Ruby vs Grand?

[Optotronics]

Thinking of a Hawaii cruise in 2019 and wanted comment/ opinion from anyone who has recently cruised on both.

I searched google and forum, but latest info on this was from back in 2010.

I know the grand is 10 years older, but may have been updated a couple times by now.

Friends were on the grand back over thanksgiving this past year when it had to limp back to Hawaii, they really liked it but had nothing to compare it to.

Btw they were compensated very well when it broke down as well as getting several extra days back in Hawaii:)

[Colo Cruiser]

We have sailed the Grand and the Ruby many times.

IMO......

Since Skywalkers was removed from the Grand a few years ago due to structural issues we won't sail her anymore.

We really enjoy spending time there especially on sea days.

The replacement lounge for Skywalkers on the Grand is One5. We are not a fan of it either.

Built in 1998 IMO she needs to go.

We love the Ruby especially in the Adagio Lounge.

The Ruby also has an extra deck (riviera) which adds 500 additional passengers but we have never looked at that as being an issue.

Ruby also has an International Cafe that was put in when the ship was designed and built.

[XBGuy]

I've cruised on both, and I have cruises scheduled in the next five months on both. Both are very fine ships. I don't think you could go wrong with either.

 

The Grand Princess sails out of San Francisco. I'm a foodie, and I like the Alfredo's pizzeria. This is a no-additional cost sitdown restaurant open for lunch and dinner.

 

The Ruby Princess sails out of Los Angeles. I'm a foodie, and I like the SHARE specialty restaurant. This is an additional cost ($39 pp) restaurant open for dinner.

 

In my opinion the question becomes do you want to sail out of Los Angeles or do you want to sail out of San Francisco? I don't know where you live, but it might come down to the cost for you to travel to the port city. If you have time to spend a few extra days in one of these ports, San Franciso is nice because it is centralized. Point A is not too far from Point B, and San Francisco has excellent public transportation. Los Angeles is very spread out. Getting from wherever your hotel is located to, say, Disneyland or to Universal Studios or the Getty requires some arrangement for transportation.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with either ship, and I am sure that you will have a great cruise.

[Optotronics]

We have sailed the Grand and the Ruby many times.

IMO......

Since Skywalkers was removed from the Grand a few years ago due to structural issues we won't sail her anymore.

We really enjoy spending time there especially on sea days.

The replacement lounge for Skywalkers on the Grand is One5. We are not a fan of it either.

Built in 1998 IMO she needs to go.

We love the Ruby especially in the Adagio Lounge.

The Ruby also has an extra deck (riviera) which adds 500 additional passengers but we have never looked at that as being an issue.

Ruby also has an International Cafe that was put in when the ship was designed and built.

Thanks, does that mean no international cafe on the grand?

I agree it's almost 20 years old, so it has that against it; but if the physical size of both ships are about the same, then the grand would win with lower pax density in its public spaces. What was skywalkers? What structural issues caused it's removal?

[Optotronics]

I've cruised on both, and I have cruises scheduled in the next five months on both. Both are very fine ships. I don't think you could go wrong with either.

 

The Grand Princess sails out of San Francisco. I'm a foodie, and I like the Alfredo's pizzeria. This is a no-additional cost sitdown restaurant open for lunch and dinner.

 

The Ruby Princess sails out of Los Angeles. I'm a foodie, and I like the SHARE specialty restaurant. This is an additional cost ($39 pp) restaurant open for dinner.

 

In my opinion the question becomes do you want to sail out of Los Angeles or do you want to sail out of San Francisco? I don't know where you live, but it might come down to the cost for you to travel to the port city. If you have time to spend a few extra days in one of these ports, San Franciso is nice because it is centralized. Point A is not too far from Point B, and San Francisco has excellent public transportation. Los Angeles is very spread out. Getting from wherever your hotel is located to, say, Disneyland or to Universal Studios or the Getty requires some arrangement for transportation.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with either ship, and I am sure that you will have a great cruise.

Does the ruby not have Alfredo's?

We would be driving from Colorado so distance to both are about the same, but was considering doing the ruby on January 3rd, that way we could go a little early and see the rose parade:) haven't been to it since 1970 when I was just a little boy and got to see the apollo 11 crew in the parade.

Edited June 23, 2017 by Optotronics
Typo

[Pam in CA]

Most ships are using one of the specialty restaurants to rotate Alfredo's with the pub lunch. Just because there's no dedicated Alfredo's restaurant doesn't necessarily mean there's no Alfredo's menu on that ship. Don't know definitely about the Ruby but that was the case on the Island last November and other ships I've been on.

[cr8tiv1]

I am near LA...and have been on the Grand and the Ruby. I much prefer the Grand because she is smaller and has Alfredos. I did not like the Ruby. She had too many passengers and not enough public spaces. The area by the International Cafe was always overflowing with passengers. They "removed" some very nice sitting areas on the Ruby.

 

Saying this...I would book a cruise to Hawaii if you can find ELUA as your cultural ambassadors.

[peety3]

I've sailed on the Grand once, and the Ruby four times (with #5 coming in September). For us, the decision is simple: Ruby all the way. We really like the Adagio Bar, and there's something about the overall layout of the ship that just seems to work better. Great aft views from SHARE/Adagio or up on deck 19 at the jogging path. Plus, Ruby has the central passenger staircase that the Grand doesn't - it's always a hotly debated topic, but the lack of staircase undoubtedly makes the elevators full more often, so if you're on a middle deck you can end up waiting a while. For us as serious hobbyist photographers who frequently cruise Alaska, when I'm heading to an elevator with a 28" long camera/lens combo on my shoulder and two cameras hanging at my hips, I can't just squeeze in without fear of clobbering someone in the head; yet, the elevators get full before they get to the middle decks, so then I have to walk forward or aft to get to stairs (which I'm happy to take) but it's tricky to do as a "wide load".

[XBGuy]

Thanks, does that mean no international cafe on the grand?

I agree it's almost 20 years old, so it has that against it; but if the physical size of both ships are about the same, then the grand would win with lower pax density in its public spaces. What was skywalkers? What structural issues caused it's removal?

 

Does the ruby not have Alfredo's?

We would be driving from Colorado so distance to both are about the same, but was considering doing the ruby on January 3rd, that way we could go a little early and see the rose parade:) haven't been to it since 1970 when I was just a little boy and got to see the apollo 11 crew in the parade.

 

The Grand Princess does have the International Cafe on Deck 5.

 

Skywalkers is a nightclub. On the Ruby Princess it is located high over the fantail of the ship. If you can find profile views of the Ruby Princess and the Grand Princess, it will be quite apparent that the rears of the two ships are quite different. Skywalkers does offer some fantastic views. I like to go up there in the afternoons on sea days. It can be an nice place to sit and read. I can't address the details of the "structural issues." As a substitute the Grand Princess has a venue called Club One5 on (surprise) Deck 15

 

No, there is no Alfredo's on the Ruby. Pam indicated that on many ships there is an Alfredo's offering during lunch in one of the specialty restaurants. All my Princess cruising has been on the west coast, and I can't say that I have ever seen it. My experience, however, is quite limited. I have never cruised on any of the small ships like the Island Princess, for example. Keep in mind, also, that the Ruby Princess does not have a Sabatini's specialty restaurant which would be the logical place to offer the Alfredo's menu.

 

I might add, also, that the Ruby Princess does have the no-charge walk-up Prego Pizzeria on the Lido deck. (I think there is a Prego on all Princess ships.) Also, for a few bucks you can order Pizza from Room Service. So, you can definitely get pizza on the Ruby Princess. My wife and I just enjoy the ambience of the Alfredo's venue.

 

I have to add, also, that your idea of going to the Rose Parade prior to your cruise sounds fantastic. Again, whatever you decide, I'm confident that you will have a great time.

[partybarbie]

I've cruised on both ships many times, and have done the Hawaii cruise several times. I would pick the Ruby out of San Pedro.

 

IMHO, the Ruby is the nicer of the two ships and it has the newer Production Shows, Magic to Do and Once Upon a Dream.

 

Additionally, leaving out of San Pedro normally guarantees nicer weather and a full day stop in Ensenada. Even if you don't get off the ship, I would rather lay by the MUTS pool in sunny Ensenada, then spend my last day fighting the wind and the current going back to San Francisco.

[tomsawyer]

Sailing under the Golden Gate - priceless

The Grand for the win!

[Colo Cruiser]

Sailing under the Golden Gate - priceless

The Grand for the win!

 

 

Is it possible to change ships once you clear the bridge?

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Sailing under the Golden Gate - priceless

The Grand for the win!

Absolutely agree 100%.

[namowal]

Thanks, does that mean no international cafe on the grand?

I agree it's almost 20 years old, so it has that against it; but if the physical size of both ships are about the same, then the grand would win with lower pax density in its public spaces. What was skywalkers? What structural issues caused it's removal?

 

According to Wikipedia (which, in this case, doesn't cite its source)

 

The removal of the "Skywalkers" lounge from Grand Princess has resolved her tendency to sail bow high, and has improved her fuel economy by about 3-4%. The bow high tendency was peculiar to Grand Princess, and does not affect any of the other Grand class ships (or the derivative classes) as they all have aluminium upper decks, a feature Grand Princess does not have due to the technology to link these two materials being in its infancy when she was built.

 

 

[jennybenny]

We have sailed both.

We mostly sail the Grand because that is our home port. We have also sailed a few times on the Ruby. We have future cruises booked on both ships.

 

Sailing out of SF is amazing. Sailing under the golden gate is beautiful. We have done both on time and late sailings from SF and both are spectacular.

 

Merely speaking Ships, I prefer the Ruby because I really like SHARE and Skywalkers. Alfredo's is great on the Grand, and it's free, which is a great bonus. The Grand no longer has Skywalkers. Overall, I would pick whatever was cheapest. Is it cheaper to sail out of LA or SF? When it comes to airfare, transfers, and getting to and from the ship, plus cost of the cruise. That would make my choice for me.

[OCruisers]

While we would have no problem cruising on either, we sort of like Ruby the better of the two. :)

[Colo Cruiser]

According to Wikipedia (which, in this case, doesn't cite its source)

 

 

The structure was cracking as well.

[Lucky TGO]

While we would have no problem cruising on either, we sort of like Ruby the better of the two. :)

I agree with you LuLu. :)

Tony

[Bemidji Ty]

We've sailed both and will again. That said, we prefer the Ruby.

 

Cheers

[mariakitty]

When comparing the two ships, Ruby is hands down the nicer of the two. It has Skywalkers, a beautiful atrium and is in better shape than the Grand.

 

With that said, if looking at itineraries, there is simply nothing that replaces sailing out to sea under the Golden Gate Bridge. It's amazing!

[Micahs Grandad]

Interesting thread. Going back to Hawaii for third time and booked Grand based on having chance to see San Fran.

[love2relax]

I prefer the Grand. It is actually our favorite ship. I do love sailing out under the Golden Gate Bridge, but I also like that it is a little smaller. I prefer the location of MUTS on the Grand too.

One more thing: I am not a smoker, but I sail with 2 brothers who are. The Grand has a really nice smoking area complete with ceiling fans and comfortable furniture outside the OneFive aft on the port side of the ship. Many of the smokers congregate in that area. They are super happy to have such a nice spot, and the few other spots onboard for smokers seem to be less busy. For me, I can avoid the smokers, and for them, they have a great place to hang out.

[HaveDogWillTravel]

Thanks, does that mean no international cafe on the grand?

I agree it's almost 20 years old, so it has that against it; but if the physical size of both ships are about the same, then the grand would win with lower pax density in its public spaces. What was skywalkers? What structural issues caused it's removal?

The Grand has a very nice International Cafe. It also has Vines and Alfredos.

[FoghornLeghorn]

I've been on both - twice.

Love the Grand for it's smaller size and less people.

But, I love the Ruby also. I like Skywalkers and their Crown Grill.

I would choose either one for the right itinerary :)