Ruby Princess vs RCL Allure

[timbom]

Just got back from from taking a back to back on these two ships.  Both were enjoyable ships but enjoyed the Ruby far more.  I have been on more than fifty cruises so believe these pros and cons valid.

 

Allure pros-

Entertainment was much more varied but not as much as I expected.  Ruby had very good headliners and decent produced shows.  

Inside balcony I loved as it was insulated from the wind and direct sun.  Plus was much more modern.

Check in was a breeze as was check out.  Best I have ever seen till I got on the Ruby with its check I which was even better.  Both lines get A plus on this

Bells and whistles (slides, water park, diving shows, ice skating. wall climb and flow rider) not offered on Ruby  

Allure cons;

Elevators and crowds everyplace- Perhaps the most overcrowded ship I have ever been on ship is not designed for the number of people on this ship.

Central park was all dead from freeze.  Was told they will not even try to replant till late March.

Cruise director, and staff were just phoning it in felt they were way overworked

Parking was far more expensive than parking for Ruby

Diamond lounge is way overcrowded with over 1100   diamond and above in lounge.

Specialty dining was twice as expensive as Ruby and not as good

Drinks were usually not prepared properly  (due to large numbers getting free drinks).  After several were sent back some of the lazy servers realized we knew how a drink should be made and made them properly

Buffet was not good for lunch.  Ok in AM and did not eat dinner

 

Ruby Pros

Crowds were never a problem and staff was much better trained in proper service  

Food quality was far better and menu much more varied.  Most of the main dining meals were equal to those served in specialty restaurants on RCL

Average age was older on ship so there were fewer children.

Honduras stop was much nicer as they dropped you off on beach resort at no extra charge while RCL dropped you off in the middle of a third world country

Platinum and above lounge had better appetizers and was less crowded even if you had to pay for drinks

Great ship band and dance bands

Far better price

 

Ruby cons

Older ship showing its age needs an upgrade badly

Internet did not work as well as the RCL ship

Casino far to smoky

Only sails from Galveston till April

[mek]

17 hours ago, timbom said:

Just got back from from taking a back to back on these two ships.  Both were enjoyable ships but enjoyed the Ruby far more.  I have been on more than fifty cruises so believe these pros and cons valid.

 

Allure pros-

Entertainment was much more varied but not as much as I expected.  Ruby had very good headliners and decent produced shows.  

Inside balcony I loved as it was insulated from the wind and direct sun.  Plus was much more modern.

Check in was a breeze as was check out.  Best I have ever seen till I got on the Ruby with its check I which was even better.  Both lines get A plus on this

Bells and whistles (slides, water park, diving shows, ice skating. wall climb and flow rider) not offered on Ruby  

Allure cons;

Elevators and crowds everyplace- Perhaps the most overcrowded ship I have ever been on ship is not designed for the number of people on this ship.

Central park was all dead from freeze.  Was told they will not even try to replant till late March.

Cruise director, and staff were just phoning it in felt they were way overworked

Parking was far more expensive than parking for Ruby

Diamond lounge is way overcrowded with over 1100   diamond and above in lounge.

Specialty dining was twice as expensive as Ruby and not as good

Drinks were usually not prepared properly  (due to large numbers getting free drinks).  After several were sent back some of the lazy servers realized we knew how a drink should be made and made them properly

Buffet was not good for lunch.  Ok in AM and did not eat dinner

 

Ruby Pros

Crowds were never a problem and staff was much better trained in proper service  

Food quality was far better and menu much more varied.  Most of the main dining meals were equal to those served in specialty restaurants on RCL

Average age was older on ship so there were fewer children.

Honduras stop was much nicer as they dropped you off on beach resort at no extra charge while RCL dropped you off in the middle of a third world country

Platinum and above lounge had better appetizers and was less crowded even if you had to pay for drinks

Great ship band and dance bands

Far better price

 

Ruby cons

Older ship showing its age needs an upgrade badly

Internet did not work as well as the RCL ship

Casino far to smoky

Only sails from Galveston till April

Thanks - I've been looking at Ruby Princess - some good prices right now and I'm tired of Royal.

[smokeybandit]

Interesting that a "pro" was that the ship wasn't full

[happy cruzer]

What seating did you have in the cabin on Ruby?  We have been off of Princess since they only provide one desk chair as seating until your book a suite (did this change)?  Sounds silly but we all have preferences.

 

Good point about the dated ship decor on Ruby.  It is fine with many but it you are used to RCL ships it would be very different.

[hotsauce126]

28 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Interesting that a "pro" was that the ship wasn't full

I find it interesting that you find that interesting lol. Why wouldn’t that be a pro?

[jaredhamburg]

10 minutes ago, happy cruzer said:

What seating did you have in the cabin on Ruby?  We have been off of Princess since they only provide one desk chair as seating until your book a suite (did this change)?  Sounds silly but we all have preferences.

 

Good point about the dated ship decor on Ruby.  It is fine with many but it you are used to RCL ships it would be very different.

 

That is their older class of ship like Ruby.  Their Royal class ships (like Royal, Regal, Majestic, etc) have balcony cabins with a sofa if you select the premium kind.  I do not like not having a sofa either, but the Ruby Princess was an amazing deal out of Galveston last month.  I really like having more cruise lines, more choices, and more competition in Galveston.  I am typically a Princess cruiser, but we are trying Royal Caribbean next year on Harmony of the Seas.

[packedandready]

Thank you for the comparison. We’re diamond + with Royal and have a number with various other lines. This will be our first with Princess. Looking for a quieter, calmer line. 

[time4u2go]

45 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

Interesting that a "pro" was that the ship wasn't full

Where did they say that the ship wasn't full? 

 

Edited February 9, 2023 by time4u2go

[George C]

36 minutes ago, hotsauce126 said:

I find it interesting that you find that interesting lol. Why wouldn’t that be a pro?

The reason we stopped cruising Princess is it was so crowded, could not get seats for shows,  would have loved to see it at 50 percent capacity.

[timbom]

Was told they were at about 1600 week we sailed and were expecting 3000 the next week.  Suspect their service will not be as good. 

 

They have some really good pricing still so suspect they are having trouble filling ship.  Yes missed couch and shower doors on Ruby ship.