Coastal - West Coast Cruise Reviews

We had been on long cruises before and we had visited up to Singapore from LA. The ship stopped in many new locations, such as Steward Island and Raiatea we never visited before. We really enjoyed these places. Madagascar was the best location for our visit. We met many interesting people on the ship and on land. We shall not do a world cruise again but we we met many who had done it four or five times. One woman had done it ten times.

Overall, this was a great holiday cruise. The ship is showing its age and there was a musty mildew smell in the hallways on deck 8 and on the port day, there was a heavy sewage smell in the Lotus Spa and that Lido deck. Not sure what was happening but it seemed to resolve itself after a few hours. All of the pools were heated and that was great. The jacuzzis were not super warm and they were mostly filled with children. Service was spectacular as always!

Ship was dated and in need of refurbishment, food was almost ineddidable, when you went to the service desk with complaints they were of no help. Paid for Share restaurant that was promised to be gourmet and it was anything but. Paid $78.00 for internet that 99 % of the time didn’t work.

We booked this 5-day 'get-a-away' to celebrate our 38th anniversary. the port was within driving distance, it occurred over my week-long break from school, and just fit all our needs. Also, it was a Princess cruise, which we always cruise on, and would give me a break away from young children, as I am an elementary school teacher. Even though this was over a holiday, we had been on 3 holiday cruises previously, and they basically the same...mostly adults and a few children. Nope. There were a large number of families, with kids, and totally unlike any other Princess cruise we'd been on, and this was our 9th. Happily, the children were very well behaved (for the most part) and the elevator tag got old early on, lol. So for a different cruising experience, with more family and child related activities, and a lot of children everywhere, we still had a great time. The only thing that was really something I would like to see change - and I know it will be for the Emerald's next dry dock - is the absence of hand washing stations. I've really come to like those. The food was good (even if the buffets could have had a wider selection), the service fantastic, and overall I would recommend this ship and destination. I will add that we have been to Cabo many times, so we never even got off the ship. So nothing to report for excursions or even the site.

This was a difficult Cruise for me as it was my first cruise since my husband passed away. Each night in the Michelangelo dining room the hostess would say, “only three?“ or “Just 3 tonight?” I know I am overly sensitive right now but that really broke my heart. Please advise your staff not to use “just or only” as that implies someone is missing. I spoke with the maître d’ about it on night four. He was very empathetic and said he would make sure it didn’t happen on night five. On night five the host appropriately asked, “How many?” We were about to be escorted upstairs when the hostess said she would seat us. She brought us to a 6 top table. As we were sitting down she said to the server, “There are only three of them.” Evidently she didn’t get it.

Really enjoyed all ports, except Ensanada, San Fran being the highlight. Ship fine, food good and cabin great. Most of the shows good (except Magic show), at sea days may have merited a few more activities, but this is a little picky perhaps. Cruise staff fine if a little unfriendly at times possibly. Fellow cruisers tended to be a little older than us, but no problem with that.

Compare to other cruise ships I’ve been on, Ruby Princess is much better as far as food, entertainment. If I have to pick on something, It’s the way the dining room tables are arranged for the two-person tables (they are next to the other two person tables), makes it awkward because you’re not sure whether to talk to the people in neighboring tables.

We are experienced cruisers. Most looking for a week away from family. Ports are places that we have been before, so no surprises. What was a surprise was the quality of the food. My wife had taken this same cruise on Princess two years ago and the qualify of the food had taken a noticeable decline. A number of people who had traveled on the ship before also commented on the change. Dining room staff was attentive if disorganized. Food quality was about cafeteria level food. Unlike other cruises we had been on, substitutions were not allowed. The pizza was surprisingly bad. I would rate it around the level of Chuck E Cheese for those with kids or just tasteless for those without. The hot dogs and hamburgers at the quick serve were good. The Crown Grill did well on steaks but had difficulty with even their limited number of sides. The coffee bar/sandwich shop (International Cafe) had decent sandwiches, odd salads and hit or miss desserts. The sandwiches are supposed to be panini style, so there are no condiments. You have to travel up 10 floors to get something from the Salty Dog Grill. Disappointing as some of the sandwiches were very good cold but need condiments to bring out their best. Buffets were rotated from one kitchen to another, making it always a minor hunt to find which one was one. Seating was a problem since only one side was ever open at a time. I would recommend the cruise and the ship. Just beware that the level of food quality is disappointing, make the most of restaurants off the ship. Final note: Never tried calling room service the first night of the cruise before and never will again. Waited 45 minutes on hold before giving up. Learn from my mistake :)

Family enjoyed the ship's dining, coffee plan, burger and pizza vendors. Alvin and Jose (Da Vinci Restaurant staff) were on top of all things and very hospitable to all of us throughout the sailing. Kudos to them! Also enjoyed some of the entertainment including The Voice program and Lido Deck activities. The ports were great to visit and actually was able to see places that we haven't noticed there before. The weather during the trip was fantastic. We're already looking into the next adventure with Princess. Great job!

I was just on to relax and finish a couple of books. This was 5th straight time on the Ruby. Next cruise is on the Star. But I do like the Ruby. The staff I’ve encountered (with the exception of the cruise right before dry dock) has been excellent. I think there will be a sixth cruise on the Ruby before too long, although I did hear that Royal Princess is taking it's place in LA.

This was my first Princess Cruise but my second including other cruise lines.

We have sailed, Carnival, Royal Caribbean, Disney, and now Princess. We had high hopes for Princess because for one it sails out of Long Beach which is local for us and two because it was supposed to be a step above Carnival. We found the cabin (mini suite) awesome, but the ship was just so so and the food was below par.

Overall good. Would hope for a better value (lower cost) more time in port all in one day, or at least two stops for this price. Staff was friendly dinners great, room and ship very clean and not overcrowded.

$$ value for what you get is great.... would do it again

One of my favorite Princess ships the Emerald. The ship is older but well maintained The 4 day cruise was a great getaway with friends

Very fun and relaxing cruise. Crew members go out of their way to make sure you are having a good time. Well worth the time.

Started with an invite from the Captain to enjoy the “ Fleet Week” party observing the air show over the San Francisco Bay by the Blue Angles from the observation deck above the ships bridge, What a show. Followed by a week of great weather at all the ports. Our room steward was again the greatest, the staff in the “Club Class” dining area were top notch. Had great service in the Crooners night club area every day. Again this was a “ Fantastic “ Cruise.

We LOVED this cruise and destinations. We will most likely take this cruise again. We REALLY WISH PRINCESS WOULD BRING DIFFERENT SHIPS, or ROTATE SHIPS. We just want a different venue to sail on. Because we Love S.F.

Had a great time, Weather was perfect. The food was better than usual especially in the Specialty Dinning areas

This ship is a floating city. At first we were a bit worried about being on a ship with 4000 guests for 5 days, but we never experienced any crowded conditions beyond the normal and expected, such as on the last morning before disembarking while getting breakfast at the Garden Cafe. The complementary entertainment was excellent, the service was beyond anything we had known before, the food was outstanding (we had a gluten free vegetarian and also a lactose intolerant in our party and none of us had to settle for anything, all were very happy with our food). The ship is beautifully designed and absolutely gorgeous. Whoever thought of the Waterfront walk is a genius, it was definitely a highlight. Our party consisted of experienced cruisers and a first time cruiser, we were all new to Norwegian and all of us were just bowled over by our experience. My opinion is that anyone who wasn't happy on this cruise wasn't an experienced cruiser and maybe didn't have realistic expectations to start with.