Just returned from the 12/13-12/20 sailing of the Ruby and had a great time. I'll make this review relatively brief since others have already given a fairly accurate assessment of this beautiful ship.

I am not a frequent cruiser, but sailed Princess in 1991 on the old Star Princess and was on Holland America two years ago. The Ruby is beautiful, the service was generally excellent, and I loved the size and the amenities of our mini-suite. We had the egg-crate on the mattress and found it to be extremely comfortable. What I was most disappointed with was the food. If you want real scrambled eggs for breakfast then you better skip the buffet and go to the dining room for the real thing. The ones they serve at the buffet are made from a powder mixture and have a horrible consistency and taste. But to be honest, I am not a big breakfast person and was mostly satisfied with my cereal and banana. The lunch buffet was also a disappointment and I usually stuck to the salad bar or had a Panini and/or shrimp salad at the cafe on deck 5. We had traditional late seating for dinner and loved our waitress, Gabriella. The food, however, was hit or miss. Favorites were the Fetuccine Alfredo, the goat cheese soufflE with garlic sabayon, and the traditional turkey dinner. The chicken breast, which they offer nightly, was also excellent. Uniformly, I thought all the desserts were bland and tasteless. Dinner at Sabatini's was very good, especially the sea bass. Dinner at the Crown Grill was outstanding and well worth the extra charge.

No one seems to mention the spa and gym in their reviews. I worked out 1-2 times a day and found the equipment to be excellent. A word of warning to those over 6 feet tall who are looking forward to using the Precor elliptical trainer: Your head will hit the ceiling once you step on the machine. I also had three massages which were generally excellent, but I could have done without the lectures on my lymph system and all the toxins floating through my body before I started each massage. I also thought that the locker room was poorly designed and lacking in amenities. My mother had her hair washed and blow dried one evening and said the stylist was extremely rude and hostile. He yanked at the tangles in her hair with a comb and hurt her. When she later tried to instruct him on how to blow dry her hair, he repeatedly told her that he was "highly offended" by this . She eventually got up mid-blowdry and walked out of the salon. She ended up being comped for the service and the manager was highly apologetic. My mom identified the stylist as the only Filipino, male stylist working there, so beware. Read more