Ruby Princess Review
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My family and I had a wonderful time on our recent Ruby Princess cruise. Embarkation was very fast. We were parked and on board, seated in the dining room in 30 minutes. The food was very good in the dining room and the International Cafe (although I did not appreciate the upselling in the dining room if you wanted certain entrees like lobster.) The Horizon Court buffet and the Salty Dog grill were decent. They only food that was of poor quality was the pizza. We went there 3 different times, and tried different items thinking it might get better, but unfortunately it did not. We ended up taking a couple of bites each time and throwing the rest away. Our waiters in the Da Vinci dining room (Brandy and Red James) were by far the best we have had on any cruise. My husband needs a special diet and the head waiter, Joszef, went out of his way each night to help him select his meals for the next day.
It was a mixed bag with the entertainment. The Princess production shows and the comedian were pretty good, but they had a singer in the main Princess theater who was not good. It was billed as a "variety" show, but all we got was a very mediocre singer, who was surrounded onstage with giant photos of himself. Many people were walking out in the middle of the show. We toughed it out, hoping there would be something else other than this mediocre singer. We did not bother going to the other show he had later in the week. This is my 7th cruise, and the first time I have ever skipped an evening show in the main theater. There was lots of trivia--but even I, as a lover of trivia, found it to be too much and I wish there would be more variety of activities. The magic show in the Explorer's Lounge was fantastic. My advice is get there a minimum of 30 minutes early. It was very popular, and many people did not get to see the because the room was so crowded.
The ship recently went through dry dock and looked great. We had an inside cabin, and it met our needs. The bathroom was a bit small, especially the shower, but it was not a big deal. The room attendant, Ryan was very good.