Short, laid back, repositioning trip

Item: Ruby Princess
Rating: 4.2
Author: RetiredRay

Ruby Princess Cruise Review to Coastal - West Coast

RetiredRay

Contributor Level: Staff Captain

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 13

Helpful Votes: 449

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5

3 Night Pacific Coastal Northbound (Los Angeles To Vancouver)

Sail date: April 24, 2018

Ship: Ruby Princess

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: C750

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

This trip was in a Suite, chosen because being a repositioning trip and only three nights it was cheap (plus it gave us the 2 cruises we needed for Elite). That caveat given, the cruise was a laid back one and we did not do many of the things we thought of doing. Weather was overcast and cold with a moderate sea so we had some movement, especially in the back. For comparison, our Suite had a jerky type of and larger roll/pitch compared to the Thermal suite which had a gentle soothing roll and light pitch. The suite motion was not bad, just not as nice and I did slept well. Club Class dining is the way to go if you can afford it, especially for breakfast. Entertainment was sparse, but then again we expected that on this trip. As noted before, this ship is getting old, I hope they do some fixing up before our next trip on her next March. Due to the weather, more people stayed inside which loaded up various things like the Thermal Suite. Would I do it again? Maybe, but I want a longer trip to get in the groove so maybe as a back to back (Jones Act ruined that this time). Liked Fuch, good music. Phil Tag was an interesting comedian, Acoustic Rush Duo was mixed (which is good for everyone) violin/guitar music that we enjoyed several times. Did not do much, just was too lazy.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

I would say 3 stars total, but we were early and no wheel chairs from bus to counter (check-in staff helped make it easier though). 3 stars for the Princess wheel chair management, we had priority boarding and had to wait even though we were first on the list. 5 stars for the counter folks, wheel chair pushers, and others doing check-in and embarkation. Even the photogs were polite this trip.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

This is for Club Class dining. Great breakfast service in Crown Grill, we get items like raspberries and blueberries that the MDR will not serve, Staff in the MDR for lunch and dinner were all great and the head waiter Carlos made some killer special pastas. New dinner menu, 2nd time served, needs some some work. Pizza had odd taste this trip.

Botticelli Dining Room

5 out of 5

This was club class, so the service was the best of the best. The new dinner menu has some issues, but since it is only the second time they used it and we only had three dinners, not much to be said. Carlos (head waiter for Club Class) made some killer pastas, wish they were on the main menu.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Thermal spa was nice except this trip they over booked it, too many folks waiting for the thermal beds

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Magic to Do, 5th time, this was the worst one. Lack of music in the piazza during the day, decent comedian and a good singer, Fuch.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Eddy in C750 was the best we have had, he was very attentive and quick to correct issues. Princess staff as a whole are very good (only have Princess and Carnival to compare)

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Generally very good, but you can see where there is wear and tear, corrosion, and age. Many things most folks may not see, but being retired Navy, they stand out. Saw surveyors going around noting some of the things I saw and others I did not. AND, there is a full Promenade.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Ship tip

Use the map you get at check-in and walk the decks and read the Patter.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

San Pedro (Los Angeles), California Did not visit port

Transit from airport, plus I use to live near here.

Thumbs Up 1

Vancouver (Canada Place), British Columbia Did not visit port

Transit to airport, would like to visit some day.

Thumbs Up 1

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

No luggage so once we had clearence the wheel chair seated the wife, we whipped down to customs, handed over our form, zipped over to the bus with staff guiding us, and were dropped off in front of the airlines.