My adult son and I traveled aboard the Ruby Princess last week from Port Everglades to Princess Cays and Grand Turk, returning to Port Everglades on Saturday. The ship, the itinerary, the timing...all were exactly as advertised and exactly what we wanted.

We arrived in Fort Lauderdale on Sunday and spent the night at the W Hotel on the beach...it was adequate in terms of room and location, but lacking in service. We checked out Monday morning and took a cab to the cruise port where we easily boarded the ship...no waiting, no hassles. Embarkation was hassle free and quick. We had left our large suitcases with the porters who met our cab, so we dropped our small bags in our room (more about that later) and had a lovely lunch in the Horizon cafe. Then we began exploring the ship.

The ship is lovely - beautifully decorated and delightfully clean. It took us a little while to figure out where the attractions were, as they're a bit spread out. Eventually we found the spa, the theater, the restaurants, the late-night lounge and the various bars/entertainment venues. Nice surprises were the two small pools...one inside the spa area for adults only but available to all adults, not just spa guests. That area also led to The Sanctuary which I loved for its comfort, service and shaded lounge chairs. The other small pool is on the rear of the ship just outside the buffet...we often took our breakfast or lunch out there and ate al fresco. Read more