Should We Cruise Ruby?

[Morris4me]

I'm trying to decide on a 10-day cruise between Celebrity Equinox and Ruby Princess. Having never sailed with either cruiseline, I've researched and read all the reviews (Solstice for Celebrity since Equinox is not yet complete) and am starting to think that we'll have more "fun" on Princess.

 

It seems that everything on Solstice class ships is addressed as sophisticated and upscale. Also the entertainment line-up that I read about includes string quartets, jazz ensembles, an acapella group and only one modern dance band. While we do enjoy occassional jazz music, I'm worried that Celebrity may be a little to low-key for us. Will we find more fun and entertaining things for us on Ruby? (We are 40-something with no kids. Itinerary does not matter to us.)

[GottaLuvCruising]

We've sailed Celebrity only once, mainly because we found it a bit stuffy. Service and food were awesome, but atmosphere just didn't suit us.

 

Princess is the perfect fit for us. It's a nice atmosphere (with lots of fun) and IMHO a better cruise experience than many others. We really like Princess' food and entertainment, but especially its more relaxed environment (as compared to Celebrity).

 

The one factor that makes me wish I enjoyed Celebrity more is that they are very restrictive on smoking. Princess isn't quite as progressive (yet).

[Worn out mailman]

I'm trying to decide on a 10-day cruise between Celebrity Equinox and Ruby Princess. Having never sailed with either cruiseline, I've researched and read all the reviews (Solstice for Celebrity since Equinox is not yet complete) and am starting to think that we'll have more "fun" on Princess.

 

It seems that everything on Solstice class ships is addressed as sophisticated and upscale. Also the entertainment line-up that I read about includes string quartets, jazz ensembles, an acapella group and only one modern dance band. While we do enjoy occassional jazz music, I'm worried that Celebrity may be a little to low-key for us. Will we find more fun and entertaining things for us on Ruby? (We are 40-something with no kids. Itinerary does not matter to us.)

 

Hi, I can only tell you about the entertainment on Ruby...I've never sailed on Celebrity but was on Ruby just a month or so ago. Ruby had a good rock band that played classic rock stuff...this group played at sailaway and around the ship at a couple of the venues. There was also a jazzy quartet, 2 girls and 2 fellas...they played mellow versions of rock songs. They were just 'okay'. There was a man who played piano at the Crooners lounge...did some Billy Joel stuff. In the Piazza, there was another Pianist who would play by himself, concerto like stuff...sometimes accompanied by a violinist and a standup bass.

 

At the Neptune's Reef pool, there was a one man band...he played a Kettle drum with synthesizer accompaniment that he programmed. This got a little boring after the third day hearing him play the same songs...but it was better than hearing the same radio tunes three days in a row on the last couple RCCL cruises I've been on. At least it was live music.

 

Ruby was beautiful. :)

[cynbar]

We have sailed Celebrity 4 times and Princess 9 times (including the Ruby last January) ---- overall, we prefer Princess. You are right, there is more going on on Princess, especially in the evenings: shows, dancing, the nightclub, MUTS, other events weekly such as a Sock Hop and Princess Idol, piano bar, Crew Show featuring "If I Were Not Upon the Sea" (you'd have to see this to believe it), and later open hours for the pools and hot tubs. We also like the slightly more casual atmosphere on Princess, and we think the food is just fine. Both lines have their devoted fans, however!!

[lel5344]

We've sailed once on Celebrity, once on Princess. Here are a few observations:

 

We loved anytime dining on Princess. No equivalent on Celebrity. But Celebrity's dining room service was superior to the Princess experience. A note here: we were fortunate enough to sit at the table right next to the Captain's table on Celebrity. That was probably a service plus. Dining room food was perhaps just a bit more interesting on Celebrity, but not by much. And we did no specialty dining or buffet dining on either ship, so no judgment from us.

 

Princess seems to have a greater variety of entertainment and we enjoyed the acts that appeared in the Piazza during the day.

 

Celebrity has Concierge Class. No equivalent on Princess. So our stateroom service was better on Celebrity (not implying that Princess service was poor).

 

One of our favorite things about Princess: the Future Cruise Credit you buy while on board. Means you can book your next cruise for a deposit of only $100 per person and you get an onboard credit to go with it. Incredible deal!

 

I'm sure other more experienced cruisers will have much more to contribute, but in our opinion, we would sail either line again in a heartbeat.

[sunsetbeachgal]

What is the price difference? That would certainly be a consideration. The Ruby is taking over the 10-day itineraries in the Carribbean next season that the Emerald is currently doing-you say itinerary is not important, but we have done both of these and would highly recommend. We have not sailed the Ruby but have been on the Emerald twice (sister ship) and absolutely loved it both times.

[Shifra]

I agree with most of what has been said. Both lines are really nice but I also find Celebrity a bit stuffy. Nice if that's what you are looking for. Much more to do on Princess and more relaxed atmosphere.

 

As far as dining room service I am sure if the previous poster did traditional dining instead of anytime on Princess the service would measure up to Celebrity. Anytime dining which I prefer is more like eating in a nice restaurant because you will usually get different waiters each night.

[Colo Cruiser]

Take the Ruby, I feel it in my bones. :D

[lel5344]

I agree with most of what has been said. Both lines are really nice but I also find Celebrity a bit stuffy. Nice if that's what you are looking for. Much more to do on Princess and more relaxed atmosphere.

 

As far as dining room service I am sure if the previous poster did traditional dining instead of anytime on Princess the service would measure up to Celebrity. Anytime dining which I prefer is more like eating in a nice restaurant because you will usually get different waiters each night.

 

 

Actually, because we liked the friendliness of our waiter and assitant waiter on the very first night, we made a reservation for 6PM each night, so the comparison is somewhat valid.

 

Again, no criticism od the dining room service on Princess. I suspect our Celebrity experience was a bit above the norm because of the location of our table.

[wrongwaywatson]

We got off the Ruby last Saturday and had a great time! It is a beautiful ship and there was lots of stuff to do. I am middle 40s, so our ages are similar. We enjoyed the MUTS during the day while we sunbathed, so we didn't listen to the guy playing the drums. We loved MUTS! Also, we enjoyed the shows in the evening. The entertainment was pretty good. We went to the Explorer's Lounge a few different evenings and listened to the band, whom we enjoyed. They had a really good comedian, also. Also, at night they play movies out by the pool and it is fun to get in the lawnchair, cuddle up under a blanket and watch the movie. I haven't cruised Celebrity before, but I sure loved the Ruby. It was our 4th Princess cruise.

[City_Woman]

I wish I could help.

 

Just wanted to say I will know the comparisons after April 2010.

 

We're sailing the Ruby this October and the Equinox next April.

 

We decided on the Equinox because of price - and we have always been curious about Celebrity.

 

Judy

[PATDEN]

We are in the same position, and deciding on a Med cruise between Princess and Celebrity. We have never sailed Celebrity, but have cruised Princess and always loved it. We were on the Crown, which is a sister ship to the Ruby, and thought it was great. However, the price difference might be the deal breaker for us. I am shocked at the difference in price between the two lines for almost the exact same itinerary - almost $2,000 cheaper. That's a big difference and might sway me to try Celebrity!

[cruisenuts4life]

I was deciding between the same two for a year, I finally decided on the Ruby.I have been on celebrity before but never been on Princess. I agree that Celebrity is a little stuffier.I think I made a good decision hope that you also make the right one.:)

[2theship]

Personally, I've always been surprised about statements saying the Celebrity is stuffy. I've never had that impression. We had a great time last summer on the Galaxy's last tour of the Mediterranean. Back when our kids were little, the whole family enjoyed our Celebrity cruises - their kids' programs were outstanding.

 

I think the dining room food has become pretty comparable, although Celebrity used to win hands down. However, I have always had problems with the dining room service on Princess, Celebrity's is much better. We've always used traditional dining on Princess so I've been comparing apples to apples. When we sail Princess, I just have to accept the fact that the service will not be as good.

 

For us it always boils down to dates and intineraries and we pick the one we prefer. We're sailing the Ruby's return transatlantic this year so we'll have a good long time to see how she is.

[emileg]

Is a wrap-around promenade deck important to you? Would you like to go to the very front of the bow and yell out "I'm King of the World!" like Leonardo DiCaprio? You can do these things on the Ruby Princess but not on the Equinox. This is not to detract from the Equinox which I am sure has many nice features.

[Aquarian]

We were on the Ruby a few weeks ago and loved her. Lots to do. There are two pools - one fore and one aft that are adults only although I don't think there will be many children on a 10 day cruise.

[Tak8]

I have only sailed Princess of the 2 you are comparing. I been on 2 Princess ships and will be doing the 10 day Ruby at Christmas. I would say go with Princess. The food and service are very good. I am also in my 40s and the line is a good fit for me. Varied activities. Love the fresh water pools. I do try different lines and have not done Celebrity yet for the same concerns. Also I have a teenage son to think about when selecting a line.

[Sailfish]

I am 100% a big fan of X (Celebrity) - love the food, service, everything, including the low key entertainment. I do not find X ships stuffy, but maybe a tad more formal when compared to Princess. We cruise with X mostly when it's just the two of us looking for some serious R&R - no kids, no friends, just us.

 

That said, we are also big fans of Princess; we are certified scuba divers, and only Princess seems to offer the kind of itinerary we want when we go diving - we can do 10 dives in 5 ports during a voyage, so Princess is very diver friendly. The food quality and service are better on X, but not by a lot, so we go back and forth between X and Princess. There is no question that Princess beats X when it comes to entertainment - no comparison. We see an older, albeit active crowd when we cruise on both lines (we're in our 40's) - we tend to cruise in the off season, and we also seldom see many kids or crowds.

 

I tend to prefer Princess' ship design to X's. But that alone would not keep me from choosing X. In fairness to Celebrity, our cruise last year had an awesome blues band on the ship and a classical guitar player who put on mini-"unplugged" concerts who was simply amazing. We don't "do" production shows on either line, but do enjoy good music. If you go during football season, you can also watch the games on MUTS with Princess.

 

Good luck!