Ruby Princess Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,976 reviews

High Marks on Our First Hawaii Cruise

Review for Hawaii Cruise on Ruby Princess
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Silent Penguin
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

Cabin

Additional details

Sail Date: Mar 2016
Cabin: Balcony
Traveled with children

After several cruises with Disney, a couple with Carnival and one with NCL, this was our first Princess cruise. It was also our first time going to Hawaii and our first time sailing for 15 days and with so many consecutive at-sea days. Our biggest concern was the at-sea days. Having only been on week-long cruises, the longest length of time we had ever spent at-sea was 2 days. As it turned out, the at-sea days were wonderful, both fun and relaxing.

Most every aspect of our cruise was highly satisfactory. Given that Disney is our frame of reference, that's high praise. Embarkation and disembarkation was organized and speedy. The on-board, at-sea programming had something for every age group and interest. I liked the fact that for activities that had limited participation, there was a time to get tickets that was separate from the time that the activity took place. That way, you knew if you were going to have a place or if there wasn't any room for you. Furthermore, those activities - like lei making - were repeated.

Another thing we appreciated was the availability of off-duty lounges and bars for use as places to meet for cards, games, and socializing. We spent every at-sea afternoon in the Wheelhouse bar from 2:00 to 5:00 playing games with friends we made on-board. When the bar opened at 3:00, we continued playing, most of the time getting drinks but sometimes not. No bother from the staff if we weren't. My husband's only complaint was that it seemed like Happy Hour was really only 45 to 50 minutes. If he didn't keep his eye on the time, there wasn't going to be a second round. Once there was a general "last-call" announcement, but every other afternoon, if it was 5 minutes to the hour, he was told Happy Hour was over.

Cabin Review

Balcony

Cabin BB

This was technically a quad, but there was only one extra bunk bed. According to the description, a roll-away bed could be added to accommodate a fourth passenger. I don't see how. It's pretty tight as it is. With a roll-away in there, it would be impossible to reach the desk or the balcony door. The armchair might even have to be removed. If there are only 2 or 3 in your party, it's fine. Plenty of storage space.

Port Reviews

Kauai

We rented a car with Dollar and drove it to a trailhead on the Na Pali Coast. It was much cheaper than renting a car on the mainland. We were surprised. On the way, we were wowwed by the scenery. After our hike -which was not as great as we hoped because we were on the wrong trailhead, on the way back, we stopped to check out a cave and spend some time on the beach. We bought a fresh coconut for 6.00 from a vendor on the beach. He put straws in it so we could drink the milk, then told us to brink it back after we were done and he would remove the meat for us to take with us. We didn't care for the milk too much, but the fresh coconut meat was wonderful. We had never eaten fresh coconut before.

Honolulu

High points. Our first time seeing the waves and the gorgeous rocky shore, a sea turtle and seals in the ocean. The vista from the top of Diamond Head. Best shrimp plate ever from Chowdown Shrimp Truck on Sandy Beach.

Not so great. Thinking that hiring a driver was the same as hiring a tour guide. Not necessarily so. Great driver but not a good tour guide. Our fault.

Honolulu

Can't wait to go back when we have more time to spend, like five or six hours!

Hilo

Took a tour with Ricky's. Nnoy was our guide. He kept us on schedule. Very good guide.

Maui

The long boat ride isn't worth it. At the crater there were too many boats there at the same time. We were corralled to a limited area for our safety but It was hard to enjoy the snorkeling when you constantly in danger of knocking into another swimmer. The visibility wasn't so hot and we didn't see much - a couple kinds of fish and an octopus. The second site was better. We saw more sea life including several turtles. What was really cool was seeing a 40-50 ft whale and her calf on the way from one site to the next. The boat crew was great, very hospitable and there was plenty of snacks, drinks and lunch.

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