Ruby Princess Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,976 reviews

Fooled Again

Review for the Southern Caribbean Cruise on Ruby Princess
User Avatar
sindy
First Time Cruiser • Age 20s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Dec 2009

We cruised on Princess Cruises last September to Alaska. While we loved Alaska and the itinerary, we were not impressed by the Coral Princess. Everyone has always raved about Princess so we decided to try again, this time in the Southern Caribbean for 10 days on the new Ruby Princess. Once again we were disappointed. Embarkation was fine....long lines, but they moved pretty fast. Our room was ready when we arrived. There was no champagne on boarding, just information about a scavenger hunt of some sort. The Ruby is just the same old ship design....nothing new or innovative. The bathroom and especially the shower was still very small. The balcony room we had was adequate and the beds were comfortable. One complaint with the Princess designed balconies is the tiering style. Instead of seeing the water directly below our balcony, we looked down into the balcony below us. We were on the 11th deck, so no one above us looked down, but privacy is definitely an issue. Also, a constant complaint of mine, lots of smokers who love to pollute the fresh air on the balconies.

One feature we enjoyed was the "Movies Under the Stars". At night covers were put on the lounge chairs, blankets and popcorn were passed out, and you could relax and watch a movie up on deck. It was especially fun to watch the football games on the huge screen.

Food was edible, but just the usual stuff on the buffet. After 10 days, it was tiring to see the same old stuff everyday. There was not much variety. Some cruises we have been on have omelet stations, stir fry stations, delis and other options to spice the buffet up. Not this one....very boring and it seemed that at least one side was always closed making for long lines and crowdedness in the area. The design of the seating for the buffets is meant to make smaller intimate areas but it just didn't work. There were too many barriers to try to make your way through carrying food. Waitstaff was not friendly. In fact, we saw many being very rude to the elderly passengers. Granted, this cruises average age was probably 80 something, but the rudeness was uncalled for. Dining room food was better than the buffet. On several nights it was excellent....what one would expect on a cruise. But several nights, it was hard to find something to choose on the menu. Plates were not presented as well as they could have been and service was very slow.We chose the anytime dining, and would recommend that you call ahead and make a reservation as it gets crowded. They pass out "beepers" and you have to wait. One night we waited over 40 minutes, then missed the show.

Cabin Review

previous reviewnext review

Find a Ruby Princess Cruise from $158

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.