This was my first time aboard the Ruby Princess. I booked with a third party website because I got a great deal on the sailing. My good friend and I were looking for a relaxing weekend getaway and that was exactly what we got! Upon boarding, I was excited to see this was the biggest ship I had sailed on. I have been on three cruises now, 2 with Carnival and 1 with Princess. This ship was by far the largest and cleanest of the bunch. The staff was very friendly and very accommodating. Anything you wanted- you got. Sometimes even more than you wanted. The facilities were well maintained and there were a variety of activities to engage in on board. They had several classes in the fitness center, which was beautiful and situated at the front of the ship with excellent views. There were also several activities on board daily, which were detailed in the Princess Patter newsletter which was given to us nightly by our room steward. The shore excursion we went on was a great value for our money- we went snorkeling and were also taken to a private beach to enjoy time in the sun. It wasn't my first choice excursion, as the dolphin swim had been cancelled by the tour company (no fault of Princess). Princess did an excellent job of finding an alternative excursion for us last minute though.

Our cabin was spacious and had a beautiful balcony- a surprise upgrade which was much appreciated! The food was excellent- I enjoyed most everything I ate on board. The only complaint I had was the steak I ordered one night seemed to be a little tough and not juicy enough for my tastes. However, everything else was excellent. There was a modest amount of entertainment at night- they did have some clubs (Skywalkers Lounge and Club Fusion) neither of which I visited while on-board so I cannot give a review on them. As far as the children's activities go, they had extensive children's facilities towards the back of the ship, which was excellent in my opinion, as it kept the children occupied but still gave the adults a taste of being in a quieter atmosphere. They seemed to do a great job of entertaining the children and keeping them occupied, although there weren't as many children or families aboard as there were on my previous cruises.

Disembarkation seemed to move along quite nicely. We were in a walkoff group and they had us wait in a comfortable, air-conditioned dining room while announcing different groups for disembarkation. Read more