Ruby Princess

[DaisyDancer]

We're thinking about doing Alaska next year on the Ruby Princess round trip Seattle. Does anyone have any opinions on this ship - cabins, food, public spaces, entertainment etc? I'm diamond World Club on Cunard but have never sailed with Princess. Anyone have any comparisons between the two?

 

Thank you

Daisy

[fishywood]

Well I'm Platinum on Princess but have sailed the Queen Mary 2 three times and Queen Victoria once so I'll have a go.

 

Standard oceanview and balcony cabins on Princess are noticeably smaller than those on the Queens. If used to a Britannia balcony you will want at least a mini-suite on Ruby Princess.

 

Princess has rolled out a new upgraded dining program for those in suites and the highest category of mini-suite. Check the innumerable threads on "Club Class Dining" below. I can't imagine it being comparable to the Grills on Cunard should those cabins be your preference.

 

Beyond that I do consider Princess to be the closest mainstream equivalent to Cunard. (I know the HAL claque will strongly claim otherwise). As long as you do not expect the same quantity or quality of activities and enrichment lectures from Princess you should be content--Alaska is essentially all about the destination.

Edited November 12, 2017 by fishywood

[skynight]

We're thinking about doing Alaska next year on the Ruby Princess round trip Seattle. Does anyone have any opinions on this ship - cabins, food, public spaces, entertainment etc? I'm diamond World Club on Cunard but have never sailed with Princess. Anyone have any comparisons between the two?

 

Thank you

Daisy

I believe Princess is one of the best in Alaska. However,if you have the time and funds I would recommend a cruisetour where you get to see some inland Alaska as opposed to a RT. The Ruby is a grand Class ship and I do like that layout. On almost all Princess ships there are lots of no charge dining choices, multiple surcharge dining choices and lots of live evening entertainment.

[peety3]

We've done five Alaska cruises: two Northbound (Coral, Sapphire), two Seattle RT with Tracy Arm Fjord (Grand, Ruby), and one Seattle RT with Glacier Bay (Ruby). The Coral is our all-time favorite but the Ruby is still a fine ship. I do prefer the Glacier Bay itinerary for its (slightly) slower pace (the four main things are spread over four days, whereas they're crammed into three days with the Tracy Arm itinerary), though it's even more peaceful on a northbound Vancouver-Anchorage run IMHO.

[Terrormina]

I love the Ruby! The food in the main dining room is excellent, the specialty dining at Crown Grill and Share is delicious. The Salty Dog is ok but I probably wouldn't eat there again. The crew is gracious and friendly, the ship is clean, beautiful and most importantly, very comfortable. It's large enough to have space to walk and things to do but not too large that it's hard to navigate and noisy. I definitely recommend the cruise tour if you can... You get to see/experience a lot more than just a cruise would provide. But Princess, and the Ruby is a great choice!

[fishywood]

The Ruby Princess is sailing the round-trip Inside Passage cruises from Seattle. Plus the one round-trip Los Angeles in April 2019.

 

For those responses above that recommend Ruby but in the same sentence also recommend the open-jaw Voyage of the Glaciers cruise, or the cruise tour that goes with that sailing--does not compute.

[Sea Hag]

We went to Alaska on the Ruby in September, and it was great. Wonderful ship. Above Princess-average food. Good staff. The ports of call were the standards, which we've visited several times. Glacier Bay was, as always, wonderful.