Boarding the Ruby Princess

Our hotel - picture taken from ship

We are at the pier at 12:05 and it is not that crowded.  Because it is a three day voyage not that many are dropping bags off, most are rolling them on.

We fill out the health form and take the escalator upstairs and there is no queue for Priority boarding and only a short queue for non Priority.  They are very efficient here in Los Angeles.

After getting our cruise cards we then go thru security.  Again very efficient.

We are directed to the Priority boarding area but are lead to the line to board.  On the gangway a queue has started for those to take their security picture.  This is what took the longest but still only around 5 minutes.

In all it took about 15 minutes to board and we were kept moving along the entire process.

I have to share this cute comment.  A woman in a wheelchair was being pushed by one of the staff and the guide was informing her that she could go right up to the Horizon Court for lunch.  The woman said and I just show them my card when I get to the buffet to pay?  When the guide said it was all included that you don't have to show your card she was quite impressed.

There are a lot of new cruisers on board.  A LOT!  I would guess about 50% are first time cruisers! 

There is a big group of travel agents on for a conference too.

A few bachelor, bachelorette, big birthday and families on board.  It is a nice change and bring a different vibe to the ship.

They are selling the drink package like hot cakes!  For us we opt out of it as we find we drink too much when we get it.

The cabin was ready when we got on.  We booked A202 a balcony cabin all the way forward - our desired area.  In fact we are the last passenger cabin on this deck.  We are right next to the Shorex Manager's Cabin and the bridge is right above us.

We quickly unpack and get things settled.  We call the dine line to change out our mini bar to two coffee cards.  The line was answered very quickly and done within the hour.

Our first stop is Share to see Riza.  On the way we ran into Randy who was our server last summer in the dining room.  He comes running up to the Sun deck to see us. 

Finally at the Share Restaurant we catch up with Riza and confirm we have a table for tonight at 7:30.

Back in the cabin we decide we both need a nap and I have no trouble fall
asleep.  But a half hour into the nap we wake to Cecilia our cabin steward knocking.  We get up and meet her.  A few things are needing to be addressed.  First is the bathroom sink is almost completely plugged.  Water is still sitting in it from when we washed our hands and brushed our teeth earlier.  Also the shower curtain is very moldy at the base.  For me I have severe allergic reaction to mold and I was not even able to be in the washroom for long before a sinus headache starts.  So I end up having to take off the shower curtain and put in a laundry bag to contain it.  Now I can at least use the washroom. 

Cecilia addresses both things right away and replaces shower curtain when we are gone to the Muster Drill and sink is corrected while at dinner.

The cabin is great and looks in very good shape.  I love the big balcony (well big compared to the Royal) but not sure how much time we will spend out here on this coastal.

Muster for us is the Princess Theater and it is really nice that we don't have to bring our life jackets.  In total it takes about 20 minutes and once finished we walk thru the Casino and spot Greg - Lisa Ball's husband.  We agree we need to meet for a drink sometime to catch up.

We head down to Vines and meet a lovely couple from San Antonio, Texas - Peggy and Fred.  We end up talking with them for a long time and it was so nice to connect and learn about them and where they are from and their history.

Officer list is as follows:

Captain Giorgio Pomata
Staff Captain Giovanni Cardile
Chief Engineer Officer Andrea Scantamburio
Hotel General Manager Riccardo Capraro
Senior Doctor Louis Van Heerden
Entertainment Director Lisa Ball
Cruise Director Peter-John De Kock
Customer Services Director James Eaton
Food & Beverage Director Andrea Baiardo
Staff Engineer Mauro Boracchi
Enviornmental Officer Georgi Dimitrov Takov
Executive Housekeeper Artur Lopes Ferreira
Executive Chef Saverio Brattoli
Maitre d'Hotel Carlos Justina