Wonderful trip with 1/3 of the normal capacity. Masks were required, but did not interfere.

Item: Ruby Princess
Rating: 4.4
Author: stephenmeeks

Ruby Princess Cruise Review to Mexico

stephenmeeks

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 147

Overall rating:

4.4 out of 5

Verified Review

10 Night Mexican Riviera (San Francisco Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 31, 2022

Ship: Ruby Princess

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: R229

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

The entire experience from booking to disembarkation was a great and easy experience. We flew into SFO from ATL and stayed in a RIU hotel at Fisherman’s Wharf. The next morning we arrived at 11:30am and we’re moved into a short line for boarding. Easy and uncomplicated and we carried our own bags onboard with only a little extra effort. We were allowed to go straight to our cabin and then went right to lunch n the Lido deck one floor up. The weather was cool and a little breezy, but there were few heavy seas to contend. The main problem I have and will always have had with Cruising is the in capability of the ship’s crew to be allowed to keep the exterior windows clear and clean. The teapot of the cruise was wonderful. Three meals a day prepared to our delight as close to meeting or exceeding our expectations as possible. The staff went out of their way to please everyone and make sure every person had their need and wants fulfilled. The ship normally boards about 3500 passengers, “ The Ruby Princess has a maximum passenger capacity of 3,782 and 1,200 crew members.” all 1200 crew members were still onboard and were serving only 1100 passengers because of Covid-19 restrictions. We were well cared for. Overall it was a wonderful cruise.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

The medallion made the embarkation easy, and we walked on with our bags and straight to our cabin.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

The food was almost perfect and the variety on the buffets was great.some of the breads were tough, but everything else was good. The main dining was wonderful and the portions were not too large or too small. The staff went out of their way to make sure everything was beyond good.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

We did not participate.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

The shows were ok, and the entertainers were below our expectations. The musicians were great.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Every staff member made a special effort. The cabin stewards stayed somewhat invisible, but did a great job.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

The maintenance of a 14 year LD ship is difficult, but it was clean and fairly well kept. He public and cabin toilets had a black substance in the upper rim and at the water line.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

The bed was almost perfect. It was a little firm and the adding on top was thin. The cabin, overall was comfortable. The drain for the shower was slow, but did not overflow.

Ship tip

We stayed in the forward of deck 14. Up one deck was breakfast and lunch, and two pools and hot tubs. The main dining was always aft or mid ships and down on an elevator right to the dining room. Interior rooms are better and the convenience was great.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

San Francisco, California

5 out of 5

We went on a sunset cruise purchased on this site. It was great. The other two excursions we booked were cancelled. We were able to book two more on the ship’s website onboard.

Thumbs Up 0

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

4 out of 5

We went on a whale watching tour on zodiac style boat. The ride was fun and the whales and dolphins were fun to see. There was a pod of over 200 dolphins and several humpback whales in the bay.

Thumbs Up 1

Mazatlan, Mexico

4 out of 5

The town was great, but the “best of” tour we took was targeting two main destinations. The lunch was at a hotel they arranged to allow our tour to eat, see a show of dancers and singers privately, and enjoy any of their pools and the beach.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

We were packed, ate breakfast, and gathered or bags. We arrived at the bar to gather for disembarkation and were the first group to go ashore. There were no delays or setbacks and we were on shore in less than 30 minutes.

3 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

Thumbs Up 0

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CaptD7 2 years ago

We will be back on the Ruby in May for our first cruise in over two years. We are so excited we can’t wait. Thanks for the review.

Thumbs Up 0

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romantikcruiser 2 years ago

Thanks for your balanced review

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Other reviews of this sailing

Great trip. Loved it