Sillyjilly Posted January 17, 2017 #1 Share Posted January 17, 2017 (edited) First of all let me say that Princess has always been my cruise line of choice and I have cruised on her over 50 times. At least 10 of those on the Ruby. I just got off the Ruby today and I must say that the food was HORRIBLE. I was just on her in Sept and all was well. What happened Princess? Food and soups in the buffet were only rotated every 3 days with some minor changes. Food was cold, dry and tasteless. The pizza had so little cheese and sauce it was like eating baked toast. The Mongolian Wok, which was excellent in September, was terrible. They changed the sauces and the veggies were still raw after being grilled with the noodles. The service was good as always, but I lost weight on this cruise. If not for the snacks that I brought on board with me, it really would have been rough. Fish and Chips were never served in the buffet and are now in the Salty Dog for 12 bucks. If this is the new Princess, then I'm gonna have to shop somewhere else. Edited January 17, 2017 by Sillyjilly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JF - retired RRT Posted January 17, 2017 #2 Share Posted January 17, 2017 (edited) Food and soups in the buffet were only rotated every 3 days with some minor changes. That's what we found on the Crown in Nov/Dec. Then on the star in Dec, all was as it should be. Fish and Chips were never served in the buffet and are now in the Salty Dog for 12 bucks. That's not good...DH loves the fish & chips, but we're NOT gonna pay extra for them. :( See above. Edited January 17, 2017 by JF - retired RRT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sillyjilly Posted January 17, 2017 Author #3 Share Posted January 17, 2017 I have the Star booked for next year but am considering cancelling it if this is how it's gonna be. I'll be keeping my eyes open for future reviews. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigenna Posted January 17, 2017 #4 Share Posted January 17, 2017 OH, that is not good news as we are boarding her on Saturday. Mind you, I do have after Christmas pounds to shed, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted January 17, 2017 #5 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Hey Jill, sorry to hear these issues. :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shredie Posted January 17, 2017 #6 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Hey Jill, sorry to hear these issues. :( Let's hope this was just a fluke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getoutandlive Posted January 17, 2017 #7 Share Posted January 17, 2017 First of all let me say that Princess has always been my cruise line of choice and I have cruised on her over 50 times. At least 10 of those on the Ruby. I just got off the Ruby today and I must say that the food was HORRIBLE. I was just on her in Sept and all was well. What happened Princess? Food and soups in the buffet were only rotated every 3 days with some minor changes. Food was cold, dry and tasteless. The pizza had so little cheese and sauce it was like eating baked toast. The Mongolian Wok, which was excellent in September, was terrible. They changed the sauces and the veggies were still raw after being grilled with the noodles. The service was good as always, but I lost weight on this cruise. If not for the snacks that I brought on board with me, it really would have been rough. Fish and Chips were never served in the buffet and are now in the Salty Dog for 12 bucks. If this is the new Princess, then I'm gonna have to shop somewhere else. Other than the food issues, how was your trip? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SadieN Posted January 17, 2017 #8 Share Posted January 17, 2017 (edited) Also just off the Ruby. Various thoughts in no particular order-- The ATD line was non existent in the MDR that switches from Assigned to ATD. They were not checking our cards but a few of our waiters asked our cabin numbers. Club Class was in the MDR that switched from Assigned to ATD. It occupied an alcove of the MDR. Never saw it full after 7:30, but we didn't eat in the MDR on formal nights. We (women) were allowed in the MDR at night wearing capris, men weren't allowed even though their pants were the same length as ours. Will not debate the double standard here. As Jill said, the buffet food was in an odd rotation. The desserts rarely changed in the buffet. Towards the end of the cruise we started to see some variety. Most nights the Indian options were the same, lentils, vegetable curry and basmati rice. IIRC only two nights were there different offerings. The cheese plate offerings were always nice. The walnut bread was not served until the last night. Enjoyed the Mongolian in Cafe Caribe for the exact reason Jill hated it. The vegetables were cooked but still crunchy. I asked for some heat and received it at an Mexican Level 2 (Indian Level .5) . Barely any spice. The grill had ribs and onion rings a few nights. The ribs were the same ones the first three days on the buffet. FWIW Princess cannot make latkes and why were they served with onion rings? What's with the brown pineapple juice? The mini suite seemed narrower than the ones on the Grand, Golden, Sapphire. Tub/shower was definitely a bit lower as I could barely touch the ceiling. Had a few small issues with our Room Steward. All resolved quickly. He did keep us supplied with lotion. One of the elevators was 'haunted'. Buttons would light up on their own, the elevator would choose which way it wanted to go. The entertainment was good. The new show Magic to Do was cute. The balloon drop was not crowded. The last few starboard side rows of the Showroom also enjoyed the loud music coming out of the Wheelhouse Bar. Both had their doors open during the performance. Needed to get there at least 30 minutes before to get a seat. Almost impossible to get a seat at Explorers. No receipts were given for drink or gelato purchases. Edited January 17, 2017 by SadieN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kathyt939 Posted January 17, 2017 #9 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Were boarding on Saturday also. Hope we have a better experience. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SadieN Posted January 17, 2017 #10 Share Posted January 17, 2017 (edited) There were three 'special' gift shop sales in the MDR. One was purses, watches and scarves. The second was the same purses, watches, scarves and some clothes that had been on display outside the gift shops , along with some t-shirts and jackets. The third one had all of the above with Mexican souvenirs. Edited January 17, 2017 by SadieN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sillyjilly Posted January 17, 2017 Author #11 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Other than the food issues, how was your trip? Good. :D Service was good and I was still able to unwind and relax.:D I was just hungry all the time. Best things were the ham and cheese sandwiches at Cafe Caribe, but I did get tired of them.:( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sillyjilly Posted January 17, 2017 Author #12 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Enjoyed the Mongolian in Cafe Caribe for the exact reason Jill hated it. The vegetables were cooked but still crunchy. I asked for some heat and received it at an Mexican Level 2 (Indian Level .5) . Barely any spice. Too funny. When we asked for a little spice we were given Tapatio hot sauce to add after it was cooked. Really? Last cruise there were Teriyaki, and 2 other delicious sauces to choose from. One was spicy. It was super yummy. My onions were basically served to me raw this time. YUCK! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sillyjilly Posted January 17, 2017 Author #13 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Were boarding on Saturday also. Hope we have a better experience. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I hope you do too. Please let us know how it went for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
getoutandlive Posted January 17, 2017 #14 Share Posted January 17, 2017 Good. :DService was good and I was still able to unwind and relax.:D I was just hungry all the time. Best things were the ham and cheese sandwiches at Cafe Caribe, but I did get tired of them.:( Good to hear!! I'm sailing on her in 39 more days. Thank you for your honest review, I like knowing what to expect/avoid :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
victory2020 Posted January 18, 2017 #15 Share Posted January 18, 2017 We were on the Ruby on October & were not too happy. Cancelled one in Feb due to lackluster food, service, shows etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
antsp Posted January 18, 2017 #16 Share Posted January 18, 2017 We got off the Ruby today too, buffet was weird as the 1st few days the same items just repeated, almost as if they forgot it was a 10 day cruise and not 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare foodsvcmgr Posted January 18, 2017 #17 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Sailed RUBY first week of November. Thought MDR food and service were great, also the pizza. Buffets were not particularly impressive in either quality or variety though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sillyjilly Posted January 18, 2017 Author #18 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Sailed RUBY first week of November.Thought MDR food and service were great, also the pizza. Buffets were not particularly impressive in either quality or variety though. That's good to hear. Guess I'm just gonna have to get off my butt and get down to the dining room. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riclop Posted January 18, 2017 #19 Share Posted January 18, 2017 First of all let me say that Princess has always been my cruise line of choice and I have cruised on her over 50 times. At least 10 of those on the Ruby. I just got off the Ruby today and I must say that the food was HORRIBLE. I was just on her in Sept and all was well. What happened Princess? Food and soups in the buffet were only rotated every 3 days with some minor changes. Food was cold, dry and tasteless. The pizza had so little cheese and sauce it was like eating baked toast. The Mongolian Wok, which was excellent in September, was terrible. They changed the sauces and the veggies were still raw after being grilled with the noodles. The service was good as always, but I lost weight on this cruise. If not for the snacks that I brought on board with me, it really would have been rough. Fish and Chips were never served in the buffet and are now in the Salty Dog for 12 bucks. If this is the new Princess, then I'm gonna have to shop somewhere else. Probably a new chef. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3kidsncats Posted January 18, 2017 #20 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I'm another CC'er boarding the Ruby on Saturday -- how was the food in the MDR? This will be our first Princess cruise, and we talked a few friends in to switching lines with us. Certainly hoping the food is decent enough that they don't all hate me :-P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
XBGuy Posted January 18, 2017 #21 Share Posted January 18, 2017 We were on the Ruby on October & were not too happy. Cancelled one in Feb due to lackluster food, service, shows etc. That's disappointing to hear. We were on the Ruby in October, and my biggest complaint was that it was only a 7-day cruise. Our meals were consistently good. We never ate in the dining rooms. I had my breakfasts in the buffet. (I never have very high expectations for buffets, and my expectations were adequately met.) Most of our dinners were in the specialty restaurants, and those were consistently excellent. One evening we enjoyed a light dinner from the International Cafe. You really can't complain about that. Quick and easy. A nice light bite after a big lunch on shore. We found service to be superb. Possibly the best room steward we've ever had. Excellent service in the restaurants. I have no comment on the entertainment. We didn't go to any of the shows or visit any of the lounges. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sillyjilly Posted January 18, 2017 Author #22 Share Posted January 18, 2017 Probably a new chef. I hope so, but my friend just got off the Caribbean Princess a few days ago and they were unhappy with the food too.:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sillyjilly Posted January 18, 2017 Author #23 Share Posted January 18, 2017 That's disappointing to hear. We were on the Ruby in October, and my biggest complaint was that it was only a 7-day cruise. Our meals were consistently good. We never ate in the dining rooms. I had my breakfasts in the buffet. (I never have very high expectations for buffets, and my expectations were adequately met.) Most of our dinners were in the specialty restaurants, and those were consistently excellent. One evening we enjoyed a light dinner from the International Cafe. You really can't complain about that. Quick and easy. A nice light bite after a big lunch on shore. We found service to be superb. Possibly the best room steward we've ever had. Excellent service in the restaurants. I have no comment on the entertainment. We didn't go to any of the shows or visit any of the lounges. As I said before, my cruise on the Ruby in September was excellent. However between now and then something drastic has happened. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
west coast cruiser Posted January 18, 2017 #24 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I also got off the Ruby today. I thought the food was better than before in the MDR. We don't eat at the Buffet. The Crew was great. We had a great time.I don't have one thing to complain About. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
senior lady Posted January 18, 2017 #25 Share Posted January 18, 2017 I'm leaving on the Ruby in 2 wks, so hope the food is better. I've never had a bad cruise, just some better than others....lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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