Alaskan Cruise...fun, but it could've been better.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
Emabarkation went smoothly and faster than expected.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
The buffet food was good, and had a variety each day. The meals in the dining room, and the specialty restaurant we ate in were good. The service was very good, with the exception of a couple of staff in the buffet that were a little unprofessional.
Horizon Court
4 out of 5
Good food and service.
Botticelli Dining Room
4 out of 5
Very nice, good service, and good food.
Cafe Caribe
4 out of 5
A nice place to sit and have a meal.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The weather wasn't good enough to spend time in the pools or hot tubs. Not many of the scheduled activities were things we were interested enough in to fight the crowds, and try to participate in.
Gatsby's Casino
3 out of 5
Confusing on how to collect any winnings. Two weeks after our cruise and still waiting on about $100 in winnings.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
The live musical stage shows were entertaining, the comedian we watched put on a good show. It was to crowded in the lounge areas during things like line dancing etc., to participate or spend much time. Some of it was cheesey, and what you would normally expect on a cruise ship.
Princess Theater
4 out of 5
Nice theater, comfortable to watch shows.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
We had an excellent Cabin Steward, dining staff was great for the most part. Disappointed in the lack of friendliness in the staff behind the bars. More than one occasion we had issues with them incorrectly charging us for beverages that were part of our pre-paid beverage package. The Passenger Services staff was a challenge to deal with, not as friendly, professional and as willing to help with questions or issues as I remember them being on our last cruise. We were given mis-information on how Casino winnings are paid out, so now am having to try to get answers from the Casino Dept. on how and when we get our winnings. The total is only around $100, but we would still like to have it since we payed to play.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The Ruby Princess is a beautiful ship and was neat, clean and well decorated.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Ship tip
If you book direct with Princess, and they assign you a Vacation Planner, be prepared to never be able to work with that person. Ours was never available, and never returned any phone calls or messages.
We have visited Seattle numerous times, and since our drive was more than 5 hours we spent the night to make it easier to get to the Cruise Ship Pier the next day.
We like Juneau, it was our second visit there. The planned excursion was cancelled due to bad weather, but overall the stop was fine for doing a little shopping and sight-seeing then having a nice meal.
We love Skagway it's one of our favorite stops. Unfortunately the stop there had to be cancelled because of the weather so another excursion cancelled. They tried to reroute to Haines, but also bad weather so unfortunately we were stuck on the ship for an extra day.
Ketchikan is a great port. Sadly the weather was horrible so excursions were cancelled, but we managed to do a little sight seeing and have a nice meal at a restaurant on the pier. Not enough time to do much else since it is such a short stop.
Like Ketchikan, Victoria is a short stop so doesn't allow much time for any excursions. But we were able to do a little sight-seeing, and shopping, then have a nice dinner before heading back to the ship.
Odd, most of the bartenders were good, unless the line was a mile deep and then they were rushed. But since we only get a couple of mocktails a day and try to aim for the empty bars, we may see a different side of them.
You would think the bartenders would have the best attitudes out there?? What a disappointment. I bartended for over 20 years I could never imagine being rude to somebody on a vacation
We enjoyed Ruby Princess for Alaskan Cruise. I would say if you rank friendliness among crew on any cruise I’ve been (6) the bartenders as a rule have been among the least personable with a couple of exceptions!
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