This was our 7th and 8th cruise, 6 with Princess and one each with Celebrity and Holland America. Princess offered this Caribbean cruise as a 9-day package but as 4-day Western Caribbean and a 5-day Eastern Caribbean voyage. We sailed Feb 20 to Mar 1 out of Fort Lauderdale. This cruise was booked because of the great deal we got and not having been any of the islands except for Princess Cays

We stayed at the Best Western hotel on State 84 the day before the cruise which is a convenient location as it is only 10 minutes to the cruise port. The hotel offered a shuttle at 10:30 and 11:30 which we declined as Princess asks you to arrive after 2 pm for a faster embarkation process. We took a taxi and arrived around 1:30 pm and were on board in record time. Our bags arrived outside the stateroom in plenty of time to unpack and make a tour of the ship. We had sailed on the Emerald Princess a few years ago and found the Ruby Princess very familiar so getting around was easy. Since this was two separate cruises we obtained Platinum status after the 4-day cruise which made the 5-day cruise more enjoyable with a few perks.

The Princess Patter true to form arrived each night explaining the activities, including drink of the day, port and weather information. The was enough to select a variety of options or do nothing and lay by the 4 pools. This holiday was selected so we could relax and get away from the snow and cold temperatures. Read more