RUBY 2/28-3/10 Journal/Review Extremely Long

[Trish Traveler]

PART 1

 

Ruby Princess ~ 2/28-3/10/10 ~ Southern Caribbean Medley

 

Just back from the royal Ruby 10 day Southern Caribbean Cruise,

Was the most relaxing, romantic, rejuvenating vacation you could choose.

Captain Tony “McCharming” and his crew are the greatest on the seas,

CD James Ibrahim and all the amazing staff are so eager to please.

To complete the delight, add delicious food, palm trees and tropical booze!

 

Okay, so I am not a limerick writer. But those that have sailed the Ruby recently know that limericks along with entertaining, useful daily info are part of the morning TV Wake Show with CD James Ibrahim.

 

I apologize for the length of this review, as it serves as our personal journal of the trip. If you like long, detailed, rambling, run-on sentences – then this is the read for you! If not - I can assure you that the cruise was wonderful, the Ruby is in immaculate shape, Captain Yeoman is charming and witty, the food is fantastic, the entertainment and choice of activities is great, the itinerary is stupendous, the CD James and staff are highly entertaining, fellow passengers were mostly polite and great fun to sail with, the pool chair hogs were out - but you could always find a chair somewhere near one of the four pools, the comfortable, clean cabin had plenty of storage and most importantly the entire Ruby staff and crew are professional, hard-working, nice and eager to please. Another perfect cruise to paradise for us!

 

 

Pre-Cruise

 

Arrived in Ft. Lauderdale one day prior to sailing (always a good idea in winter). The airport was full of people everywhere, probably flight cancellations and delays from the east coast snowstorms. The weather was cool, cloudy and windy but no snow! Quickly claimed our luggage and hailed a cab. We had won the Riverside Hotel on Priceline. We had been hoping for the Hyatt in the 17th area because it offers free shuttles and free breakfast, with stores nearby for supplies. However, the Riverside Hotel is a beautiful property on Las Olas in downtown Ft. Lauderdale and we still had a rate that was half off the going rate.

 

After checking in, we grabbed our empty rolling carry-on suitcase and walked to Publix grocery store, which is about 7 blocks away. They have a large selection of wine, so we made our choices and used the rolling suitcase for the walk back. Returned just in time as the rain began. Later in the afternoon, the rain stopped so we were able to stroll Las Olas which has many nice upscale boutiques and restaurants. Our budget choice was to dine at Quiznos! We continued on along the scenic Riverwalk, which was rather empty because it was really cool. Passed by the Briny Pub on the river which was all decked out for St. Patrick’s Day and looks like a fun place to eat/drink. Returning after dark, we enjoyed the colored fountain on the corner of Andrews Avenue and Las Olas. Warmed up in the lobby of the Riverside by the fireplace while enjoying the tropical fish in their aquarium and dreaming of snorkeling the Caribbean in a few days.

 

 

Embarkation, Cabin & Sailaway (Sunday, Feb. 28)

Sunday morning, we awoke to bright shining sun. Although still brisk, we enjoyed another beautiful stroll along the Riverwalk before checking out. We arrived at pier #2 about 11am. After a short wait we were quickly processed and in our cabin by noon. We had an inside cabin, midship on Dolphin Deck 9. We had sailed the Crown last year which was almost identical, so we knew what to expect. The Ruby is beautiful and in immaculate shape. Although we have happily sailed other cruiselines (this was our 12th cruise, 2nd Princess), we love the elegance of the Princess ships.

 

Our inside cabin had the beds already pushed together with a 2-drawer nightstand on each side. Bring your own alarm clock as there is none in the cabin. The bed is firm, but we found it very comfortable, with no need for extra foam padding. Facing the bed is the desk with large mirror, chair, phone, cabinet with 2 shelves, and weak blow dryer (I bring my own to save time). Next to that are the beverage/ice bucket area, refrigerator and flat screened TV up above along with a towel animal. A knock on the door and we were greeted by our most excellent cabin steward Richie who introduced himself and took our requests for the fridge to be emptied and brought us robes. We were then able to stock the fridge with our own wine (pack your own opener). You need to order wine glasses from room service for in cabin use. There is also a small round table which is somewhat in the way, but does provide a surface for plopping things when you come back to the cabin.

 

The closet is very big with plenty of hangers and a large shelf above for storage (this is where you will find the striped Princess beach/pool towels, that you cabin steward will replace as needed). I also hung my over-the-door hanger in the closet for all those extra items that you want handy. Next to that is a closet with more shelves and your safe. The cabin has plenty of storage and good lighting. The bathroom is compact, but also has a counter and 3 shelves for toiletries. I personally don’t care for the smell of the eucalyptus bath products provided. A tip for inside cabins is that you can always put your TV on channel 43 for the ship’s webcam, to see outside and check the weather.

 

We then ate lunch in the dining room as we knew it would be more relaxing than the buffet on embarkation day. It was quite empty, but we had a lovely lunch while I used my highlighter to indicate which activities we were interested in for the day in the Princess Patter. Afterwards, we toured the ship getting stamps at various locations on our card for the new “Treasure Hunt” that familiarizes you with areas of the ship and then can be entered in a drawing at Sailaway (winners must be present). Also stopped in at the Reception Desk to have my cruise card punched with a hole so it could be attached to a lanyard (I brought one with, but they can be purchased in the boutique on board also). We decided it was time to enjoy one of the empty hot tubs, which felt great as the air was a little cool, but the sun shining brightly. Ahhh, finally feels like we have escaped winter.

 

Soon we had to head back to the cabin to grab our lifejackets for Muster Drill. After the drill we headed through the “Secret Door” forward on Deck 15 to enjoy the Sailaway from the deck above the bridge that extends out over both sides. Windy, but beautiful as we said “bye-bye” to Ft. Lauderdale. Headed back in to the Sailaway Party by the pool to enjoy our first tropical drink, and Caribbean themed music by Nexus. Throughout the week, we were glad to hear some Caribbean music by the pool as we had been reading recently that there was none. Although it wasn’t steel drums, it was still some nice Calypso beat songs and Soca (thanks Princess). Also DJ Ernie would play some Caribbean/Reggae music. Beautiful sunset with the silhouette of Ft. Lauderdale skyline in the far distance. Back to the cabin to finish unpacking – why does it seem to take weeks to pack for vacation at home and it only takes less than a half hour to unpack in your cabin?!

 

We were eagerly anticipating the Seafood Extravaganza Buffet in the Horizon Court for dinner (as we had experienced it last year on the Crown) and although it was not listed in the Patter it was announced over the PA. It was even better than we remembered last year on the Crown. I was delighted to see one of my favorites, Crab Cakes. Of course, the highlight for us is the Lobster Claws and Shrimp, both served chilled and deliciously fresh. We ate a very leisurely, gluttonous meal. After waddling away from the table, we headed to the 8:30pm Welcome Aboard Show to meet the CD James Ibrahim, the entertainment staff and have a taste of the entertainment for the cruise. Returned to our cabin to read and highlight the next day’s Patter, before setting our clock for sunrise and pulling up the fluffy duvet to be lulled to sleep by the oh-so-slight, rocking of the ship.

 

 

Sea Day 1 (Monday, March 1)

 

Up early for sunrise, but surprise, it is still pitch dark out. We double checked the current time at the Reception Desk (as the clocks had been put one hour ahead) and the listed time for sunrise, but only the moon was out. Lo and behold, the time listed on the Patter was wrong and the sun rose one hour later. So we really had the chilly early morning ship to ourselves (along with the Princess crew already hard at work), which was OK because morning at sea is our favorite time of day.

 

We decided this was a good day to have a breakfast in the restaurant, which included a bowl of fresh berries (not usually on the menu, but you can ask for them) and a delicious omelet. Although, you can get omelets made to order in the buffet, it is always nice to have it made and delivered hot to you at your table in the DR.

 

Next we headed to Trivia, where we hooked up with 4 other people to make a team and enjoyed meeting up with them throughout the cruise to rack our collective brains for trivia answers. Great fun. Stopped in next to pick up a Scavenger Hunt leaflet, which is a cruise-long activity gathering signatures, info and objects. Headed next to Ballroom Blitz Dance Class to attempt to learn the Merengue. The CD James teaches these classes as he is an accomplished ballroom dancer. He does an excellent job teaching dancing. We however, did a poor job of learning! When it came time for the turns, we became “unraveled” and had a laughing attack. My husband said he prefers his meringue on pie!! But, that is the fun of cruising - trying new experiences you wouldn’t normally try at home, having a blast and not caring what anyone thinks about how you look. You won’t see these people again, right?! Luckily, we were able to duck out early as it was time for our Cruise Critic Meet & Greet.

 

We had a nice turnout for our M&G in Skywalkers. The Roll Call probably had 100 people, and I would guess about 30 showed up for the M&G along with Captain Tony Yeomans, Maitre d’Hotel Generoso, and you guessed it: CD James. We had a good laugh when he recognized us from the dance class we had just slipped out of. We had fun meeting the other CCer’s and chatting with them the rest of the cruise as we bumped into many of them. I highly recommend joining your Roll Call and attending Meet & Greets.

 

Lunchtime brought us to the Wheelhouse Bar for the Traditional Pub Lunch. We sat at the bar and enjoyed a beer with the delicious fish & chips with smashed peas and cottage pie (quite filling, but yummy), while chatting with the Dutch bartender.

 

By now, it had warmed up nicely and the sun was shining, so it was pool time. Don’t forget to use sunscreen liberally. Caribbean sun is hot. This is the first cruise that I ran out of sunscreen later in the week and had to buy some on the ship (note to Princess – I don’t care for that Australian Gold sunscreen because it smells like bubble gum – luckily this sailing had very few kids or I might have had a few tailing me looking for bubble gum handouts!) Grabbed a soft serve twirl ice cream cone while looking for a spot. We spent time by the Neptune Pool, finding deck chairs one level up on Deck 16, where you can still hear the music and watch the festivities at the pool. My DH joined in the fun as a drink tester (earning a free drink) in the Bar Wars Game. We stayed around to watch some of the funny Pool Games before heading back to the more peaceful aft pool area. Although it is smaller, we love this area of the ship to sit and become mesmerized by the wake of the ship. If you can’t get a deck chair here, there is also a wooden “steps” area to sit, or if you are eating/snacking, one deck up you will find tables/chairs and a counter area with stools that allow ocean viewing. Here we enjoyed our afternoon coffee with our favorite dessert – fruit tartlets. Soon a couple of loungers opened up aft, and we relaxed for a while before heading up to the hot tub right above on Deck 17. What an amazing view from up there. Too soon, it was time to head back to the cabin to get ready for the first formal night. Headed to the laundry room down the hall on deck 9 aft to do some ironing. Even that chore isn’t so bad on vacation!

 

Many people dressed up for formal night and had formal portraits taken. Saw lots of tuxes & long gowns, although DH wore a suit and I wore a cocktail dress, along with many others. First stop was the Captain’s Champagne Waterfall (7:15-8:15pm). We were glad to see it was early in the evening, as last year on the Crown it was at 10:45pm. I think more people could enjoy it at this earlier time. We enjoyed some free champagne, and I lined up for a short wait to pour champagne with Generoso. After the Captain’s Speech and introductions we headed to dinner. We had Anytime Dining and would check both basically identical DRs on Decks 5 & 6 to see which looked more crowded each night before deciding on one or the other. A couple of times we sat at a table for two, although there are not a lot, so the wait can be longer. They will give you a pager so you can enjoy the Atrium area entertainment, shopping or bars. The longest wait we ever had was 10 minutes and usually no wait. They do encourage table sharing, which we did many nights as it is part of the experience of cruising for us to meet new people from all over the world. Formal dinner was delicious with both of us ordering the Grilled Mignons of Beef. Our late dinner was leisurely this evening and took about 2 hours, but we made it to the late show of comedian Tony Daro, who was very funny. They had several good comedians on board for this cruise and really made a point of saying that there would be some type of comedy every night in the Explorer’s Lounge. All these shows were very popular.

 

 

Sea Day 2 (Tuesday, March 2)

 

Another day to unwind at sea. The weather is warming up nicely, but still breezy. Enjoyed breakfast in the buffet. We really love all the fresh fruit, pastries, muffins and the many hot choices, including scrambled & fried eggs, omelets to order, hash browns, bacon, sausage, daily specials, waffles, pancakes, French toast, hot & cold cereals, yogurt, and much more. After breakfast I attended what I refer to as the Princess “flea market”, which is a popular sale of new merchandise held in the Michelangelo DR for three hours (9-12am). Inexpensive items such as watches, scarves, wallets, sunglasses, evening bags etc. I picked up two watches. Time to meet up with our new friends for morning trivia in the Explorer’s Lounge.

 

Although there were a multitude of activities to choose from, we decided it was time to head to the pool areas and enjoy the warm weather, before lunch in the buffet. Through the afternoon we took a couple of breaks from the sun by attending the Alaska Future Cruise Presentation and the Blankety-Blank Gameshow.

 

While DH enjoyed reading a travel book in the Library, I headed back out to a shaded lounger on the aft deck to relax/nap before getting ready for dinner. We requested a table for two in the dining room as we wanted to make sure we got out in enough time to see the show. Be sure to let your waiter know if you are trying to make a show. He was easily able to speed up the courses for us. The theme was French/Mediterranean and I was thrilled to see one of my favorites Duck a L’Orange. Absolutely delicious. Finished with the divine Rasberry Crème Brule. Had plenty of time to grab seats (usually need to be there about 30 minutes prior to showtime) in the Princess Theatre for the production show Stardust, “music of years gone by” which we both really enjoyed. Headed back to the cabin to excitedly prepare for our first port of call Aruba.

 

 

Aruba (Wednesday, March 3, port time 8am-5pm)

 

Morning brought a beautiful sunrise over the Hooiberg/Haystack mountain in Aruba. Great way to start the day. As soon as the ship was cleared we exited to the awakening streets of Oranjestad to explore a little before we needed to meet with our tour guide. We had pre-arranged online a private tour with Cerry who we learned about here on CC. It had been 19 years since our last visit to Aruba, so many things had changed. Aruba is so different that the rest of the Caribbean as it is an arid, desert-like island with an array of interesting cacti and Divi Dive trees (although the beach areas do have some palm trees). We knew what natural sites we wanted to visit, so we just gave Cerry our list and he gave us a great tour. He was right on time to pick us up in his immaculate white SUV. He is very knowledgeable about the history and nature of Dutch Aruba (We learned that Aruba became a separate entity within the kingdom of the Netherlands in 1986). By leaving early, we beat a lot of the crowds at some of the popular sites. We chose to visit the California Lighthouse, the lovely little Chapel of Alto Vista and Stations of the Cross, the scenic Baby Bridge (restrooms available for 50 cents), and the Bushiribani Ruins; all of which are near the ocean and offer wonderful views and photo ops (Cerry took several pictures for us also).

 

Next we went to Casibari Rocks which were really crowded, where we hiked up to the overlook. You need to go thru a short rock tunnel to get to the top which gets backed up because only one direction of people traffic can fit at a time. Great 360 view from the top. Back at the bottom there are fairly empty trails amongst the “Flinstone-like” rocks to enjoy. Here we were lucky to spot one of the blue spotted Aruban Whiptail Lizard that we had read about. We ended our tour at Arashi Beach, because we wanted to go snorkeling. We really enjoyed our time with Cerry and would definitely recommend him for private touring. “You won’t be sorry with Cerry” is his motto.

 

Arashi is a beautiful beach, with some palapas for shade but no other facilities at all. We knew that ahead of time, and packed our own water, snacks and snorkel gear. It was sunny, hot and very windy. We geared up and head right into the water for some very nice snorkeling. We swam in the direction of Boca Catalina (south) where we saw several snorkel tour boats. The swimming was a good workout because we were going against the current, but we still saw a really nice variety of fish, coral, squid and a couple of eels. The viewing and variety got better as we approached the Boca Catalina area, so next time I would just snorkel from that beach. The swim back was easier with the wind at our backs. After about an hour of snorkeling we enjoyed the beach for a while before waiting for the Arubus that would take us back to town. Well, we had read how on-time the Aruba buses always are, but this time it was 30 minutes late. So, it had been 1½ hours since the last bus as they only go that far every hour. About ten other people were also waiting and wishing that there was a vendor at this beach for cold beverages, as it was quite hot by now. Not really a big deal, as we had shade in the palapa nearest the bus stop overlooking an amazing beach. The one way bus ride is only $1.30 per person. It was a nice ride back to town viewing all the various beach areas. Saw some kitesurfers along the way also. Aruba has some really beautiful beaches.

 

Once back in town we were ready for an Aruban Balashi Beer to quench our thirst. We stopped in at Iguana Joe’s for some beer and delicious West Indian Pattie appetizers and Fried Plantains. This is a 2nd story open air bar/restaurant that has nice views of the main street, L.G. Smith Blvd. and your ship. Once cooled down, we were ready to explore the town of Oranjestad. We browsed the stores, historical buildings and Fort Zoutman. Next we found Wilhelmina Park which is a delightful oasis in town. It is lush and shady with a variety of tropical plants and trees. But the main attractions are the iguanas that roam the park. You will find them sunning on the walkways or dashing around the bushes, popping up and down like prairie dogs! Having owned an iguana as a pet for about 14 years, we are quite fond of lizards, so we really got a kick out of this show. The young ones are bright, neon green. We also saw a couple more of those blue spotted lizards that we had seen earlier. In addition, we were treated to a viewing of several green parrots flying amongst the trees in the park, which we believe might be the Caribbean/Aruban Parakeets.

 

On the way back to the ship we shopped at the vendor stalls along the street while enjoying the pretty harbor views. The cold washcloth courtesy of Princess prior to boarding is a wonderful refresher. Once onboard the ship we had a late lunch of pizza and burgers, before enjoying another beautiful sailaway. It was about this time, that I realized I had sunburned the back of my legs snorkeling, despite all the sunscreen I had applied. Luckily, we always wear t-shirts snorkeling so our backs were not burned. You really need to be careful in this tropical sun.

 

After dinner in the Caribe Café Buffet, we were able to get a few of the last chairs remaining for MUTS. It was a beautiful night for a viewing of the movie The Blindside. We had never fully experienced a whole movie on MUTS, so this was a real treat. The cushions are so comfortable after a long day of sightseeing, with a blanket for the slight chill of the gentle ocean breeze. Popcorn to munch. And then the cookie man comes around with warm cookies and milk! Ahh – what a wonderful experience. Reminded me of the old days of drive-in movies. A great way to end another day in paradise.

 

 

Bonaire (Thursday, March 4, port time 7am-2pm)

 

Up early again to have a quick breakfast, pack our snorkel gear and enjoy the arrival into colorful, picturesque Bonaire. Another beautiful day, another lovely Dutch island, although Bonaire is much more quaint than Aruba. Once again, we are some of the first off the ship. Bonaire is the only island on this itinerary that we have never visited. So our excitement level is high for exploring a new destination. Bon-Bini – welcome to Bonaire! We had about 90 minutes to explore before our excursion meeting time. The town of Kralendijk is very easy to enjoy on foot. We stopped in the tourist information office to get some info and picked up a nice Historic Walking Tour map, so that we could see the buildings of interest in town. We were able to get many beautiful photographs as we strolled the still sleepy streets including Fort Oranje and its canons right on the waterfront. A few shops were beginning to open, as the vendors in the market began to set up their stalls for the day.

 

We knew that Bonaire is known to be a diver’s paradise, so our choice for this island had to include snorkeling. After researching the CC boards, we quickly decided on the Woodwind 3 hour Sail & Snorkel Tour ($50pp) and prearranged a tour with them online. We met them right at the exit to the cruise ship dock, as others also gathered for the tour including several CC members from the Meet & Greet. After a short walk to the Divi Flamingo Beach Resort, we boarded the trimaran sailboat and were offered water or juice. We chose a refreshing mango juice as the boat traveled to our snorkeling spot which is off of Klein Bonaire, also in sight of Bonaire. The crew did an excellent job of explaining snorkeling, safety and fitting fins, snorkels & masks (including soaping them up for you so they don’t fog) We used our own masks, but took some tips from the crew on proper usage. The really neat thing about their trip is that it is a “drift snorkel” meaning that you float along with your guide in the direction of the current, while the boat travels alongside. So you don’t get fatigued snorkeling and you can cover a greater area of reefs, seeing a greater variety of fish.

 

They divided us into two groups and we were into the water to begin our adventure with our guide, Sylvia. WOW, these reefs are amazingly beautiful, with abundant sea life. It was also very clear visibility the day we were there. So you stay together in a loose group as you float along and the guide will point out especially interesting sea life and answer any questions. Sylvia would then dive down to be sure everyone saw. I have an underwater Olympus camera, so I took a multitude of pictures, although they never seem to come out as vivid and vibrant as I saw them in person. Woodwind also has a professional photographer with a better camera who swims along with you and gets pictures of the sea life and guests, which you can purchase afterwards on CD.

 

We saw a multitude of tropical fish including Parrotfish, Barracuda, Blue Tangs, Sergeant Majors, French Angel, Trumpet, and Trunk fish to name a few. We were ecstatic to view a large Spotted Eagle Ray (so cool), several turtles (aww, so graceful) including the Green and Hawksbill, a Sea Cucumber and Anemones. The coral and plants are also abundant and colorful including awesome brain coral, a type of almost neon purple tubular coral and many more in greens, yellows and orange. There is also fire coral which can irritate your skin, but the guides kept us in deep enough water so that we wouldn’t accidentally scrape it. Also lots of interesting plants and sea fans. Everywhere you looked was an underwater feast for your eyes. Our time in the water flew by and soon our guide advised us that it was time to head back to the boat, which now required actual swimming as the current had gotten a bit stronger in this area. You swim to a fixed rope that connects a buoy to the boat, and then pull yourself in until you reach the ladder and the guide removes your fins for you to simplify the climb up the ladder. A couple of people in the group drifted too far and missed the rope, but they each had a guide right with them and they just sent another boat to pick them up and deliver them back to our boat.

 

Once onboard we washed away the salt water with a cold Amstel Beer while we leisurely sailed back. They also provided rum punch and a tasty snack of meatballs and cheeseballs. This snorkel tour exceeded all our expectations and I would highly recommend Woodwind. After getting pictures with the crew, we walked through the grounds of the Divi Flamingo Beach Resort and back to the downtown area.

 

We still had some time left to browse the stores and shop in the vendor plaza. While there we took some time to chat with a friendly group of teenagers who were great ambassadors for their island. There are several idyllic oceanfront bars, cafes and restaurants that beckoned us, but alas our time here was short and we needed to be back on the ship by 1:30pm. We loved Bonaire and hope to have another visit here someday. Time to hit the Buffet and International Cafe again for lunch.

 

Enjoyed the sailaway, and then as the afternoon was still warm and sunny we did a “pool crawl” by visiting all four pool areas for a swim. Dinner in the DR was Italian Night and I had the deliciously, decadent Fettucine Alfredo in the Parmesan Bowl and DH enjoyed the Pot Roast in Barolo Wine Sauce. Onto the Explorer’s Lounge where we saw the comedy-magic of Tony Laffan & Kasey-Laura, which was very entertaining. Onward to Deck 15 for the “White Hot Deck Party” which was getting into full swing with lots of music and dancing led by James the CD & Martin in white angel wings, and the entertainment staff. White clothing is encouraged, but not required (well, you are required to wear clothing – I meant that it can be other colors!!) Great night for a deck party as it was warm, although quite breezy still. Deck 16 offers a great overview of the festivities. Fun way to end the night.

 

 

Grenada (Friday, March 5, port time 12noon-7pm)

 

It was nice to be able to awake more leisurely this morning as our arrival into Grenada wasn’t scheduled until noon. After breakfast, it was time to meet up with our new friends for Morning Trivia. Still haven’t won, but we do pretty well. After repacking the backpack yet again and making sure we had lots of singles and small bills, we ate an early lunch snack (didn’t we just eat breakfast?) to fortify us for Grenada. We enjoyed the arrival into mountainous, lush Grenada from the 16 & 17 decks, before moving down to the Promenade deck to await the announcement to disembark. Another beautiful sunny day with white fluffy clouds. Grenada is a beautiful port with many boats in the harbors, colorful buildings dotting the hillsides, with a view of both Ft. George near the harbor and Ft. Frederick higher up the hillside. We knew that they have been experiencing a drought recently and you could see that the landscape had some brown amongst the greenery. Once cleared we joined the growing line which was manageable and only took about 10 minutes to hear the familiar beep as you swipe your cruise card to exit.

 

Welcome to Grenada, the Spice Isle. I am delighted to hear a steel drum band playing for our arrival. Now, I know I am on a tropical Caribbean Island for sure. We exit through the Esplanade Mall, making note of where we might want to shop later. Once we exit, we are treated to the sights, sounds and especially the delightful smells (spices) of Grenada. St. George is alive with activity. We are soon approached by vendors and cabbies vying for our business. They are probably the most, shall I say: assertive, energetic salespeople of the islands we visited this cruise. Grenadians are a friendly people, you just really need to be ready with your “No, Thank You’s” if you are not interested. Otherwise, be ready to bargain. Our first stop was the Market Square to check out the colorful vendor stalls selling fruit, souvenirs and of course the many spices Grenada is famous for growing and exporting. The streets here are quite hustle, bustle with people going about their daily business; so pay attention while crossing streets.

 

We hadn’t pre-arranged a tour here because we weren’t sure what we were going to be in the mood to do and although we wanted to see some of the inner island, we also wanted beach time. The tours we had looked at ahead of time, didn’t seem to allow enough beach time for us (considering the short port stay we would have). So, we decided to hire our own taxi to visit our choice of highlights which included Annandale Falls, Grand Etang, Ft. Frederick and a drop off at Grand Anse Beach. We chose a gentleman who seemed nice and more mature, and discussed what we wanted. He agreed to a price of $50 and told us he would share info all about his island on the tour. After checking out his vehicle, which was in very good shape, we got in. Then he started to tell us, “how this tour should really cost more, that the ship charges more…” I told him if it was a problem, we would get out of his taxi before the tour started. He agreed to begin the drive…however, once underway he continued to complain about the price of gas and how lucky we were to get this price, how far Grand Etang is (not - it is only about 20 minutes tops from St. George) blah, blah, blah. He didn’t offer much tour info, but would answer any questions I asked. Having been to Grenada before, we knew most of the interesting spice information already.

 

He took us to Annandale Falls first to beat most of the crowds which was nice. We enjoyed the hike down the lush tropical path, stopping for pictures of flowers; heading to the falls, which are really running lightly because of the drought. However, the pool at the base is still deep enough for the cliff jumpers, who work for donations and make for good pictures. We returned to buy some fragrant spice necklaces (they come in plastic bags, but be sure to take them out of the bags when you get back to your cabin so they don’t mold and you can continue to enjoy the fragrance in your cabin; and bring paper bags to pack them for the trip home – that advice came from right here on CC). We also enjoyed taking the colorful, touristy pictures with the spice ladies and the singing guitar man for a couple of bucks. Adjacent to the parking lot is the open air Kings Arms Bar, where we chatted with three generations of sweet Grenadaians - Grandmother, Daughter and adorable Baby Girl; selling beverages from a stand in front of the bar. It was heating up and time for a nice ice cold Caribe Beer.

 

Onward to Grand Etang along the winding, hilly roads with local spice stands alongside the road. Would not want to drive these roads ourselves, but the driver did an excellent job. We quickly arrived at Grand Etang National park and paid the $2 fee. We noticed that it was greener at this elevation, so they must have received more rain up here. We first went to the Visitor’s Center where a docent gave us some info about the park. Next we took the scenic 10 minute hike to the overlook of Grand Etang Lake, which is in the crater of an extinct volcano. After that we hiked the trail down to the lake, but didn’t want to take the time required to go all around the lake. Back to the entrance to enjoy the pretty landscaped grounds, take pictures of myself playing maracas with a band, and more colorful spice ladies. There are also more vendor stalls, a bar for refreshments and restrooms. We hadn’t seen any of the islands Mona Monkeys while hiking, so we were hoping for a sighting here in the parking lot. We had read here on CC that they often frequent the parking lot because people feed them. And to our delight, one did make an appearance in a tree and we were able to get some good pictures. Very exciting to be able to check that one off on our mental list of things to experience here in Grenada.

 

Returning, we enjoyed more of the rainforest and countryside; and our taxi driver stopped complaining. Thank you. We went to Ft. Frederick next, but it was very crowded, so we just used the overlook that is on the road right below the fort and offers a panoramic view of St. George, the Ruby Princess far off in the distance; and even the prison and yard where prisoners were out playing cricket or futball! Continuing on through various scenic neighborhoods we arrived at Grand Anse Beach. We settled with our cabbie, who no longer disputed the price, even giving him a tip. We do realize that this island appears to have more poverty than some others so we don’t disparage their right to try to earn a decent living. We advised him that we planned on taking a water taxi back to the ship, but he let us know that he would probably be here if we chose a land taxi instead.

 

We had never been to Grand Anse Beach and were pleased to see the hype about the beauty of this beach is justified. We walked the beach to enjoy the scenery and get our bearings, before escaping to some shade in the vendor stalls at the Grand Anse Market adjacent to the beach. Back to the beach we ran into some of our new CC friends who graciously invited us to join them. Soon, a vendor arrived and we ordered some more ice cold Caribe’s ($3). Now, I know why we wanted to make sure we had time after our touring to relax on this spectacular beach, enjoying good company and cold beer delivered to your lounger. A few craft vendors approached, but leave easily with a “no, thank you” (to me they did not seem at all as pesty as some here on the CC boards would have you believe). I took a swim in the refreshing aqua water while DH chilled under an umbrella. Took some more colorful photos, and met some local boys playing in the sand who allowed me to take their picture.

 

We took the water taxi ($4ow,pp) back to town, which was a really enjoyable ride as the water was smooth and the views great. Once back, we knew we still had more time and weren’t ready to leave parts of St. George near the pier unexplored. We walked some more of the streets, taking in the local flavor, and then decided to hike up to Ft. George. It is a lot of steep steps, but was not too difficult as it was later in the day now and not so hot. We payed the $2 pp fee to enter. We were the only ones up there (besides the police officers working out in the gym) and got many nice pictures of the ruins, canons and overlooks of the Ruby and the Carenage Inner Harbor.

 

Back at the bottom, we saw the Sendall Tunnel beckoning us to enter. It was “rush hour” now, so we had to share the tunnel with the car traffic, be careful! It’s amazing when you reach the other side into the Carenage area, the scenery transforms into a more upscale, relaxing, touristy scenic harbor. While the other side is busy with people doing their daily business and heading home from work, this side was now almost deserted as most cruise passengers had gone back to the ship. Lovely to take a quick stroll along the harbor, wishing we also had more time here. Back through the tunnel and into the Esplanade Mall to buy a spice basket and a bottle of Grenadian Rum.

 

Back on the ship as the sun is setting. Although we were very satisfied with our day here as we got to see everything we planned, I would still recommend this island as one of the places to do an excursion through Princess or a private vendor arranged ahead of time from advice here on CC. Unless, you just want to do an amazing beach day at Grand Anse. Although, we pack trail mix and granola bars from home, we are hungry again – imagine that!

 

Sailaway from Grenada was fabulous as it was dark out now; with the twinkling lights dotting the hillsides from St. George upwards, and the traffic apparently heading into town for Friday night festivities. We spent some time out on the deck 15 forward overlook which was spectacular and very romantic. Soon, the Princess security advised us and the others that it was time to leave as they lock those doors after dark for safety. I’m sure those lucky ones with balcony cabins really enjoyed this sailaway. After dinner we even made it to a comedy show in the Explorer’s Lounge with Cary Long who was hilarious, using lots of material about marriages. Another satisfyingly full day. Back to our cabin to the scent of spice as we sorted our stuff and repacked for the morning arrival in Dominica. Those pillow chocolates that your room steward leaves are especially good if you chill them in your fridge. Got to get in those last bedtime calories!

 

To be continued...

[Trish Traveler]

PART 2

 

Dominica (Saturday, March 6, port time 7am-5pm)

 

Up before sunrise to eat breakfast and enjoy the sunrise as we sail into the port of Roseau, Dominica, the Nature Isle. Another scenic hilly town, on a lush tropical island. Some clouds cling to the mountains, but looks like a promising day. Once again, we are amongst the first off the ship and have allowed ourselves time to explore before our tour. We head to the left down the main street and stop to get pictures of the crabs that like to sit on the sea wall, before skittering away as you approach. We past the vendor booths that are just opening up. The town appears sleepy until you approach all the activity at the Saturday market where the local Dominicans are visiting and shopping for produce and other items. First, we reach the fish market where fresh out of the ocean fish are being sold and the woman fish monger chops them with a machete. We continue on to enjoy the sights, sounds and smells of the island. They grow a really nice variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. The backdrop of KFC just doesn’t seem to fit here. We weaved through some of the streets before heading back for our tour.

 

We booked a private tour with Fredos Taxi & Tours who we had used previously in 2007. Yes, you can do similar tours through Princess or private group tour operators, but we choose to splurge this way to see exactly what we want, stay as long as we want and stop anytime we want along the way. It really doesn’t cost that much more for such personalized service. Fredos met us promptly at 8am to greet us warmly with his big smile and begin our adventure. Dominica is one of our favorite islands, as we love lush tropical rainforests and all the unspoiled beauty that this island offers. Fredos is extremely knowledgeable and proud of his homeland and shares this with us along the way. Dominica is also experiencing some drought, but is much more green and lush than Grenada right now. There is a lot of road construction going on right now which will improve the roads greatly. It slowed us down somewhat, but not too many delays. The roads are hilly and windy with some tight squeezes when vehicles need to pass, but Fredo is an excellent driver and we feel quite safe.

 

We head first to TiTou Gorge to beat some of the crowds. From where you park, it is an enjoyable short hike through the forest and across a narrow footbridge spanning a lightly flowing river. We stop along the way to learn about the flowers and take pictures. At the gorge, we can here the echos of one group of people already enjoying its splendors. TiTou Gorge has become much more poplular since it was used in a scene when Pirates of the Caribbean was filmed here in Dominica. I was able to rent a waist float belt for $2. Well, its time to take the plunge into the shockingly cold water. DH lets out a howl! It takes your breath away at first, but we got used to it pretty quick (we actually expected it to be colder than it was). You can walk for a short distance, but then it is over your head and you need to swim. It looks almost like you are entering a cave, but it is really rock walls forming the gorge. As you move through the rock tunnels, you have beautiful glimpses of the greenery and sky above. It is breathtakingly gorgeous. As we reached the area with the waterfall, the other group was just finishing up and made their exit. We are delighted to have the peaceful beauty of this place all to ourselves! There is a rock ledge opposite the waterfall where you can rest and enjoy the scenery.

 

I had my water camera along and took lots of pictures trying to capture this awesome place, but it was acting funky, placing dots on everything. At first, I thought perhaps the waterproof seals had been breached, but it cleared up later – so I think it might have had to do with going from being hot to so cold. So my pictures are not that great, but the ones in my minds eye are fantastic. We were reluctant to leave as this place is mesmerizing with the waterfall rushing around you. We were careful not to get too close and chose not to jump from any ledges as we have done that before at other waterfalls and felt this space is too small to feel really safe doing so. We slowly made our way out, soaking in all the views through the crevices around us. In the pool outside the opening is a pretty trickling waterfall to sit by on the warm rocks. By now the water felt really nice and refreshing, and we weren’t cold at all. We exited as another group was preparing to enter. I imagine this place could get really crowded if a lot of tours were there as it is not really that big of an area.

 

Back in the van we head along the scenic roads enjoying the countryside and the views off the cliffs to the lush valleys below, as we listen to commentary from Fredos. Along the way, Fredos greets people he knows all over the island. From the Grandma walking her grandson to school to the construction worker on the side of the road, everyone seems to know Fredos. He tells us that he also sings Calypso music, so many people know him because of that. I even bought one of his CD’s that also includes his son and daughter singing some nice positive message island songs to enjoy at home and remember our special time in Dominica.

 

Next stop Trafalgar Falls, which we have been to before, but wanted to take the time to hike to the base this time. We paid our site fee of $5pp and agreed to have a tour guide lead us down. We had a sweet woman who explained plants and such along the way. We bypassed the overlook platform because it was packed with people, and continued to the base of the falls. You really need sturdy shoes to do this like water shoes (we wore), gym shoes or Teva type sport sandals. We saw people unsuccessfully attempting it in flip-flops. You have to climb over, on and around lots of rocks and boulders. The guide lead us and held my hand for stability over the rocks. It is an awesome adventure and finally we reached the pool at the base. We jumped into the cold water with a squeal. Very few people were in this area. Another amazing place as you look up and around to see the powerful waterfall plunging down and cascading into the river, the lush foliage of the mountain rising up and the boulders all around you. Our guide was helpful in taking many pictures of us together. After a refreshing swim, we headed back over the boulders to the smaller natural hot springs pools. Ahh, these are so relaxing and warm. There are several of these pools, cascading into each other. The Garden of Eden must have been similar to this slice of paradise. Naturally, we were reluctant to leave these warm pools, but the tour must go on. On the hike back we stop at the less crowded platform for waterfall pictures. Back in the van, Fredos treated us to his special Rum Punch from his grandmother’s delicious recipe.

 

The Botanical Garden was our next destination. We had been here before on our last visit but weren’t able to see the Sisserou Parrots because they were mating; so we were happy that we could view them this time. Although they are found in the wild on the island, the ones here are caged for your viewing pleasure. As we approached the cage, Fredos talked to them because he said they like to show off for people; and sure enough they started flying around and coming closer so we could see their vibrant colors and get photos. The Botanical Garden has some interesting plants, flowers and trees, including the enormous banyan, and the tree that fell on the school bus during a hurricane. But the area was pretty dry and the grass brown. I think it would be nice if they would make a portion of the garden an area where you could walk a trail and see numerous identified island plants/flowers. It seems like this would be easy to do in such a lush place and I believe many tourists as well as locals, would enjoy something like that, which you find on many other tropical islands.

 

Up next to the Morne Bruce overlook to enjoy the scenic vista including the Ruby ship at the pier. There are also some vendors up there and some interesting ruins of some historical buildings that are very photogenic. Our journey ended back in town as we thanked Fredos for an excellent tour. I would highly recommend him for your own personalized tour.

 

We had planned our day so that we would have plenty of time to explore and enjoy Roseau by foot. Our path took us first to the Ft. Young Hotel which is a lovely, quaint property overlooking the harbor where we read Johnny Depp stayed while filming “Pirates…” in Dominica. We visited the local cemetery, watched some boys practicing soccer, snapped pictures of colorful buildings including the Library and the Anglican Church. Further up the street we found the Catholic Cathedral that was open for viewing. From there we made our way to the cobblestoned streets of the Craft Market where more vendors are located, to make a few souvenir purchases including Dominican coffee. There is also a nice Visitor Center located here if you need a cool place to rest. Our last stop was to a colorful, funky bar called The Ruins where we enjoyed some ice cold Kabuli Beer and recalled our terrific day in Dominica. On the way back we stopped in the liquor store for some Dominican Rum to take home.

 

After boarding the ship we grabbed a snack and viewed the picturesque sailaway from beautiful Dominica. This island and its people are one of our favorites in the Caribbean. The evening brought a gorgeous sunset that we savored over a glass of wine while sitting on the Promenade Deck before dinner. The Chef’s Dinner choice for me was the super-rich, delicious Goat Cheese Soufflé for appetizer and Scallops for my entrée. No energy for a show this evening, as these busy days are catching up with us.

 

 

St. Thomas (Sunday, March 7, port time 8am-6pm)

 

We awoke early and clicked on the TV to the ships webcam – Uh-Oh, looks like raindrops on the screen. We make our way up for breakfast and confirm that it is indeed raining. The skies are very thick, grey and foggy – doesn’t look like something that will pass over, but we are hopeful. We pack the backpack and don our jackets, ponchos and umbrella. There aren’t a lot of people exiting the ship yet except for tour groups that haven’t been cancelled. It’s chilly, rainy and windy as our cheap umbrella turns inside out. The Ruby is docked at Crown Bay, which we were also at last year. We had prearranged a tour with Godfrey and meet up with him at 9:00am and there is one other CC couple already on the jitney open-air bus for the tour. This tour will include a beach visit in the afternoon, so we are optimistically bringing our beach towels along (if nothing else, we can use them to dry off the rain).

 

First stop is Charlotte Amalie for 2 ½ hours of free time to shop/sightsee on our own. The rain had let up and then soon stopped, so we were able to tour the town. Godfrey dropped us at Emancipation Park so we began our tour there enjoying the wild chickens that prance around. On to Fort Christian which can only be viewed from the outside as it is closed for renovations. Next stop was the historic Frederik Lutheran Church where we could hear the joyous sounds of the choir escaping from the open door. As we were taking pictures of the outside, the usher gestured for us to come in. Since it was Sunday, we decided that would be a great idea for a rainy day in St. Thomas – to go join their worship service. He greeted us warmly and found us seats. We felt awkward in our baseball caps, cheap plastic ponchos and backpacks amongst the locals in their Sunday best. We slowly slid off the hats and backpacks and joined in the service. It was very enjoyable and we discovered there were actually many visitors there when they took the time to have us all stand and welcome us. The church is beautiful and has an amazing angel adorned chandelier.

 

After church, we continued on to visit the Hotel 1829 and climb the 99 steps which is a good workout to start the day. At the top, we found Blackbeards Castle and got photos, but didn’t take the tour inside. Back down the steps and into town for some browsing of the shops. The serious shoppers were in full force as they say most of the shops in town close by 1pm on Sunday. We enjoyed walking around the cute little alleyways and seeking out the quainter local artsy stores and boutiques. Our last stop in town was the Vendor’s Plaza where the crafts and souvenirs are sold. I was looking at the popular Caribbean Hook bracelets which they sell there, as well as in almost every jewelry store, but just didn’t find any that said “buy me”.

 

We met back with Godfrey, who now had a full bus of 22 people to continue our tour. He is very knowledgeable about St. Thomas and gives excellent commentary along the way. He also supplies bottled water and soda. We head up to a beautiful overlook of Charlotte Amalie where we could see the RCCL ship docked at Havensight and further off the Ruby in Crown Bay. It is still cloudy, and the visibility is okay, but rain is threatening us again.

 

Onto the St. Peter Greathouse, which Godfrey uses as a replacement for Mountaintop, that burned down last year. This seems like a plus to me. This place is gorgeous. He quickly takes us to the overlook, as he fears the rain is near. Despite the gloom this is still an amazing vantage point for all the islands off of St. Thomas and a view of Megan’s Bay/Beach. Just as he is completing his descriptions, the rain starts again. Everyone runs for cover. Luckily, there are several places to get under or inside and still enjoy the estate. We have our ponchos on so we choose to take the Botanical Garden nature trail, which is really lush with beautiful tropical flowers and plants and some caged birds. It is accessed by wooden steps and walkways, so the rain isn’t really a problem and actually made it more of an adventure. Next, we view the actual Great House which includes classic West Indies furniture and artwork. Very beautiful, with that same majestic view. There are a couple of gift shops to browse and an open air bar where they are now serving the World Famous Banana Daiquiri previously from Mountaintop. Very fresh and delicious, although a Hot Toddy might be appropriate at this point. We now realize that a sunny afternoon at the beach is not in our future, but that’s alright as this tour is still enjoyable.

 

We continue on viewing more of the island, including the famous Mahogney Run Golf Course, until we reach Coki Beach. The rain stopped again so we were able to at least step out onto the mostly deserted beach and enjoy the view. We did have a nice show here from a flock of pelicans that were dive-bombing into the water to catch fish. This part of the island must have had even more rain, because there are lots of puddles on the sides of the road. Godfrey took a different route back, so we had more scenery to enjoy before dropping people either back in town or at the ship. Great tour with Godfrey, despite the rain.

 

Back on board the Ruby, we shed all our excess gear and head for lunch. Afterwards, we happen across the afternoon “Cookie Man” with his warm gooey cookies that we enjoy with a nice hot cup of coffee. Once warmed up, we head back out to browse the shops of Crown Bay. The vendors say that it is really slow today with the rain. We then go to visit the few brave iguanas that are sitting on the rocks, wishing for sun also. Our last stop is the open air bar where we sit awhile and enjoy some Blackbeard’s Ale. When in St. Thomas…drink like a pirate (although, I suppose that would be rum). From here we can see a pirate flag that someone is flying off their balcony while the Ruby is in port! It’s pretty deserted out here, and time to head back to the ship. It’s cold and cloudy and rainy so that sounds like perfect hot tub weather to us. We choose the aft hot tub where two nice couples from Iowa have the same great idea. Totally enjoyable way to embrace the rainy weather as we sailaway from St. Thomas.

 

Dinner included delicious Tiger Prawn Kabobs and another perfect Crème Brule for dessert. This was Oscar Night so we walked the Red Carpet into Club Fusion to catch a bit of the Academy Awards that were being shown on the ceiling mounted TV’s that are scattered all over the room. After watching this for awhile, we moved on to catch the Hypnotist Show. I’m not a big fan of hypnotism, but this was pretty entertaining (as long as it’s not me up there), and we even saw a couple of CC friends participating. Back to the cabin to catch the end of the Oscar’s. Woo-Hoo, a sea day tomorrow – we really needed a day to relax after all these days of touring.

 

 

Sea Day (Monday, March 8)

 

Woke to see that the rain had stopped, and it was partly cloudy outside. Captain Yeoman tells us it should clear up later and be a sunny day. After the buffet breakfast, I headed down to the 2nd “Princess Flea Market” which they call the Outlet Sale Event in Michelangelo DR. It hadn’t opened yet and the line was past the IC and curling over by Vines. You would think they were giving this stuff away! This sale was much larger than the first, with some good bargains and a lot of merchandise from other Ruby itineraries on sale, as well as the purses, watches, costume jewelry etc. My husband spent his time in the Library, walking the Promenade Deck and watching the birds catch flying fish. While gazing at the seas he was lucky enough to spot two whales! From traveling to Alaska he knew what the telltale spout looks like and sure enough, the backs and flukes appeared next. After the sale, I continued on to the Cooking Show in Princess Theatre which was hosted by the Head Chef Cozzoli and Generoso. They are actually quite funny and the food cooking smelled delicious and made me hungry (how can I possibly be hungry?). I didn’t get to tour the galley afterwards because the show lasted longer than an hour, and it was time for Trivia. We joined our trivia team to workout our brains once again.

 

Lunchtime brought the much anticipated Mexican Buffet in the Caribe Café. Excellent variety including chicken, pork and steak fajitas, beans, rice, chile-con-carne, and fresh guacamole and chips, just to name a few. The only thing missing was flan for dessert, unless I missed it somehow. The weather had cleared up nicely, with the sun shining, slightly cool breeze, temps in the 70’s – so it was pool time. I briefly thought about packing, but quickly pushed that idea out of my head on such a beautiful afternoon – who wants to be in a cabin packing? We found some loungers on Deck 16 above the pool, where we could alternately gaze at the sea and watch the pool games. I even attempted to read a few pages in the paperback I had with me. I love to read at home and was really impressed by how many people I saw reading on this cruise, but even with ten days, I still found myself sidetracked by too many other activities to make any headway. Maybe I need a 14 day cruise next! We really mellowed into this relaxing afternoon, now enjoying the poolside music also. We had a few things highlighted of interest inside but this day was just too perfect not to be outside. After a while we moved over to the MUTS pool and were able to get some good seats for the showing of Michael Jackson’s “This Is It”. Perfect for a big screen. However, we couldn’t stay for the whole movie, because we needed to get ready for the second formal night.

 

Before dinner, we attended the Captain’s Circle Cocktail Party where we got a picture with Captain McCharming Yeoman, sipped some free drinks, danced a slow dance, heard the Captain’s speech, and got to be envious of the Most Traveled Couple, something like 1000+ days cruising!! Expected a possible wait for dinner, but we were seated immediately with some nice couples from Ohio. Both DH and I ordered double Lobster Tails with our Jumbo Prawns. Delicious! Next we made sure we got seats for the final night of the production show “Once Upon A Dream”, which was amazing. It’s totally different than the usual shows, with an innovative “Alice in Wonderland” feel to it. Awesome colorful costumes cool projected background and music. A new replacement singing/dance troupe was performing and they were equally good as the prior group. Great way to end the night.

 

 

Princess Cays (Tuesday, March 9, port time 9-4)

 

Up early to enjoy our coffee with the sunrise which eased out from behind some clouds to be really beautiful. It looks like great weather today. We enjoy our breakfast outside today on the aft terrace right outside the Caribe Café. DH has Steak and Eggs, while I savor the Eggs Benedict along with fresh fruit, Danish, hash browns, etc. After packing our gear, we enjoy the view of our arrival near Princess Cays from the Promenade Deck, before heading to the Princess Theatre to obtain tickets for the first tender (after the tenders for people on tours).

 

Princess Cay looks as beautiful as we remember it from last year. The set-up here is very nice, with plenty to do for a great relaxing, fun beach day…But…We are adventuresome, so after researching here, we have a plan to hike to Lighthouse Point on the Southern tip of Eleuthera. We knew that it is a very long 3 hour roundtrip hike over rough coral, some beaches and boulders. Don’t take this hike lightly, it is quite challenging. It is very rewarding, but if you choose to go be sure to have good footwear (don’t even attempt it in flip-flops or flimsy sandals) as the coral can be very sharp and difficult to walk on. You also need plenty of fluids, sunscreen, towel, hats, ponchos, snacks (trail mix from home) and of course, your camera. Oh, and we found out the hard way, you will miss the barbeque lunch because it ends at 1:30pm if you take this hike.

 

So after exiting the tender we head right over the little bridge and find a spot to stash our snorkel gear that we will be using later in the afternoon. The journey begins. It doesn’t take long, about 15 minutes, to reach the graves that we learned about here on CC. Located near the beach the two are still fairly visible, with the round headstones, but plants are growing in them and obscuring them a bit. One had a large bush growing in it. We took some time for reflection and pictures. Even if you only go this far it’s a nice hike.

 

Continuing on further we meet a nice local man and his toddler who were fishing for bait fish, and took some time for a nice chat. The oceanfront weaves along with several points along the way, changing from sand, to coral, to rocks, even mangroves to wade at one point. You really need to watch where you are walking and test your balancing skills. We stop along the way for many pictures of shells, washed up sea life, palm trees, a huge termite mound on a tree and the ever shrinking Ruby ship in the background. The amazing blue hues of the ocean are awesome. I am mesmerized by the spectrum of color from aqua, to teal, light and dark blue and every shade in between. The day is partly cloudy, so we are glad for some break from the sun as we walk.

 

We reach a beach where we see the sand has a pink hue, ahh, the pink sand beaches that we had read about. We think we are close now…maybe around the next point. After more hiking, we finally can see a white speck up on the hill and guess that is the lighthouse. Continuing on we see a path, but go a little further and discover some cave-like ledges along the ocean. We backtrack to the path that leads up to the Lighthouse, which is a small wooden white structure showing much wear as I believe it is not used anymore. The view is spectacular from here. We can see below another large beach from up on the cliff, where we see four people swimming. One side has a small cove that you can reach for a swim. After exploring for a while we meet a couple who are vacationing on the island.

We see the skies are becoming darker in one direction, so we know it’s time to head back. We are hopeful that we don’t get stuck in a storm. The hike back is somewhat quicker, but we are more tired now and my feet are getting sore with the start of blisters. When we finally get back, we are glad that it never did rain, just some cloudy skies. Our next surprise is when we find out we missed lunch. Oh, well, that was our choice to go and luckily the fresh fruit is still out so we get something to eat anyway.

 

After a brief rest, we geared up for snorkeling. The water is chilly as this is further north than we had been most of this cruise, but we got used to it pretty quickly. I had snorkeled here last year so I knew it is really quite good, and DH was pleasantly surprised to see the variety of coral, sea fans and fish (some examples: lots of sergeant majors, blue tangs, trumpet fish, large groupers and my favorite, parrot fish). After a while a charley horse in my calf from all that hiking was my clue that it was time to exit the water. Then we actually plopped in some loungers for a little while. This is our last port of call and we are reluctant to leave the warm sand of the beach. We slowly make our way to the tenders stopping along the way to shop.

 

Back on the ship, time to eat a late lunch, before enjoying sailaway. After that, we need to check back in for the finale of the Scavenger Hunt. I didn’t gather as much stuff as I anticipated, but we went anyway. To our surprise, we came in 2nd place! Of course only one other group returned with their stuff – they had collected 100% of it, so they won 1st place. We were delighted with the Princess hats we won for our ten day effort.

 

Now it is time for the dreaded chore of packing. It takes longer that anticipated, so I send DH to the buffet to get one of those cheese/grape/walnut bread plates that we enjoy with the last of our wine in our cabin. Finally finished, we realize that it looks like we won’t be making the dining room tonight and decide to go casual and eat at the buffet, which is just fine. We wrap up our evening with the Farewell Variety Showtime in Princess Theatre which includes more fun comedy by Cary Long and the amazing Body Balancing Act which we had missed earlier in the week in the Atrium. Exhausted, we tumble into bed for one last night of being rocked to sleep on the ocean.

 

 

Ft. Lauderdale Disembarkation (Wednesday, March 10)

 

Up early for our last leisurely breakfast in the DR. In addition to our eggs etc., we share the delicious James Beard corn flake coated French Toast. We sadly say goodbye to our wonderful cabin steward, Richie. These guys work so hard. I am always amazed when I read someone say they never even saw their cabin steward. I don’t understand that. We would see them every morning when we would get up for sunrise and they were already up in the halls, folding towels, etc. In addition we would see them all day long in the halls, concluding with the evening turndown. Not only did we know our room steward, we knew others we met in the halls regularly on a daily basis.

 

Gathering our carry-ons, we find a seat outside on the Promenade Deck to enjoy a picture perfect sunrise over the skyline of Ft. Lauderdale. Beautiful day for flying. We gather in the Crown Grill at our appointed meeting time of 9:10am, but aren’t called until about 9:30. We sadly exit the ship and quickly claim our luggage only to come to a grinding halt as we join the long line for customs this morning. Apparently, it is longer than usual as even the luggage handlers are commenting. We are a little concerned, even though we have a noon flight, as we know that check in should be about two hours prior to flight time. We are a little annoyed though to hear people around us who don’t have flights until 3pm and see people in line way ahead of us who are staying on in Ft. Lauderdale. So, I don’t really understand Princess’ system for assigning Disembarkation times. We clear customs in about 20 minutes which isn’t so bad. Luckily, the line for taxis is really short (last year, we waited about 20 minutes for our turn at a taxi) so we are easily off to Ft. Lauderdale Airport.

 

Being a Wednesday, the airport is not crowded and check in with Southwest is about 10 minutes (last year on a Sunday, the wait just to check in with SW was about 30 minutes!) Because we didn’t check in and print our boarding passes ahead of time, we are amongst the last to board and are not able to get seats together, but that’s okay. Despite the nice weather, the flight does have some turbulence and upon landing those wacky Southwest flight attendants, shout “Whoa Nelly” over the microphone.

 

 

Summary

 

Well, you deserve a prize (perhaps a luggage tag?) if you made it to the end of this review. Thank you for coming along the voyage with us. Summarizing, we had a fantastic cruise, with an ever-growing fondness for Princess Cruises, and all the things that make it unique. One of the things we love about cruising is the “global” feeling you get being with people (crew and passengers) from all over the world; sharing experiences and learning about our cultural differences and just how alike we all really are. We thank God for blessing us with another opportunity to enjoy his creation. In our opinion, cruising remains one of the most economical, exciting ways to vacation and see the world, one island/country at a time.

[coordinator23]

What a wonderful review of your trip!! I have to find a way to print it off and take it with us. I can hardly wait to board the ship and take off!!!!:D

[jenonacruise]

I felt like I was there. What a great review. I can't wait to step on the Ruby next week.:D

[Northender]

Trish,thank you so much. What a wonderful time you had.:)

[chamima]

Thanks for the GREAT review!!!!!

We did this cruise in reverse in January and you brought back wonderful memories.

You really pack a lot into each day and your descriptions are fabulous! Thanks!

[goinsoon]

Wonderful read!! Thank you, We will be on the Crown in less than 2 weeks and can't wait.

[Colo Cruiser]

Great review, thanks for posting. :)

[A&L_Ont]

Thanks for the great review. We'll be on the Ruby in a year, and this time at Princess Cays I really want to go to the grave site. I guess it would seem like a peaceful place to reflect. I also like reading reviews of the islands that we have been to, see what others think.

 

Andrew

[billet]

Phew I need a cruise to recover from all that on screen reading! Thank you for a very full, well written review. I appreciated all the detail and I am glad you found time to enjoy yourself. I really like your last sentence - so very true and a great reminder of how blessed cruise passengers really are.

[Caribensun]

Thanks for writing, it keeps my memories alive of our trip. Very nice review. We had a waterproof Olympus camera did just what yours did at the Gorge. We are putting the bad photos in our picture book anyway-memories.

[rdsqrl]

What a fantastic, well-written review (with nary a run-on sentence - I was looking out for them, since you mentioned it!); thank you so much for the time and effort you put in to share such detail with us. I really enjoyed reading it; I feel like I've been on the cruise with you (and mysteriously, the back of my legs are sunburned, too -- spooky). I'm so not a morning person; I love how you guys pack so much in to a day -- I'm in awe, really. Thanks again!

[Drews_Cruise]

thoroughly enjoyed your review. thanks for taking the time.

[LisaH]

WOW, so far it is a great review and sooo thorough. I am taking a break and will go back to it later.

 

Kudos to you for making the most of your trip - we should have that attitude next time. Gives me ideas of things to try on our next cruise.

 

And thank you for putting some spaces between paragraphs. Some don't and when they are this large, spacing helps.

[OutofNJ!]

Wow! What a great review. I felt as if I was back on the beautiful Ruby Princess cruising the Carribbean. Thanks for taking the time to post.

 

Marybeth.

[saltypeer]

Thanks for the great review, we too were on this cruise as we did a back to back and this was our second week. Your comments have reminded me what a fantastic time we had. We did however manage to win one or two of the trivia prizes.

 

Have you seen the CC meet photo?

 

Sally :)

[Trish Traveler]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. I am glad you are enjoying it, as I was hesitant to post it because it was so long.

 

Hi Sally & Pete - I remember meeting you at the M&G and yes, I did see the picture you posted that Pete took. Thanks so much.

[boaterette]

Thank you so much for your review. It was wonderful. And I wouldn't recognize a run on sentence if it were to bite me on the leg. Too long since school.:D I have wanted to do the southern route so this just makes me want to do it even more.

[airlink diva]

Thanks for the review!

I'm looking at this cruise for 2011 since it visit some islands that I really want to go!!

[Coolmama_1]

Great review! Thanks for sharing your fabulous cruise!

[blueridge20]

I noticed you booked Godfrey's tour in St Thomas. My question is about the shopping time before the tour begins. You said you toured the 99 steps, Blackbeard's Castle, and other places before meeting back with Godfrey. I thought these places would be covered during the tour portion of the island. Do we need to allow time to be sure to see these places? This question is rambling, but I understood the tour to consist of 1-3 hours shopping, 2 hours touring, & 2 hours at the beach. Is this not what you had? We want to be sure we see the local points of interest, not really into shopping. Thanks for your very informative review.:D

[Trish Traveler]

I noticed you booked Godfrey's tour in St Thomas. My question is about the shopping time before the tour begins. You said you toured the 99 steps, Blackbeard's Castle, and other places before meeting back with Godfrey. I thought these places would be covered during the tour portion of the island. Do we need to allow time to be sure to see these places? This question is rambling, but I understood the tour to consist of 1-3 hours shopping, 2 hours touring, & 2 hours at the beach. Is this not what you had? We want to be sure we see the local points of interest, not really into shopping. Thanks for your very informative review.:D

 

You do not tour those places with Godfrey. You are right, that we used our "shopping" time for sightseeing in Charlotte Amalie. Those areas we saw in town were on our own and are walkable from town if you don't mind lots of steps. Godfrey doesn't "tour" the town of Charlotte Amalie itself. The island touring time includes the time to and from the beaches across the island as Godfrey gives commentary, the stop at St. Peter Greathouse, as well as the stops at overlooks - where we were able to "see" Blackbeard's Castle. Blackbeards Castle is $12 to tour unguided if you want to do it on your own in the morning. Godfrey wouldn't be able to keep his price to $25 if he included the castle. However, I can see from the wording on his website pasted below that it could seem like you are actually going to the castle.

 

Because it was rainy, nobody chose to stay at the beach, so naturally we didn't have the two hour beach time and returned to the ship by about 3pm which was fine because we were damp and hungry by then. Still was a good bargain and a good tour for a rainy day.

 

So definitely go see those places in town that you are interested in on your own during the morning, so you won't be dissapointed.

Hope this makes sense.

 

 

 

SHOPPING & SIGHTSEEING ONLY

$25.00 Per Person

WITH BEACH & CORAL WORLD EXCURSION

$30.00 Per Person

 

To All My Guests:

Remember, we do the shopping part of the tour first thing in the morning. Therefore, please choose a time based on how long you want to shop.

 

 

• <LI type=disc>9a.m. - Ship time pickup will give you (3) hours of shopping <LI type=disc>10 a.m. - Ship time pickup will give you (2) hours of shopping
  
• 11 a.m. - Ship time pickup will give you (1) hour of shopping
  

Godfrey Tours will pick you and your group up right at you ship or hotel and take you shopping in downtown Charlotte Amalie to shop until you drop in the open flea market and over 500 duty- free shops. After a fun day in downtown Charlotte Amalie, at 12 noon Godfrey will give you a Historical St. Thomas Island Tour.

 

The places we visit on the tour that you will be able to see are Bluebeard's Castle, Blackbeard's Castle, Hassel Island, Water Island and St. Croix which is 40 miles away from St. Thomas. We will travel up the mountain in the high area to see the hotels, condominiums, and neighboring islands such as Vieques and Culebra, Puerto Rico.

 

We will continue the tour towards the Botanical Garden of St. Peters Great House which is over 1200 feet above sea level where you will be able to enjoy the world's most famous Rum Banana Daiquiri, tour the Garden and enjoy the wonderful shops.

 

Overlooking the Atlantic Ocean from the Botanical Garden you will be able to see Magens Bay Beach, which is ranked as one of the top ten beaches in the world. You will also be able to see our sister island of St. John which is two miles away from St. Thomas and the British Virgin Islands, consisting of Tortola, Virgin Gorda, Jost Van Dyke and Anegada. On the way down from the Botanical Garden of St. Peters Great House, we will make a stop at Sir Francis Drake Seat (the British Pirate) overlooking Magens Bay Beach.

 

All those who wish to spend time at Magens Bay Beach, Coki Point Beach or Coral World Ocean Park have a choice to take 2 hours at any of these locations and return back to the ship or hotel at 4 P.M. ship time.

 

FOR THOSE WHO DO NOT WANT TO SWIM:

 

They will have 5-10 minutes to walk along the beach, soak their feet, get a beautiful picture of the beach and we will continue the tour with the non-swimmers towards the golf course, see our schools, where the locals shop, rich neighborhoods, poor neighborhoods and have them back to the ship or hotel at2 P.M. ship time.

 

After two (2) hours of fun at the beaches and Coral World Ocean Park we will pickup everyone and continue the same tour towards the Golf Course, see our schools, where the locals shop, rich neighborhoods, poor neighborhoods and have everyone back to the ship or hotel at 4 P.M. ship time.

Coki Beach is free, but Magens Bay Beach has an entrance fee of $4.00 per person. Sapphire Beach is open, but the restaurant and bar on the beach have been closed for a long time. Restrooms are not maintained, dirty and in bad condition. Godfrey Tours will not take any guest to Sapphire Beach until this problem is solved

[blueridge20]

Thank you so much for that info. We are already booked with Godfrey, but we only said we wanted 1 hour of shopping. I think we might need to change that so we will have time to see the city.

 

I always learn something from reading these boards. Thanks again!!

[love2 travel]

WOW! I really enjoyed reading your post. Lots of details. Thank you for sharing. :D