My husband and I were the only novice cruisers out of our party of 10 aboard the Ruby Princess in March 2010 cruising the Eastern Caribbean (everyone else in our party had cruised at least four times previously on various five-star lines). Each of the 10 of us loved the entire experience. From beginning to end, the whole cruise went smoothly
We didn't take any excursions offered by the ship and always made our own arrangement at each port, as recommended by our experienced co-travelers. This worked out well for us.
The staff on the Ruby were all so friendly and efficient, especially our waitress for dinners - can't remember her name, but she gave the best service we have ever had - ever - in fact better than any 6-star restaurant we've gone to. She gave extra special personal attention and got to know our food preferences on an individual basis after only the second night, and was able to anticipate our needs/wants thereafter. The captain's voice was wonderful to hear each morning announcing the weather conditions and port description, and meeting him in person was a real pleasure since he is so very charming and friendly, and you can tell he is very proud of his beautiful ship.
Although we had an obstructed ocean view, we still could see plenty. The room itself felt spacious and cozy and there was plenty of storage and cupboard space. We were port side, aft, on the Emerald deck (8). We never heard any noise from within our room. The service we received was superb - our room was made up at least three times a day and always looked spit spot, yet we hardly ever saw our cabin steward.