Princess did not adaquately inform us about Ruby being Covid sick ship prior to boarding or during our cruise.

Ruby Princess Cruise Review to Hawaii

gymswim

Contributor Level: Second Mate

67 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 5

Helpful Votes: 118

Overall rating:

4.4 out of 5

Verified Review

15 Night Hawaiian Islands (San Francisco Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 27, 2022

Ship: Ruby Princess

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: D504

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

While we managed to have a great time, we were appalled by Princess handling of Covid aboard the ship. They adopted a policy "The fewer passengers we test the less Covid we have aboard ship". There was no enforcement or encouragement to wear masks. Elevators were jammed so we used the stairs to avoid possible exposure. We masked at a ll times inside the ship execpt when eating in the Club Class dining room or on the open decks. We never went to the cafeteria because of having to share serving utensils to get food. A number of our friends we met who wore masks and were careful during the cruise subsequently tested positive within a day or two after the cruise. Everyone we met and spoke to were alarmed by Princess officers silence about Covid being aboard the ship in increasing numbers....we know because of Cruise Critic message boards and sharing of information. We don't intend to sail on Princess again until they either take more proactive measures to reduce transmission and be more transparent about the number of cases aboard ship, or until the Pandemic ends. We have sailed on Viking three times in the past year and applaud Viking for their prevention and testing measures aboard all their ships.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Being Elite passengers, we boarded early and avoided the 3 hour line that formed after we got to our cabin. The pier representatives were provided with out of date testing requirements for boarding passengers.. I had to show the agents the latest testing requirements on the Princess website using my IPad in order to get permission to board the ship.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Food in the Club Class dining room over all was very good. The food in both specialty restaurants was outstanding. The one exception was the terrible quality of ice cream everywhere on the ship that tastes liike ice milk

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

I used the central pool every day. Wonderful. Had to ask once to have the water temperature turned up about 3 degrees since the outside weather turned decidedly colder. The water was fine after it was hotter.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

One really execptional singer was Jasen Allen. One exceptionally offensive and bigoted comedian Augie T from Hawaii .

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The Ruby Princess waiters and room stewards were exceptional! Even badly short handed because of Covid, they still managed to keep the train running on time

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

I didn't see enough regular sanitizing of hand rails and tables in public areas, probably due to staffing shortages.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

We loved the location of our mini suite in Club Class. The only negative was our balcony was fully exposed to the air and sunlight because there was no overhang.

Ship tip

Arrive early for embarkation. And if you don't have too much luggage, arrange to be among those who can "walk off" with luggage at the end of the cruise. Disembarkation was a train wreck.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

San Francisco, California Did not visit port

We boarded here in our home city.

Thumbs Up 0

Honolulu, Oahu

5 out of 5

We made private arrangements to visit Doris Duke's Estate through the Honolulu Art Museum website. We also visted the Museum. So glad we saw both.

Thumbs Up 1

Kahului, Maui

5 out of 5

Nawiliwili, Kauai

5 out of 5

Hilo, Hawaii

5 out of 5

Ensenada, Mexico Did not visit port

We stayed on the ship.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

1 out of 5

A train wreck of disorganization. Glad my Elite status and ability to walk off the ship with our bags made it possible to avoid the mess and delays.

Traveler Photos

7 Comments

Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise with us.

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stacyandmikey 2 years ago

We sailed on the Ruby back in November - vaxed and boosted, Princess was fantastic!!! Took EVERY PRECAUTION for all our safety. Sorry you got sick, but you can’t blame it on the ship.

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sharay 2 years ago

Yes my husband and I contracted COCIS some where on our trip, not sure where we got it from either on the Ruby or we got it on Hawaii because the mask mandate had just ended in Hawaii and no one wore masks, bus drivers or people we encountered on the island…so I cannot blame the Ship because no one knows where they contract COVID, but we were thoroughly vaccinated and it has been just like a bad cold🤷🏼‍♀️ and sooner or later everyone will get COVID…

Thumbs Up 2

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AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Sorry this cruise didn’t meet your expectations.

Thumbs Up 0

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LuckyDucky 2 years ago

How early could you board the ship?

Thumbs Up 1

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javawoody 2 years ago

Thanks for the review

Thumbs Up 1

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cdavid46 2 years ago

Thanks for the review and for your positive take on wearing masks! We are headed out on NCL in 9 days and we will, for certain, be wearing masks at all inside venues! 😁

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