After cruising on Carnival for our last 3 cruises I decided to try something new and give Princess and try. We had a very specific time frame to work with since we were going over spring break with our 3 teenage sons. We also took my parents along. Most of the Carnival ships that fit our time frame were ones we'd already been on so Princess was a good fit with me wanting a change and not sailing on the same ship/itinerary as before.

The Ruby Princess was the ship that best fit our needs and schedule. Although we'd already been to 3 of the 4 ports, my parents had not been to Grand Turk so I chose this itinerary mainly for them. As it turned out, the night before we were to leave, I received an e-mail from Princess saying that they were canceling our stop at Grand Turk due to suspected illnesses caused by either food or water consumed by passengers on earlier cruises. They were instead sending us to Nassau. This was a big disappointment since I specifically chose this itinerary for my parent's benefit. Oh well, I completely understand and appreciate Princess' desire to protect their passengers.

The Ruby is a very nice ship and except for the salt coated balcony glass and windows, the ship was very clean throughout. We had 3 mini-suites on the Dolphin deck aft, that I booked specifically to be close to the self-serve laundromat. With 3 boys, I do a lot of laundry and it was a super convenience to be right across the hall from the laundromat! Read more