Passengers aboard the Ruby Princess remain upbeat as they await departure
By BETTY YU
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SAN FRANCISCO (KPIX) — Passengers aboard the Ruby Princess went into their second night Friday still docked at Pier 27 in San Francisco.
On Friday, Princess Cruises announced that it expects the ship to depart at 4 p.m. Sunday, three days after its original departure time. The Ruby Princess clipped the dock when it arrived in San Francisco just after 6 a.m. Thursday.
The ship, which is now carrying 3,200 new passengers, has to remain docked until necessary repairs are made and inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard, the cruise line said.
In the meantime, passengers were given a choice: guests can leave and claim a full refund or, if they stay, they receive a 75 percent refund. Both options come with discounts for future trips.
The company will shorten the Alaska trip from 10 days to 7 days.
Oakland resident and passenger Bleacher Dave, as he’s better known, shared photos and videos of people enjoying the pool and socializing during the last 24 hours.
This is his first post-pandemic cruise and it will be his first time seeing Alaska.
“So the first thing I thought … was get me off of this thing, because we live in Oakland,” Bleacher Dave said, describing his initial reaction upon hearing the announcement.
Dave said Princess Cruises is giving passengers until 11 a.m. Sunday to decide.
“I’ve enjoyed the buffet. I have specialty dining at the Italian restaurant set up for tomorrow. Mani-pedi set up and so it just matters if we can get some discounts we’re likely to stay on,” he said.
He said the mood is generally celebratory. He and his wife enjoyed playing games and other shipboard activities Friday afternoon.
“We just did a martini demonstration and so, if you go and shake those cocktail shakers and dance a little bit, you get a free martini. You know I’ll work for a free martini, Betty,” he aughed.
He has no complaints about the beautiful weather, views and strong Wi-Fi at the port. There’s also no shortage of things to do.
“People are in good cheer, the lounges are packed, there’s been movies, there’s been entertainment, there’s jokes, there’s comedians, musicians. Of course the bars are packed. Food, dessert…” he explained.
Though Bleacher Dave said Princess Cruises was not entirely transparent about the collision at first, the captain and crew have been very good about giving frequent updates.
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