about from other cruisers. Please tell us we're making a good choice! And if not, suggestions are appreciated!No water slides, maybe a conga line at sail away (we usually go aft and watch the port recede

 

Thanks in advance!

Some announcements of upcoming bingo, etc - but not constant and no screaming

Kids usually stay in their special areas and have never had a problem with them running wild (9 cruises).

Edited January 26, 2015 by JF - retired RRT

[Astro Flyer]

Welcome to Cruise Critic & congratulations on your 20th anniversary. If you're like many of us...cruising is addicting! :D

 

The term "casual elegance" has been used to describe Princess which to me describes it well. Based on your desires, I think you'll enjoy a Princess cruise because it's not Vegas glitz or a hard partying experience.

 

Taste is subjective but we enjoy the food on the ship however it's not like "gourmet" food decades ago but that also came with a "gourmet" price. There are plenty of choices of well presented tasty food & we've rarely been disappointed and never leave hungry. If something doesn't suit your tastes, simply request something else. Your waiter or a chef may ask why you didn't like it but they're interested in providing food that everyone enjoys. As mentioned, the specialty restaurants are better & at $25/pp. a nice treat.

 

The service we've received from Princess crew has been excellent and never hesitate to request something because they want you to have a great cruise experience.

 

The thing we like so much with a cruise is we have the option to do it all or to enjoy a quiet relaxing experience. At home dinner & a show is a rarity but we get to enjoy it nightly on a cruise. :D

[lady merlot]

I know everyone's tastes and expectations are so different but we were given one dinner for two at a specialty restaurant on the Ruby.

Is there any specific one we should avoid? This whole cruise is a once in a life time thing so want to avoid bad experiences as much as possible.

 

PS. I am not a picky person

[caribill]

I know everyone's tastes and expectations are so different but we were given one dinner for two at a specialty restaurant on the Ruby.

Is there any specific one we should avoid? This whole cruise is a once in a life time thing so want to avoid bad experiences as much as possible.

 

PS. I am not a picky person

 

If steak is your preference, do the Crown Grill.

 

If you prefer northern Italian food, do Sabatini's.

[Astro Flyer]

I know everyone's tastes and expectations are so different but we were given one dinner for two at a specialty restaurant on the Ruby.

Is there any specific one we should avoid? This whole cruise is a once in a life time thing so want to avoid bad experiences as much as possible.

 

PS. I am not a picky person

Comparing Sabatini's & Crown Grill is frequently discussed & here's a link to a recent discussion:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2158196

 

If my wife & I go to only one specialty restaurant it's the Crown Grill but recently we went to Sabatini's for a birthday and enjoyed it. To me the bottom line is do you prefer a steakhouse or Italian meal. :)

[skynight]

Hi all,

 

My husband and I are celebrating our 20th anniversary in September 2015. We are considering doing a West Coast Getaway aboard the Ruby Princess during that month. I'm hoping we can get input from all you more seasoned cruisers!

 

What we want in a cruise experience:

 

* Excellent food. We enjoy fine dining.

*Overall, quiet and relaxing

* Shows/entertainment is not really important. (Although my husband will LOVE the Mixology@Sea!)

We don't care about all the waterslides and conga lines and surely don't want the constant-screaming-over-the-speaker-with-the-next-karaoke-contest, and unsupervised-children-running-around-the-adult-sections that we have heard horrors about from other cruisers. Please tell us we're making a good choice! And if not, suggestions are appreciated!

 

Thanks in advance!

 

Choose the length and timing of your cruise carefully to minimize the possibilities that you mention. A 3 or 4 day getaway cruise will be more party like than longer ones, and when school is not in session will have many more children on board. These short cruises also attract young adults because they are within their price range. 7 day cruises also have lots of youth when school is not in session, for example Easter Weeks. A 10 day cruise will have far less youth on board. Princess does not have all the play hardware that is on Carnival or RC. But, that does not mean you will not encounter lots of youth. For example we were on a HAL cruise during Easter and it was so loaded with kids, the pool area was a no go zone.

 

The Ruby Princess has the Terrace Pool which is adults only. The Calypso Reef Pool has Movies Under the Stars (MUTS) which plays all day and can be annoying. The Neptune's Reef Pool is MUTS free. The Lotus Spa Pool pool is also adults only, but has limited seating. If you like to lounge most of the day, look into The Sanctuary. There you will have your own reserved lux. lounge chair. There is a fee for this area, and if you wish to book it go there right after you board.

 

Don't know how you define "Fine Dining." The best "fine" dining on board will be the Chef's Table. There is a surcharge which I believe is $95pp. You can search for the Princess Chef's Table on line for additional information. Sign up once you board. Shorter cruises may not offer the chef's table.

MDR's serve very good meals.

The Crown Grill and Sabatini's also offer nice meals. They have a $25pp surcharge. There may also be a Crab Shack (buckets of shell fish) at $20pp.

Free dining:

All MDR's

International Cafe open 24 hours

Horizon Ct./Cafe Caribe Buffet open 6am to midnight

Trident Grill & Pizza & soft icecream bar open 11am to 11pm on the Lido deck

Room Service

Pub Lunch on sea days in the Wheelhouse Bar.

 

Evening shows and entertainment:

Princess will have production shows and guest entertainers in the theater each evening at multiple times. The Wheelhouse Bar will have live easy listening ballroom dance music. Explorer's Lounge may have comedy, game shows, pub night, things like that. Club Fusion has theme nights, karaoke, live music and dancing, maybe game shows. The Piazza area may have classical music or other activities. Crooner's Lounge has a piano player/singer starting at 9pm.

 

There are announcements, but not too many. They are usually mid day and later in the afternoon, and none at night that I can remember.

[geocruiser]

We were on Ruby 1/3 to 1/10. It was a wonderful cruise and we enjoyed the food in the main dinning room. Since the begining of Dec we took two RCL cruises and one Princess cruise. My DH & I now feel that Princess is our first choice in a cruise line.

[gdlamberth]

How is the Pub Lunch on sea days?

Greg

[timetravler]

For your actual anniversary, I highly recommend making reservations at the crown grill or Sabatini's. Everything is top notch and totally worth the extra fee. Also you can order flowers for your cabin BEFORE your cruise by calling princess. That is a nice touch. The Ruby is a very nice ship without waterslides and rock climbing walls and screaming kids or announcements in your cabin. You will be pleasantly surprised with Princess for sure.

[AZ Ocean Lover]

My husband and I were just talking last night about how much we loved our Ruby cruise. Visit the Adagio bar, next to Sabatini's. It's intimate and relaxing and out of the way of crowds.

 

Go and have fun.

[newparks]

How is the Pub Lunch on sea days?

Greg

 

 

Two weeks ago on the Ruby, it was excellent!!

[Colo Cruiser]

How is the Pub Lunch on sea days?

Greg

 

Its excellent and a nice change of pace. ;)

[Shogun]

Hi All

We did the Chefs table on the Ruby found it to be one of the best we have done

 

Yours Shogun

[CL-JW]

We are sailing on the Ruby in April and usually do an extensive Photo log of the ship. Check back to this thread in late April early May and we will post an update link to the photos, so you can see what to expect.

[skynight]

How is the Pub Lunch on sea days?

Greg

Worth the try. They have things like fish & chips, breaded shrimp, shepard's pie, plowman's lunch (not too good), maybe a few other items. Order as much as you like, all free. Beer and other drinks, of course, have a charge.

Edited January 28, 2015 by sknight

[Gabrielle R.]

Have a great time!!!! We spent our 25th anniversary on the Crown Princess-- sister to Ruby. We just did Ruby this past December- over New Years.

 

Princess does a great job of keeping kids occupied- certain times of the year has more kids then others.

 

Many gave great advice on food. A nice 'snack' ore retreat for you two would be Vines- the wine bar. It is quiet and they bring you appetizers with your wine. Tapas and sushi are the choices. We had the Taps they were good. The wine was nice. The international cafe we liked stopping by to get a pastry in the morning- that is where they have the coffee card if you like specialty coffees. This is where they have great sandwiches too... so nothing fancy- but you might like something different for lunch.

 

Quiet places are easy to find! I'll mention a few of my favorite places: The Promenade deck has nice loungers and it is often very quiet- just walkers going by. Skywalkers is nice quiet indoor space and has a great view of the wake of the ship. Go on the upper deck close to the serenity area- that area is always quiet. (This is from traveling at Christmas when there are kids- so I know it is quiet).

 

Early morning if you get a coffee and go to the aft pool (Terrace Pool) You can enjoy the quiet of the day and it is a nice place to wake up.

 

If you have a balcony that is quiet too.

 

Hope some of this helps you out!

CONGRATULATIONS on 20 years! Cheers!:D

Gabrielle

[royalcruz]

Be sure to visit Vines, Adagio, and Sabatinis.

In the daytime, there are often "bingo time" announcements in the public areas, as well as a navigational announcement from the Captain. Just curl up with a good book on deck and tune it out. The aft pool and spa pool are the quietest pools.

 

We are always able to get a table for 2 in the Anytime dining room. You might enjoy that.

Edited January 29, 2015 by royalcruz

[pablo222]

Hi All

We did the Chefs table on the Ruby found it to be one of the best we have done

 

Yours Shogun

 

Was paulo the chef? He is very personable!

[Shogun]

Hi

We had Paulo in the summer in the autumn it was Naveen

 

Yours Shogun