Montrealer Sylvain Couture is the genial Future Cruise Consultant onboard Ruby Princess
Click to watch the video
Princess People
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Escape completely on the Ruby Princess
The ‘Loveboat’ tradition continues with the newest member of the Princess Cruises fleet
There’s
a nautical expression that the most beautiful ship is the one
you’re on. This is easily the case with the Ruby Princess, the
newest member of the Princess Cruises fleet. From her comfortable
staterooms tastefully decorated in soft green, cream, aqua, and muted
gold; to the numerous elegant lounges, restaurants, and the Princess
Theatre; the Ruby Princess offers an environment of classic elegance
and comfort.
The company that
inaugurated the original “Loveboat” continues to make romance an
integral component of their cruise offerings. A holiday is a chance to
fall in love all over again, and Princess Cruises has been in the
romance business since 1965. It’s a theme that evidently resonates with
the cruising public, because the company has over 6 million people
enrolled in their Captain’s Circle repeat passenger program.
The Ruby Princess is the
third in a series of ships that includes the Emerald Princess and the
Crown Princess. Although she is a large ship with a passenger capacity
of 3,600 and 1,200 crew members; the architects have ensured a sense of
small-ship intimacy by creating cozy lounges, medium-sized
entertainment venues and dining areas. |
Soaring
spiral staircases, panorama elevators, and elegant Italian décor
make the Piazza the ‘heart’ of the Ruby Princess |
For example, the largest “main” dining rooms seat just 500
people, compared to 1,000-plus capacity rooms on other ships.
Alternative restaurants such as the Italian inspired Sabattini’s
and the mahogany-panelled Crown Grill offer guests an intimate dining
experience. You’ll find all the amenities and activities
available on a big ship - and at the same time enjoy the personalized
service and comfort associated with a smaller vessel.
During a galley tour with Master Chef Alfredo Marzi (in charge of the
menus and food preparation for the entire fleet of 17 ships), we
learned that everything served is made from scratch onboard. Bread,
pastries, rolls, muffins, cookies, cakes, pies and even chocolates are
all made fresh daily around the clock. Soup stocks are prepared in 700
litre stainless steel cauldrons!
| Chef Marzi has a passion
for fine food and he is justifiably proud of the quality his staff
consistently delivers to Princess guests. He told me that research by
Gallop revealed that food quality is the primary reason clients choose
Princess. |
The Wheelhouse Bar - a little bit of England where the popular Pub Lunch is served |
The Ruby Princess has 258 people working in 18 food
preparation kitchens throughout the ship, providing delicious meals 24
hours a day; from fresh croissants and coffee at 4 am to gourmet Maine
lobster at the Crown Grill for dinner.
The Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Boticelli Dining Rooms offer identical
décor and menus; the goal being to provide a more gracious
dining experience than most ships of this size. The Crown Grill and
Sabatini’s are alternative restaurants offering a specialized
menu. As the name suggests, Sabatini’s has an Italian theme, with
traditional elaborate Rococo décor and refined European service.
Located aft, the floor length windows overlook Italian cedars on the
deck and the ocean beyond.
Something new is the
introduction of breakfast in this classically Italian restaurant. I
indulged with an inch-thick waffle that was as light as air; weighed
down with freshly whipped cream and maple syrup. Might as well go
all-in! A new innovation on the Ruby Princess, this exquisite breakfast
experience will soon be introduced to the fleet.
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The Crown Grill is everything you’d expect in a first-class
seafood and beef steakhouse. Mahogany paneling, a marble fireplace and
gleaming silverware set the tone for another memorable dining
experience. Tender steaks come from Kansas, lobster from Maine and King
Crab from Alaska. Highly recommended for that ‘special
evening’. |
Executive Chef Alfredo Marzi is responsible for the menu selections on all 17 Princess ships |
Another popular innovation has been the introduction of an English Pub
Lunch served in the Wheelhouse Bar. More mahogany panelling, leather
wing chairs and a menu offering Fish ‘n’ Chips, Cottage
Pie, and a Ploughman’s Lunch transport you from the sunny
Caribbean to the English countryside. The Pub Lunch is hugely popular,
and there are plans to roll it out to the rest of the Princess
fleet.
“Good evening ladies and
gentleman – what do you think of our newest baby girl?” Captain Tony
Yeomans referred to his pride and joy, the Ruby Princess, as he
addressed the passengers on the formal night. Gentleman in suits and
tuxedos, ladies in gowns and cocktail dresses lined the balconies and
the spiral staircases of the dazzling three storey Piazza Atrium, the
ship’s most popular meeting place.
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The Piazza is where
many of the special events take place during the course of your voyage;
including the Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Party, Princess Cruises'
signature Champagne Fountain and party, and a wide variety of
entertainment options – from pianists, violinists, and variety acts to
a band playing soul classics in the evening. |
It’s Party Time! The Princess signature Champagne Fountain |
Martin Hall, VP Entertainment comments; “The Piazza gives
us an opportunity to hire interesting variety acts whose performance
may only be 10 or 15 minutes. Too short for our stage shows, but very
interesting for our passengers to enjoy.”
The Piazza is a like town square, complete with a specialty coffee
café, sushi bar, and wine & cheese bar. You’ll also
find the Internet Café, a variety of Duty Free shops, the
Purser’s Office, and most of the guest services you’ll need
on the three decks encircling the atrium.
You can shape up in the fitness centre overlooking the deep blue sea.
Then indulge yourself in the Lido Spa with a variety of massages,
treatments, a therapeutic sauna, steam room and beauty salon. Try the
hot Bamboo massage - new to Princess. Adjacent to the Spa is a
swim-against-the-current pool – one of four pools onboard.
| Directly above on Sports
Deck 17, Princess has introduced an adults-only oasis of tranquility
called The Sanctuary. With lounge chairs for just 70 people, guests can
enjoy massages, light meals and beverage service. At just $10 for the
day, you can pretend that you’re on your very own yacht – albeit a very
large one! |
Pamper yourself with a visit to the adult-only Sanctuary |
Movies Under the Stars is a Princess Signature evening event where deck
chairs are arranged around a giant 300 square foot LED screen,
transforming the surrounding decks into a floating drive-in movie
theatre under the Caribbean night sky. Fresh popcorn and drinks are
delivered to you so that you don’t have to miss any of the
on-screen action.
The Princess Theatre is the entertainment centre of The Ruby Princess.
With seating for 900 people, there are no pillars to obstruct views to
the stage. The company has invested heavily in providing the audience
and performers a state-of-the-art theatre. We were treated to a
spell-binding premiere of Once Upon A Dream, a multi-media rock opera
and visual extravaganza, with generous use of Beatles music. The
largely middle-aged audience jumped to their feet for a standing
ovation at the performance conclusion. Broadway-style musicals,
laugh-a-minute comedians and seasoned performers like Kenny James (13
time Star Search winner) all bring their talents to the Princess
Theatre stage.
| Broadway-style
musicals, laugh-a-minute comedians and seasoned performers like Kenny
James (13 time Star Search winner) all bring their talents to the
Princess Theatre stage. You’ll also find musical entertainment in
Crooners, a classic piano bar offering 50 types of Martinis, The
Wheelhouse Bar, Club Fusion, Explorers Lounge and Adagio Lounge where
the legendary Ray Cousins was playing favourites from his years as
accompanist to Frank Sinatra. It’s not surprising that Gallop
research rates Entertainment as one of the top reasons repeat
passengers prefer Princess. |
Enjoy superb Italian cuisine and décor at Sabatini’s |
Princess Scholarship at Sea program offers guests computer workshops
(learn how to process your digital camera photos), various levels of
Photoshop, Dance lessons (from Line dance to Ballroom), culinary
demonstrations, wine tasting, Navigation at Sea, Astronomy at Sea, and
fascinating guest lecturers.
Just in case you’re running out of things to do, Ruby Princess
has a 9-hole mini-put course, two golf simulators where you can play
the best holes of the world’s greatest courses, tennis,
basketball, table tennis and a dedicated jogging track. And of course,
it wouldn’t be a cruise ship without a casino, and you’ll
find many ways to try your luck in Gatsby’s onboard the Ruby
Princess.
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During our port days we enjoyed excursions that included a day at the 5
star Sandals Dunn’s River Resort in Jamaica; a Grand Cayman
island tour with a beach break and visit to a fantastic turtle farm and
research centre; and drift-snorkelling along the world’s
second-largest reef off Cozumel. |
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Then it was back to our floating
resort and sailing off to another evening of fine food, entertainment,
waking to a sunrise in a new port and a day of new adventure. The folks
at the excursion desk help you select excursions that match your
interests and abilities; from island tours in an air conditioned motor
coach, to golf, to zip-lining through the Jamaican treetops.
The Ultimate Ship Tour excursion has been introduced onboard the Ruby
Princess, taking participants behind the scenes through all parts of
the ship. Beginning in the Princess Theatre, you see first-hand how the
lighting works, visit the dressing rooms backstage and learn how they
manage to keep track of 2,000 costumes; before continuing on to visit
the main kitchen galley where 9,000 meals are prepared daily; the
engine control room; the laundry; the sophisticated medical centre
staffed by 2 doctors and 4 nurses; the photo labs; a climb way, way up
into the smokestack area; and finishing up with an informative tour of
the bridge and a visit with the Captain. It’s a 2½ hour
marathon, but worth every moment if you’d like to know how a
cruise ship works.
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During her Inaugural Season, the Ruby Princess will be sailing 7 day
Western Caribbean itineraries from Ft-Lauderdale to Princess Cays in
the Bahamas (the company’s delightful Private Island), Jamaica,
Grand Cayman and Cozumel, plus two relaxing sea days. |
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Ruby Princess
will be moving to Europe this spring for 12 day alternating Grand
Mediterranean itineraries that include Italy and the Greek Islands. She’ll then return to the Caribbean in fall 2009 for alternating
10 day Caribbean voyages. Bon Voyage!
Travel Planner
For more information; please visit: www.princesscruises.com The folks at the three Montreal-area CruiseShipCenters have expert knowledge about Princess Cruises.
Montrealer Sylvain Couture - Future Cruise Consultant
The
best time to plan your next holiday might indeed be while you’re still
in vacation mode. You’re together, available to reflect and discuss
options.
Montrealer Sylvain Couture is the
onboard Future Cruise Consultant on the Ruby Princess. “I had moved to
Vancouver, and was teaching elementary school and working part time in
the hotel industry. I thought I’d take a break for six months and work
on a cruise ship.” |
Montrealer Sylvain Couture is the genial Future Cruise Consultant onboard Ruby Princess
Click here to watch Sylvain's interview |
Sylvain chuckles and continues; “That was in 1998 –
and I’m still sailing the world with Princess!”
Sylvain
provides some insight into cruise purchase patterns. “The first
cruise booking is usually for the Caribbean, although people on the
West Coast often start with Alaska because so many ships depart from
Vancouver. Then come cruises to the Panama Canal, Hawaii, Europe, South
America and more exotic destinations like Tahiti, Australia and Asia.
We also find that people like to take longer cruises, especially for
destinations like Europe.”
Sylvain is
quick to note that he is not competing with your local travel agent.
Rather, he complements their efforts. If you decide to make a
reservation, your travel agent will receive notification, and
you’ll complete the transaction with them, and they will receive
their usual commission. Princess has a very appealing onboard deposit
system. By making a deposit of just $100 for a future cruise sometime
in the next four years, you don’t even have to select your next
destination – but you will get the best available pricing and
shipboard credits.
Sylvain has
worked his way up from the Purser’s Office to enjoying Officer
status on Ruby Princess. His sunny disposition makes him a fine
ambassador for the company, and his first-hand knowledge of the
various Princess itineraries make him a valuable asset if you’d
like to plan your next cruise holiday before this one becomes a happy
memory!
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