Panama Canal on the Ruby Princess 2023 Christmas cruise-photo/ video journal by Bimmer09

[Bimmer09]

We would be back in the Princess Theater at 4 p.m for the finals of Voice of the Ocean. It was hosted by Natalie, not Alejandro who hosted the auditions. His "make some noise" repartee is not really suited to the big stage. He's more of a fairground barker. 

There were 5 singers and I shot video of all of them but rather than ruin your day I'll just post the winner.

Each couple of passengers in the theater got an electronic scoring device to share. The winner will go instantly into obscurity as Voice winners tend to do.

 

 

[Bimmer09]

PARK WEST GALLERY

Since 1993, Park West Gallery has been conducting fine art auctions aboard cruise ships, and is the largest business in this field.^[6] It has sold art on: Carnival, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Holland America Line, Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises, and Royal Caribbean International. Park West claims that it is "the world's largest art dealer" based on its volume of sales, though independent analysts dispute that claim.^[6]

 

Princess is missing from that Wikipedia list but fear not- I can assure you that PW has a presence on every ship I've been on and aren't shy about having an auction. On the Ruby the auctions were held in the expansive Explorers Lounge. I attended none of them but I did walk through their gallery on deck 5 each morning with a cup of coffee.

There has to be something for everybody here, except us as we've long since run out of wall space!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like this one-old school

 

 

 

 

Thomas Kincade. Never liked his works. Always had all the lights on in the cottages. Huge carbon footprint and unpaid electricity bills.

 

Lights ablaze again!

 

 

We were recently at a Rembrandt exhibition in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Not one Superhero painting. Not one!

[Kauai Kid]

I’ll be looking forward to your HAL 2025.

Thanks for all your work, Norris.

[ljhershey]

Thanks so much Norris.  I feel well prepared for our Jan 29 cruise.  I really appreciate your thoroughness, illustrations and humor.

 

Leslie

 

[Bimmer09]

7 hours ago, litholam4 said:

Any dinner menus avaialble....

I'm sorry, no.

I think the last lunch menu is coming up soon.

I basically just forgot.

Norris

[Bimmer09]

18 minutes ago, Kauai Kid said:

I’ll be looking forward to your HAL 2025.

Thanks for all your work, Norris.

I hope you read the Christmas 2024 first LOL! Have you sailed HAL?

We haven't and so on that one on the Rotterdam  everything will be new to us. Wrap- around aft suite. Southern Caribbean. Sun.

The 2025 is an adventure on the Nieuw Statendam (small aft suite like a mini suite) which will take us up to Norway but not the usual ports. Places like Tromso and Trondheim, Honningvag, Lofoten Islands-way up North into the Arctic Circle. On the way back to Amsterdam we will stop at the Shetland Islands (Lerwick), Inverness and a late night in Edinburgh. It's in the middle of June so won't be as cold as Chicago is in January . Midnight sun. Mountains, picturesque ports.

The Christmas review will get a link to the Arctic review once I start writing.

The Spain/Portugal/Morocco review will be on X and the Arctic review will give a link.

October 2025, start and finish in Barcelona. Celebrity Equinox, Sunset Verandah.

So follow each of them until replaced by a new one, please.

Thanks as always for reading along!

Norris

[Bimmer09]

29 minutes ago, ljhershey said:

Thanks so much Norris.  I feel well prepared for our Jan 29 cruise.  I really appreciate your thoroughness, illustrations and humor.

 

Leslie

 

Leslie, thanks for the compliments.

I'm glad you found this helpful. I didn't have much in the way of humor-it's been a rough couple of weeks since we got back and the energy level is low. Sleeping a lot.

I have a couple of friends who just joined the Ruby today so they'll be getting off as you get on. You'll have a great time!

Meantime I have our last day to recount then our day in Ft Lauderdale where we get the best meal since we left Chicago and I get some good photos of the Ruby sailing away and leaving us weeping on the beach.

Stay following and catch us on the Rotterdam! Christmas is only 11 months away!!

Norris

[ljhershey]

22 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

Leslie, thanks for the compliments.

I'm glad you found this helpful. I didn't have much in the way of humor-it's been a rough couple of weeks since we got back and the energy level is low. Sleeping a lot.

I have a couple of friends who just joined the Ruby today so they'll be getting off as you get on. You'll have a great time!

Meantime I have our last day to recount then our day in Ft Lauderdale where we get the best meal since we left Chicago and I get some good photos of the Ruby sailing away and leaving us weeping on the beach.

Stay following and catch us on the Rotterdam! Christmas is only 11 months away!!

Norris

I had COVID following my last cruise also, and it is exhausting.  But...I am ready to go again.  Paxlovid certainly improves the outcome.

 

I am looking forward to your Fort Lauderdale experience description!

 

Best wishes to you are Carol.  I think you will enjoy Holland America also.

 

Leslie

 

[Bimmer09]

I found a menu from our last lunch in Da Vinci

 

 

I know i had the Farmer's omelette

 

Carol went the salad route

the Seafood salad was a $19 upcharge

 

 

[Bimmer09]

We planned it so that our last dinner on the ship would be in Da Vinci (incidentally-did you know there's a painter with that same name?)  We wanted to be able to say bye to the team that looked after us for almost 10 days. It all starts at the door....

 

( I will be sending them a copy)

[57eric]

On 1/14/2024 at 10:59 AM, Bimmer09 said:

Back on the Ruby I hit the International Cafe for a coffee and a slab of cake.

That's a hefty slab of Black Forest Gateau-$4.99 a slice but free to  Princess Plus guests. Very nice!

 

All my research, on both CC and the Princess site, says there's no charge for food at the International Cafe.  What am I missing?

[Bimmer09]

The Last Supper

 

Very small shrimp in a super zesty sauce for Norris

 

Carol's Caesar salad with anchovies

 

Carol's Mahi mahi with a rice cake

 

I had had one tasty Indian dish earlier in the week and so I ordered this chickpea dish

 

I ate two forkfuls and suggested to Kevin he palm it off to the next customer. It didn't transport me to India which is a good thing as it's a bit of a madhouse there with crazy traffic, blind men shaving each other and cows going to the toilet on the street. The sauce somehow had zero flavor, like it had been scientifically removed by sophisticated instruments. I could have asked the concerned Kevin for a replacement but Carol was already eating and my head was filled with images of blind barbers drawing blood and cows going potty in the streets of Delhi. I think I sought consolation in a glass of cures-all Sambuca Romana.

[Bimmer09]

27 minutes ago, 57eric said:

All my research, on both CC and the Princess site, says there's no charge for food at the International Cafe.  What am I missing?

Free if you have the Plus package as I had 

 

Norris

[nini]

47 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

We planned it so that our last dinner on the ship would be in Da Vinci (incidentally-did you know there's a painter with that same name?)  We wanted to be able to say bye to the team that looked after us for almost 10 days. It all starts at the door....

 

( I will be sending them a copy)

 

Such a cute video!

[nini]

42 minutes ago, 57eric said:

All my research, on both CC and the Princess site, says there's no charge for food at the International Cafe.  What am I missing?

Everything is no charge except the specialty cakes and gelato. You do not need a Plus or Premium package.

[perfect match]

Norris, I hope you’re feeling better soon. 

[Bimmer09]

We sped through our last dinner as there was a Farewell Show to attend. No more crew talent show apparently-we enjoyed those.  The Captain, his wife and daughter came onstage to say goodbye first.

 

 

[Bimmer09]

 Senior Officers 

 

Welcome plaques from ports around the World

 

 

 

Ruby birth certificate

[ljhershey]

How was the coffee on board...has been iffy in the past?

[Bimmer09]

Spa Deck 16 forward

 

Changing rooms, Spa restrooms and forward swimming pool access from this corridor

 

Salon

 

Gym accessed from Spa corridor

[Bimmer09]

5 minutes ago, ljhershey said:

How was the coffee on board...has been iffy in the past?

It was harbor bottom sludge before they switched to Italian Lavazza. X had Lavazza in 2016 when we first sailed them. It's still second best.

ILLY, not IFFY is what the Doctor ordered.

 

Smooth, rich, tastes like caw-fee! Accept no substitute.

Since1933. Trieste, Italy

 

Norris 

 

[ljhershey]

38 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

It was harbor bottom sludge before they switched to Italian Lavazza. X had Lavazza in 2016 when we first sailed them. It's still second best.

ILLY, not IFFY is what the Doctor ordered.

 

Smooth, rich, tastes like caw-fee! Accept no substitute.

Since1933. Trieste, Italy

 

Norris 

 

Love the description...harbor bottom sludge...exactly ... Why I asked.  Is this available shipwide or just at IC?

 

It would be like a miracle if it were shipwide ❣️

[Bimmer09]

1 hour ago, ljhershey said:

Love the description...harbor bottom sludge...exactly ... Why I asked.  Is this available shipwide or just at IC?

 

It would be like a miracle if it were shipwide ❣️

Lavazza is also available in the buffet. 

Illy is not available anywhere.

 

Norris

[Bimmer09]

 

International Cafe deck 5

 

Snacks

 

 

Serving 5.30 a.m (yikes) until 9 pm and busy during normal waking hours is...

[ljhershey]

15 minutes ago, Bimmer09 said:

Lavazza is also available in the buffet. 

Illy is not available anywhere.

 

Norris

Gotcha.  You just made my day...or should I say cruise.  So happy to hear this.