My Balanced Ruby Review with Photos

[Aquahound]

Hello Cruise Critic. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Aquahound. Now that I have been properly introduced on the Princess boards, please let me take a few minutes of your time to post my review of the Ruby Princess. :)

 

I like to add photos to my reviews, so this will be of the piece mail type.

 

For background, this was my 44th cruise, but first on Princess. Including Princess, I have cruised 5 lines. I have always wanted to try Princess and this 4 night itinerary on the Ruby was the perfect sampler for me.

 

We all know there are several types of CCers....those who think their line of choice will be preciding over judgment day, all the way down to those who only want to see a line fail. To both of you and all in between, some of my opinions should make you happy. :D

 

Let me begin with embarkation. I have no photos of this. Unfortunately, this will be my first rant. The terminal was utter chaos. The building felt dirty and there was only one small, congested area in which to line up for the check-in counters. You walk in to the RCI or Celebrity terminals and there are numerous lines, organized by decks, loyalty status and suites. Here, it was kinda a mess with only 2 lines, side by side, waiting for the same agents to open up. I think they can organize this a little better, especially for such a large ship. Then, when the ship opens, it is a free-for-all with little control over the boarding.

 

I know I could have shown up later, but I didn't. So there. ;)

 

Let me take a breath, and I will move on to ship stuff.

[Aquahound]

Once on board, they funnel you left through the casino. So, the casino was my first impression of the ship.....and right off the bat, I was impressed. I'm not a gambler, but I loved the decor. I like wood furnishings and the ceiling rafters were a nice touch. I figured if Princess knows how to make a casino look not gaudy, they must be good.

 

 

But, I must say, I avoided this room like the plague when going fore and aft. Do I really need to say why? ;)

Edited February 25, 2014 by Aquahound

[Aquahound]

We went directly to our room and here, I have both a compliment and a knock on Princess. We had room R219 on the Riviera deck. The compliment is the fact the rooms were ready upon boarding. I guess that's a trade-off for boarding starting at 12:30 opposed to 11:00 like on some other lines.

 

When booking, I looked at photos of the rooms. At first, I thought they may have been dated photos, but upon opening the door, learned they were not.

 

For a ship built in 2008, I thought the furnishings looked 90s. This decor is typical of older ships. Maybe some think it's a classic design, but to me it just looked cheap. No, the RCI logo bag is not intentional for the photo. :D

 

 

Also, I was a little disappointed in the size of the room. Compared to standard balconies on other lines, this is probably the smallest room I have had. The barrel chair was kinda pointless. Most standard balcony rooms on the newer ships of other lines have a couch.

 

We also had a problem with the bed. the mattress closest to the balcony had broken springs and as a result, I sank down to the hard bottom. I'm only 180 lbs, so this should not happen. They added an agg crate pad, but it did nothing. They said they had no mattresses to replace it, so I was stuck with it and had a sore back every morning. The other mattress was nice and comfy and my wife slept very well.

 

However, the walk-in style closet was a nice touch. It made for a nice little changing area and it was convenient to walk directly into this area when coming out of the bathroom.

 

 

 

Speaking of the bathroom, cruise ships aren't exactly known for large bathrooms, but this was definitely the smallest bathroom I have had in recent memory. Sorry, no picture of that.

[dtb55]

Waiting with bated breath for more.

 

 

Denise

[-Lew-]

 

Once on board, they funnel you left through the casino.

You should know the path to your cabin depends on which gangway and deck you boarded on and the location of your cabin in relation to that entry point. Not everyone embarking walks through the casino.

 

Lew

[Aquahound]

We made our way back to the Horizon Court for lunch. For embarkation lunch, the exact same foods were being served back in the Caribe Cafe as in the Horizon. this changed as the cruise went on though and the Carib was more of a specialty buffet for Mexican, Asian, etc. It was much less crowded back there, so that's where we sat.

 

The buffet portion of the Horizon is extremely cramped at peak times. It's a very small area. However, I was very impressed at the selection. For such a small area, it was amazing how many entree choices they provided.

 

So, for design, I give the buffet a big fail, but that was easily overlooked because frankly, I think the taste and selection is the best of any cruise lines' buffet in which I have eaten.

 

Plus, as with any cruise ship buffet, you can't beat the views!

 

[Aquahound]

We then went for a stroll and checked out the ship. The Piazza was a beautiful central point in the ship. Of course, it was much smaller in person than it appears in photos.

 

This area had "street performers" throughout the cruise, ranging from 2 guys doing a strength show, to a guitarist, to other forms of live entertainment. During the Captain's reception, they did a balloon drop here. The decor was beautiful and everything was kept shiny and new looking.

 

 

 

 

[Aquahound]

Just off the Piazza on deck 5 was Vines. They had a nice wine selection and with the purchase of any wine, they had free tapas. We wanted to take advantage of this venue, but just didn't have time.

 

[waterbugohio]

Great review. Keep it coming. Will be taking our first Princess cruise in April. We are also mainly RCI cruisers, so like hearing your take on comparing. Have followed many of your threads (way back to the turtle camera) and trust your opinion.

 

Thanks for doing this.

 

What time did you get to the port?

[Aquahound]

Also just off the Piazza on deck 7 was Crooners. This was our most utilized night spot because they had real espresso on hand to make our drink of choice...espresso martinis. There was a nightly piano player taking requests.

 

 

 

 

[dfields1814]

I like this review in that the OP has both positive and negative points about Princess. I am avid Princess cruiser so I agree with his positives. I have to admit, so far, I also have to agree with some of his negatives as well. However, I have never had any problems boarding other than waiting my turn.

 

Did I miss something. Did the OP mention where he embarked from and where he is sailing to.

[riclop]

Im enjoying your well balanced review. Im glad when people point out the good and bad.

[Aquahound]

Great review. Keep it coming. Will be taking our first Princess cruise in April. We are also mainly RCI cruisers, so like hearing your take on comparing. Have followed many of your threads (way back to the turtle camera) and trust your opinion.

 

Thanks for doing this.

 

What time did you get to the port?

 

Thank you. :) We got to the port at about 11:45 and the terminal was almost full at that point.

 

I like this review in that the OP has both positive and negative points about Princess. I am avid Princess cruiser so I agree with his positives. I have to admit, so far, I also have to agree with some of his negatives as well. However, I have never had any problems boarding other than waiting my turn.

 

Did I miss something. Did the OP mention where he embarked from and where he is sailing to.

 

Good morning. No, you didn't miss anything. I neglected to mention it. We embarked at Port Everglades and our only port was Grand Cayman.

[Aquahound]

The Wheelhouse was also one of my favorite venues. I love the English pub theme and due to the size of the room, it blows away the English pubs on RCI. The usual entertainer was a solo guitarist, but he was joined by a pianist at times. On the last sea day, they did an Irish lunch in Wheelhouse with specials on Boddingtons and Guinness beer.

 

 

Edited February 25, 2014 by Aquahound

[serene56]

Im reading too. 4 day for use in MArch.

[Aquahound]

Here is the Explorers Lounge. This venue was used for much of the side entertainment, like game shows and live music. Here, I have HUGE kudos for Princess. They had 2 live bands that played in different venues. One was a reggae/rock mix and the other played everything. One of the 2 bands, Liquid Blue, really stood out. Aside from the great lyrics, they had 2 Asian females, choreographed, who danced while singing. Watching them play was like watching a concert. One of the things I love about RCI is their live music. Princess really gives RCI a run for their money and compared to RCI's medium sized ships, like Radiance Class, the live music on Princess was far superior....and Celebrity? Pffft. Not even close. Princess is much better. I really wish I had a picture of them, but every time I saw them play, I didn't have my camera on me.

 

[Aquahound]

The other lounge used for side entertainment was Fusion. Like Explorers, it was a beautiful room and very comfortable. The room has numerous TV's, so it is perfect for trivia and game shows.

 

[Aquahound]

Gotta mention trivia though. My goodness. If you do B2B2B2B2b.....cruises, and the trivia does not change, please don't play. It's kinda ridiculous to sit there and throw your hands up in a narcissistic display of emotion to celebrate your winning when you just did the same game 2 days earlier. :rolleyes:

 

That's not a knock on Princess though. These people are on every cruise line.

[Aquahound]

By the way, we were joined in Port Everglades by one of my favorite ships...Liberty of the Seas. :)

 

[Aquahound]

On deck 7, the outdoor promenade goes all the way around. It's narrower than most ships, but the fact it does go all the way around is more than I can say for Celebrity. Walking this deck, especially at night, is a favorite activity of mine.

 

 

At the top of the stairs up forward, I thought the view of the life boats was pretty cool.

 

 

I really liked how it went around the bow.

 

[Aquahound]

The main theater was another venue, like my room, that I thought was dated. Again, it felt like we were in a theater on an older ship due to the decor, design, and relatively small stage. We only went to 1 show....the comedian, who started 15 minutes late. The other shows didn't interest me. After so many cruises, unless it's a Broadway production or something else unique, we really aren't interested. The comedian, however, was pretty funny.

 

 

[hllwdcruiser]

Gotta mention trivia though. My goodness. If you do B2B2B2B2b.....cruises, and the trivia does not change, please don't play. It's kinda ridiculous to sit there and throw your hands up in a narcissistic display of emotion to celebrate your winning when you just did the same game 2 days earlier. :rolleyes:

 

That's not a knock on Princess though. These people are on every cruise line.

 

Thanks for this great review - love the pictures! I have to 100% agree with you on the Trivia and those who "have the teacher's book with all the answers in the back". It takes the fun out of even trying to play.

 

We too entered straight through the casino on our last voyage. I thought it was very odd as our first intro was a deep breath of....stale smoke! Two years ago and prior we entered through the atrium which was far more pleasant.

[Aquahound]

From our balcony, we had a good view of the bridge wing. This is while pulling out of Port Everglades.

 

 

Off the southern jetty heading out the channel, this kite surfer was showing off his moves.

 

 

And this is another bridge wing view as we were heading out to open sea.

 

[Aquahound]

One thing I find odd about Princess though is all these exposed balconies. You folks like these? :confused: I guess they're good for sun bathing, but I have no interest in being so exposed to everyone above. Just my preference, I guess. I would never book these.

 

[Aquahound]

My balcony, however, was nice and cozy....which brings me to another gripe. Princess' room service breakfast menu sucks! We love balcony breakfast, but had to limit ourselves to just coffee and fruit. The hot option was a breakfast sandwich. I would have liked to have seen eggs, sausage, bacon, ham, etc, offered. I'm just not one to fill up on carbs.