Ruby’s First 2021 San Francisco Cruise

Embarkation was incredibly smooth…the longest delay was the security screenings …even with that plus our slow walking we went from curb to our cabin in 20 minutes…smoothest that I have ever experienced…the medallion kept us flowing…it was also great having staff from different sections applauding and greeting US as we walked on the ship…I loved the new safety drill…just watch the video in your room…then at your leisure go to your muster station and a staff member will use your medallion to show proof of completion…I do recommend going to the MDR for first lunch…less trouble than the crowds at the buffet

The food on the ship was okay…not great…but not horrible…the food was served warm…not hot…the entire cruise all beef was served medium well…even if medium rare or rare was requested…there was no prime rib on embarkation night and on prime rib night they ran out of prime rib…there was a daily nightmare for dinner…we used the app to request the same table…each night from the second night onward they tried to reassign us…it always took strong insistence on our part to get our table with promises that this problem would be resolved…and it was…until the next dinner……Sabatini’s was ok…I do recommend the fondue soup and the mushroom risotto…but again…each dish came warm…not hot…the service was fine and the ambiance lent to quiet intimate conversations…at the buffet it amazed me the number of people who resisted wearing their masks…the international cafe had tasty treats though I found their sweets to be bland…though the cookies were great…I really loved their peanut butter cookies…the display for them are off to the side so it would be easy to miss…just ask the sever…they have chocolate chip…oatmeal…peanut butter…double chocolate…and lemon…the cookies are warm with just a hint of crispness … the trident grill was ok…they did add a pulled pork sandwich to the offerings…it was ok

I mainly enjoy Trivia…which they normally had 2-4 trivia events per day…we also enjoy karaoke and the passenger talent show…but those two activities were not offered…this cruise was port intensive…4 ports in four days…so the offerings for those who desire outside activities were slim…basically self driven…we enjoy reading and enjoying the view…so this worked for us…the evening games played in the explorers lounge were very popular…also bingo and Zumba had enthusiastic participants…though neither appealed to us

Room service was outstanding…orders were delivered in under ten minutes and the orders were accurate and hot…my only criticism is that if you order using the television the customization is limited…only allowing you to change two of the items that normally come with the order…this is more of an issue with sandwiches…also you can select the bread for a sandwich…but you do not have an option to not have the bread toasted…so if you need more customization than the television offers…you should phone in your order……the waiters in the MDR were attentive…though both the MDR and the buffet did not offer toast as an option…strange…since you could only get toast from television orders..the servers were very responsive to medallion orders no matter where you are on the ship……had issues with the room steward…you can only select morning or evening refresh for your room…we selected morning…one day the refresh did not happen until after one …and the second day the refresh did not happen until 6:30 that evening…we also had one of the main lights not working and it took three days to correct the problem…they no longer have the room steward contact information in the room…so you either have to walk around hunting for the steward or you have to call the service desk…that was our solution…on the television you can order ice, laundry pick up, towels, extra hangers (they limit you to four extra)…but the staff responding was not the steward…and promises to pass on requests seemed to be forgotten…at the espresso at it is a hot mess if you go in person…in person orders appeared to be low priority…and a number of folks waiting for their caffeine in the morning is not a pretty sight…I swiftly learned that if I ask a server for my drink I would receive it faster than when I stood in line…

Unlike the Grand…the entire aft elevator banks go down to Botticelli…a caution for those going up…when you look at the elevator banks you will notice that the far left elevator has 3 call buttons…the top button will only call that elevator …that one is the only one that goes to deck 19…if you just want to go up you can either hit the middle call button on the left elevator or any of the other up call buttons

I found our inside cabin easy to move around in…great for those of us who are…”fluffy” (thanks Comedian Gabriel for the gentle alternate description)…the closet met our needs…the bathroom is small…but unless you want to invest several house payments on a cabin.the bathrooms are always small on a cruise ship…the shower was nice and hot… so test the water before entering … do not assume that the shower will just be warm…there is a motion sensor light outside the bathroom…the television is large…but only two electrical outlets on the vanity and no USB ports in the cabin…pack a power strip and USB plugs…might be a good idea to pack an extension cord if you anticipate needing an electrical device near your bed..l the refrigerator was adequate and kept things cold…not always a given on a cabin…if you are elite they will set up the mini bar for you…and if you prefer caffeine to alcohol call room service…they will collect your mini bar and place a coffee card on your account…though they will not split the choice…so everyone will have to choose one option or the other…also the elite bathroom amenities appear to e ended……the bed was comfortable and the cabin was quiet except when they used the thrusters to maneuver the ship into its docking slip…also at about eight on two mornings they were doing some maintenance work in the service area behind the wall…but outside of those incidents my cabin was a peaceful retreat

A tad confusing…but I have never seen a completely well organized disembarkation…once we left the ship it was easy getting our luggage and getting to our ride