Scene on the Sound: first cruise ship of 2018 season departs Seattle for Juneau

Ruby Princess passes Richmond Beach heading for Juneau
copyright, Marc Weinberg.jpg

Text and photo by Marc Weinberg

Saturday, May 5, 2018 .... On a hazy late afternoon she was spotted passing Richmond Beach on a beautiful opening day to 'boating season'.

Ruby Princess is a Grand-class cruise ship owned and operated by Princess Cruises. She was built in 2008 by Fincantieri in Trieste, Italy at a cost of $400 million.

She is a sister ship to Crown Princess and Emerald Princess. She accommodates 3600 passengers plus 1,200 crew. She is 951 feet in length and cruises at 20kn with a top speed of 23kn.