We recently cruised on the Ruby Princess in January 2013. There were six of us in our party and we all had cabins with extended balconies that opened up between our rooms. We loved this, and it is where we spent the majority of our time visiting and soaking up the beauty of the Carribbean.
We spent the night before at the Embassy Suites, a beautiful hotel. On the day of embarkation, we were told to meet the shuttle to Port Everglades at noon. We arrived 5 minutes till noon only to find out that the shuttle had already left, but they did find a car that would take us to the ship.
Embarkation was smooth and easy, though, the waiting was long but expected.