New Ruby Princess sails Caribbean despite uncertain economic waters

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (MCT) - While the economy's got that sinking feeling, maybe taking a trip on something that still floats isn't such a bad idea.

Going on a cruise has always been viewed as kind of an all-inclusive on water. Meals, your room and entertainment are included in the price. And Jan Swartz, senior vice president of customer service and sales for Princess Cruises, said the cost for a 12-day European cruise next summer was 40 percent less than a similar land-based vacation.

The Ruby Princess, the newest ship in the Princess Cruises fleet, is sailing the Caribbean through April, then it journeys to the Mediterranean. My husband and I took a cruise on the Ruby's second trip around the Western Caribbean in November.

Let's figure out how much a seven-night Caribbean cruise costs, knowing that prices may vary:

_Stateroom with a balcony, from $899.

_Airfare for our trip last November cost $401 per person, including taxes. Direct flights depart from St. Louis to Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and Miami, and a taxi or bus can deliver you to Ruby Princess' home in Port Everglades, Fla.

_Do the math. Add the two costs above and you'll get a trip costing $1,300 per person. Divide that by seven nights and it winds up being about $185 per person a day, meals included.

And that other cruise perk: You only have to unpack once.

___

WHAT'S NEW

Ultimate Ship Tour

This is the hardest ticket to get on the ship. For $150, just a dozen passengers get to take a three-hour tour during each cruise to see the inner workings of the Ruby Princess. Get a look behind the scenes at "Once Upon a Dream" in the Princess Theatre, visit the pastry shop, print shop, photo lab, medical center, the bridge and watch a most amazing machine called the Omega crossfolder do just that: fold thousands of bed linens. Reserve your ticket onboard at the Passenger Services Desk.

Wheelhouse Bar

Pub fare _ bangers and mash, fish and chips, ploughman's lunch, mushy peas, (tasty despite the name), all in a cozy setting. The food is included; the Guinness and Bass are not.

Sabatini's

This Italian restaurant is now offering breakfast for suite passengers. Mimosas, brioche French toast with apple and cinnamon compote are among the morning offerings. But if you're not a suite passenger, there's always the dinner option for a $20 cover charge.

Flat-screen TVs

Every stateroom has one. Don't forget to catch a vintage episode of the "Love Boat." We watched the one where Charo was a special guest. (Oh, so she was on the "Love Boat" eight times? It's that one where she's flirting with Doc.)

___

MUST DO'S

Crown Grill

For an extra $25 per person, shake up your dinner plans one night and try this steak and seafood restaurant. Crown Grill has room for only 160 people, so reservations are required. Trust me, it's worth making plans for the filet mignon.

Movies under the stars

The crew brings out the cushions for the deck chairs for passengers to watch "Mamma Mia!" on the 300-square-foot movie screen overlooking the Calypso Pool. Some of the other movies included "Get Smart," "Baby Mama," "Swing Vote" and "Hancock." Yes, the popcorn is free.

Sanctuary

At the very front of the ship lies the Sanctuary, an adults-only retreat. I got a taste of it after a visit at Lotus Spa. Here, the palm trees and private cabanas shield you from the sun. Passengers chill in lounge chairs with cheery, soothing yellow-and-white striped cushions. They listen to iPods (provided) and sip water with cucumber slices or strawberries. Sanctuary makes a great case for skipping a few shore excursions. Who wants to stand in line to get a cab to George Town, Grand Cayman, when you can do this? Again, this is first-come, first-served. The fee is $10 for morning or afternoon sessions, or $20 for all day.

Gelato

Looking for a small indulgence? Try three scoops of gelato for $1.50. It's in a little cafe near the atrium-like piazza. Try the Nutella.

Walk the ship

Looking for something to do in-between meals? Walk 2.7 times around the Lido deck and you've completed a mile.

Take in a sweat lodge

This gets my vote for best shore excursion experience. I picked the Temazcal Mayan Sweatlodge Experience ($119) because it wasn't the typical tour of a city or ruins. After a bumpy ride _ better known as a "Mexican massage" _ through the jungle to the site, our guide Moses Szapsik took our group of five through some Mayan history and then through the cleansing process. We all crawled into the dark temazcal or sweat lodge and spent 90 minutes chanting, yelling and looking into our past and future through a humid 140-degree haze.

But if you're looking for a more typical shore excursion, yes, we did climb Dunn's River Falls in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. Climbing a waterfall is one of the best things to do when it's pouring-down rain. We did buy the DVD ($35) to prove that we climbed the 600-foot waterfall. Tourists.

___

IF YOU HAVE TIME

Lotus Spa

There are deals here, if you know when to book. If you want to get a massage but think it's too pricey, remember these three words: Port day specials. You will get a better deal on a massage if you stay on board instead of taking a shore excursion.

Trivia

There's always plenty of free fun and games going on. It's all listed in the Princess Patter, the daily newsletter. We got there late but played a round of 20-questions trivia in Crooner's bar. Here's a sampling of the questions:

_How old was Boris Becker when he won his first Wimbledon singles championship?

_How many films did Charlie Chaplin appear in?

Answers: Becker was 17 and Chaplin appeared in 89 films.

ScholarShip@Sea

Some are complimentary, others cost $25-$30 for a class lasting an hour or two. The classes include computers@sea, basic Photoshop, scrapbooking@sea, Nintendo Wii@sea and astronomy@sea, but many more are available.

An Internet cafe is available round the clock, but if you prefer logging on in your stateroom, a wireless account will run you 75 cents a minute. Or you can buy an online package, starting at 100 minutes for $55.

___

HOW IT ALL ADDS UP ON THE RUBY PRINCESS

20,000 towels washed per day

15 decks above the water line with names like Dolphin, Star, Sky and Promenade

1,300 crew members

3,080 passengers

12 crew photographers

2 videographers

4,500 to 7,000 photos professionally taken on formal night; 15 to 25 percent are sold

20 days of fuel stored in the ship's tanks

2 doctors on board

4 nurses on board

200 tons of water from the Caribbean is distilled, mineralized and used aboard the ship every day

13 dancers

3-level dressing room backstage at the Princess Theatre

50 plasma screens in Club Fusion

17 ships in the Princess Cruise line, with Ruby Princess making its debut last November

22 treadmills with TVs in the fitness center

___

IF YOU GO:

Here are the starting room prices for Ruby Princess Western Caribbean cruises for the Jan. 31 and Feb. 7 sailings. Prices do not include taxes and port charges:

_Inside stateroom (no window): From $599 per person, double occupancy

_Outside stateroom: From $629 per person, double occupancy

_Balcony accommodations: From $899 per person, double occupancy

_Mini-suite: From $1,145 per person, double occupancy

_Suite: From $2,249 per person, double occupancy

___

Jackie Hutcherson: jhutcherson@post-dispatch.com

___

© 2009, St. Louis Post-Dispatch.