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Back from the Ruby!

psbhappy

By psbhappy,
in Princess Cruises

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psbhappy

psbhappy

Posted
Posted

I returned a few days ago from the 2/7 - 2/14 sailing on the Ruby. I had a fabulous time. I sailed the Caribbean Princess last year and felt like I really knew the newship, but there were a few differences. The ship is gorgeous. I especially liked the Piazza (Atrium). While all similar, you could really see how new the ship was. While I loved last year's ship and thought the service was good, I really saw a huge difference in service on the Ruby. I personally do not care if every single worker who passes me in a hallway greets me. I try to smile at everyone and acknowledge their presence. On this ship, however, everyone smiled, greeted and was very very helpful. I didn't even get a dirty look when ordering a soda with my Coke sticker. :) I saw several people go above and beyond to assist passengers. In the dining room (I used Anytime Dining), we were commenting on how great the service was. I once counted how long it took our waiter to remove an item I was finished eating. Answer: 14 seconds. We did eat a little later than the normal dinner rush, but we were all surprised by how well the service was.

 

I felt like I really got my money's worth. My huge balcony (E730) was great. The shows were great. The other entertainment was fine. Most of the food was good. The gelatto at the International Cafe was great. The chilled towels when returning from port were a nice touch. The ship was spotless. I even tried looking for fingerprints on the mirrors in the elevator. There were none. That is an amazing feat, considering how much traffic there really is. What more could one ask for? We had a wonderful time. It really made me realize what a great product Princess is for me. (I have never tried another line--3 cruises so far). I am sure I could find a few things that could use improving. While nothing is absolutely perfect, none of us should expect it to be. It has been really hard to be back home after a whole year of planning. :)

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Tralynn

Tralynn

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Thank you for your review.

 

We also found that the Ruby's crew is really something special. I was especially impressed with the service in the Horizon Court. We had a nice size group, and by the third morning that we went there for breakfast, Alexandru (our favorite) would grab a big table for us and have our coffee and juice on the way before we could even ask. Our mugs and glasses were never empty. Service was excellent all over the ship.

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kf657

kf657

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Posted
I returned a few days ago from the 2/7 - 2/14 sailing on the Ruby. I had a fabulous time. I sailed the Caribbean Princess last year and felt like I really knew the newship, but there were a few differences. The ship is gorgeous. I especially liked the Piazza (Atrium). While all similar, you could really see how new the ship was. While I loved last year's ship and thought the service was good, I really saw a huge difference in service on the Ruby. I personally do not care if every single worker who passes me in a hallway greets me. I try to smile at everyone and acknowledge their presence. On this ship, however, everyone smiled, greeted and was very very helpful. I didn't even get a dirty look when ordering a soda with my Coke sticker. :) I saw several people go above and beyond to assist passengers. In the dining room (I used Anytime Dining), we were commenting on how great the service was. I once counted how long it took our waiter to remove an item I was finished eating. Answer: 14 seconds. We did eat a little later than the normal dinner rush, but we were all surprised by how well the service was.

 

I felt like I really got my money's worth. My huge balcony (E730) was great. The shows were great. The other entertainment was fine. Most of the food was good. The gelatto at the International Cafe was great. The chilled towels when returning from port were a nice touch. The ship was spotless. I even tried looking for fingerprints on the mirrors in the elevator. There were none. That is an amazing feat, considering how much traffic there really is. What more could one ask for? We had a wonderful time. It really made me realize what a great product Princess is for me. (I have never tried another line--3 cruises so far). I am sure I could find a few things that could use improving. While nothing is absolutely perfect, none of us should expect it to be. It has been really hard to be back home after a whole year of planning. :)

 

Oh man this review is killing me..Here I sit in COLD, WINDY Long Island, still with 50 days to go til WE sail on the Ruby...I am soo jealous

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Stmar

Stmar

Posted
Posted
I returned a few days ago from the 2/7 - 2/14 sailing on the Ruby. I had a fabulous time. I sailed the Caribbean Princess last year and felt like I really knew the newship, but there were a few differences. The ship is gorgeous. I especially liked the Piazza (Atrium). While all similar, you could really see how new the ship was. While I loved last year's ship and thought the service was good, I really saw a huge difference in service on the Ruby. I personally do not care if every single worker who passes me in a hallway greets me. I try to smile at everyone and acknowledge their presence. On this ship, however, everyone smiled, greeted and was very very helpful. I didn't even get a dirty look when ordering a soda with my Coke sticker. :) I saw several people go above and beyond to assist passengers. In the dining room (I used Anytime Dining), we were commenting on how great the service was. I once counted how long it took our waiter to remove an item I was finished eating. Answer: 14 seconds. We did eat a little later than the normal dinner rush, but we were all surprised by how well the service was.

 

I felt like I really got my money's worth. My huge balcony (E730) was great. The shows were great. The other entertainment was fine. Most of the food was good. The gelatto at the International Cafe was great. The chilled towels when returning from port were a nice touch. The ship was spotless. I even tried looking for fingerprints on the mirrors in the elevator. There were none. That is an amazing feat, considering how much traffic there really is. What more could one ask for? We had a wonderful time. It really made me realize what a great product Princess is for me. (I have never tried another line--3 cruises so far). I am sure I could find a few things that could use improving. While nothing is absolutely perfect, none of us should expect it to be. It has been really hard to be back home after a whole year of planning. :)

That is the way we felt on the Dawn,Grand and Diamond but on the Golden Hawaiian cruise that we just finished we were disappointed. The individual service was still good but the food and entertainment was subpar based on our previous Princess experiences. Has anyone else noticed a decline over the last few years? We do not cruise that often, every two or three years, so when we do we want to maximize our experiences. If this is the new norm we would like to know.

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kendon

kendon

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Just off the Ruby yesterday and for sure, cut backs are obvious. While I thought the cruise and staff were wonderful, entertainment is getting sparse and the food (especially the buffet) is just not what it was even two or three years ago. Sure miss those souffles for dessert after dinner!

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Tatka

Tatka

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Just off the Ruby yesterday and for sure, cut backs are obvious. While I thought the cruise and staff were wonderful, entertainment is getting sparse and the food (especially the buffet) is just not what it was even two or three years ago. Sure miss those souffles for dessert after dinner!

 

But they added nice waffle station.

 

Seafood buffet was not as good as on Caribbean 2 years ago, and only 1.

 

We felt that smaller scale entertainment was lesser, but maybe only in Wheelhouse pub which is not as cozy as on Caribbean.

 

However they added very cute "street" entertainment in Piazza. :)

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