Robert N. Jenkins, Special to the Times
In Print: Sunday, December 7, 2008
Princess aims to be the “consummate host,” according to Rai Caluori, executive vice president of operations. “By that we mean warm and gracious service harkening back to another era . . . We emphasize intimate and comfortable elegance.”
To reassure their upscale passengers that the 17-deck Ruby Princess is no shopping mall at sea, even the strawberries onboard wear tuxedoes, and the library offers authors from Homer to Hemingway.
More significant is what frequent cruisers recognize as a cruise line's personality:
• A richness in the Ruby Princess' decor. Colors are deep primary hues — no neon, few pastels. Armchairs in the public spaces are heavy, well-padded and upholstered in muted patterns.
• Each piece of artwork in the corridors and stairwells is an original — as if you were in the home of someone with a good eye and eclectic tastes. Musicians playing in lounges open to passers-by keep the volume down.
• A gracious staff. On some ships, crew members avoid interacting with the passengers. On the Ruby Princess, the staff is quick to wish them a good day or an enjoyable dinner. And when your cabin steward calls out to you by name, you feel as if you are being hosted.
That's significant because Princess, marketed in the "premium" category, has branded itself as the "consummate host," says Rai Caluori. He is executive vice president of operations for the 17-ship Princess fleet.
"By that we mean warm and gracious service harkening back to another era . . . We emphasize intimate and comfortable elegance," Caluori told travel agents and travel writers aboard a preview cruise before the first sailing with paying passengers Nov. 8.
Taking a swipe at mass-market brands, he added: "We don't have any 'forced fun' — no waiters dancing on the tables or napkin-waving in the dining rooms."
Instead, Princess is adding to its ships the adults-only outdoor relaxation area named the Sanctuary.
For a $10 fee, passengers can spend a half-day under an awning, vegging out on super-comfy deck chairs or chaises (some large enough for two), utilize two massage cabanas, rent a preloaded MP3 player with noise-canceling headphones and be pampered by a special staff offering to mist them with Evian or provide a chilled face towel.
Sanctuary guests enjoy fresh fruit, smoothies, spring rolls and infused waters. They are steps from steam, sauna and aromatherapy rooms. Or they can lie back on a curved, heated-tile lounge. There is an additional charge for some of the menu items.
The fee reduces the traffic in this top-deck area. Similarly, a much stiffer fee of $150 is charged for the clever Ultimate Ship Tour. This three-hour experience, offered just twice during a seven-day voyage, provides 12 to 15 passengers access to operational parts of a cruise ship that are otherwise off-limits.
There, the passengers can chat with special-duty crew and receive souvenirs.
Another possibility is the $75 dinner at the Chef's Table. This includes a tour of the galley during dining hours. These passengers meet the executive chef for cocktails and hors d'oeuvres, followed by a multicourse, off-the-menu dinner. The chef will visit during the meal.
Or passengers in one of the 886 cabins with balconies can opt for the $50 Ultimate Balcony Dinner — four courses, served by a waiter.
Too much? The free, 24-hour room service has added pizza delivery, for $3.
It is in the food and drink area where Ruby's designers have sought to de-emphasize the vastness of a ship that is 951 feet long and can sleep more than 3,800.
For instance, the three main dining rooms seat from 514 to 584. There are three much smaller, themed restaurants, as well as the pool deck's 24-hour multicourse buffet.
A popular touch is the Piazza, on one of the three decks comprising the atrium. To one side of the glass-walled elevators is the 29-seat Vines, offering 24 wines by the glass, sushi and artisanal cheeses.
To the other side is the 44-seat International Cafe, with coffees and teas, pastries, gelato, those strawberries coated with icings to resemble tuxedoes, but also panini, salads, tapas and a full bar.
To keep evening gatherings to a nominal size, the Princess Theater seats 800 (with no obstructed sight lines), and there are a dozen bars and lounges, most of which have live music.
Or passengers can head to the pool deck, where all day and into the night, movies are shown on a brilliant, 300-square-foot LED screen above the largest of the ship's four pools.
Crew members provide blankets and free popcorn and candy during the evening films — as all consummate hosts would do.
Freelance writer Robert N. Jenkins is the former travel editor of the St. Petersburg Times.
.IF YOU GO
Sailing on the Ruby Princess
Itineraries: Now through early April, the Ruby Princess sails each Saturday on a seven-day roundtrip from Fort Lauderdale to Ocho Rios, Jamaica; Grand Cayman; Cozumel, Mexico; and the cruise line's private island in the Bahamas. On April 18, it will leave for Barcelona, Spain, then sail 12-day itineraries in the Mediterranean.
Cabins: The 1,540 staterooms include 1,104 outside cabins, 886 with balconies. There are 31 wheelchair accessible cabins. Standard in all cabins are a minifridge, hair dryer, flat-screen TV showing cable channels and recent theatrical films, safe, good closet and drawer space. Cabins have WiFi and cell phone service, which is blocked in dining rooms.
Worth noting: The best dining room onboard is the Crown Grill, specializing in steaks and seafood. It has a show kitchen with counter seating in front. The Crown Grill, done in muted red and forest green, with photos of London on the walls, seats 160.
Less formal but handsomely decorated with spectacular ship's models is the Wheelhouse Pub, offering such typical English fare as fish and chips.
One of the four pools has a current that creates resistance for those who want to exercise in the water.
Golfers can test themselves on computerized simulators that display some of the world's famous courses. Plus, there is a nine-hole putting course.
Princess' ScholarShip@Sea educational program features experts speaking on topics ranging from cooking to visual arts, from computer skills to astronomy. All 17 ships have pottery kilns.
For more information: Princess is currently requiring just a $100 deposit rather than the usual 20 percent of the fare. Contact a travel agent or go to www. princesscruises.com.
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