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This ship is a disaster

Elba

This was our 37th cruise;  we are Diamond elite or above on Princess, Cunard, RCCL, Celebrity and Silver Sea.  I did not realize this was the first sailing since the ship was in dry dock following running into the pier earlier in 2023.  The public spaces were not refurbished much, new carpet and bedding in some areas and cabins, and adding a video arcade for children in the casiono were all we noticed.

Check in was not bad even though it was raining and a larger class Princess was also sailing that afternoon.  We boarded from the smaller pier which is difficult at any time; the boarding queue begins directly from the uncovered sidewalk on the street outside the terminal.

For just coming out of dry dock this ship is unbelievably dirty.  The toilet stains are permanent; our steward who was the best part of the cruise tried very hard but it was impossible.  The glass on windows and doors made viewing outside difficult and spotty.  This was a 16 night Panama Canal cruise;  the glass was not cleaned once during the cruise.

The elevators:  doors closed too quickly or not at all, several passengers including me had large bruises from the doors closing on our arms, one lady using a cane was knocked down.  We heard of 2 occasions of passengers being stuck between floors for 15-30 minutes.

Our stateroom had unused light fixtures in dresser drawers; the new larger TV did not have a cable attached and was unconnected until the second day which made watching the saftey video impossible and we had repeated calls from the Services desk asking why we had not viewed it and reminding that is was mandatory.  Other passengers told us of dirty work boots left in their cabins, used coveralls in the closets, oil stains on the carpets and food trays left from the shipyard workers.  Several cabins flooded as well as the kitchen, the 16th deck bar locker and other public spaces.  None of the passengers who had to change staterooms because of the flooding were offered any assistance in moving.  There was a fire in a laundry room late at night which was never fully explained.  Wi-fi was out for 3 days which made the Medallions not work for some of the functions, and the casino was closed until the Wi-fi restored.

Correcting the room charges was a daily and sometimes twice daily chore.  This began on the first day when we were charged for 2 cheese plates 2 hours before we checked in.  When we questioned it and told the front desk that it was an error and that my wife was allergeric to dairy products the response was "are you sure"?  The cheese plate charges happened 2 other times.  Charges that had been fixed the night before appeared again the next morning.  I was charged the 18% bar tip but there was no drink charge.  Two credits we were supposed to get for wrong charges were entered as charges resulting in 4 wrong charges. I had pre-ordered a can soft drink package to be delivered to the room and was charged the new $5.00 room service delivery fee 3 times.  On a port day our steward was able to get off the ship and we needed the ice bucket refilled the services desk said to call room service.  There was another $5 room service fee "because ice is edible" and "you could have waited for the steward to get back to bring the ice later".  There were frequent drink mistakes including my buying a round for friends on deck which were charged to one of the friends I was buying for.  I believe we spent at least 3 hours of the cruise trying to get these charges corrected and finally gave up and have disputed them with my credit card company.

On a very serious saftey issue, one of the seats on the bar stool was broken; one of the passengers tried to sit and almost fell on the deck if her husband had not grabbed her arm.  We reported it to both the bartender and the service desk.  When we returned after dinner it had not been repaired or a warning sign attached.  As it happened, the ship's Captain was on deck having a smoke and we told him about it.  Within a couple of minutes two other officers came, taped off the stool while the Captain watched and checked the other stools and found 4 more that were broken. It was obvious the Captain was frustrated and quite concerned.  He made a comment to one of the other officers that the bar area was filthy and why had it not been cleaned.  There were no more problems with that bar.  Thank you very much Captain.

Food:  On a Princess cruise in 2022 the food was outstanding and compared to Celebrity.  This year almost nothing was prepard correctly or was good.  All fish over cooked to the point of being minced as well as dry, my lobster in one of the paid dining rooms was so over cooked I asked the waiter to cut the meat with a regular knife and she couldn't.  Only a steak knife was strong enough.  Twice wrong menu's were given out, we were told that some of the food supplies weren't loaded in San Francisco and some of the daily menu entrees could not me made, the night they offered Key Lime Pie as an option our Head Waiter checked with the kitchen and he was told the chef decided not to make it.  No explanation.  Last year the Alfredo sauces were the best I had ever had.  This year it tasted as if they used Campbell's muchroom soup watered down with some cheese thrown in. 

Services desk:  The ship was advised by the US State department not to dock in Panama City due to riots.  I wasn't aware this had been going on for months and wanted call my family and let them know we were safe.  There was no cell service so I needed to use the ship's phone. The service agent  gave me 3 different access codes to make an international call, none of which worked.  I found out later they are different on each class of ship.  When I asked to speak to a supervisor she said "No, you have to talk to me and hung up".  I went to the front desk, spoke to the supervisor who solved the issue and gave me the name of the agent who had hung up.  Later in the cruise the ships toilet system was down for over 12 hours.  This was a passengers fault who had tried to flush a hand towel.  I called the desk to find out the status, got the same agent as before with the same result. Refused to forward my call to a supervisor and hung up.  Since I knew her name I was able to talk to the Pursur who was kind and offered me some compensation.

I read in another review that several other Princess elite members said this was the last time on Princess.  It is ours as well.  Some issues could be resolved quickly by improving cleaning and better food, but with the safety and rudeness of the front desk employees we do not trust Princess.

What has happened to Princess???  By far our WORST! cruise.

Ruby Princess needs a complete overhaul of her plumbing etc.

There were extensive problems with toilets not working, flooding in some cabins and even the kitchen got flooded.

There was a fire in the crew area on the last night as well as a sudden listing to one side. Several people were picked up by ambulances when we got to Ft Lauderdale in the morning. Don't know what that was related to.

2 Ports were cancelled so we only got to see 3 of the 5 that were scheduled.

The food in the Buffet was nothing special and mediocre at best. On the other hand in the MDR it was very good and our waiter Michael was awesome.

Princess new Medallion app system is nice but needs improvement as well as when the WiFi is not available which happened a few times the system will not work.

We talked to a few long time Princess cruisers who say they will never cruise with them again. I know we wont.

Tallinn

A transit of the Panama Canal has been on my Bucket List for many years.  To finally do it was a dream come true!  And to sail on a ship leaving Galveston, Texas, my "home" port was doubly exciting.  And a Princess ship at that!  How lucky can one person get.  As expected from Princess, the ship was clean, the crew was wonderful, the food was delicious no matter where we chose to eat, and the entertainment was great.  The Ruby is not a new ship and her age is starting to show, but she is well maintained.  She is not the smallest ship, nor is she the largest.  If you have children, she may not be the best choice, but I'm well  past that stage and enjoyed the lack of children running around the ship.  There are programs for the youngsters, and every time I saw any of them they were well behaved and enjoying their cruise.  The speaker who told us about the Canal and the ports of call was very knowledgeable while being entertaining at the same time.  It was fun to be able to answer the excursion leader's questions.  One word of caution - if your port of call is Cabo San Lucas and  you opt for the tour to Hotel California, do NOT shop in their store.  Some very questionable practices there.  Otherwise, it was a cruise I shall long remember and smile when I think about it.

Another Bucket List trip completed

This was an 80s themed cruise and that was very appealing. However, the only thing 80s was the nightly show at 7:30 or 9:00. Very little 80s anything other than some cheap paper signs and inflatable cell phones. 

Ship is so old. Our balcony was rusted through on the front. The spa was a mess. Lockers were broken and you couldn’t lock them  so we were told just stick your belongings in there it doesn’t matter. Two of three sauna rooms were broken. Only 1 toilet worked in ladies locker room. We received a refund . 

The most common signage was “ Sorry we are working to fix this “. The ship is just too old.

Staff was great as usual . They all work so hard for the money . 

I would not recommend this ship to anyone until it receives a total makeover, perhaps it should be sunk to make a nice reef. Not sure even the fishes would like the ship .

This ship needs dry docked 

Took Alaskan Cruise in July 2022 on Ruby, had the worst experience. Embarkation was nightmare, had to wait for about 3 hours to board. With COVID epidemic in full swing, this was a traveler's nightmare. Firstly, peak summer, long lines and fellow passengers in close proximity. Took even more than an hour to get to the boat deck from Port. Due to this frustrating experience, promised never to use Princess again. Once on board, things were better. Friendly staff, spacious rooms & variety of activities & good food.

Been to Panama Canal (using old locks, flew from LAX) but wanted to experience the newer ones. Took a chance/gambled in booking this cruise. Frankly this cruise experience totally changed my perception of Princess. Embarkation was a breeze, don't know if ship less crowded (1700 passengers) or improvements to their embarkation process. Staff like my previous cruise experience was very professional, friendly & helpful.

One of the best things on Ruby is the Enrichment Lecture Series by Bill (one shouldn't miss them). The lectures on Panama Canal are very well documented, presented & are very informative to anyone who hasn't even heard about this marvelous wonder. Kudos to Bill for such a nice, well contented presentation, you are awesome.

Even the show Colors of World was very well presented & enjoyable.

Overall, after this trip, my whole outlook towards Princess has changed, will be a regular on Princess for life.

Exceeding previous experience

First of all my cabin heating system was Broken so they moved us to a new room  then the jeweler on cruise ship got my ring stock on my finger so I hade to go to the doctor onboard to see if he could remove it tried several  things and could not so they cut it off  and do not forget about the horrible food that they just added to and reserved over and over again and the entertainment needs to be better then it is and they need to cater to kids more I could go on forever but the bottom line is they suck   And there was only two great workers and that was eddiezon and Jason at the international cafe very respectful and helpful and friendly and cheerful I would recommend them to serve me anytime other then that they need to improve their service and update their entertainment

Disappointing 

Easily the worse cruise we've had with Princess. The many cutbacks by Princess made for a less enjoyable cruising experience. For example, enrichment presentations and guest speakers were completely devoid.  

It took 3 days to get the AC in our cabin repaired. Guest services was unresponsive and argumentative. Throughout the cruise, the sink drain leaked on the bathroom floor. The motion sensing lights in the cabin went on and off throughout the night.

The Medallion app was buggy. Drink and food orders were mysteriously cancelled. Some orders when delivered were incomplete or wrong items were delivered. Bar menus were inaccurate. 

The dining room staff did not have our reservations made on Dine My Way. We were told we failed to make the reservations and to come back later. After showing our confirmed reservation on the app, we were told it was a problem with the app and we would have to wait until a table was available. Other passengers related the same problem. The dining service was very slow even though the dining room was not near capacity. The dining staff was very hurried and appeared to be short staffed. The quality of the food was at a low as compared to past cruises. The one bright spot in dining was Sabatini's. The service was outstanding and the food very good.  

The quality and selection of food in the Horizon, aka Covid Court, was substandard. 

Covid precautions were inadequate. Only a few of the crew wore face masks and many of those were worn improperly. We were never made aware of Covid testing for the crew or their status. How many crew members were still working with Covid? There was no social distancing in the dinning rooms, theater, elevators or other venues. After 4 days at sea, many passengers were coughing or sneezing.

The Motel 6 of Cruise Lines

We have sailed with Princess in the past and were anxious to get back on board. We left San Francisco rather late (not sure what the holdup was), burt experienced going under the Golden Gate Bridge at twilight! How crazy was that! Then it was off into the wild blue seas, which got my husband completely seasick for the next two days. 

Regardless, the Medallion system worked great, although I wish it could have alerted us when we received a message or an appointment was coming up. Maybe it does work like that, but for us it did not. I went to the IT guy, who wanted to disable-this and enable-that on my phone, which I did not allow him to do. I asked him what to do and he gave me instructions so that I could reverse it upon our return to SF.

We were pleased to be able to enjoy the spa areas without an additional cost. Sauna, robes, towels, etc. 

There were some problems with the ship leaking here and there in the hallways, but I didn't care.

There are several self-service laundry facilities on board! LOVE THAT! I really don't like having the ship take my PERSONAL clothing to the laundry... even if it's free.

The Medallion ROCKS!

I'm not sure what happened to the Ruby since I cruised on her in July of 2022, but something sure changed.

Dining:

Crown Grill:   We ate there 2 times, and the first time I ordered the Filet Med Rare - It was the toughest piece of meat I've ever eaten......tasted like a cheap piece of sirloin steak.   It was cooked perfectly, but man was it tough.   The 2nd time I ordered the Porterhouse which has a filet and it was absolutely perfect, plus I got the NY steak with it.    All the other items (sides) were unremarkable.

Main Dining Room:   Wow, what a change since July 2022.   Not sure if there is a new chef or what, but seriously the meals were subpar.   Was on Discovery in October 2022 and I was hard pressed to find a meal I didn't like.   There were a couple of standouts but for the most part I'd give it a 2/10.    Even the crusty rolls at dinner didn't taste like what I remembered.   Best meal I had was lunch on embarkation day (seafood salad and salmon) both were amazing.

Buffet:   Cold cuts & cold food -  Nothing impressive

International Cafe:   If you eat nothing else, eat one of the warm almond croissants they serve at breakfast.   OMG are they good.....6 lbs of good to be exact.    The sandwiches are they typical ones offered:  Cuban, Ham & Cheese, Caprese & BLT.   The meat pies are quite good.    Service for the most part is fast and food is good.   Better than the Buffett IMO.

Good Spirits Bar:   Makes some great cocktails.   Try the Sandia en Fuego if you like Watermelon & Tequila.    This is where I ordered most of my cocktails otherwise I used the App.

Room Service:   Probably the worst food I've ever encountered.    The food does not even remotely look like what is on the App.    Sometimes service was fast, other times it took multiple phone calls to find out where the food was at.   Pizza can be ordered for a $3 charge and the app says it's available 11am to 11pm.    That's not true.    You have to order before 9:00pm.   If you order after that, you won't be notified until you start calling and asking "where's my pizza".    PCL needs to fix this.

Brian & Rowena were the Hawaiian Ambassadors and were both exceptional.   Brian teaches the Ukelele and Rowena teaches Hula.   Both were free.    Brian often times will be playing in the piazza.    

Cabin:   Aft facing balcony C753 - Great cabin with view of the wake.   Couldn't have been happier with our choice.

Shows:   Saw a few shows - The comedians were funny!    The Marriage Show and the Hollywood Hiccups had my sides hurting from laughter.    

Crew:   All the crew was upbeat, happy, welcoming, wanting to please.    They make the cruise.

Other stuff:   This was a cruise where most people caught the Ruby Crud/Cold/Cough.    By the last day, there were very few that escaped it.   People were coughing everywhere.   It wasn't covid, it was just a bronchial cough.   

Casino:    I gave it my best shot.......   Lots of games to choose from and it was busy whenever it was open.  Port side is smoking starboard is nonsmoking. 

Weather/Seas:   We had a rocky ride going to Hawaii, I think it averaged around 13-15' swells.    I loved it, others not so much.   

Embarkation/Debarkation:   Super smooth in San Francisco, we were only sailing at about 68% capacity, so that made things fast.   We were on the ship at 10:45 a.m.

Overall:    I was kinda disappointed this go round with my favorite ship.   I think this primarily was due to the food.   I didn't starve (thanks to almond croissants) but I found myself not liking much of the food that was served.   It was just missing the 1-2 things which make it stand out.   Lemon Truffle Ravioli should resemble a little truffle and a little lemon......Ravioli with a white cream sauce isn't the same.     The menus are kind of standard fleet wide, so when there is SOOOO much variation between chefs/ships, I think PCL needs to have a Chef's training day and make sure all ships are setting the same standards.   It really was black and white compared to July 2022

What happened to my Ruby?

We chose this cruise because we have sailed to Hawaii five times previously and we love all the sea days.  It is also a great way to get a taste of the islands: Oahu, Kauai, Maui, and Hawaii.  As an added bonus, our favorite Hawaiian ambassadors Brian and Rowena Vasquez were onboard, teaching ukulele, hula and a wide variety of Hawaiian-themed crafts.  They embody the Spirit of Aloha and really enhance the cruise experience.  We even got to present our ukulele and hula in a showcase in the Princess Theatre!

Another reason we chose this sailing was we were able to enjoy Halloween onboard.  Many passengers and crew dressed up, and the Piazza was filled with amazing pumpkin carvings.  It was a very fun evening!

Embarkation was a bit of a hot mess, as the Ruby was at Pier 35, the old terminal, instead of the new terminal, Pier 27.  (The Royal was at Pier 27.)  There were only 6 porters to handle all of the passengers disembarking and embarking.  I required wheelchair assistance, and there was a long wait to board.  From the time we entered the terminal until we were onboard, it was an hour and a half, much longer than usual.  The Medallion check-in was quick and easy - the wait was to get the assistance I needed to board.   

Despite the rough start, this was a very relaxing adventure, with plenty of activities to keep passengers busy, but also ample time to rest if that was desired.  Food in the Main Dining Room was good, but unremarkable and tended to be salty.  Wait staff were very friendly and attentive, and were happy to replace food items if they were not up to par.  We were fortunate enough to enjoy Chef's Table, as well as specialty dining in the Crown Grill and Sabatini's.  All were well-worth the upcharge for the outstanding dining experiences.  

While many passengers said they were ready to head home at the end of 15 days, I would have been happy to stay onboard and do the whole cruise over again!

An Incredibly Relaxing Cruise

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