LIVE: Ruby Princess Dec 18-29 Western Caribbean/Mexico

[ceilidh1]

3 hours ago, PescadoAmarillo said:

Thanks for your updates this morning!  I was a little concerned when you said disembarkation for those with checked luggage hadn’t started yet, but G was in an early group and his shuttle was right on time. 
 

For information for those who DO want a shuttle to Hobby, Princess doesn’t run a shuttle there, only to IAH. Based on the advice of someone here on CC, I booked Galveston Express for DH (409.762.4397, $30 for seniors). I booked it online, but had to phone them when DH extended for one more cruise. With just two days notice, they willingly moved his reservation to another day, free of charge. Then this morning they were exactly where they said they’d be, right on time. Highly recommend. 
 

Now he just has to deal with Southwest and the copious amount of snow we got here at home overnight. 🤞🏼🤞🏼

Hope he makes it home safely! I enjoyed chatting with him - a true gentleman, which is rare these days!

[ceilidh1]

We made it to IAH by 10:40am. West Jet was the only counter not staffed so we could not drop our bags or go through security. Our flight is delayed by half hour, so now our tight connection time in Calgary is even tighter. When the counter finally opened, I tried to get them to switch us to a later flight out of Calgary but was met with blank states. In fact, the agent tried to convince me that I actually had two extra hours due to the time difference- even though the arrival and departure times are local times….anyways, nothing we can do about it at this point. Just sitting at the gate and waiting on our plane arriving right now…

[californiagirl]

Thank you for taking the time to bring us along.  It was so enjoyable!  Safe travels home.  I hope you make your connection without difficulty.  We did one cruise out of Galveston in February of 2005 on Grand.  I can validate the difficulties you faced in getting to and from Galveston.  Our departure airport was LAX.  It was still somewhat of an effort.  The other thing we didn’t like was that Galveston was cold and the first full sea day was chilly.  Now living in a snowy climate, in the winter we definitely prefer leaving from a warmer location.  

[Florida_gal_50]

15 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

We made it to IAH by 10:40am. West Jet was the only counter not staffed so we could not drop our bags or go through security. Our flight is delayed by half hour, so now our tight connection time in Calgary is even tighter. When the counter finally opened, I tried to get them to switch us to a later flight out of Calgary but was met with blank states. In fact, the agent tried to convince me that I actually had two extra hours due to the time difference- even though the arrival and departure times are local times….anyways, nothing we can do about it at this point. Just sitting at the gate and waiting on our plane arriving right now…

This is what I dislike about westjet.  Always waiting for them to “open”.  I don’t know why the transfers to the airport are confused.  My cruise with Princess was delayed coming into port because of fog.  Then it took forever for the transfer.  Then they got lost at the airport.  We seemed to go around in circles.  I barely made my 5 pm flight.  I hope you make your connection.

Edited December 29, 2022 by Florida_gal_50

[PescadoAmarillo]

51 minutes ago, ceilidh1 said:

Hope he makes it home safely! I enjoyed chatting with him - a true gentleman, which is rare these days!

He certainly enjoyed meeting you and your family also!  Safe travels!

[princess76021]

1 hour ago, ceilidh1 said:

We made it to IAH by 10:40am. West Jet was the only counter not staffed so we could not drop our bags or go through security. Our flight is delayed by half hour, so now our tight connection time in Calgary is even tighter. When the counter finally opened, I tried to get them to switch us to a later flight out of Calgary but was met with blank states. In fact, the agent tried to convince me that I actually had two extra hours due to the time difference- even though the arrival and departure times are local times….anyways, nothing we can do about it at this point. Just sitting at the gate and waiting on our plane arriving right now…

Saying a prayer for you!!  I hate connections for that reason!!,

Hugs from Texas

[ceilidh1]

By some miracle, even with a half hour delay, we made it to Calgary on time. We ran through to immigration - advantage of travelling with a teen is that she takes control of passport scanning, etc at the kiosks. She had us through in minutes and we are now at the gate for our next flight (which appears to be on time) with 15 minutes to spare…

[MsSoCalCruiser]

2 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

By some miracle, even with a half hour delay, we made it to Calgary on time. We ran through to immigration - advantage of travelling with a teen is that she takes control of passport scanning, etc at the kiosks. She had us through in minutes and we are now at the gate for our next flight (which appears to be on time) with 15 minutes to spare…

Safe travels!

[ceilidh1]

On the ground in Vancouver at 7:28pm local time - 2 minutes early!

[bluetardis]

Welcome home 🏡 

[californiagirl]

That was a long travel day for you!  Glad you made your connection and arrived home at a decent time.  Thank you again for your outstanding live review.  Happy New Year!

[Cruise4Jesus]

Hello ceilidh1, thanks for this review, giving me a lot of good information as I boarding the ship in a few months. I do have a simple question; what deck did you embark/disembark on?

[ceilidh1]

1 hour ago, Cruise4Jesus said:

Hello ceilidh1, thanks for this review, giving me a lot of good information as I boarding the ship in a few months. I do have a simple question; what deck did you embark/disembark on?

Deck 7 for embarking and disembarking. Deck 4 for port calls.

[ceilidh1]

Well, now that I am back home and firmly rooted in reality (cooking - ugh) I thought I would do a brief recap on aspects of the cruise that may be important to others. Please remember, this is based on MY experiences on THIS sailing - things may well be different for others!

 

GALVESTON: First (and likely the last) time for us to sail from this port. We had a great 3 days here and I'm glad we went, but it was just too much hassle getting to/from the port. Anyone that has not sailed from here before should definitely be aware that the port is a LONG way from the airport and should allow plenty of time to get to/from the ship. Hands down, the best deal for this was the Princess transfer, which was around $27USD per person - we took this to get back to the airport, but it wasn't an option to get from the airport as we flew in early. Don't rely on Uber/Lyft to/from the airport- while available, the surge pricing can be crazy at busy times. Uber worked great once in Galveston to actually get around. Once again, if you have never been, don't go thinking you can walk to everything - you can't! There is a trolley, but it often just doesn't show up so be prepared to pay for Uber! What struck me about Galveston was how friendly and helpful everyone was. This is likely the best place to add that the drink package cannot be used on the ship while in Galveston - on our sailing, we received a $25 OBC as compensation and just paid for drinks until we sailed (it kicked in around 7pm) but I'm not sure how they will handle it on future cruises.

 

Overall, I would give Galveston a solid 7/10 - would recommend it as a place to visit, maybe not as a place to cruise from unless you live close enough to drive. The Saltgrass steak place is a must-do, the pleasure pier was the biggest rip off, and the Homewood Suites is a hotel I would not recommend.

[ceilidh1]

EMBARKATION: Ours was the first sailing from Galveston and John Padgett was boarding for the day. I fully expected long waits and delays, but wanted to be the first group to board. I got boarding group A on the app - it was never checked. We arrived by Uber around 10:15am and our bags were whisked away. There were still lots of disembarking guests waiting on cabs/buses etc so it was very busy. We were directed down a VERY long sidewalk to the end of the terminal building. There was a sizeable line up as the doors were not open - we were asked if we had our medallions already (NO because Princess refuses to send them to Canada). This actually worked in our favour this time as we bypassed the long line and were sent to a line with only four others for medallion pick up! When the doors opened at 10:30am, we got our medallions and breezed through to check in - the staff at check in were a little slow (they told us they had only received a half hour training the day prior) but worked their way through and we were directed to the elite/platinum lounge. This was just a separate seating area - no refreshments or anything fancy. The agent at the entrance also did not know who/what this area was for as she was yelling "anyone with black or gold medallions". I discreetly told her that it was black or silver (platinum)...lol. We only sat there for about 15 minutes and were called to board at 11am. 

 

Embarkation gets a big 9/10 for this one - fast, easy, smooth. The only glitch was in the agents not really knowing their stuff, but they don't work for Princess and this was their first time with Princess in this port so it was a learning process.

[ceilidh1]

THE SHIP: I hadn't sailed on Ruby for some time and had mostly been on Royal class ships over the last few years. I had forgotten the layout and admit to feeling lost a few times! Ruby seemed to be in great shape - nothing that I noticed that was broken (well, every washroom had at least one stall out of service) or old/worn. I posted a picture that showed brown stains on the hull - this wasn't rust, it was run off from the windows or something as it was gone at the next port. The air con was very erratic - some areas of the ship were like meat lockers while other areas were like a sauna. I carried a jacket/cardigan with me at all times and was constantly putting it on and taking it off! The air con in our room was the same - during the day, it was chilly and we would turn it to "heat" but during the night I would have it set all the way down to the coldest and would still melt. I loved the walkaround promenade on deck 7 and we often sat out here on the many chairs (much quieter than pool deck). I love Skywalkers and managed to make it once to the elite/platinum happy hour and a few times to just sit and relax. I missed Princess Live. I missed the bigger buffet (which is ironic, as on Royal class I tend to find the buffet too big and overwhelming, but on this class it's just too small and congested).

 

Overall, Ruby gets an 8/10. She wouldn't be my first choice but I would have no hesitation sailing her again. You just need to know going in that there are differences - some are better, some are worse!

[ceilidh1]

THE ROOM: We chose an obstructed oceanview for this sailing, simply because the price made it a no-brainer. It was less than an inside and WAY less than a balcony. We were in E514 and it was fully obstructed by a lifeboat. Our friends were a few doors down in E504 and had a decent view and their room set up was great (beds weren't under the window) and their room felt much bigger. I had no problem with the room, other than the bunkbeds - we are used to the ones that come down from the ceiling but these were the type that come from the wall. This meant we were constantly bumping our heads on them when they were folded up, as they definitely protrude out quite a bit. When folded down, they sit very low over the bed underneath and make it impossible to see the tv. This is no way took away from our cruise, but just want folks to be aware - we had 3 in our room so had to get bunks, but if you only have 2 I would recommend against this. As with every Princess ship, there were no outlets - one on the desk. Be ready for fights over charging if you don't bring your adapters! Also, those darned motion detector lights have made their way to the older ships - I swear the ones under the nightstand were the most sensitive ones ever. I felt like I only had to breathe and it would turn on. I fixed this by stuffing one of the pillows in front before going to sleep! In contrast, the one in the closet would turn off almost immediately unless I was constantly moving around. Many times I found myself dancing and waving my arms in my underwear as it switched off while I was trying to locate my clothes (too much information?) Our room was ideally located - midship deck 8 made for an easy walk everywhere. There was a laundry just up the hallway and elevators a few steps the other way. We did hear music at night (Explorers or Fusion?) but it always ended by 11pm so it didn't bother us. Our neighbours on either side had little kids so we did have some noise occasionally, but nothing that kept us awake (but we live in Downtown Vancouver so can sleep through anything). Our steward. Marlon, was great - did everything needed but was never seen! We tipped him on Christmas Eve and again at the end. 

 

Overall, the room gets a good 8/10 - the only niggles were the temperature, the bunkbed format, the lack of outlets, and the motion sensor lights. Nothing that would make or break the cruise!

[ceilidh1]

THE STAFF: Without exception, the staff on this sailing went above and beyond to please guests. This was the first full sailing the ship has had and, while guest capacity was almost double the previous cruise, staff capacity did not increase. They were definitely short staffed and this showed in many areas, but they tried their very best and were always pleasant and friendly. The app ordering would be a great enhancement if the staff was increased to handle it - they have not done this. So, in addition to all the usual in person orders, the staff also have to make/deliver the app orders. They were literally expected to be in two places at once. Obviously, something has to give. Many times I ordered on the app as there just weren't any servers - many times those drinks just never came. After the first few days I just started going to the bar. The pool deck was definitely the worst - I don't know that I ever got approached by a server (or saw one taking orders) the times I was up there. Explorers Lounge had servers, but they always rushed on by. Crooners and Wheelhouse were the bomb! Dinner service was great for the most part - a few times we waited a long time for drinks and once or twice our orders were wrong/incomplete but mostly it was good! Crown Grill was excellent other than the fact that it took almost an hour between starter and main - to the point where I was considering just leaving. The head waiter "apologized" rather aggressively, letting us know they were very busy - looking around, only half the tables were occupied and we had actually got a walk in, so not that busy...

 

I want to mention the cruise staff and cruise director. These are the ones that can make or break a cruise for me. This team neither made nor broke it. They were "fine". I found the CD, Micah, a little annoying with his long-drawn out stories/jokes and rarely saw him around the ship. The cruise staff came to life the last night at the Hollywood Hiccups show (this was how I would have loved to have seen them all 11 days) but, other than Tommy who did trivia and the lass from Kentucky who did arts and crafts (don't even know her name) I couldn't even tell you who the cruise staff were.

 

Overall, the staff get a 7/10 - not necessarily their fault, but room for improvement!

[ceilidh1]

THE FOOD: I wasn't expecting much in terms of food. Our past two Princess sailing this year had mediocre food - not bad, but nothing I would write home about. I went in expecting the same and was pleasantly surprised. Everything I ate (with the exception on one badly cooked steak in the dining room) was fantastic. I tried dishes I ordinarily don't try and found I really liked them. I found a new favourite snack - the street tacos and cheesy bacon fries on the pool deck. In all my years cruising, I had never had them and they were amazing! This ship must have a great culinary team as I would find it hard to complain about any of the food. One outlier was the Salty Dog Gastropub. We had never eaten here before and thought we would try it out. The food was fine but definitely not worth an $18 upcharge. I'm glad we did it, but wouldn't do it again! Outstanding faves in terms of food - beef wellington was perfection, the Christmas dinner was the best I've ever had (sorry mom), the beef and yorkshire pudding was amazing. I loved all the cold soups and the salmon cake appetizer was yummy. Desserts were either amazing or good - buy why did they ruin my Loveboat Dream?

 

Overall, solid 9/10 for food!

[ceilidh1]

ENTERTAINMENT: If there was one complaint, this is where it would lie. The entertainment on this sailing was just not up to par with what we are used to. I am never at a loss for what to do on a ship, but this time I found myself sitting at a bar, or on promenade deck far more than I was attending anything organised simply because there was nothing of interest. There were MANY spa, fitness centre, Effy, art, casino events - no thanks. The arts and crafts were fun but seemed to clash with either lunch or something else that we had planned on doing. The trivia was ok. In the evening, there were only two production shows over the 11 days - a 50s music show (I'm old, but not that old) and Colours of The World (seen it many times but enjoyed it). There was a comedian on two nights (same guy, different act), a singer on two nights (excellent voice) and I don't think anything else in the theatre. The evening game show favourites didn't live up to previous cruises - the cruise staff are what makes these and they really didn't shine through. The Liars Club was painful to watch and not at all funny, the Love Boat party was just a remake of Marriage Match, and I didn't even bother with some of the others. The one highlight was Hollywood Hiccups - my all time fave show onboard - the staff really showed what they could do with this one. Voice of the Ocean was also good and the winner deserved to win.

 

I'm going to add a little something here that may get me roasted. On Christmas Night, we went to the Wheelhouse (this became our nightcap place). We sat at our usual spot near the back - there were lots of empty seats up front where there was a piano player. There was an elderly couple at the table next to us (remember this is the very far back, right near the entrance, so not a "quiet" spot). As soon as we sat down and started chatting, the elderly lady whipped around and yelled "Can you be quiet? We are here to listen to the music. If you don't want to listen go somewhere else." I was literally gobsmacked. I have never had that happen before - yes, there was a piano player but this is also a bar. There were also plenty of seats up front where one could listen to the piano player without any noise. We were also not the only ones talking. It was Christmas night - no one is going to sit in silence. Anyways, we talked quietly just not to get into a fight but this was not good enough. They called over the poor server and started complaining to him about how he needed to tell us to leave - he tried explaining that this was a bar, etc. After 5 minutes of arguing about it (and missing the piano player I might add) they decided to leave - and on the way out complained about us to the host at Salty Dog. It's not like we were dancing on tables or anything - we were simply chatting. Maybe we should have left or just sat in silence? I don't know...

 

Overall, entertainment only gets a 6/10 - lots of room for improvement, a few hits but mostly misses.

[ceilidh1]

PORTS: I had only been to Cozumel previously, so wasn't sure what to expect. Once again, this is based on my experience on this sailing - things may be different for others.

 

Jamaica: The only ship excursion that interested us was the Doctors Cave beach but it was sold out. We didn't want to attempt Jamaica alone so we booked a private excursion for 8 of us through Ultimate Tours and Excursions. It was $50 per person and would give us a tour of the highlights and end at the beach. Our driver/guide was great and admitted off the bat that he had never done the tour on our side of the island before as most of his ships come in to Falmouth (which is where he was from). He asked us what our priorites were and we told him the beach, so he suggested doing that first rather than last so it wasn't as busy or as hot. Excellent suggestion! On the way to the beach, we stopped at a lookout and got some great views of the area, along with the obligatory gift shop stop. The beach was $6 per person (which we knew ahead of time) and $5 to rent a chair. It was beautiful and we had a wonderful, relaxing few hours until the passengers from the Costa ship arrived. They were the loudest, rudest group I have ever come across. They argued about paying for chairs and were just really obnoxious. Since there weren't many options that interested us for lunch, we decided this was a good time to head out. We asked our driver to take us to a good local place to eat. He found us a place that had a huge line up of locals and looked like a small hole in the wall. Around back was a beautiful shaded seating area with table service and we couldn't have been happier. The food was outstanding! By the time we were done (and totally stuffed) we were ready to head back. Our driver was concerned as he hadn't taken us to any of the places on his list - we assured him it was all good. He probably couldn't understand why we had paid $50 each for a ride to the beach and to lunch. Lol. Going back turned out to be a smart move as the traffic was crazy all the way to the ship - it took almost an hour, so had we stopped and done other stuff we would have been cutting it close! I would definitely recommend this company - we felt safe, had a great air conditioned private van, and had no hassles from anyone.

 

ROATAN: We did the ship excursion to Gumbalimba Park and Tabyana Beach. I found this excursion to be disappointing - I was expecting that we would be able to walk around the park by ourselves, but you are with a guide the entire time. While our guide was great and knowledgeable, I really didn't need to know about trees and plants - I was there for the monkeys! There was a lot of information and very little wildlife interaction - we got to hold macaws and monkeys and get a picture taken (it took all of 2 minutes). From there, we headed to the beach - beautiful beach, good lunch but the storm rolling in meant we only stayed for about half hour before hopping on the next bus back to the ship. Smart move as the downpour was insane! Back on the ship, we spoke to people that had done a private tour to the sloth place (that was my first choice but my teen wanted monkeys). They told us that in addition to sloths, they got to hold monkeys and macaws. DOH. While this excursion was fine, I wouldn't recommend it if the sole reason for going is for monkeys - you have less time with them than anything else on the excursion.

 

BELIZE: We weren't planning on getting off the ship here, so not too disappointed when the captain announced we had to cancel the port due to the weather.

 

COSTA MAYA: I was looking forward to this port as we had booked privately for Maya Chan. Sadly, the weather Gods were not on our side. We took a long time to get the ship secured due to the winds - MSC and RCCL both left after trying unsuccessfully. The weather was windy and rainy and cold - not ideal beach weather. Mark, from Maya Chan, gave us the option to keep the booking or cancel and we decided to cancel. We did get off and wander the port area but the constant harassment by folks trying to get you into their store to try their face creams annoyed me. Hopefully one day I will return and try Maya Chan.

 

COZUMEL: We had nothing planned here and were going to just get a cab to Paradise Beach. However, when we saw how many other ships were in port with us we booked a last minute ship excursion to an all inclusive beach. It turned out to be Islands. It was ok but not really a "beach". Very little sand, pretty rocky, and water was choppy. There was a small pool that the kids spent a lot of time in. The drinks were plentiful but not strong - until I moved to Tequila Sunrise. Those were much better! There was lunch included and it was good. I'm not sure why Princess uses this place over the many beautiful beaches in Cozumel. It worked for what we were looking for and the weather was such that we didn't go in the ocean anyways, but had it been a beautiful sunny day I would have been disappointed in the lack of beach.

[ceilidh1]

MISCELLANEOUS: For all the little bits and pieces that don't fit anywhere else...

 

This was a full sailing and had almost 500 kids onboard. For the most part, I rarely saw them. They were definitely in the pools and hot tubs and there was a group of teen boys that wandered around in bathrobes and captain hats (?) but otherwise the kids weren't really noticeable so the kid clubs obviously did their job. My 11 year old disappeared to the club at every opportunity and my teen made friends on the first day and they hung out together - so I really didn't see my kids too much either!

 

Pool deck was always busy and chair hogs in abundance. Lots of new cruisers on this sailing, so giving them the benefit of the doubt of not knowing any better. I only used the hot tub once as it was just too busy most times - the water was warm and the bubbles non-existent. I didn't use the pool but my kids said the water wasn't cold. It seemed to get a lot of use! There were lifejackets available for those that need it.

 

Drink package - for the first time in forever, my drink package was recognized and worked correctly. Not one time did I have to get a charge removed throughout the cruise. This was a pleasant surprise. I did buy a cocktail for $15 and only $3 was charged to my account (I expected gratuity as well). Speaking of gratuity, since the packages came about and no one signs for drinks, etc anymore I notice that there are very few tipping their servers and bartenders. I took $150 in singles with me and used every one of them as tips for every drink. I was obviously in the minority as the look of surprise and gratitude when I handed over the tip was genuine! Another observation with the drink package - there was never an issue getting more than one drink at a time, even through the app. I am NOT encouraging sharing or breaking the rules, but it would be easy to do. My kids both had Plus package but were never once asked at either bars, dining rooms, or pool (they still ask the cabin number for alcohol even though the medallion shows on the screen). You can definitely still order room service and use the Plus package right now (rules say differently so it might change).

 

The highlight of this sailing was being invited to the MTG lunch and dining with the captain and his wife. This is something I will never forget and was truly special. The food was outstanding, service impeccable, and the whole event just a once in a lifetime treat.

 

[ceilidh1]

DISEMBARKATION: We had transfers through Princess so never needed to fill out the sheet they provide. We were meant to be first off at 8am and waited in Fusion (elite/platinum lounge). They had tea, coffee, and pastries there and it wasn't crowded - hallways and lounges, on the other hand, were a sea of people and bags. Walk offs were called on time but there was some hold up with bags shoreside so we weren't called off until 8:45am. We were through customs/immigration quickly and directed to the buses. There was much confusion at the bus line - one person telling you to go one place, another telling you to go somewhere else. The guy took our bags but then the lady told us we couldn't go on that bus...umm, I'm going with my bags. Then there was some confusion as to how many were on the bus and they walked up and down counting several times. In the end, they had us count off, like at school. Even my 11 year old was able to figure out that if you have 48 seats and each is full, you have 48 passengers. Anyways, we were on our way to the airport by 9:10am. There wasn't much traffic and we were at our terminal by 10:40am. I had a little panic when all the bags were out but no sign of mine - apparently, they had been loaded with the bags for United, even though I said three times we were flying West Jet. The poor driver had to unload almost ALL the bags in that bin to get to mine.

 

Overall, disembark gets a 7/10 - good price, fast ride, and we got to where we needed to be. BUT a little stressful, disorganized and they need to communicate with one another better!

[ceilidh1]

FINAL MARK: This cruise got a solid 8/10 overall from us! We had a great time, made lots of memories, and enjoyed sailing with friends. We love holiday cruises and will definitely sail again at this time of year. Our next booked cruise is in April on NCL Bliss (short 5 day coastal that is "tradition" as we do it every year). I had said going in that this would likely be my last time on Princess - we have simply outgrown them and the lack of new shows/entertainment means that we see and do the same thing over and over. Princess would need to offer a great deal for me to rush back at this point - there are simply too many other options to stay with one line these days!

[TNTLAMB]

On 12/28/2022 at 7:46 AM, texswamper said:

Wish Princess had the money, manpower or resources to have painted that hull during the shutdown.  That makes Princess look bad IMHO but we will enjoy the cruise regardless.  Thanks again for all of your posting great photos and information for those looking forward to boarding in Galveston soon!  I hope your journey home will be easy!

That hull is painted on a rotating/continual basis. It was perfect at least twice during the cruise......