Mixed review

Ruby Princess Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage

YarbosatSea

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 34

Overall rating:

3.2 out of 5

7 Night Alaska Inside Passage With Glacier Bay (Seattle Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 08, 2017

Ship: Ruby Princess

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 1633

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 7 years ago

Review summary

Will not recommend this cruise because of the amount of ships in port at the same time. Made the small towns just a clogged mess. The theater entertainment was good the first performance but not so good after. The drinks, and ship board pictures are way over priced. PCL could charge for drinks at half the price and still make money. As for the pictures, I would have bought all of them but they were outrageous price wise so we bought none. You are better off taking your own and printing on the computer. The buffets were so crowded at times you had to hunt and hunt for a table and then wind up waiting sometimes 40 minutes before you could get one. This was a common complaint.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Went very well.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Buffets were way too busy. Sometimes the wait for a table was up to 40 minutes. Not good for the price of the cruise. Dining rooms were not much better.

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

n/a

Entertainment

2 out of 5

Not as good as previous cruises.

Children's Programs

no children

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Good up until we were ready to disembark then it was every man for himself. I asked for help getting off the ship as I had injured my knee while on the ship and was told sorry, you are on your own.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Very nice ship and was well taken care of.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Was well equipped and clean. Steward was more than accommodating

Ship tip

Be prepared to endure endless "buy this" while on the ship

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Seattle, Washington Did not visit port

Juneau, Alaska

4 out of 5

Was picked up by niece and given a tour. Juneau is very interesting

Thumbs Up 1

Skagway, Alaska

5 out of 5

Love Skagway, but very busy with 4 ships in port at the same time.

Thumbs Up 2

Ketchikan, Alaska

4 out of 5

Too many ships in port at the same time and the locals are very rude.

Thumbs Up 1

Victoria, British Columbia

1 out of 5

We docked in the evening and not enough time to do anything

Thumbs Up 2

Disembarkation

1 out of 5

Had to disembark early on our own because our flight was leaving early. I needed help with luggage because I injured my knee while on the ship and was told "you are on your own because you elected to leave early". Nice.......

6 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe 3 months ago

Thanks for sharing

Thumbs Up 0

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lwdelta 7 years ago

Agree that the tables during peak times at the buffet were limited. We ended up eating outside by the pool and while a little chilly, the quietness was nice. Pre purchased the all inclusive picture package for $199 and took advantage of picture moments without worrying about the individual cost of each picture. Recognize that this isn't for everyone, but it fit our needs perfectly, and no one worried about which picture we wanted to keep. Crowds at the towns where fairly large, but not to the point that it detracted from the overall experience. There wasn't anything that we couldn't do because of the large crowds. However, the common complaint regarding the short stay in Victoria was applicable to us as well. "Wish we could have docked earlier and stayed longer".

Thumbs Up 0

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serialcruiser1 7 years ago

also we avoid buying any more than a few pictures per Cruise and only by those that have dates and the ports that we've been to. if it's a repeat cruise and the ports are super tied up if it can't be navigated around we simply don't even get off.

Thumbs Up 1

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serialcruiser1 7 years ago

most cereal Cruisers avoid the buffet eat in the dining rooms, buy coffee cards, and utilize happy hour if you must for drinking.

Thumbs Up 0

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GIL155 7 years ago

agree the buffets are busy, but I have never had more than 5 minutes after 7 cruises. Cannot control other ships in port. Allso agree, pictures are pricey.

Thumbs Up 0

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celiaclady 7 years ago

doesn't sound like cruising is for you. or go in shoulder season not prime time. and there are other places to eat besides the buffet. maybe you should of tried other places

Thumbs Up 0

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