Wonderful time in spite of Princess

Item: Ruby Princess
Rating: 3
Author: LisaW6

Ruby Princess Cruise Review to Europe - Mediterranean

LisaW6

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Reviews: 0

Helpful Votes: 34

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

Verified Review

12 Night Grand Mediterranean (Venice To Barcelona)

Sail date: May 28, 2011

Ship: Ruby Princess

Cabin type: Balcony

Reviewed: 13 years ago

Review summary

The ship itself was lovely. The state room we had was ample for our needs. I was very impressed how they could fit so much into such a tiny bathroom. I never felt as though I was cramped. The biggest problem with the state room however were the beds. They were rock hard. There were several amenities that we did not use, such as the pool and other outdoor facilities as it was just a bit too cool for that. We did use the coffee bar quite frequently and enjoyed that quite a bit. The restaurants that are included in the price of the cruise left a lot to be desired. We never were able to find a decent place for breakfast. We skipped lunch for the most part since we were on shore excursions. That left dinner which was lacking in taste, except for Sabatinni's (but you had to pay an extra $20.00 per person to eat there).

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5

Entertainment

3 out of 5

The ship's communications left it very difficult to know when different activities were taking place. They had a daily paper, but quite often the times and locations conflicted with other communications. Ultimately we were left with not knowing what was going on.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Everyone except for the "service" desk help were very helpful and friendly. That includes the shops, restaurants, state room steward, were excellent. However, the "service" desk was very unhelpful.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

I would have given an "excellent" rating except that the beds were so hard that both of us ended up with aches and pains every morning.

Ports of call

Monte Carlo, Monaco

5 out of 5

We didn't take an organized tour. Instead, we jumped on a get-on/get-off tour bus that took us around Monaco in about an hour. Then we had lunch on our own and then walked back to the ship tender area for transport back to the ship. We both loved this day. Unfortunately we only had a half day, so we didn't get to see as much as we would have liked to have seen. There is a car museum that would have been fascinating.

Thumbs Up 0

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

5 out of 5

Thorougly enjoyed both the Sistine Chappen and the Colosseum. We had a great tour guide. The lunch provided was the best "excursion" lunch of the entire trip.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Sistine Chappel, Colosseum

Mykonos, Greece

5 out of 5

Saw Delos and then had some free time in Mykonos. I enjoyed every bit of it.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Delos Island.

Kusadasi (Ephesus), Turkey

5 out of 5

This was truly one of the highlights of the trip. If you only take one excursion, make it Ephesus.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Tour of Ephesus.

Istanbul, Turkey

5 out of 5

I thoroughly enjoyed our tour of Topkopei, The Blue Mosque, and Haggia Sophia. They were just wonderful. However, the lunch that was provided was not very good.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Blue Mosque and Haggia Sophia

Venice, Italy

3 out of 5

This site was not organized by Princess. We visited this location on our own.

Thumbs Up 0

Naples, Italy

1 out of 5

The tour guide for Pompeii was not good at all. However, the site itself is fascinating. I had been to see Pompeii before, and the tour I took last time was much better.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Pompeii

Piraeus (Athens), Greece

5 out of 5

Loved the Acropolys and Mars Hill. Our tour guide was great. The food provided during the lunch was not very good.

Thumbs Up 0

Don't Miss: Acropolys.

Pros: Shore Excursions were fabulous

Cons: Food was awful for the most part.

Recommends Ruby Princess? No.

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