Disappointment on the Ruby.

[Sillyjilly]

After one 4-day cruise two years ago, I learned this:

Do not take anymore 4-day cruises.

It is just a different vibe. It is also a vibe I do not enjoy. I further assume that I woud not enjoy a 3-day cruise, either.

 

I have to disagree.

 

The 3 B2B2B 4 day cruises on the Ruby this past September were great, but this 10 dayer left a lot to be desired. In over 30 Princess cruises, it was the worst I've ever sailed on her.

[floridalover5623]

My husband and I just completed an 8 days Southern Caribbean cruise on the Caribbean Princess. We have cruised with Princess 25 times and I must say that we saw many positive changes on this cruise. The food was excellent in the dining room....far better than it has been our last few cruises. The beef in particular was outstanding, but everything was good.

 

We also found that the entertainment was many steps above what it has been. The production show Bravo was outstanding....pure pleasure. It was the first time on Princess that I saw a show get a unanimous standing ovation and cheers. The comedian was very funny and the singer guitarist also put on a really good show. We enjoyed all but one show, not usual for us, who I must admit are from New York and are entertainment snobs.

 

The ship is a little worn, but that is so overshadowed by the wonderful crew. The service was excellent....not a staff member did not smile and say good morning. It is clearly a happy staff and crew.

 

We were sooooo happy to see the trend up on Princess. It definitely remains our cruise line of choice, and we are booked on the same ship for next year.

 

I'm still glad to hear that the Caribbean is OK but what does this have to do with the Ruby?

[RASHOPPER2]

I'm still glad to hear that the Caribbean is OK but what does this have to do with the Ruby?

 

 

Just comparing one ship experience to another.

 

 

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[XBGuy]

I have to disagree.

 

The 3 B2B2B 4 day cruises on the Ruby this past September were great, but this 10 dayer left a lot to be desired. In over 30 Princess cruises, it was the worst I've ever sailed on her.

 

I'm glad to hear that, SJ. It just shows that I should add "YMMV" to all my posts.

 

:)

[meh56]

In answer to Shepp...I am a platinum with Princess and have sailed on many different lines. I do not post often but do check cruise critic frequently and saw this was about a cruise I just came off of, so decided to comment. I have also written a letter to Princess as I feel they can not correct was is wrong without knowing what that is. I also have posted good remarks and did tell Princess what I thought was great. I think is important that we all review good or bad, that is was cruise critic is for.

[floridalover5623]

Just comparing one ship experience to another.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

No harm. Many people tend to follow who the Captain or Cruise director will be when they should be interested in who the cook staff is. Not that it's easy to find out but it can mean the difference between a great cruise & just so-so.

[gramtofive]

Yes, the Crab Shack was offered three nights. The price has gone up to $29, but we still felt it was worth the price.

[Kingofcool1947]

I'm sorry you encountered problems on your cruise. I cannot comment on your personal experiences.

 

I can comment on the incorrect information given to you by staff. No crew on Princess are permitted to work more than 70 hours in a 7 day week. Crew do share cabins and for the stewards, two cabins share a bathroom. Stewards have often said to us they 'never' see their room mate because they work different shifts. To say they are not allowed to leave the ship is a gross exaggeration. Of course they can have time off on port days, but they have to get their supervisor's permission. People who have cruised with Princess will have seen the crew leaving the ship, on shore or on tenders. In the crew area there is a very active social life with activities (parties, quizz nights, shows in the crew bar) organised virtually every evening.

 

I suggest that the people you spoke to were giving you a tale of woe in the hope of getting a bigger tip. :)

 

Wow. Who to believe here? What a difference of opinions. Who to trust to give factual information? RedMiniStapler gave gross exaggerations? :eek:

 

 

One man's meat is another man's poison. YMMV. Yes?

Edited January 24, 2017 by Kingofcool1947

[ar1950]

If you are interested in what life is like for crew on Carnival ships, read Cruise Confidential by Brian David Bruns. He managed to work his whole contract and lived to tell about it. I'm pretty sure what he wrote goes for most cruise ships.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

I read that book. I think that it may be a little outdated as far as crew conditions go. If you ever read any of John Heald's FB blogs where he talks about the bad old days when he first started with Carnival he also talks about how things (crew training, crew conditions, etc.) have been vastly improved over the last 15 or so years. Not saying they have an easy job, just not as bad as what Brian Bruns described.

[RedMiniStapler]

One thing I've noticed lately, more than usual, is a lot of slams against Princess are first-time posts by people identifying themselves as experienced cruisers. Now, I'm not a Princess cheerleader, and it's entirely possible that people who never bothered posting about their other lines/cruises are so upset by a Princess cruise that they establish a new account here.

 

Just saying that it seems to be a somewhat odd trend.

 

Where did I claim I was an experience cruiser? I mentioned I cruised with other cruise lines, I guess I missed the rule about this forum that only experienced cruisers can voice their opinion? I only cruised 3 times before this one, and that's enough for me to compare this one to my previous cruises, but other people I went to cruise with, first time cruisers had fun.

And yes, this is new account because I couldn't bother to locate my other account, since it's been more than 4 years ago and I don't remember password nor which email address I used to sign up.

 

and someone else saying I was gross exaggerating? errrr no, and it wasn't even me who asked crews, it was people around me (like couples sitting next to my dining table, or people buying stuff at the gift shop etc.) I'm not much of a small talker (is that a term?) so I don't sit there or stand there and ask about crews well-being.

 

and you know what they say about one man's trash is another man's treasure? this cruise was certainly my trash, and if you enjoy princess cruise, more power to you, I'm sure a lot of people think cruise I like is trash as well, and that's why there are tons of cruise lines to cater different people. :)

[pablo222]

Wow. Who to believe here? What a difference of opinions. Who to trust to give factual information?

 

I would say -- believe pretty much noone.

 

My opinion -- some of the things mini-stapler said were wrong;

but there were plenty of things wrong in the follow ups as well.

 

But, I could be wrong. :)

[GOODIES]

It is a trip, some are better than others, just got off the Regal princess Nov 4th it rained all the time well that's life.

I still made the best I could,

It is worse if you buy a car and they can not find the problem, again thats a major purchase, worst problem you come back a few ponds less than when you started

[senior lady]

Always interesting to read peoples reviews of the same cruise.

I find it hard to believe that the Ruby is that bad?? I haven't been on her before.

I'll be on her in 11 days so guess I'll have to make my own judgement.

I can honestly say I've never had a "bad" cruise some better than others and some excellant. I can remember hearing horror stories about the Grand and I went on a 10 day coastal and had a fantastic time.

I don't go on a cruise to look for all kinds of deficiencies............or look to find things I can complain about or criticize. I agree sometimes the entertainment can be "hit or miss"

I go on a cruise to relax, visit different places and experience different things.

I never seem to have trouble finding things to eat.:rolleyes:

[Kingofcool1947]

Just goes to show, all these "reviews" are subjective as seen through the eyes and experience of the PAX. Yes?

 

So, I take everything I read here with a grain of salt.

 

Truth is, I'm thankful that I'm blessed, and fortunate to be financially able, in good health, to even take a cruise! I don't allow or dwell on negative reviews on here to affect my enjoyment of a cruise. I cruise to relax. Can't do that if I look for things to nit pick on a cruise.

 

Yes, I've been on cruises that have been better than others. Never perfect, but never so bad that I would characterize as horrible. But then again, I've never been on a cruise I didn't overall enjoy. Of course, YMMV. I suppose, I'm just not as jaded as others. I tend to dwell on the positive not negatives, cruising, and in life.

 

Happy cruising and good health in 2027, if the Lord wills.

Edited January 24, 2017 by Kingofcool1947

[vmom]

Always interesting to read peoples reviews of the same cruise.

I find it hard to believe that the Ruby is that bad?? I haven't been on her before.

I'll be on her in 11 days so guess I'll have to make my own judgement.

I can honestly say I've never had a "bad" cruise some better than others and some excellant. I can remember hearing horror stories about the Grand and I went on a 10 day coastal and had a fantastic time.

I don't go on a cruise to look for all kinds of deficiencies............or look to find things I can complain about or criticize. I agree sometimes the entertainment can be "hit or miss"

I go on a cruise to relax, visit different places and experience different things.

I never seem to have trouble finding things to eat.:rolleyes:

 

 

Well, I recently got off the Ruby. I was on the January 7-17 th sailing.

 

I had a great time. Service was outstanding. All crew greeted me with a smile and good day. None of the crew appeared to be unhappy as mini-stapler described. My experience was totally opposite to mini- stapler's. I got off the ship on the same day that mini-stapler boarded so it was the same crew.

 

The only different factor that I can think of is that during the 4 day cruise after I got off the weather took a downturn, with stormy weather, rain and high winds which may have impacted passenger comfort.

 

Food was good to very good but I noticed a lack of variety in the buffet as described in previous posts and I prefer more cheese on my pizza. I always found something to eat.

 

Entertainment was enjoyable. All in all, a good cruise.

 

I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time on your upcoming cruise on the Ruby, especially with your wonderful attitude.

[Kingofcool1947]

Agee with vmom and others who gave positive reviews. I found the same, in my experience, as well.

 

Don't let the naysayers put a shroud over the enjoyment of your cruise.

 

If you look on the positives, not dwell on negatives, you will definitely enjoy your cruise.

 

Happy cruising and good health in 2017, the Lord willing.

Edited January 24, 2017 by Kingofcool1947

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

Always interesting to read peoples reviews of the same cruise.

I find it hard to believe that the Ruby is that bad?? I haven't been on her before.

I'll be on her in 11 days so guess I'll have to make my own judgement.

I can honestly say I've never had a "bad" cruise some better than others and some excellant. I can remember hearing horror stories about the Grand and I went on a 10 day coastal and had a fantastic time.

I don't go on a cruise to look for all kinds of deficiencies............or look to find things I can complain about or criticize. I agree sometimes the entertainment can be "hit or miss"

I go on a cruise to relax, visit different places and experience different things.

I never seem to have trouble finding things to eat.:rolleyes:

 

I agree!

 

We've never had a bad cruise either.

Our first cruise on the RUBY is coming up in 3 weeks, so please come back and let us know your experience!

 

Personally, I expect we'll have another awesome time!

 

:)

[tioalmsp]

I just got home yesterday from Ruby Princess, it was my first Princess ship and will be my last. I have cruised with RCL and NCL before, and the food was great and people working on board were great. But Ruby Princess... meh... Only the best part of was that it was only 4 nights.

 

First : food, I didn't expect amazing food from buffet, but it made McDonald food seem like Michelin Star quality. Paid restaurants were no better. I went to Crown Grill, medium cooked steaks were chewy and had weird texture. filet mignon had no flavor what so ever. Also went to Crab Shack, some legs were salty as hell and other legs were bland. Was planning on going to Share restaurant but decided to cancel it.

 

Second : Crews, I barely saw any smiling faces, most of waiters and waitress looked like they wanted to jump off the ship. When people asked about their job, they spend great time complaining about what's so terrible about it. And because of it, I understand why they look so miserable, apparently Princess only feed them rice and terrible curry everyday, and they work 13 hours a day, 2 people share bottom of the ship cabin and 4 people share one bathroom. Crews are not allowed to leave the ship at all.

 

And our waiter at Crown Grill, who was being really rude to us and called my dad 'cabron' under his breath (was kind of weird because he was bulgarian, but was cussing in spanish), my dad replied in spanish, and the waiter's attitude changed quickly.

 

Crews working at Club level dining room or whatever it was called, and paid restaurants were generally snotty. And only friendly workers I've meet are Cabin Attendants.

 

Every other cruises I've been to, the last day of cruise I always wished I could stay longer, but this one... I couldn't wait til get off the ship.

 

We sailed on the same 4 day cruise and thought the buffet was great the one night we ate at the HC. They had a crispy pork belly that melted in your mouth. The quality actually surprised us. We ate at the Crown Grill twice and loved both the food and service. We truly enjoyed the experience.

Whoever told you the crew was not allowed off the ship lied to you. One of the bartenders told us he went to the Macys in Santa Barbara for a cool pair of shoes. Also, crew was allowed off during our day at port (LAX).

 

Al from Minneapolis

[Kingofcool1947]

We sailed on the same 4 day cruise and thought the buffet was great the one night we ate at the HC. They had a crispy pork belly that melted in your mouth. The quality actually surprised us. We ate at the Crown Grill twice and loved both the food and service. We truly enjoyed the experience.

Whoever told you the crew was not allowed off the ship lied to you. One of the bartenders told us he went to the Macys in Santa Barbara for a cool pair of shoes. Also, crew was allowed off during our day at port (LAX).

 

Al from Minneapolis

 

It's just a blatant mistruth that crew are not allowed to go ashore when the ship is in port. On a recent Carribean cruise, when DW and I were walking in port, we actually had the pleasure of chatting iwith a crew person, who recognized us from the ship. He politely asked me if I would take a photo of him with his camera so he could send a photo of himself to his wife back home. We asked him about his employment, and he told us he enjoyed his assignment, and sent most of his salary back to his wife. The next day we saw him in the pool area. He was our drink server. And, that was his assignment. And, he remembered us, again. So, in our experience, he had a friendly personality, always a smile on his face, and displaying a positive attitude. He was not an exception, many of the crew smiled and made us feel welcome whenever, or wherever, we interacted with them on the ship.

 

Look at the glass as being half full, not half empty, and you will enjoy your cruise. We do, and overall we have never been disappointed. We always find ways to enjoy our cruises. :). As always, YMMV.

 

Enjoy your cruise and good health in 2017, if the Lord wills.

Edited January 25, 2017 by Kingofcool1947

[OzKiwiJJ]

It's just a blatant mistruth that crew are not allowed to go ashore when the ship is in port.

 

Agreed. On the Golden repositioning cruise that we did last year many of the Balinese crew were allowed to go onshore to visit their families at that port stop, including one of the Sanctuary stewards who looked after us. We gave him a few USD to buy gifts for his family from us and he came back with photos to show us. Lovely family.

[RedMiniStapler]

We sailed on the same 4 day cruise and thought the buffet was great the one night we ate at the HC. They had a crispy pork belly that melted in your mouth. The quality actually surprised us. We ate at the Crown Grill twice and loved both the food and service. We truly enjoyed the experience.

Whoever told you the crew was not allowed off the ship lied to you. One of the bartenders told us he went to the Macys in Santa Barbara for a cool pair of shoes. Also, crew was allowed off during our day at port (LAX).

 

Al from Minneapolis

flæskesteg (or roasted pork belly) wasn't too bad, I just wished I could have more skin part only, reminded me of when I lived in Denmark.

 

Anyway, like I mentioned before I didn't speak to the crew directly about them not being able to get off the ship, but she was telling other guests that seated near me, maybe she was angling for some tip money? Person I was traveling with asked me "is it true? That they are not allowed to leave?", so I said "maybe they can't, I don't know how Princess operates, but I sure wish they'd bring my steak soon."

 

Sorry if anyone is offended that I'm bashing in their favorite cruise, but this was my experience on board, and you are free to dismiss it because your experience was different than mine.

[bgbrow]

Were boarding Feb 11 hope it's better,we just got off the Island Princess and I thought it was very good.

[SadieN]

Many crew will not get off in tender ports because of timing issues. Also there are always crew scheduled to be onboard (not allowed off) in case of emergencies. On Carnival this is rotated, assuming it's the same on Princess. The crew member might have been telling the truth, not just the whole truth.

[rosey123]

After 63 cruises, over 20 with Princess, this was by far the worst food we've ever had on a cruise. Will reconsider future booking in June on the Royal. Will follow up later with a complete review.

[Kingofcool1947]

After 63 cruises, over 20 with Princess, this was by far the worst food we've ever had on a cruise. Will reconsider future booking in June on the Royal. Will follow up later with a complete review.

 

Can't wait for your report re: "the worst food we've ever had on a cruise".

Hoping you'll be specific why the food was so bad, and not just report in generalities.

Because, one person's meat is another person's poison. Yes? :)

Edited January 28, 2017 by Kingofcool1947