Great time in the Great North
Ruby Princess Cruise Review to Alaska
Contributor Level:
Purser
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 22
10 Night Alaska Inside Passage (San Francisco Roundtrip)
Sail date: July 16, 2023
Ship: Ruby Princess
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: C720
Traveled as: Family (young children)
Reviewed: 1 year ago
Review summary
This cruise was great for us and the children. The only real bad thing on this cruise was dealing with the water shuttles in the port of Sitka. Unless you have a real reason to get off the ship there, don't. The other ports are definitely worth seeing and there is something for everyone. Get the young kids medallions because then you can track where the kids are on the ship if they get lost, or if you are just wondering where they are. Same goes for adults, and I was able to find my wife and mother in law a few times just by tracking their medallion location. If you have young kids, do the kids club. They give you a pager for the younger kids just in case they need to get a hold of you. As mentioned before, the service was the best I've seen on any cruise I've been on, and I've been on 7 of them.Embarkation
While arriving at the cruise terminal had the look of chaos, it was actually very well organized. We waited about 10 mins for a porter to take our luggage and have us proceed inside. The security line took about 2 minutes. Once past security with our carry ons, we waited only about 5 mins for someone to check us in. Once we were checked in, we were told to go directly to the boarding area and 5 minutes later we were on the ship. From drop off at the terminal to boarding the ship took about 20 minutes total. Very efficient.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We didn't eat in any of the specialty dining rooms and only ate at the buffet sparingly. We ate at the main dining room every night at 5pm and were able to get right in. We had the same waitress each night, and she got to know us after the 3rd day or so. The food was great and it's quite amazing how they can churn out so much food and still have it be such high quality.
We also got desserts at the cafe on deck 5, which were always freshly baked even in the middle of the night.
Onboard Activities
While the selection of activities was great, many times they interferred with our dining reservations or we had several activities that would schedule on top of each other. This is the only reason I didn't rate it 5 stars. We played trivia a few times, as well as attended a few classes (such as how to dance the Paso Doble).
Entertainment
There were 3 production shows, an illusionist, an ABBA tribute, a comedian, and some others as well. The quality of the shows is great and the length was also just right. 45 minutes is about how long I can sit still without needing a break, and that's about how long the shows were. For the production shows especially, you can tell the performers put a lot of time and energy into it, and enjoy what they do.
Children's Programs
That kids club is a lifesaver. We have 3 kids (ages 8, 6, and 4). The two youngest went to a younger kids program and the oldest went to a different program. On port days, they combined the classes. Our kids looked forward to going to the kids club every day, and we looked forward to some relaxation without having to worry about them. The only thing I would change is that they had several hours during the day they were closed. Hours were 9-noon, 2-5pm, and 7-10pm, so they did force you to spend some time with your kids. At the beginning of the cruise, we were given a schedule of the kids club and each day, there was a different theme of activities and projects to do (such as cowboy theme, halloween theme, superhero theme, etc).
Service and Staff
This was the best cruise I've been on for service. We had the same waitress each night who got to know us and the kids so well that she would have the booster seat and apple juices at the table before we even got there. Our room steward worked very hard and while we didn't need to call him that much, he still made our room several times a day and got to know us all by a first name basis.
Our cruise director Cole was also quite entertaining. I'm not sure how he could have such energy and enthusiasm the entire cruise but he pulled it off. Same with the assistant cruise directors.
Ship Quality
Everywhere I would walk, I would see a crew member either sanitizing, vacuuming, or sweeping common areas, so the ship was very clean. The only thing I didn't like about the design was you couldn't walk from one end of the ship to the other on some of the lower decks. For example, if you wanted to get from the Piazza (deck 5) to the Boticelli dining room (deck 6), you needed to go up to deck 7, walk aft, then head back down to deck 6.
Cabin / Stateroom
One thing to be expected on a cruise ship interior cabin is for it to be small. There wasn't much room for anything inside except the bed and a small desk. The bathroom was also very tiny with a shower so small I scraped my knee on the side of the shampoo dispenser the 2nd day (had to go to the medical center for bandaids). As far as comfort, the bed was very comfortable and the climate control worked very well. The room also couldn't be cleaner, with thanks to our wonderful steward for that.
Ship tip
If you have kids, make sure you take advantage of the kids club (there's 3 different options depending on age) and if you want to eat dinner with them before it opens, make 5pm reservations.
Thumbs up
0
Ports of call
While the town itself was kind of nice (and the people were friendly), it was not set up for the influx of passengers from a cruise ship to come ashore. The ship had to anchor out in the middle of the water and we had to use water shuttles to come ashore. The ship only had 6 hours total in the port, but by the time we got our water shuttle tickets right when it opened and waited for our group to be called (we were group 45), it was 3.5 hours later. By the time we got into Sitka, we had about 1.5 hours left before we were due to be back on the ship. When we arrived back at the water shuttle dock to go back, we had to wait another 1.5 hours in a line of about 1000 people. Because of this, we missed our dinner reservation. I'd recommend skipping Sitka unless they install a pier where you can walk directly off the ship instead of taking a water shuttle. Note we did not do a shore excursion.
While there were 4 other cruise ships docked the same day as ours, it did not feel too crowded in town. The weather was great (72 degrees and sunny). We visited the state capitol building and met a state senator who invited the kids in to have some jelly beans. We also visited a city park with a playground. Not many people from the ships probably wander up there. Later in the day after the kids went back to the ship, I took the free shuttle the Alaska Brewing Company offers from downtown to their tasting room and had a great conversation with some locals who talk about what it's like to live in Juneau. The ship was in town for 12 hours, so plenty of time to do everything. Note we did not do a shore excursion.
CRUISE ENDICOTT ARM & DAWES GLACIER
The Dawes Glacier was quite a site to see, but I wish the ship had stayed there longer. They only stayed in the area of the glacier for about half an hour, and that's the reason my rating isn't 5 stars.
Ketchikan was great, but a little more crowded that some of the other ports, since there were several other ships docked too. We did the Lumberjack show with the kids and it was excellent and entertaining. I fully recommend, but I'd also suggest getting there early to get good seats. This was the only port it rained at, so that did put a slight damper in our day. It's a cute town and I fully recommend the Salmon Walk and Creek Street. Also be sure to take advantage of the free shuttle bus that runs around town.
Prince Rupert, British Columbia
I had never heard of this town before coming here. It's a cute small Canadian town with some hiking trails we took advantage of. I also went to a bar and got some Canadian beer. Most of the ship, including ourselves, walked to the local Walmart to buy some of the Canadian goods you can't get in the US. We were the only ship docked that day, so the town didn't feel too crowded. Note we did not do a shore excursion here.
Disembarkation
Much faster than I expected. We reported to our meeting place at the specified time and they told us we could go right off the ship. We waited about 2 mins in line to scan our medallions to disembark. Once we walked off the ship, we had to go through customs, but all they needed to do was take your picture and compare it to your passport picture (which takes about 5 seconds). The whole process of going from our meeting point on the ship to when we were waiting outside to be picked up with our luggage was about 10-15 minutes.