2023 was my Mom’s 80th birthday. We talked about doing something special, and we decided that a cruise to Alaska would be a great idea. Mom made all the arrangements. I thought it was pretty cool that we walked out her front door, boarded the ferry, went down the Embarcadero, boarded the cruise ship, sailed to Alaska and came back to her front door. Never got into a car. All travel was done walking or by ship.
Before we boarded the Ruby Princess, there was an article in the newspaper that said the ship was damaged arriving at the dock in San Francisco. It was repaired a couple of weeks prior to our departure.
We took the ferry from Mare Island.
As we got close, we could see this huge ship… it was ours.
The Ruby Princess, built in 2008, is a Crown-class cruise ship with a tonnage of 113,561, a length of 951 feet, and a width of 118 feet. It carries 3,080 passengers in 1,542 staterooms and is staffed by approximately 1,200 crew members. The ship features 19 decks, including 8 with passenger cabins. The builder was Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani, Monfalcone, Italy.
We went through the check-in process very conveniently…. and grinned from ear-to-ear like a couple of tourists (which we were).
We couldn’t go directly to our stateroom. So, we hung out at one of the bars. Mom had water… I think I had a glass of wine… getting into the swing of things.
We got 1 of only 16 wheelchair accessible balcony cabins. Our room was fantastic, and the shower was easy for me. Quite nice.
I started exploring, looking for the best views. We hadn’t even pulled away from the pier yet.
The first full day on the ocean was gorgeous.
I don’t think an actual helicopter was inside that locker.
I went everywhere, top to bottom, front to back. It was fun to just see everything that was available.
I was advised by my friends who had already been on cruises that I should pick a restaurant and table for dinner, and stick with it during the entire trip. This way, we get the same waiter. It was a great idea. These two guys took great care of us.
I got a short message from the waiter on our last day. Very cute.
I found all kinds of places to listen to great music and have a beer or a glass of wine.
Our 1st stop was Juneau.
The variety of music was great on the ship.
Our 2nd stop was Skagway.
Our 3rd stop was Ketchikan.
Our 4th and last stop was Prince Rupert, Canada.
Cruising the Inland Passage is definitely a must-do activity.