LIVE - Inside Passage - Ruby Princess - June 9 - 19, 2022

[blubberwon]

1 hour ago, AccordingToAlex said:

Well, we thoroughly enjoyed this cruise, but just got home and both of us tested positive.  Such is life I suppose.  In retrospect, it appears the giant glaring hole in the COVID safety policies would be the complete lack of monitoring at any of the ports.  Sure we all embarked with a negative test and vaccination proof, but there's absolutely nothing anyone can do to enforce what passengers do when they're off the ship at each stop.  Good thing we stocked up on some Tylenol #3s in Canada I guess...

We also got off today, too, and had a wonderful cruise.  I'm very sorry that you both tested positive for Covid. Hopefully, you will have a speedy recovery. Your remedy for their safety procedures probably wouldn't hurt, but most passengers take the antigen test prior to boarding and that test only tells you the window when you take the test whether you are positive or negative. The Covid virus could be in hibernation during this time. We all have to protect ourselves because the virus is still around, whether on a cruise ship, a ball game, or a visit to Costco. My family have been very lucky so far, by continuing to wear our facemask, when we're out and about the ship, and in port. We also avoid crowded elevators. 

[Happiest when cruising]

4 hours ago, CalLuvsCrusingToo said:

Well hopefully you all got off & on the way home.

 

We were suppose to be getting onboard today, but..... family member got covid

few days ago.  Even though were testing Negative & could have gotten on?

We know better.... could be a matter of time, and why risk us and everybody else?

 

Was a huge hassle Trying to get thru to Princess on Friday.  Called 4 times,

and its still not corrected.  Told Supervisor once I was able to actually Talk to one...

I can see Why people sneak on, (knowing they've been exposed) than try to reschedule to a

later date.   Because its a HUGE HASSLE!!!! 

 

So we won't be joining June 19 cruise. 😒

Your welcome.

 

I’m sorry you missed your cruise. I hope you are able to get another one booked soon. You did the right thing, and if more people did the same, maybe we wouldn’t be in this mess. 

[Cruise Raider]

Checking back in with updates if I can get this to post with the good, the bad and the ugly.  Just kidding, there has been zero ugliness!  The only bad I can comment on is the WiFi.  It’s so slow if you can even get anything to load.  
 

The good … everything else!  This certainly has been an amazing cruise.  

To fit an extra cruise into our travel budget, we booked an oceanview cabin on the Emerald deck.  For not having a balcony, this room is the next best thing.  We have no obstruction, plenty of natural light and our room steward is outstanding.  I’m even getting a little zoo of towels to make it even cozier in here.  If I had any complaint at all, it’s that the ladies in the cabin next door have a ritual of slamming their cabin door five times every morning around 7:30.  I thought the door slamming was limited to those cabins with a balcony so this was a bit of a surprise.  
 

Everyone is very concerned about the passenger experience.  For example, they knew many were interested in the NBA game so they aired the last two games in the casino and in Club Fusion.  Pizza takes about an hour so we planned our order accordingly.  Ohhh .. that freshly made pizza is so good.  We got it with Caesar salad last night … we weren’t the only ones.  I’m sure there was quite the mission to clean up Club Fusion last night after the game.  
 

The entertainment has been outstanding.  They brought a totem pole carver onboard which was a tour in itself.  Same with the puppies in the piazza and the enrichment lectures from the naturalist onboard.  This morning’s lecture is on bears but we attended one on the glaciers and one on whales.  The naturalist is so knowledgeable and so engaging with the audience.  
They’ve also added in a production show or two.  There are choices to be made and we’ve chosen not to go to these shows as we’ve seen them a few times each in the past.  The piano player in Crooners keeps the audience happy and engaged … one of the better ones we’ve seen.  The guitar player / singer, Gideon, is very talented and we’ve enjoyed his performances.  Stephanie Hidgdon, the lady of rock is fabulous.  They’ve added another show tonight.  We may go if she will have a different show.  The activity staff have a variant of different games, arts and crafts and events set up even when we are in port.  if you’re bored, I would say that’s on you because there is always something to do.  
 

We had rainy weather in both Juneau and Skagway.  We ended up staying onboard in the latter of those two ports.  Then, the day at the glacier and cruising up Endicott Arm was cold but beautiful.  We were blessed with brilliant sunshine in Ketchikan and again in the morning in Prince Rupert.  Both are such gorgeous ports.  There isn’t a lot to do in Prince Rupert without a planned excursion but twin is stunningly beautiful and has such friendly residents that seemed very happy we were in port to add to their economy.  The Sunken Gardens and the BC museum are both within walking distance of the dock … while we didn’t go in the museum, I’ve heard it is small but worthwhile.  We did spend some time at the sunken gardens and wow!  If you need time to relax in nature, this is your spot.  I found this port to be very quaint with such scenic beauty.  It got cloudy there and started raining a bit by the afternoon, so if you see the sun shining, get out there and take advantage of a nice walk through the waterfront park there.  I understand others had seen orcas and dolphins while there.  
 

I know food is subjective but ours has been outstanding .. even in the buffet, which we usually don’t visit.  
The service has been superb throughout the ship!  I can’t think of anything that would make it any better!  
 

Some people are coughing and sneezing but it doesn’t seem to be widespread.  Most passengers are not masked.  We are all masking while indoors or in crowded places because we are traveling with someone that is considered high risk.  Most passengers are just not observing the recommendations for the elevators and they are packing them full .. most unmasked.  It is what it is.  I’m not very concerned for me or my DH, just more for the one in our group that is very elderly.  So far, I think everyone in our group is staying healthy.  We’ve cruised an a average of once a month since the restart and still feel like you stand a better chance of catching CoVid19 on land than on a cruiseship.  I did become infected last month and it was from a family party and not from being a cruise.  I think the pre-cruise testing is important so, I do hope it isn’t eliminated any time soon.  
 

Update from June 19th:  

This just popped up as it didn’t post when I wrote it.  The WiFi on the ship leaves a lot to be desired.  I mean a lot!  
My only other complaints would be

1) that the music in the piazza is way too loud during the day.  I know that sounds like an old person’s complaint and there might be some truth to that.  It is so much more enjoyable to not have to shout over what is supposed to be background music.  At night, it is understandable but before five, they should dial the volume down a notch or two.  
2) the smoking in the casino is just awful.  They don’t even seem to do the nonsmoking on formal nights any longer.  

 

The last two days onboard were very relaxing and such nice calm seas.  Everyone working onboard aimed to please.  I didn’t notice a lot of coughing and sneezing onboard until someone mentioned it but so far, everyone in our group remained healthy.  Very few passengers were masked .. just an observation and not a criticism.  The only concern we had was so many people trying to jam into the elevators.  We tried to use the stairs as often as possible because of this.  
 

Disembarkation was delayed and deck 7 was just total chaos by 8:45 AM.  It was standing room only.  Thank goodness for the friendly and helpful port personnel to try to get us through quickly.  We made it to our scheduled car with only a minute or two to spare.  
 

Overall, the cruise was fabulous for us and those in our party.  The staff we encountered seemed to go above and beyond at all times.  I read some complaints that the blue bags and elite toiletry bag … oh well, it is what it is and probably would t have even noticed it if it had not been mentioned on social media.  The mini bar also just had two kinds of mini bottles of liquor vs the 4.  Since we had the package, the liquor just goes to the room steward anyway .. or back in stock, I would guess.  There were also some shortages of different wines and liquor, both in the bars and in the shop onboard.  Thankfully, there were some suitable substitutes.  
 

 

 

[blubberwon]

50 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

Checking back in with updates if I can get this to post with the good, the bad and the ugly.  Just kidding, there has been zero ugliness!  The only bad I can comment on is the WiFi.  It’s so slow if you can even get anything to load.  
 

The good … everything else!  This certainly has been an amazing cruise.  

To fit an extra cruise into our travel budget, we booked an oceanview cabin on the Emerald deck.  For not having a balcony, this room is the next best thing.  We have no obstruction, plenty of natural light and our room steward is outstanding.  I’m even getting a little zoo of towels to make it even cozier in here.  If I had any complaint at all, it’s that the ladies in the cabin next door have a ritual of slamming their cabin door five times every morning around 7:30.  I thought the door slamming was limited to those cabins with a balcony so this was a bit of a surprise.  
 

Everyone is very concerned about the passenger experience.  For example, they knew many were interested in the NBA game so they aired the last two games in the casino and in Club Fusion.  Pizza takes about an hour so we planned our order accordingly.  Ohhh .. that freshly made pizza is so good.  We got it with Caesar salad last night … we weren’t the only ones.  I’m sure there was quite the mission to clean up Club Fusion last night after the game.  
 

The entertainment has been outstanding.  They brought a totem pole carver onboard which was a tour in itself.  Same with the puppies in the piazza and the enrichment lectures from the naturalist onboard.  This morning’s lecture is on bears but we attended one on the glaciers and one on whales.  The naturalist is so knowledgeable and so engaging with the audience.  
They’ve also added in a production show or two.  There are choices to be made and we’ve chosen not to go to these shows as we’ve seen them a few times each in the past.  The piano player in Crooners keeps the audience happy and engaged … one of the better ones we’ve seen.  The guitar player / singer, Gideon, is very talented and we’ve enjoyed his performances.  Stephanie Hidgdon, the lady of rock is fabulous.  They’ve added another show tonight.  We may go if she will have a different show.  The activity staff have a variant of different games, arts and crafts and events set up even when we are in port.  if you’re bored, I would say that’s on you because there is always something to do.  
 

We had rainy weather in both Juneau and Skagway.  We ended up staying onboard in the latter of those two ports.  Then, the day at the glacier and cruising up Endicott Arm was cold but beautiful.  We were blessed with brilliant sunshine in Ketchikan and again in the morning in Prince Rupert.  Both are such gorgeous ports.  There isn’t a lot to do in Prince Rupert without a planned excursion but twin is stunningly beautiful and has such friendly residents that seemed very happy we were in port to add to their economy.  The Sunken Gardens and the BC museum are both within walking distance of the dock … while we didn’t go in the museum, I’ve heard it is small but worthwhile.  We did spend some time at the sunken gardens and wow!  If you need time to relax in nature, this is your spot.  I found this port to be very quaint with such scenic beauty.  It got cloudy there and started raining a bit by the afternoon, so if you see the sun shining, get out there and take advantage of a nice walk through the waterfront park there.  I understand others had seen orcas and dolphins while there.  
 

I know food is subjective but ours has been outstanding .. even in the buffet, which we usually don’t visit.  
The service has been superb throughout the ship!  I can’t think of anything that would make it any better!  
 

Some people are coughing and sneezing but it doesn’t seem to be widespread.  Most passengers are not masked.  We are all masking while indoors or in crowded places because we are traveling with someone that is considered high risk.  Most passengers are just not observing the recommendations for the elevators and they are packing them full .. most unmasked.  It is what it is.  I’m not very concerned for me or my DH, just more for the one in our group that is very elderly.  So far, I think everyone in our group is staying healthy.  We’ve cruised an a average of once a month since the restart and still feel like you stand a better chance of catching CoVid19 on land than on a cruiseship.  I did become infected last month and it was from a family party and not from being a cruise.  I think the pre-cruise testing is important so, I do hope it isn’t eliminated any time soon.  
 

Update from June 19th:  

This just popped up as it didn’t post when I wrote it.  The WiFi on the ship leaves a lot to be desired.  I mean a lot!  
My only other complaints would be

1) that the music in the piazza is way too loud during the day.  I know that sounds like an old person’s complaint and there might be some truth to that.  It is so much more enjoyable to not have to shout over what is supposed to be background music.  At night, it is understandable but before five, they should dial the volume down a notch or two.  
2) the smoking in the casino is just awful.  They don’t even seem to do the nonsmoking on formal nights any longer.  

 

The last two days onboard were very relaxing and such nice calm seas.  Everyone working onboard aimed to please.  I didn’t notice a lot of coughing and sneezing onboard until someone mentioned it but so far, everyone in our group remained healthy.  Very few passengers were masked .. just an observation and not a criticism.  The only concern we had was so many people trying to jam into the elevators.  We tried to use the stairs as often as possible because of this.  
 

Disembarkation was delayed and deck 7 was just total chaos by 8:45 AM.  It was standing room only.  Thank goodness for the friendly and helpful port personnel to try to get us through quickly.  We made it to our scheduled car with only a minute or two to spare.  
 

Overall, the cruise was fabulous for us and those in our party.  The staff we encountered seemed to go above and beyond at all times.  I read some complaints that the blue bags and elite toiletry bag … oh well, it is what it is and probably would t have even noticed it if it had not been mentioned on social media.  The mini bar also just had two kinds of mini bottles of liquor vs the 4.  Since we had the package, the liquor just goes to the room steward anyway .. or back in stock, I would guess.  There were also some shortages of different wines and liquor, both in the bars and in the shop onboard.  Thankfully, there were some suitable substitutes.  
 

 

 

Great narrative of your experience on the cruise, I'm glad you had a great time, and as did I and my family.  It was nice to see you again, and hope to see you on another cruise. I reacted to the blue bags situation and canapes, but was not a complaint. I told my steward we only needed the make up the cabin in the AM only, and if we needed anything, we would see him in the PM. We enjoyed the new items in the International cafe in the AM. The shows were very good in the theater. We enjoyed Prince Rupert, and saw many eagles up show under the Home Run building because they were feasting on the seafood left by the low tide.

Edited June 20, 2022 by blubberwon

[marden1970]

Thank you Cruise Raider and Blubberwon for you positive reviews.  We are on the Ruby in August for B2B Alaska from SanFran and I kept reading all the negative reviews of the different ships and was starting to worry. Glad you both had a great time.

[Cruise Raider]

7 minutes ago, marden1970 said:

Thank you Cruise Raider and Blubberwon for you positive reviews.  We are on the Ruby in August for B2B Alaska from SanFran and I kept reading all the negative reviews of the different ships and was starting to worry. Glad you both had a great time.

We actually thought that this particular sailing had less complainers than we’ve seen in the past.  Maybe we just avoid them better than before.  😂

I think more people are willing to take the time to write something negative than positive.  I’m not sure why that is but it does seem to be human nature to do so.  
 

[roxievegas]

We were on this cruise.  Had a long delay flying home from SFO to John Wayne Airport, but got home in time to have a Father's Day dinner with the kids.

 

This was our 5th cruise in the past 7 months.  the others were on the Majestic and Discovery.  Of the 10 cruises we have done with Princess this ship is by far the worst.

 

First the Good:  the fine quality is good.   The staff all over the ship work hard.  We went to Alaska!  the food in the Dining Rooms were alwasy good,  buffet was too crowded and not enough sitting, the Slice Pizza was very good.

 

The Bad:

The port of SFO is so badly run.  The long line outside the building not necessary (the bathrooms in the outer buildings were locked) - The port at San Pedro is run so much better.  It took us over an hour to get checked in.  Long lines.

 

Wifi - don't bother purchasing a package or getting more than one device.  Wait to get off the ship and then use your phone to send text messages or emails.  My husband left his phone in the safe the whole time.  Went to use the computer in the I.T. area so I could print my boarding passes for yesterday's flight and they would not connect to the internet site.  Even the I.T. guy said the system was bad

 

Crown Grill - took over two hours to finish our dinner.  Reservation was for 6:00 - took 15 minutes before we got our drink and ordered our food.  Another 20 minutes for the 1st course, 20 minutes for 2nd course and 35 minutes for main course.  We told them no dessert, it was our bedtime.  Food is excellent.

 

Salty Dog Gastro (deck 7) - cost is $18 per person.  Took over 90 minutes to get our food and did not come as ordered.  

 

Ship does not have enough eating places.  the other Ships have Gigi's, Anthony's, sushi, etc.

 

Our next cruise is in two months on the Caribbean, hoping things improve.

 

 

 

 

[Cruise Raider]

9 hours ago, blubberwon said:

Great narrative of your experience on the cruise, I'm glad you had a great time, and as did I and my family.  It was nice to see you again, and hope to see you on another cruise. I reacted to the blue bags situation and canapes, but was not a complaint. I told my steward we only needed the make up the cabin in the AM only, and if we needed anything, we would see him in the PM. We enjoyed the new items in the International cafe in the AM. The shows were very good in the theater. We enjoyed Prince Rupert, and saw many eagles up show under the Home Run building because they were feasting on the seafood left by the low tide.

Thank you and glad you enjoyed your cruise as well.  
I did forget to mention that it appears maybe the evening service may be back.  We certainly didn’t mind when there was no evening service but, for Alaska, we prefer to take our showers in the evening before dinner and it was nice to have the towels replaced in case we took a shower in the morning.  Plus, our room steward tended to make us towel animals for when we’d return after the evening events.  I haven’t seen a towel animal in ages and I must admit, it really did make my day.  


 

[zentraveler]

Many thanks to all of you who took time from your trip to post! Will be boarding July 19 and it's been very helpful to set expectations and have some practical info and suggestions ahead of time. My sympathies for anyone who got covid and certainly a cautionary tale about elevators and crowds of people. Getting my masks packed!!

[roxievegas]

My husband and I wore masks outside of our room.  I would guess that only 10% wore masks.  No one made attention to the elevators - we would pass on getting on when there were more than 4 people.  If others crowded on, we would get off.

 

The dining room was horrible on the placement of tables.  If you want to sit two people "alone" you end up sitting with all the other two people tables, so there is a long line of 6 or 7 tables all one foot apart.

This is not six feet separation as signs around the ship suggest.  I did point that out to the manager in the dinning room and he could care less.

[zentraveler]

34 minutes ago, roxievegas said:

My husband and I wore masks outside of our room.  I would guess that only 10% wore masks.  No one made attention to the elevators - we would pass on getting on when there were more than 4 people.  If others crowded on, we would get off.

 

The dining room was horrible on the placement of tables.  If you want to sit two people "alone" you end up sitting with all the other two people tables, so there is a long line of 6 or 7 tables all one foot apart.

This is not six feet separation as signs around the ship suggest.  I did point that out to the manager in the dinning room and he could care less.

 

Not very encouraging. We plan to sit alone but maybe we should be thinking more about room service! Or some venue that allows us to sit farther away from people. I had a feeling that masking would not be 100% but not thrilled about the low percentage so will just have to be careful about ours and we will get more exercise not taking the elevators!

[blubberwon]

37 minutes ago, zentraveler said:

 

Not very encouraging. We plan to sit alone but maybe we should be thinking more about room service! Or some venue that allows us to sit farther away from people. I had a feeling that masking would not be 100% but not thrilled about the low percentage so will just have to be careful about ours and we will get more exercise not taking the elevators!

we eat in the dining room for breakfast everyday in a sharing table for 14 cruises, and we eat in the MDR early for dinner when it's less busy, and have not contracted covid yet. I guess we are very lucky. I know of 3 persons coming down with covid on our June 19th cruise, and 54 persons on the June 9th cruise, so there is covid onboard. Covid is NOT running rampant on the ship, and Princess does follow their protocols to isolate the covid patients. So, you just have to be careful and protect yourselves. We wear our mask when we are out and about the ship, in the casino and in ports, but not many are, which is their right.

[zentraveler]

21 minutes ago, blubberwon said:

we eat in the dining room for breakfast everyday in a sharing table for 14 cruises, and we eat in the MDR early for dinner when it's less busy, and have not contracted covid yet. I guess we are very lucky. I know of 3 persons coming down with covid on our June 19th cruise, and 54 persons on the June 9th cruise, so there is covid onboard. Covid is NOT running rampant on the ship, and Princess does follow their protocols to isolate the covid patients. So, you just have to be careful and protect yourselves. We wear our mask when we are out and about the ship, in the casino and in ports, but not many are, which is their right.

Thank you blubberwon. Reassuring to hear that. We have traveled quite a bit during covid although the two cruises  have been on much smaller ships (<400 passengers) and a lot of it during the time of mandatory masking. The planes also. Happy to hear that Princess is not only containing it, but that the requirement to be negatively tested before boarding is helping. I know that it is entirely possible for people to be infectious even with that, but creating even a few safety features certainly help. I think the last thing the cruise lines want is to be seen as floating petrie dishes the way it was in the early 2020 period and the PR nightmare that ensued. 

 

We are looking forward to the cruise and tend to keep to ourselves anyway and spend time looking at the gorgeous views. So helpful to hear from those of you just off our ship - thank you again!

[Cessna140]

"The dining room was horrible on the placement of tables.  If you want to sit two people "alone" you end up sitting with all the other two people tables, so there is a long line of 6 or 7 tables all one foot apart.

This is not six feet separation as signs around the ship suggest.  I did point that out to the manager in the dinning room and he could care less"

 

I couldnt agree more with this. We sailed the Ruby May 30th and we also complained to the head waiter that the way those tables were set up ( the long bench seat with a small table and chair opposite) is unsafe. Wonder if that's where I caught covid! ?  My husband ended up slipping the head waiter some cash and from then on we were seated at a table with two chairs away from the dreaded bench seat which we found very uncomfortable to sit on.

[blubberwon]

32 minutes ago, Cessna140 said:

"The dining room was horrible on the placement of tables.  If you want to sit two people "alone" you end up sitting with all the other two people tables, so there is a long line of 6 or 7 tables all one foot apart.

This is not six feet separation as signs around the ship suggest.  I did point that out to the manager in the dinning room and he could care less"

 

I couldnt agree more with this. We sailed the Ruby May 30th and we also complained to the head waiter that the way those tables were set up ( the long bench seat with a small table and chair opposite) is unsafe. Wonder if that's where I caught covid! ?  My husband ended up slipping the head waiter some cash and from then on we were seated at a table with two chairs away from the dreaded bench seat which we found very uncomfortable to sit on.

I'm very sorry that you caught covid, and hope you are feeling better. Nobody really knows where you caught virus, it's possible you got it in the dining room. Did you wear your mask onboard? Since the virus is transmitted airborne, it's possible that you got the virus anywhere on the ship or out on the port.

[Al baby]

[Cruise Raider]

1 hour ago, blubberwon said:

I'm very sorry that you caught covid, and hope you are feeling better. Nobody really knows where you caught virus, it's possible you got it in the dining room. Did you wear your mask onboard? Since the virus is transmitted airborne, it's possible that you got the virus anywhere on the ship or out on the port.

I happen to know exactly where I got CoVid and it wasn’t on a cruise.  We’ve been on 11 cruises since the restart and I caught CoVid at a family party, where we were being extremely careful.  I wore a mask, I stayed outside and socially distanced.  The day after the party, I got a call that my brother’s mother in law tested positive.  Then another family member and then another …

The big risk was that people didn’t test ahead of time, which is always done on cruises.  Although testing is not foolproof, I had to cancel our May cruise because I tested positive.  Our entire cruise went to masking for this sailing and everybody is happy and healthy.  I still say that cruising is people the safest form of travel, especially when you don’t have to fly to get there.  

[Happiest when cruising]

7 hours ago, roxievegas said:

My husband and I wore masks outside of our room.  I would guess that only 10% wore masks.  No one made attention to the elevators - we would pass on getting on when there were more than 4 people.  If others crowded on, we would get off.

 

The dining room was horrible on the placement of tables.  If you want to sit two people "alone" you end up sitting with all the other two people tables, so there is a long line of 6 or 7 tables all one foot apart.

This is not six feet separation as signs around the ship suggest.  I did point that out to the manager in the dinning room and he could care less.

I agree.. those tables for two are too close together. 
The whole point for us is to be able to social distance, when we can. We ended up using the buffet more than ever to try and play keep away… 

Edited June 21, 2022 by Happiest when cruising

[bdojoe]

We came home with covid also.  We were in a suite and did not go to any evening entertainment venues, wore masks , washed hands, used hand sanitizer.  Those whose room service pizza only took an hour were fortunate; after 2 hours I used the chat to complain that that delay was excessive.  They did remove the charges but after that we only used room service for drinks, which seemed to arrive in 10-15 minutes.  The food at the Salty Dog Grill (the outside free place) was good but almost always had a line.  Breakfast at Sabitini's (suite only) was great, didn't do dinner there because the specialty restaurants were booked solid before sailing.  We got the comped dinner at Crown Grill on embarkation day and it was very good. 

..

Ketchikan was very nice, only 3 ships there,  Prince Rupert was nice with a small but nice sunken garden very close to the ship.  Would have been nice to have gotten closer to the glacier but the scenery of the approach was beautiful, saw some seals on the ice floes. 

 

So far so good on the covid mainly cold symptoms and at this point no fever.  We are both doing the Paxlovid 5 day course.  Hope that takes care of the virus.

[Happiest when cruising]

32 minutes ago, bdojoe said:

We came home with covid also.  We were in a suite and did not go to any evening entertainment venues, wore masks , washed hands, used hand sanitizer.  Those whose room service pizza only took an hour were fortunate; after 2 hours I used the chat to complain that that delay was excessive.  They did remove the charges but after that we only used room service for drinks, which seemed to arrive in 10-15 minutes.  The food at the Salty Dog Grill (the outside free place) was good but almost always had a line.  Breakfast at Sabitini's (suite only) was great, didn't do dinner there because the specialty restaurants were booked solid before sailing.  We got the comped dinner at Crown Grill on embarkation day and it was very good. 

..

Ketchikan was very nice, only 3 ships there,  Prince Rupert was nice with a small but nice sunken garden very close to the ship.  Would have been nice to have gotten closer to the glacier but the scenery of the approach was beautiful, saw some seals on the ice floes. 

 

So far so good on the covid mainly cold symptoms and at this point no fever.  We are both doing the Paxlovid 5 day course.  Hope that takes care of the virus.

Did you do any excursions? It reads like you did what you could to avoid getting Covid on the ship. Perhaps the travelling to get to the ship got you…feel better soon.  

[AllAboardatSea]

I was on this cruise as well, had a great time overall. Food, service, and the staff were great as usual. This Ru(st)b(ucket)y Princess just needs some serious, serious TLC. Is it just me, or did anyone else think how nice and well-maintained Radiance of the Seas looked in each of the ports where we were docked alongside her? I mean, the thing looked brand new, and is 8 years older than Ruby! It’s just shameful how bad Princess has let the exterior get on her, I couldn’t believe the rust everywhere. 
 

As to the Wi-Fi situation…I don’t understand what people are trying to do on the Wi-Fi to make it sound as bad as they do. I literally work from ships, do conference calls, screen sharing, etc all day onboard without issue (it’s the only way I can cruise so much). I was on Ruby in December and it was noticeably better then, but there were also much fewer people onboard. You obviously can’t do all the same things on a ships Wi-Fi that you can at home…

 

I’ll be back on Ruby in August, and I seriously hope they at least give her exterior a thorough painting by then!

[SiliconCruiser]

I'd like to express my appreciation to everyone who posted to this thread.  We're booked on the 7/9 sailing.  The posts to this thread are probably the closest I'll get unless there are other threads for the Ruby.  I did find out that an old friend of mine will be on the Ruby on the trip before us.  Many of the postings have painted a reasonably good cruise experience, others have substantiated some of the less than pleasant passenger experiences that have been posted in other social media.  I'm aware that the Ruby is an old ship, just like the Grand that it replaced in San Francisco, but we did enjoy the Grand.   So far, the only Princess ship that I will never board again is the Island.  And it would appear that we probably should not expect the level of service that we previously enjoyed.  The only downside is that Princess Customer Service cannot be reached by telephone, and even their sales lines are pretty much non-existent.

 

[DUCHESSRN]

We were on Ruby in March ..Panama canal at one port the perfect looking Disney ship had 4 crew with rollers painting the hull...poor Ruby had rust running down the sides it was almost embarrassing .

[HaveDogWillTravel]

10 hours ago, roxievegas said:

The dining room was horrible on the placement of tables.  If you want to sit two people "alone" you end up sitting with all the other two people tables, so there is a long line of 6 or 7 tables all one foot apart.

This is not six feet separation as signs around the ship suggest.  I did point that out to the manager in the dinning room and he could care less.

I am sorry you had this experience.  I sailed the Ruby for the 20 days prior to your boarding……..May 20 thru June 9th. After sailing every month on Ruby for 7 to 20 days each since November I noticed a HUGE improvement.  They opened the 3rd dining room May 20 and what a difference that made. I ate 18 out of 20 nights in Michelangelo with Kieron as the restaurant manager.  His professionalism and level of service was on par with the Maitre D’hotel I loved from the before times. I sailed solo but sometimes ate with another CC friend couple. The two tops in Michelangelo were nicely spaced as were all the tables…..MUCH better than when only 2 dining rooms were open. Kieron and his assistant managers Albert & Pablo took care to space guests apart. 
 

The food was absolutely outstanding.  Of course I had a couple of misses but they were quickly replaced with another choice. 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited June 21, 2022 by HaveDogWillTravel

[Drews_Cruise]

9 hours ago, DUCHESSRN said:

We were on Ruby in March ..Panama canal at one port the perfect looking Disney ship had 4 crew with rollers painting the hull...poor Ruby had rust running down the sides it was almost embarrassing .

I know what you mean,  We were beside the Majestic Princess in Ensenada in April, and people getting off the Majestic were saying how bad the Ruby looked as we sailed in.  The flooring around the pool was so cracked and peeling that people were tripping on it, the pipes on the balcony were rusted and broken (leaking crap out of them). The door rattled all night, and the entire ship needs a lot of work as we saw it.  I'm glad some people are enjoying their time on her though because there is lots more to cruising than just the condition of the ship.  As for us, never again.  Their credit for the days in isolation will go unused.  I sent the letter to Princess explaining the many issues we had and they offered us $100.00 on board credit to get us to "Come back" but there isn't a chance.  Not in the next few years anyway.  We're moving to Celebrity or HAL.  We were such champions for Princess but never will we get treated like that again.   We do hope everyone enjoys their time on her if you're not too fussy and  willing to take the risk.