Review of Christmas Cruise if Ruby - Wonderful!

[kelzer]

This is my first review of a cruise. I hope you find it helpful. Most of the information has been previously posted by others but I wanted to share our opinions for whatever they are worth.

 

About us

Our family includes my husband and me (in our late forties), 21 and 18 year old daughters, a 15 year old son and for this cruise, we also brought my 77 year old father-in-law. We have cruised once before on Princess (Crown) and twice with RCCL (Sovereign OTS and Liberty OTS).

Pre-Cruise

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Airport North in Fort Lauderdale. The hotel was about a 5 minute ride to the cruise port in the hotel’s complimentary shuttle. It was clean, comfortable and conveniently located beside a strip mall with a Winn Dixie and other services. For a one night pre-cruise stay, with little time to sight-see, I would recommend it. Also within walking distance was a Walgreens which was important to us because we require Bonine to cruise without feeling ill and are unable to buy it at home in Canada.

Embarkation

We arrived at the cruise port at 11:30 am. Embarkation took approximately half an hour from start to finish. The staff was efficient and friendly.

Ship and Crew

This ship is really beautiful. There are many lovely tile mosaics on the floor and walls as well as attractive artwork. There were several Christmas trees and other decorations around the ship which made it festive for those of us who celebrate this holiday. Christmas music played all week. All crew members we interacted with were friendly and worked really hard. If we were on deck on in a lounge, service was prompt and efficient. We were very conscious of the fact that they were away from their families for the holidays.

Cabin

Our cabins were located mid-ship close to the aft elevators on the Aloha deck (A631 A634 and A530). They were very convenient to the buffet and pool decks. They were all pristine when we arrived, with a bucket of ice in the mini-fridge and a cover on one of the beds to protect the linens from luggage while unpacking. We found the storage to be plentiful for two passengers, with loads of room in the closet, cupboard and various drawers. The balconies on this deck are covered which we prefer for some protection from the sun as well as privacy. We did have neighbours who were smokers and although we are sensitive to the smell of smoke, it was not a big problem. We seemed to use our balconies at different times and the odour was rarely noticeable.

Dining

We had a 5:30 seating time for traditional dining in the Da Vinci dining room. We only booked this cruise 4 weeks before departing so were not surprised that the 6:00 time was full. We were concerned that it would be too early but in the end worked out well. We were able to eat and enjoy the earlier shows, as well as later activities when we wished to do so. Our server (Norman) and his assistance (Francisco) were awesome. They were quietly efficient, friendly, remembered our preferences each night and handled my food allergies with great care and consideration. We found the food to range from good to excellent. The fillet of beef on the last night was incredibly tender and the many fish dishes I choose were memorable. The shrimp cocktail was a bit soft but fine. One complaint was that my daughter, who is vegetarian, found that the choices for her were very limited. There was one entre each night as well as the standing fettuccini alfredo (which is yummy but very rich and not the healthiest). The buffet was fine. There was a lot of choice although it strangely all starts to taste the same by the end of the week. Still, I did not have to cook or clean up and all family members could choose what they wanted so I have no complaints.

Entertainment/Activities

In the inevitable comparison to RCCL, we felt that this was not Princess’s strength and would rate it as good – not great. We saw a comedian (Phil Tag), two shows in the theatre, pianist David Juneau in Adagio’s and The Luciana De Rissio Quartet in the Wheelhouse Pub. We played in several of the trivia contests which were sparsely attended but enjoyable. On our last Princess cruise we enjoyed MUTS, however on this cruise we were not as happy with the selection. Sometimes it was just a problem with timing (movies that appealed being played in the middle of port days instead of the evenings.) Again, this is just our opinion. In case they are of interest to others, here are a few that were offered: Three nights of NFL football, Clash of the Titans, Toy Story 3 (the best of the bunch for us), The Polar Express, U2 concert, Beyonce concert, Christina Aquilera Concert, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Inception, The Switch, and Eat Pray Love. My son attended the teen club on the first night and met some nice kids. There were many organized activities and the staff seemed to be enthusiastic and welcoming. Despite this, as often happens I think, the teens left the club and hung out elsewhere on the ship. For the remainder of the cruise he chose to stay with the family which was great for us. He was disappointed with the sports court compared to the one on Liberty of the Seas.

Ports

It was a bit windy and only 21 C (72 F) on PRINCESS CAY but we enjoyed a nice beach day. It is a lovely place and totally relaxing. The clamshells we had reserved worked well on this day to block the wind. We opted to skip the beach on ST MARTIN and spend the day in Marigot. There was a ton of traffic and it took about 45 minutes in the cab to get there (our driver was very frustrated and clearly voiced this). We shopped in the boutiques, the West Indies Mall (several upscale stores) and the outdoor market. We then walked to the top of Fort Louis where we got great photos of the kids in the ruins and the breathtaking views. ST THOMAS was a beach day at Magen’s Bay. We had never been there but had read about the calm, clear water. In fact, on the day we were there, the waves were the biggest and strongest I had ever seen. We were soaked just walking along the beach looking for a place to sit for the day. It was actually really funny. We had a great time playing in the waves but you did have to be careful because a few times we would actually be caught in the force of the water, knocked over and pushed up against the shore. It was not a good day for the families with small children. We did really enjoy our time there. It was clean, there were bathrooms and showers, and we felt very safe during our visit. The last port was GRAND TURK. This day was disappointing but only because of the weather. I am sure it is gorgeous much of the time. It was overcast and a bit cool. We were looking forward to snorkelling but it was too rough. Still, sitting under the palms reading a book and chatting is not a bad way to spend a day and it was very easy to just exit the ship and walk to the beach. We did some shopping in the shops at the port.

Disembarkation

This part of the cruise was incredibly efficient. We left the ship at 8:15 am, as scheduled, and had checked in our luggage with our airline by 8:45. Unbelievable!

Overall Impressions

We had a wonderful Christmas cruise and time with our multi-generational family on the Ruby and will not hesitate to take another cruise on this or any Princess ship.

[Shogun]

Hi There

 

Thank you for your review a few months before we get a chance to cruise on the Ruby.

 

 

yours Shogun

[Northender]

Thanks for the review. The Ruby is a wonderful ship:)

[Divette]

Thank you! This has been the most helpful review yet for me. We will be cruising on the Ruby in April. My husband and I are the same age as you, will be travelling with a 14 and 16 year old and will be in A622 and A624. Very similar stories. Glad you had a great time.

[kelzer]

Divette, I am so glad you found the review to be helpful and hope you and your family have a fabulous time!

[san diego sue]

After reading your review, I booked the Hampton Inn. I couldn't make up my mind on which Hotel to stay pre cruise and wasn't familiar with areas of Ft. Lauderdale. This was exactly the location I wanted. Thanks for mentioning it.

[Caribbean Sunsets]

Glad you had a great cruise. The Ruby is a beautiful ship...and one of my favorites.

[trixiee]

My countdown clock says 1 day, 21 hours and 16 minutes! :D

Thanks for a taste of the ship prior to boarding! :)

I have Bonine on my list, too!

[jaynak]

A lovely review. Thank you very much.

Jayna k

[cruiselover4me]

Thank you for a great review. We are also new to Ruby Princess and leave out of FLL on Sunday:cool:

[Coolmama_1]

Thanks for the review. Sounds like you had a great time.

[Tak8]

Glad you enjoyed The Ruby. I was on her last Christmas. A great ship and a great time.

[rdsqrl]

Thanks for the review; glad you had an enjoyable time.

And Bon Voyage, Trixiee!!

[srpilo]

Thanks for sharing ..

 

 

 

 

 

Sounds like Good Times :)

Srpilo

[AmberTeka]

I would love to sail on The Ruby. But it goes to the same old places. St. Martinn, St. Thomas, Princess Cay..perhaps Grand Turk.

 

How many times have YOU been to all of the above?

 

With the exception of Princess Cays, because it can be the perfect beach day....why in the world does Princess not come up with some different ports on a few seven day cruises?

 

HAL does a seven day cruise to Aruba and Curaso. We loved it.

 

Carnival has a new eight day cruise to Aruba, Dominica, Grand Turk and Curaso..8 days. Check the prices on that one. It is booked solid for a year.

 

An Eight day cruise to Barbatos and Trinidad or Bonaire...or somewhere other than St. Thomas and St. Martinn. Please.

[Putterdude]

Thanks for your review, we are just a litte more than two weeks away from boarding her for the first time. Our little 3 year DGD, Ruby, is just as excited as her grandmother that we are sailing on the Ruby Princess.:)

[Vexorg]

"Only" 72 degrees on Princess Cays? Where are you coming from that 72 would be considered "only"? :D

 

Anyway, great review. I'm Sailing on the Ruby myself at the end of March, and looking forward to it.

[erewhon]

kelzer,

 

Thank you for your review.

Are trays available for passenger use, in the buffet dining area?

[kelzer]

In answer to your questions/comments:

1. I did not see any trays in the buffet areas

2. I agree regarding the ports. We have done this itinerary twice and although we enjoyed it, would love to visit some of the places you mentioned

3. Regarding the temperature on Princess Cay, we are actually from Ottawa, Canada so it was much warmer than home (by about 30 degrees) which we appreciated. The wind made it seem cool for swimming and not many people were in the water. It would have been a perfect temperature for a sightseeing sort of day. Still, a lovely place to sit and relax.

[cruzinchris]

"...One complaint was that my daughter, who is vegetarian, found that the choices for her were very limited..."

Did your daughter speak with a head waiter or the Maitre d' regarding vegetarian selections? Princess is very accommodating if they know in advance that a passenger has special dietary needs. Your daughter could have requested to see the menu for the following night and discussed possible vegetarian options. Even if something doesn't appear on the menu, it can be often be prepared with advance notice. Bon Appetit!

Chris

[6pack]

We did the same Christmas cruise on the Ruby last year. LOVED IT! :)

[kelzer]

Thanks for the tip regarding vegetarian options. We did ask our waiter but he said that the only options were on the menu. I guess I accepted his answer too easily and should have asked the Maitre d'.( I was talking to him every evening as it was regarding allergies).

[emerald444]

We did too we are going Again eight more days so excited