Ruby Princess Cruise Ship

As promised, here are more highlights from our seven day cruise on the Ruby Princess Cruise Ship from Los Angeles, California to the Mexican Riviera, that my husband and I took last month.   This was only our second cruise, but I know it won't be our last, as we thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Being on a large cruise ship with over 3,000 people is an experience in and of itself. The Ruby Princess had a variety of entertainment and activities and many different dining experiences to enjoy. There is also plenty of opportunity to just relax.  It is up to the passenger to decide how much, or how little you want to do while the ship is at sea.

(All photos in this post will enlarge if clicked on)

My husband and I usually plan our vacations ourselves and do our own research. We are the "hyper" type that get up early and get on the road and push ourselves to do and see as much as possible where ever we go. Going on a cruise is much more relaxed, and was a welcome break for us in that we felt very little pressure. 

We loved walking around the ship to get exercise, and to discover all the amenities. The 1,200 member crew was very helpful and pleasant. Our fellow passengers ranged in age, but were predominantly middle aged to retired, and the very young and the very elderly were also accommodated well. 

A good resource to check out for information about all the Ruby Princess, as well as other ships, is Cruise Critic.  This website is full of great tips and reviews of almost every cruise line and will help you chose what is right for you.

My husband and I chose the "anytime" dining option that the Ruby Princess offers, where we could dine in two of the three main dining rooms at any time during dinner hour and also sit at a table for two if we desired, instead of dining at a larger table with others. We had many a pleasant conversation with other nearby dinners, while at our table for two when we desired or could just concentrate on each other. 

There was also buffet dining available for breakfast, lunch and dinner, and casual cafes and specialty restaurant venues that required a cover charge or extra fee.

There were many bars and lounges on the ship where one could sit and talk quietly, or enjoy a game show hosted by the Cruise Director with passenger volunteers.

The Gatsby Casino on board functions while the ship is at sea. We heard someone won a $3,000 jackpot one evening!

There were also four boutiques, which had varied merchandise from toiletries and souvenirs to jewelry, perfumes and clothing. 

The Ruby Princess theater has 800 seats and put on Broadway style shows every evening. The Ruby Princess also does "The Voice of the Ocean," on the last night of the cruise, their own version of  the popular NBC show The Voice. It features passengers who are picked from karaoke competitions done earlier in the cruise.

One of my favorite places on the ship was the art gallery, where the collections were rotated to show different paintings each day. I enjoyed going to the art auction events on the ship, as the auctioneer was very knowledgeable and described the painter's backgrounds. their painting techniques and gave interesting descriptions of each painting being auctioned.

There was such a beautiful array of artwork to marvel at!

We enjoyed many very delicious meals....

...and enjoyed all of the entertainment.

Of course the highlight of the cruise was the three different ports we anchored at in Western Mexico, and the land excursions we went on in each location--more about them in my next post.

So yes, we will cruise again in the future and enjoy the fun again! We may not go on 149 Princess cruises, like the couple who were the first to pour in the champagne fountain with the ship's captain, but we will definitely sail on a Princess ship again!

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