Tour of the Ruby Princess

[lmentzer]

Do they offer a tour of the ship? How much do they charge? We went on a HAL cruise and they were charging $150 per person for a two hour tour. That seemed like an awful lot just to walk through the engine room, bridge, crew quarters and kitchen. Would like to see those areas but not at that price.

[sh2738]

Do they offer a tour of the ship? How much do they charge? We went on a HAL cruise and they were charging $150 per person for a two hour tour. That seemed like an awful lot just to walk through the engine room, bridge, crew quarters and kitchen. Would like to see those areas but not at that price.

 

 

Believe I read about it somewhere in one of my upcoming cruise docs and I believe it is around the same price. I thought it would be cool to do until j saw the price.

[Working 2 Cruise]

It is $150 per person.

[Colo Cruiser]

Yes Ultimate Ships tour. $150pp and, its well worth it and a must do at least once. :)

 

Lots of extra goodies.

Edited June 18, 2015 by Colo Cruiser

[Dudleydog73]

One thing to note is you get a goodie bag filled with items that have an MSRP of around the same value including a fluffy Princess robe that are in full suites, pictures, a chef coat or apron depending on their inventory, and a few other things.

 

We did the UST (Ultimate Ships Tour) on the Ruby with Commodore Romano and the experience was amazing. They only take 12 folks on the tour so it is quite intimate and you get a chance to talk to command officers in each location visited. Commodore Romano spent about an hour with us personally showing off his bridge and explaining what everything did and answered all of our questions.

[DougH]

I held off on this for a long time because of the $150 cost but finally did it a few years ago. I thought it was well worth the time and money to do at least once. All of the different department heads were very proud to show off their areas and crew. It was neat to see a lot of places "behind the scenes" you don't normally have access to.

 

Make sure you have lots of luggage space for the goodies they give you, the robe in particular takes up a LOT of space. When I finally did the tour I made sure it was from my home port and I wasn't flying home and have to worry about packing the extra items.

[caribill]

The Ultimate Ship Tour (UST) on Princess lasts at least three hours and is usually held on the last sea day, sometimes in the morning and sometimes in the afternoon.

 

I have yet to read a post by anybody who has taken the tour that said it was not worth the price.

[nukesubsailor]

I have taken the Ultimate Ships Tour twice and really enjoyed it. We saw the galley where we were served canapés and wine. We saw the medical center, food storage facilities, the print shop, the ships laundry, the back stage and below stage areas of the Princess theater, the anchoring/mooring area, and ended up with a lengthy stay on the bridge where we again were given food and sparkling wine.

One of the ship's photographers followed us and took photos in every area including photos with the captain on the bridge.

Like others have said, the gifts they will give you before the end of the cruise retail for as much as the $150 tour fee. The robe alone would cost $90.

I would recommend going to the passenger service desk as soon as you board and sign up for it. Only a dozen passengers can participate in the tour.

[princess65]

Would this ship tour be accessible to a person in a wheelchair or are there steps at some point?

[Working 2 Cruise]

Would this ship tour be accessible to a person in a wheelchair or are there steps at some point?

 

There are a lot of steps... there's a lot of walking as well.

[Matcodixon]

Having taken the Ultimate ship tour on the Ruby, I will join those that say it is an experience well worth the expense. Be aware that the number of passengers that can participate is very limited so it is important to sign up ASAP after boarding at the CS desk.

There is another entire world that you will see on this tour that is amazing and very educational.

 

Dixon

[capriccio]

My DH and I found the Ultimate Ship Tour of the Emerald (sister ship to the Ruby) fascinating and well worth the money in 2009. In 2013 we were traveling with my DB and SIL on the Royal (their 2nd cruise on Princess). While I was nervous about recommending something so expensive I did tell them how much we enjoyed it. They took it and said it was the highlight of the cruise. They still talk about it!

[Eagleeye]

We have done the UST twice most recently on the Ruby. On our last tour we were in the laundry and they just happened to be sorting our clothes we had sent to be cleaned. Here are some tips on doing UST.

 

1. Sign up as soon as you get on board to get the best chance of being selected.

2. Wear comfortable shoes and opened toed shoes are not allowed in the kitchen area.

3. Keep an eye on the weather because you will be going outside. On our last tour out of Iceland we were taken up to the stacks. I can't tell you how cold it was up there.

4. You can't take pictures, but the photo department takes group pictures at each stops and everyone on the tour gets a free copy of each. We also got a picture of us with the Commodore on the bridge.

5. There are several steep steps, but it isn't all that bad.

6. When in the anchor room, do not look down the hole in the deck to look at the anchor especially during highs seas because you could get unexpected shower. The anchor is also in an unheated section of the bow.

 

Roger

[caribill]

We have done the UST twice most recently on the Ruby. On our last tour we were in the laundry and they just happened to be sorting our clothes we had sent to be cleaned. Here are some tips on doing UST.

 

1. Sign up as soon as you get on board to get the best chance of being selected.

2. Wear comfortable shoes and opened toed shoes are not allowed in the kitchen area.

3. Keep an eye on the weather because you will be going outside. On our last tour out of Iceland we were taken up to the stacks. I can't tell you how cold it was up there.

4. You can't take pictures, but the photo department takes group pictures at each stops and everyone on the tour gets a free copy of each. We also got a picture of us with the Commodore on the bridge.

5. There are several steep steps, but it isn't all that bad.

6. When in the anchor room, do not look down the hole in the deck to look at the anchor especially during highs seas because you could get unexpected shower. The anchor is also in an unheated section of the bow.

 

 

I have been able to take pictures on the Bridge during the tour after first asking the Captain.

[peety3]

I have been able to take pictures on the Bridge during the tour after first asking the Captain.

 

Obviously you were able to take your camera - did they instruct you to not use it elsewhere? Were there any advance instructions telling you that photography would be limited?

[Dudleydog73]

Obviously you were able to take your camera - did they instruct you to not use it elsewhere? Were there any advance instructions telling you that photography would be limited?

 

 

They will give a detailed letter with requirements in clothing, shoes, no photography, etc. that is why the staff photographer goes with the group the whole time. They do not want you to take your own pictures.

[peety3]

They will give a detailed letter with requirements in clothing, shoes, no photography, etc. that is why the staff photographer goes with the group the whole time. They do not want you to take your own pictures.

Caribill took pictures on the bridge. That is why I asked the question.

[caribill]

Obviously you were able to take your camera - did they instruct you to not use it elsewhere? Were there any advance instructions telling you that photography would be limited?

 

Yes, pre-tour information said no photos permitted. But I knew from past experience that photos on the Bridge are OK.

 

On the Carnival equivalent tour they will not allow you to have equipment capable of taking a photo while on the tour. No camera. No cell phone. No etc. They wand you to detect any metal that might be something that could take a photo.