Customer service a disaster -- couldn't even keep the billing straight. Three days after end of cruise, still have not received complete billing statement. MedallionNet a similar disaster -- kept refusing to make dining reservations "until cruise was fully paid" -- software problems acknowledged by Customer Service, but never fixed.. Notable lack of useful communication from the captain. Glad to have seen Alaska once, but that's enough. Impressive terrain, but dull, bleak, greyness overwhelming. There's no there there. To our surprise, Ruby Princess was considerably less impressive than Carnival Pride, on which we've cruised twice in the past 9 months, including trans-Atlantic. We will never cruise on Princess again.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
Even with pre-shipped medallions, two hours of standing in line. Painful.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
Worst buffet ever -- no traffic control, a zoo. Most dining room foods seriously overcooked.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Fitness center good, except for "Expresso" video experience cycles with no instructions available. Plenty of treadmills, very cycles (two recumbent, zero upright), few weight and training machines.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
One excellent singer/guitarist (Gideon), the rest dismissable. Explorer Lounge totally inadequate for comedy acts.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Except for Customer Service grouches, staff was amazingly competent and friendly. Cabin attendant Josia was incredibly invisible, yet able to take care of our cabin no matter when we left for breakfast or supper. Dining room staff superb and most accomodating.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
Photographers always in the way of pedestrian traffic in mid-ship.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
No comfortable chair or couch for reading or watching TV. Sport24 channel most welcome for tennis. Bed fine, could use more variety in pillow thickness. Plenty of clothes pole space, very few drawers. Tiny shower -- like being in a coffin -- aggravated by hard-to-aim fixed shower head. Excellent water pressure, temperature. Inexplicably, hair dryer mounted to wall next to AC outlets at the desk -- furthest point from the bathroom, and totally useless.
Ship tip
Don't go. Embarkation and disembarkation are excruciating.
Horrible. Announcements not audible throughout the ship. Gathering points way overloaded. Customer service advising out of cabins by 9:30 due to late arrival, but crew still functioning as though it were 8:30. No waiting accommodation on upper deck 15.
Us TAs experience the same with them. I know a lot of TAs (including me) that refuse to sell Princess until they get their act together. The customer service is not the only problem. Princess is just a hot mess right now.
Hopefully they will recover ad be good like pre Covid again. Although the buffets in that class of ship has bad traffic flow and it only takes a few idiots going in the wrong way to really mess it up more.
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