Starting to get worried...is the Ruby that bad?

[MJSailors]

My DH and I are booked on the Ruby for a Hawaiian cruise in March 2016.

I read some reviews of the ship that have been posted on CC.

I was concerned because plumbing issues were mentioned.

So, I checked the latest CDC ratings for the Ruby and was pleased to find that the ship received a 100 ranking.

I find that information to be encouraging.

Apparently ,the drydock will take place this December for approximately two weeks in Vancouver,BC.

Perhaps then,any plumbing issues will be addressed as well as a general sprucing up of the ship.

I will be curious to read reviews posted about the Ruby during the months of December and January,to see what drydock results may be apparent to passengers.

We are looking forward to the Hawaiian cruise .

We had a cruise booked about three years ago where Elua were going to be the Ambassadors.

Unfortunately, my DH was experiencing serious health issues then,so we had to cancel.

Hoping to learn the Hula, enjoy a relaxing cruise and visit some beautiful places in Hawaii!

[Jessejo]

Funny, I read a thread just like this one this summer asking about the CB... We were on the recent 2 week repositioning cruise from Quebec City to Houston - everything was "shipshape"! No problems that I heard about.

While onboard I booked a cruise on the Ruby to Alaska in August - and I'm not a bit worried. :)

[Eaglecw]

Every year my wife and I take an Alaska cruise out of Seattle, we live 40 miles from the Port. Last we were on Ruby and I had heard all the horror stories about how bad the ship was, toilets overflowing, bad food, etc. We found none this to be true. The truth is the ship is in very good condition. The food in the MDR was excellent, room service was good, and the room steward was good, overall the ship is in very good condition. How long do you think Princess would be in business if everything was as bad as everyone says it is? Sure I suppose a few people have had a problem but for the most part you’ll have a wonderful time as will your friends. Go and enjoy your cruise.

On another note, there are 2 must do excursions that you have to do. You have to do the small boat tour from the ship when you’re up in Tracy Arm, this will get you up and personal to the Sawyer Glacier. http://www.princess.com/excursion/exDetails.do?t=A&exType=S&tourCode=TA1-660 The ship doesn’t get up very close to the Sawyer Glacier.

In Ketchikan, be sure a go on the Deadliest Catch Crab Fishermen's Tour excursion. http://www.princess.com/excursion/exDetails.page?tourCode=KTN-610

If anyone in your group is a veteran be sure and have them apply for the Veterans onboard credit. This will get the veteran a $100 room credit.

[CruisinJohn]

Just booked the Ruby Princess. If she's anything like her (Crown Class)sister the Emerald Princess or (Gem Class)cousin the Sapphire Princess, I'm sure we'll be pleased and knowing what to expect.

 

As for plumbing issues.....Anybody who has cruised enough times has likely experienced them before at one time or another. We've experienced mild issues on a couple of different cruises/lines. Once being the toilet not flushing and the other being no hot water after returning from port. The issues were dealt with in a couple of hours both times. In no way did we let the inconvenience 'ruin' our entire cruise.

 

As for reviews? (Film critic)Roger Ebert once stated, "In my reviews, I feel it's good to make it clear that I'm not proposing objective truth, but subjective reactions; a review should reflect the immediate experience."

 

While I may have agreed on his expert opinion for a lot of films, there also are a few films that Roger liked that I thought absolutely stunk (and vice-versa).

 

Point being that someone's review is merely what they chose to focus on and how they decided to react to it. A lot of the things that people complain about in scathing reviews (ie. "the carpet in the hallway around the elevators looked slightly worn" or "The railing looked like it could use a new coat of varnish" etc. = "the ship looks tired and run down and is in major need of a drydock" -- these statements seem trivial and ridiculous to me.

 

Was the food generally good? Was the service pleasant? Were the onboard activities entertaining/enriching? Were the fellow passengers friendly and engaging? Did the ship deliver one from point A to Z (and all points in-between) safely and on time?

 

These are the things that I really focus on and what help contribute to my enjoyment of a cruise.

 

Am I going to refuse to find something else good to eat, because I can't stand the hockey puck hashbrowns that they serve for breakfast in the Horizon Court? No.

 

Am I going to freak out if the room steward fails to introduce himself/herself to us in the first hour after embarking and arriving to our cabin? No.

 

Am I going to blow my top because I have to get up from my deck chair to retrieve a blanket from the station myself to cover up with for an evening of Movie under the Stars? No.

 

To the OP. We've recently sailed with both NCL and Carnival(having a cruise coming up on the Sunshine in a couple of weeks). If you're an experienced cruiser, my guess is that you'll enjoy(if you choose to) a new experience on Princess - which IMHO(after having both done and read multitudes of reviews) is the best mainstream line to sail Alaska.

 

The best advice is to stay worried, so you can potentially be relieved in a sort of: 'Expect the worst, Hope for the best' kind of outcome.

 

Wow, what a great post! I'm booked on Ruby Princess for 2/7/2016 as well. I've read quite a few of the reviews on Ruby, many of which are negative, and I will not cancel my booking because of that. Anyone can choose to complain about almost anything and everything about their cruise and reflect that in their review. They usually won't write about any positive experiences that they had.

 

Enjoy your cruise on the Carnival Sunshine! :)

[shredie]

I just got off the Ruby. Nothing is wrong. Reviews are mostly useless. IMO.

[seacruise9]

Hi,

 

I recently cruised aboard the Ruby Princess (Nov. 8 to 15, 2015 to the Mexican Riviera) and greatly enjoyed the ship. The ship is very well maintained and the crew was very friendly. I would certainly like to cruise aboard this ship again in the future.

 

Chuck

[gertz]

We seldom post on here anymore but still read it once in a while and just had to jump in on this one. And will probably get some flak but fine. It is what it is.

 

Just our take and we have been doing this on Princes since 1991.

 

The ship will be lovely, the food will be fine, your cabin will be just great.

 

Great ship but you will also have lots and lots and lots of people on board. The shows will be short if you can even get in. No covered pool and you will miss not having one even if you don't swim. This ship IOO should not be in Alaska. But since we don't have the Diamond or Emerald any longer it is there.

 

There are better Princess ships in Alaska still we would and are going on a different one but still Princess.

 

Our opinion Princess does a better job in Alaska than anyone but do your self a favor and try the Coral, or Grand or even the Island even after its refit a better trip.

[waltd]

We seldom post on here anymore but still read it once in a while and just had to jump in on this one. And will probably get some flak but fine. It is what it is.

 

Just our take and we have been doing this on Princes since 1991.

 

The ship will be lovely, the food will be fine, your cabin will be just great.

 

Great ship but you will also have lots and lots and lots of people on board. The shows will be short if you can even get in. No covered pool and you will miss not having one even if you don't swim. This ship IOO should not be in Alaska. But since we don't have the Diamond or Emerald any longer it is there.

 

There are better Princess ships in Alaska still we would and are going on a different one but still Princess.

 

Our opinion Princess does a better job in Alaska than anyone but do your self a favor and try the Coral, or Grand or even the Island even after its refit a better trip.

 

Just off the Ruby and yes the ship is lovely, I thought the food really good and cabin was fine. Staff was great especially in anytime dining. Nothing wrong with the ship. A bit disappointed they did not have more movies late night on MUTS but it is what it is. We saw 3 new shows in the Princess Theater and one was almost an hour long. Internet was so so but what else is new. We got by. Best part was we were at sea on vacation. Would not hesitate to sail the Ruby again.

[Sun City Cruiser]

We returned from California Costal on 11/8. We enjoyed the cruise, BUT we did have plumbing issues every day. Toilet would not flush any solid waste. Also several times backed up on the floor. We had to call at least once a day. Not very convenient.

 

There were clogs outside dinning room on mid ship, deck 5. We were in R701, my cousin in 703 had no problems, go figure.

 

Sun City Cruiser

[c-legs]

Hi,

She's going in drydock in Esquimalt,BC for 10 days next month. So....whatever glitches have affected her in the past 3 years would presumably be fixed .

Afterwards, the reviews you would access might reflect a diferent perspective.

 

Her structural limitations do not make her an ideal ALASKA ship ( i-e; no covered pool ) but overall, she's doing fine.

Cheers

[Hitflicks]

My wife and I have just got off a 15 day cruise to Hawaii. We left Los Angeles on 15th october 2015. I have to say it was the worst cruising experience that we have had so far.......

 

The food was pretty much room temperature all the time. The variety of food in the horizon food court was very much ground hog day every day. The food in the specialty restaurants was always cold. The choices were very limited.

 

The spa is deceptive in the manner in which they charge for nail services even after requesting a quotation before performing the service. When questioned we were advised the cost is the cost too bad pay up the charges stand.

 

The iron was faulty in the laundromat. This caused us to have to use the pressing service as it was shortly before the formal time. The cost was over $30 to have an iron run over a shirt, pants and jacket. The customer service supervisor advised us upon questioning that there are other laundromats on different levels which we could have used. Excellent attitude and indicative of the managers onboard the vessel. It appears acceptable to have guests spend their vacation time running around the vessel to find equipment that works.....

 

There was an issue with the toilet in our cabin it would not flush at times and just made some sort of gurgling sound.

 

Dogs were permitted to sit on the dining chairs independently during a formal evening.

 

When taking our complaints to the guest relations desk we were given the professional stonewall that you would expect from a government department with a request to call back to see them after a few hours then the next day to allow them time to be able to address our concerns only to be told nothing could be done and we would essentially have to grin and bear it. I will be sending a letter of complaint to princess upon my return home.

 

The ship is dated in many ways and requires a revamp urgently. This does also include the entertainment. We were quite disappointed with the quality of entertainment and lack of considering this number of sea days.

 

Photos are extortionately expensive without any sort of deal available for multiple purchases.

 

On a brighter note the serving staff and cabin staff were excellent and professional.

 

I really do not believe we will cruise with this brand again.

[shredie]

 

Dogs were permitted to sit on the dining chairs independently during a formal evening.

 

 

Dogs?

[floridalover5623]

 

Dogs were permitted to sit on the dining chairs independently during a formal evening.

 

You don't happen to have a photo of that, do you?

[AlanFromFL]

Dogs?

 

Is that perhaps an Aussie expression? :p

[msmoger]

My wife and I have just got off a 15 day cruise to Hawaii. We left Los Angeles on 15th october 2015. I have to say it was the worst cruising experience that we have had so far.......

 

The food was pretty much room temperature all the time. The variety of food in the horizon food court was very much ground hog day every day. The food in the specialty restaurants was always cold. The choices were very limited.

 

The spa is deceptive in the manner in which they charge for nail services even after requesting a quotation before performing the service. When questioned we were advised the cost is the cost too bad pay up the charges stand.

 

The iron was faulty in the laundromat. This caused us to have to use the pressing service as it was shortly before the formal time. The cost was over $30 to have an iron run over a shirt, pants and jacket. The customer service supervisor advised us upon questioning that there are other laundromats on different levels which we could have used. Excellent attitude and indicative of the managers onboard the vessel. It appears acceptable to have guests spend their vacation time running around the vessel to find equipment that works.....

 

There was an issue with the toilet in our cabin it would not flush at times and just made some sort of gurgling sound.

 

Dogs were permitted to sit on the dining chairs independently during a formal evening.

 

When taking our complaints to the guest relations desk we were given the professional stonewall that you would expect from a government department with a request to call back to see them after a few hours then the next day to allow them time to be able to address our concerns only to be told nothing could be done and we would essentially have to grin and bear it. I will be sending a letter of complaint to princess upon my return home.

 

The ship is dated in many ways and requires a revamp urgently. This does also include the entertainment. We were quite disappointed with the quality of entertainment and lack of considering this number of sea days.

 

Photos are extortionately expensive without any sort of deal available for multiple purchases.

 

On a brighter note the serving staff and cabin staff were excellent and professional.

 

I really do not believe we will cruise with this brand again.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic (a place for cruise lovers to share their questions and experiences). Fortunately there are many other cruise and land vacation options. Hope your next one is better.

[SoCal Cruiser78]

Dogs?

 

Unfortunately, this has been reported on a HAL ship also with a therapy dog. I have no problem with a legitimate guide or therapy dog at an owner's feet on the floor, but not in a chair at the table.

[Rick&Jenny]

"'Dogs' were permitted to sit on the dining chairs independently during a formal evening."

 

Could that be an Aussie code word for an ugly unescorted Sheila or two or more? Should we consider packing a flea bomb?

[Hitflicks]

"'Dogs' were permitted to sit on the dining chairs independently during a formal evening."

 

Could that be an Aussie code word for an ugly unescorted Sheila or two or more? Should we consider packing a flea bomb?

 

Pack your flea bombs guys...... We love dogs but the boat looked like a floating kennel..... Although I will not enter into the ugly Sheila discussion as I only have limited bandwidth at the moment......😂

[Hitflicks]

You don't happen to have a photo of that, do you?

 

No we didn't get photos but the dogs were dressed in formal attire......

[Hitflicks]

Welcome to Cruise Critic (a place for cruise lovers to share their questions and experiences). Fortunately there are many other cruise and land vacation options. Hope your next one is better.

 

Hi Michael thanks for that. We have cruised a total of 3 times as we mostly fly to our destination. This experience will not put us off cruising but for the huge amount it cost us with princess we would have got better value and a better experience elsewhere. We generally never wish to go home at the end of a vacation this time we could not wait...... Essentially 15 days of our lives we will never get back 😀

[shredie]

Floating kennel?

[sonomaphil]

No we didn't get photos but the dogs were dressed in formal attire......

 

 

Didn't anyone else pick up on this quote? It's a put on. Leave the trolls alone.

[cruiserjanet]

Hello everyone,

 

This will be our first cruise with Princess, and we choose to go to Alaska. I have been reading reviews and some aren't so good for the Ruby. I am a seasoned cruiser, but only having sailed with Carnival and Norwegian. I was hoping Princess would be a step up, I have 3 people in my party that this is their first cruise. I don't want them to have awful memories, of toilets not flushing and cabins filling up with water. So are the bad reviews I am reading over blown or not??

 

Thanks...:rolleyes:

 

The Ruby is our favorite ship so far. We sailed on her in October 2014 and were pleased that we would be sailing on her in October 2015. She's due to go into drydock this month but she was still well-maintained during our last cruise. Our friends now consider the Ruby their favorite ship too.

[COP]

Just off the Ruby. Yes there were dogs, and more dogs, all little breeds. One lady had two little dogs which were riding in a dog stroller. There were at least 5 different passengers with dogs. I did not see them at formal night but at other times yes and also in the buffet. I also did not see and service animal saddles in them. I guess if you want to take your dog you just do it. I just might take my Lab next year.

 

The food on the 15 day trip was very bad. and the entertainment. Well, just say I thought we were on a cruise to Mexico. Two of the three music entertainments were Mexican and singing in Spanish. The Cruise Directer (FRANK) toward the end of the cruise had to come on the morning wake show and tell passengers to stop complaining about him to passenger services. If they wanted to complain do it on the e-mail survey they will get ( I Did).

 

COP

[cruising3tlr]

Does anyone know what the details are of what will be changed during drydock?