Princess Cruises the Ruby Princess will make its inaugural call in St. John’s Wednesday, approximately one year after her maiden season cruising the Western Caribbean roundtrip from her homeport of Ft. Lauderdale.
I missed the inaugural ceremonies last year, which celebrated the 5th Wedding Anniversary of reality-show stars Ryan and Trista Sutter of the “Bachelorette”, but will not miss the opportunity to go onboard when this jewel of a ship docks in St. John’s Harbour November 11th.
Built by Fincantieri of Genoa, Italy at a cost of $400 million, Ruby carries more than 3,000 passengers and 1,200 crew, measures 951 by 118 feet, weighs 113,561 tons and has 15 passenger decks.
There are 900 cabins with private balconies, 31 of which are wheelchair accessible. Accommodations include mini-suite bathrooms, large walk-in closets, massaging showerheads, luxury bedding and towels, and robes and slippers for use throughout the cruise. You can keep in touch with family, friends and your office via the latest communications technology like WiFi and cell phones, and listen to your favourite music on DVD/CD players.
A sister ship to Emerald Princess and Crown Princess, the Ruby Princess completes the line of Princess Cruises “Crown” ships. It features the same dramatic piazza-style atrium, an adults-only retreat called “The Sanctuary, 3 dining rooms, an Italian trattoria, a seafood and steak house, a Caribbean-themed buffet, a "Movies Under the Stars" giant outdoor movie screen, the Princess Theatre, casino, spa, ocean-view gymnasium, jogging track, 5 fresh-water swimming pools, a swim-against-the-current lap pool, 6 jacuzzis, a miniature 9-hole golf course and digital golf simulator, and other innovative features that take the cruise ship experience to a higher level.
The ship also has specialty facilities including a wedding chapel (with a wedding-at-sea programme officiated by the ship’s captain), dedicated conference centre/meeting rooms; an arcade of duty-free shops, and an art gallery. The Ruby Princess also offers the Ultimate Ship Tour, a behind-the-scenes group tour around the kitchens, engine room and bridge.
With several more new ships to debut this cruise season, cruise passengers as well as the destinations they visit, are in for a real treat. I look forward to the Ruby Princess’ first visit to Antigua this week, as well as the much-anticipated unveiling of the new mega ship Oasis of the Seas at Port Everglades, Florida in two weeks. I feel privileged to be an invited guest of Royal Caribbean for this auspicious occasion and look forward to sharing the experience with you.
