LIVE from the Ruby Princess: April 2-9, 2023 Western Caribbean from Galveston

[talkorpi]

Tonight was Italian night in the MDR. Unfortunately, our dinner reservation was right when they were opening the gangways and after missing the first two ports I was pretty eager to get off and explore Puerta Maya “after hours.” Therefore, we didn’t get to enjoy the Italian menu this evening. 
 

Still wanted to post here for everyone to see. I’m sure it would’ve been delicious - I would’ve ordered the prosciutto, peach soup, sea scallops, and the love boat dream.

Edited April 7, 2023 by talkorpi

[talkorpi]

… INSTEAD, we went to Pancho’s Backyard, and for DINNER this time!!! It was so nice to be able to sit out and watch the sunset behind our ship while eating some of the best food in Mexico (I stand by that claim 100%). 
 

Chips and guacamole, Chicken Enchiladas Verdes, and Carne Asada (which also has a quesadilla, taquito, and 1/2 enchilada on the plate 🤤 - a sampler of their best offerings and a really good value for the price in my opinion)

 

Pancho’s is always excellent and tonight was the best it had ever been. It was so cute to see how giddy the staff was about being able to stay open for dinner - they were all taking pictures of the crowds and sending them to their families. It was really funny to see. We made sure to tip well since they were making a point to work overtime and keep it open in the evening for our ship. Huge thanks to the team here for that!
 

I also wanna say that even though I really can’t stand tequila there is something about the margaritas here that just does it for me. Not only do they taste great but they are STRONG and HUGE. Last night I had like 3-4 martinis in the span of 90 minutes and felt nothing but by the time I was halfway through one of these bad boy margaritas here I felt like I was spinning in 360 different directions 😂😵‍💫🍸🕺🏼

Edited April 7, 2023 by talkorpi

[BermudaBound2014]

13 hours ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Some random comments from someone who's going out right after you guys come back:

Aloha,

 

Would you mind poking around and trying to get an answer to what exactly is going to be done to Ruby in during month long dry dock this September? A month is a long time.
 

Also, your take on her current condition would be very much appreciated!

 

Mahalo 🙂 

[Honolulu Blue]

55 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

Aloha,

 

Would you mind poking around and trying to get an answer to what exactly is going to be done to Ruby in during month long dry dock this September? A month is a long time.
 

Also, your take on her current condition would be very much appreciated!

 

Mahalo 🙂 

I probably won't ask about the dry dock when I'm onboard, but maybe I'll hear things.  No promises, but if I find out something, I'll relay it here.

 

Current condition should be easier, though I won't get to every part of the ship. I'll give a report on it.  Remind me.

[talkorpi]

Morning everyone! The Allure finally caught up to us just a few minutes ago 😉

[Happiest_Girl]

The one margarita from Pancho's Backyard sure did put SEVERAL drinks from the ship to shame. Kinda leaves a bad taste in my mouth as I don't think the food and drink have been as up to par for me on this sailing. 

 

Looking forward to a day, and another margarita, in Cozumel! 

[FrankieJayIII]

i'll ask  about the dry dock for you 

[talkorpi]

Fun day in Cozumel. We booked a last minute excursion which was the Tabasco Chef cooking class. It was actually really fun! We made Ceviche, Chicken Enchiladas with a Chipotle and Hibiscus sauce, Rice Pudding with Mango Sauce, and Tamarind Margaritas. Chef Luis was funny, entertaining, and informative and the class was a lot of fun! I would recommend this excursion. 

[BermudaBound2014]

5 hours ago, FrankieJayIII said:

i'll ask  about the dry dock for you 

 

Thank you so much. I'm looking at an extended voyage so the drydock info plays a large roll in my decision making.

[FrankieJayIII]

i won't be on ship until 5/27 but i ask a ton of questions so i will find out 

[BermudaBound2014]

1 minute ago, FrankieJayIII said:

i won't be on ship until 5/27 but i ask a ton of questions so i will find out 

Wonderful!! 

 

Mahalo 🙂 

[BermudaBound2014]

@talkorpi you have rolled with the flow like a pro! Unfortunately, the more you cruise, the more often port cancellations will happen. I've been cruising since 1987 and have seen my share of double and triple port cancellations on a single voyage. Gotta do exactly what you have done, and make lemonade.

 

FYI: This just happened down under. Even I would be very bummed if I flew all the way to Sydney, Australia to board a cruise to explore New Zealand and then had all my port stops in New Zealand cancelled. 

 

https://www.cruisehive.com/princess-cruise-ship-cancels-port-calls-due-to-severe-weather/98231

[satxdiver]

We were notified today that Princess is giving everyone a $75 goodwill OBC for the ports missed.  They had already refunded are port fees for the two ports missed.  In my past princess cruises when we missed a port besides the port fees, Princess had also given us a small OBC as a goodwill measure.  Yeah Princess!!!

 

[BermudaBound2014]

That is very nice of Princess. I can say from experience that this good will gesture does not always exist. I missed a port on both MSC and NCL and not only did we not get good will, but they kept the port charges too. I thought that was illegal so I checked the terms and conditions and there it was in black and white. In the event of a missed port, refund of the port charges were not automatically guaranteed.

 

FWIW, HAL and RCL gave port and good will just like Princess, but I have to wonder if this ship dependent and not an absolute policy.

Edited April 7, 2023 by BermudaBound2014

[phatlad]

Glad they made it somewhat right. Wanted to post this letter an hour ago but didn’t want to hijack talkorpi’s review thread. 

[Happiest_Girl]

That is very generous and unexpected! Some credit used to be standard back in the day but these days it seems to have been the "ports are not guaranteed and subject to change" line. The extra time in Cozumel has been a treat too. Thank you, Princess!

 

It was also very nice to meet you in Cozumel @talkorpi. Thanks for chronicling this and I hope y'all have a great rest of the cruise!

[talkorpi]

10 minutes ago, phatlad said:

Glad they made it somewhat right. Wanted to post this letter an hour ago but didn’t want to hijack talkorpi’s review thread. 

Haha, it’s okay, I was still out enjoying Cozumel! We are all onboard, we can all share it!!

[talkorpi]

4 minutes ago, Happiest_Girl said:

That is very generous and unexpected! Some credit used to be standard back in the day but these days it seems to have been the "ports are not guaranteed and subject to change" line. The extra time in Cozumel has been a treat too. Thank you, Princess!

 

It was also very nice to meet you in Cozumel @talkorpi. Thanks for chronicling this and I hope y'all have a great rest of the cruise!

Yes! You as well!

 

 

We got back from our excursion and I did some shopping in the port. Sat down and had another margarita at Pancho’s and had the pleasure of meeting @Happiest_Girl and chatting for a while. I hope you have a great rest of the voyage and hopefully we will run into another again before the cruise ends!

 

I still can’t get over how strong those Pancho’s margaritas are. I swear they are 100% tequila with a squeeze of lime. We are docked but I feel like we are sailing through Beaufort force 12 seas right now 🤪😵‍💫 

[talkorpi]

Shoutout to Princess for giving us that OBC. I saw that guests on the Caribbean got the same amount and was kind of bummed, so coming back to the cabin to that letter on my bed was a pleasant surprise. 
 

Trying to decide if I should spend it on a nice Tommy Bahama shirt or blow it all in the casino. If I’m lucky enough to hit the jackpot then maybe I can get enough points for a free/discounted cruise in the future. But what are the odds of that happening 😂

 

Decisions, decisions!!!!

[Honolulu Blue]

Hi @talkorpi and all on the Ruby...  If you want to satisfy my curiosity, try to find out what the port fees for Mahogany Bay & Costa Maya are, or were.  Don't forget to back out the $75.  Thanks!!

[texswamper]

On 4/5/2023 at 1:32 PM, satxdiver said:

the 3080 is what they call bottom berths.  However, many rooms can accommodate more such as 3 or 4 with drop down beds and couches for those rooms that have it.  I asked this morning and was told there are 360 children aboard who most likely are staying in their parents' cabin.  That is the most I have ever seen in my over 30 Princess cruises.  No, it never includes the crew.

We were on from 2/26-3/5 so the first week it was less than 50 kids but the second week it went to 370.  We too had never sailed on Princess with those kinds of numbers in 30 years of cruising with them. We will try really hard not to again.  No more March or April cruises for us and particularly not on short 7 day cruises. The week after we disembarked they had 700 kids. 

[voljeep]

16 hours ago, talkorpi said:

… INSTEAD, we went to Pancho’s Backyard, and for DINNER this time!!! It was so nice to be able to sit out and watch the sunset behind our ship while eating some of the best food in Mexico (I stand by that claim 100%). 
 

Chips and guacamole, Chicken Enchiladas Verdes, and Carne Asada (which also has a quesadilla, taquito, and 1/2 enchilada on the plate 🤤 - a sampler of their best offerings and a really good value for the price in my opinion)

 

Pancho’s is always excellent and tonight was the best it had ever been. It was so cute to see how giddy the staff was about being able to stay open for dinner - they were all taking pictures of the crowds and sending them to their families. It was really funny to see. We made sure to tip well since they were making a point to work overtime and keep it open in the evening for our ship. Huge thanks to the team here for that!
 

I also wanna say that even though I really can’t stand tequila there is something about the margaritas here that just does it for me. Not only do they taste great but they are STRONG and HUGE. Last night I had like 3-4 martinis in the span of 90 minutes and felt nothing but by the time I was halfway through one of these bad boy margaritas here I felt like I was spinning in 360 different directions 😂😵‍💫🍸🕺🏼

we have been to Pancho's most times when in Cozumel - during the day ... we get a table in the sand outside, I park there and get a beer, while my wife finishes her 'shopping'.  after she gets back, it's another beer, and a mojito, and some kind of app.   Very enjoyable.  My wife had her feet eaten by the fishes one time...

[texswamper]

On 4/6/2023 at 7:32 AM, station10fd said:

I’m on the boat also, Maya Chan emailed us yesterday canceling our beach day today because of high winds/waves bringing in a huge amount of sargassum.  I don’t blame any captain canceling today the way the wind is howling. 
 

Mike and Paulia 

Knowing what the sargassum situation has been and is predicted to be, I cancelled our Maya Chan reservation for our May cruise on the Allure.  It's not supposed to peak until July.  Sad but going to try and go when we stop in December on our Christmas Regal cruise.  So sorry to hear that ya'll missed both of those ports!  It's extremely disappointing.  

[satxdiver]

47 minutes ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Hi @talkorpi and all on the Ruby...  If you want to satisfy my curiosity, try to find out what the port fees for Mahogany Bay & Costa Maya are, or were.  Don't forget to back out the $75.  Thanks!!

Mahogany Bay    $17.84

Costa Maya         $16.68

This is for each person

[satxdiver]

We are supposed to be back onboard by 3:30 PM.  Just looked out on our balcony and this is what we saw at 3:13 PM

 

 

Edited April 7, 2023 by satxdiver