On Ruby now, but never again

[julia]

Background... seasoned cruisers, 60's, platinum, and have sailed once since startup.  We were avid Princess, but gravitated to Celebrity and HAL the last ten years.  Thought we'd try this Ca. coastal, with a short flight and easy transfer.  Wrong.  Oh. So. Wrong.

 

I'd been following the struggles of others previously on this ship, and saw the pics of the nightmare 3/27 embarkation.  Well, the 4/11 one said "here, hold my beer."  Chaos? Confusion? 4+ hour-long (outside) line?  Cold, biting wind?  No place for elderly or handicapped to sit? No priority boarding? Just one huge cluster.  When our transfer bus finally snaked its way to Pier 35 (Majestic was at #27, adding to the confusion), we were thought we were seeing things!  People as far as the eye could see.

 

We made a decision to NOT stand in that humongous line, and found a restaurant across the street.  We said, "let's give it a few hours, and let it clear out".  Wrong.  Again.  Three hours later, it was just as bad.  We had no choice at that point, and walked down the street to the end.  1.5 hours in line.  I was cold, shaky, and oh so upset by the time we finally made it to our cabin.  4:25.  So much for an enjoyable first day.

 

More on the Ruby later.  I need a drink just typing this....

[atexsix]

45 minutes ago, julia said:

Background... seasoned cruisers, 60's, platinum, and have sailed once since startup.  We were avid Princess, but gravitated to Celebrity and HAL the last ten years.  Thought we'd try this Ca. coastal, with a short flight and easy transfer.  Wrong.  Oh. So. Wrong.

 

I'd been following the struggles of others previously on this ship, and saw the pics of the nightmare 3/27 embarkation.  Well, the 4/11 one said "here, hold my beer."  Chaos? Confusion? 4+ hour-long (outside) line?  Cold, biting wind?  No place for elderly or handicapped to sit? No priority boarding? Just one huge cluster.  When our transfer bus finally snaked its way to Pier 35 (Majestic was at #27, adding to the confusion), we were thought we were seeing things!  People as far as the eye could see.

 

We made a decision to NOT stand in that humongous line, and found a restaurant across the street.  We said, "let's give it a few hours, and let it clear out".  Wrong.  Again.  Three hours later, it was just as bad.  We had no choice at that point, and walked down the street to the end.  1.5 hours in line.  I was cold, shaky, and oh so upset by the time we finally made it to our cabin.  4:25.  So much for an enjoyable first day.

 

More on the Ruby later.  I need a drink just typing this....

This is why we're increasingly taking the walker everywhere, it has a seat so Dad can sit down and rest, and cruise terminals are infamous with lack of seating until you reach check in.

 

Sorry you had a nightmare embarkation.

[nini]

IMHO, this has nothing to do with the Ruby or Princess. We cruised from NYC with my sister and BIL in October 2018. We waited and waited and waited... Finally the PORT STAFF got their act together and we eventually boarded. One of the issues, was that the ship was having its Health Department Inspection. When we went to the buffet, the staff were all beaming because they receive a perfect score!

 

We are also Platinum and in our 60's.

[PescadoAmarillo]

Yeah, that’s really not acceptable. It’s certainly not the easy Medallion Class boarding that Princess advertises. Whether it’s a port issue, or a check in issue, it doesn’t matter. It’s a Princess issue, as embarkation is one of the items we rate in the post cruise survey. 
 

What really irritated me was there was no help for the elderly or infirmed. No water stations (like when we return to ship in port), no ship officers or crew presence at all anywhere until we got on the ship. They have just been REALLY lucky it hasn’t been a pouring rain during these turnarounds. I hope your cruise improves from there!

Edited April 13, 2022 by PescadoAmarillo

[AnyMajorCruiseDude]

2 hours ago, julia said:

Background... seasoned cruisers, 60's, platinum, and have sailed once since startup.  We were avid Princess, but gravitated to Celebrity and HAL the last ten years.  Thought we'd try this Ca. coastal, with a short flight and easy transfer.  Wrong.  Oh. So. Wrong.

 

I'd been following the struggles of others previously on this ship, and saw the pics of the nightmare 3/27 embarkation.  Well, the 4/11 one said "here, hold my beer."  Chaos? Confusion? 4+ hour-long (outside) line?  Cold, biting wind?  No place for elderly or handicapped to sit? No priority boarding? Just one huge cluster.  When our transfer bus finally snaked its way to Pier 35 (Majestic was at #27, adding to the confusion), we were thought we were seeing things!  People as far as the eye could see.

 

We made a decision to NOT stand in that humongous line, and found a restaurant across the street.  We said, "let's give it a few hours, and let it clear out".  Wrong.  Again.  Three hours later, it was just as bad.  We had no choice at that point, and walked down the street to the end.  1.5 hours in line.  I was cold, shaky, and oh so upset by the time we finally made it to our cabin.  4:25.  So much for an enjoyable first day.

 

More on the Ruby later.  I need a drink just typing this....

Agree it was a terrible boarding.  So far onboard (for me) has been great.  Sounds like you have more to report.  

[floridababa]

We had a horrible experience on the Regal 3/12 transatlantic.  It was a mess. This is not acceptable.

[*Miss G*]

9 minutes ago, floridababa said:

We had a horrible experience on the Regal 3/12 transatlantic.  It was a mess. This is not acceptable.

 

Same with the Sky 3/12 TA out of Port Everglades.  Assume the Regal was also PEV.

@julia, I saw a report that the Port of San Francisco was a disaster.  Did the Ruby depart from the same port?

[julia]

While I'm certain there's a lot of "finger pointing" all around, we have not been given any answers onboard as to what caused yesterday's chaos. The one theory we keep hearing is that they (the ship), did not disembark the last pax until after 12pm. Why??  Do not know.  

 

Things have settled down today.  We are at 2200 pax, and places do feel a bit crowded (to us).  Had a rather mediocre breakfast in the MDR this morning, and it felt cramped and noisy in DaVinci.  The buffet is self serve, but we did enjoy some self serve offerings there.  The highlights today were the Piazza, Vines and IC.  Tomorrow is a long port day in San Diego (lived there for 25 years), and so we're staying onboard.  

 

To be continued......

 

[swomom]

I just got off the Ruby on Monday in SF. I snapped a quick pic as my bus was pulling out of that dreadful old terminal….and it made me so sad to see all of you standing in that endless line as I did on 3/27. It had taken me about 2.5 hours of waiting to get off the ship. I was so glad that I was headed home. You were out in the cold and wind. Things at Princess seem to have declined rapidly...I do know now, that of the 9 people in my travel group, 6 tested positive for Covid and one is seriously ill in the hospital. On embarkation day (3/27) we received no information, no signage, no water, no reps from the ship itself, and locked portapotties…..not a word then or later from Princess.

My best guess (and it’s not really a guess at all) is that they are overwhelmed with Covid and of course will never tell us. I have cancelled all future cruises and tossed my black medallion in the garbage. I sincerely hope your cruise improves and you end up having a great time…..take pleasure in the small things🙂

[PescadoAmarillo]

4 hours ago, swomom said:

I do know now, that of the 9 people in my travel group, 6 tested positive for Covid and one is seriously ill in the hospital. On embarkation day (3/27) we received no information, no signage, no water, no reps from the ship itself, and locked portapotties…..not a word then or later from Princess.

Wow.  6 out of 9 tested positive. That is crazy. So sorry you’re all going through that and I hope the one who is hospitalized quickly recovers enough to return home.

 

Thanks for answering a lingering question I had about bathrooms at embarkation on March 27. I heard people say that there were bathrooms available and then later heard there weren’t. That they were there but locked addresses that inconsistency. I couldn’t believe there were no support services at all, and absolutely no answers about why that happened or apologies that it did. I should have run while I could. 😉

Edited April 13, 2022 by PescadoAmarillo

[jeno]

Boarding in LA on 2/12 wasn’t much better. We were  hauled away by bus for covid testing that took forever.  But at least we could sit down inside while  waiting for results. Ok, it was better.  But still handled extremely poorly. 

[bmc alabama]

If you go out of New Orleans and are not in the main (Julia St) terminal, this can happen as well.  Happened to us on RCCL in 2015 (Serenade).  Took about 3 hours to get on the ship...

[HappyInVan]

5 hours ago, swomom said:

I just got off the Ruby on Monday in SF. I snapped a quick pic as my bus was pulling out of that dreadful old terminal….and it made me so sad to see all of you standing in that endless line as I did on 3/27. It had taken me about 2.5 hours of waiting to get off the ship. I was so glad that I was headed home. You were out in the cold and wind. Things at Princess seem to have declined rapidly...I do know now, that of the 9 people in my travel group, 6 tested positive for Covid and one is seriously ill in the hospital...

 

 

 

As I feared, the official numbers are just the visible tip of the iceberg. The cruise industry is in denial. 😷

Edited April 13, 2022 by HappyInVan

[mam11]

We boarded in Ft. Lauderdale a few weeks ago and walked straight on. It was a very positive experience. Our only port problem was that the ship returned to a different pier which was over 2 miles away. We were bused on tiny buses to the parking garage. Added about an hour to our departure for a long drive home. 

[Ferry_Watcher]

Hi Julia, so sorry to hear about the embarkation mess.  With that many people outside waiting it does sound like the ship wasn't ready to allow boarding.  If the ship didn't reach 'zero count' (all disembarking passengers confirmed off the ship), then neither the ship or the terminal would be opened to embark passengers.  Another possibility could be that the delay was due to a Covid outbreak on the previous cruise.  If was the case, then the staff would have to do a deep clean of the ship.  In addition, the CDC may have ordered emergency testing for the entire crew, and depending upon the level of positive  results they may have been been considering cancelling the cruise. 

 

In any case, it is frustrating and miserable to have to remain outside without any amenities. And just as frustrating is not knowing why the delay was happening. Unfortunately, cruise terminals are not designed for these unusual situations.  I am glad though that you had the foresight to find a restaurant to pass some of the time away.  I hope all goes well from here!

 

(On a personal note, I was surprised to see you describe yourself as in your 60's.  I have to say that you appear so much younger than that!)  :  )

[geocruiser]

Swomon,

 

Very sorry to hear about so many in your group getting covid.  I hope for a fast recovery for all.

 

From read all the different problems with covid and embarkation etc,  at this point I am not stepping a toe on a Princess ship.  I just think to myself, the  different problems on board and boarding, chance of getting covid and going to covid jail and how PAX were treated there .  And just think, I would have to pay my hard earned cash for this experience!!!!  No way.

[CineGraphic]

1 hour ago, bmc alabama said:

If you go out of New Orleans and are not in the main (Julia St) terminal, this can happen as well.  Happened to us on RCCL in 2015 (Serenade).  Took about 3 hours to get on the ship...

 

Thankfully, Princess doesn't sail out of NOLA.

[Alwaysmorecruising]

Question -- does Princess make you select an embarkation time?  I ask because I sailed last month on RC and we had to pick the time we'd arrive.  If we arrived outside that hour, we'd have to wait.  (We were right on time and walked pretty much straight onto the ship.)  I'm wondering if Princess does something like that for embarkation?  Of course, that won't help if the disembarkation issues, deep cleaning, crew testing, etc. stuff makes everything backup.

[CineGraphic]

1 hour ago, Ferry_Watcher said:

Another possibility could be that the delay was due to a Covid outbreak on the previous cruise.

 

You've obviously been too busy watching ferries, and not following the live threads from the Ruby, where many passengers in isolation have been posting.

[CineGraphic]

1 minute ago, Alwaysmorecruising said:

does Princess make you select an embarkation time?

 

Yes, it's on the app.....nobody checks it when you arrive.

[ProfMHC]

7 hours ago, swomom said:

I just got off the Ruby on Monday in SF. I snapped a quick pic as my bus was pulling out of that dreadful old terminal….and it made me so sad to see all of you standing in that endless line as I did on 3/27. It had taken me about 2.5 hours of waiting to get off the ship. I was so glad that I was headed home. You were out in the cold and wind. Things at Princess seem to have declined rapidly...I do know now, that of the 9 people in my travel group, 6 tested positive for Covid and one is seriously ill in the hospital. On embarkation day (3/27) we received no information, no signage, no water, no reps from the ship itself, and locked portapotties…..not a word then or later from Princess.

My best guess (and it’s not really a guess at all) is that they are overwhelmed with Covid and of course will never tell us. I have cancelled all future cruises and tossed my black medallion in the garbage. I sincerely hope your cruise improves and you end up having a great time…..take pleasure in the small things🙂

The misery continues. This was us at pier 27 SF January 16, 2022

Excuse then was additional portside Covid testing. Weather was a lot better!

[Ferry_Watcher]

16 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

 

You've obviously been too busy watching ferries, and not following the live threads from the Ruby, where many passengers in isolation have been posting.

 

You are correct.  This thread caught my eye because I had the pleasure of meeting the OP (Julia) IRL.  Honestly, I don't spend a lot of time on the Princess boards because 85% of the posts are about Medallions.  That said, the difficulties with the Ruby and the recent embarkation was eye-opening, and educational.

And FYI, even the Washington State Ferry System has its own problems due to Covid and the resulting staff shortages.  :  )

[cruising deacon]

I was on the Discovery in Ensenada on Saturday, April 10 and saw your Ruby sailing in about 2 pm.

I have sailed on her 12 times, but it was a sad day when I actually saw the condition that the Ruby is in.

I actually felt sorry for all of the passengers, I have never seen so much rust on the hull of ANY cruise ship except those being scrapped. What a bleak picture for Princess to present, it would tell people that they are really down on their luck, and can't even afford a little paint.

[CineGraphic]

3 minutes ago, cruising deacon said:

I actually felt sorry for all of the passengers, I have never seen so much rust on the hull of ANY cruise ship except those being scrapped.

Now I'm totally dreading boarding the Ruby next Saturday and spending 14 days on board a rust bucket.

If you feel so bad, I'll happily except a generous check from the deacon so I can afford to sail only on freshly painted ships.

 

Honestly, how a few rust stains lessen one's cruise is beyond me.

[RNRcruisers]

That is crazy! And unacceptable that Princess just pretends this isn't happening. Our January cruise out of FLL was the quickest boarding we have ever had on any cruise. It took maybe 15 minutes from entering the terminal to being on board getting a drink at the pool bar. Of course the ship wasn't full. This sure would give the start of the cruise a bad taste.