A bit of a letdown, but still a great time.
Ruby Princess Cruise Review to Alaska
10 Night Alaska Inside Passage With Glacier Bay (San Francisco Roundtrip)
Sail date: July 19, 2022
Ship: Ruby Princess
Cabin type: Suite
Cabin number: D605
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 2 years ago
Review summary
Embarkation in SFO was absurd. We waited in a 2 hour line just to get in the terminal. Not sure if this is Princess or the Port Authority, but this isn't an issue we've seen at other ports. From what I've read, ours was not a one-off experience. Ruby is a bit dated. The couch in our room was run down and not very comfortable. We will remember going forward, to avoid lower deck balcony rooms because the upper decks are recessed so that they can look down into your balcony. (not good) Bed was 'okay' but is showing signs of wear. I thought the public areas were in good shape for the most part. Based on our previous sailings with Princess - the bar for 'service' is pretty high. I've read a lot of complaints that Ruby is way understaffed and the service was terrible - I didn't find this to be the case, though I would say they did not meet their usual standard. This was most evident in the Horizon Court areas where getting drinks / refills was a daily struggle. I would also say that in general - the crew seemed less engaged and less warm that we are used to. Our cabin attendant was excellent as was our wait staff at dinner. This was our 4th sailing to Alaska and the first time we've had bad weather. Fog and rain made Icy Strait, Juneau and Glacier Bay kind of a downer - the latter in particular was disappointing. Missed out on some amazing scenery. Obviously, not Princess fault. Oddly, the one place we expect rain (Ketchikan) was absolutely beautiful. Saw some scenery here we hadn't seen before. We had a lovely weather day in Prince Rupert as well. The crew is all masked - but apart from that I didn't see much attention to Covid protocols. No visible sanitizing going on and I was a bit surprised to see self serve at the buffet. There was no communication from Princess about how many or if there were any were any Covid cases on board. We aren't mask nazis, but wore them in public areas out of an abundance of caution. Medallion Class is a brilliant idea, but it's not quite ready. Some features don't work or refer you elsewhere. Integration with the App on the TV still needs work. Love being able to order drinks / food and have it delivered anywhere. The technology is limited by dismal connection quality. Look for this to improve over the next few years. Despite the minor disappointments, we still had a great time.Embarkation
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Children's Programs
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Avoid lower balcony rooms due to visibility from above. Love the Ice cream sandwiches and Silk Chai Tea
Ports of call
Icy Strait Point (Hoonah), Alaska
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
Disembarkation
11 Comments
brainiac 2 years ago