A regal welcome in Fort
Lauderdale
First Look at the New ‘Ruby Princess’
By Marcia Levin
Princess
Cruises' newest ship, the Ruby Princess made a grand entrée to Port Everglades for her christening in early November. Sister
ship to the Crown Princess (20060 and Emerald Princess (2007), the
113,000-ton, 3,070-passenger, 18-deck ship is the 17th ship in the Princess fleet.
She was
named at Port Everglades on November 6 by Trista and Ryan Sutter who were wed
on the American television program “The Bachelorette.” The couple celebrated
their fifth anniversary by serving as godparents to the launch of the new
vessel amid a sea of ruby-red roses, which also served as the backdrop for a
wedding, which took place during the naming ceremony. It was the first wedding
to take place during a naming. Actor Gavin MacLeod, television’s Love Boat
captain (circa 1970’s), was on hand for the ceremonies.
On a short
cruise last month out of Fort Lauderdale on the new Ruby Princess, I found the newest addition to the Princess Cruises’
fleet absolutely outstanding. She is a gorgeous vessel decorated with amazing
taste and design and staffed by outstanding men and women trained in the
Princess “cruise” concept--Courtesy, Respect,
Unfailing-In-Service, Excellence. A lot of superlatives? Yes, but in
this case, it’s the truth and nothing but the truth. Ruby Princess is a beaut!
Shades of red and comfy furnishings . . .
And
if a ship is named Ruby Princess, one would expect, of course, to see red.
While red is indeed a signature color in décor, it is muted with wonderful soft
hues. Furniture is comfortable and designed to make you want to sit and
shmooze, unlike other new ships where some of the furnishings look like weapons
of torture. Traffic patterns are generally well thought out and, except for a
situation on Deck 6 where you-can’t-get-there-from-here requires going up to
Deck 7 to get back to Deck 6, the vessel is easy to navigate. Signage is well
done so one won’t get lost.
Familiar
places with a tweak . . .
Anyone
familiar with Princess ships will find the Wheelhouse Lounge, La Piazza and
Horizon Court nice to see again. La Piazza, on Deck 5, has added a couple of
new features including a cheese bar at Vines. Deck 5 is also the site of the
Internet Café, Art Gallery, coffee shop and is, all in all, the heart of the
ship. La Piazza is the spot for snacking. A series of street performers do
their thing in La Piazza all day long.
Innovations
on this vessel include chilled face cloths offered at the top of the gangway
when guests return from a tour; a daily English-style “pub” lunch served
in the classic Wheelhouse Lounge; breakfast for suite guests in Sabatini’s, the
famed Italian alternative dining room; and a waffle station.
Seeing
the workings of a ship . . .
A
new tour called the “Ultimate Ship’s Tour,” takes guests into parts of the
vessel they’d never get to see and the opportunity to meet officers and crew.
They’ll visit backstage, the galley, engine control room, print shop, photo
lab, medical center, laundry, the funnel and the bridge. This tour, priced at
$150 per person, has limited space but it can be reserved onboard at the
Passenger Services Desk. Tour information appears in the ship daily paper Princess
Patter. Following its debut aboard Ruby Princess, the Ultimate Tour program
will appear on all Princess ships.
Innovations
are not new to Princess. It was the first line to make available 24-hour
dining, debut an onboard wedding chapel and of course was the inspiration for
the 1977 television show ”The Love Boat.” The line introduced the first outdoor
movie screen at sea (at the pool area) and these movies are already a big hit
on Ruby Princess.
Dining
as one wishes . . .
“Personal Choice” is the term
Princess uses for dining options in one of its 12 dining venues. One can select
traditional dining, (same time, table, wait staff in one of three main dining
rooms); anytime dining, (dining where and when you like); specialty dining in
either Crown Grill or Sabatini’s, or casual dining at Horizon Court on the Lido
Deck.
Another
treat is the Chef’s Table –a rare opportunity to be welcomed into the
inner sanctum of the ship’s galley during the busy dinner hours by the
executive chef for pre-dinner cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, followed by a
specially prepared multi-course tasting dinner in the dining room. Specially created at the chef’s choice,
the menu will not be offered anywhere else on the ship. Diners will enjoy interaction with the
chef throughout the dinner as it is served at their private table. This special evening is available to 10
diners per night at a cost of $75 per person.
An
English-style pub lunch has been introduced at the Wheelhouse Bar with--what
else?--typical British fare including fish and chips and bangers and mash.
Served only on sea days, this will be a popular spot for a midday repast.
Better yet, it’s free!
Lots
to do onboard . . .
Ruby
Princess boasts four pools and seven whirlpools. There’s a sports deck,
nine-hole
putting
green and golf simulator. For shopaholics, the ship has four duty-free shops. Three
main showrooms, a large casino, lounges and library are major draws on this
ship.
Scholarship
at Sea courses are wide-ranging and include a large variety of computer
classes, scrapbooking, ceramics, and photography, culinary demonstrations,
ice-carving demonstrations, wine tasting, astronomy, art history and dance
classes. Other course offerings include The Art of Entertaining that offers
passengers the opportunity to learn party-planning tips from lifestyle expert
Susie Coelho via a multimedia presentation hosted by the cruise director. Navigation@Sea focuses on the history
of navigation as well as the complexities of plotting the route of a modern
cruise ship, with a presentation by the ship’s navigator.
State-of-the-art
equipment is also on tap in the Lotus Spa and fitness area. The adult’s only
Sanctuary area has been reprised on this ship offering a quiet zone where adult
meals, drinks and quiet are treasured.
A
variety of new audience participation events have also been introduced to give
passengers their 15 minutes of fame.
Atrium
area
Karaoke fans can
go a bit farther with Love Boat Legends,
where they are actually transformed into a famous artist of the past while Oceans of Talent puts passenger talent
center stage – whether they play a musical instrument or want to try out
their comedic timing. Or they can rock with a live band on stage.
Cabins
with amenities . . .
Cabins
are well designed and range from suites ranging from 461-689 square feet to
inside cabins at 160 feet. The most popular category is the balcony cabins
(1,326 on the vessel) ranging from 233-265 square feet. Ruby Princess offers 31
wheelchair accessible cabins. Actually, the ship boasts more than 20 categories
of cabins. All categories of cabins contain robes, fine bathroom amenities,
flat-screen television sets, hair dryers, and personal safes.
As
for the younger cruiser . . .
Princess
offers children’s programs that cover three age groups: three- to
seven-year-olds are placed in the Princess Pelicans group; eight to 12 year
olds are in a group called Shockwaves and for teens 13 to 17, the program is
called Remix. Equipment is state-of-the-art and rooms are attractively
decorated, geared to young cruisers interests. On this ship, yoga classes have
been introduced and a science program called Wizards Academy allows children to
explore the connection between science and magic in an interactive setting.
Itineraries
. . .
Ruby
Princess sails the Western Caribbean (Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Grand Cayman,
Caymans, Cozumel, Mexico and Princess Cays from Port Everglades (Fort
Lauderdale). In spring 2009, she repositions to Europe, returning in late
summer for Canadian Maritimes/New England cruises before deploying to Port
Everglades for the fall winter season.
--Contributing
Editor Marcia Levin is a former president of Society of American Travel Writers
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