11-Day Alaska Cruise Aboard the RUBY PRINCESS

I have to say that, so far, I genuinely regret choosing Princess Cruises. My friend made the reservation and purchased the package, and since I had never taken a cruise in the U.S. before, I trusted her judgment and went along with her choice.

I have cruised with MSC in Europe on a Mediterranean itinerary, so that is really my only point of comparison. The two cruises were in a similar price range, but the overall experience has been completely different, honestly, day and night.

One of my biggest frustrations has been the additional charges. I paid about $480 for internet, and the plan can only be used on one device at a time. If I want to switch between my phone and another device, I have to go into the app and manually swap devices. On my MSC cruise, I paid around €100 for internet, and I remember both the service and overall experience being much better.

The dining experience has also been disappointing. On MSC, we were able to make restaurant reservations and enjoy different dining options throughout the cruise. The ship was newer, beautifully decorated, and, most importantly, everything felt very clean.

Unfortunately, this Princess ship feels quite old to me, and in several areas I have noticed a musty or mold-like smell. I have also been surprised by some of the extra gratuity charges. For example, we noticed an $18 gratuity charge associated with dining, which was mentioned in very small print at the bottom of the menu. I only realized it after seeing the charge on our account. On another occasion, during formal night, champagne was being handed out and appeared to be complimentary, but we later noticed another gratuity-related charge. These types of charges should be communicated much more clearly upfront.

The buffet has probably been one of the biggest disappointments. The food quality has been mediocre in my experience, and the variety is extremely limited. On MSC, I remember being able to choose from several different cuisines and food stations representing different countries. Here, the selection feels repetitive and much more limited.

Customer service has also been inconsistent. With a few exceptions, many of the front-desk and restaurant staff members I have interacted with have seemed impatient or unfriendly. A Brazilian staff member in one of the restaurants was especially pleasant, and our cabin attendant, Fred, has been wonderful, friendly, professional, and one of the few people who has consistently made us feel welcome.

Another frustrating example: I called to request a bottle of water for my room, fully expecting to pay for the water itself, but I was told there would also be an additional $5 charge just to have it delivered. At this price point, these constant extra charges start to feel excessive.

The pools are also quite small and crowded, and, personally, they have not looked clean enough for me to feel comfortable getting into them. The ship also seems to move quite a bit, although that may simply be related to the ship's size, weather, or ocean conditions.

The passenger demographic on this particular sailing also skews considerably older than I expected. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it does affect the atmosphere and entertainment, and it may be something younger or more active travelers want to consider when choosing a cruise line or itinerary.

Overall, my experience so far has been disappointing. Between the condition of the ship, limited food choices, extra charges, internet pricing, and inconsistent customer service, I have not found anything significant that makes Princess stand out in a positive way.

Based on my experience on this sailing, I personally would not choose Princess Cruises again. Compared with my previous MSC Mediterranean cruise. which was in a similar price range, the difference in value, cleanliness, dining, and overall experience has been substantial.

Always thought Princess was the bees knees, boy were we wrong. Loyalty is a one way street with this company as we found out the hard way. Sailed princess 6 times took last 3 diabolical cruises to see the light, never again.

Food was way below average, no seasoning, little variety available, service was very slow if at all. Had princess plus package, some items included in the package were unavailable throughout the entire cruise of 20 days, excursions left a lot to be desired, very exorbitant pricing for what was advertised. 2nd day of cruise Crooners Bar ran out of straws and garneshes for cocktails, so they said.

If you are from NZ or Aussie and pay the crew gratuities, and you have a plus or premium package you do not need to pay the crew gratuities, company don't tell you this, if they can get away with it they will just take your money unless you go to guest services and demand a credit, totally dishonest practices. Entertainment ok.

No good raising concerns onboard, may as well talk to the wall as guest services have no interest or inclination to want to assist you, sweep it under the carpet.

Overall a very dismal cruise experience. We will never step foot on a Princess Cruise ship again, guest loyalty means absolutely nothing to this company.

We had previouslhy experienced the good, caring loyal part of Princess on our fist coupke of cruises, now we have experienced the other end of the scale with the last 3 cruises getting worse with each journey.

We know value for money and Princess no longer cut the mustard in this area anymore. Pay for chocolate, nuts and cream and get vanilla. However, Alaska was beautiful, no thanks to Princess

1. Cabin & Maintenance Issues

Toilet Flooding: The cabin toilet backed up twice. During the second occurrence, contaminated water rose to the upper rim and violently splashed from the bottom and wall fixtures.

Management Avoidance: Due to the severity of this issue, I requested to speak with the Hotel Manager. Guest Services repeatedly resisted this request, claiming the manager was in a meeting, and instead sent a supervisor.

Room Change & Broken Amenities: We were eventually moved to a new cabin. While the toilet in the new room worked, half of the room's lighting was completely non-functional. We waited nearly three hours for an electrician, only to be informed that maintenance was off-duty with no replacement available.

Manager Interaction: The following day, I coincidentally ran into the Hotel Manager, Mr. Peter, while walking in the Piazza. I explained the situation to him; he was polite and offered an apology.

Impact: The poor handling of these severe maintenance issues and the lack of accountability from Guest Services deeply ruined what was meant to be our Golden Wedding Anniversary celebration.

2. Princess Plus Package Discrepancies

Inconsistent Billing: The terms regarding non-alcoholic beverages are misleading. Ordering a canned beverage like Sprite Zero or Diet Coke at the Outrigger Bar resulted in an extra charge—along with added service charges and taxes—despite presenting my Princess Plus Medallion. However, the exact same canned drinks are complimentary when ordered at the restaurant or buffet.

Lack of Transparency: Staff should inform guests at the time of order if an item is not covered by the Princess Plus package, rather than quietly applying unexpected surcharges.