First Time Alaskan Cruise
Ruby Princess Cruise Review to Alaska - Inside Passage
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 31
7 Night Alaska Inside Passage With Glacier Bay (Seattle Roundtrip)
Sail date: September 02, 2017
Ship: Ruby Princess
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: L205
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 7 years ago
Review summary
Our first Alaskan cruise. Next time we'll pay more attention to the itinerary to be sure we spend enough time in the places we want to see again. Overall, Princess has a nice ship but a good portion of the staff seem 'entitled' or 'too good' to provide customer service. Clean, comfortable and many options while on board. We had a really nice time.Embarkation
We were a part of a large group. Because of that, we did not have to move through the queue as we normally would have to.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We enjoyed dining in the specialty steakhouse because the food tasted better, the service was better and the wines were legitimate. The staff at the free pizza and free ice cream were STELLAR! The pizza was VERY good!! Otherwise, we felt that the food - in general - was bland and not as tasteful as we hoped it would be. The service at the bars around the ship was poor, at best. Waiting more than 5 minutes at a time because there was only one bartender for the 8-10 people there seems ridiculous. Additionally, the price they charge for 'cheap' wines was excessive.
Onboard Activities
The pools on out ship were heated and super clean! My wife used the fitness center and took a couple of classes. She stated that the machines were in perfect working order and very clean. The classes were fun and well run. We both visited the spa for massages and enjoyed the services there as well.
Entertainment
We didn't see any of the shows...nor did we dance in the clubs at night.
Children's Programs
No children traveled with us
Service and Staff
I mentioned above that the bartenders were incredibly slow and seemed almost offended that we were asking for drinks; entitled in some ways. However, the room steward was EXCELLENT, some of the wait staff in the restaurants and one bar were FANTASTIC and even in the buffet area were very very good. MOST of the staff were greeting us with friendly smiles and 'hellos' as we walked about the ship.
Again, the guys in the free pizza place were just the best. ALWAYS friendly and ALWAYS in good moods (so it seemed).
Ship Quality
The ONLY design flaw I can mention is the bathroom size...the shower was small. Otherwise, the cabin layout, deck layout and walking flow of the ship seemed to be very well done.
A suggestion to them would be to increase the number of signs in the common area. Traveling on ships this large, it was easy for us to not recall which way was 'fore' and which was 'aft'; especially at night when the water cannot be seen outside. More signs would be helpful in that case.
Cabin / Stateroom
Size we larger than we had expected and was kept VERY clean. We loved that the balcony door was a slider; meaning it would stay open at night so we could hear the water outside. It made for glorious sleeping!
We found the bedding comfortable and the open closet to be very spacious.
I mentioned this earlier...the bathroom was a bit small and the shower was smaller than I would have liked.
Ship tip
Be sure to visit Adagio - Deck 16, WAY aft. Quiet lounge, GREAT service and great views.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
It was our origination and final port...we spent the night before with our group and then 2 days after the cruise visiting the city. The weather was PERFECT for our visit, and that probably helped a lot. We did a LOT of walking and saw the normal tourist stuff.
Seattle has a LOT of hilly streets, very much like San Francisco. Be prepared to deal with that or take rides to make it easier.
We did the excursion to Mendenhall glacier. It did rain all day which is to be expected. Prepare for that with wet weather shoes, rain jackets and the like. Afterwards, we walked around for quite a bit. We ended up eating at a restaurant near the dock that had a fabulous salmon burger.
I thought that the ship spent too much time at this port. The town is small and there really was not a lot to do IN THE CITY. Our excursion was a brief driving tour of Skagway with the history of the city the core of the discussion. There was a nice spot to view the town from up high and take photos as well. The last part of the tour took place in a small bar with a 'skit' played out by two young actors with song, dance and drink mixing.
The excursion here was a walking tour with a Native American that lived in the city all of his life. Great tour, great stories and good knowledge of the area.
We felt that we could have spent more time at this location and less at the Skagway port.
Amazing city. That's all I can say. It was picturesque; reminding me of Walt Disney World where the flowers were just so, the grass manicured and the homes and buildings were pristine. The locals were super-friendly and the city seems so vibrant.
Sadly, we arrived late in the afternoon. By the time we disembarked and made our way to a bus to downtown, the visit felt half over. We only had 5 hours here and felt like this is a place to come back to. It would be nice if the ship spent more time here and less at the middle two.
Disembarkation
Organized, communication was excellent and we didn't feel rushed in any way,
The port could use more customer pickup area; especially is using ride-sharing. For taxis, very easy. For friends or ride sharing, it's a bit of a mess.
Traveler Photos
