North to Alaska!

Item: Ruby Princess
Rating: 4.1
Author: janarx70

Ruby Princess Cruise Review

janarx70

Contributor Level: Second Mate

159 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 4

Helpful Votes: 91

Overall rating:

4.1 out of 5

10 Night Alaska Inside Passage With Glacier Bay (San Francisco Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 30, 2022

Ship: Ruby Princess

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: D329

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

All in all it was a good cruise. Would like to see some different ports offered.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Embarkation was truly a nightmare! We arrived a little before our scheduled embarkation time and were greeted with an enormous line that snaked out of the terminal and across the courtyard. Once we finally made it into the terminal it felt very chaotic. We booked Club Class this cruise, and were under the impression that we would have priority embarkation…we did not. We had priority check in, but then were directed to the end of the line. All in all, it was over a 2 hour wait before we even made it to the ship.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

We ate in the Club Class section of the DaVinci dining room. The food was really good! There were a couple of days where the menu didn’t appeal to us and chose other options. We did Sabatini’s one night. Italian isn’t my favorite, but it was quite good. Would I do it again? Probably not. We also ate at Crown Grill. Always a favorite! The food was fantastic. Steaks were cooked to perfection! The service in each location was impeccable!

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

There were a lot of daily activities offered, but I was happy to sit on my balcony watching for wildlife.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Our room steward, Fedel, was great! He took care of any request that we had in a timely manner. Our room was always spotless and he was always very nice! Our waiter in the MDR was Dragan. He was amazing! Our assistant waiter was Allwyn. He, too, was amazing. They knew what beverages we liked and always kept my husbands beer on ice in a champagne bucket when we arrived and my wine was on the table within minutes of being seated. Anytime we had questions about a menu item, or just couldn’t decide what to order, they both would offer suggestions and they were always spot on!

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

I previously sailed on the Grand last time we went to Alaska. I have to say I liked it better. The Ruby was nice, but it just felt more spread out. (just my opinion) The Ruby is an older ship, and with that comes some wear & tear. But the staff was doing a good job keeping things clean.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

The cabin was a standard mini suite. Nothing special. But just an FYI….if you book this cabin, the couch is not very comfortable. They need to replace the cushions. But Fedel kept everything very clean and well stocked.

Ports of call

Ketchikan, Alaska

5 out of 5

Another favorite port! We did the rainforest hike and crab feast at George Inlet Lodge. Our hike guide, Clare, was a lot of fun and she was very informative when it came to the local fauna of the rainforest. We stopped in at the Alaska Raptor Center and got up close with an owl, bald eagle and a peregrine falcon. Lunch at the Lodge was good. The crab was messy, but delicious and the cheesecake was divine! Sadly, the excursion didn’t leave much time to hit the town. Next time.

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Disembarkation

5 out of 5

We were off the ship & through customs in about 10 minutes. If only embarkation was that speedy!

Traveler Photos

5 Comments

lanman52 2 years ago

Went to Prince Rupert today. Had been disappointed it was substituted for Victoria, BUT REALLY ENJOYED the historic salmon cannery shore excursion. Got a vivid description of the hardships the workers endured in an effort to earn a living during the short but intense salmon seasons in the early 20th century. Guide Corbin, a young Prince Rupert native, helped us appreciate the hard work of indigenous folks, Chinese and Japanese salmon-processing “staff.” They were desperate and exploited in sad ways so others (especially Brits) had canned fish to eat. Thank God for technology/automation, unions, labor laws, and pure food rules that put an end to the harsh, unscrupulous practices of canneries like this, both in Canada and in America.

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WhippetMum 2 years ago

Definitely need to get embarkation sorted out. Glad you enjoyed the cruise.

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AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Appreciate your feedback.

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Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise

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javawoody 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing

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