Ruby Princess Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,975 reviews

Ruby, Ruby...Ruby will you be mine?...

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Ruby Princess
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ScubaJune
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

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Sail Date: Feb 2010
Cabin: Balcony

This was the sixth cruise for my Husband (51) and myself (45). We have sailed with NCL-Sun and Spirit, HAL-Noordam, Royal Caribbean-Explorer of the Seas, and once before with Princess-Caribbean Princess. We have never been on a "bad" cruise. You will find some of the same themes in this review as in others but with a different perspective. Keep in mind, this is my opinion and all opinions are subjective and most cruises are what YOU make of them...

We arrived in Fort Lauderdale a day before embarkation and stayed at the Renaissance. The hotel was very nice, clean and convenient. Anything you might need before embarkation was obtainable within walking distance - supermarket, liquor store (although a bit pricey), nail salon. We had the best burgers as a late lunch at Chuck's Steakhouse just up the block and we really enjoyed walking along the bridge.

Embarkation was very efficient (just don't ask to use an end of a "security" table to fill out your health questionnaire!). We arrived at the pier at 12:30pm and we were in our cabin by 12:50pm. The balcony cabin was nice and well kept with soft, light colors. Storage is good; big closet and suitcases fit under the bed...but Princess has some of the smallest bathrooms and tiniest showers at sea! It didn't seem quite as bad as it was when I was on Caribbean Princess but maybe that was because I got used to it and knew what to expect. Our Room Steward did a good job, I could barely understand a word he said but he did what was necessary, fulfilled our additional requests, and kept the room clean. For me that's all that counts. There were no issues regarding cigarette smoke from the balcony (thank goodness!) but the tiered balcony style of the ship can be a bit of a concern...There are some passengers who prefer to sunbathe in the nude on the edge of their balcony. This can be a bit uncomfortable for other passengers whose balcony overlooks the balcony of the nude sunbather. While you can step back or sit down to avoid the "view," if you want to people watch the pier or are interested in the goings on while the ship docks or sails away it can be rather distracting. The ship itself is lovely. It is a bit confusing to navigate but really, how lost can you get? We enjoyed the Piazza immensely, it is a very pretty area and truly the heart of the ship. The music here was the best! I am sorry to say I never caught the name of the Violinist and the group he played with but they were truly wonderful. It was such a pleasure to sit and listen in the evening while enjoying gelato ($1.50 for three generous scoops) and coffee from the International Cafe. The purchase of the coffee card is well worth it if you like your coffee. Thanks to Henri and Alex at the coffee bar I enjoyed my cappuccino every morning and again some afternoons! The only thing I will add here is any time spent in the Piazza/Cafe area seemed to be an invitation for crew members to try to sell you something - ie: wine tasting - they kept at it until I finally gave in and I did not enjoy the experience at all, neither the hard sell nor the wine tasting event! Maybe I should have just told them I purchased it already from someone else? You can bet I will be better prepared next time.

Cabin Review

Balcony

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