Ruby Princess Review

Spring Break on the Mexican Riviera with Princess

Review for the Mexican Riviera Cruise on Ruby Princess
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puanani
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

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Sail Date: Mar 2017
Cabin: Balcony

My husband and I are active travelers and enjoy being outdoors. We have been on Princess Cruises in several countries, and our cruise experiences have all been so outstanding that we were excited about booking this Mexican Riviera cruise during our Spring Break. My husband's brother joined us on this cruise (in his own cabin) as a mini family reunion. As I am a teacher, our travels usually occur during school breaks. We had not been to this part of Mexico before and were looking forward to exploring it.

CATALINA ISLAND: Because the cruise departs from San Pedro, CA, we decided to visit Catalina Island before the cruise. Transportation from LAX was a breeze with the LAX Flyaway to Long Beach for a very reasonable price, excellent schedule and quick service. We then caught the Catalina Express ferry to Avalon, where we stayed for two nights at the Avalon Hotel. What a friendly, charming little inn in a central location! For three days we hiked, biked, and toured the island, most of which is a nature preserve. If you go, check out the excellent happy hour at the Lobster Trap restaurant. It was a relaxing way to start the vacation. Then we took the ferry back to San Pedro.

PRE-CRUISE HOTEL: We stayed at the Crowne Plaza Los Angeles Harbor Hotel for the night before the cruise. The location is perfect, as it is close enough to the ferry dock and the cruise terminal to walk. We walked from the ferry dock at night, and the route is well-lit and felt safe, with people out walking their dogs or strolling. It took 15-20 minutes with wheeled luggage. The hotel also offers a shuttle for $5.00 per person, but we love walking. There are several eateries in the area, and our favorite was Happy Diner a block away. Make sure to try their Huevos Rancheros and Breakfast Burritos for breakfast!

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin BB

The cabin was nice, like other Princess balcony cabins we'd had before. There's lots of room for everything you need for a week on the ship. The bed was extremely comfy! There are only two outlets at the desk, so we brought a plug in outlet cube that gave us 4 all together, enough for charging all our devices. The bathroom has large bottles of body wash and shampoo. Bring your own conditioner, or your hair will become very dry. We also had a small bar of soap and a tube of lotion.

BUT: One thing we noticed on this cruise that we had never dealt with before was loud creaking and popping sounds when the ship was underway at the beginning and ending days (sea days) of the cruise. The seas were not rough at all, but you could feel the movement of the ship. We checked everywhere in the room for anything that might have been loose or hitting something else, but the sounds came from the walls. The loud noises really affected the quality of our sleep, as the ship usually sails all night. We talked to our steward about it and he said that it's always like that. It was not like that on any of the other 7 Princess ships we have sailed on, and those were in rougher seas at times.

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