New to Princess - Ruby or Grand? San Francisco or Los Angeles?

[charliemikeoh]

Hello.  We are looking to book a Hawaiian cruise on Ruby out of San Francisco or Grand out of Los Angeles.  Pros and cons of both ships and ports, please?  What should a first-time Princess mariner know?

[karatemom2]

We have cruised to Hawaii from Los Angeles four times, once on the Grand. It’s a great cruise. We have also sailed several times on Princess ships out of San Francisco to Alaska, including on the Ruby. 
 

We like cruising out of LA because we live an hour away, but there is nothing particularly special about it unless you plan on spending a few days doing the Hollywood and Disney thing. The Grand is a nice ship and we have some lovely memories on her, but she is also the oldest ship in the Princess fleet and showing age.   
 

The Ruby is a beautiful ship and ten years newer than the Grand. San Francisco is an amazing port for departure - sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge is truly an unforgettable experience. 
 

Since you are flying in, either destination would likely be equally convenient. So with all that being the case, if cost and itinerary are comparable I would definitely recommend the Ruby out of San Francisco. 

[walkingsoon]

Just to show that not all agree, I'd prefer Grand out of San Pedro to Ruby out of San Francisco. But the Ruby out of Vancouver might top both those choices.

 

Hope this helps, but know it doesn't 😉

 

Walkingsoon

[charliemikeoh]

26 minutes ago, karatemom2 said:

We have cruised to Hawaii from Los Angeles four times, once on the Grand. It’s a great cruise. We have also sailed several times on Princess ships out of San Francisco to Alaska, including on the Ruby. 
 

We like cruising out of LA because we live an hour away, but there is nothing particularly special about it unless you plan on spending a few days doing the Hollywood and Disney thing. The Grand is a nice ship and we have some lovely memories on her, but she is also the oldest ship in the Princess fleet and showing age.   
 

The Ruby is a beautiful ship and ten years newer than the Grand. San Francisco is an amazing port for departure - sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge is truly an unforgettable experience. 
 

Since you are flying in, either destination would likely be equally convenient. So with all that being the case, if cost and itinerary are comparable I would definitely recommend the Ruby out of San Francisco. 

We don't do Disney or Hollywood ... but sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge --- that sounds AMAZING!!!

[LACruiser88]

We definitely prefer the Ruby over the Grand any day of the week!  The Grand is now the oldest ship in the Princess fleet.

[cr8tiv1]

I prefer the Grand since she is a smaller ship (less 400 passengers), especially when it comes to tendering in Kona (or previously Lahaina).  I do like the second aft stage over Club Fusion for additional entertainment.

 

I don't think the Ruby has Alfredos.

 

It DOES matter who you have as your Hawaiian Cultural Ambassadors, but not sure anyone's schedule is out yet.

 

You will only see the Golden Gate Bridge as you depart unless you are up very early returning.

 

Both airports are far from the port.  There is more to do in San Francisco before embarkation.  

[karatemom2]

1 hour ago, charliemikeoh said:

We don't do Disney or Hollywood ... but sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge --- that sounds AMAZING!!!

It is unforgettable sailing by Alcatraz and out of the bay under the bridge. Really a great way to start a cruise. 
 

In terms of some other information on the Hawaii cruises, Princess does a wonderful job of providing an immersive cultural experience from beginning to end even on the sea days. There is a Hawaiian musical group performing, hula lessons, ukulele lessons, crafts like lei making. There are usually a few special dishes in the MDR - like a macadamia nut encrusted mahi mahi as an example. 
 

I think they really try to imbue the whole cruise with an Aloha spirit. We loved each and every one - and of course your days in Hawaii are magical. 
 

I am sure you will have a fantastic vacation!

 

Edited February 28 by karatemom2

[mofurd]

My first cruise was a 10 day Alaska RT on the Grand out of San Francisco. Sailing under the Golden Gate is something you'll never forget!

 

I loved the Grand, but although it's been renovated, there were a few spots that just felt more dated. Didn't impact how great the trip was though! My vote is for SF.

[Coral]

I have not been on Ruby (but have been on her identical sisters). I would choose the Grand for having less passengers, feeling less crowded and also for having a covered swimming pool.

 

Grand would definitely be my choice. I have also had excellent service on the Grand on my last cruises on the ship.

[Yehootu]

7 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

Both airports are far from the port.  There is more to do in San Francisco before embarkation.  

You forgot Long Beach, the jewel of SoCal. Great airport and close to San Pedro.

 

8 hours ago, charliemikeoh said:

We don't do Disney or Hollywood ... but sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge --- that sounds AMAZING!!!

Another consideration is if you plan on coming in a few days early San Fran has more attractions. Just stay away from downtown. If you plan on cutting it close, I'd definitely chose Los Angeles as weather delays can build quickly in San Francisco. 

[charliemikeoh]

1 hour ago, Coral said:

I have not been on Ruby (but have been on her identical sisters). I would choose the Grand for having less passengers, feeling less crowded and also for having a covered swimming pool.

 

Grand would definitely be my choice. I have also had excellent service on the Grand on my last cruises on the ship.

I thought the pool on Grand was covered but when I investigated more, it looked like it wasn't.  That's a consideration ... but so is sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

[phabric]

On the Ruby in Sept for Hawaii.

 

Does the Ruby have a covered pool?

[TRLD]

On 2/28/2024 at 12:10 AM, LACruiser88 said:

We definitely prefer the Ruby over the Grand any day of the week!  The Grand is now the oldest ship in the Princess fleet.

It is the oldest, but has an inside pool and 1 less deck of passengers then the Ruby with the same size of public space. The main thing the Grand does not have is Sky Walkers.

 

We live on the CA central coast and have used both ports several times. As far as ports we prefer San Pedro to San Francisco. Embarkation and Disembarkation can be more problematic. The only reason I would select SF would be if wanted to visit the city for a couple of days before the cruise.

 

If I were visiting SF I would not take a car there. Too many people I know have had the windows in their cars smashed while parked in the city. Large number of smash and grab thefts.

Edited February 28 by TRLD

[TRLD]

On 2/28/2024 at 9:59 AM, phabric said:

On the Ruby in Sept for Hawaii.

 

Does the Ruby have a covered pool?

No. Ruby does not.

[TRLD]

On 2/28/2024 at 9:45 AM, charliemikeoh said:

I thought the pool on Grand was covered but when I investigated more, it looked like it wasn't.  That's a consideration ... but so is sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge.

 

There is one covered lido Pool on the Grand.

[warthog2608]

I live close to SF so that is my favorite port, don't have to fly anywhere. But we've flown into Long Beach several times and Uber'd to our hotel in San Pedro and it is easy. As far as the Grand vs the Ruby, done 3 cruises on each and it's a toss-up as to my favorite. I like the covered pool on the Grand, and the Skywalkers on the Ruby. If pizza is important the Grand has Alfredo's while they both have Slice. They both have our favorite hangouts; Good Spirits, Vines, and the International Cafe. I do love sailing under the GG Bridge and always get up early on disembarkation day to look at the bridge as we sail under.

Well, I guess I haven't been much help!  Looks like you have to list what's important to you as well as any sightseeing goals to make a decision. 

[mtnesterz]

9 hours ago, cr8tiv1 said:

It DOES matter who you have as your Hawaiian Cultural Ambassadors, but not sure anyone's schedule is out yet.

This!

There are other teams, but to our impression, Elua is preferred. They are on the Crown until April '24. They do post here, so seek out their schedule.

Seems like lately on this board, posters only care about the ship. I still hold the destination is your vacation and the immersion team makes those long sea days, which you will have either port, a treat. The rest is detail.

[charliemikeoh]

2 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

This!

There are other teams, but to our impression, Elua is preferred. They are on the Crown until April '24. They do post here, so seek out their schedule.

Seems like lately on this board, posters only care about the ship. I still hold the destination is your vacation and the immersion team makes those long sea days, which you will have either port, a treat. The rest is detail.

What is a Hawaiian Cultural Ambassador?  What (or who?) is Elua?  Intrigued!!!

[mtnesterz]

23 minutes ago, charliemikeoh said:

What is a Hawaiian Cultural Ambassador?  What (or who?) is Elua?  Intrigued!!!

Years ago, Princess started a program of Hawaiian cultural immersion on the Hawaii runs. There are a lot of sea days on these west coast sailings and really extends the sense of your otherwise limited time ashore. Ukulele classes, flower lei making, Hawaiian music in the Piazza,also from the overhead and cultural/history lectures.

I think Elua was the starter team. Search Eluamusic. We spoke to them last August on the Emerald, but I don't see their upcoming schedule.  Other teams are good too! 

 

[XBGuy]

We have sailed on both ships and we have sailed from both ports, but in neither case have we taken the Hawaii itinerary.  We have taken the Los Angeles-Hawaii itinerary three times on other  Princess ships.  Like several of the previous posters, living within easy driving distance to the port is very attractive to us.  Our Grand Princess experience was on two Alaska cruises--both out of San Francisco.  Our Ruby Princess experience includes two Mexico cruises, a California Coastal cruise and an Alaska cruise.  All of these cruises were out of Los Angeles.

 

I would not be uncomfortable on either of these ships on Hawaii cruise.  I might have a slight preference for the Ruby Princess, but I'm not sure I could tell you why.  The Skywalkers Lounge on the Ruby Princess is very nice.  It provides a very attractive perspective on the sea days.  We have enjoyed the Alfredo's on the Grand Princess.  It's been a few years since we have been on the Grand Princess, and at the time the only offerings were pizza.  The Alfredo's on other Princess ships also offer things like pasta dishes, calzones and desserts.  I do not know if the Alfredo's menu on the Grand Princess has been upgraded to that level.

 

While the passenger capacity of the Ruby Princess is 400 more than that of the Grand Princess, I can't say that I could ever see this difference.  My cruising coffee shop buddy insists that he can see additional crowding on the Ruby Princess (and her sister ships Crown Princess and Emerald Princess).

 

The Hawaiian cultural ambassadors can significantly improve your experience.  The prevailing Cruise Critic opinion is that Elua (Leialoha and Tiki Dave) are the best.  I will agree that Elua are excellent, they are among the hardest working people on the ship, but I do not have any first hand experience with any others.  I do recall reading a "Live From" report here on Cruise Critic in which there was a different couple, and the poster continually raved about them.  So, in your case, I would not be too concerned about which Hawaiian Cultural Ambassadors will be on your cruise.  I am confident that they will do a great job.

 

You mention that you are not interested in Disneyland (and I can certainly understand that), but are you interested in any pre-/post-cruise local sightseeing.  If so, I would lean towards San Francisco.  Los Angeles is just spread out all over the place, and public transportation is pathetic.  Yes, you can do Uber/Lyft, but you have to budget for it, and you have to be ready to spend a lot of time in traffic.  San Francisco, in contrast, is much more compact, and the public transportation is much better.

 

If there is nothing compelling in the various recommendations that I and others have made, then I would suggest that you look at air schedules.  Which port is the easier and less expensive for you to travel to.

 

Bon voyage.  I am envious.

[Coral]

12 hours ago, phabric said:

On the Ruby in Sept for Hawaii.

 

Does the Ruby have a covered pool?

Nope.

[Thrak]

I don't think Elua works on cruises out of SF. I've always seen them listed for the LA sailings. Doesn't mean they never sail from SF but it seems that I've pretty much always seen them listed out of LA.

[cr8tiv1]

Hawaiian Cultural Ambassadors.  Yes, Tiki Dave/Leialoha and Cruise Director David Cole were the creators of this program.  It has since expanded and I believe there are a total of 3 couples that host/hostess this program.  

 

I have only experienced 2 of the 3 couples and can speak with some confidence who does what.  Each do hula lessons and ukulele lessons.  All do entertainment sets in the Piazza and other venues.  There is always an "Aloha 'Oe" showcase at the end of the cruise.  

 

Tiki Dave and Leialoha do an outstanding job on port talks.  They include places to see and eat.  There will also be a naturalist on board for lectures.  You missed the history lesson presentations that Dave Cole gave on the Hawaiian Monarchy.  It was outstanding!  

 

The Cruise Director staff will do mini-workshops on sea days.  Leialoha will have her own little Kraft Korner.  Hopefully TikiDave will have a night in the Princess Theater (yes, he is THAT good).

 

ELUA (meaning the number 2) were/are on the Crown Princess out of San Francisco this season.  I believe they are scheduled until April when the Crown will reposition to Alaska for a whole other set or enrichment activities with someone else.  They "normally" are assigned cruises out of Los Angeles.  

 

19 minutes ago, Thrak said:

I don't think Elua works on cruises out of SF. I've always seen them listed for the LA sailings. Doesn't mean they never sail from SF but it seems that I've pretty much always seen them listed out of LA.

 

9 hours ago, mtnesterz said:

Years ago, Princess started a program of Hawaiian cultural immersion on the Hawaii runs. There are a lot of sea days on these west coast sailings and really extends the sense of your otherwise limited time ashore. Ukulele classes, flower lei making, Hawaiian music in the Piazza,also from the overhead and cultural/history lectures.

I think Elua was the starter team. Search Eluamusic. We spoke to them last August on the Emerald, but I don't see their upcoming schedule.  Other teams are good too! 

 

 

[grapau27]

On 2/28/2024 at 3:13 AM, charliemikeoh said:

Hello.  We are looking to book a Hawaiian cruise on Ruby out of San Francisco or Grand out of Los Angeles.  Pros and cons of both ships and ports, please?  What should a first-time Princess mariner know?

We sailed out of San Francisco on Grand Princess in November 2019 and had a fantastic 15 night's Hawaiian cruise.

We stayed at The Marker hotel in San Francisco for 3 nights pre- cruise.

Our visit to Alcatraz was amazing.

[LyssaWorthy]

Our 9th Hawaiian cruise is in a couple of weeks on Discovery.  The 8 previous cruises were on Diamond, Ruby, Star, Emerald twice, Golden three times. All Princess, all out of Los Angeles.  Not a bad trip among them.

 

Love Hawaii, love lots of sea days, love not flying anywhere, love Eula…I mean what’s NOT to love?  
 

Sailed the Grand to Alaska in 2022, when a two week round trip got an extra week added to it when DH tested positive and Canada would not let us fly to the states.  The Grand crew took care of everything, and the Inside Passage was spectacular even from an isolation balcony room.  
 

I’ve never sailed from San Francisco, so nothing to contribute there, sorry.

 

I hope you enjoy your trip as much as we have enjoyed ours.