timbom Posted February 8, 2023 #1 Share Posted February 8, 2023 Just got back from from taking a back to back on these two ships. Both were enjoyable ships but enjoyed the Ruby far more. I have been on more than fifty cruises so believe these pros and cons valid. Allure pros- Entertainment was much more varied but not as much as I expected. Ruby had very good headliners and decent produced shows. Inside balcony I loved as it was insulated from the wind and direct sun. Plus was much more modern. Check in was a breeze as was check out. Best I have ever seen till I got on the Ruby with its check I which was even better. Both lines get A plus on this Bells and whistles (slides, water park, diving shows, ice skating. wall climb and flow rider) not offered on Ruby Allure cons; Elevators and crowds everyplace- Perhaps the most overcrowded ship I have ever been on ship is not designed for the number of people on this ship. Central park was all dead from freeze. Was told they will not even try to replant till late March. Cruise director, and staff were just phoning it in felt they were way overworked Parking was far more expensive than parking for Ruby Diamond lounge is way overcrowded with over 1100 diamond and above in lounge. Specialty dining was twice as expensive as Ruby and not as good Drinks were usually not prepared properly (due to large numbers getting free drinks). After several were sent back some of the lazy servers realized we knew how a drink should be made and made them properly Buffet was not good for lunch. Ok in AM and did not eat dinner Ruby Pros Crowds were never a problem and staff was much better trained in proper service Food quality was far better and menu much more varied. Most of the main dining meals were equal to those served in specialty restaurants on RCL Average age was older on ship so there were fewer children. Honduras stop was much nicer as they dropped you off on beach resort at no extra charge while RCL dropped you off in the middle of a third world country Platinum and above lounge had better appetizers and was less crowded even if you had to pay for drinks Great ship band and dance bands Far better price Ruby cons Older ship showing its age needs an upgrade badly Internet did not work as well as the RCL ship Casino far to smoky Only sails from Galveston till April Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mek Posted February 9, 2023 #2 Share Posted February 9, 2023 17 hours ago, timbom said: Just got back from from taking a back to back on these two ships. Both were enjoyable ships but enjoyed the Ruby far more. I have been on more than fifty cruises so believe these pros and cons valid. Allure pros- Entertainment was much more varied but not as much as I expected. Ruby had very good headliners and decent produced shows. Inside balcony I loved as it was insulated from the wind and direct sun. Plus was much more modern. Check in was a breeze as was check out. Best I have ever seen till I got on the Ruby with its check I which was even better. Both lines get A plus on this Bells and whistles (slides, water park, diving shows, ice skating. wall climb and flow rider) not offered on Ruby Allure cons; Elevators and crowds everyplace- Perhaps the most overcrowded ship I have ever been on ship is not designed for the number of people on this ship. Central park was all dead from freeze. Was told they will not even try to replant till late March. Cruise director, and staff were just phoning it in felt they were way overworked Parking was far more expensive than parking for Ruby Diamond lounge is way overcrowded with over 1100 diamond and above in lounge. Specialty dining was twice as expensive as Ruby and not as good Drinks were usually not prepared properly (due to large numbers getting free drinks). After several were sent back some of the lazy servers realized we knew how a drink should be made and made them properly Buffet was not good for lunch. Ok in AM and did not eat dinner Ruby Pros Crowds were never a problem and staff was much better trained in proper service Food quality was far better and menu much more varied. Most of the main dining meals were equal to those served in specialty restaurants on RCL Average age was older on ship so there were fewer children. Honduras stop was much nicer as they dropped you off on beach resort at no extra charge while RCL dropped you off in the middle of a third world country Platinum and above lounge had better appetizers and was less crowded even if you had to pay for drinks Great ship band and dance bands Far better price Ruby cons Older ship showing its age needs an upgrade badly Internet did not work as well as the RCL ship Casino far to smoky Only sails from Galveston till April Thanks - I've been looking at Ruby Princess - some good prices right now and I'm tired of Royal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smokeybandit Posted February 9, 2023 #3 Share Posted February 9, 2023 Interesting that a "pro" was that the ship wasn't full Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
happy cruzer Posted February 9, 2023 #4 Share Posted February 9, 2023 What seating did you have in the cabin on Ruby? We have been off of Princess since they only provide one desk chair as seating until your book a suite (did this change)? Sounds silly but we all have preferences. Good point about the dated ship decor on Ruby. It is fine with many but it you are used to RCL ships it would be very different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotsauce126 Posted February 9, 2023 #5 Share Posted February 9, 2023 28 minutes ago, smokeybandit said: Interesting that a "pro" was that the ship wasn't full I find it interesting that you find that interesting lol. Why wouldn’t that be a pro? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jaredhamburg Posted February 9, 2023 #6 Share Posted February 9, 2023 10 minutes ago, happy cruzer said: What seating did you have in the cabin on Ruby? We have been off of Princess since they only provide one desk chair as seating until your book a suite (did this change)? Sounds silly but we all have preferences. Good point about the dated ship decor on Ruby. It is fine with many but it you are used to RCL ships it would be very different. That is their older class of ship like Ruby. Their Royal class ships (like Royal, Regal, Majestic, etc) have balcony cabins with a sofa if you select the premium kind. I do not like not having a sofa either, but the Ruby Princess was an amazing deal out of Galveston last month. I really like having more cruise lines, more choices, and more competition in Galveston. I am typically a Princess cruiser, but we are trying Royal Caribbean next year on Harmony of the Seas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
packedandready Posted February 9, 2023 #7 Share Posted February 9, 2023 Thank you for the comparison. We’re diamond + with Royal and have a number with various other lines. This will be our first with Princess. Looking for a quieter, calmer line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time4u2go Posted February 9, 2023 #8 Share Posted February 9, 2023 (edited) 45 minutes ago, smokeybandit said: Interesting that a "pro" was that the ship wasn't full Where did they say that the ship wasn't full? Edited February 9, 2023 by time4u2go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George C Posted February 9, 2023 #9 Share Posted February 9, 2023 36 minutes ago, hotsauce126 said: I find it interesting that you find that interesting lol. Why wouldn’t that be a pro? The reason we stopped cruising Princess is it was so crowded, could not get seats for shows, would have loved to see it at 50 percent capacity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timbom Posted February 9, 2023 Author #10 Share Posted February 9, 2023 Was told they were at about 1600 week we sailed and were expecting 3000 the next week. Suspect their service will not be as good. They have some really good pricing still so suspect they are having trouble filling ship. Yes missed couch and shower doors on Ruby ship. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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