Review of Ruby Princess Cruise 11/15/08

[mtaylor04]

We're at Embassy Suites in Ft. Lauderdale for the night, flying back home on Sunday, so I'll be quick.

 

Embarkation was so smooth, we we're dropped off by our hotel shuttle about 11:45 and were in our rooms before noon. This was our first sailing as platinum.

 

We were in Dolphin 424 a mini-suite. Gabriel our room steward was really the best of the best. He was polite, friendly and attended to our every need with a smile on his face.

 

We spent both formal nights in the crown grill. Our steaks were great, and the server we had on the last night (Ovidiu) had us laughing and he just made the meal a little more special with his attitude and his smile. The dessert sampler is yummy, but almost sickeningly sweet. Almost to much of a good thing.

 

We spent the day with a great group of people from cruise critic during Grand Cayman. We went to the San Pedro Castle, Botanical Gardens and the Butterfly farm.

 

If I had any complaints from the trip it would be that the music/volume was too loud in almost all the venues.....but that just might be me

 

We found the ship to be beautiful, the staff to be helpful and friendly.

 

We booked the same room on the Ruby for next November. :D

[BigGuy25]

We're sailing on her in the Mediterranean in July ... we can't wait!!! Did you try the Pub Lunch and if so, was it crowded?

[rdsqrl]

Thank you for your quick mini review! Did you try the Pub Lunch in the Wheelhouse Bar? I'm so looking forward to that -- really hope they roll it out quickly to the other ships...

 

Ha, BigGuy and I are apparently having a psychic connection!

[Princess Chatterer]

UK friends and my DW went to try the pub lunch on the Ruby last week and walked out because the band was blasting. UK friends went back the next day to try the pub lunch and hated it. I personally complained to James Lay, who is in charge of entertainment venues on the Ruby, about the loudness. He pretended that he was not aware of the problem and "would look into it." (Lie - because it was almost as loud on the Emerald when he was there) The fact is Princess has been cranking up the loudness on every ship I've been on for some time. Loudness is one of the top 5 complaints on the end of cruise survey on various ships I was told. Because of the Princess loudness practice I brought along a calibrated sound meter on one cruise on one of the big Princess ships just to prove how bad it has gotten. Shows typically ran 95 to 99 decibels and on one Island party on the back of the ship the loudness was a constant 115 to 120 decibels. That is in the permanent hearing loss range my friends. And the bar employees have this blasting their ears every week. Is Princess concerned? There is absolutely no evidence that they are.

 

----being flame here-------

[velvetred]

I am also just off the Ruby yesterday and I have to say I did not find the noise levels offensive in any venue. I was part of a party of 9 ranging in age from 5 to 63 and we all had a great time. We found the Ruby Princess to be very elegant and tastefully decorated although I would have loved more views to the sea. Chairs are located on deck 7 for relaxing as well as loungers on the pool deck. I thought the food was very good to great at times - pasta was excellent and filet medallions were very tender. My sister vastly preferred Royal Caribbean for the food because she found that the Windjammer offered more variety in the buffet (especially for things like vegetables, macaroni and cheese, and plain American dining). On the other hand, I liked that much of what is served in the restaurants in the evening on the Ruby Princess is also served at the buffet. We had anytime dining and ate some breakfasts, a couple of lunches, and a dinner in the Da'vinci dining room with excellent service. We ate the last night of the cruise in the Michaelangelo dining room and had very poor service (long waits to serve drinks, take our order and serve each course plus we often had to hunt someone down for refills - also my brother-in-law asked for iced tea as his drink choice at the beginning of our meal and by the time it was finally served we were eating our desserts). We did not find out Princess had a kids menu until day 5 of the cruise when one of the waiters asked if my nieces(age 5 and 9) and nephew (age 7) would like to see the kids menu. Seating was difficult to find in the Horizon court especially at peak dining times. We usually ended up in the Caribe Cafe area to find seats or outside area in the back of the Cafe Caribe. The grill offerings and pizza were good but not great. Ice cream was free in the starboard side of the Horizon Court from 3:30 to 4:30 pm each afternoon. There were two choices each day and they varied each day (ex. honeydew, coffee, chocolate chip, raspberry, vanilla). Waffles are available in the ams by the pizza bar in the pool area and in the Horizon Court in the afternoons during snack time at the buffet.

 

Our cabin steward, Rej, was excellent and we had absolutely no issues with cabin service in our inside cabin (I shared with my 17 and 18 year old nieces - one had her mother on board and the other one did not).

 

We enjoyed Movies Under the Stars (Get Smart, Mama Mia, Hancock, Swing Vote, and Dark Knight). Blankets and free popcorn were provided in the evening. I attended all of the Production Shows (Abbacadabra, Broadway and Ballroom dancing show, and a show about dreaming - I can't remember the exact title but it received a standing ovation from the crowd which I found interesting as later everyone I spoke to dissed the show with its unique video background, costumes, and storyline) and found them enjoyable. Some of the Production shows were offered on two nights to allow for all to get a chance to see them which is a great idea. Exotique (Club Fusion) and Wavelength (Explorer's Lounge) were two of the bands playing during the week. There were plenty of activities and several times I found my self trying to decide between two or more activities. I attended the cooking show (very entertaining but I like to cook) on the final sea day and ended up purchasing the Princess cookbook Courses. The galley tour after the show was a let down - a large group of us wandered through the galley without any commentary from the ship's personnel and at the exit there were cookbooks for sale with Princess's Master Culinary Ambassador on hand for autographs. I also loved the Champagne waterfall and took advantage of the free glass of champagne. None of us were winners at Bingo or in the Casino but still had a great time. My sister and her younger children were very pleased with the activities in the Kids Club. Ports: 1) Princess Cays - beach day and BBQ lunch, 2) Ocho Rios, Jamaica - rained all day and we took an independent excursion to Dunn's River Falls and Coyoba Gardens, 3) Grand Cayman - took the trolley ride, shopped, and ate lunch at Senor Frogs with my nieces and 19 year old nephew, and 4) Cozumel - shopped at the Puerta Maya port area and cabbed into the downtown area for more shopping with my teenage nieces and nephew after they returned from their jungle ATV tour (yes, I was the chaperon for the teenagers/young adults while my sister and BIL dealt with the younger kids).

 

Well, I have to get ready for my shuttle ride to the airport here in FLL. Back to work for a short week and then dh and I are off on our own cruise on the Carnival Miracle - it is our first Carnival cruise and I am looking forward to it. Dh likes Norwegian so I hope he will like Carnival. He gets less time off from work than I do so luckily he doesn't mind me vacationing without him. Anyway, enjoy the Ruby Princess - we had a great vacation and I am sure you will too.

[Lynda90]

Well, I for one, loved the pub in the Wheelhouse! I was there twice as it is only open on sea days. I didn't even notice the level of the music (I don't think I'm hearing impaired), and the food was delicious. The first time I had the fish and chips and the second time the cottage pie. The second time, we had the most fun waiter who kept threatening to bring more food as we also ordered a couple of plates of fish and chips as well as the pie. We went rolling out of there; content, happy and very full! I can't think of anything bad about the second week of the cruise. I will say that I didn't care for the second new production show, "I Had a Dream" or something like that. The talent was wonderful but something about the show itself, didn't hold my interest.

[paradave]

I too find the music a little loud and it certainly spoils enjoyment of the venues for me.

 

On both the Ruby and on the Tahitian earlier this year, I found that the drummer in the band in the theaters was extremely too loud and often drowned out the singer(s).

 

This however is quite the norm today. And it is for this very reason that I do not go to nightclubs or other entertainment. I value my hearing.

[rcacace]

My wife & I have had the problem with loudness on all Princess ships for years & it never changes except maybe getting louder since the inception of MUTS.

They should pass out earplugs at the entrances to the lounges & now the Wheelhouse. We've commented many times & I was beginning to think we were the only ones who did.

Don't forget to bring EARPLUGS.

[velvetred]

If Princess does not change its ways then prepare for a long wait for a return tender in the afternoon at Princess Cays. My sister and BIL waited almost an hour for their return tender around 1:45 or so. Many people were complaining loudly about the tender process and it was still a topic of conversation at breakfast the next day. I decided to wait in a chair on a porch in front of one of the shops until the lines died down which was around 3 pm. I still waited in line about 20 minutes. They only had three lifeboats going most of the day but I think there were four in the afternoon. We waited about 20-25 minutes on our return tender trip from Grand Cayman which I understood to be a little longer than usual because we did not dock in the usual port because of rough seas. Posting so folks know what to expect for the return tender process.

[rcacace]

The speed of the tendering process has a lot to do with how rough the water is when they arrive at the ship. If the water is very choppy it takes a long time to get people off the tender & hence the slow service.

It's about time to have a priority line for the Platinum/Elite pax for the return trip.

[happynanny99]

sorry do not agree with you about prioriy boarding for elite platinum or priority for anyone when tendering. what happens when you are with a mixed group i e first timers or new to princess? Would you honestly leave some of your party in a queue for a tender and expect to waltz on. Everyone has paid for their cruise experiance and should all be treated the same. Incidentlly our friends returned to the uk from this same cruise today and found everything splendid even the tenders. Their only little grip was the sea journey fro jamacia..... said it was pretty rough!:)

[DrivesLikeMario]

We waited about 20-25 minutes on our return tender trip from Grand Cayman which I understood to be a little longer than usual because we did not dock in the usual port because of rough seas. Posting so folks know what to expect for the return tender process.

 

There is no docking in Grand Cayman at all - it's a tender port always. I'm wondering what you meant by that, would you mind clarifying? Thanks.

[gracie65]

There is no docking in Grand Cayman at all - it's a tender port always. I'm wondering what you meant by that, would you mind clarifying? Thanks.

 

Grand Cayman now has a new dock on the other side of the island. You still must tender. They do use it when the seas are rougher. Problem is they use it so little that they don't seem to have a very good system for tendering back. We were there in August on a Carnival ship. The line was so long I decided if we went to that side of GC again I would probably just stay on the ship. It's just very unorganized. Maybe eventually as they grow more used to that side it will get better????

[DrivesLikeMario]

I know about the dock on the other side of the island, thanks. I thought you thought that the ship would actually dock there instead of tendering. Now I understand what you meant! Thanks. ;)

[rcacace]

sorry do not agree with you about prioriy boarding for elite platinum or priority for anyone when tendering. what happens when you are with a mixed group i e first timers or new to princess? Would you honestly leave some of your party in a queue for a tender and expect to waltz on. Everyone has paid for their cruise experiance and should all be treated the same. Incidentlly our friends returned to the uk from this same cruise today and found everything splendid even the tenders. Their only little grip was the sea journey fro jamacia..... said it was pretty rough!:)

 

Well how does it make you feel when getting off the ship then. The Platinum & Elite proceed first with their friends traveling with them. All you have to do is ask for additional priority boarding tickets.

It's about time that Princess does something extra for their past passengers since they'll probably be the ones to keep sailing with this economic slowdown.

If the priority perks bothers you that much, you had better not travel on RCCL since they save priority seats for them in the show lounges & buffet areas. :eek:

BTW- I don't qualify for the perks on RCCL.

[exoticpetlover]

I am also just off the Ruby yesterday and I have to say I did not find the noise levels offensive in any venue. I was part of a party of 9 ranging in age from 5 to 63 and we all had a great time. We found the Ruby Princess to be very elegant and tastefully decorated although I would have loved more views to the sea. Chairs are located on deck 7 for relaxing as well as loungers on the pool deck. I thought the food was very good to great at times - pasta was excellent and filet medallions were very tender. My sister vastly preferred Royal Caribbean for the food because she found that the Windjammer offered more variety in the buffet (especially for things like vegetables, macaroni and cheese, and plain American dining). On the other hand, I liked that much of what is served in the restaurants in the evening on the Ruby Princess is also served at the buffet. We had anytime dining and ate some breakfasts, a couple of lunches, and a dinner in the Da'vinci dining room with excellent service. We ate the last night of the cruise in the Michaelangelo dining room and had very poor service (long waits to serve drinks, take our order and serve each course plus we often had to hunt someone down for refills - also my brother-in-law asked for iced tea as his drink choice at the beginning of our meal and by the time it was finally served we were eating our desserts). We did not find out Princess had a kids menu until day 5 of the cruise when one of the waiters asked if my nieces(age 5 and 9) and nephew (age 7) would like to see the kids menu. Seating was difficult to find in the Horizon court especially at peak dining times. We usually ended up in the Caribe Cafe area to find seats or outside area in the back of the Cafe Caribe. The grill offerings and pizza were good but not great. Ice cream was free in the starboard side of the Horizon Court from 3:30 to 4:30 pm each afternoon. There were two choices each day and they varied each day (ex. honeydew, coffee, chocolate chip, raspberry, vanilla). Waffles are available in the ams by the pizza bar in the pool area and in the Horizon Court in the afternoons during snack time at the buffet.

 

Our cabin steward, Rej, was excellent and we had absolutely no issues with cabin service in our inside cabin (I shared with my 17 and 18 year old nieces - one had her mother on board and the other one did not).

 

We enjoyed Movies Under the Stars (Get Smart, Mama Mia, Hancock, Swing Vote, and Dark Knight). Blankets and free popcorn were provided in the evening. I attended all of the Production Shows (Abbacadabra, Broadway and Ballroom dancing show, and a show about dreaming - I can't remember the exact title but it received a standing ovation from the crowd which I found interesting as later everyone I spoke to dissed the show with its unique video background, costumes, and storyline) and found them enjoyable. Some of the Production shows were offered on two nights to allow for all to get a chance to see them which is a great idea. Exotique (Club Fusion) and Wavelength (Explorer's Lounge) were two of the bands playing during the week. There were plenty of activities and several times I found my self trying to decide between two or more activities. I attended the cooking show (very entertaining but I like to cook) on the final sea day and ended up purchasing the Princess cookbook Courses. The galley tour after the show was a let down - a large group of us wandered through the galley without any commentary from the ship's personnel and at the exit there were cookbooks for sale with Princess's Master Culinary Ambassador on hand for autographs. I also loved the Champagne waterfall and took advantage of the free glass of champagne. None of us were winners at Bingo or in the Casino but still had a great time. My sister and her younger children were very pleased with the activities in the Kids Club. Ports: 1) Princess Cays - beach day and BBQ lunch, 2) Ocho Rios, Jamaica - rained all day and we took an independent excursion to Dunn's River Falls and Coyoba Gardens, 3) Grand Cayman - took the trolley ride, shopped, and ate lunch at Senor Frogs with my nieces and 19 year old nephew, and 4) Cozumel - shopped at the Puerta Maya port area and cabbed into the downtown area for more shopping with my teenage nieces and nephew after they returned from their jungle ATV tour (yes, I was the chaperon for the teenagers/young adults while my sister and BIL dealt with the younger kids).

 

Well, I have to get ready for my shuttle ride to the airport here in FLL. Back to work for a short week and then dh and I are off on our own cruise on the Carnival Miracle - it is our first Carnival cruise and I am looking forward to it. Dh likes Norwegian so I hope he will like Carnival. He gets less time off from work than I do so luckily he doesn't mind me vacationing without him. Anyway, enjoy the Ruby Princess - we had a great vacation and I am sure you will too.

I enjoyed your review because we will be sailing on the Ruby next year and I am trying to read all that I can before we go. We have never sailed Princess so I am still in the "learning differences" phase! We have only sailed Carnival and I noticed that you are going on the Miracle....we are too! We leave on 12/7....could we be on the same cruise?

[albether7]

UK friends and my DW went to try the pub lunch on the Ruby last week and walked out because the band was blasting. UK friends went back the next day to try the pub lunch and hated it. I personally complained to James Lay, who is in charge of entertainment venues on the Ruby, about the loudness. He pretended that he was not aware of the problem and "would look into it." (Lie - because it was almost as loud on the Emerald when he was there) The fact is Princess has been cranking up the loudness on every ship I've been on for some time. Loudness is one of the top 5 complaints on the end of cruise survey on various ships I was told. Because of the Princess loudness practice I brought along a calibrated sound meter on one cruise on one of the big Princess ships just to prove how bad it has gotten. Shows typically ran 95 to 99 decibels and on one Island party on the back of the ship the loudness was a constant 115 to 120 decibels. That is in the permanent hearing loss range my friends. And the bar employees have this blasting their ears every week. Is Princess concerned? There is absolutely no evidence that they are.

 

----being flame here-------

 

 

Well then...you must be real fun at a party - with your "calibrated sound meter" and all.:eek:

 

Al

[rcacace]

Well then...you must be real fun at a party - with your "calibrated sound meter" and all.:eek:

 

Al

 

Not be be a smart a** ,but you haven't had to sit in front of the speakers in the show lounge lately, have you. :eek::eek:

[velvetred]

Exoticpetlover - we are cruising on the Miracle the week before you. We depart on November 29 from FLL. Have a great cruise.

[Colo Cruiser]

There is always a return tender line in the afternoon at Princess Cays, the Ruby stop was no exception and the waters were calm.

 

This (long line) is the same for GC whether the water is rough or calm also. :)

[Julia’s Journey’s]

We had a long wait getting on the tender in GC to go ashore but the waters were rough and being the first week it was a little hectic. Getting back onboard we timed it just right and were first inline which was the same the following week in GC and Princess Cays both weeks - guess we lucked out with tendering:D

 

In the Captains circle cocktail party the orchastra was very loud - you could barely talk so it was a relief when they finally started doing the speeches etc.

 

We enjoyed the pub lunch the first week, was not as good the second time - we had the fish and chips and the sheppards pie.

We never ate in the dining room at lunch time but enjoyed the salads at the international cafe - the chicken salad was my favorite:D

[mississauga]

I can't remember the exact title but it received a standing ovation from the crowd which I found interesting as later everyone I spoke dissed the show

 

 

Could it be in response to the way James Lay, the CD tries to get everyone to show their appreciation for the performance? He was the CD on the Emerald TA in April and while we enjoyed the production shows, they were not worthy of standing ovations. James Lay kept encouraging the audience to show their appreciation until many stood up. I agree we should always show our appreciation for performances by applause but if it does not merit a standing ovation, we should not have to give it. Save it for the ones that do deserve the standing ovation. ok, off my soapbox now. LOL

[happynanny99]

Well how does it make you feel when getting off the ship then. The Platinum & Elite proceed first with their friends traveling with them. All you have to do is ask for additional priority boarding tickets.

It's about time that Princess does something extra for their past passengers since they'll probably be the ones to keep sailing with this economic slowdown.

If the priority perks bothers you that much, you had better not travel on RCCL since they save priority seats for them in the show lounges & buffet areas. :eek:

BTW- I don't qualify for the perks on RCCL.

hello no problem with any of it either embarking or disembarking just raised a personal opinion.... we brits used to standing in line ;)thanks for the info etc

[Julia’s Journey’s]

Could it be in response to the way James Lay, the CD tries to get everyone to show their appreciation for the performance? He was the CD on the Emerald TA in April and while we enjoyed the production shows, they were not worthy of standing ovations. James Lay kept encouraging the audience to show their appreciation until many stood up. I agree we should always show our appreciation for performances by applause but if it does not merit a standing ovation, we should not have to give it. Save it for the ones that do deserve the standing ovation. ok, off my soapbox now. LOL

 

We actually walked out the show - the dancers were good but the producers should have shared some of what they were on with the audience:D:D

[happynanny99]

well how does it make you feel when getting off the ship then. The platinum & elite proceed first with their friends traveling with them. All you have to do is ask for additional priority boarding tickets.

it's about time that princess does something extra for their past passengers since they'll probably be the ones to keep sailing with this economic slowdown.

if the priority perks bothers you that much, you had better not travel on rccl since they save priority seats for them in the show lounges & buffet areas. :eek:

btw- i don't qualify for the perks on rccl.

whow !