U.S. Cruise Reviews

very  good experience loved our state room and the very nice staff. 

 everything was very well  organized and it was efficient getting on and off the boat 

As a short cruise, there are no high expectations due to the limited  interaction between the staff and the passenger. Still, we found the service in the Crown Grill, a " specialty " dining experience, failing to meet expectations due a terrible lag between the salad and entree - it was well over an hour, during which time our appetite waned and sadly we could not fully enjoy the primary course.  Also we were personally disappointed in the disembarkation process when although the vast majority of the passengers were "walk-offs" , the lower decks which were closer to the gangways were assigned the last appointment times for clearing customs.  Also, the "quiet disembarkation" process just resulted in  a free-for-all where two hour waits became the norm. It would be better to assign and enforce 15-30 min windows so passengers are not left " in the air" as to when they can leave the ship.

We enjoyed Catalina Island and Santa Barbara, never been to those areas before so nice to see.  San Diego was also very nice to see except weather wise it had gotten unseasonably hot the day we arrived.  All in all we had a nice relaxing cruise.

All in all was good, solid experience with crew and staff doing a professional and efficient job.  Main problem was it was "fully booked"  and weather outside was not inviting..hence seating at different venues was nearly always crowded..  Lido casual food was excellent but formal dining was disappointing.  Was not able to get a desirable private table for 2 for a birthday celebration. Suggest book early or late dining from the get go and modify as go along.  Also, book upgraded Pinnacle Resturant very early for a "special" fine dining experience.  The dining room menu was extensive but often the selections ho hum and rarely "great"  (this includes both the fish and steaks..my salmon was small, dry and pathetic..like a cafeteria food).    

I booked this 3 night Pacific Coastal Northbound Cruise and had the forethought to call my doc and get my prescription for sea sickness, Antivert.  I've cruised 4 times previous to this and knew it worked for me.  The pre-registration, boarding and room assignment were absolutely flawless.  The ship, although dated, was immaculate.  The sanitary precautions were spot on, no self service buffet, no condiments, salt and pepper shakers on the tables.  We were pleased to see such caution.  I felt the motion on the first day but it was more than bearable.  Just little rises and falls to the stomach. I didn't bother to take my antivert.  Day 2 a little more nauseous and a trip to the ship's doc for a different issue.  Didn't feel great but didn't slow down.  Ate in the main dining room both nights, service was not great, food choices minimal, but tasty

.  The dirty table next to us when we were seated was still dirty when we left.  The server was spotty and not at all interested in chatting it up or being sociable.  I ate bland food both nights, by choice due to my tummy roiling.  Still too stupid and stubborn to take the antivert.  We greatly enjoyed the ship entertainment, the piano bar and the crow's nest late night DJ and dancing.  Day 3 at sea and I was seriously not feeling well, still not smart enough to take the antivert.  Went to the napkin folding class and mixology class while hubby played poker.  Nice fun atmosphere at both.  One drink in and I was flat out sick.  Trying to hold on and not be.  Got dressed for dinner and didn't even make it into the diningroom.  Hubby ate alone and I got sick 4 times in the ladies room before heading quickly to our stateroom.  Was sick and throwing up the rest of the time.  Even sick I know the ship was a fun experience and some old time cruising instead of the drunken frolics of a Carnival Cruise.  By the time I decided to use the antivert I couldn't keep it down.  As I said, too stupid to take it.  I will probably never cruise again, but it has nothing to do with Holland America, which was, by far the best run ship we've ever been on and the best entertainment, and social areas and venues.  Holland America has cruising down, they have it all figured out re embarkation and disembarkation.  Can't praise them enough!  

The boarding process took longer than any of the 30+ cruises that I have been on. The food was a little disappointing. We ate at the Chops Grill, the sides were fine but the steak which was ordered medium well came out beyond well done and tough. Our cabin was only surface cleaned. We found dirt and dust around the TV and on the floor between the bed and balcony. Overall the cruise was fine and I would recommend it.

The cruise was very good except for the engine problem in San Fran. Left 8 hours late. Set sail at 2 am in the morning.. Had very little time in Victoria. Food was excellent.

This cruise was chosen primarily because of its west coast itinerary. All was fine until San Francisco when one of the turbines developed problems causing us to leave more than 7 hours late. This led to a virtual elimination of the visit to Victoria Island, a tour cancellation and a missed visit with our friends who live there. While the captain did his absolute best we feel the real cause for the delay is likely RCI's deferment of an expensive overhaul which was probably recommended months ago. As usual it's all about money. 

The dining in the specialty restaurants was needed because the dining room fare was completely unsatisfactory. It is our belief that dining rooms on ships will disappear over the years, giving way to the "food courts" and specialty options.

Cabin was fine but the old round showers just don't fit my husbands 6'4", 220lb frame. Don't think we'll go for that again. We chose Cabin 9654 because of the extra sized balcony which did not disappoint. Cabin steward, Cromhill (sp?) was excellent and most accommodating. Super bartenders everywhere we went.

Since we're expats retired in Mexico we also have a great deal of trouble with RCI's website which insists we speak Spanish or makes it nearly impossible to maneuver around, and lastly, totally impossible to respond to their final e-mail asking about our "experience". 

We did hear that this ship is due for a makeover next year which it dearly needs but our guess is the bathrooms won't be changed so be aware. After this, our 36th cruise, I suspect RCI won't be in the running in the future.

Many promises, little fulfillment. Very poor service for wheelchair services. Poorly maintained staterooms and some common areas. I've seen closets that were larger than our balcony room. Little room to move around in the room, had to store our walker in the shower.  Most staff were friendly, but were poor to followup on requests. Inadequate space for attending programs. Some of the poorest "show" entertainment we've seen on several prior cruises.  Food was spotty, some good some not so good. Ice cream dispenser was always breaking down. Served lots of pork dishes. MyTime Dining, that required additional in advance funding was a farce. We'vr had far better cruises that cost less.

Loved the ports of call on this cruise, but halls of ship smelled musty and room was not cleaned when we arrived.   Boarding process was slowed by long lines.  San Diego is not a regular stop.  This was a repositioning stop.  We were told by other passengers, that many of the crew members had left ship in San Diego for other assignment and so we had many new crew members.  I think this was the reason the room was not as clean (very dusty and obvious not dusted for days), the staff not as friendly, and the food not as good as on other RCL cruises we have taken.  Sailing was smooth and boarding and unboarding were smooth at other ports.  We did have engine problems in San Francisco which delayed getting to next port by 6 hours and many of the excursions were cancelled.  Money was refunded for cancelled excursions and some were added, but it was a trip interruption.  We had not sailed RCL for sometime and were disappointed it was not as good as we had remembered.

My sisters and I wanted to spend some quality time together and decided a repositioning cruise would suit our needs...six days together from our own 'home port' of San Diego was a perfect event.  I had not done a Royal Caribbean cruise before and am happy to report that it was a pleasant experience overall and part of our pleasure was that the head of guest services heard our plea for space before we sailed and, as there was a sudden cancellation, we were accommodated well above our expectations: veranda room on deck 5 to a Jr. Suite on deck 10.  Needless to say, Guest Services outdid themselves on our behalf during a hectic and overwhelming boarding process.  We were in our new cabin before muster drill!!!  We took our meals in either the dining room (my time...) or the Windjammer Café aboard the Jewel of the Seas.  The food was tasty, appropriate temperature, and abundant choices prevailed in both dining rooms. Our service there was also excellent and attentive.

Cabin as originally assigned, deck 5 (#7550), while intended by us to serve three as it had a 'couch/sleeper' was upon arrival,  woefully small and totally inadequate for even two average size individuals.  It would have been hopeless for three for six days.  Serious failure on the part of the cruise line in configuring adequate space is a drawback I would point out to anyone considering this ship.  Our 'upgrade' literally save our cruise from disaster.  Also, even the Jr. Suite had only two outlets for use and none in the bathroom.  This seems a little stingy given our proclivities today to be constantly plugged in to something.  A bathroom outlet is not a luxury....it is a necessity today.

  We honestly didn't partake in any much of the onboard 'fun and games' which cruising has become to symbolize.  We did take in two of the shows -- they didn't suit my taste as they were a little too razzle dazzle Vegas style with overly amplified music, strobe lighting and blindingly vivid colored costumes.  The evening music in the atrium area as pleasant and enjoyable to listen to and was audible from any deck area in the immediate vicinity.  Shopping was plentiful with constant sales and promotions.  Shore excursion offerings were varied and generally reasonably price, though we one did one.  It was excellent and a good value.

Overall, it was a pleasant experience given that it carried its full complement of passengers....large ships do not appeal to me, but except for the embarkation and the debarkation I never felt overwhelmed by the numbers.  I am simply a traveler who prefers a smaller more personalized experience if traveling with a group.  I'm also willing to pay the cost of those voyages when necessary.  I choose by itinerary primarily not onboard party offerings.  I was pleasantly surprised and pleased to not that Royal Caribbean does not cater to children and their needs.  This is a plus...there were plenty of children, young and parent dependent but they were with families who provided the needed care and entertainment.

I have traveled on Carnival (nevermore!!!), Holland America, Renaissance and Seabourn cruise lines in the past. I am a senior retired professional woman who does travel extensively independently and with spouse. 

*** EDITED 5/27/14 BY COMMUNITY MANAGER ***

It takes so long to get on the boat but at least that seemed organized. Getting off the boat was very disorganized, no staff around to ask questions, they had little information when we did find someone. Food was so-so and I am not a picky eater at all. We spent $25 per person extra and $15 corkage fee to dine at one of the "premium" restaurants-Sabatinis. It was slightly better than the meal we had the night before in the regular restaurant, not worth the price at all. Sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge was amazing. The last day is spent lugging your bags around , waiting to get off the boat. Not relaxing at all. You can store your luggage in a room until 2 pm but the line was really long. The service  staff were really friendly and gracious. Our room was more than adequate 

The Star Ship was late. The check in process was a mess. 

No one advised us that someone is checking in our luggage, so we had to drag the through a long check in kine which took almost an hour.

I am diabetic and informed the reception that I was tired and getting hypoglycemic She said,I had to wait in line like everybody else. However, she did find me a a small bottle of juice. It helped but the fatigue from standing and hauling out my luggage was taking its toll.

The Portofino dining was so crowded and so the service was really below par. The waiters did their best under the circumstances. However, the staff that were wearing the white uniforms were less than cordial and I did not feel the usual welcomeing attitude.  My server, a Thai boy named Samay on table 159 was so impressive and always wore a smile even under that awful situation. She never stopped smiling.  That was a bright spot for me. . 

Exiting the ship was horrible. We were not even asked about our flight time out of Vancouver. Passengers were all jamming the exit way from all sides. No one called out the numbers in the order of priority. 

The ship arrived at two but we did not get out of the ship until 3 PM. We had tp practically rush tho the airport. 

I am a Ruby member and I know this is just an aberration. 

We liked the simplicity of the cruise. There was no pressure of stops at ports for almost 3 days. So we didn't feel rushed to do everything on the ship in a day! It was very relaxing!

Very nice ports of call , nice ship and excellent service by staff... Food is all over but taste was lacking quality of food was poor appears more like frozen food, prepackaged meals ....good Pizza!!

Clean ship and nice rooms ....

I found signage around the ship to be confusing or lacking. Some restaurants were difficult to find. Service and food in the restaurants I tried was generally very good but there were limited choices for the light eater who didn't want to eat every meal in the buffet. 

I questioned a mini-bar charge on my bill and was told it was for the bottles of water sitting on my counter "because they don't fit in the bar." I've generally found anything set out like that is complimentary.

This was a re-positioning cruise so I understand things may not be running as smoothly as usual and will most likely sail with Norwegian again next year.

 Enjoyed three days and nights of typical cruise ship elegance and service .

Boarding and De-boarding was most efficient , the best I've experience

One hundred -150 characters is keeping me trying against my wishes to be done with this review

We booked a very affordable cruise on the Ruby Princess.The ship itself was in very good condition.The food,except for the Michelangelo dining room and one dinner I had there(the fried chicken was awful),the rest was very good.The casino smelled like all casinos everywhere,like stale beer-booze and smoke.I will not go to any cruise ship casino if they do not ban smoking altogether.But we tried this one and they are all the same.It was so cold on deck that we could barely stand it.The common deck areas and rec areas need glass enclosures in the wintertime,it is that simple.If they can't build such things then I do not recommend wintertime cruising.The main show room had very good entertainment and music for their big production numbers.The RP is 950ft londgand is one big ship.The TV needed upgrading and the available programing was very limited.The Internet Cafe was very overpriced(.79 per min) and I never saw anybody in there.All staterooms and cabins should have DSL plugs,if not Wi-Fi,or both.The music selection was very limited.There were no tours of the bridge,engine room,or "down below decks" offered.This ship needs a lot of upgrades,some of which have been available for years.The lighting in our balcony cabin was very dim and that made it difficult to read anything.And there are a lot of handouts given to passengers that must be read.The balcony was nice but their was nothing to see out at sea and it was very cold and windy most of the time.This ship looks good and was well built.The buffets were all good.There is a free pizza and ice cream bar at the main deck pool-lounge area.In the morning it is a pay waffle bar.Our cabin bath needed an upgrade too but it was clean and usable.All in all,we had a good first-time cruise and want to sail again on a princess cruises ship.P.S. maybe pay-per-view movies would be nice in all cabins.I liked the offering of movies in the main showroom too.And please consider offering adults only cruises.

The ports could have been chosen better. Rather than Santa Barbara and San Pedro would have liked going to San Diego. There was really nothing to see in Santa Barbara or San Pedro.

Food on this trip was OK. Nothing outstanding.

Too many people. 2,600 passengers is about 2,000 too many.

The Princess California cruise has a nice itinerary for those wishing to get a flavor of four west coast cities, while not having to drive, pack, unpack, and face the many inconveniences of trying to tour a very large state.  As California residents it is more of a getaway to familiar places that most of us have visited.  We actually found the cruise to be not what we were hoping for.  While the food was excellent, and the ports interesting, we found life aboard ship to be a series of "made up" excitement and a lot of noise, which is not our taste on a cruise.  As serial cruisers around the world, we have always preferred educational experiences to a constant barrage of games, made up events, and opportunities to be pitched by people aboard selling all manner of stuff.  In addition our particular cruise was composed of mostly older folks [we are too] and a large majority of very heavy folks, who seemed to be there for the food, which was excellent and plentiful.  The Princess crew does a terrific job and the cruise directors are informative, hilarious, and everywhere.  In the end we still prefer a quieter, more educational experience with fewer sales pitches, and more expenses covered in our basic cruise fee.  By the way, we had a mini suite, which was a good value.