Hawaiian Islands from San Francisco with Stay, 16 March 2026 (19 nights)

Unfortunately we did not enjoy the Princess Ruby as the staff seemed tired, did not want to listen, and the vibe wasn't there. The restaurant and shops staff were amazing, the laughed and smiled, but it seemed staff employed by Princess were not as happy to serve. With 9 seas days on a 16 days cruise, there was sufficient entertainment but not enough places to sit in a quiet place to read, in my case, have access to a power socket and type away. The ports were amazing, however any arranged shuttle buses were under resourced, especially embarkment and disembarkment.

For us, the ship was perfectly sized, not too big, not too small - just right. Some of the fittings (such as our bathroom) were beginning to look a little dated - but this did not in any way impact the enjoyment of our holiday. The staff were amazing, Food was superb - probably the best we have had on a cruise in many years. The cruise director and her team were excellent and, the range of activities was good. We would definitely sail on the Ruby Princess again. All round we had a fabulous holiday.

Airport pickup at SFO was late and had to chase, finally arrived 1 hour later. The Spero Hotel is located near the Drug addicts and homeless so not very pleasant. The hotel is very old and the rooms not well maintained. Most importantly the safe's were not working in any of the rooms. Ruby Princess is 17 years old and although in general is not terrible its showing its age. But the older ships do tend to smell of sewerage when on the open decks. Disappointing that the dress code was not adhered to in restaurants and bars in the evening, and not enforced by Princess. Post cruise return to the airport was an absolute calamity with hundreds of passengers queuing to get on the coaches (2 hours for us) with no constructive organisation by Princess. Many passengers were panicking they were going to miss their flights.

Cruised the California coast from San Francisco and back, taking in Catalina Island, San Diego, LA and Ensenada in Mexico. All stops were worthwhile apart from Ensenada, which is a tourist trap selling the usual tourist stuff (would have preferred an additional US visit). The ship also sails under the Golden Gate Bridge. Cruise ship is fine. Excellent service, food and evening entertainment. One area for improvement: please put more people on the Customer Services desk and set out a more organised system of queueing (there is always a muddled queue - same problem on the Diamond Princess, whom we have sailed with previously). One other gripe is the ‘crew appreciation’ charges. These can add up and, whilst discretionary, you are really expected to pay them (this is an American cruise line). In effect, you are subsidising the employer’s wage bill. Compare this to P&O, for example, where they are not expected. Although, in theory, they are included in the booking price, which most Brits probably prefer. Overall, a nice cruise offering good value for money. A lot of people combine this with a Las Vegas and San Francisco stay.