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Ruby - Mexican Riviera - 1/7 to 1/17 2017

Oh2B@C

By Oh2B@C,
in Princess Cruises

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Oh2B@C

Oh2B@C

Posted
Posted

Hello all, I noticed other reviews of this cruise already, but since this will be my last post on Cruise Critic (yup, sad...), I thought I would leave on a mostly positive note. I will monitor questions however for those who need to know something I did not mention.

 

I also plan to leave a review of the Crowne Plaza San Pedro on the west coast departures board.

 

DISCLAIMER: These are MY subjective opinions, based on MY OWN experiences. Got that?;)

 

Embarkation: Here's my tip: if you have preferred boarding, show up early. If you don't, I suggest you show up later. So you'll miss out on 2 extra hours on the ship, so what! In San Pedro anyway, non-preferreds are herded like cattle towards the back and you are sitting there shoulder to shoulder with all the other peons, while the preferreds waltz by you easily. I am Elite on Princess and walked on with the second group at 11:45, easy peasy!

 

YES THERE WAS LUNCH ON EMBARKATION DAY IN THE DINING ROOM. No indication that this will change in the future.

 

TIP: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, (and I do mean NEVER), ask a crew member if the dining room is open for lunch when you get on the ship. You will always be told: no Sir/Ma'am, but you can go to the buffet. Don't be so lazy, find out for yourself!

 

Crew (other than the cruise staff): Amazing, incredible, friendly... best cabin steward ever! Efficient and chatty, but just the right amount of chatty...;)

 

Cruise staff (the ones who run the activities) They are getting worse and worse. More interested in their own performances than relating to passengers. Most of them seemed downright uncomfortable relating to passengers one on one. Again, MY OWN experience, but I am a SWEETHEART!

 

Buffet: I thought the food quality was better than usual. Much better in fact. On the Ruby and most ships not in the Royal Class, the lingering problem with the buffet remains the tight cramped space it is in. Very hard to get around when busy, or even when there are a handful of people. Very hard to get around all the people just browsing, standing there looking at the food with no plate in hand. Usual people who cut in, and don't get me started on the long-reachers, those people who cannot wait 5 seconds for you to move on before they grab for a serving spoon from four feet away:mad:

 

Main Dining Room: Went there 3 times, thought it was fine. Not bad, not great. Excellent service, but they HAVE TO STOP BRINGING TWO MAIN COURSES AT ONCE. Can't they fix that somehow, it cannot be that difficult.

 

Crown Grill: Went there once. Menu hasn't changed in years, could use a tiny bit of an update. The filet mignon is too thick, so even when you order rare, the outside is done too well. And they brought me three main courses AT ONCE(?!?!?!?!). Hello? Do you need this table for later? Slow down chief! The appetizers are fantastic however. If I ever go back (big IF), I will load up on every appetizer, which they seem to bring one at a time, and just go for the lamb chops.

 

And now a quick note of the eastern European staff: They are a bit gruff... especially the Russian and Ukrainian women. Sorry if this offends...:o Just what I experienced many many many times. Here's an actual quote from Jelena the Serbian hostess at the MDR: "Sir, this is the PO-LI-CY." Use a stereotypical accent for dramatic effect.

 

Share: Did not go but spoke to people who did. The ones who went said it was really good. I looked at the menu and went "Meh", but taste is very subjective. I looked through the glass on deck 16 aft and it is crazy empty in there. If you want to go to Share, here's a tip: ask the PSD for a 2 for 1... you might get lucky!

 

Gastro-Pub: Did not go. I did notice however that the PRICE IS NOW $12 and you now pick TWO ITEMS. Used to be 3 items for $19. I think that is a much better price point, personally.

 

Happy Hour: 4PM to 6PM in the Wheelhouse Bar every day. Staff very efficient. Here's a tip: go LATER. It is crazy busy 4-5, but by 5:30 it is pretty quiet. Guess it's because dinner just gets started.

 

They allowed me to leave the bar with my drinks. They also agreed to open one beer bottle and leave the other unopened. Some pax told me this is not always the case.

 

Best drink for a Mexico cruise: the 24K Gold Margarita. HOLY MAMA!!

 

The shows: I don't go to the shows but spoke to many people who did. Everyone said they were great. They had Magic to do and it was very well received.

 

The Ship: The RUBY PRINCESS IS AWESOME!!! One thing that hardly ever gets mentioned is the fact that they have tiered seating facing MUTS, so three tiers higher than deck 16 full of loungers. Great for a little more privacy.

 

Whew... what am I forgetting...??:confused:

 

Fellow passengers: A fairly well diversified bunch, lots of people from the west coast, especially southern CA, Seattle and BC. Age mix about the same as past cruises, mainly 50's and over. Very few kids. I ran into the usual assortment of GRUMPS who just can't seem to be able to enjoy themselves unless they are b****ing at the staff. When I am cruising, I have a permanent smile pasted on my face - you GRUMPS out there should see how much better the crew treats you when you greet them with a smile.

 

BEST LAUGH OF THE CRUISE: My team, while playing Majority Rules, had the following question "Name a movie title where the subject is the world coming to an end" and we answered "Armageddon II - President Trump; this time there's no escape" (Aw come on, just a joke you guys...) We received roaring laughter.

 

OK, thanks for the memories everyone! I'll be happy to answer questions, although I'll be out of wifi range for a week or so (camping in Death Valley).

 

Yours very truly,

 

If you agree with my opinions, my name is Phil

If you disagree, my name is Jan Swartz

 

(My name is NOT "The OP";))

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Kingofcool1947

Kingofcool1947

Posted
Posted (edited)
Hello all, I noticed other reviews of this cruise already, but since this will be my last post on Cruise Critic (yup, sad...), I thought I would leave on a mostly positive note. I will monitor questions however for those who need to know something I did not mention.

 

I also plan to leave a review of the Crowne Plaza San Pedro on the west coast departures board.

 

DISCLAIMER: These are MY subjective opinions, based on MY OWN experiences. Got that?;)

 

Embarkation: Here's my tip: if you have preferred boarding, show up early. If you don't, I suggest you show up later. So you'll miss out on 2 extra hours on the ship, so what! In San Pedro anyway, non-preferreds are herded like cattle towards the back and you are sitting there shoulder to shoulder with all the other peons, while the preferreds waltz by you easily. I am Elite on Princess and walked on with the second group at 11:45, easy peasy!

 

YES THERE WAS LUNCH ON EMBARKATION DAY IN THE DINING ROOM. No indication that this will change in the future.

 

TIP: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, (and I do mean NEVER), ask a crew member if the dining room is open for lunch when you get on the ship. You will always be told: no Sir/Ma'am, but you can go to the buffet. Don't be so lazy, find out for yourself!

 

Crew (other than the cruise staff): Amazing, incredible, friendly... best cabin steward ever! Efficient and chatty, but just the right amount of chatty...;)

 

Cruise staff (the ones who run the activities) They are getting worse and worse. More interested in their own performances than relating to passengers. Most of them seemed downright uncomfortable relating to passengers one on one. Again, MY OWN experience, but I am a SWEETHEART!

 

Buffet: I thought the food quality was better than usual. Much better in fact. On the Ruby and most ships not in the Royal Class, the lingering problem with the buffet remains the tight cramped space it is in. Very hard to get around when busy, or even when there are a handful of people. Very hard to get around all the people just browsing, standing there looking at the food with no plate in hand. Usual people who cut in, and don't get me started on the long-reachers, those people who cannot wait 5 seconds for you to move on before they grab for a serving spoon from four feet away:mad:

 

Main Dining Room: Went there 3 times, thought it was fine. Not bad, not great. Excellent service, but they HAVE TO STOP BRINGING TWO MAIN COURSES AT ONCE. Can't they fix that somehow, it cannot be that difficult.

 

Crown Grill: Went there once. Menu hasn't changed in years, could use a tiny bit of an update. The filet mignon is too thick, so even when you order rare, the outside is done too well. And they brought me three main courses AT ONCE(?!?!?!?!). Hello? Do you need this table for later? Slow down chief! The appetizers are fantastic however. If I ever go back (big IF), I will load up on every appetizer, which they seem to bring one at a time, and just go for the lamb chops.

 

And now a quick note of the eastern European staff: They are a bit gruff... especially the Russian and Ukrainian women. Sorry if this offends...:o Just what I experienced many many many times. Here's an actual quote from Jelena the Serbian hostess at the MDR: "Sir, this is the PO-LI-CY." Use a stereotypical accent for dramatic effect.

 

Share: Did not go but spoke to people who did. The ones who went said it was really good. I looked at the menu and went "Meh", but taste is very subjective. I looked through the glass on deck 16 aft and it is crazy empty in there. If you want to go to Share, here's a tip: ask the PSD for a 2 for 1... you might get lucky!

 

Gastro-Pub: Did not go. I did notice however that the PRICE IS NOW $12 and you now pick TWO ITEMS. Used to be 3 items for $19. I think that is a much better price point, personally.

 

Happy Hour: 4PM to 6PM in the Wheelhouse Bar every day. Staff very efficient. Here's a tip: go LATER. It is crazy busy 4-5, but by 5:30 it is pretty quiet. Guess it's because dinner just gets started.

 

They allowed me to leave the bar with my drinks. They also agreed to open one beer bottle and leave the other unopened. Some pax told me this is not always the case.

 

Best drink for a Mexico cruise: the 24K Gold Margarita. HOLY MAMA!!

 

The shows: I don't go to the shows but spoke to many people who did. Everyone said they were great. They had Magic to do and it was very well received.

 

The Ship: The RUBY PRINCESS IS AWESOME!!! One thing that hardly ever gets mentioned is the fact that they have tiered seating facing MUTS, so three tiers higher than deck 16 full of loungers. Great for a little more privacy.

 

Whew... what am I forgetting...??:confused:

 

Fellow passengers: A fairly well diversified bunch, lots of people from the west coast, especially southern CA, Seattle and BC. Age mix about the same as past cruises, mainly 50's and over. Very few kids. I ran into the usual assortment of GRUMPS who just can't seem to be able to enjoy themselves unless they are b****ing at the staff. When I am cruising, I have a permanent smile pasted on my face - you GRUMPS out there should see how much better the crew treats you when you greet them with a smile.

 

BEST LAUGH OF THE CRUISE: My team, while playing Majority Rules, had the following question "Name a movie title where the subject is the world coming to an end" and we answered "Armageddon II - President Trump; this time there's no escape" (Aw come on, just a joke you guys...) We received roaring laughter.

 

OK, thanks for the memories everyone! I'll be happy to answer questions, although I'll be out of wifi range for a week or so (camping in Death Valley).

 

Yours very truly,

 

If you agree with my opinions, my name is Phil

If you disagree, my name is Jan Swartz

 

(My name is NOT "The OP";))

 

Lots of criticism of your cruise. Sounds like you had a horrible time.

"One man's meat is another man's poison"?.

Edited by Kingofcool1947
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jeromep

jeromep

Posted
Posted (edited)

Nice review. Sounds like a typical cruise; you see a little bit of everyone and everything and sometimes a lot of bad behavior and disregard for the crew. I've always had mixed reactions to the cruise director's staff. I have generally liked or found redeeming characteristics about all the cruise directors I've encountered, but sometimes the cruise director's staff are wannabe performers when they just need to be good MCs.

 

It is good to know the Ruby is still in good shape. We enjoyed her greatly a number of years back on an Eastern Caribbean cruise. Too bad Sabatini's is gone. That was a lovely place to sit, overlooking the fountain and the tiers of decks looking down on the Terrace Pool.

 

Maybe I shouldn't pry into your private life, but why is this your last post to Cruise Critic? We always need more "positive, non-grumpy cruisers" around here.

Edited by jeromep
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Kingofcool1947

Kingofcool1947

Posted
Posted (edited)
Hello all, I noticed other reviews of this cruise already, but since this will be my last post on Cruise Critic (yup, sad...), I thought I would leave on a mostly positive note. I will monitor questions however for those who need to know something I did not mention.

 

I also plan to leave a review of the Crowne Plaza San Pedro on the west coast departures board.

 

DISCLAIMER: These are MY subjective opinions, based on MY OWN experiences. Got that?;)

 

Embarkation: Here's my tip: if you have preferred boarding, show up early. If you don't, I suggest you show up later. So you'll miss out on 2 extra hours on the ship, so what! In San Pedro anyway, non-preferreds are herded like cattle towards the back and you are sitting there shoulder to shoulder with all the other peons, while the preferreds waltz by you easily. I am Elite on Princess and walked on with the second group at 11:45, easy peasy!

 

YES THERE WAS LUNCH ON EMBARKATION DAY IN THE DINING ROOM. No indication that this will change in the future.

 

TIP: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, (and I do mean NEVER), ask a crew member if the dining room is open for lunch when you get on the ship. You will always be told: no Sir/Ma'am, but you can go to the buffet. Don't be so lazy, find out for yourself!

 

Crew (other than the cruise staff): Amazing, incredible, friendly... best cabin steward ever! Efficient and chatty, but just the right amount of chatty...;)

 

Cruise staff (the ones who run the activities) They are getting worse and worse. More interested in their own performances than relating to passengers. Most of them seemed downright uncomfortable relating to passengers one on one. Again, MY OWN experience, but I am a SWEETHEART!

 

Buffet: I thought the food quality was better than usual. Much better in fact. On the Ruby and most ships not in the Royal Class, the lingering problem with the buffet remains the tight cramped space it is in. Very hard to get around when busy, or even when there are a handful of people. Very hard to get around all the people just browsing, standing there looking at the food with no plate in hand. Usual people who cut in, and don't get me started on the long-reachers, those people who cannot wait 5 seconds for you to move on before they grab for a serving spoon from four feet away:mad:

 

Main Dining Room: Went there 3 times, thought it was fine. Not bad, not great. Excellent service, but they HAVE TO STOP BRINGING TWO MAIN COURSES AT ONCE. Can't they fix that somehow, it cannot be that difficult.

 

Crown Grill: Went there once. Menu hasn't changed in years, could use a tiny bit of an update. The filet mignon is too thick, so even when you order rare, the outside is done too well. And they brought me three main courses AT ONCE(?!?!?!?!). Hello? Do you need this table for later? Slow down chief! The appetizers are fantastic however. If I ever go back (big IF), I will load up on every appetizer, which they seem to bring one at a time, and just go for the lamb chops.

 

And now a quick note of the eastern European staff: They are a bit gruff... especially the Russian and Ukrainian women. Sorry if this offends...:o Just what I experienced many many many times. Here's an actual quote from Jelena the Serbian hostess at the MDR: "Sir, this is the PO-LI-CY." Use a stereotypical accent for dramatic effect.

 

Share: Did not go but spoke to people who did. The ones who went said it was really good. I looked at the menu and went "Meh", but taste is very subjective. I looked through the glass on deck 16 aft and it is crazy empty in there. If you want to go to Share, here's a tip: ask the PSD for a 2 for 1... you might get lucky!

 

Gastro-Pub: Did not go. I did notice however that the PRICE IS NOW $12 and you now pick TWO ITEMS. Used to be 3 items for $19. I think that is a much better price point, personally.

 

Happy Hour: 4PM to 6PM in the Wheelhouse Bar every day. Staff very efficient. Here's a tip: go LATER. It is crazy busy 4-5, but by 5:30 it is pretty quiet. Guess it's because dinner just gets started.

 

They allowed me to leave the bar with my drinks. They also agreed to open one beer bottle and leave the other unopened. Some pax told me this is not always the case.

 

Best drink for a Mexico cruise: the 24K Gold Margarita. HOLY MAMA!!

 

The shows: I don't go to the shows but spoke to many people who did. Everyone said they were great. They had Magic to do and it was very well received.

 

The Ship: The RUBY PRINCESS IS AWESOME!!! One thing that hardly ever gets mentioned is the fact that they have tiered seating facing MUTS, so three tiers higher than deck 16 full of loungers. Great for a little more privacy.

 

Whew... what am I forgetting...??:confused:

 

Fellow passengers: A fairly well diversified bunch, lots of people from the west coast, especially southern CA, Seattle and BC. Age mix about the same as past cruises, mainly 50's and over. Very few kids. I ran into the usual assortment of GRUMPS who just can't seem to be able to enjoy themselves unless they are b****ing at the staff. When I am cruising, I have a permanent smile pasted on my face - you GRUMPS out there should see how much better the crew treats you when you greet them with a smile.

 

BEST LAUGH OF THE CRUISE: My team, while playing Majority Rules, had the following question "Name a movie title where the subject is the world coming to an end" and we answered "Armageddon II - President Trump; this time there's no escape" (Aw come on, just a joke you guys...) We received roaring laughter.

 

OK, thanks for the memories everyone! I'll be happy to answer questions, although I'll be out of wifi range for a week or so (camping in Death Valley).

 

Yours very truly,

 

If you agree with my opinions, my name is Phil

If you disagree, my name is Jan Swartz

 

(My name is NOT "The OP";))

 

 

Nice review.

Edited by Kingofcool1947
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Kingofcool1947

Kingofcool1947

Posted
Posted (edited)
Hello all, I noticed other reviews of this cruise already, but since this will be my last post on Cruise Critic (yup, sad...), I thought I would leave on a mostly positive note. I will monitor questions however for those who need to know something I did not mention.

 

I also plan to leave a review of the Crowne Plaza San Pedro on the west coast departures board.

 

DISCLAIMER: These are MY subjective opinions, based on MY OWN experiences. Got that?;)

 

Embarkation: Here's my tip: if you have preferred boarding, show up early. If you don't, I suggest you show up later. So you'll miss out on 2 extra hours on the ship, so what! In San Pedro anyway, non-preferreds are herded like cattle towards the back and you are sitting there shoulder to shoulder with all the other peons, while the preferreds waltz by you easily. I am Elite on Princess and walked on with the second group at 11:45, easy peasy!

 

YES THERE WAS LUNCH ON EMBARKATION DAY IN THE DINING ROOM. No indication that this will change in the future.

 

TIP: NEVER, NEVER, NEVER, (and I do mean NEVER), ask a crew member if the dining room is open for lunch when you get on the ship. You will always be told: no Sir/Ma'am, but you can go to the buffet. Don't be so lazy, find out for yourself!

 

Crew (other than the cruise staff): Amazing, incredible, friendly... best cabin steward ever! Efficient and chatty, but just the right amount of chatty...;)

 

Cruise staff (the ones who run the activities) They are getting worse and worse. More interested in their own performances than relating to passengers. Most of them seemed downright uncomfortable relating to passengers one on one. Again, MY OWN experience, but I am a SWEETHEART!

 

Buffet: I thought the food quality was better than usual. Much better in fact. On the Ruby and most ships not in the Royal Class, the lingering problem with the buffet remains the tight cramped space it is in. Very hard to get around when busy, or even when there are a handful of people. Very hard to get around all the people just browsing, standing there looking at the food with no plate in hand. Usual people who cut in, and don't get me started on the long-reachers, those people who cannot wait 5 seconds for you to move on before they grab for a serving spoon from four feet away:mad:

 

Main Dining Room: Went there 3 times, thought it was fine. Not bad, not great. Excellent service, but they HAVE TO STOP BRINGING TWO MAIN COURSES AT ONCE. Can't they fix that somehow, it cannot be that difficult.

 

Crown Grill: Went there once. Menu hasn't changed in years, could use a tiny bit of an update. The filet mignon is too thick, so even when you order rare, the outside is done too well. And they brought me three main courses AT ONCE(?!?!?!?!). Hello? Do you need this table for later? Slow down chief! The appetizers are fantastic however. If I ever go back (big IF), I will load up on every appetizer, which they seem to bring one at a time, and just go for the lamb chops.

 

And now a quick note of the eastern European staff: They are a bit gruff... especially the Russian and Ukrainian women. Sorry if this offends...:o Just what I experienced many many many times. Here's an actual quote from Jelena the Serbian hostess at the MDR: "Sir, this is the PO-LI-CY." Use a stereotypical accent for dramatic effect.

 

Share: Did not go but spoke to people who did. The ones who went said it was really good. I looked at the menu and went "Meh", but taste is very subjective. I looked through the glass on deck 16 aft and it is crazy empty in there. If you want to go to Share, here's a tip: ask the PSD for a 2 for 1... you might get lucky!

 

Gastro-Pub: Did not go. I did notice however that the PRICE IS NOW $12 and you now pick TWO ITEMS. Used to be 3 items for $19. I think that is a much better price point, personally.

 

Happy Hour: 4PM to 6PM in the Wheelhouse Bar every day. Staff very efficient. Here's a tip: go LATER. It is crazy busy 4-5, but by 5:30 it is pretty quiet. Guess it's because dinner just gets started.

 

They allowed me to leave the bar with my drinks. They also agreed to open one beer bottle and leave the other unopened. Some pax told me this is not always the case.

 

Best drink for a Mexico cruise: the 24K Gold Margarita. HOLY MAMA!!

 

The shows: I don't go to the shows but spoke to many people who did. Everyone said they were great. They had Magic to do and it was very well received.

 

The Ship: The RUBY PRINCESS IS AWESOME!!! One thing that hardly ever gets mentioned is the fact that they have tiered seating facing MUTS, so three tiers higher than deck 16 full of loungers. Great for a little more privacy.

 

Whew... what am I forgetting...??:confused:

 

Fellow passengers: A fairly well diversified bunch, lots of people from the west coast, especially southern CA, Seattle and BC. Age mix about the same as past cruises, mainly 50's and over. Very few kids. I ran into the usual assortment of GRUMPS who just can't seem to be able to enjoy themselves unless they are b****ing at the staff. When I am cruising, I have a permanent smile pasted on my face - you GRUMPS out there should see how much better the crew treats you when you greet them with a smile.

 

BEST LAUGH OF THE CRUISE: My team, while playing Majority Rules, had the following question "Name a movie title where the subject is the world coming to an end" and we answered "Armageddon II - President Trump; this time there's no escape" (Aw come on, just a joke you guys...) We received roaring laughter.

 

OK, thanks for the memories everyone! I'll be happy to answer questions, although I'll be out of wifi range for a week or so (camping in Death Valley).

 

Yours very truly,

 

If you agree with my opinions, my name is Phil

If you disagree, my name is Jan Swartz

 

(My name is NOT "The OP";))

 

 

Nice review!

Edited by Kingofcool1947
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ocaladee

ocaladee

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the review. We are leaving Saturday on the Ruby. This will be our second princess cruise. First was in Alaska. This will be first cruise ever for daughter, son in law and two grand boys. Nice to see some positive reviews. I also just go with the flow. No vacation is perfect and we always look at everything as an adventure. This multi generation will be new for us. Connecting with hubbys daughter who was taken by mom as babe to CA. they just found each other 5 years ago. This will be only second meeting with them. This is my present to hubby so we are all very excited. Thanks again for sharing positive. Do you know any of the movies that they showed? How was the weather? I see there have been storms in LA. Hope they pass

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jagsfan

jagsfan

Posted
Posted

Just a comment....very interesting review, included nuggets of info others miss. So I'll say thanks, Phil.

To the poster who quotes the whole review multiple times to post one or two lines, unnecessary waste of everyone's time.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

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sunsetbeachgal

sunsetbeachgal

Posted
Posted (edited)

Loved your review and sense of humor, I laughed about the comments about the gruff women. Or were they nasty women?!

 

Very Sorry to see you go, again am appreciative of your efforts and thanks for brightening my day.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Edited by sunsetbeachgal
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