Great First Cruise

Item: Ruby Princess
Rating: 4.4
Author: jlissandrello

Ruby Princess Cruise Review to Mexico

jlissandrello

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 54

Overall rating:

4.4 out of 5

7 Night Mexican Riviera (Los Angeles Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 01, 2018

Ship: Ruby Princess

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: R504

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

The ship appears to be well maintained and clean. The crew is very friendly and eager to please. Our room was perfect for the two of us. We balcony was awesome. I spent a lot of time out there watching the ocean and other boats go by. I can't imagine cruising without it. Sleeping with the constant sound of the ocean was very relaxing. The food was good. The formal dining team was very attentive and pleasant. I preferred the Crowne Grill over Curtis Stones. I thought the food was better and overall a better experience. Entertainment was very good. I regret not seeing a show at the Princess Theatre. Not sure why we didn't. The cigar lounge was full of cigarette smokers which makes it a lot less enjoyable. It's called a Cigar Lounge, not a Cigarette Lounge! I took the guided tour at the end of the week and it was fun. I paid $150 put you end up with a $75 robe, a picture of you and the cabin, and several other perks. The photo situation was crazy. There are photographers all over the ship all the time. We purchased one photo for $25 but if we knew the game might have posed for more photos and purchased the package at the end. On a side note, I was told they take and print over $15,000 photos in a week and sell only 30% of them. Yikes, that's a lot of wasted photos. All in all, this was a great cruise. I've already booked another cruise on the soon to be completed Sky Princess in 2019.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Great. Princess knows how to get 3,000+ people aboard ship fast!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

The main dining rooms were excellent. The food was good and the staff was great. The buffets were mediocre.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

We enjoyed the Movies under the stars as well as the hot tubs. I went swimming once but the water was chilly. We signed up for the Sanctuary but the weather wouldn't cooperate and we canceled. We heard it was a great way to relax.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The karaoke was fun, although I didn't sign, and the magicians were very good.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

The Balcony Cabin is a no brainer. Having access to look out and enjoy the scenario is priceless. We slept with the slider open and it was so relaxing.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

San Pedro (Los Angeles), California

4 out of 5

Princess does a great job getting you through the terminal and on the boat.

Thumbs Up 4

Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

4 out of 5

The locals are very aggressive. Once we met up with our tour guide we had a nice time. The kayak trip to the Arch was enjoyable and Lovers Beach was beautiful.

Thumbs Up 1

Mazatlan, Mexico

3 out of 5

We got off the boat for a day at Stone Beach. Although the tour guide was pleasant, the boat appeared questionable and the boat ride and subsequent taxi ride to the beach were uncomfortable. The resort was okay with a lot of locals trying to sell their ware. We ended up renting an ATV and had fun driving down the coast and back. Beautiful setting.

Thumbs Up 0

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

3 out of 5

We had a ziplining excursion planned but because we felt uncomfortable in Mazatlan, we decided not to test our luck and decided to just get off the boat and walk around. Nothing too exciting.

Thumbs Up 1