Ruby Princess Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,975 reviews

First Princess Cruise

Review for the Southern Caribbean Cruise on Ruby Princess
User Avatar
kt0331
First Time Cruiser • Age 40s

Rating by category

Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service
Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Feb 2010

My first impression of Princess was the extremely smooth and efficient embarkation process. What a breeze compared to other lines. (I've previously sailed on Royal Caribbean, Celebrity and Carnival) We had flown to Ft. Lauderdale the day before the cruise and stayed at the Marriott Renaissance on 17th St. Very easy access to the port and the location is convenient to the port. There is a Walgreens across the street which is nice for any last minute purchases and a Starbucks and Einstein Bagels in walking distance as well. The hotel offered shuttle service to the port in our rate so we opted to use that. There were 6 ships in port that morning, but the Ruby was the first stop and a quick trip from the hotel. I would say it was around noon by the time we were checking in. There was a line, because I think they hadn't started boarding yet, but once it started moving it went quick. I cannot say enough about the embarkation process. First it was sorted by deck and the lines were about 1 person/group deep for any deck. We were checked in in a matter of minutes and then split in two directions depending on your room location so they had two entry points to the ship. We were on board and the room was ready immediately so we set off exploring after dropping our carry-on's off.

The ship was in excellent condition. We chose this ship because it was newer, because of some different ports of call and because we wanted to try something different. (Primarily sailing Royal Caribbean in the last few years) The room was a balcony room on the Baja deck (Deck 11). This was the first deck that didn't have balconies above that could see you. The three floors below us, you could see down to those balconies. The room did offer what I thought to be more than the normal storage space. The closet was large and without doors, plenty of shelves and other cabinet space and the beds were high enough that our large luggage fit underneath. My only complaint would be that the shower was probably smaller than most and had a curtain versus doors. (Royal Caribbean and Celebrity both had doors which I tend to prefer) But the curtain didn't blow around or anything which was good.

All of the public areas were in good condition and clean. The first two days were at sea and we didn't have any trouble finding deck chairs at any point in time. Not sure if this was due to what I believe to be an older crowd or if there really was ample space. They did have pool games/activities like Royal Caribbean and often had a difficult time rounding up some people to participate.

Cabin Review

Great central location. Balcony - two chairs and a table. Did not have people above that could see you, but could see down to the three decks below. Clean - large closet area. Small shower with curtain.

previous reviewnext review

Find a Ruby Princess Cruise from $143

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.