Ruby Princess cruise ship: where it sails from San Francisco and who it suits

Ruby Princess at a glance

Line

Princess Cruises

Class

Grand

Entered service

2008

Gross tonnage

113,561

Guests

About 3,080 (double occupancy)

Crew

About 1,200

Decks

19

Part of the Princess Cruises fleet. Sister ships: Grand Princess, Caribbean Princess, Diamond Princess, Sapphire Princess, Crown Princess, Emerald Princess. Home ports: San Francisco.

Ruby Princess was built by Fincantieri in Italy, delivered on October 23, 2008, and sailed its first cruise on November 8, 2008. It is the third and last of three near-identical ships with Crown and Emerald Princess, a development of the original Grand Princess design. It is about 951 feet long, with 1,542 guest cabins, nearly 900 of them with balconies, and about 1,200 crew. It sails for Princess Cruises from San Francisco all year in 2026, 2027 and 2028.

Where does Ruby Princess sail in 2026–2027?

Ruby Princess sails round trips from San Francisco. From October 2026 to April 2027 that means 16-day Hawaii cruises, an 11-day Mexico cruise at Christmas and short Pacific Coast trips. From May to September 2027 it sails 10-day Alaska cruises with Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, then returns to Hawaii in fall 2027.

• Winter 2026–27: Hawaii from San Francisco. 16-day Hawaiian Islands round trips, including one over New Year. See our Hawaii cruise guide.
• Holiday trips. An 11-day Mexico cruise over Christmas 2026 and a 5-day Thanksgiving trip to San Diego.
• Pacific Northwest. 7-day round trips in November 2026 and April 2027, with more listed for September 2027 and spring 2028. Our Pacific Coast cruise guide covers these routes.
• Summer 2027: Alaska from San Francisco. 10-day Inside Passage round trips with scenic cruising in Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, about every 10 days from May 1 to early September 2027. See our Princess Alaska guide.
• Fall 2027 to spring 2028: Hawaii and Mexico again, with 16-day Hawaii round trips and an 11-night Mexican Riviera cruise listed for October 2027. Our Mexico cruise guide compares Mexico routes.
• Summer 2028: Alaska from San Francisco again, on 10-night cruises, according to the sailings already on sale.

All of these start and end at San Francisco’s cruise terminal; our San Francisco cruise port guide covers getting there and parking.

Sample Ruby Princess sailings. From-prices per person, checked October 2026.

Departs	Line and ship	Nights	Itinerary	From	Link
Nov 8, 2026	Princess Cruises, Ruby Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from San Francisco California)	$2,692	Check price
Nov 24, 2026	Princess Cruises, Ruby Princess	5	5 Night U. S. Pacific Coast Cruise (from San Francisco California)	$2,291	Check price
Nov 29, 2026	Princess Cruises, Ruby Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from San Francisco California)	$1,296	Check price
Dec 26, 2026	Princess Cruises, Ruby Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from San Francisco California)	$3,092	Check price
Jan 11, 2027	Princess Cruises, Ruby Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from San Francisco California)	$1,119	Check price
Jan 27, 2027	Princess Cruises, Ruby Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from San Francisco California)	$2,619	Check price
Feb 12, 2027	Princess Cruises, Ruby Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from San Francisco California)	$1,459	Check price
Feb 28, 2027	Princess Cruises, Ruby Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from San Francisco California)	$1,439	Check price
Mar 16, 2027	Princess Cruises, Ruby Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from San Francisco California)	$1,624	Check price
Apr 1, 2027	Princess Cruises, Ruby Princess	16	16 Night Hawaii Cruise (from San Francisco California)	$1,409	Check price
Apr 17, 2027	Princess Cruises, Ruby Princess	7	7 Night Pacific Northwest Cruise (from San Francisco California)	$1,719	Check price
May 1, 2027	Princess Cruises, Ruby Princess	10	10 Night Alaska Cruise (from San Francisco California)	$1,149	Check price

Who it suits

Bay Area and Northern California cruisers. Every sailing starts and ends in San Francisco, so you can skip flights entirely for Hawaii, Alaska or Mexico.

Retirees and travelers with time. A 16-day Hawaii round trip has many sea days in each direction, and the 10-day Alaska trips add sea days along the coast in each direction.

Couples who want a mid-sized ship. At about 3,080 guests it is much smaller than Sun and Star Princess, which carry about 4,300.

Who should look elsewhere: families who want water slides, and anyone who wants new hardware. For a newer Princess ship on the West Coast, Discovery Princess sails 7-day Mexican Riviera cruises from Los Angeles.

Is Ruby Princess a good ship for an Alaska cruise from San Francisco?

Yes, if you want to sail from San Francisco. Its 10-day Inside Passage round trips include Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier, and the ship has balconies on many cabins, an adults-only Sanctuary and the outdoor Movies Under the Stars screen. The trade-off is time: several days go on sailing up and down the coast.

If Glacier Bay or a 7-day trip matters more than the departure city, fly to Vancouver or Seattle instead; Emerald Princess sails 7-day Alaska cruises from Vancouver in summer 2027. For other lines, see our best cruise lines for Alaska.

Standout features

• The Piazza: the central atrium with the International Café and Vines wine bar.
• Movies Under the Stars: an open-air poolside amphitheater.
• The Sanctuary: an adults-only outdoor retreat.
• Two Bedroom Family Suites: sleep up to eight, for groups and multi-generation families.
• Bars and nightlife: Crooners, the Wheelhouse Bar, Skywalkers Nightclub, Club Fusion and the Princess Theater.

Cabins to pick, cabins to avoid

Cabins run from interiors (about 158 to 162 square feet) and oceanviews (about 146 to 206 square feet, some with partly or fully blocked views) to balconies (about 214 to 222 square feet including the balcony), mini-suites (about 323 square feet) and suites (about 460 to 932 square feet).

Pick:

• Family suites at the front of the ship if you are a group: a shared living area and a large balcony.
• Cabins next to the aft Terrace Pool on Riviera deck (R744 to R747) if you want quick access to the back pool.
• Midship cabins on a lower deck if you get seasick; they move least.
• Inside cabins if you mostly want the destinations; they cost far less than a balcony.

Avoid or think twice:

• Riviera deck cabins under the Lido pool deck (R311 to R525), where deck chairs are moved early and late.
• Forward balconies such as L106, L107, R201 and R202, which are often too windy to use at sea.
• Obstructed-view oceanview cabins on Deck 8, where lifeboats block the view, and L101 to L104 on Deck 14, blocked by the bridge.
• Cabins next to the guest laundries (A628, C312 and D720) and near the forward crew stairwells.
• High aft balconies (R748 to R751, A750 to A753, B748 to B757) if soot from the funnel would bother you.

Dining and activities

The main dining room is included, along with the World Fresh Marketplace buffet, the International Café, Slice Pizzeria, The Salty Dog Grill, Coffee & Cones and afternoon tea. Crab Shack runs as a lunchtime pop-up. Extra-charge options include Crown Grill, Sabatini’s Italian Trattoria, the Chef’s Table, the Salty Dog Gastropub and Ultimate Balcony Dining.

Kids’ clubs cover ages 3 to 7 and 8 to 12 (The Lodge), with a teen space for 13 to 17 (Beach House). Drinks, Wi-Fi and gratuities are extra unless you buy a Princess Plus or Premier package; our Princess line guide explains what each covers.

Sister ships

Ruby Princess has two near-identical sisters: Crown Princess (2006) and Emerald Princess (2007). The older Grand Princess and Caribbean Princess share the same basic design. If Ruby’s dates don’t fit, Emerald Princess offers a very similar ship from Los Angeles and Vancouver.

Ruby Princess FAQ

Where does Ruby Princess sail from?

San Francisco. All of its 2026, 2027 and 2028 sailings on sale are round trips from San Francisco, to Hawaii, Alaska, Mexico and along the Pacific Coast.

Does Ruby Princess go to Alaska?

Yes, in summer 2027 and 2028. It sails 10-day Inside Passage round trips from San Francisco with scenic cruising in Endicott Arm and Dawes Glacier.

How big is Ruby Princess?

About 113,561 gross tons and 951 feet long, with 19 decks, about 3,080 guests at double occupancy and about 1,200 crew.

Is Ruby Princess the ship from the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak in Sydney?

Yes. In March 2020 Ruby Princess was sailing from Sydney, and a New South Wales inquiry later linked it to a large early outbreak. The ship has since moved to the US West Coast, where it sails from San Francisco.

Is Ruby Princess a good ship?

We don’t publish ratings for ships. It is a 2008 ship with a traditional Princess layout and fewer restaurants than the newer Royal-class ships. Book it when you want to sail from San Francisco and the itinerary and price suit you, and compare Princess with other lines on our cruise line rankings.