Ruby Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
To give you a little background on us and our cruising history:
We are a couple living in San Francisco. At the time of the sailing, one of us is 55 and the other turns 50 this month. We are interior designers based in SF and work for ourselves.
We typically sail on Celebrity Cruises and have completed 8 cruises with the cruise line. Most all of these have been TransAtlantics, which we love. We were booked on an April TA on Celebrity when the pandemic hit. We love Celebrity and appreciate not only their design aesthetic but the few perks we get being Elite on the line.
Cabin Review
Balcony
We were pleasantly surprised with our stateroom. Everything looked and felt like it had just been refurbished. The carpet in the room and the hallway all looked brand new, though we understand it was a few years old. The deck seemed smaller than our Celebrity balconies but was adequate. The view is nice and the location is perfect. No noise at anytime. Though this could be due to how few passengers were on board. We didn't have turn down service, due to Covid protocols but didn't necessarily miss it. There is an abundance of storage space in the cabin and a big advantage over Celebrity ships. The bed is very comfortable. We did miss having a small sofa to sit on and there is only one chair at the desk. The walk in closet is a nice feature, if you aren't ADD. Otherwise seeing everything out can be a bit distracting when you walk into the cabin. The bathroom is adequate but certainly not as spacious as Celebrity Reflection ships. Our toilet did stop working every morning, which was a bit of a pain. The medallion touchless key system worked well for us.
Port Reviews
San Diego
We were not planning on getting off the ship at all on this trip, but once we saw how few people were on board and no people watching, we decided to get off in San Diego. We woke up at 8:30 and saw the trolley tour of San Diego. I called down to the front desk and got us on the tour.
It was the hop on hop off trolley that is operated in the city. This tour was a private version of the tour. However, once we were on board, we were told we could get off at any point and join the regular hop on/hop off.
I have always wanted to see the Del Coronado, so we jumped off at this location and had a nice breakfast at the hotel. We then rejoined the trip and finished the circle around San Diego.
I can say I am glad we got off the regular tour, as I am not a fan of ships tours. The reason being most people can't seem to follow the instructions of the tour guides and I just become annoyed. LOL The tour guide/driver request no talking, as it is a distraction to the driver, as well as the other guest. Of course several people didn't feel this applied to them. Just selfish!
I would recommend this excursion if you want to see the entire city, get a little history and no walking if you don't want it.
Ensenada
Been there and never need to go again.
We had a private tour that was a freebie from our travel agent. I am glad we didn't pay for anything.
We went to Bafouda. What a waste of time. While our guide was nice and interesting to talk to, I would never suggest anyone go so see this. There is really nothing to see and you must endure a very very long walk through what I would call a flea market. We really felt bad for the vendors, as we know they have been suffering without paying customers, but I don't want to be yelled at every two steps to come buy something. It was like being at a carnival. After our stop at the blow hole, we were dropped in the "tourist" section of town. Same thing as before. Cheap ugly shops with crap you can buy anywhere.