15 Day Hawaii on Ruby Princess

[RTrick16]

My girlfriend and I are considering the 15 day Hawaii cruise from Los Angeles on the Ruby Princess. We have done 3 prior cruises to the Caribbean, all on Carnival. We were looking for something a little longer than the 8 days we have done prior, as well as avoiding the flight to Florida.

 

However, on the forums it appears we may be severely in the age minority, as we are both 25 years old.

 

On Carnival, we do enjoy the sea days. By the pool, activities, trivia and such. Will we get this same experience?

 

Thoughts?

[cr8tiv1]

Yes, you will be one of the youngest on the cruise to Hawaii. You will have to make the decision to make this voyage. Here are my thoughts:

 

Best onboard Entertainment with ELUA (David and Leialoha/Cultural Ambassadors)

 

Hula and Ukulele Lessons

Princess offers many trivia games (I am not a participant)

Cruise Director staff will have lei making and other events

There's music up on Lido deck several times a day

There's no hairy chest competition but they do have a few pool games.

Production shows, comedians, illusionists, and other evening entertainment in the Piazza and Princess Theater.

Bingo and Casino except in Hawaiian waters.

Daily port lectures (don't know who is doing what)

 

Rent a car (early) on each island and explore. More than you will be able to pack into one day. Each island has something different to offer. Try the local foods.

 

I am in the "older" group and love this itinerary.

[19woody19]

My girlfriend and I are considering the 15 day Hawaii cruise from Los Angeles on the Ruby Princess. We have done 3 prior cruises to the Caribbean, all on Carnival. We were looking for something a little longer than the 8 days we have done prior, as well as avoiding the flight to Florida.

 

However, on the forums it appears we may be severely in the age minority, as we are both 25 years old.

 

On Carnival, we do enjoy the sea days. By the pool, activities, trivia and such. Will we get this same experience?

 

Thoughts?

 

While you are correct regarding the age comparison, you can still enjoy all the activities you mentioned. We find many younger couples actually like us "old folk" and we feel the same.We know of older couples that can outlast the younger couples on the dance floor. Besides, its a cruise and you should just have a ball with whomever you are with. We love the sea days and hula and uke lessons. Hope you decide to come along. bob

[umbluemusic]

I am turning 30 in a week and love Princess, but if you like water slides and things like that princess might not be for you. I love the relaxed and low key feel of the ships. I went to a lot of trivia my last cruise and we had a blast, and we made friends with plenty of people outside of our age bracket who definitely could hang longer than us sometimes haha.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KruzPrincess]

You will be some of the younger people on the cruise. You need to really enjoy sea days. I did this cruise three years in a row and enjoyed it every time. I love sea days and love to relax. To me, it seems like there are plenty of activities. Trivia a huge. There's bingo, Zumba, hula, ukulele, craft classes and food things. In addition, there will be educational talks about Hawaiian culture and history, as well as the ocean and sea life. There's music and dancing. The Ruby Princess is a nice ship, too. There will likely be a few pool activities, but not nearly as much as Carnival. This cruise is generally pretty chilly the first and last 2 or 3 days. It will warm up once you get closer to Hawaii. There's plenty to see in Hawaii.

[skynight]

Yes, you will be on the young side, but the reason is not really the selection of the cruise line as much as it is the length of the cruise, 15 days. You will find lots of older passengers and I'm one of them. But we gladly mix with and welcome the youth, it's no problem and I think you will find lots to do. Seniors really do like to have fun. Generally the first two/three sea days have cooler weather, which leads to indoor activities. Once you cross into the tropics it gets warm. The Hawaii ports are nice. I'll will mention that if you like cruising and sea days you will enjoy the itinerary.

[nyc12345]

Yes, you would be one of the youngest couple on the ship. It will depend on what it is that you like while on a cruise. We (30-40) like the relaxing atmosphere on Princess and had a great time on Ruby to Hawaii. Elua and Dave were amazing in bringing the Hawaii experience onboard.

 

Since you are new to Princess: Travel agents are allowed to discount Princess cruises. I save at least 10% from Princess' website published price. It is worthwhile to shop around.

 

Wish you a great time in Hawaii! Aloha!

[sassyredhat]

We are booked on the Ruby for Feb 14th, our 4th Hawaii cruise.

 

We absolutely love this itinerary, and especially the ambassadors, Elua.

 

I have to say, our adult children were underwhelmed, but they are deaf, and didn't find anyone to hang out with.

 

I have heard the Ruby is a wonderful ship. I would try it.

 

Patti

[RetiredNTraveling]

Not so fast there friend! Try booking during California's Spring Break and watch out for young couples with kids! We booked a Hawaiian Cruise in late Mar - early April and there were lots of younger couples on it. But whatever you do you will enjoy the sea days and beautiful Hawaii!

 

Just Mike

[CineGraphic]

At age 25, use this as an opportunity to show your girlfriend your romantic side.

Give up the water slide and dance with her, hold her hand, buy her flowers.

Plenty of folks will be happy to talk to you.

If your lucky, you'll meet a few kooks and have something to laugh about.

Add romance into the mix of everything else involved with being on a floating hotel for two weeks, and you'll have one helluva vacation.

[Cruisin' Chick]

I think many people still working will tend to go on one week cruises unless they're lucky enough to get more vacation days. But if you go during the last couple of weeks of December, you'll end to get more families on board. Maybe some college kids going with their families. But you may find yourself in the "nether" area, age wise.

 

We've done this cruise three times but always during the holiday time to accommodate our daughter's school break. Not sure how many in their 20s were on board. But a good range of ages were on the holiday cruises we've been on.

 

There's a lot of great activities on the Princess Hawaiian cruises.

[Lovely other]

we too are looking at the Ruby to Hawaii. We are not as young as you in actual years (late 30's) but probably act it a lot of the time. We started out on HAL where we were by far the youngest but found it just great and made many friends both our age and much older ... it all depends on your attitude and what you want from your trip.

 

We plan on doing lots of driving around exploring and on sea days we hang out in the pool or do trivia etc ...be up for anything and you never know what you might find. we did a bar crawl on HAL that consisted of passengers from 35 to 84 years, I have never been so drunk or danced so much in my life ...i went to bed at 3am and the 84 year old was still dancing ....

[Mud_Shark]

Here's my take, for what it's worth:

 

As people age, their focus for cruising changes. We are 53 and really still cruise for the destinations (but we are fairly new to cruising). A few at sea days on either end is fine, and we do enjoy the shows, entertainers, promenade deck, dining, and MUTS, but the real thrill are the days in various new and exciting destinations. Oh, and did I mention I love all the goodies at the International Café.

 

It seems as people age, maybe the destinations hold less appeal and the relaxing nature of ship life (combined with pampering and good food) becomes the main draw.

 

Our first cruise was the 15 day to Hawaii simply because there was no need to fly to the ship. We loved the 4 days in Hawaii. The 5 days out were fine, but on the 6 days back we started getting a little restless.

 

We prefer the Caribbean now because there are more port days per length of cruise. One day, we may transition to appreciate the at sea days more and then gravitate back to a Hawaii cruise.

 

Don

[Colo Cruiser]

My girlfriend and I are considering the 15 day Hawaii cruise from Los Angeles on the Ruby Princess. We have done 3 prior cruises to the Caribbean, all on Carnival. We were looking for something a little longer than the 8 days we have done prior, as well as avoiding the flight to Florida.

 

However, on the forums it appears we may be severely in the age minority, as we are both 25 years old.

 

On Carnival, we do enjoy the sea days. By the pool, activities, trivia and such. Will we get this same experience?

 

Thoughts?

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic....

We love the Ruby and have sailed her several times.

The Hawaii cruise is an excellent choice.

As stated you will be on the young side of the passenger makeup but there is still lots to do and your there to vacation and relax.

[mrswallace2012]

My in-laws have always cruised with Princess and although they are in their early fifties now, they are amongst some of the youngest onboard ( however, their cruises tend to be 10-15 days long) we have cruised with Costa before and in a few weeks we will be on the Ruby the week before you. They assured us that event though we will probably be the youngest adults on board, that we will find fun! They always have a blast at trivia or the comedy shows. They make friends with their bartenders, it works out well when it comes to their pours of alcohol ;). They have fun in the clubs and dance late into the night too!

 

Who knows, we may decide to keep to ourselves or we may make friends!

[masterty]

Wife and I took a 10 day Alaska cruise on the Star. There is zero nightlife after 10pm. At 11pm the ship is a ghost town. Nothing like our Royal or Carnival trips.

Edited January 22, 2016 by masterty

[Colo Cruiser]

Wife and I took a 10 day Alaska cruise on the Star. There is zero nightlife after 10pm. At 11pm the ship is a ghost town. Nothing like our Royal or Carnival trips.

 

 

Carnival to Alaska?

[DShock]

Like many that have responded we have done this cruise 3 times, all three in Jan/Feb time frame. First 2 days out and last 2 days back can always be "iffy" in terms of warmth but all 3 times in the Jan/Feb timeframe it was chilly. Also all 3 times the seas were especially rough those first few days out. Again, its all hit or miss and you never know, you might get lucky but this has been our experience. We will be on Ruby for the April 18th cruise this year. We picked April this year hoping it might be a little warmer on departure and return and that the seas would be a little calmer. April is also the start of dry season in Hawaii. We love this cruise, this itinerary and Elua. Love the sea days and can't beat the Ruby.

[Rick&Jenny]

My girlfriend and I are considering the 15 day Hawaii cruise from Los Angeles on the Ruby Princess. We have done 3 prior cruises to the Caribbean, all on Carnival. We were looking for something a little longer than the 8 days we have done prior, as well as avoiding the flight to Florida.

 

However, on the forums it appears we may be severely in the age minority, as we are both 25 years old.

 

On Carnival, we do enjoy the sea days. By the pool, activities, trivia and such. Will we get this same experience?

 

Thoughts?

 

We recently did the rt LA to Hawaii on the Ruby. The sea days were nothing like idyllic warm Carribean sea days. Weather cool, seas rough, and up to 40 kt. winds. The Ruby does not ride well in rough, open trans-ocean seas.

For a great 15 day cruise, do the Coral Princess, Ft. lauderdale to Los Angeles, via trans Panama Canal. Smooth seas, great warm tropical weather all the way, interesting ports, and a fantastic ship! It's a whole different ball game than the Ruby to Hawaii and a lot more idyllic, interesting, and relaxing in my opinion. Far less people on board the Coral too.

[Ronnieslady]

We recently did the rt LA to Hawaii on the Ruby. The sea days were nothing like idyllic warm Carribean sea days. Weather cool, seas rough, and up to 40 kt. winds. The Ruby does not ride well in rough, open trans-ocean seas.

For a great 15 day cruise, do the Coral Princess, Ft. lauderdale to Los Angeles, via trans Panama Canal. Smooth seas, great warm tropical weather all the way, interesting ports, and a fantastic ship! It's a whole different ball game than the Ruby to Hawaii and a lot more idyllic, interesting, and relaxing in my opinion. Far less people on board the Coral too.

 

But the poster did not want to fly, I thought. We have done both Hawaii & Panama Canal. One thing to consider is the culture of the Hawaiian people verses the Panama, Costa Rico type people. What do they like better.

 

If rough waters is a consideration then Panama Canal will be smoother because of where it goes, but we found that there was way more older people on the 15 day Panama Canal cruise, than on the Hawaii cruises R/T from LA.

As far as which ship would be smoother Coral or Ruby on the transpacific, that would be a great subject to discuss here on CC boards. Maybe some experts ( which I am not) would have some ideas.

My vote would be for Hawaii every time hands down. We have met many young couples on those Hawaii cruises, on their honeymoon.

Grace

[harr5159]

I just got back this week and more than 30% of passengers were 80+ years old and more than 50% were elite status. On a sold out cruise, it was almost impossible to get into the dining room before 7:30 on an anytime dining schedule. Plan accordingly, we ate late or not at all in the dining room.

 

I just turned 35 and didn't mind the large number of older people otherwise. Try spring break for more young people on board.

[srpilo]

I just got back this week and more than 30% of passengers were 80+ years old and more than 50% were elite status. On a sold out cruise, it was almost impossible to get into the dining room before 7:30 on an anytime dining schedule. Plan accordingly, we ate late or not at all in the dining room.

 

I just turned 35 and didn't mind the large number of older people otherwise. Try spring break for more young people on board.

 

Just back too..

 

Only 377 Elites on board, which is a far cry from 50%

 

Srpilo