Just off the Ruby: random thoughts

[AZJerry]

Got off yesterday morning after a last minute 4 day CA coastal.

 

• Food quality in the dining rooms was only OK. Several items overcooked. Just not up to their normal standards.
  
• The Lido deck pizza was "OK". While not my favorite, it's usually a bit better.
  
• Several times we didn't have to sign for drinks. The server looked at or took the cruise card and then brought the drinks and card back. No receipt and no signature. One time I signed for a bottle of wine and the server walked away with both copies. (I started another thread specifically for this).
  
• Embarkation elevator use: As usual, all elevators reserved to get passengers to their cabin deck. Once there, passengers have to walk up/down to get anywhere, to eat, for instance. I feel sorry for those that can't do the stairs. It is getting harder for us, too.
  
• Debarkation elevator use: After waiting for 15 minutes or so for an empty elevator to take us from deck 12 to our debarkation lounge on deck 12, we finally gave up and dragged our luggage all the way down only to find we had missed our walk-off group. At least they had a reserved elevator for us to go back up to deck 7.
  
• Princess Cruises Messenger problems. I have the app on my Android phone. I was able to create a logon for the app but it wanted my to login to my internet pacakge which shouldn't be necessary. What happened is that the wifi on my phone would then timeout and disconnect, sometimes while I was in the middle of using the app.
  

Overall, we still had a great time, though.

Edited September 26, 2015 by AZJerry

[ar1950]

Noticed the same issue with food quality on the Ruby on both our repositioning cruise this spring and on our Alaska cruise in August. Also noticed the issue with not needing to sign for drinks and not getting a receipt on the August cruise. I specifically asked about that and was told it was a new policy. I was told if I wanted a receipt to just ask for it when ordering.

 

BTW, as far as the food, it was not bad enough to keep us from booking Hawaii on her next year.:cool:

Edited September 26, 2015 by ar1950

[AZJerry]

We've had several issues with billing in the past. Having receipts makes it way easier to resolve at passenger services.

[ar1950]

We've had several issues with billing in the past. Having receipts makes it way easier to resolve at passenger services.

 

That would be the very reason that I always asked for receipts after not getting one the first time (although, even that time I asked after the fact and the waiter brought it, good man!).

[Pam in CA]

My sister and a good friend were on the same cruise. They said the food was great and the ship was terrific. Both are Elite and very well-traveled.

[caribill]

We've had several issues with billing in the past. Having receipts makes it way easier to resolve at passenger services.

 

That only works if the receipts have a passenger's signature on them.

 

If a wrong number is entered when a drink is ordered, the receipt at the front desk (for the drink you did not order) will have your name and cabin, but nobody's signature. Hard to prove it was not your charge.

[Working 2 Cruise]

My sister and a good friend were on the same cruise. They said the food was great and the ship was terrific. Both are Elite and very well-traveled.

 

That's good to hear. It seems that AZJerry was unhappy with most of his cruise. I'm shocked that, according to him, the bad food, no receipts, elevators,, etc. So many issues in a "quickie" cruise!

 

As for the elevators, embarkation day is always a zoo. In order to get to different places, we just use the forward or aft elevators. Does it entail a bit more walking, yes but no big deal even with my husband who has trouble walking!

[Battleship]

:)My abject apologies to Ralph/Kathy. This was my 49th cruise and so many M&G I/we attended have been the first day of cruising (no ports). I am sorry to say "I forgot." And was so looking forward, MY fault, but I greatly appreciated their efforts to pull everyone together. I know I missed out on meeting wonderful new friends. I shall be more alert next cruise ----Ruby Prin. (Dec. 15 Vanc to LAX, staying on board, then Dec. 18---ard.) HI Islands.) Kathy/Ralph thank you for your efforts. Pat (Battleship)

[riclop]

Thanks for your thoughts.

[CRUISEWITHH]

We also are just off the Ruby in San Pedro.

 

I complained about the elevators in a previous thread, because my husband uses a scooter and it requires that we use the elevator, but usually have to wait a loooooong time to get one on disembarkation day.

 

Another problem was that they assumed everyone wanted to carry off luggage so they did not have to wait, but we needed assistance so we were the exception rather than the rule. We needed to go to a certain table next to passenger services and get luggage tags.

 

I know this was a short cruise (4 days) but I have not encountered this on any other short cruise or other cruiseline.

 

Helen

[amypete]

We were just on this cruise as well. Had a very nice time, food was fine and so was the wine! Appreciate all the little places you can go on a Princess ship! We met lots of nice people and are looking forward to our next Princess cruise. We had a forward caribe room, c107 and it was a bit rocky on the nights it was for everyone but a nice view from the balcony. Sure, you get lots of steps in being in the front or the back of the ship but it was built in steps for me! I can also say we had a good time in Ensenada as we had heard many negative things about this port. We went on a wine tour in the country, delicious wine at La Cetta. The city itself was not anymore of tourist haven for the natives than many other port cities in poorer areas. Lots of peddlers, yes, but I was expecting much worse. And many thanks to Ralph and Kathy!! We had a great time meeting many people! Bad thing about a four day....you just get used to it all and it's time to go home! Lucky to all of you that live in California and can do this whenever you want! Back to the cows and the cornfields here. Hope so see you sometime! Next up I think the Vancouver wine country cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[AZJerry]

Actually, as always, we had a good time. It's just that with a fair number of cruises under our belts (my wife is elite and I'm closing in on that milestone) we can and do notice when things seem below normal.

 

Main dining room food was one of them. Lido deck pizza has been better but, once was much, much worse. Hence, my "OK" rating. The morning waffles on the Lido deck, not so great. Horizon Court was fine. Obviously, food impressions are personal.

 

The lack of automatic receipts was more of a surprise as it was a change from our previous cruises.

 

Elevators: we usually have a aft Dolphin mini-suite so if the elevators backup, we walk down the stairs, especially if not doing a walk-off. This time, however, we had a last minute booking in a forward Aloha balcony. That put us at the forward elevators on a much higher deck than our usual. We waited what we considered a long time. The choice was wait for who knows how much longer or start the walk down. At least we had the choice, not like Helen and her husband that required the elevator.

 

As I said we had a good time. Will any of the above cause us to try another cruise line? No. Will we be more selective in cabin location? Possibly. Will we cruise again? Definitely.

[19woody19]

I think we ALL wish the elevators were faster and more people respected those with disabilities but, it is what it is and I would much rather be on a cruise waiting for an elevator than waiting for one to go to work. smiles!!!!

[Larry613]

We had no problem with the food...thought it was better than usual! It was a shock to get disembarkation instructions that assigned us to a walk-off group...we had wondered why there was no query the day before as was customary for travel plans after disembarkation. Like many others we failed to read the entire list of instructions which told passengers needing assistance to go to an area next to passenger services to secure luggage tags...this made for long lines at passenger services only to be told to go to the other line.

The wait for elevators on disembarkation did seem much longer than usual. This was probably due to the large number of passengers who were walking off with larger luggage pieces.

[karatemom2]

We were on the Ruby on the September 17 cruise and I must say that while we love Princess and can never have a bad cruise we were a little underwhelmed. The food in our experience was not up to the usual standard. For the first time in any of our cruises with Princess I had a couple of meals that were actually unedible. Many items were still delicious as always, but overall the food was disappointing. And we found the dining service exceptionally slow and plagued with mistakes. Not a single meal under two hours and many misses in bringing wrong items, wrong drinks or forgetting items altogether. And we had different servers each night in Anytime Dining so this wasn't just one serving team. Sadly the entertainment was lackluster as well with the new production shows proving to be quite strange and the cruise staff really lacking personality. The highlight was the comedian Steve Weiss. He was hilarious!! Those of you who have seen my reviews over the years know I'm neither hypercritical or in any way a Princess basher. Quite the contrary. I'm a Princess fan and cheerleader. But this cruise was really not up to what I have come to expect from the Princess brand. Maybe they just don't try as hard on these short cruises.

[karatemom2]

Oops. I meant Steve White was the comedian. Steve Weiss was I guy I went to high school with. Haha!

[Robinsoncruiseso]

We were on the Ruby Sept 13-14. We ate in the MDR for lunch, dinner and b'fast. All times the person escorting us to our table had no idea where the table was. For Dinner, we had a tour of the entire dining room and ended up at a table just to the left of the entrance..lol I think they may have just a a changing of the staff/crew. They my just need a few cruises under their belt to mesh together.