Ruby Princess Review

Poor cruise salvaged by great staff

Review for the Mexican Riviera Cruise on Ruby Princess
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cruiserkima
10+ Cruises • Age 50s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Apr 2017
Cabin: Oceanview
Traveled with children

We took this cruise to celebrate my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. I'll start with the parts I was dissatisfied with and move on to the redeeming qualities. The main problem was that our rooms were insanely noisy. I have cruised a dozen times and am used to creaking and movement, but we experienced something way louder, a persistent knocking against the side of the boat all night, almost every night. I had to drug myself with melatonin to sleep at all. Moreover, the ship stabilizer gear was apparently so close to our cabin that it made the boat sound and feel as though it were running aground--and this at three in the morning! Impaired sleep definitely affected my ability to enjoy myself during the day. We were in cabins P329 and P333.

i was also dissatisfied with most of the food. The main dining hall's food was just average. The Princess Classics or favorites were in serious need of updating, especially the poor quality shrimp cocktail. The worst meal, however, was the room service breakfast. That breakfast sandwich was abominable. On the positive side, some of the extra-fee dining options were good. We enjoyed the pub lunch at the Salty Dog and Curtis Stone's restaurant served the best meal we had on board, with incredibly attentive servers. Sadly, those exceptions only underscored the paltry offerings elsewhere.

With the cabins and food being below average, you would think we had a terrible time, but we still had a very good time thanks to the amazing Cruise Director and his staff. Honestly, entertainment is NOT usually at the top of the list of my cares on a cruise, but that is precisely what saved this cruise for me. The contagious enthusiasm that the crew brought to every activity from game shows, to bingo, to night parties made the overall trip quite fun. We also enjoyed the comedian and especially the magician, whose subtle wit kept us guessing and laughing.

Cabin Review

Oceanview

Cabin OE

The main problem was that our rooms were insanely noisy. I have cruised a dozen times and am used to creaking and movement, but we experienced something way louder, a persistent knocking against the side of the boat all night, almost every night. I had to drug myself with melatonin to sleep at all. Moreover, the ship stabilizer gear was apparently so close to our cabin that it made the boat sound and feel as though it were running aground--and this at three in the morning! Impaired sleep definitely affected my ability to enjoy myself during the day. The service was very good despite the trouble.

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