A quick day cruise to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico... The ship was recently refurbed/drydocked and left to the traditional look of "The Love Boat"... really nice touch. Some of the best ... and worst... entertainment I have ever seen on a cruise ship....(worst-magician...best-production dancers in the showroom) Some of the best ... and worst... food I have ever had on a cruise ship (worse-2 undercooked and bad steaks in the Crown Room...best...service in the dining rooms). Really friendly steward (James)... The cruise activities were very good and thought out.... It was cold out most of the cruise, so not able to lay out that much....so indoor events were really important....Yessy, the assistant cruise director was funny, charming and the life of the party- got things going... Embark (5 minutes) and Disembark (5 minutes) was the fastest transition I have even been on. Smooth and efficient. We got a really good price and a quiet inside stateroom.... loved the big TV in our refurbished room.. Medallian.net phone app was not finished and need tweaking.... Not great, but good to have something for an itinerary to carry with me. Read Less

The three areas that were disappointing were entertainment, menu selection and smoking venue. The comic, diva, trio and pianist at Crooners very good; the dance band, guitar players and Wallace Black dIsappointment; The trio played a great selection of mariachi and dance music. Tea Cake Forest Diva performance of Aretha and Whitney Houston excellent; the comedian offered a good show. The dance band played with no soul and the Wallace Black Duo especially the female singer not at quality level for Princess Cruises, the pianist at Wheelhouse advised me doesn’t do requests - really? Movie selections impressive and availablity to see in Princess Theater was a positive option. The menu selection on Horizon for breakfast and lunch unappealing Friday and Saturday. Sailed on Ash Wednesday and a Friday in Lent and found selections of non meat sparse. Salty Dog Street Tacos selections disappointing and exception of Saturday night menu of Michangelos limited, two nights orders were incorrect and avoided ordering wine or drinks as it seemed delayed menu orders. The Speakeasy was a cramped room for smokers and drink service available lnconsistent in comparison to smoking bar on The Star Princess. Read Less

We wanted a shorter trip and this one fit the bill. A day and a half at sea, 24 hours in a warm port (Cabo San Lucas), and another day and a half to get home. The Ruby is spacious and well maintained. She is just in the process of switching over to Princess's Medallion system. Right now, all you can do is wave you cruise card at the medallion reader outside the cabin door. The food was delicious as usual. I appreciate that, besides the daily menu, that Princess had favorites that are available every day. Pizza was up to snuff (after a dip in quality as reported on Cruise Critic a year ago). The burger grille by the pool is the only weak link. Bar service was prompt and the drinks were strong and tasty. We liked the Walker-Black band and it was nice to see them again after sharing the Emerald with them last July. My daughter (23) fell in love with at guitarist singer, Mary {something} who made my daughter come to enjoy classic rock. I am sold on Princess and have my next Princess cruise booked for a year from now (too far away!). Next up, though, is a turn to the dark-side as I go on reunion cruise on another line with an alumni group that I belong to next September. I don't want to cast aspersions, but it will be a carnival on that cruise. Read Less

When it takes 4hrs to have your toilet plunged or at least 20min for room service to answer the phone, what else really needs to be said? This was by far the worst cruise I've ever travelled on. Staff dragged their feet for everything. Barely a smile from staff the entire cruise. People just going through the motions. The itinerary is built for travellers 70+. Nothing except comedy show and bingo worth going to if you are 40 or below. The 80s night at Skywalker's was the newest music you will find. I made the mistake of bringing my 3 and 6yo on this cruise. If you do not drop them in kids club, you will be spending the time with your child in your room watching movies. Movies only because there were no kids channels or cartoons. Jeffrey Santiago (steward) and Edgar (Front Desk Manager) were lone superstars on the cruise. Unless you want to bid on art or do nothing for 5 days, book other cruise line. Read Less

I am a veteran when it comes to cruising. I have done over 20. Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Holland. This was my first and last on Princess. This ship was supposed to be refurbished but our bathroom smelled moldy. I have to steam and use fabreeze to try and fix the smell. I had heard that the service was ok in the beginning and tapers off towards the end of the cruise. That was exactly what happened. By day 4 the waiters in the Buffet areas were down right rude. I always pre-paid gratuities but this was the first time I had to fight myself not to have them taken off. This cruise closes down at midnight, no bars open, disco was dead and only played music from 60-80s. Bingo was over priced and the host talked non stop. It took over an hour to play 4 games. Only one live show in 5 days. The shore excursion desk took us to tender then told us to walk to dolphin encounters. They cut it so close , we never had time to shop. I was offered free play on my next cruise but I tore the paper up. I won’t ever go on princess again. Can’t give me a free cruise. Royal Caribbean or Carnival for me. Read Less

The cruise was priced great for a balcony. The stateroom had awesome space including a great closet area. The room was very clean with new carpeting and mattress. The cruise itself was only fair however. There wasn’t much to keep you entertained at night. Only one thing going on at a time. If you didn’t like what was going on, there wasn’t anything left to do. The ship design is very poor. A lot of dropping down a deck walk across and returning back to the same deck just to get to the dinning hall. The ship overall was very clean with great decor. The breakfast and lunch buffet was just average with selection. The poolside pizza and hamburgers were great along with soft serve ice cream. Great dinning service, they were very helpful with choosing a menu item and remembered your favorite drinks rack night. Again, menu items were only average. I have been on many cruises. Unfortunately this one is only average. Read Less

Really only chose this cruise because it was out of LA where we had agreed to meet up with relatives. Thought a cruise would be a good option for those with mobility issues and that the "inclusive" package would suit us all with food, entertainment and accommodation in one place, leaving us time to chat and catch-up. This aspect did, of course, work well for us. However, it has to be said that the "up-selling" is relentless and the basic package (without buying into the upselling of speciality restaurants, wifi, exclusive pool area, drinks etc) very average compared to what else is out there in the cruise market these days. The decor everywhere is "beige blath" and hard to believe that the ship had a refurb only 3/4 years ago. A number of the wait staff looked totally disenchanted with their jobs (as I am sure they must be with the endless short haul party seekers the ship attracts). The "cattle market" at LA on embarkation was deeply unpleasant with insufficient direction as to what to do and where to go with luggage and porters were downright rude - just had to grit your teeth and keep cool in the knowledge that it cannot be easy getting 3,000 passengers aboard in a very limited timescale. Not a great start to your break though. Check-in staff were much more welcoming though. Read Less

It was a great deal for a 5-day cruise but you get what you pay for. PROS: Wonderful and friendly stewards, food, dining and entertainment staff Very nice ship Expedient embarkation and disembarkation process Lots of activities CONS: Wrong demographics for us. Passengers were older (senior citizens). Activities and entertainment geared towards this crowd. If you like to "party", this is not the cruise for you. Food was mediocre and bland - very similar to Hometown Buffet. Horizon Buffet, room service and dining selections not as good as Carnival, Royal Caribbean or Norwegian. Also, some items are not free so be careful. For example, gelato was $1.50 and select entrees at free dining cost between $19-$30. Can only get free glass of water and coffee in select areas. Otherwise, regular coffee was $1.25 and bottled water was $2. Only food available 24 hours on the ship outside of room service was International Café and it's menu is overrated. Not much selection. Room service takes between 45 minutes to one hour. 5-day cruise but only in Cabo Saturday 12 p.m. through Sunday 12 p.m. (24 hrs.). The remainder of the time is at sea. Our worst experience on this cruise was the Lotus Spa. My husband and I paid $159 for access to the retreat (steam rooms and sauna). 1. Front desk staff were curt and snobbish. They weren't welcoming and when I asked questions about particular services, I felt as if they were rushing to give me an answer and move on. They don't smile or welcome you as you come in. 2. Massage/therapy staff were loud. Called your names out loudly when it was your turn to receive service, making the "relaxation" room noisy. They also conversed with each other near clients which added to noise and distraction. If you weren't receiving a service but only there to relax, you were essentially ignored. They did not smile or acknowledge you. 3. Changing rooms were a mess. Bathrooms were dirty with toilet paper on the floor. Used robes and towels on seats and floor. Lockers did not work so we often had to have front desk staff take our valuables to watch. Since they were unwelcoming to begin with, they felt bothered by this request. 4. Clean glasses and tea/coffee cups were seldom replaced. At one point, I waited half an hour for a clean glass. I asked one staff member for a clean glass and she said "Just be patient." Wow! Meanwhile, dirty glasses and cups were piling up alongside banana and orange peels. 5. Robes were in bad shape - fraying and stained. Read Less

I chose this because it was a ten day cruise which went to some off the beaten track Ports. The food was sub-par and the ships facilities were in need of repair. None of the Hot Tubs on the ship were working properly and nothing was done to repair them. The food in the Michaelangelo Dining room was mediocre and the Crown Steak House was disappointing. The activities on sea days on the ship were not geared to be of any interest to an active person or of any educational value. The quality of Merchandise in the stores was disappointing. I have always looked forward to see the latest styles in Invicta watches as I have experienced on every cruise I have been on in the last ten years. I was told that they no longer carry that Brand. Instead, they had a few lines of very cheap Chinese-made watches that were an embarrassment. Read Less

My wife and I have sailed this itinerary twice before this cruise. It is our favorite because of the port stop of Loreto. A small, beautiful and fun town. The town entertains ship folks in the central plaza with singers and dancers. A little cantina next to the plaza has the best carne-asada nachos we have ever had. The margaritas are good also! We embarked on 18 Feb 2019 which is a couple of months earlier than previous cruises. The weather was cooler, which was nice. Puerto Vallarta was warm, Cabo and La Paz just right and Loreto windy but not cold. We saw many whales and schools of dolphins. Most sunsets were wonderful and a couple really spectacular. Seas were very smooth almost the entire trip. One night there was a slight wiggling. Actually we missed the ship rocking us to sleep. We took ship excursions in Cabo and La Paz, and took a cab to the Malecon in Puerto Vallarta. Loreto is an easy walk. In the past we have hired a van or taxi for $25 and had an hour tour of the area. Don’t miss the cemetery, it is beautiful. We are Elite with Princess and have sailed on many of their ships. This was our third cruise on the Ruby. Everywhere the service was quick and accurate, from Horizon Court staff, to the Crown Steakhouse to the stores and also the Pursers desk. Staff were cheerful and friendly. The food was great. We loved all the variety in the buffet and have been trying their soups the last two cruises. Very good. Also, the smaller buffet aft in the Horizon Court, the Caribe Café was a good place to avoid crowds. One morning they had a “Chocolate Buffet” which included all the chocolate desserts you can think of, and chocolate waffles, chocolate pancakes and chocolate French toast. The meal in the Crown was great, although the $10 surcharge for a small, dry lobster tail to go with the filet was not good customer service. Come on! The pizza was good. The hamburgers and hot dogs were great. I had them build a double cheeseburger with fried onions for me. Predictably it exceeded my expectations. However the chicken street tacos had hard tortillas and the chicken was also hard. Won’t try them again. We were offered a promo free meal in the Curtis Stone Share specialty Gastropub. The day and dine times were pre-arranged for a long port day and at 8 pm. We received this on the first day. I called to change it, could not. The only alternative was a formal night. They insisted we dress. We have been there and done that. Over it. Told them to keep their free meal! If they offer a promo meal, they should allow you to make the reservation before boarding, as with other dining reservations. Our room was a mini-suite. Just fantastic. The door opens with Medallion card system, which is new. Also there are no baskets or name tags at room entrances now. Stuff is shoved under the door. The balcony was 30’ long, as we were aft. Plenty of room, storage, two large screen TV’s, etc. No complaints. The beds were just right and the free cordials good. Our room steward Paolo was super. Apparently the ship had a shortage of washcloths. We didn’t see one until day 3, although we asked for them. The internet is as fast as at home…what an improvement ! No slow down when uploading or downloading. I could send a batch of pictures with normal speed. However there were connectivity issues for a while. I went to help desk at Internet Café twice. The man there was very helpful and said a system problem needed fixing. Signing on still was puzzling, but after three tries one could get on. The television programming is okay. There is no way to view food menus on the TV. Carnival has this feature. Princess no longer has dining room menus posted outside the Horizon Court. So to see what for lunch or dinner, a trip to the dining room entrance is needed, as well as a wait in line then try to read the menu in poor light. Also, they could include food theme days for the Horizon Court, such as the German Day, the Mexican day, and so on. We enjoy the “teas” in the afternoons. No mention in the Platter, and I checked every day. I asked an attendant in dining room. He said they still have them, but wasn’t sure. Too bad. There are beautiful banners that Princess hangs in the Piazza. Very colorful and depicting Mexican culture. They would usually hang from the first to the last port day. This time they only hung one day. Another shame. The casino was sort of friendly, although most machines have minimum bets of 60 cents. There are very few costing 30 or 40 cents. Ended up losing, but they let me play awhile. Got my $1 deck of used, shaved Princess playing cards at cashiers, a tradition. Our biggest disappointment was that there were no Port Talks, Enrichment Lectures, Naturalist talks, nothing but promos for selling jewelry, foot orthotics, spa services, etc. etc. etc…all day every day. For example, the one sea day before our first port, Cabo, from 8 am to noon, there were 27 events listed in the Platter. Of those, 12 were selling arthritis cures to diamonds. In the afternoon, until 5 pm there were 31 events. Of those, 15 provided everything from skin tightening to acupuncture. What a shame. In prior 16 sailings with Princess, we have always had lectures. We always learned something that made the voyage better. Many folks were on this itinerary for the first time and had a lot of questions. We especially like the tips for the ports. It would have been helpful at Puerto Vallarta due to massive construction dockside making it hard to get out to street. I think this is unforgivable. Overall we didn’t see anything looking dated or in poor repair. The flooring on the Sport Deck by the Jacuzzis is ready to be replaced due to staining and wear. Otherwise we saw work crews doing shellacking and various repairs during the cruise. The new tables and chairs pool side are nice and comfortable. Embarkation and disembarkation were a breeze. Princess has these ACED. We literally walked on as fast as we could go. Our luggage was waiting in the room. We were on by 1;40 pm. On disembarkation day by 8:30 am they announced that they were an hour ahead, and that most everyone could begin to leave now! There are no longer health questionnaires to fill out, and life vests do not have to be carried to the muster drill. Federal Customs slips are no longer required. We love cruising. It’s the ocean, sunrises, sunsets, sea life, ports, etc. Hard not to enjoy. On the other hand, I think princess missed the boat, so to speak, on this cruise with the lack of lectures, teas, flexibility in that free dinner we gave back. Until next time, Adios, MikCar Read Less