ruby princess - negative or positive?

[mrs_jip]

New to princess and keep reading rather negative reviews. Any positive reviews out there? Doing the Mexican Riviera in Dec. Wonder if there might be a mariachi band onboard? Is there happy hour? If there's sushi is it extra cost?

[AZ Ocean Lover]

I just got off the Ruby on Saturday and rest assured, everything is lovely. The staff was amazing. Officers out and about and very friendly. Ports were so much better than I expected (it's been 20 years since I've been to Puerto Vallarta or Cabo). There is definitely a mariachi band on board and they played every night in the piazza. Tons of people dancing and having a good time with them. They did have a happy hour every evening in Skywalkers (10 - 11, I believe) and they had a couple of happy hours in the afternoon in Club Fusion but it wasn't everyday. Sushi was offered in the horizon court one night and you can get it with a glass of wine from the Vines venue.

 

Don't worry about the Ruby. She is one of my favorites and she didn't disappoint last week.

[ShyannDay]

Just finished the same cruise 4 days ago. This was my first time on Princess. Sadly there is no sushi on board. There are happy hours daily - noticed some were at 10pm. There was a mariachi band on board, and they had a local folkloric group come on board in Mazatlan and perform a show in the theater which also had a Marichi. All in all the cruise was really good and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. There were some things I didn't like - like broken furniture in my cabin and very outdated uncomfortable seating in the cabin, but overall it was a really good experience. I played slots in the casino and had a couple of large wins which I wasn't expecting. The shows that I attended were surprisingly good - not Broadway level but very creative and entertaining and the performers were talented. One thing I did notice was that many people here on cruisecritic complain about the unfriendly service on board Ruby Princess. I was in Club Class so when being taken care of Club Class dining everything was very friendly and positive, however when attending tea the servers were not smiling or friendly and we attended three times. The friendliness factor really contrasted with my experience last year on Holland America - talk about service with a smile!

[AZ Ocean Lover]

Just finished the same cruise 4 days ago. This was my first time on Princess. Sadly there is no sushi on board. There are happy hours daily - noticed some were at 10pm. There was a mariachi band on board, and they had a local folkloric group come on board in Mazatlan and perform a show in the theater which also had a Marichi. All in all the cruise was really good and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. There were some things I didn't like - like broken furniture in my cabin and very outdated uncomfortable seating in the cabin, but overall it was a really good experience. I played slots in the casino and had a couple of large wins which I wasn't expecting. The shows that I attended were surprisingly good - not Broadway level but very creative and entertaining and the performers were talented. One thing I did notice was that many people here on cruisecritic complain about the unfriendly service on board Ruby Princess. I was in Club Class so when being taken care of Club Class dining everything was very friendly and positive, however when attending tea the servers were not smiling or friendly and we attended three times. The friendliness factor really contrasted with my experience last year on Holland America - talk about service with a smile!

 

Funny how two people see different things on a cruise. Definitely a 3 piece mariachi band on board each evening and there was sushi. I had forgotten about the folkloric show on board. I do have to agree that the servers were not all that friendly now that you mention it.

[ShyannDay]

Funny how two people see different things on a cruise. Definitely a 3 piece mariachi band on board each evening and there was sushi. I had forgotten about the folkloric show on board. I do have to agree that the servers were not all that friendly now that you mention it.

 

I answered about the sushi thinking the OP was asking if there was a sushi restaurant (Like Holland America has) which they perhaps weren't. I actually didn't see any sushi though but I only ate in the Horizon Court once so... my bad.

[Mike45LC]

I have not been on the Ruby since Jan 2016. I am booked for her again this winter.

 

My review of the Ruby (if I had posted one) would have been mixed. I had a wonderful cruise, but there are things that are not as good as they used to be. Still, it is a cruise!

 

In Jan 2016 on the Ruby, we were a family party of six, three couples. Two balcony cabins and one mini-suite. We did not feel that the ship was run down or tired.

 

Our cabin steward was Filipino, and he was thrilled when I (an "Anglo") spoke to him in Tagalog and a little bit in his own dialect as well. I did not notice any lack of warmth and friendliness in the housekeeping staff.

 

For both the Ruby (Jan 2016) and the Star (June 2017), I was disappointed in the menus. The changes in the Always Available Menu were NOT good. The menus and the Lido Deck buffets were very disappointing. I ate more pizza and grilled chicken at lunch than ever before. The fries from the grill were wonderful.

 

The Main Dining Room wait staff was neither depressed nor surly; I found them to be pleasant and attentive to our table of six. We do Traditional Dining, so we had the same wait staff and the same table all week.

 

The production shows were great. The effects/modern technology are amazing. Get there early to grab close-up center seats.

 

I have lost count of the number of times I have done this Mex Riviera itinerary. When I lived in L.A., it was so easy, and such a joy! I still enjoy all three ports. But I don't have to rush off the ship to maximize my shore time, and I take my time in the ports.

 

Mariachi, yes. Plus pianists, vocalists, dance band, ... Music in multiple venues (lounges and the atrium) every evening.

 

Happy hour: Is that the "Buy One, get Another for $1" event that they have? I don't drink, so I don't pay attention, but it is advertised (every day?) in the Princess Patter. In the Skywalker's Nightclub, which I am happy not to frequent! There are multiple venues on board, and the Nightclub is not my cuppa!

 

Based on my 2016 Ruby and my 2017 Star cruises, I am happy to be booked on the Ruby again this coming winter! It will be another wonderful vacation. No matter how mixed the reviews have been, I am going to have a great holiday on the Ruby!

[ScottChez]

Was on it Aug 2017. Been on a a lot of Ships. This by far is the best one yet.

Most dont come here and post positive things so there could be 10,000 Positive posters but they never post here, only 10 negative posters there and then everything thinks the ship is bad. I would not rely on counts of yes or no here.

[San Diego Ellie]

Just off Ruby this past Saturday, and we thought the staff were the best of our 50+ cruises. Our room attendant and waitstaff in fixed dining were absolutely fantastic, and we thought the staff throughout the ship were exceptionally helpful, smiling and generally pleasant.

[OCruisers]

Vines has sushi after about 5 o'clock which is at no cost with the purchase of a glass of wine (or other beverage they have).

We have always enjoyed Ruby!

Have a great time! :)

[mrs_jip]

Many thanks for these much more positive thoughts! As it's over Christmas and we're bringing a couple of our adult children I was beginning to worry we'd made a mistake.

As everyone's been so helpful - any recommendations for after the cruise for new years eve - looking for an atmospheric restaurant - we're staying in LA for a couple of nights before returning to UK.

[vampiress]

la is pretty big, where in la are you staying?

 

not too far from lax is post in manhattan beach http://www.eatmbpost.com/#

in long beach i have enjoyed great society, it is a bit more casual food, but the selection of ciders is great. they also do well handling celiac needs. http://www.greatsocietycider.com/great-society-cider-mead-soft-opens-thursday-august-4/

[satxdiver]

We are on the Ruby right now. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza near the port Friday night before boarding the Ruby at Pier 93. I ventured into the HC late last night and they had sushi but probably not every night. Vines has sushi every night either free with a glass of wine or pay for it. I have been at the Piaza every night to watch the Mariachi band which are good. Food has been great as it has been on other Princess ships. We are onboard this week and next week in a B2B We sailed on the Ruby in August to AK so it is a return to the Ruby. The ship has the new beds which are very nice.

[DavidsNana]

Just got off the Ruby 11/4/17 and had a wonderful time. Every crew member we encountered was smiling and friendly. We had a wonderful room steward, Michael Mejia and great bartenders. Even had great smiling wait staff in Anytime Dining on 2 nights. The only complaint that I would have is that the evening buffet food was not hot. Barely warm so when you got it to the table, it was cool to cold. We were sorry to get off!

[mrs_jip]

I'm starting to look forward to it now! Next questions! - any reviews on the excursions particularly in mazatalan? Anyone done the salsa making/dancing one?

Also, I know it's unlikely to be able to get the sanctuary but where do you try to book it?

Finally which food places are NOT extra?

Really appreciate your comments.

[peety3]

We've been on the Ruby five times, and have sailed Princess nine times. There's a reason more than half of our cruises have been on the Ruby. That said, one of those was a Mexican Riviera, and the itinerary was lackluster in our opinion (though Alaska is the bar it's being compared against). Mazatlan is so bleh...having to dock in the commercial port and be surrounded by shipping containers is not my idea of pristine beauty. We did the hike to El Faro lighthouse, and won't do that again (though my wife admits that if we saw this in a brochure, we'd probably have picked it).

[Micahs Grandad]

We took Ruby to Hawaii a year ago and was very happy with the ship

[AZ Ocean Lover]

In Mazatlan we just walked out of the cruise terminal and there was a line of open air taxis waiting. I think they are call pumonias. We had been on a long excursion the day before to Las Caletas in PV (highly recommend) so we didn't want anything too demanding. We asked the driver to take us on a tour of the city and he was great. Obviously, he has done this a million times before but we really got to see so much. They are doing some road work around the Old Town area so we got blocked a few times but he was able to work around it. The tour took 2 hours and we paid $20 per person so we felt like we got our money's worth.

 

Yes, the port itself is industrial but the sail into the port is beautiful. If you go up to the top of the ship the view of the city is spectacular. You can see the two cathedrals and the hills covered with colorful houses. I was very pleasantly surprised at Mazatlan and would love to go back.

[XBGuy]

Many thanks for these much more positive thoughts! As it's over Christmas and we're bringing a couple of our adult children I was beginning to worry we'd made a mistake.

As everyone's been so helpful - any recommendations for after the cruise for new years eve - looking for an atmospheric restaurant - we're staying in LA for a couple of nights before returning to UK.

 

Mrs. J., Vampiress gave a couple good restaurant recommendations, above, but as she indicated it is important to know where your hotel is. Los Angeles is a pretty big place, and getting from place to place can be difficult. If your hotel is downtown, you probably don't want to try to dine on the west side. If you can tell us what neighborhood your hotel is in, you can probably get some more recommendations. Also, for New Year's Eve, you probably want to get a reservation as soon as possible.

 

I can't resist, though. If you are staying near Long Beach, the first restaurant that can be described as "atmospheric" (by which, I assume, you mean it has atmosphere, not it is up in the atmosphere) that comes to my mind is the Sky Room. It is a time machine.

[mrs_jip]

We're staying on hollywood boulevard - interested in anywhere we can travel to by metro. Nothing too dressy or expensive but good fun!! Thanks for suggestions.

[XBGuy]

We're staying on hollywood boulevard - interested in anywhere we can travel to by metro. Nothing too dressy or expensive but good fun!! Thanks for suggestions.

 

OK, I think this will be close to you. It definitely hits your "not too dressy," not "expensive," and "fun." requirements.

 

Loteria Grill

6627 Hollywood Blvd.

 

Mexican food, but not just an "enchiladas, rice and beans" place. My wife met Jimmy Shaw (who was actrually born in Mexico City) when she worked at Lawry's Foods. A truly excellent guy and a fantastic chef.

 

Here's another idea:

 

Yamashiro.

1919 N. Sycamore Ave.

 

Japanese. I haven't been there in over 20 years, and I know that the ownership changed a few years ago, but this definitely hits the "atmosphere" bullseye.

 

You can check menus at the websites that I have linked, above. There are also buttons to make reservations.

 

If I think of anything else, I'll add it.

[Jasperdo]

The Desperado Trio was the mariachi band on the Ruby Princess last year. They were very good:

 

[Terrormina]

We just completed a cruise on the Ruby Princess this last Saturday (11/11) and we didn't experience anything to explain the negative reviews... The crew/staff were very friendly and accommodating, the ship was clean, the food served in the specialty and main dining was delicious. The princess links course is a little tore up but is a fun way to pass a little time. The only "negative" thing I would say is that I didn't really enjoy the Horizon Buffet all that much. I only tried eating there twice - once for late breakfast, and the other around lunchtime. I didn't really care for the food I tried (like a waffle I couldn't even cut through) but I can see that for a quick bite, it probably wouldn't be too bad... After my second sad attempt at lunch to give it another try, I decided to stick to the MDR's and International Café. I am counting the days until I can sail on Ruby again!

[mrs_jip]

Thanks for that - sounds good. Did you try any excursions?

Where is the international cafe - what food does it serve?

[Terrormina]

We were doing the California Coastal, so we did excursions in San Francisco, and Ensenada, and chose to do Monterey on our own. Stayed on the ship in San Diego because I live here and wasn't ready to be home yet!

 

Excursions are fine but can be pricey for what you get. I like the knowledge of knowing that the ship won't leave without you if you are on a ship bought excursion, but if you watch the time, it isn't an issue if you do your own thing.

 

I LOVED the international café, which is located in the piazza (first floor of the atrium which is in the center of the ship). They serve fresh pastries (Doughnuts/fruit pastries etc) in the morning, gelato in the afternoons (mostly what I used the coffee card for), and quick foods like salads (such mixed greens/spinach, watermelon/feta, seafood salads), Sliced cheeses with dried fruits (such as figs), fruit bowls, Panini's (Cubanos, tomato/mozzarella, chicken/pineapple, ham/cheese croissants, BBQ beef etc). Seating can be a bit difficult when there is entertainment going on in the piazza - people tend to steal chairs to sit in the middle, or camp out and watch the entire evening... but you can take the food to sit in the vines wine bar across the piazza. I liked the sandwiches - you can get them cold or heated up in the Panini press. Plus they have delicious pastries/small desserts - like fresh fruit tarts, pineapple upside down cake, cheese cakes, hazelnut chocolate pudding, fresh baked cookies.

[mrs_jip]

Sounds delicious! Is it all included or to be paid for?

How did you find the entertainment on board?