Good Morning from the Ruby Princess. I was invited to the naming ceremony which included a 2 night pre-inagural cruise to nowhere!

The naming ceremony included Trista & Ryan from "The Bachelorette" TV Show, Gavin MacLeod and a live wedding.

I am currently in my cabin having an almond crossaint and iced mocha on my balcony. If you ever sail on the Crown, Emerald, Ruby or Caribbean Princess after it is refitted, go to the International cafe and get an almond crossaint!!! They are why I sail Princess---LOL.

The ship is beautiful and spotless. All of the crew are very excited about their new jobs and I even found my waiter and head waiter from the Emerald last night! That was a great surprise.

The naming ceremony was impressive. The theme was "Ruby Red" so everyone was dressed in formal red dresses and red attire. I enjoy seeing everyone dressed up!

I will post some pictures when I get back!!!

Wow! Sounds like a great new ship! Hope you're having a great time - now I just have to get "The Love Boat" theme song out of my head for the rest of the day!

Looking forward to your full report and photos upon your return. Have a wonderful time!

Hi Jeanie! Hope you're having a wonderful time!! I'm also looking forward to your report and photos.

Can't wait to see photos! Hope you're having a GREAT time on-board!

Waiting patiently for Jeanie's review

Have fun Jeanie!

Well I'm back and exhausted!! I drove home today 3 and 1/2 hours to immediately go to my kids' last soccer game of the season!!

I can't say enough kind words about The Ruby Princess. It is an amazing ship. As you can imagine, everything is pristine and the crew are very proud and excited about their new ship!!!

My cabin was a balcony on the Baja deck-aft. I noticed some little upgrades from the Emerald Princess such as softer towels and flat screen tv's in the cabins.
I also got a chance to get a look at a suite, mini-suite, ocean view and inside cabins. Suites and mini-suites have bathtubs. The Suite had both a bathtub and shower. I have pictures and will post soon.

The naming ceremony was beautiful. It was held on deck 15 and the staff lined the stairs. And what is a Princess dedication without Gavin MacLeod. He gave away the bride during the wedding ceremony that took place. The lucky couple won a contest from Princess.
Trista & Ryan from the "Bachelorette" tv show dedicated the ship and everyone was dressed in formal Ruby Red attire.

The Crown Grill and Sabatini's were not open for this sailing. So I ate lunch in the Wheelhouse Bar which now serves traditional English food for lunch. I opted for the fish and chips which were delicious. The bar was packed--I think this will be a big hit for Princess.

The Ruby has the same layout as the Crown & Emerald. My favorite place on the ship is the Atrium. It includes the International Cafe, Vines Bar and Coffee Bar.
I attended a Mixology course in the Atrium. The bartenders made three "Ruby" themed drinks, a Ruby champagne, Ruby Martini and Ruby Breeze. I tried all 3 and would highly recommend the Ruby Champagne if you sail on the ship!!

I also attended the tribute to Gavin MacLeod in the Princess Theatre. Princess showed a 30 minute biography video followed by a Q & A session with Gavin.
He came out in a wig which gave everyone a laugh. It was the wig "Murray" wore during the Mary Tyler Moore show when he had to fill in for Ted reading the news!
I had the honor of meeting him back in March and he is such a genuine and kind man!!

I was very surprised with the quality of the food. I had sailed on the Emerald back in March and enjoyed the food, but I found the food on this short cruise a step-up!
I had the Goat Cheese Souffle, Artichoke ravoli appetizer and Lobster tails with jumbo prawns the first night. I'm still craving that ravoli!! LOL.
The second night I had a cold shrimp appetizer, pumpkin soup, crepes with mushrooms and king crab legs the second night (yes it's alot--but I didn't eat until 9pm last night--so I was really, really hungry)!! Bravo to Princess, I really enjoyed the selections and quality of the food!!
One big thrill for me was seeing my waiter and head waiter from my March cruise oboard the Emerald Princess. They remembered me and took great care of me and my two friends!

The Ruby will be offering 7 night Eastern & Western Caribbean Cruises in the fall and winter, and Europe in the Spring & Summer.

If anyone has any questions about the ship, pm or email me. I will try to post pictures in the next couple of days.

Sounds like another great cruise choice!
Welcome back!

Sounds incredible Jeanie! Can't wait to see the photos!! Thank you so much for taking the time to post such a detailed review!

Glad you had such a good time!

Great review! Also looking forward to the photos!

Sounds like it's a wonderful ship Jeanie, I can't wait to see the photos!

Welcome home Jeanie! Great review!!

Thanks Jeanie for the review. Did you have any time to scope out the "hidden" best cabins or cabins that should be avoided? My family is thinking of booking this ship, so any insider detail would be greatly appreciated.
kk

Photos Jeanie - please