Overall really enjoyed the trip on Ruby Princess. Friendly and professional staff. Ship's officers a bit aloof. The only ones who spoke to me were: 1) Italian officer (Executive officer or hotel mgr maybe) brief conversation the Int'l Coffee Bar.
2) Commanding Officer. This was the highlight of the cruise. My niece inquired about getting me a visit to the Bridge, as I am a 30 year retired U.S. Navy Captain. Not only did Princess Lines arrange for me to visit the Bridge and be greeted by the Captain, but the staff figured out I was with a party of 7 and invited all of us to the Bridge (2 others could not go as we left them as babysitters). The tall, young, junior officer from the U.K. who gave us the bridge tour after the Captain's greeting & photo op, was outstanding. Thank you to the Commanding Officer and his staff/security department for affording us this rare opportunity. And, to top off the visit, while on the bridge we saw a pod of whales breaching off the starboard bow!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Smooth. Better than expected.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Pretty big disappointment overall. BEST first: 1) Steakhouse in Crown Grill. Really excellent food & superlative serving staff. 2) International Coffee Shop. Friendly & efficient staff and excellent coffee. OK: Michelangelo Dining. Friendly staff. Food was good, choices were adequate. 3) Buffets (in general). Good. Plenty of choices and quantity and room for guests to pass through buffet lines with not many backups. Italian night by far the best. Quality of the food was only a 3 on a scale of 5. Some were hideous. Your own meal samplers should be able to figure it out. The "fresh" oysters (at Crown Grill) were spoiled. Pizza & burger bars. Some review in order here. Pizza extremely variable (may be due to the chef on duty) sometimes crust coming out nearly raw. Burgers were, in general, terrible. The WORST: "Share" by Curtis Stone. This place was terrible. Service was efficient and but hostess was very officious and stuffy. We arrived for a very early table time & 75% of the tables were empty, yet still our party of nine had to wait to be seated. The 6 course tasting menu was efficiently served, but the quality was poor. 3 of 6 courses were really bad for a restaurant of this supposed stature. 3 edible courses were: burrata, lobster & the main meat courses. Others were forgettable. If this place is to continue, needs to up its game. Would not go back. Drinks: priced ridiculously high. I drink, but if you consult my bill you will see I did not drink much alcohol and would not again if I chose to cruise your line.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Many and varied, to suit many interests. Lots of things for kids. Fitness Center was excellent. However: BOTH drinking fountains expelled HOT (not warm, but HOT) water. Why? You have a huge staff in the fitness center. Does no one check this? I drank out of the bathroom sink. An embarrassment. Also, the weight machines need attention. Several were binding up, pins would not go in/out easily. Couple of them need a complete overhaul (fly machine esp). Ruby Princess has no continuous deck for walking/jogging without taking two flights of stairs en route. Why? Was this intentional? Cruised other lines with excellent walking / jogging decks. This would influence my choice of Princess lines in the future. Naturalist (Moedjelewski??) was EXCELLENT. Really enjoyed his talks. The Iditarod mushers the woman who kayaked from Seattle to Alaska also were excellent. Voice of the Sea contest was super, but I entered the auditorium and passed right by the folks handing out the judging machines. No one was calling attention to them and no signage, so I missed the chance to participate. The ART SHOWS were, in toto, horrible. Poor choice of artists. The work was really not good. Passed through gallery but would not waste time in auctions. Casino was terrible. Entered once, smelled the tobacco, left immediately. Also, friends who played soon stopped as all seemed rigged so that Princess was the only winner. Onboard photography. Really? Must be uninformed people who will pay those prices.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Room steward: Really good. Waiters/restaurant staff. Overall excellent, but - best by far was in Crown Grill & Int'l Cafe. Guest services & tour booth were both outstanding
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Overall excellent. I noticed that several of the public rest rooms had overflowing/unflushed toilets. A bit of signage to remind passengers might be helpful. Ship design: commented above on lack of continuous deck for walking/jogging. Overall good design of the ship. Seating in some of the public & lounge areas pretty uncomfortable. Boarding/disembarkation/luggage procedures. Not bad. Better than I thought they would be. Cleanliness was overall excellent. Amazing how people will leave drink glasses almost anywhere. Elevators pretty good.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Ship tip
1) Tour the ship early - learn your way around. I am an experienced cruiser. Talked to many folks who said it took them 3 days to learn way around & get accustomed to the ship.
I’ll be on the Ruby in October/Nov. I’ve booked Share but after all of the reviews I’ve seen and YouTube videos I may cancel. Seems iffy. Good review tho!
Sorry you didn’t enjoy Share. Must be chefs and staff as we are in Share on the Emerald and it was excellent in all regards. We’ll be cruising on the ruby next May, hope it improves in those areas you spoke of
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