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Review of the Ruby Princess, April 1st sailing the eastern Caribbean

BugsyCruiser

By BugsyCruiser,
in Princess Cruises

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BugsyCruiser

BugsyCruiser

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Happy Easter everyone! Just got home a few hours ago from sailing on board Ruby for a week and had a fantastic time. This is only my second cruise ever and first on Princess but I can tell you this: it will NOT be my last.

 

I really fell Princess delivers a great product here. Nothing against Holland America but I really fell Princess was even better, MUCH better. Excellent food, service, plenty of stuff to do. The ship was great. Captain Yeomans announced there was 3460 passengers on board at the first formal night but it sure didn't feel like there was that many. I did go to some shows(not all but I never try to overwhelm myself, after all it's vacation), tried the Crown Grill, went to the Lotus Spa, drank plenty of alcohol(bar bill reflects that :D) and so much more that I'll have fun over the next few days telling you all about it.

 

First off let me tell you that my personal cruise planner at Princess went way above the call of duty. She kept in constant contact with me and fought for a cabin upgrade which I did get, free of charge and what an upgrade it was. More about that as we go along. I'm not sure I can say her name on here or not so just to be safe, I won't.

 

My apologies for not getting a photo of Ruby before sailaway but her she is when we were docked at St. Thomas and what a beauty she is:

 

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Let the review begin! Enjoy my friends

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BugsyCruiser

BugsyCruiser

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Saturday, March 31st:

 

Flew down the day before and was transferred to the Marriott North. It's not anywhere near the port but it is a very nice hotel. Had dinner across the road at Longhorn Steakhouse and I must say they were by far the most professional and happy staff I've had wait on me at a Longhorn. I suggest if you stay here to try them out and even on a Saturday night, I was able to snag a seat at the bar with no problem

 

Here are some pictures of the hotel. The view out the window ain't the greatest but who cares? It's vacation! :)

 

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BugsyCruiser

BugsyCruiser

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Sunday, April 1st... THE BIG DAY:

 

Transferred over to the port on this day. Ruby was docked directly across from Allure(How can anyone miss that ship? :p). Busy day as usual at Port Everglades. Got in the long line for check in at 12:15 but by 1pm on board and able to check out my cabin.

 

Now for the upgrade I told you about...

 

Friday before I flew down my planner at Princess called me with my cabin assignment. I was already in a mini suite guarantee but she was able to get me upgraded to a penthouse suite at no additional cost! Needless to say I was stunned at the news(stunned in a good way) and when I told my friends about it they said GO BUY A MEGA MILLIONS TICKET!! One person from Illinois was one of the three that won that record jackpot... but it wasn't me. I was amazed at this room... could I end up being spoiled by such an upgrade? Perhaps... but hey this is vacation from a stressful job and you only get to live once.

 

Here are some pictures of the suite:

 

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BugsyCruiser

BugsyCruiser

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My stateroom attendant was a man by the name of Vadie. He did an excellent job. Never had to ask twice for anything, always had it there for me. He had the minibar refilled with whatever I had to drink out of there by the afternoon. When I saw that I had regular coke I asked if he could replace it with diet and not only did he replace both the cans of regular with diet he even put in extra cans for me. He was excellent IMHO.

 

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BugsyCruiser

BugsyCruiser

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Well before sailaway it was time to check out piazza I read so much about. Needless to say I was not disappointed. Also had my first bite to eat onboard at the International cafe. It would be the first of several times I would get something to eat from there. I recommend everyone check it out, it's well worth it

 

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Diet?? We don't need no stinking diet!!

 

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maun

maun

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Enjoying your review and pics and looking forward to more. My brother and his family are on the Ruby this week. They don't take a lot of pics so I'll be seeing their vacation through your camera lens.

I like Princess too and can't wait until I'm able to sail again.

~~Maun

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BugsyCruiser

BugsyCruiser

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I opted for anytime dining and I think that worked out very well. Go when you want, or skip the dining room all together, which I did twice... when I dined at the Crown Grill and the last night when I opted for the buffet at Cafe Caribe(the only time I did the buffet). First night they had prime rib which was excellent but the soup was to die for and I couldn't resist... had a second serving of it: spinach and tortellini soup. If it's on the menu? GET IT!

 

We had Samantha for our cruise director and that woman is full of energy. She doesn't need any coffee! She was always smiling and was a riot during the cruise. Princess is lucky to have her aboard their ships. Elaine was the deputy director and also a real joy to be around. Gotta love the Brits with that dry, sarcastic sense of humor :D

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