The Ruby is back!

[Beth Y]

Starshine, there are no USB ports in my Balcony cabin on Caribe deck.  There's a phone jack and these two outlets near the desk, and one more outlet high above a corner cabinet, all on the balcony wall.  I'm glad that I brought a 10-foot charging cord.

[milogurd]

Can someone verify that the Share restaurant is gone? If so, was it restored to Sabatini's?

Edited November 3, 2021 by milogurd

[atobols]

I just wanted to let everyone on board know how much I appreciate your photos and comments.  We have 19 long days until it's our turn and you're making the anticipation that much more enjoyable.  Thank you!

[Sea Hag]

36 minutes ago, milogurd said:

Can someone verify that the Share restaurant is gone? If so, was it restored to Sabatini's?

Yes, it's Sabatini's. We're having some wonderful breakfasts there this week. 

[Sea Hag]

On 11/1/2021 at 7:39 PM, Steelers36 said:

Are you saying they let the folks in PES lounge go at the same time as everyone else, or that from the PES lounge the Elites & Suites did not go ahead of Platinums?  Sounds like they weren't assigning A,B,C group cards.  Perhaps they thought numbers were low enough to not bother.  Nice boarding time - 11:15 is great.

I tried twice on my laptop to respond to this. Seems to have gone off into the ozone, but apologies if those two and this one all show up. 

 

I meant that everyone in the PES waiting area all boarded at the same time. No priority and no attention paid to boarding groups. For standard  non-PES boarding, they might have enforced boarding times. Maybe someone knows about that?

[Therese S.]

5 hours ago, Beth Y said:

Therese, the Terrace pool on 14 is open.  Nice views from up there. Just took these pictures on my iPad  -- sorry that they're showing upside

It’s open I see my huge balcony Lol 😆 Thanks so much Beth for the photos.  Enjoy the rest of your cruise 

[Starshine95123]

Thank you Beth Y. That’s too bad, it makes it so convenient when it’s next to the bed. Not a big deal, I’ll make sure we bring a charger with extra USB ports for our iPads and phones. 

[brisalta]

8 hours ago, Beth Y said:

Starshine, there are no USB ports in my Balcony cabin on Caribe deck.  There's a phone jack and these two outlets near the desk, and one more outlet high above a corner cabinet, all on the balcony wall.  I'm glad that I brought a 10-foot charging cord.

 

Did you check the base of the bedside lamps to see if there are USB charging ports there? That is where they are on the Grand Princess.

[brisalta]

Do you know who is the Executive Chef, Matre'd etc. ?

[HaveDogWillTravel]

I would greatly appreciate a photo of the Officer Board. It is usually near the central elevators on deck 7. Thank you in advance. 
 

@brisalta FYI the title  Maitre D’hotel is no more. This position is now DORO. Director of restaurant operations. 

Edited November 4, 2021 by HaveDogWillTravel

[luv2cruisin]

11 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

FYI the title  Maitre D’hotel is no more. This position is now DORO. Director of restaurant operations. 

 

I did not know that!  Thanks for the heads up  🙂

[grimpil]

Would you mind posting a pic of the laundry bag/prices?

[Therese S.]

Hello Beth, I know you’ve been asked a lot of questions and if you don’t mind could you let me know if you can order the 375 ml bottles of alcohol such as vodka, whiskey through room service?  
 

Prior to the medallion, cabins had a binder in the desk area which showed items that could be delivered through room service, such as soda, water, alcohol.  Are these items, specially the  bottles of alcohol still available to  order through room service?  
 

Thank you

[Cruise Raider]

14 hours ago, brisalta said:

 

Did you check the base of the bedside lamps to see if there are USB charging ports there? That is where they are on the Grand Princess.

I checked with my PVP / CVP who is currently onboard and there are no USB ports at the base of the lamps on the Ruby.  

[Cruise Raider]

@Beth Y … what is that sandwich and where did you get it.  It looks amazing.  I want to try one when I am on the Ruby later this month.  

 

[brisalta]

20 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

I checked with my PVP / CVP who is currently onboard and there are no USB ports at the base of the lamps on the Ruby.  

 

The Grand Princess received those lamps at least 2 years ago. Interesting that the older ship is more up to date with technology than the newer ship.  😉

[brisalta]

 

25 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

@Beth Y … what is that sandwich and where did you get it.  It looks amazing.  I want to try one when I am on the Ruby later this month.  

 

She said :

  

On 11/3/2021 at 7:06 AM, Beth Y said:

I shopped a little in Avalon, and had a delicious lobster roll for lunch at the Lobster Trap.

 

Unless your voyage stops at Catalina Island you will not be getting one.

Edited November 4, 2021 by brisalta

[memoak]

1 hour ago, Cruise Raider said:

@Beth Y … what is that sandwich and where did you get it.  It looks amazing.  I want to try one when I am on the Ruby later this month.  

 

That is a lobster roll the respondent had while on shore on Catalina Island - you will be hard pressed to find it on ship

[Cruise Raider]

On 11/4/2021 at 2:46 PM, brisalta said:

 

The Grand Princess received those lamps at least 2 years ago. Interesting that the older ship is more up to date with technology than the newer ship.  😉

Oh wow … we didn’t have them on our cruise in late 2019.  Heck, we didn’t even have reliable internet on the Grand at that time … no need to plug your devices in.  😂😂😂

but, it is interesting they didn’t get them yet on the Ruby.  Hmmm?  

[Cruise Raider]

On 11/4/2021 at 3:35 PM, memoak said:

That is a lobster roll the respondent had while on shore on Catalina Island - you will be hard pressed to find it on ship

I was going to say … looks excellent!  
I may have to hunt one down next time I’m on Catalina.  Yummmm!  

[brisalta]

4 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

Oh wow … we didn’t have them on our cruise in late 2019.  Heck, we didn’t even have reliable internet on the Grand at that time … no need to plug your devices in.  😂😂😂

but, it is interesting they didn’t get them yet on the Ruby.  Hmmm?  

 

The lamps with the USB charging ports in their base were in use on the Grand Princess October 2019. At least they were in the Balcony staterooms.

[Beth Y]

Therese, the Medallion app shows only individual alcoholic drinks available for delivery, no bottles.

[Beth Y]

On 11/4/2021 at 8:47 AM, grimpil said:

Would you mind posting a pic of the laundry bag/prices?

Here you go, grimpil.

[Beth Y]

Some final thoughts about the Ruby.

 

What I liked --

• My balcony cabin on Caribe deck. Great bed. Big TV.  Plenty of storage for everything.
• The crew.  Very friendly and efficient.  Fast service in the MDR at all mealtimes.  Everyone seemed happy to be working.  We were told several times that we were appreciated on Ruby's first cruise in 591 days.
• Surprisingly, the Medallion App.  I had my doubts, after major issues setting it up and difficulty completing the pre-cruise forms.  I used the CrewChat three times, twice to have drink charges removed from my account that were not mine, and once for a toilet repair.  It's great not to have to wait in a line at Guest Services to deal with this stuff.
• Live music.  My favorite entertainers were Aileen and Sticks, an Irish couple who played in the Wheelhouse Bar every evening.  Loved Aileen's lovely voice and acoustic guitar.  Lots of popular 60's and 70's songs.  One night they did Irish music, and the place was jumping as we sang along.
• The itinerary.  I enjoyed Catalina and San Diego, stayed on the ship in Long Beach and Ensenada.

 

What I didn't like --

 

• The quality of the food in the MDR, especially the beef entrees.  The Medallions tasted like overcooked round steak.  The Tuscan Striploin was so tough that I couldn't even cut it.  The waiter sawed at it for a while too, and was able to cut some bite-sized pieces.  After tasting the first piece, it was so tough that I ordered a chicken entree.  One exception was tonight's Surf and Turf filet mignon, which was actually quite good.
• The evening entertainment in the theater.  Same old production shows, comedian, magician, singer, pianist.
• Live programming on the TV.  Only 7 channels:  BBC, MSNBC, Fox News, CNBC, National Geographic, Prime One, and Sport 24.
• The decor of the ship.  It looks every bit its 13 years.

[Therese S.]

1 hour ago, Beth Y said:

Therese, the Medallion app shows only individual alcoholic drinks available for delivery, no bottles.

Thank you Beth for taking your time to check for me and your last thoughts on the good and the bad.  Safe travels home