Ruby Princess Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We choose this cruise and itinerary because we heard that Princess had a great reputation for Alaska. Overall, I had a nearly perfect experience on the ship. The highlights of the cruise were the superior level of service from almost everyone on the ship and the seamless way our cruise was handled.
Our roundtrip out of Seattle pier 91 was very simple. My first Princess cruise, we arrived at the port around 11:15 and were on the ship by 12:15. Embarkation was handled smoothly in groups. People who had gotten to the pier earlier were called earlier, but they didn't start boarding until around 11:45. We received our bags in our cabin around 6:30PM.
My only other cruising experience has been with Carnival multiple times, and I would say overall this is a step up in many ways, especially staff to passenger ratio and service. As Carnival is my only previous experience, most of my observations compare the two experiences.
Cabin Review
Balcony
Our cabin was quiet and adequate for 2 people. The bed was comfortable. The water pressure was very good as were the water temperatures. We received 3 complimentary bottles of water in our cabin refrigerator. Our cabin steward Sulpicio with his crew were fantastic, visiting our room at least twice daily to remake the beds, clean up, and give up chocolates every night. The balcony was fine to sit quietly with a glass of wine and watch the sun set. There were enough plugs in the room for our various devices once we plugged in a usb extender/plug multiplier at the desk. I loved that we could turn on and off the cabin lights from the switches at the bed. There was plenty of room with drawers and closet space for all of our things. I only wished we had a small sofa like we got with Carnival in the same room type. However, there were two chairs and a table in the cabin which worked perfectly for room service breakfasts.
Port Reviews
Seattle
Seattle is a beautiful, progressive city with gorgeous views of the Sound, great seafood restaurants, and beautiful foliage. We stayed one day before and two days afterwards to take it all in.
Juneau
We booked a dog sled on the Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau which was cancelled because of the weather. Instead, my group of 4 booked a float plane to view 5 glaciers. This was considerably less expensive ($215 per person vs. the $600 per person for the dog sled through Princess.) I loved the gorgeous views, but if you're prone to motion sickness, beware of float planes! I white knuckled this for a part of the ride. One nit with the cancellation of the dog sled excursion was that Princess showed that I had a $1300 credit on my bill after we had cancelled the prepaid trip, but still charged my credit card (which dropped off the card), and then they told me that I would have to wait 10-15 days after the cruise to get the refund by mailed check from corporate. That's bogus. They could easily refund the card I used to pay for the excursion.
Juneau
Instead, my group of 4 booked a float plane to view 5 glaciers. This was considerably less expensive ($215 per person vs. the $600 per person for the dog sled through Princess.) I loved the gorgeous views, but if you're prone to motion sickness, beware of float planes!
Victoria
We had so little time in Victoria, we just walked around the town, had a drink, and did a little sightseeing by foot. It's pretty there. I was shocked at the subtropical plants growing so far north. We enjoyed the upscale atmosphere for a drink at the Q Lounge in the Empress hotel on the waterfront. Otherwise, there wasn't enough time to really see the city, but we enjoyed it nevertheless.