Eastern Caribbean aboard the Ruby Princess

Lessons LearnedBeing our first cruise and our first time on the Ruby Princess, we learned a lot through experience.  Hopefully, by sharing some of the lessons we learned, you will be better prepared for your cruise.

• Stay overnight in Ft. Lauderdale the night before your cruise.  Our hotel had a complimentary shuttle to Port Everglades and we were able to board the ship by noon.
• Pack your bathing suit, sunscreen and anything else you might want that first afternoon in an overnight bag.  We didn’t do this and our luggage didn’t arrive to our room until just before dinner.  So, we weren’t able to take advantage of the pool all day.
• If there is the slightest probability that you’ll get seasick, plan for it by bringing motion sickness medicine or  patches and using them the first afternoon.  I was seasick the first night and had to purchase Dramamine from the ship’s gift shop.  At $3.25 for 4 tablets, it added up quickly. I learned afterward that leaving Ft. Lauderdale can be rough for a couple of reasons: 1) the water is shallow and rough until you get further from land and 2) it takes a bit of time for the stabilizers to do their work.  By the next morning I was fine, but after that I chewed a Dramamine at the first sign of seasickness.  And, yes, Dramamine does make you drowsy, but I usually took it in the evening when the ship set sail from port.
• Bring plenty of one-dollar bills.  Though you don’t have to tip on the ship, you do a lot of tipping if you leave the ship; the bus driver, the water taxi driver, and tour guides…all will need tipping.
• If you don’t “claim” a lounge chair by 9am, don’t expect to find one at all.  We were so discouraged by the number of people who left their shoes and shirts on loungers but they were no where to be seen.
• If you want to see a show in any of the lounges, plan to arrive at least 30 to 45 minutes early to get a decent seat.
• I recommend “Anytime Dining” and opting to eat at a table with others.  I so enjoyed the variety of people we met and looked forward to dinner because of that.
• Keep an overnight bag with you the night before disembarkation.  They take your luggage away before dinner and you’ll be left with nothing to put the clothes you’re wearing or your toiletries in.  Fortunately, we had our beach bag for this.
• At St. Maarten, you can purchase an all-day water taxi pass for $6 that will take you to the island.  For $25 you can rent an umbrella, chairs and get 5 beers on the beach in Philipsburg.  That’s if you don’t want to do an excursion. 
• If you plan to use your debit card for your shipboard account, know that Princess Cruises will hold your bank funds as you put things on your shipboard account.  They’ll wait and debit the full amount of your bill after disembarkation, but you’ll need to have the money in your account as you use your cruise card for drinks, excursions, tips, etc.  Yeah, we learned that one the hard way.

If you have any questions, please leave me a comment!Black Bart and me.  Yargh!