What I loved and what I Didn’t
Raquel Molina
April 11, 2024
San Francisco has always been one of my favorite cities, and I even called it home for several years, so I knew that embarking the Ruby Princess from the port of San Francisco would be a treat. The port is located on the embarcadero at Pier 27 and there was plenty of officers directing traffic to the drop-off and parking areas. If you choose to park, the closest parking is at Bo Francisco Street and at the time of this video it is $18 per day.
The embarkation process was very smooth, and the mobility accessible areas were clearly marked.
Pro Tip: If possible, order your cruise medallion ahead of time and have it mailed to your house. I believe you can do this up to two weeks prior to embarkation. After that deadline you will have to pick it up during embarkation. Having it prior to boarding will expedite your embarkation.
Upon embarking my bestie and I immediately headed to the bar to meet our other partner in crime. The bar was called Crooners and you can’t miss it when embarking the ship on level 7. We received wonderful service, and my espresso martini addiction was born.
We are in our 50’s and 60’s and fit right in with the demographic of the cruisers on board even though we seemed to be on the younger side when compared to other cruisers.
We then headed to our cabin which was a mini suite. It was quite large with a full bath including a soaking tub. There was also a separate seating area with its own TV and of course a balcony. We used this room for two people, but I feel that it could easily accommodate three.
The sail away from the port was amazing. There is truly nothing like cruising under the beautiful golden gate bridge.
For this cruise we were upgraded to Reserve dining which allowed us to bypass the long main dining room line and instead be seated in a special reserved dining room. The dining room staff really made us feel taken care of. The food was always on point and the staff was really good about encouraging us to try new things.
The entertainment on the cruise was not the best I’ve experienced but I didn’t mind because I was there for the ports of call. However, there was no shortage of trivia games and my buddy Leslie was unstoppable. She won just about every game she played!
I must admit that after a week on board the entertainment felt quite redundant, but one highlight was their take on the competition show “The Voice”. It was a top-notch production and I loved it.
One disappointment was specialty dining in the Crown Grill. The service by the wait staff was awesome but several of our food items were served cold. Not room temperature but flat out cold. The chowder and the French fries were both inedible.
Of course, the main draw of an Alaskan cruise is the ports of call. This cruise stopped at Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan as well as cruising Glacier Bay. I will do additional videos highlighting the accessibility of each port but they were all amazing.
Overall, I think this cruise had something for everyone. While there were not a lot of kids on board, there were activities to keep them entertained. The age range definitely skewered older and the cruise had a relaxed, chill vibe. This was exactly the vibe I was looking for so that was not a problem. And don’t get me wrong, there was a nightclub on board so you could get your dancing on if you wanted to but the entertainment definitely leaned more towards bingo, trivia and shopping.
Your Accessible Cruising Specialist 