Help-Norwegian Dawn or Ruby

[RN1986]

I have 2 cruises booked for spring break (March 09) and we have 2 girls ages 13 and 17. We have booked 2 rooms (balcony and inside) on both boats, so accomodation is comparable. My final payment is Monday and I have to decide. The cost difference is 700 more for the Ruby. Both have 4 ports, one is Eastern and one is Western. I have some concerns re the food on NCL. Also, there is only 1 pool vs 4 on Ruby--also MUTS.

 

I am hoping for somebody to say something to me to help me decide!!!

[Colo Cruiser]

I have 2 cruises booked for spring break (March 09) and we have 2 girls ages 13 and 17. We have booked 2 rooms (balcony and inside) on both boats, so accomodation is comparable. My final payment is Monday and I have to decide. The cost difference is 700 more for the Ruby. Both have 4 ports, one is Eastern and one is Western. I have some concerns re the food on NCL. Also, there is only 1 pool vs 4 on Ruby--also MUTS.

 

I am hoping for somebody to say something to me to help me decide!!!

 

Can only tell you that the Ruby is fantastic. ;)

[Clutterlady]

Although I have not been on the Ruby, but have sailed on the NCL Dawn, I would really have to say go for the Ruby....... you won't be disappointed with Princesss:)

[Caribbean Sunsets]

I haven't been on NCL but was on the Ruby last month and it was a beautiful ship.

[jenphan]

In search for my currently booked cruise. I have researched several cruiselines including ncl. based off reading many reviews, i felt that the dining experience on ncl is not good. i heard that the lines for a table even with reservations were up to an hour wait. for me, when i'm cruising i when i will go eat when i am hungry and do not want to wait for a table. on my past cruise with princess the food was great, the excursions were somewhat pricey, but definitely worth the experience.

[cynbar]

We are loyal Princess cruisers who sailed the Norwegian Gem last summer. We enjoyed it, but are back on Princess for our next cruise. We thought the food in the main DR on the Gem was not as good, both in quality and selection. The staff was friendly but the decor was a little loud for my taste. We enjoyed having all the choices of specialty restaurants, but most have a surcharge and require advance reservations which can be hard to get . We haven't found the waits for dinner to be bad on either ship. We prefer Princess because of the freshwater pools, MUTS, more understated decor, and better food. Ruby is also a newer ship than the Norwegian Dawn. Anyway, you will get some differing opinions but my choice of the two would be Ruby Princess.

[ddpe]

I had your exact same question when I was researching the cruise we took last week on the Ruby.

 

I kept reading the following items over and over on NCL forums and Dawn reviews:

1. Food was iffy unless you paid extra and made reservations in specialty dining rooms.

2. Room cleanliness not good.

3. Tenders took to long.

 

I read several threads where they said they only ended up with 2 hours at a beach break on Dominican Republic or Dominica (can't remember correctly what the port was) because the tender process was very long. We have had good experiences with Princess tenders with one exception being Princess Cays last week. It only took me about 20 minutes total with the ride, but I went much earlier. Beleive me in Cayman, we walked right on to the tender back and forth from shore. The line for the NCL Jewel that was in port was so long I couldn't believe it.

 

You will love the Ruby. I still want to try NCL and the above is just hearsay, but I went back to a known product for Xmas because we had a lot of family coming.

[velvetred]

I have sailed on the Norwegian Star (sister ship to the Norwegian Dawn) and the Ruby Princess. IMHO you should go on the Ruby Princess - better food, more entertainment options in the evening (although NCL has excellent production shows), Movies Under the Stars, multiple pools with fresh water, nicer cabins and overall atmosphere.

 

I also thought the service on Princess was just a tad better on Princess compared to my two previous NCL cruises. Norwegian does have more hand sanitizers about their ships and longer available times for free ice cream. Norwegian has a more casual atmosphere and jeans are acceptable in the evening in all but one of the dining venues (which is positive in my opinion). Both Princess and Norwegian have alternative pay restaurants. Princess has the 24 hour buffet and NCL has the 24 Blue Lagoon eatery (lots of fried foods). In my experience tendering was less of a hassle on NCL than on the Ruby Princess with shorter lines and waiting times. However, embarkation and debarkation were smoother on Princess.

 

I have had a wonderful time on all of my cruises. Enjoy whichever one you choose.

[unboringuy]

I've been on the Dawn and CB (but not the Ruby). Also have been on many Princess cruises. I would give a slight nod to Princess, but we thought the Dawn (earlier this year to Bermuda) was quite nice. I don't think you will be disappointed with either.

[fathercop]

Loved the Ruby! What a great ship. I can't wait to sail on her again.

[RN1986]

After much hesitation, investigation and sleepless nights I had to make my decision. We chose Princess because of MUTS, Kids program, no age restrictions at the evening shows, food reviews, 4 pools vs 1, and basically my gut felt better. So, we are booked at so looking forward to our trip for spring break!!