Overall, it was a fantastic cruise. Nothing is perfect, and there were some minor hiccups throughout the trip, but nothing that impacted our vacation. The one area I wish Princess would improve is the ventilation in the casino area. Nevertheless, Alaska is a beautiful place to visit.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
It can be confusing at Pier 27 in SF. Bring your checked luggage to the porters near the end of the car drop off area. (Be sure to tip the porters). While you are in line waiting to enter into the terminal, it helps to have your passport open and ready to show the agents at the door. It helps to move through the process quicker.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We were fortunate to have the same table each night in the Botticelli dining room. Our waiters, Gretel and Arfan were funny and fantastic. They knew our drink orders before we sat down. They made excellent recommendations, and they always brought us extra vegetables. Gretel even brought me a funny dessert when I didn’t want anything one evening. The Buffet was ok.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
There are many options to choose from throughout the cruise. I encourage you to read the Patter and watch The Wake Show each morning for the daily highlights.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Most of the ship’s stage shows were well done. One of the comedians was ok, however, there were other things to do instead. The Crooners singer was fantastic.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Amazing service. Everyone is friendly and kind.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Some of the pools and hot tubs were empty of water and closed, however it was probably due to the cold Alaska weather.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
It was a nice and quiet inside cabin.
Ship tip
To view the glaciers, go to decks 15 & 16. If it’s raining while you visit the glaciers, go to deck 7.
We went whale watching. The exiting of the ship was a little chaotic, however, all of the Princess excursions waited for all of the passengers to join their excursion.
The Yukon and Suspension Bridge excursion through Princess was fantastic. (We had done the train excursion on a previous cruise, and we wanted to see more of the Yukon area).
The line moved quickly. The SF port really needs to redesign the drop off and the pick-up areas to make the process more efficient and less chaotic. (Not really anything Princess can do about the port area).
I have cruised on Ruby several times and is one of my favorite Princess ships. Of all the cruise ships I have been on, I have yet to have the perfect cruise that didn't have something go wrong, and it amazed me that people will gripe about the most silliest issues and complain that it ruined the cruise. People need to not sweat the small stuff and enjoy the cruise, cause there is no such thing as the perfect cruise where something won't go wrong.
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