Ruby Princess is a beautiful ship and overall in good condition. Our balcony cabin was pretty much identical to every other Princess balcony we have had. We opted for Anytime Dining which has always previously served us well. Not this time. We recognize that for this type of dining, you are typically going to wait a bit to be seated. In the past they gave you a pager and you found a comfortable spot to wait to be called. On the first night, we cued up at about 6:45 pm and were shocked at how long the line was. Moreover the line didn't move so we never got close to the host to be issued a pager. We just stood there for about 45 minutes like so many others. The area near the entrance to the Michaelangelo has a coffee shop seating area and it was packed. I could go on but suffice it to say this was an awful experience. When we finally go to the front of the line we asked the MaitreD what was going on. He kindly apologized, suggested it will improve as the cruise proceeds and that we can always make a reservation. A reservation for anytime dining? That's new. By the way, the food was very good although for the first time in my experience the server did not offer us a cocktail or wine (which we have always purchased in the past.)

The next morning we made a reservation. We asked for 6:30 and were told the only seating available was before 5:30 or after 8. That has never happened before. We took the 7:30 reservation and still had to wait around 45 minutes to be seated. We eventually gave up and ate at one of the specialty restaurants, The Salty Dog, which was a major disappointment.

Every day it was the same. Long lines with no apparent progress. Overcrowding in the area and lines (yes even for men) to bathrooms which started to smell bad. Again, once actually seated (after 8 pm each time we dined at the Anytime Dining room) the food was great and the service was excellent. Read more