Ruby Princess doesn’t have an autumn so much as a relay race. She finishes a 16-night Hawaii loop on November 24, and a 5-night Thanksgiving hop leaves the same day. That one returns on November 29, and another 16-night Hawaii run leaves that same day. Then comes an 11-night Mexican Riviera trip over Christmas, and then another 16-night Hawaii run. Add up the nights (16 + 5 + 16 + 11 + 16) and she spends 64 nights, from November 8 to January 11, going round San Francisco without a proper breather. So the real question is which leg of the relay you should be on, or whether you should skip the whole thing.
Quick Reference: Ruby Princess This Autumn
| Detail | What to know |
|---|---|
| Ship | Ruby Princess, Princess Crown class. Built 2008, refurbished 2023. 113,561 gross tons. |
| Season | Autumn 2026. Eight sailings in our data, and the Hawaii run carries on into February 2027. |
| Region | Unclassified in our database. In practice it’s Hawaii round trips plus shorter Pacific Coast and Mexico sailings. |
| Typical lengths | 5, 11 and 16 nights. Six of the eight sailings are 16-nighters. |
| Home port | San Francisco |
| Capacity | About 3,060 guests at double occupancy, with 1,200 crew |
| CDC score | 98 out of 100, inspected July 12, 2026 |
The Ship: Who She Suits (and Who Should Keep Walking)
Ruby is mid-sized by modern standards and has no roller coaster. She has about 2.5 guests for every crew member (3,060 guests, 1,200 crew), and she skews toward the crowd that likes a sea day. You’ll find a poolside screen for Movies Under the Stars, a Crown Grill steakhouse, the Salty Dog Gastropub, Curtis Stone’s SHARE restaurant and an adults-only retreat called The Sanctuary. Princess lists a 2023 refurbishment, though some third-party sites still say 2018, so don’t be surprised if the listings disagree. Our Ruby Princess ship page has the full profile.
She suits couples, retirees and anyone who wants Hawaii without a flight. You sail from San Francisco and unpack once. She also suits people who treat “nothing to do” as a feature. Ten of the 17 days on the November 8 Hawaii sailing are at sea.
She is a poor fit if you need a waterpark, a go-kart track or a port every morning. A teenager who needs constant stimulation on those long Pacific crossings will make sure you hear about it.
The Itineraries: Which One to Pick
The full schedule lives on our Ruby Princess itineraries page. This is the pick-your-leg version.
16 nights: Hawaii and back (six departures, November 8 to February 12)
Our data lists Hilo, Kahului (Maui), Honolulu (Oahu), Nawiliwili (Kauai) and Ensenada, Mexico. The November 8 sailing breaks down like this, per the schedule listings I found:
- Leave San Francisco at 3 p.m., then four sea days.
- Hilo on November 13, Kahului on the 14th, Honolulu on the 15th and Nawiliwili on the 16th.
- Five more sea days, then Ensenada on November 22.
- One last sea day, and you’re back in San Francisco at 7 a.m. on November 24.
Heads up: port lineups shift between departures. Listings for the November 29 and January 11 sailings show Kailua-Kona, and the January one lists Honolulu as an overnight. Check the exact port list for your date before you book.
5 nights: the Thanksgiving getaway (November 24)
Our data has no port list for this one, so I confirmed it against a schedule tracker. You sail from San Francisco at 3 p.m., have a sea day, and reach San Diego on November 26 from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. That’s Thanksgiving Day, with fourteen hours ashore. Ensenada follows on November 27 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m.), then a sea day, and you’re back on November 29 at 7 a.m. It’s a good dip into cruising if you’ve never tried it, and a good way to skip the turkey dishes.
11 nights: Mexican Riviera over Christmas (December 15)
Our data has no ports here either. Retailer listings show Manzanillo on December 19, Puerto Vallarta on the 20th, Mazatlán on the 21st and Cabo San Lucas on the 22nd, with the ship home on December 26. Two sellers agree on that. It points to three sea days on each side of the ports, with Christmas Day at sea. Confirm it with Princess before you commit.
Which to pick
If you want Hawaii and have the time, take a 16-night. It’s the only sailing that visits four islands. If you have a week and a pulse, take the 5-night. If you want warm weather in December and are happy to spend the holiday itself at sea, take the 11-night.
The Ports: What’s Actually Worth Doing
You get roughly one day per island, so choose well and don’t try to see everything.
- Hilo (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the November 8 sailing): It’s the rainiest of the four Hawaiian stops, so take a jacket and forget the beach. Waterfalls and gardens are the standard Hilo day, and Hawaii Volcanoes National Park is the big excursion. The National Park Service has flagged a two-year construction project at the summit that is causing closures and delays, and it warns that volcanic gases can affect sensitive groups, so check its alerts and conditions page (nps.gov/havo) before you pay for a tour.
- Kahului, Maui (7 a.m. to 6 p.m.): The calmest and driest of the winter options, and a fair spot for an easy beach day.
- Honolulu, Oahu (7 a.m. to 11 p.m.): The long stop, at sixteen hours. The USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor needs advance timed tickets, so book those before you sail. Leave the evening for dinner in town.
- Nawiliwili, Kauai (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.): Kauai gets rain and big north-shore surf in winter. The south shore around Poipu is the usual advice for calmer water.
- Ensenada (9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on November 22): Tacos, wine country and a short stroll are the usual plan. It’s also the stop that makes the Hawaii loop legal, which the FAQ explains.
Those port times come from a listing last updated in September 2025, so expect small shifts. Princess will confirm the final times in your cruise documents.
Conditions and Packing for This Season
Hawaii’s water stays warm all winter. Honolulu averages about 78°F, ranging from 76°F to 81°F. The air is warm too, with Kahului highs around 81°F. The catch is the swell. Hawaii’s ocean-safety agency says winter runs from November through April, with “consistent huge and dangerous swells” on north shores and high surf on west shores when northern swells wrap round. For a port day, that means picking a south-facing beach and listening to the lifeguards.
Whales are a mixed bag in autumn. Humpbacks usually start to show up from mid-November, but the peak is January through March. The November sailings are early for whales, and the January and February departures are better for them.
The Pacific crossing is the cool part of the trip. Pack:
- A light rain jacket for Hilo and Kauai.
- Reef-safe sunscreen, a rash guard and water shoes.
- Layers for the sea days, plus something for dinner.
- Your passport. Princess says U.S. and Canadian citizens don’t always need one on select itineraries, but a loop with a foreign port is no time to be the exception. Citizens of other countries do need one.
Money: Where the Value Is
I’d rather give you the right numbers than the exciting ones. Fares move daily, so use these as pointers.
- 11-night, December 15: two aggregators list “from” fares of $874 and $912 per person. That works out to roughly $79 to $83 a night for the cheapest cabin.
- 5-night, November 24: one tracker showed interior and suites sold out and a balcony at $2,699, but it warns its prices may be stale and doesn’t say whether that’s per person or per cabin. Treat it as a signal that this one is tight.
- 16-night: I won’t quote a number, because the pricing I found was old.
Now the extras. Princess raised its automatic crew gratuity on March 8, 2026, to $18 per person per day in standard cabins, $19 in mini-suites and cabanas, and $20 in suites. The food and beverage service charge rose from 18% to 20%, which is why a $10 cocktail picks up $2.
- 16 nights at $18 comes to $288 per person, or $576 for a couple.
- 11 nights comes to $198 per person.
- 5 nights comes to $90 per person.
Those assume you’re billed for every night, so check your own booking. Our cruise tipping guide covers who gets what beyond the automatic charge.
Value comes from the long sailing. A 16-night Hawaii loop from a West Coast port means no flight to the islands, and one hotel-free bed for two weeks. You pay for that with ten sea days.
Timing: When to Book and What Sells Out
Today is October 30, and the first 16-night sets sail on November 8, nine days from now. That’s close enough that the cheap cabins on any departure may be thin. The holiday weeks are the squeeze. Thanksgiving on the 5-night already looks tight, and the 11-night over Christmas and the 16-night leaving December 26 (which carries you through New Year) are the other dates where I’d expect demand. The January and February 16-nighters, including the last one on February 12, are the better bet for a calmer booking window and more whale-friendly water.
Whichever you choose, read the port list for your exact date. The schedule differs between departures, as the Kona listings show.
FAQ: Ruby Princess Autumn Sailings
Does Ruby Princess sail to Hawaii from San Francisco this autumn?
Yes. Our data shows six 16-night sailings from San Francisco, the first on November 8, 2026 and the last on February 12, 2027. The November 8 trip calls at Hilo, Kahului, Honolulu and Nawiliwili, then Ensenada on the way home. Port lineups can change by departure, so check your date.
Why does a Hawaii cruise from San Francisco stop in Mexico?
US cabotage law, the Passenger Vessel Services Act, generally requires foreign-flagged ships carrying passengers between US ports to call at a foreign port. A Hawaii loop from San Francisco therefore adds Ensenada. It is not a scenic detour, though the tacos help.
Do I need a passport for a Ruby Princess Hawaii cruise?
Princess says U.S. and Canadian citizens don’t always need one on select itineraries, and non-U.S., non-Canadian guests do. Since the Hawaii loop calls at Ensenada, bringing a passport is the safe move. Policies change, so check Princess’s current rules before you travel.
How clean is Ruby Princess?
Her latest CDC Vessel Sanitation Program score is 98 out of 100, from an inspection on July 12, 2026. The CDC treats 86 or higher as satisfactory. You can look up any ship with our CDC inspection lookup.
Is November a good time to cruise Hawaii?
It’s a good time for warm water and mild air, with Honolulu averaging about 78°F. The trade-offs are winter swells on north and west shores and rain in Hilo and on Kauai. Whale season starts mid-November but peaks January to March, so November is early.
How much are gratuities on Ruby Princess?
Since March 8, 2026, the automatic charge is $18 per person per day in standard cabins, $19 in mini-suites and cabanas, and $20 in suites. For a 16-night sailing in a standard cabin, that’s $288 per person if billed for every night. A 20% service charge also applies to bar and specialty dining purchases.
The Bottom Line
Ruby Princess is a good choice if you want Hawaii from the West Coast with room to relax, and a poor one if you want constant activity. Take the 16-night for the islands, the 5-night for a short taste, and the 11-night if you’d rather be in Mexico than at home at Christmas. Check the exact port list for your date, budget for gratuities, and book soon for the holiday weeks. Then pack a rain jacket, because Hilo will have opinions.
Ships in This Story
- Ruby Princess Princess · Latest CDC score 98
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