Concerned

[capriccio]

3 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Lots of places to eat on the ship...all included except for a couple of Specialty Restaurants ($39 per person) and the Crab Shack ($29?). There can be others depending on the ship.

 

Unless the price of Share and the Crown Grill (specialty restaurants) went up $10 (and I don't remember seeing that any where)  since our cruise this time last summer on the Ruby Princess, it is $29 per person. 

[JF - retired RRT]

41 minutes ago, capriccio said:

Unless the price of Share and the Crown Grill (specialty restaurants) went up $10 (and I don't remember seeing that any where)  since our cruise this time last summer on the Ruby Princess, it is $29 per person. 

That's what I get for rarely paying for a meal.🤣

On our last cruise (the Ruby) we had the coupons and OBC, so didn't care what the cost was. We never go to specialty restaurants on our own dime. Prefer to use OBC or eat in the MDR.

[tawlaw1526]

We’ve been on the Ruby twice in 2015 and 2018.  Both cruises were wonderful and the Ruby is a beautiful ship.   I have never encountered a completely unfriendly staff on any Princess Cruise.    We always try to book a cabin on Lido.   You will thoroughly enjoy your first cruise experience.   You picked a great cruise line and a beautiful ship.   BON VOYAGE!!!!!    I hope you come back and let us all know how you enjoyed your cruise.    

[Adventures ahead]

10 hours ago, Doug R. said:

There are many old time cruisers who post here and some, not all, of them are very bitter about the changes in cruising since "The Good Old Days." The cruise ship companies are trying to hold the line on cruise fares and must out of necessity cuhingst some things while charging for some other things. This has been branded as "Nickle and Diming" by those who remember when such things were free...

 

Well said!  Some things have become 'user-pay' so that other passengers, who either don't want certain things (or can live without them), don't have to pay more for their cruise. Works for me.

 

We've sailed on the Ruby and her sister ships, and they were all great holidays. We've cruised on other lines and are loyal to Princess because it's a good fit for us. While nothing is perfect, cruising is a fantastic way to travel. When we started cruising 23 years ago, it was more about the ship (the journey). Now it's more about the destinations. Our first cruise wasn't, actually, our 'best' cruise... other than the fact that it was our 'first' cruise, so it was wonderful!!!  BTW, it wasn't on Princess.

 

People who look for negatives will find them. A person's positive attitude goes a long way.  You will be amazed and have a wonderful time!

[billco]

15 hours ago, gngrbas said:

My husband and I are first time cruisers set to sail on the Ruby Princess July 13th.  We were referred to Princess by a trusted family friend, but after reading some of the reviews - I'm extremely concerned.  We paid a pretty penny and saved a long time and are hoping for a positive memorable experience.  Someone enlighten me - we are on the LIdo Deck . .  ??? WE KNOW NOTHING.  Embarking - Disembarking???? Lots of friends have said to arrive early and we can tour the ship, however, according to a great majority of reviews - the ship is old, out dated, and the staff isn't friendly.  Please put my mind at ease and tell me (truthfully) that it's going to be alright. . . . please.🙄

The ships sail full with lots of repeat passengers. Must be a reason. Enjoy your cruise.

[LAS!!1414]

Just finished a 13 day update in Oct 2018. 

[BabySarge]

If you like wine don't forget to visit Vines located in the Atrium across from the International Café and if they are doing a Stammtisch Table you might want to try that also.   (A Stammtisch (German for "regulars' table", ) is an informal group meeting held on a regular basis, and also the usually large, often round table around which the group meets. A Stammtisch is not a structured meeting, but rather a friendly get-together.)  Nice way to sample some different wines and meet others in a small group setting.  There is a small fee for the Stammtisch Table - $15 per person I think.  It comes with small plate food for wine and food pairings.

 

DH and I have 29 cruises with Princess and Ruby is one of our favorite ships.  Relax and have a great time!

[Pierlesscruisers]

19 hours ago, gngrbas said:

My husband and I are first time cruisers set to sail on the Ruby Princess July 13th.  We were referred to Princess by a trusted family friend, but after reading some of the reviews - I'm extrememly concerned.  We paid a pretty penny and saved a long time and are hoping for a positive memoriable experience.  Someone enlighten me - we are on the LIdo Deck . .  ??? WE KNOW NOTHING.  Embarking - Disembarking???? Lots of friends have said to arrive early and we can tour the ship, however, according to a great majority of reviews - the ship is old, out dated, and the staff isn't friendly.  Please put my mind at ease and tell me (truthfully) that it's going to be alright. . . . please.🙄

 

One thing I would highly recommend is not to travel to your embarkation point (Seattle in this case) on the day of your departure. The reason I say that is because there is always a possibility of being delayed for some reason (aircraft maintenance problem, weather delay enroute,  any other problem that may cause you to arrive late to your destination) that might cause you to miss your cruise. Even if you are delayed and still make it to the port on time, is it worth going through the stress and strain of possibly missing your cruise? Arrive a day early and get a good night's sleep and begin your cruise relaxed and refreshed. 

 

The second thing is to get travel insurance so that even if something goes wrong and you have to cancel your cruise at the last minute or you do miss your cruise you will at least be able to recover most, if not all, of the cost of your lost cruise. 

 

The last thing is one "never" and two "always" things. NEVER put your travel documents in checked baggage!  ALWAYS keep your travel documents with you on your person or in your carry-on luggage. And, lastly, ALWAYS read very carefully your travel documents to make sure that you've got all the things that you are required to have for your trip (any visa's, shots, etc.) For Alaska you'll need a valid passport, passport card, or enhanced drivers license (MUST have the word Enhanced on it!),  or a birth certificate and government issued photo ID (e.g. driver's license.)

 

Hope you have a safe trip to/from Seattle and a great cruise!  See you at the pier!

.

Tom

[John99]

Welcome to cruise critic!

DW and my self have been to Alaska twice and are planning a 3rd cruise/tour next July. We have been on over 20 Princess cruises including the Ruby.  I love the ship.  You’ll have a great time.  Skynight, Mike45LC, Cougaraz, JF–retired RRT and others are spot on with their advice and comments.   Don’t worry. 

 

I see you’re from Texas and probably flying in and out of Seattle (SEA) for this cruise.  If you’re are in fact flying out of Seattle Airport (SEA) after your cruise please check out this FREE luggage service. 

 

Seattle Port Valet

The web site states “luggage free” & “complimentary”.  I understand FREE.

They recommend you check in “early” at the ship’s Guest Service.

Sign up and obtain a board pass and luggage tags.

They truck your bags to the airport.

You don’t see your bags until arrive at your destination.

You can even track your bags.  Nice feature.

Seven (7) airlines participate in this program.  Sorry, only domestic airlines.

The Port of Seattle is the sponsor for this FREE service.

 

Good luck and have a great time!

John

 

[austenfiend]

I'm so glad you came to CC.  This is where you are going to get the best information.  My family and I are relatively new cruisers, having done only about 10.  The wealth of knowledge you will get here will astound you.  Everyone's advice so far has been on-point.  I would just add, remember you are on vacation.  Try to slow yourself down, be patient.  Sometimes the embarkation process isn't as seamless as you'd like, but take the time to people watch, or take pictures to post to make your friends jealous that you are going on a fabulous vacation.  One thing I like to do is explore the ship first thing (after eating, of course!) and try and figure out a place that might be less frequently traveled by others.  Sometimes you might want to be someplace a little quiet, but not in your room.  A place to sit and watch the ocean, daydream, read, whatever.  You can do as little or as much as you want while on board.  You are going to love Alaska - I was in awe of all the nature that we don't even think about - sea lions, eagles, etc.  We were in port on the 4th of July one year and they had a parade, exactly like you'd imagine a small town parade to be.  Oh, and be adventurous with the food on board, order something you would never order in a restaurant "in real life".  Have a wonderful trip and soak it all in, you only get one FIRST cruise.

[JF - retired RRT]

1 hour ago, austenfiend said:

Oh, and be adventurous with the food on board, order something you would never order in a restaurant "in real life".  

Excellent advice!! I do that on every cruise. Haven't worked up the courage to try escargot (& likely never will), but I've wandered through the menus and found new favorites almost every meal.

[jangor]

4 hours ago, Pierlesscruisers said:

 

One thing I would highly recommend is not to travel to your embarkation point (Seattle in this case) on the day of your departure. The reason I say that is because there is always a possibility of being delayed for some reason (aircraft maintenance problem, weather delay enroute,  any other problem that may cause you to arrive late to your destination) that might cause you to miss your cruise. Even if you are delayed and still make it to the port on time, is it worth going through the stress and strain of possibly missing your cruise? Arrive a day early and get a good night's sleep and begin your cruise relaxed and refreshed. 

 

The second thing is to get travel insurance so that even if something goes wrong and you have to cancel your cruise at the last minute or you do miss your cruise you will at least be able to recover most, if not all, of the cost of your lost cruise. 

 

The last thing is one "never" and two "always" things. NEVER put your travel documents in checked baggage!  ALWAYS keep your travel documents with you on your person or in your carry-on luggage. And, lastly, ALWAYS read very carefully your travel documents to make sure that you've got all the things that you are required to have for your trip (any visa's, shots, etc.) For Alaska you'll need a valid passport, passport card, or enhanced drivers license (MUST have the word Enhanced on it!),  or a birth certificate and government issued photo ID (e.g. driver's license.)

 

Hope you have a safe trip to/from Seattle and a great cruise!  See you at the pier!

.

Tom

I totally agree with Tom.  My husband and I took our first cruise to Alaska.  We flew out of Newark airport (never again).  Bad weather held up our plane, we missed our connection in Seattle, had to stay overnight in Seattle with no compensation since the delay was weather related.  Rescheduled for the next day.  That plane developed toilet problems in First Class, so it was delayed since Pilot can only use front toilet.  Switched planes and arrived in Fairbanks at 10 p.m. of our second land day.  Thankfully, we had opted to do land first, then cruise and our land portion left the next morning for Anchorage.  Now we always book a hotel for day before our trip!

 

[Lynniepoo]

23 hours ago, skynight said:

Post no. 3 reminds you to enter all your immigration information into the cruise personlizer and print your boarding passes. Do you have your passports in order or your WHTI travel documents? Have you booked any port tours either with Princess in the cruise personlizer or with private tour companies? The passports or WHTI documents are most important. You can not board without proper documents. Assuming you are ready to go don't worry about what you have read. People have negative things to say about everything.

The Ruby Princess is a great ship and your cabin is in a nice location to access viewing, and other top deck venues. You asked about embarking and disembarking. If you can arrive at the pier around 10:30am. The porters will take your luggage which will be delivered to your cabin later in the day. Bring your important items like meds in your carry ons. Speaking about medicine don't forget to bring motion sickness pills. You never know if you will hit rocky seas. If you feel any uncomfort due to the motion take a pill right away. Motion sickness meds are preventative and do not work after you get sick. You will be checked in and assigned to a boarding group. Boarding begins around 11:30 with priority boarders followed by all others in order of arrival at the pier. Once boarding begins it goes very quickly. If you are flying in the day of the cruise you will board when you get there providing it is after 11:30. 

Disembarkation: A few days into your voyage you will receive a questionnaire in your cabin. Request the disembarkation you want. If you don't get the time you want just visit passenger services. Note: all passengers must disembark by around 9:30 to 10:00am.

You are visiting Skagway, Jueanu, Ketchikan, Victoria as well as Glacier Bay. These are great ports.

Make sure you pack layered clothing. It can be warm or cool in Alaska.

Read the Princess Patter each day it will be in your cabin. It has all the activities and times. Watch out for activities that are basically sales talks. These are mainly by the Spa and some of the on board shops.

While it is possible that you will find a staff member that isn't as friendly as you may like this is not the norm. Princess employees are very friendly and accommodating.

Note all the free dining choices. Main Dining Rooms, International Cafe, Horizon Ct. Buffet, Slices, Salty Dog Grill, Room Service (limited menu), Pub Lunch on the sea day. If you board early enough one of the dining rooms will be open for lunch probably to 1:00pm but maybe until 1:30.

For theater production shows arrive 30 minutes early for seating. Mid evening shows are most crowded.

There will be more to do than you can handle. Don't try to do everything, and just have a good time.

Hope this is helpful

IMO, above is fantastic advice!  I can only add that you should remember to have fun and enjoy yourselves.  Ruby is a beautiful ship.  I've sailed the itinerary you are going on and it's a great cruise.  

[mek]

We love Princess and while we have never sailed on Ruby and can't comment on that ship, we are getting ready to take an Alaskan cruise on Grand Princess which is 21 years old with no hesitations.  As others have suggested, read up on the ship and familiarize yourself with embarkation and disembarkation procedures.  Don't fret too much because people will be there to help you and answer questions.

 

The first cruise is always the best - enjoy!

[Lindaru]

One thing that will happen before you leave port the first day is muster drill (over view of safety procedures required on all cruises in case of emergency).  Life jackets are on a top shelf in your cabin closet but you will not be required to touch them for the drill.  There will be an announcement over the loud speakers for when you have to gather for the drill.  There are staff visible from your cabin to direct you to the stairs you will need to take to get to your muster station.  Your muster station is printed on your cruise card.  Be sure to have your cruise card handy once you get there as they need to scan it to assure that you attended.  Turn off all phones and devices before they begin the drill and simply pay attention to what they are going to say and demonstrate.  The first time you use the television in your cabin, there will be a safety video that automatically plays.  After that, you are free to roam the channels.

 

Once muster drill is over, you are free to go, and can use the elevators again for the rest of the trip.

If you are going to stay over night in Seattle before going to Pier 91 and your checked bags are going to be with you, the porters you will need to take your luggage are in yellow vests.  The ones in orange vests are for Holland America which also leaves from that pier.

For disembarkation, after you fill out the Port Valet information, you will be provided with luggage tags for your disembarkation group (color and number coded) as well as instructions on where you are to disembark.  If for some reason, there are not enough of those for all of your luggage, you can get more from Guest Services on Deck 6.

There is also a kiosk to the immediate left of Guest Services that you can simply tap your cruise card and get a complete print-out (after pressing "print") of your folio charges (OBC you have used and anything beyond that charged to your account).  You will get a final statement the last night of the cruise delivered to you that you can check over to make sure everything is as it should be.  If you find a discrepancy, you can go to Guest Services to get it straightened out.

While in the ports (except Victoria, B.C., unless you have international phone plan) you should be able to use your phone through cell towers.  Once at sea, some have stated that they incurred roaming charges depending on their carrier and plan if leaving their phone on while at sea, so check with your carrier before you leave so that you are not unpleasantly surprised.  We turned ours completely off while at sea just to be safe.

 

If you wish, there are a couple of videos by others on You Tube that I can link here that give a complete ship tour of the Ruby and another one of sister ship Emerald which shows what a Lido deck cabin (specifically L-311) looks like.  Let me know.  I love the Ruby and still miss her.

 

Happy cruising and thanks to all for such great information not only to O.P. but to me before I went on my cruise as well.

 

🛳️

[Ferry_Watcher]

I can help explain embarkation at Pier 91.

 

Feel free to arrive anytime after 10 am.  If you want to drop your luggage off with a porter outside the building look for porters wearing yellow vests pushing rolling carts.  (The orange vested porters only take Holland American luggage). Your luggage must have the Princess issued luggage tags that have your stateroom number listed on it.  Keep valuables/meds/passports with you!

Make sure you have all your travel documents i.e., Passport, or passport card, or birth certificate w/ gov't issued ID.  It would be helpful if you have your 'boarding' pass as well.

The doors at the terminal 91 building will open for embarking passengers after 10 am. 

 

YOU WILL BE SHOWING YOUR PASSPORT or WHATEVER TRAVEL DOCUMENTS YOU ARE USING,  3-4 TIMES BEFORE YOU GET ON THE SHIP SO PLEASE JUST KEEP THEM AVAILABLE.

 

Once inside you will be directed to one of two lines: a line to drop off luggage if you didn't give it to a porter outside and be prepared to show your passport here; or to a document check line that everyone goes through.  Please have whatever travel ID in hand and ready to show (Passport, passport card, birth certificate w/photo ID, etc, out and in hand).

Once your travel ID is briefly looked at, you will be directed to security staff in uniform that will check to verify that you are listed on the ships' manifest.

 

After that you will take an escalator (or elevator as needed) to the second floor where you will go through a security screening.  It is similar to what you do at the airport but much less intrusive.  (You can bring flowers, food, water bottle, etc)

After the security screening you will then either make a quick stop by the 'wine' desk if you are carrying your allowed 1 or two bottles of wine.  If no wine, you will get into the generally fast moving check-in lines.  The check-in line will be the last time you will show your passport/travel ID.  It is here that you will be 'checked in' and receive your stateroom card which is your room key, your onboard credit card, and your ID getting off & on the ship.

 

Once boarding starts 11:30 - 12 noon  and the Priority passengers are on board, general boarding will start and you will be on your way fairly quickly.

I think rooms are ready by 1-1:30, and you can grab lunch in the Horizon Court Buffet on Deck 15, and start to explore the ship.

The muster drill (safety drill) takes place around 3:15.  Ship sails away just after 4 pm.

Time to relax and enjoy!

 

Pier 91staff are wonderful - please ask for help if you need questions answered.

 

 

[Ferry_Watcher]

6 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Excellent advice!! I do that on every cruise. Haven't worked up the courage to try escargot (& likely never will), but I've wandered through the menus and found new favorites almost every meal.

 

With escargot you are basically eating a very small chewy piece of food bathed in garlic and butter (and usually that is all that you taste)!

[Colo Cruiser]

6 hours ago, JF - retired RRT said:

Excellent advice!! I do that on every cruise. Haven't worked up the courage to try escargot (& likely never will), but I've wandered through the menus and found new favorites almost every meal.

It's my fav!  

[turquoisesea]

9 hours ago, Pierlesscruisers said:

 

One thing I would highly recommend is not to travel to your embarkation point (Seattle in this case) on the day of your departure. The reason I say that is because there is always a possibility of being delayed for some reason (aircraft maintenance problem, weather delay enroute,  any other problem that may cause you to arrive late to your destination) that might cause you to miss your cruise. Even if you are delayed and still make it to the port on time, is it worth going through the stress and strain of possibly missing your cruise? Arrive a day early and get a good night's sleep and begin your cruise relaxed and refreshed. 

 

The second thing is to get travel insurance so that even if something goes wrong and you have to cancel your cruise at the last minute or you do miss your cruise you will at least be able to recover most, if not all, of the cost of your lost cruise. 

 

The last thing is one "never" and two "always" things. NEVER put your travel documents in checked baggage!  ALWAYS keep your travel documents with you on your person or in your carry-on luggage. And, lastly, ALWAYS read very carefully your travel documents to make sure that you've got all the things that you are required to have for your trip (any visa's, shots, etc.) For Alaska you'll need a valid passport, passport card, or enhanced drivers license (MUST have the word Enhanced on it!),  or a birth certificate and government issued photo ID (e.g. driver's license.)

 

Hope you have a safe trip to/from Seattle and a great cruise!  See you at the pier!

.

Tom

These are excellent tips!  Especially the one about not flying to your port city on the day the cruise leaves.  It only took one “almost missed the ship” experience many years ago and we never did that again. Besides, going the day before gives you a day to relax and go smoothly to the ship the next morning. Believe me, it is no fun worrying if your plane is going to take off on time!  

Have a wonderful cruise! I’ll be on the Ruby in August and I can’t wait!

Edited July 5, 2019 by turquoisesea

[satxdiver]

We have sailed on the Ruby several times and will be back on the Ruby next spring for a 29 day cruise.  She may be older but Princess and other cruise lines keep their ships updated.  The crew has always been friendly and willing to help not only on Ruby but on the other ships we have sailed.  The advice to arrive at least a day early is golden.  All you have to worry about is getting to the ship the next morning and starting your cruise to AK.  Get ready for an adventure in nature.  We have sailed out of Seattle several times to AK and all have been very enjoyable. 

[skynight]

It may have been mentioned but here goes. While on board turn any cell phone to airplane mode. If you don't the phone will connect to the ship's cell system and you will be charged a high rate per minute, I think it may be $2.50, for usage. You can use your phone normally while on shore or docked in Alaska where you will connect to land based towers.

[deliver42]

We just got off the Ruby in May, and while she's not the newest ship around, she was clean and the crew was great. Would I go on the Ruby again? Definitely.

[skynight]

gngrbas. Feel more comfortable now?

[LeeW]

The biggest problem with a first cruise is all the other cruises you will book because you loved it.  Friendly crew waits on you hand and foot, cleans your room, entertains you, brings you drinks (at a cost), serves you two dinners if you can't decide which to order, NO DRIVING ON VACATION, ...

 

We are now at about 50 cruises on three lines and mostly don't take land vacations any more.  Relax and enjoy!

 

And for Alaska take a camera with good zoom capability.

Edited July 5, 2019 by LeeW
more

[DRS/NC]

On 7/3/2019 at 7:54 PM, Thrak said:

We cruised Ruby last fall. Had a fantastic cruise. Loved the ship. Love being able to escape up to Adagio during the day to read where it's comfy and quiet. There's also a mostly unused (unknown?) outer deck area right behind Adagio. We would be happy to sail Ruby any time.

 

Thrak -- please quit telling people about the outer deck area behind Adagio!  That's my secret place on the ships!  😉