Discover: Princess Cruises’ Ruby Princess

Princess Cruise’s Ruby Princess is truly a ship for those looking for a romantic, relaxing, premium cruise experience. After spending almost a week aboard the ship earlier this February, I can easily say this ship is an excellent choice for your next cruise vacation.

[tabs ]

[tab title=”Ship Overview”]The Ruby Princess, the sixth and final ship of the Grand Class, was ordered by Princess Cruises in 2007 and quickly her debut in Fort Lauderdale in November 2008. She was christened in a ruby themed ceremony by Trista and Ryan Sutter, accompanied by the Love Boat’s own Gavin McLeod.

The Ruby Princess features a wide variety of restaurants, bars, lounges, and entertainment venues spread throughout 19 decks. The Ruby Princess can accommodate up to 3,080 guests, who are each served by a multinational crew of 1,200. The ship is one of the largest in the Princess fleet, with a tonnage of 113,000 GRT and a length of 951 feet.

Currently, the Ruby Princess sails a variety of Caribbean itineraries from her home port of Port Everglades, located in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

[/tab]

[tab title=”Dining”]The Ruby Princess offers her guests a fantastic array of dining choices for meals throughout the day and your overall sailing. From your traditional dining rooms, to the premium restaurants, guests sailing aboard the Ruby Princess will find it hard to be disappointed by the impressive dining offerings.

For guests looking to stick with the traditional dining rooms, The Michelangelo, Boticelli, and Da Vinci Dining Rooms are located towards the middle and aft ends of decks 5 and 6. Each dining room, adorned with artwork and murals representative of their namesake, offer guests an array of tantalizing dishes each night. Guests will find many classic cruise dishes, including the famous lobster tail and shrimp cocktail. The dessert menu in each dining room also features a Princess exclusive – The Love Boat Dream.

Guests yearning for a more intimate dining experience or finer dining will find a number of specialty restaurants available to them throughout their sailing. The line’s signature steakhouse, The Crown Grill, offers guests a traditional chophouse menu, offering a range of fresh seafood, thick chops, and premium steaks ranging from 8 to 16 ounces. Nestled into a secluded corner of deck 16, guests will discover Princess’ own Italian speciality restaurant, Sabatini’s. The Italian restaurant, a popular “after drinks” dining choice for patrons of Adagio next door, serves a number of Italian and Mediterranean style dishes in a quaint, yet relaxed atmosphere. The restaurant even offers a number of small tables, perfect for guests looking to share an intimate and finely prepared meal with their significant other.

Throughout the day, guests will find a wide array of breakfast, lunch, and dinner offerings in the Horizon Court, the ship’s central Lido buffet. From omelets and waffles for breakfast, to fresh fish, salads, and beef cuts for lunch and dinner, guests won’t have a difficult time finding the perfect casual meal throughout the day. For guests looking for mid-day dining without the buffet lines, the Trident Grill and Pizzeria, both conveniently located at Neptune’s Reef & Pool, offer guests freshly made pizza slices and made to order burgers, chicken sandwiches, and french fries.

Guests searching for a snack between meals (or even in the middle of the night) will be well served at The International Cafe, centrally located on deck 4 in the atrium. The cafe serves a wide variety of finger foods, mini sandwiches, gelato, and premium coffees throughout the day and night.

[/tab]
[tab title=”Entertainment”]The Ruby Princess offers guests a great variety of entertainment and activities from the early morning until late into the evening.

The Ruby Princess offers guests two unique spaces for entertainment throughout the day: The Piazza and Movies Under The Stars. The Piazza, stretching between decks 5 and 7, offers a number of unique performers, bands, and activities throughout the day. From magicians, to dance classes, and even a reggae band, guests will crowd the railings on each deck to take part in the activities throughout the sailing. Up on the Lido deck, guests similarly crowd the plush deck chairs with popcorn in hand for Movies Under The Stars. While these over sized poolside screens have made their way aboard other cruise lines, Princess Cruises still holds the fame for the introduction of the poolside theater. Each night, guests can enjoy some of the most popular films in cinema history as well as newly released movies. With fresh popcorn, complimentary blankets, and the stars above, how could one not enjoy sharing a movie with their family or significant other?

Guests will also find classic cruise entertainment in the Princess Theater, featuring a number of magicians, hypnotists, soloists, and full scale production shows throughout the sailing. In addition to the main theater, night owls aboard the Ruby Princess will find a home in one of the ship’s many lounges and clubs, including Crooners, Speakeasy, Wheelhouse, Explorer’s, and Princess’ own Skywalkers.

[/tab]

[tab title=”Staterooms”]The staterooms aboard the Ruby Princess essentially become a guest’s home for the week. Thankfully, the unique design and layout of Ruby Princess’ staterooms allow guests to make the adjustment from life on land to sea very easy.

Unlike most cruise lines, almost every stateroom aboard the Ruby Princess features a walk in closet, which essentially doubles as a foyer for the bathroom. The closets, which are completely open, offer a large amount of hanging space with an ample amount of hangers. In addition, a large shelf and cabinet with cubbies allow storage of additional clothing and travel essentials.

The bathrooms in each stateroom are a typical size for a cruise ship, but are uniquely configured to provide a small amount of extra room while navigating between the sink, toilet, and shower. The bathroom’s vanity offers a few useful shelves for storing toiletries and other small bathroom items. While the space in the bathroom cans till be a bit tight at times, it serves its purpose.

The main living area of each stateroom features at least two double beds, which can be pushed together to create a single queen bed. Depending on the stateroom, additional beds and bunks may be available for those traveling as a family. The main living area also features a small work area with desk and chair, a mini fridge, small bar area, flat screen television, a single chair, and ample drawers and storage space. Some cruisers may be disappointed to learn these staterooms do not feature a sitting area, which was removed to allow for either additional balcony space and/or the walk in closet.

The staterooms aboard Ruby Princess, while seeming smaller in some cases, provide guests with a comfortable living space, plenty of storage, and beautiful views of ports and waves throughout the world.

[/tab]

[tab title=”The Rest of the Ship”]Apart from the wide array of dining spaces, lounges, and bars, the Ruby Princess offers guests a number of other unique and classic cruise amenities.

For adult guests looking to escape the world for a short time, the Sanctuary is the prime spot aboard for you. An adult only retreat tucked away towards the bow, guests can relax on plush lounge chairs under the sun (or in the shade) while being served by roving attendants. Guests can enjoy a number of cool drinks, complimentary misters, or take a dip in the private pool.

For younger cruisers, the Ruby Princess is well equipped to take care of their needs and desires in their respective program: Princess Pelicans (3-7), Shockwaves (8-12), and Remix (13-17). Each age group has exclusive access to their own lounge, where they can meet fellow young cruisers and partake in specialized activities, programs, and events.

Guests looking to escape the world for a moment and truly relax will be pampered and cared for in the Lotus Spa. Guests can choose from an array of enticing spa treatments, ranging from relaxing massages, to body treatments, pedicures, facials, fitness routines, and water treatments. At the forward end of the spa complex, guests can find a full fitness center, offering rows of treadmills, free weights, rowing machines, and a number of specialized fitness classes.

[/tab]

[/tabs]