Ruby Princess – Full Suite

We celebrated our 10th anniversary by booking this suite. Our first, and probably last, time in a suite.

CABIN OVERVIEW (View cabin photos below)

The suite was overall an excellent choice in decor and was spacious in its size. The bed was one of the most comfortable hotel beds I have slept in. And there was a large amount of storage and closet space with more than enough hangers.

The complimentary fruit bowl and likewise complimentary fully stocked mini-bar were an excellent touch. Nightly turn-down service was always accompanied by some kind of tasty treat.

However, being on the top floor for cabins, Riviera deck, you could hear furniture being moved early every morning by cruise staff on the deck above. Enough of a bother that I would not book the top deck for any cabin in the future. The overhang that extended beyond the lanai did not really impede photos as others have commented about and may have helped minimize rain on the few inclement days.

I would, instead, definitely consider a mini-suite (deck 9 only?) in the future as long as there was substantial difference in price even though their balconies are fully exposed to decks above them. We were not able to use many of the amenities associated with full suites, so why pay for them?

SUITE CONDITION

Unfortunately, the suite failed to meet our level of expectation in many aspects. In fact, Princess Cruises consistently failed to meet expectations they had set up in the customers’ minds. Since Princess just spent tens of millions of dollars to refurbish the Ruby Princess, I didn’t expect one of our lanai doors to slide open while we slept during the first night. They fixed the locking mechanisms on both doors, but the ship should have never left port in that condition.

And the lanai table wobbled and drinks could easily spill if placed on top; basically a useless table considering for what is intended to be used. Sure, we could have complained and maybe got it replaced, but again, it should not have been that way in the first place.

Also, the light fixtures in the bathroom ceiling above the sink were loose (not properly attached to ceiling) and could not be focused properly to allow someone to easily shave.

SUITE SERVICE LEVELS

I was unimpressed with the overall level of service, except that the room was always cleaned in a timely manner.

Complimentary canapés were not even delivered on 2 consecutive nights and our cabin steward, Raul, said we should have called “them”. No, they should have been delivered by room service as we ordered.

The customer service line exclusively for suites and elite members was unstaffed at times and we were sometimes ignored by other employees who never asked if we needed assistance when the employee servicing that line had stepped away from the priority line for suite guests.

What exactly does the room steward do? He was nothing more than a hotel housekeeper, if even that. We even had to leave a light bulb on the table to indicate it was burned out. In Ketchikan (where it usually rains), our steward did not offer us our complimentary umbrellas (included with every suite) even though he was standing in the hallway outside our door and said “good morning”. We did not ask him about the umbrellas, but instead walked down to the customer service desk where we were told we had to ask our steward for them. I thought, “Good morning. Can I get you an umbrella since its raining?” would have been a better way to greet us. When we asked for umbrellas, it turned out they are “guarded” by a supervisor so it took several minutes for that to happen. AMAWaterways hands you an umbrella as you leave their boat.

The umbrella situation, although seemingly minor, was indicative of the continuous, periodic issues where Princess failed to meet our expectations. I have to wonder why such a simple issue became such a failure for Princess. Anticipation of a customer’s need is what separates the acceptable from the world-class service levels and what I am always seeking.

SUITE AMENITIES

Amenities that are provided for guests in a full suite, and that we found to not add value to the cabin are:

• Complimentary afternoon tea service (we had more than enough to eat by dinner time).
• Upgraded room service menu (we enjoyed our breakfast in Crown Grill and dinner in Da Vinci’s club class dining area).
• Complimentary Lotus Spa Thermal Suite access (reg. $199 for a couple). We went once and it was so small, crowded, and noisy that we never returned. In fact, the concept of “spa voices” was entirely absent from the spa area. We would also never book a treatment under those spa conditions.
• Complimentary shoe polishing service. I wear slippers (flip-flops for mainlanders).
• Same-day laundry service and 48 hour dry cleaning service.
• VIP priority disembarkation at end of cruise did not seem to exist.

You can download the full list of benefits from the Princess Cruises web site, if you’re interested in seeing the full list. We took advantage of most of the food & dining benefits except for the first two items on the above list.

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