By Marian Blessing
I just returned from a week's cruise to the Eastern Caribbean on the Ruby Princess. It was a family reunion of sorts as our daughter and her husband and some very good friends joined us. It was wonderful to have time to spend together without having to worry about cooking or cleaning or where or what to eat! It was precious time!
The ship sailed out of Port Everglades escorted by U.S. Coast Guard cutters and waves of enthusiasm from the people in the condos lining the port entry. It was a very cherry send-off indeed.
Our first port was Cococay in the Bahamas. The water is beautiful, very clear and teaming with tropical fish. Princess has plenty of lounge chairs for your comfort and even has some island style cabanas, brightly colored, for rent as well. There are hammocks available and you can rent some great floats to relax in the water. A beach BBQ was served and enjoyed by all.
The next day was a sea day with time to explore the ship and take part in some of the onboard activities. Art auctions, trivia, gaming lessons, spa treatments, music poolside and those wonderful Jacuzzis are just some of the things you can do while the ship floats you from port to port. If you prefer a quiet corner to enjoy the sea breezes and ocean views, there are plenty of places on the ship to accommodate you. You can even try afternoon tea, complete with scones and clotted cream and jam (simply delicious!). We choose to relax poolside, sip some pina coladas, and enjoy the music. It was a good day at sea with plenty of time to catch up with one another.
St. Thomas was our next port of call. After doing our duty free shopping downtown we opted for a 1/2 day catamaran sail to Buck Island where we swam with sea turtles. They surfaced among us for a breath of air and then back down to the bottom to eat. It was amazing to see them. The water was incredibly clear.
The crew of the Catamaran Girl were great. They took a group of us on a snorkeling trail, pointing out some very interesting sea creatures. After the snorkeling we enjoyed some very "good" punch and were under full sail back to the Ruby Princess.
What an incredible experience.
St. Maarten was next and as usual, did not disappoint. We spend a few hours shopping in Phillipsburg, and then headed off to the French side and Orient Beach.
The beach is stunning. We rented lounge chairs and then, later in the afternoon, we opted to have lunch at the Kontiki. The restaurant has picnic tables just a few feet from the ocean. The tables are short with nice cushions and sun umbrellas. Our feet dangled in the sand as we lounged and enjoyed our sushi, pizza and tomatoes and mozzarella. Our waiter, Jean Luc, was terrific. It was a spectacular day.
Our last port of call was Grand Turk. It's a very compact island with gorgeous beaches. The cruise port has been developed there to accommodate the ships. There are plenty of lounge chairs, duty free shopping and an entire Margaritaville complex complete with restaurant, pools, entertainment and even a flow rider station.
We rented a car and took a very short tour of the island. We stopped at the Bohio Dive Hotel and had some of the best conch fritters ever. Well worth the stop!
That night we took advantage of the Movies Under the Stars. This ship has a giant screen on deck and shows movies and music videos. During the day you can lounge in the pools or jacuzzi and watch a movie (or you can go to the other pool and enjoy live music). At night the crew lines the deck with chairs, brings out the very comfy cushions and wool blankets and pops popcorn. It was such fun!
Over all I can say that we had a wonderful week onboard Princess. Captain Giuseppe Romano did a fine job!
For more information on traveling to the Caribbean, contact Marian at 800 333-8113 or e-mail at marian@odysseytravel.com
