Eastern Caribbean Cruise

Day #1 - Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Our flight coming out of MSP was delayed by more than an hour, effectively making us and a handful of other people very close to missing the boat. By cutting it close, we ended up missing the better part of the day aboard the ship and rushing through embarkation. They moved us along so quickly that we didn't even get the cheesy "Welcome Aboard" photo taken. After we found our room, we quickly headed to the muster station drill with our life vests, making it just in time yet again.
After the safety drill in the theater, we were able to breath a bit easier and officially start our vacation. Since both of us hadn't eaten on the plane, we headed up to the lunch buffet to get a bite to eat. After lunch we did the customary walk around the ship to get orientated and see everything up close and personal. Our ship, called the "Ruby" is the flagship of the Princess fleet; built in 2008, it's also the newest ship.
After a relaxing afternoon, we unpacked our bags and headed to dinner. The highlights of the dinner on the first night were both deserts. My carrot cake and Angie's flour-less chocolate cake were delicious. After dinner we headed to the theater to watch the welcome show. It was mostly song and dance, previewing the talent aboard the ship and letting everyone know what was yet to come. We closed the first night with drinks while watching the house band play in Explorer's Lounge.

Day #2 - Princess Cays, Bahamas
Princess Cays is a small island that Princess owns and therefore has exclusive access to in the Bahamas. After taking a short tender ride from the ship, we were free to spend the day doing whatever on the private island. While the weather was only in the 70s and a bit cloudy, I still wasted little time in getting in the ocean. While Angie relaxed on the beach, I did a little snorkeling.
After relaxing a bit, we took a long stroll down the beach. The sun came and went along the way, and near the end of the walk I found a living conch shell in the shallow waters. Lunch was provided to everyone on the ship near the beach, although it wasn't anything different than the buffet on board. After lunch, we decided to head back to the ship a little early and sit in the hot tub for awhile.
We spent the time before dinner watching a comedian (who was quite good) and having a cocktail. Dinner on day number two was highlighted again by dessert; some sort of neopolitan ice cream cake. After dinner we took in another show featuring an illusionist named David Cats.


Day #3 - A Day At Sea
Most cruises have days where you just travel to your next destination, and ours was no different. Our first sea day found us soaking up the sun and swimming in the pool. During the afternoon we grabbed some ice cream and headed inside for a bit to play some Bingo. After lunch, we attended a rum tasting.
Before our formal night dinner, we spent a little extra time getting ready and stopping for champagne in the Piazza.

Day #4 - St. Maarten
We originally booked a snorkeling tour, but found out it was cancelled due to low visibility. It ended up being just fine, and we spent the day at the beach next to town. The port was very busy, in fact there were five other cruise ships in port with us. Either way, the weather was sunny and the ocean was wonderful.
We spent a little time wandering the shops afterwards, and I picked up a book to read and souvenir magnet to put on the fridge at home.
Before dinner, we were entertained by the physical comedy of Jim Maltman. We both really enjoyed his work and later learned he has a history with circus! Dinner was above average, and I especially enjoyed the cod w/chorizo and bacon.

Day #5 - St. Thomas
Easily the best day of the trip. We got an early start with room service breakfast and headed off the ship at 8:00am to meet with our tour group. Shortly after 9:00, we walked to the nearby dock and boarded a beautiful catamaran called "The Cat." Our new home for the day, The Cat first took us sailing to Buck Island, where we dropped anchor and snorkeled for about an hour. Among the many fish, we were lucky enough to spot a large number of sea turtles and a sting ray. After we were all aboard again, we hoisted sail to our second stop; Honeymoon Island. Along the way the sun was shining, the wind was blowing and the rum punch was flowing; absolute paradise.
Once we were on Honeymoon Island, we had hot BBQ ribs and chicken waiting for us. The food was fantastic and a nice change from the ship's cuisine. After lunch, we spent the remaining time we had sitting in the water and enjoying the never-ending supply of rum punch.
When it was time to sail back to port, neither one of us wanted to get off. Before we did, I made sure to buy a T-Shirt with The Cat logo on it. Needless to say, it was a great tour and a great day!

Day #6 - Grand Turk
Grand Turk consists of a man-made cruise terminal and not much else. Tourism is the islands primary income, and not many people have heard of it. Either way, we made the best of it by booking a Bike Tour which not only gave us a taste of the island, but a bit of exercise as well. Our bike tour ended with a relaxing dip in the ocean at Governor's Beach before heading back to the ship.
For better or worse, I went with an all-seafood dinner selection that night. Beginning with lobster salad and caviar, then escargo, and finally lobster tail and prawns. Caviar is not my favorite, escargo is quite good and I've always loved both lobster and prawns.

Day #7 - Another Day at Sea
Our final day was spent at sea, as we made our way back to Fort Lauderdale. This was the only day were the weather was a bit cool and overcast, making it a bit difficult to sit outside and lounge. We spent some time playing bingo again and checking out the art auction. We especially enjoyed the culinary demonstration in the theater, not so much for the food but for the entertainment the cooks provided.
The early evening show was a rather interesting play, using some 3D-esqe stage effects I'd never seen before. Our last dinner was delicious, including a watermelon/feta salad and perch w/curry and rice.

Overall, the weather was fantastic and life aboard the Ruby was good. Checking the weather at home in Minnesota, we successfully missed the coldest weather of the winter, too. And while I'm sure it will get just as cold again, all I have to do is close my eyes or drink a little rum punch and I'll be feeling warm all over.