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The Ruby Princess- Cruising the California Coast

Princess Cruises<

em>Photo courtesy of Princess Cruises

 

I just took my very first cruise last week y’all! If you follow me on Instagram, you may have seen some pictures. It was a 4 night cruise on the Ruby Princess which left from the Port of Los Angeles, went to Santa Barbara, CA and then to Ensenada Mexico. Never having been on a cruise before, I had no idea what to expect. And truthfully, I had a few anxieties. Would I get seasick? Would I get claustrophobic?

Ruby Princess Cruise- La PiazzaLa Piazza at the heart of the ship.

Turns out I shouldn’t have had any worries whatsoever. The cruise was a total blast and now I’m asking myself why I’ve waited 40+ years to do one. My husband and I talked to several couples on board who are retired and spend a good bit of their time cruising. One of them had booked 4 Princess Cruises back to back! Not a bad way to spend your retirement. All the experienced cruisers assured us that Princess Cruises was a very good choice for our first cruise.

I see many more cruises in our future.

Ruby Princess Cruise- La Piazza

 

Since I’ve been home, we’ve had 4 days of dreary, rainy weather and all I can think is I wish I was back on the Ruby Princess with a gorgeous view of the Water.

 

Viw of water from Ruby Princess

You just can’t beat that view. So peaceful and relaxing.

Ruby Princess _ pool area

 

The Ruby Princess is a completely amazing ship that made its debut in Nov 8, 2008. She’s a real beauty with 19 decks, 4 pools, 7 whirlpools, and more restaurants than you have time to eat in.

Ruby Princess Pool Area

 

The Ruby Princess has approximately 1,200 crew members and a capacity for 3,082 passengers. Eighty percent of all outside cabins have balconies.

And yes, in my excitement of first getting there, I forgot to take pictures of our room. We were welcomed to our room with a bottle of champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries. Can you blame me?

And you wouldn’t have wanted to see pictures after I unpacked my bags. Tidiness is not my strong suit.

Ruby Princess Cruise - pool area

 

As you would expect, the rooms are on the small side, but very functional. There’s a large closet which really helps keep stuff out of the way. While the bathroom couldn’t fit two of us at once, it had everything we needed and felt clean and modern.

The whole time you are in your room (which isn’t much – there’s so much to do), you’re drawn to the balcony and the huge expanse of ocean outside. It’s really quite breathtaking.

ruby princess balcony view

 

Sleeping on a cruise ship is something I really enjoyed. It’s so soothing to feel like you are gently being rocked to sleep.

 

Ruby Princess Cruise- pool deck

 

Ruby Princess Cruise -pool deck area

 

I think that what I loved most about being on a cruise is the huge variety of things to do. It is absolutely impossible to get bored. Alternating between being at sea some days and at port other days gives your vacation an amazing amount of variety and makes each day seem like an adventure.

ruby princess 44

On days at sea as you are traveling from one port to another, the anticipation and excitement really builds. And there is so much to keep you busy. All kinds of entertainment from Movies Under the Stars to karaoke and comedienne performances.

ruby princess pool 10 newMovies Under the Stars on a 300 sq ft LED screen.

There’s a casino, a 9-hole putting coarse, mini basketball court, places to duty-free shop, and a spa and fitness center. Plus there’s the fun of exploring the ship. It’s so huge you never know what you are going to discover.

Ruby Princess Cruise Movie Under the Stars

 

Ruby Princess Cruise - Golf

 

Ruby Princess- back decks

 

There’s a good mix between places with a party atmosphere and places where you can almost feel like there is no one else on the ship. We loved going out to the Promenade Deck to watch the sunset. It was so quite and there were only a handful of other people out there.

Another place to enjoy a little quiet time is The Sanctuary pictured below. I think I could stay there all day!

Princess Ruby-SanctuaryPhoto courtesy of Princess Cruises.

There’s so much more to tell you. I’m going to have to save it for more posts otherwise this one will go on and on.

There was the completely amazing food (lots of it!), a culinary experience with Iron Chef Cat Cora and Suzanne Tracht (Top Chef), a day in Santa Barbara, a day in Ensenada, and dinner at the chef’s table which may have been the highlight of the cruise. Stay tuned.  🙂

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Princess Cruises. All opinions expressed are my own.

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11 thoughts on “The Ruby Princess- Cruising the California Coast”

  1. I think a cruise along the California coast is something incredible. I’ve also traveled around California a lot, usually on road trips with my friends around the state. We rented a car in Los Angeles and drove along the popular routes of California here for more information it’s actually a very cool vacation option too

  2. Hello I’m taking a Cali coastal cruise this year. Did you do any excursions? If so which ones?

  3. Ashley | Spoonful of Flavor

    Your photos are beautiful and it makes me want to book a trip now! Cruising the California coast is such a great idea. I really loved following along with your trip on Instagram too!

  4. I’ve been on a couple of cruises in my day, but they were when I was in my 20’s. One was a weekend one to Mexico and it was so fun! This looked like a wonderful cruise, and it sounds like you had a great time!

  5. Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel

    I had no idea there were cruises along the coast of Cali! How fun! Cruises are the best… I bet you wish it had been longer than 4 days!! 🙂

  6. Ashley | The Recipe Rebel

    Jealous! We’ve been on two cruises and just love them! Looks like so much fun!

  7. Shashi at RunninSrilankan

    Wow Christin – your pictures are GORGEOUS!!! I’ve never been on a cruise and I will have to keep Ruby Princess in mind when I do go!

  8. The Ruby Princess looks gorgeous! I love all the photos! We have always wanted to go on a cruise but had the same anxieties so I’m so glad to hear you had a great time 🙂 It sounds like so much fun!

  9. Anu-My Ginger Garlic Kitchen

    Wow! Love these fisheye photographs. Cruise looks awesome. And sounds like you had an amazing experience there! This is lovely, Christin.

  10. Gayle @ Pumpkin 'N Spice

    Your pictures are just gorgeous, Christin! Sounds like you had an amazing time. That ship looks just perfect, too! I bet it was hard to come back to reality! 🙂

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