Ruby Princess May 3 2016 Cruise to Vancouver

[timtrek]

Hi all. Just off the Ruby on Saturday and thought I would do a short review of the cruise. It was my first cruise after reaching Elite with Captain’s Circle and also my first time on the Ruby. My family loves to cruise on the Grand Class ships and the Ruby did not disappoint!

 

 

My wife, two adult sons, Mother-in-Law and I arrived at San Pedro at 10:45 AM and the terminal and parking lot were pretty much empty. I guess disembarkation went very well that morning. Ruby was the only ship in port.

 

My wife and I had a Mini Suite booked, as did my sons, and MIL had an interior. There was no line for Priority check in and we were all in the waiting area by 11:00. At 11:30 a larger group started boarding, but I had not heard any announcements, so I spoke to a Princess Rep standing near me. She said there was a large group from Corporate on the cruise and they were all boarding. Not a real big deal, as it was still very early, but this would pop up again in a short while.

 

We had received a note that stated rooms might not be ready until 1:00 PM when we checked in. That did not really matter as we were planning on going to the MDR lunch, as we try to do each time we board Princess. At 11:50 our group was called and we boarded. Once on board we were told that the rooms were ready, so we dropped off our carry on items and went to the Da Vinci Dining Room.

 

Overall, Embarkation was a breeze - one of the easiest and best organized I have experienced. Guides were moving everyone along and keeping the lines well organized.

 

The MDR lunch did not disappoint. It never got very crowded, and we had a beautiful and relaxing lunch. Afterwards, we got MIL set in her cabin, and my wife, sons and I went to our cabins. We had D404 and D406 and both rooms were in great shape. The beds were sporting the new mattress and bedding and were very comfortable.

 

I decided to run up to the Crown Grill to get reservations for Wednesday evening around 7 PM. When I arrived no one was there to talk to. I waited a bit, but decided to call the dining line. After a 10-minute hold, I was told there were no reservations available as a large group had reserved the CG every evening. I asked how that could be and was told it was a Princess Corporate group. The representative then told me that she actually did have a few spots open for reservation, but only at 9 PM each evening. That is much later than we like to dine, but we took one as we really look forward to the Crown Grill. The representative also told me that Share was completely booked up each night, as well, but Salty Dog was available. As I had eaten at the Salty Dog in February, I understood why it was available each night, as even Corporate didn’t want to eat there. (OK, I did love the burger, but that was about it)

 

The Muster Drill was at 3:15 PM. It went quickly and we were heading out of port at 4:20 PM.

 

 

It was overcast and a bit cold, so we did not spend too long at the Outrigger after sail away, and went up to Skywalker’s for the Elite, Suite and Platinum get together. I was very excited to run into Vickie and Bernie who had been on the roll call. I did not recognize her but when I spoke to her I quickly realized who she was. I have to say Vickie and Bernie were two of the friendliest cruisers we have met in a while. I always looked forward to seeing them around the ship and she was very kind to my wife and sons.

 

Tuesday and Wednesday were mostly cold and windy and there were times we had some good sized swells.

 

 

Thursday cleared up towards the afternoon but was still cold. Friday was beautiful and sunny and a wonderful day to be in Victoria. We explored on our own while my sons took their Grandmother to Butchart Gardens on a Princess Tour. After returning to the ship we hung out at the Wheelhouse bar as it was one of the few bars open while in port. We were in port until midnight and then set sail for a 7 AM arrival in Vancouver. We had a race with the HAL Nieuw Amsterdam to see who could dock first. We won.

 

 

Disembarkation went amazingly smooth. Perhaps the most orderly and well run disembarkation ever. For the most part everyone was where they were supposed to be and there was hardly any people clogging up the hallways and public areas around the gangways. It is so nice when people listen and follow the plan.

 

FOOD

 

We at in the MDR three of the four days for dinner, and one night at the Crown Grill. We were walking by the Grill at 8:30 PM and saw that about half of the tables were empty, so we walked up and were seated early. Our waiter verified that the majority of the reservations for the entire trip were held for a group event, but would not say anything else, which was the proper thing for him to do.

 

The Grill was wonderful. I don’t know if a higher quality of meat was brought on for this cruise due to the group that was on board (I hope not) but the steaks were much better than the last time I ate there. The sides were plentiful and two large platters of lobster tails was brought for us all to share.

 

 

The MDR was good but there was one thing that had changed, at least for this cruise. We had anytime dining but made a standing reservation for 7:30 PM and the table was always ready for us. I don’t know if this is permanent but the Parmesan Basket was not available with the Fettuccine Alfredo. Our waiter (Richard from the Philippines) told us each night that it might be available in the future but he was not sure.

 

 

Richard really was a great waiter and made our time in the dining room a blast. The food came at the appropriate temperatures and tasted great. The Shrimp Cocktail was still on the menu and was enjoyed by all. Richard always gave us his recommendations and was also able to help us chose a good wine to pair with our entrees.

 

To be continued........

Edited May 10, 2016 by timtrek

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[timtrek]

Continued.....

 

 

We went to the Horizon Court once for lunch and found the food to be cold and unappetizing. The HC was themed on Cinco de Mayo (the day we went) and had tacos, fajitas and other Mexican items, but the lines were long and the crowd a bit unruly as people were cutting in and out of line at will and seemed to never have been at a Buffet before. I normally stopped by right after the 6:00 AM opening for breakfast and found the food at that time to be hot and well prepared. Also not so crowded.

 

The IC was selling the new coffee cards, but were actually cutting them in half and selling them for $16.00. There were 8 punches available on the card. I was told it was due to the cruise being so short. I traded in our Elite Bar Setup for two cards, but did not use them as we had the AIBP.

 

 

I saw that the Chocolate Journeys creations were available in one of the glass cases at the IC and saw many people asking for one, only to say No Thank You when they were told it would be $3.00. I tried one and it was delicious, but I didn’t buy any more as the other free items were almost as good, and free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My wife and I both had the AIBP and it worked well for us due to more sea than port days. Even during the port day we made full use of it and were not worried about the cost.

 

ENTERTAINMENT

 

My son and I went to the new Magic To Do show, and it was very well done! We went to the late show and were able to get good seats. There were several announcements asking for cruisers to not save seats, but that seemed to fall on deaf ears for the most part.

 

MUTS was well attended even though it was cold, and I remember that Star Wars, Inside Out, Bridge of Spies and several concerts were shown.

 

ROOM

 

We were in a Mini Suite and our room steward Mark was exceptional. The new bedding and mattress were a great change from the last few cruises we were on. Between the rocking of the ship and the great beds, I had some very restful nights. We had no issues with the plumbing or the AC.

 

 

Overall it was a great cruise and my family and I have some great memories.

[VibeGuy]

The missing Parmesan basket was resolved starting with Saturday's departure from Seattle. I thought it was a curious omission as well.

[xlxo]

Glad to hear the Ruby's return went smoothly. Was "Share" busy?

 

The December 2015 trip from Vancouver to San Pedro was painful for its maiden post-drydock adventure.

• http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2224337&page=8
  
• http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2048893&page=52
  

[VibeGuy]

Share was booked solid, at least Tu-Th nights, and at least to the level Marco is willing to book it. Much like CG, they never have all the tables occupied at once.

 

Network and plumbing were non-issues this time - we had decent enough connectivity despite rough weather.

[easyboy]

Thanks for the review.

[emmak8]

Thanks for sharing your pics and review.

[Jasperdo]

Thanks for the review . Nice photos.