Just off Ruby, hugely disappointed

[cacy6893076]

I also think that 2 turnarounds in 6 days must be brutal on the crew when they are used to those settling in for a 10 dayer or a 7 dayer. Honestly don't know how those carnival crew members do the continuous on load/ off load on 3-4 day sailings.

[B744]

bassetdaddy, we returned from the following 3 Day Caribbean Sampler yesterday morning, and we had a great time. Now, I cruised the Crown Princess in 2006, and heard many people who've cruised with Princess before echo your sentiments, ie., things you used to get complimentary now cost you $$. The Crown cruise was my first Princess cruise, so I had nothing to measure it with, but I will cruise Princess again. My only complaint was the extremely small bathroom in our Oceanview cabin. We had a Cat. EE on the Plaza deck, but it was only 3 days.

We missed Princess Cays because of the foul weather, 30 knot winds and 6 ft waves at Princess Cays, made it unsafe for tendering, but we enjoyed the 3 day cruise. We do many of those short cruises as we live very near Port Everglades and Miami.

[Colo Cruiser]

bassetdaddy, we returned from the following 3 Day Caribbean Sampler yesterday morning, and we had a great time. Now, I cruised the Crown Princess in 2006, and heard many people who've cruised with Princess before echo your sentiments, ie., things you used to get complimentary now cost you $$. The Crown cruise was my first Princess cruise, so I had nothing to measure it with, but I will cruise Princess again. My only complaint was the extremely small bathroom in our Oceanview cabin. We had a Cat. EE on the Plaza deck, but it was only 3 days.

We missed Princess Cays because of the foul weather, 30 knot winds and 6 ft waves at Princess Cays, made it unsafe for tendering, but we enjoyed the 3 day cruise. We do many of those short cruises as we live very near Port Everglades and Miami.

 

Thanks for the comments...

I'll take that 3 day anyday. :D

[sunlover5]

Our DD and SIL just got off the 3 day cruise. Her 3rd cruise,,his first.

They said the shows were wonderful. They loved their cabin.

A few things they agree with as other posters stated: My SIL bought a beverage card(for soda, pop) he said they just did everything to avoid him and serving him. They thought the food was terrible especially breakfast.

My DD felt the crew was rude especially when the stop at Princess Cay was canceled. She did say they did a great job of adding things to do for the day on such short notice.

Hopefully it was just because it was a 3 day, as we want to take their family on another cruise. It will definitely be 7 nights or longer, but we will probably stick with a different line. Luckily our SIL said he would give it another shot sometime but was not impressed this time.

[B744]

On the issue of food quality, I thought it was extremely good. We ate at the Crown Grill on Thursday night, Sabatini's On Friday night, and Michangelo's Anytime Dining Room on Saturday night. The Cafe Caribe and Horizon Court Buffets were excellent, the usual wide array of items for breakfast and lunch. We also had Ice Cream and Pizza at the Ice Cream and Pizza Bar, both were excellent, as were the hamburgers and hot dogs. The International Cafe's salads, sandwiches, sugar-free treats and coffee were very tasty, loved it all. I really cannot complain on food quality.

Troy was great, very clean jokes, which were the main comments of everyone. He drew huge crowds at the Explorers Lounge the following night after his appearance in the Princess Theater. Skywalkers nightclub is my favorite nightclub on Princess ships. I just wished there was more Soca and reggae music there.

[B744]

Thanks for the comments...

I'll take that 3 day anyday. :D

 

You're welcomed. The two 3 day cruises on Ruby was as a result of a canceled dry dock. Princess decided to have two of these sailings to give people a taste of the Princess experience.

I never thought I would love the 3 day cruises, but they are great weekend getaways.

[ibfern]

I have to agree with the posters who were dissatisfied passengers on the Ruby. We did the Ruby's Transatlantic sailing in April, and were very disappointed in service throughout the ship, and cuisine preparation and quality were quite poor. Yet, our other cruises on Princess this year, ranged from good to wonderful, depending on the ship. For the newest ship in the fleet, the Ruby, one would think they would put their best people on staff, but we found it to be the worst service on any ship we had ever sailed throughout our years of sailing.:eek: And yet, the Grand, last January on the 14 day Caribbean sailing, which is one of the older ships, was the greatest!!! So great, in fact, that we are doing them again next month. :)

 

We were on the same TA cruise but experienced the best food and service we ever had on a Princess Ship, go figure????

[Rockwife]

Our third cruise with Princess and our shortest ever, so it's hard to compare. I also had a cold relapse on Saturday, which had me stuck in my cabin all day. . . blah!

 

The food? Just fine - nothing outstanding except for the sushi from Vines and the International Cafe offerings (lovely pasteries in the mornings, sandwiches & salads in the afternoons/evenings, and gelato- $1.50, but worth twice the price!) MDR selections were good. Hubby's prime rib on the first night was probably the best he's had on a ship that he didn't pay extra for and the scallops I had the second night were very tasty. As usual, soups were very good. Everything else was decent, but not roll-eyes-up-into-head good (which I wasn't expecting).

 

Pub lunch was excellent. Fish and chips were better than our local "Irish" pub!

 

Service? Spotty- it was tough getting drink service at times on the decks or even in bars. Had to wait almost 30 minutes for martinis one night at Crooners and getting coffee in the morning at the International Cafe was a struggle. Buffet service was pretty impressive, I thought, with plenty of offers to get drinks (free or otherwise) and quick clearing of tables. MDR service was effecient and friendly.

 

Decor? I couldn't tell this was a new ship, personally. Princess leans towards drab and I prefer Celebrity's modern art and colors. It was pretty, but just very safe and ho-hum.

 

Layout? Love the small, cozy places on the ship, and this was the first ship I've ever sailed where it was *easy* to avoid the Casino. Even though we had an inside cabin it felt large to me and the bathroom layout felt roomy. There was plenty of storage space and we only used a fraction of it on such a short cruise.

 

Can't comment on the entertainment or activites since I was sick 1/3 of the time and didn't participate as much as usual. Embarkation/ Disembarkation were both very quick and smooth.

[Colo Cruiser]

Welcome back and thanks for the comments. :)

[GottoCruise]

We're just back from Dec. 14 and Dec. 17 (b2b) on the Ruby - I don't understand all the complaints!

We have(close to) 40 Princess cruises, & 500 Princess days - plus many, many other ships' experiences over the years.

 

Yes, things have changed over the years -but cruising is still the best 'bang for your buck' if/when you know the correct way to manage your experience. Do your research folks - pick your cabin location, your dining choice, & plan ahead for each day's activities.

 

This was our first time on the Ruby - WE LOVED THE SHIP!

 

I found the staff very accommodating and the food wonderful! - We ate in the MichaelAngelo for Anytime Dinning - we quickly identified and reserved our time and wonderful wait staff for each night - (they were superb!)

 

We enjoyed occassional snacking at the various venues around the ship - How could anyone 'fault' lack of lobster (?) you could have eaten 20 lbs. at the seafood buffet on the first night (request the staff to 'heat' and it was done politely!)

 

Weather was perfect on the first (3) days but lousy on the 2nd 3 days - but there is/was plenty to do on the ship to amuse yourself without the pool and MUTS.

 

As Elite, w/'Loyallty' OBC, CCL Shareholder OBC & Princess VISA CC holder OBC (for 'reward points'), we had Free Internet, laundry done, free drink setups (2X), and more OBC than we could use for each 3 day sebment - Even with daily TIPS counted in we had $$ left on our invoices so we requested and got CASH BACK for each cruise segment.

 

Yes - you can say I'm a proud Princess 'Cheerleader' :D -

 

Happy sails!

 

Renee (aka GotToCruise)

[sunsetbeachgal]

Hi Renee (GottoCruise),

 

Folks like you are a breath of fresh air.:o..thanks for the review and continued happy cruising!!!

[highheel girl]

I second that!! ;)

[shepp]

Since I just returned from my 2nd Princess cruise ever (and 5th overall), I've been following this thread with interest. Granted, the Crown is not the Ruby, and a 3-dayer not a weeklong cruise. That being said...

 

I'm not a hardcore foodie, but I live in San Francisco, have traveled widely, and think I have a pretty well-developed palate. I found the food in the Crown's MDR, International Cafe, and Pizzeria to be really good (the buffet and Princess Cays barbeque somewhat less so). I'm used to sleeping on a firm mattress, and found my bed comfy. And the Crown's staff was unfailingly helpful and cheery without being either excessively servile or overly familiar. Every night after the first, our iced teas were waiting on our table, and were replenished without our asking.

 

No product as complex as a cruise can be uniformly excellent every time. Not every waiter will be to your liking, not every dish will be sufficiently spicy or bland or rare or well-done. My favorite Indian restaurant in the world is a joint in the Tenderloin: the butter chicken and baingan bharta are superb, but the biriyani sucks. Celebrity is renowned for its service, but our first waiter on the Mercury was a disaster. We switched tables and ended up with a great waitstaff. It happens. (And hey, Rockwife praised the prime rib, which I found disappointing, but my tournedos were terrific. Go figure.)

 

We did experience one big faux pas on the Crown: it was my partner's retirement celebration, but the arranged-for cake never arrived, leaving us feeling a bit let down. The assistant headwaiter caught up with us on our way out of the dining room, admitted the error, and told us he'd have it sent to our cabin. Said gateau arrived 1 1/2 hours later, at 11:15, when we were already ready for sleep! Yes, we ate it in bed, and it was really, really yummy.

 

Now, would I let something like that (or a missing sorbet) lead me to swear I'd never sail Princess again? I'm no cheerleader, but I have to say "of course not." I'm not disputing the above complaints, some of which sound pretty serious, but whenever I read a sweeping proclamation like "I'll never sail Princess again because they don't provide fish knives," it makes my jaw drop. Makes me wonder what sort of flawless lives some CCers lead...

[sultan_sfo]

For those unfamiliar: From MS Dictionary: Tenderloin -- a part of a city where prostitution, vice, and extortion are common . But the SF Tenderloin also has a collection of some interesting very inexpensive but excellent food restaurants. Shepp -- hope you don't mind my attempt at explanation of the term.

 

...

My favorite Indian restaurant in the world is a joint in the Tenderloin: the butter chicken and baingan bharta are superb, but the biriyani sucks.

...

Makes me wonder what sort of flawless lives some CCers lead...

[djhsolara]

Just off the sailing of the 17th...and just to add my comments. I will post more later but wanted to just give a few opinions based on comments here on this thread (as we had no real problems/issues)...

 

If this is a sampler, to agree with another poster above, one would think that everything would be spot-on rather than lack-luster. If it is a "sample" of what Princess has to offer, then they should be showing their best because many people may be using this sampler as a gauge of what Princess will be offering on their longer sailings. We have only sailed on Princess for two different "sampler" sailings...and have yet to be wowed enough to say that we want to sail on a longer sailing.

 

I'm not saying that I need to be wowed about everything, but if this is a sample of their longer sailings, then as we said to one another at the end of this sailing, we need to be heading back to Holland America. As I said above, it isn't that anything was wrong or that we had any problems, it just seems that the product that Princess is offering is not something that we would enjoy for a longer sailing. I realize that they run their cruiselines as separate entities, but one would think that Carnival Corporation would want to see consistency among their products.

[BOShappytraveler]

Duplicate post.

[BOShappytraveler]

Just flew back home today after a 3 day sampler cruise from 12/17.

I will be posting my review later ( from a first time cruiser's perpective) though I have been lurking around this board for some time prior to the cruise. There are some positives and to be fair, some things that wasn't done nearly as well. I think I have realistic expectations (I'm not expecting perfection nor do I expect 4 star on everything), but I do expect that everything should be at least average or above (compared to regular services since I don't have other cruise experience to compare it to). I don't think it's too unreasonable to expect that given that it costs nearly 1k for 2 on a 3 day cruise.

 

I agree with previous posters who mentioned that things or service shouldn't be worse because it is a three day cruise. Having never cruised before, I wanted to sample it to see what princess had to offer and that there will be future cruises if this sample cruise goes well. I would think that princess may want to put their best put forward because these are good ways to get people to sign up for longer cruises, so it would be wise for them to provide superior services. Not an expectation, but certainly good business sense.

 

I will post my review later and gave a great trip to those who will be cruising soon.

[B744]

We're just back from Dec. 14 and Dec. 17 (b2b) on the Ruby - I don't understand all the complaints!

We have(close to) 40 Princess cruises, & 500 Princess days - plus many, many other ships' experiences over the years.

 

Yes, things have changed over the years -but cruising is still the best 'bang for your buck' if/when you know the correct way to manage your experience. Do your research folks - pick your cabin location, your dining choice, & plan ahead for each day's activities.

 

This was our first time on the Ruby - WE LOVED THE SHIP!

 

I found the staff very accommodating and the food wonderful! - We ate in the MichaelAngelo for Anytime Dinning - we quickly identified and reserved our time and wonderful wait staff for each night - (they were superb!)

 

We enjoyed occassional snacking at the various venues around the ship - How could anyone 'fault' lack of lobster (?) you could have eaten 20 lbs. at the seafood buffet on the first night (request the staff to 'heat' and it was done politely!)

 

Weather was perfect on the first (3) days but lousy on the 2nd 3 days - but there is/was plenty to do on the ship to amuse yourself without the pool and MUTS.

 

As Elite, w/'Loyallty' OBC, CCL Shareholder OBC & Princess VISA CC holder OBC (for 'reward points'), we had Free Internet, laundry done, free drink setups (2X), and more OBC than we could use for each 3 day sebment - Even with daily TIPS counted in we had $$ left on our invoices so we requested and got CASH BACK for each cruise segment.

 

Yes - you can say I'm a proud Princess 'Cheerleader' :D -

 

Happy sails!

 

Renee (aka GotToCruise)

 

Renee, well stated.

[kooljamming]

We're just back from Dec. 14 and Dec. 17 (b2b) on the Ruby - I don't understand all the complaints!

 

Wouldn't it be a fair for someone to say they don't understand all the praise:confused: I think people travel with different expectations which in term leads to different experience. None more or less valid than the other. Always good when expecations are met and even exceeded.....JMOP

 

The rest...well said on your experince:D

[Cruisin' Chick]

I've been on some three and four day cruises on Carnival (just because they were convenient for us), but after our 15-day cruise, it's likely we wouldn't do one quickie cruises again. But those were on ships that would normally do those short cruises so most likely the crew members wouldn't have a short cruise "letdown."

 

One thing I don't understand about the OP's initial post was that he or she didn't get the sorbet just because he thought it would be extra. Has something changed on Princess that, other than beverages, you would get charged for something served in the MDR? And if you weren't sure, wouldn't you ask before assuming it was different?

[Mapu]

I've been on some three and four day cruises on Carnival (just because they were convenient for us)' date=' but after our 15-day cruise, it's likely we wouldn't do one quickie cruises again. But those were on ships that would normally do those short cruises so most likely the crew members wouldn't have a short cruise "letdown."

 

One thing I don't understand about the OP's initial post was that he or she didn't get the sorbet just because he thought it would be extra. Has something changed on Princess that, other than beverages, you would get charged for something served in the MDR? And if you weren't sure, wouldn't you ask before assuming it was different?[/quote']

 

There was no charge for the sorbet. It was a way to make the meal "special" that night.

[cindep]

As a Princess Elite, I can't say that our trip on the Ruby (same cruise) was exceptional ... we've had better on Princess. That being said, however, it was in no way terrible either. I was impressed that they managed to cram in things like a production show and the champagne waterfall in a 3 night cruise. They also did the culinary demonstration, ice carving, vegetable/fruit carving, flower arranging, and towel animal demonstrations. To me that's a pretty good "sample" of what Princess does on the longer cruises.

 

I went with a very low expectation, and the cruise met and/or exceeded that expectation. The friends we traveled with were first-time cruisers and didn't want to spend a lot for their first cruise if they found it was not for them. They're telling everyone who will listen that it was the best vacation EVER!

 

Personally, I would never do another 3 day cruise ... just too short for my liking. But I feel Princess does an adequate job delivering a decent product for such a short time span.

[Cruisin' Chick]

There was no charge for the sorbet. It was a way to make the meal "special" that night.

 

So why did the OP think there was a charge for it? There has never been a charge for any dessert or any course for that matter in the MDR.

[cruisemom42]

So why did the OP think there was a charge for it? There has never been a charge for any dessert or any course for that matter in the MDR.

 

I do not think the OP thought that there was a charge for it. He was upset that the sorbet wasn't brought automatically (e.g., you had to tell the waiter that you wanted it).

[delidan]

I can't believe someone would be "HUGELY DISAPOINTED' in a cruise because they didn't get a spoonful of sherert.