Independence of the Seas

December 12, 2009

8 nights to St. Maarten, St. Thomas, San Juan, and Labadee

Interior View of Promenade

Sorrento’s, also on the Promenade on Deck 5 forward, serves pizza and mini desserts like tiramisu. They put out antipasto in the evening that can be a nice appetizer. Like the Café, the food here is free and included in your cruise price. Also on the Promenade you’ll find the Vintages Wine Bar with a sophisticated selection of wines and wine flights, but the menu tends to be pricey and confusing. The Dog & Badger Pub focuses more on ale but wine choices are more reasonable. People are allowed to smoke in a section here and the smoke drifted our way, making us disinclined to linger. We didn’t note any food menu in either of these lounges but then we didn’t ask for one either. Ben & Jerry’s has a shop on the Promenade, but why pay for ice cream when there’s a free frozen yogurt machine outside on the pool deck?

Independence of the Seas

Up on Deck 14 is the signature Crown Viking Lounge, here called the Olive or Twist. Nice dance music here during evening hours. Daytime it’s a great getaway if you want solitude and a terrific view of the pool deck from up high. I may add that unlike other ships, you cannot sit outside and enjoy a view of the ship’s wake on the Independence, nor is there a lounge where you can enjoy a view of the ship forging ahead. Too much of the focus is on the interior Promenade, including evening parades and street parties. The Schooner Bar is a quieter spot but they often have trivia contests. Production shows occur in the Alhambra Theatre which has adequate tiered seating. The Pyramid Lounge at the opposite end holds art auctions and other events. There doesn’t seem to be any nightly entertainment other than the main show, shown twice at 7pm and 9pm. The Labyrinth is a disco but sometimes was reserved for private parties. There were no late night comedy acts like on other ships unless I missed notice of them.

Cabin

A few other items were missing too, that used to be provided in the past. Chocolates on our pillow at night. Lotion in the bathrooms. All we got was bar soap and a shampoo dispenser in the minuscule shower.

The soundproofing was excellent in our cabin. Maybe we lucked out and had quiet neighbors, but we didn’t hear anyone next door. Our cabin was a comfortable size with a couch and console but limited storage space. The drawers are small, and only one tier of shelves fits into the closet. At least there were plenty of hangars. The shower is impossibly small and shaped like a round sewer cover. Ladies, forget shaving your legs in there. I suggest you bring an electric razor, preferably battery run. This applies to the sister ships as well. The shower doors kept the water contained very well and function much better than an old-fashioned curtain. There’s a European style hose spray that can be awkward until you get the hang of it.

Our balcony room gave a wonderful view, while a clear glass barrier under the railing guards against accidents. Cloudy glass partitions on either side of the balcony separate neighbors. Two chairs and a small table are provided. We heard the whoosh of waves in our room even on deck 8. Our room was towards the bow, starboard side forward. The bedding was very comfortable, hotel style white comforters, two pillows, cushy mattress. Flat screen TV by Samsung hung on the wall. A hair dryer is provided. Suitcases fit under the beds for storage. Bring a small packet of antiseptic wipes so when you first arrive, you can wipe down all door handles, tv remote, telephone, and light switches. People were ill on this cruise with symptoms of Norovirus. Load your purse and pockets with hand sanitizer and use it religiously. Hand sanitizer dispensers are located at each bar and eaterie and at the computer station but carry your own and don’t touch your face at all until you’ve washed your hands.

Balcony Cabin

The weather in December was warm for our voyage. The ship isn’t freezing cold inside like some others so long sleeves can make you hot, although I was comfortable in the evenings with my dressy wardrobe. We had two formal nights and the rest were casual.You have your choice on this ship of any time dining or formal seating. We chose six o’clock dining. Our waiter, Handra, was a small statured guy from Indonesia. Some of the meals I ate were prime ribs, tiger shrimp, roast duck, lobster tail and garlic shrimp, lamb shank, shrimp and mahi mahi tempura. I do not judge this food as good as on the Princess line. Each night on the menu were also choices of an Indian dish, a vegetarian dish, a pasta dish. None of these appealed to me so that made limited selections. The pasta dishes were too ordinary, like cheese filled ravioli or spaghetti and meatballs. You can get those at home, so why order them here? We’ve been on other ships where the choices are more tempting. The buffets in the Windjammer Café didn’t seem to have much variety either. And they’ve done away with the late night Chocolate Buffet.

RCCL has an excellent program for children. This ship had activities for all ages. Athletic minded adults could surf on the Flowrider, play miniature golf or basketball, go rock climbing, work out in the gym, swim, or jog the deck. Kids had their own whimsical pool area with colorful fountains spraying water and music blaring in the background. I enjoyed listening to the steel band playing at the regular pool deck or sitting in the quieter solarium looking at the ocean.

H20 Fun Zone for Kids

The Captain greeted passengers on a bridge over the Promenade on our first formal night, Day 2 at sea. He said, “We’re sailing in the Bermuda Triangle. I’ve been coming here for XX years and nothing happened. Maybe tonight is the night.” We made it safely home so it appears we didn’t meet any anomalies. Now it’s time to plan the next trip.

Pool Deck

Flowrider for Surfing

Sports Deck

Coming Next: Ports of Call

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 Meet Royal Caribbean Cruise Line’s Independence of the Seas, the third in our spectacular Freedom class of ships. Seasonally ported in Southampton, England for part of the year, and Fort Lauderdale, Florida the rest of the year, this ship offers all of the amazing onboard experiences you’d expect from our Freedom Class of ships, while cruising to your choice of destinations in Europe or the Caribbean.

If you have a family, with kids between 6months to 11 years old, you will sure be surprised by the great level of recognition showered on them by Royal Caribbean cruises. I was pretty much touched by my experience onboard Independence of the Seas. To begin with, I liked the in-stateroom babysitting that is available for children from 1 year.

The cost is affordable and it is as low as $10 per hour for one or two children, $15 for three or more from one family. My friends complained that, the charges for babysitting are more than those prevailing on other cruises. But considering the quality and promptness of service, the charges for babysitting on Independence of Seas are affordable.

There is a provision on Royal Caribbean cruises that children younger than six months are not permitted to cruise. I know not the reason for this stipulation; well I consider this as providing rest time for lactating mothers. Considering 6 months to 3 years as Royal Babies and Royal Tots is what I liked most. I really appreciate the cruise company for providing tiny tots their due share of recognition onboard. There are demands on parents to accompany their little ones with participating in onboard activities.

Independence of the Seas offers My Family Time Dining. Kids aged 3 to 11 can accompany their families to partake in the traditional dining option. Kids are provided special and expedited service; after 40 minutes the Adventure Ocean counsellors pick children up, and taken to the age-appropriate facility. This is to allow parents to finish their meals at leisure.

Hello again everyone and Happy Friday!

Now that we’re into the 4th Quarter and most people are winding down in anticipation of the Holidays, it’s cruise BARGAIN time! November and early December are when the best deals come out, and this year is no different.

IF you want a great deal…the Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas the week of November 23 is the ship for you. This is a 13-night Transatlantic crossing from Southampton (London) to Fort Lauderdale aboard one of the largest cruise ships at sea—packed with TONS of stuff to do at sea AND in port. It’s got everything—London, Paris, Spain, Portugal—tour your brains out in those places…then relax for six glorious days at sea as you travel in luxury home to Fort Lauderdale! Here’s the itinerary:

Royal Caribbean Intl
Independence of the Seas

Mon, 11/23
Southampton (London), England – Embarkation – 05:00 PM

Tue, 11/24, Le Havre, France (Paris) 07:00 AM – 09:00 PM

Wed, 11/25, Cherbourg, France, 09:00 AM – 06:00 PM

Thu, 11/26, At Sea

Fri, 11/27, Vigo, Spain, 10:00 AM – 06:00 PM

Sat, 11/28, At Sea

Sun, 11/29, Funchal, Madeira (Portugal), 08:00 AM – 05:00 PM

Mon, 11/30 – Sat, 12/05, At Sea (6 days)

Sun, 12/06, Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Disembarkation – 06:00 AM
Just as relaxing is the price! Take this cruise for as little as $599 plus tax of $117.47 per person–$699 for a window and just $849 for a balcony!

If you’re single, you’re in luck! The single supplement for this trip is only 50%, so you can cruise for as little as $906.47 for an interior!

There’s only one catch…(it’s a tiny one)…this is a special Royal Caribbean fare and can only be booked on Tuesday, October 20. Here’ what you do…If you’d like to take this cruise, give us a call right away at 1-800-267-7613 at let us know what category you’d like. Then, first thing Tuesday, we’ll get with Royal Caribbean, hold your room and verify pricing. We’ll contact you to get your payment info—then…you pack!

Remember, all pricing is per person based on double occupancy, is subject to availability and does not include airfare. Optional travel insurance is also additional.

Give us a call right away and ask about other special pricing Royal Caribbean has for next Tuesday—there are lots of ships and sailings with special Tuesday, October 20 pricing. We’ll look forward to hearing from you!

Pretty self explanatory really. Enjoy.

Look! A Chuckle Brother!

Same Time Next Year Soton!

Kristian

So, the annual Southampton Boat Show extravaganza just finished. Again it was chockablock with spangly Sunseekers and Princess Yachts and again I found myself very bored. Boats just aren’t my thing. Maybe it’s just me but aren’t boat/aeroplane/car shows supposed to have demonstrations? Something to spectate?

Anyway I digress. Here are a few of my snaps, taken on the opening day. Some of the boats, particularly the speedboats, were very impressive. Part two to come later in the week:

How this thing stays afloat is beyond me.

Soooo many boat shoes. I was nearly seasick at all the posh ‘fashion’

This was my highlight. Straight badboy. Capable of being modified for the navy, and speeds of (if I remember correctly) over 80 knots (90 MPH!)

Hollowman was there too. The scamp.

Kristian

CruiseDeals.com Agent Eric M. tells us why the 13nt. TransAtlantic with Air on the Independence of the Sea is such an exciting deal. You must Call 800.668.6414 to book this Exclusive Offer. Eric is very familiar with this deal, get him at the extension he leaves on the Video! Offer ends on 7/17/09.

I have been writing less about specific deals here on CruiseSource.us as most of you subscribe to our Top 5 deals each week on Seamail.com.   But, this is one I felt the need to get out as quickly as possible to as many people as possible because this deal is exclusive with limited space.  It also expires on July 17, 2009, so whatever we do not sell has to go back to the Cruise Line.

So here is the Deal: In late November 2009, a 13-night Transatlantic Cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Newest, Largest Ship, the Independence of the Seas with Air Included from Ft. Lauderdale for only $999!  We have low Air Addons from many other major US Cities.

A Transatlantic Voyage on the ship that is a destination…there is no other ship currently at that offers the amenities that the Independence of the Seas offers.   For those of you who have wanted to do a Transatlantic but thought you might get bored…if you  get bored on the Independence of the Seas then there is not much hope for you.

Call 800.668.6414 or Click Here for details!

Royal Caribbean has announced it is to base the 160,000-GRT Independence of the Seas at Southampton in 2010. The ship is the first vessel from the cruise line to be deployed year-round in the UK and returns after sailing its inaugural summer season in 2008 from Southampton. With the deployment, Independence of the Seas will become the largest ship sailing in Europe.

From Southampton, Independence of the Seas will sail a series of voyages ranging from 3-/4-night short cruises to France and Ireland, to 14-night Mediterranean cruises. Ports of call for the ship include Ajaccio, Barcelona, Cadiz, Cagliari, Cannes, Cherbourg, Civitavecchia, Cork, Funchal, Gibraltar, Ibiza, Las Palmas, Lanzarote, Le Havre, Lisbon, Livorno, Malaga, Provence, Tenerife, Vigo and Villefranche.

The innovative ship features luxurious accomodation, themed restaurants and bars and a wide selection of recreation facilities onboard. Guests may choose from ice skating at the indoor ice rink and rock climbing to surfing at the ship’s surf simulator. Independence of the Seas also boasts the 4-storey high Royal Promenade, a shopping street hosting shops and performances, as well as the cruise line’s Casino Royale.

Royal Caribbean first based a ship from Southampton in 2005, when the 2,076-guest Legend of the Seas was homeported for 2 summer seasons. The cruise line then introduced the larger 3,114-guest Navigator of the Seas in 2007, before homeporting Independence of the Seas at the port in summer 2008.

For more information, visit www.royalcaribbean.com.

RCI announced today that the Independence of the Seas will be based year-round in Europe. She will sail from Southampton starting in April 2010. It has already been announced that she will sail to Europe for the Summer 2010, RCI is just unveiling the winter 2010 season essentially.

Here is Part 2 of my Cruise Review

Wednesday-Day 5

Day 5 brought us to St. Maarten. This is one of our favorite ports mainly because of the excursion. This was our second trip to the Tree Top Adventure at Loterie Farms. The excursion is through the trees and combines various rope bridges, zip lines, and climbs through the trees. It’s a blast and we highly recommend it to everyone. I’ve seen kids as young as about 10 and people as old as their 70s complete the course. The one caution I have is that you will sweat. I learned the first time and now take a second shirt to change into as I always sweat through the one I have on when I start the course.

After completing the course, we had to wait about 50 minutes for the last part of our group to finish the course so we had a chance to relax and enjoy the scenery. After getting back into town, we wandered around the town for a bit and then got back on board in time to have a late lunch at Johnny Rockets. The price for Johnny Rockets has gone up to $4.95 and if it wasn’t for the free coupon that we get in our Crown and Anchor booklet, we’d probably skip it. The food is fine, but its not worth the money as its not that much better than Windjammer. The shakes, on the other hand, are very good and worth the extra money.

After a stop at the Diamond Lounge for a pre-show cocktail for the wife and Coke for me, we did make it to the production show with the singers and dancers. This is one area where I’ve noticed an improvement over the years. The onboard singers and dancers have gotten much better and the shows have also improved in quality. I enjoy going to the shows as it always just seems part of the “cruise experience” to me.

After almost winning at trivia, we headed to dinner at Portofino. This is the other specialty restaurant onboard (along with Chops). Our Portofino experience was nicer than our Chops experience in overall décor, service, and experience. In my opinion, the food was better at Chops. My wife enjoyed her seafood skewer more at Portofino. The service staff at Portofino was more attentive and responsive than at Chops but we highly recommend both restaurants and both are worth the extra charge.

Tonight was Quest night and for those of you who have sailed Royal Caribbean before, you know about Quest. For those that haven’t, I won’t spoil the surprise but I will say that Quest is an adult scavenger hunt that shouldn’t be missed. My one complaint about the bigger ships is that Quest is held in Studio B over the ice rink instead of one of the lounges. I really like playing and watching Quest on the smaller ships. In Studio B, the game loses something but it is still a lot of fun to watch.

After Quest, it was time for a little relaxing at the Piano Bar in the Schooner Bar. During our first Royal Caribbean cruise in 2002, we had the best piano bar entertainer in Matt Yee who was simply hilarious. Since then, the singers haven’t measured up but the bar is still a nice place to sing along to piano songs and enjoy the people watching with a nice late night drink.

Thursday-Day 6

Today was an at sea day. We love the at sea days as it lets us just veg out, read, hang out at the whirlpool, nap, whatever. This morning, we got up and headed to the Windjammer to get me some breakfast as I was pretty sure I wouldn’t like anything offered at the Diamond Breakfast. After some quick food, I decided it was time to show off my shuffleboard skills and managed to take 4 games in a row before it was time for the Diamond Breakfast that the ship offers for Diamond members. The company was great as we sat with a bunch of our Cruise Critic friends. The food, on the other hand, left much to be desired. The menu was very limited and for a picky eater like me, there was nothing that looked good.

Prior to the cruise, Cathy, ever the little Miss Organized she is, organized a cabin crawl. We toured several different cabin categories including a very nice Aft balcony. The balcony was HUGE but the best part of the room was the “stripper” poll that was right at the foot of the bed. After running all over the ship looking at cabins, we enjoyed a nice lunch in the main dining room. I had to leave the lunch a bit early to attend to some business (I know it was challenging doing a conference call on my cell from the middle of the Caribbean Sea). The rest of the day was spent relaxing and lounging and eating soft serve ice cream. One little comment here about ice cream. Royal Caribbean has a soft serve machine set up by the pool and this is invariably one of my favorite hangouts all week. I usually average 3 cones a day and I’m not ashamed….somehow, even with all that yummie ice cream (its actually frozen yogurt but saying ice cream makes its taste better) I still mange to hardly gain any weight on a cruise.

That night, we went to the 80s dance party and had a blast hanging out and dancing the night away. I was ready for a late night but I had tuckered out my dance partner.

Friday-Day 7

Friday brought us to Labadee, Royal Caribbean’s private area on the island of Haiti. In the morning, the wife did another spa appointment, this time getting a foot massage, hand and neck massage, eye treatment, scalp treatment, and a mini facial. I lounged around in the whirlpool.

We aren’t big beach people which is really the bulk of what Labadee is, so this isn’t one of our favorite stops. However, Royal Caribbean did put in the longest zip line over water in the world so we were anxious to try it out. On our last cruise, we had booked this excursion but it was unfortunately cancelled due to head winds. This time, it was almost cancelled because of tail winds. The normal weight limit is 250 pounds. In the 35 minutes it took to do the practice run and drive to the top of the mountain, they had lowered the weight limit to 200 pounds because of the winds. Two poor guys in our group got to the top of the mountain but couldn’t zip down. They strap you into the zipline and your harness becomes a little seat. The ride itself is not all that long but it was a great ride. It didn’t go as fast as I thought it would so you could really take in the surroundings as you came down and over the water.

After completing the zipline, we headed back onboard as we don’t enjoy just sitting on the beach. Managed to make it back in time for the afternoon trivia game and then one of our favorite activities, napping. That evening we made our routine stops at the Diamond lounge before early and late seating dinner to see our friends and enjoy a wine (and a Coke for me). We did make it to the production show (on this cruise they have 3 different production shows) which was again very enjoyable. After dinner in the main dining room, we went to the Family Feud game show which was so-so. Tonight was late night comedy. This is usually a must see for us on cruises and we were looking forward to it. The cruise director, Graham actually does his own stand up routine for the late night comedy. He was very funny and kept us laughing for the whole hour he was on stage. I tried to get the wife to play putt-putt at 1am but would have to settle for a game the following day.

Saturday-Day 8

Ahh the last day. This was another sea day, and it was packed with stuff to do. We slept in and barely made it to the last morning trivia. I had tried to convince the cruise director staff all week to do a flag trivia but to no avail. After grabbing a late breakfast in the Windjammer, it was time to demonstrate my putt-putt greatness. The weather was great, warm and not too windy on deck and I managed to keep my cruise putt-putt record perfect (although only by 2 strokes).

After putt-putt, we wandered to watch the Flowrider. After a few minutes, we saw Dale and Jackie, a couple of friends we had met onboard and through Cruise Critic. They were all deck out in the Cruise Critic T-Shirts and Jackie got in line to try the Flowrider. She did awesome. Now, let me say that I had always planned on trying the Flowrider but made a conscious decision to wait until the last day. Anyone who knows me knows that a ride like the Flowrider and me really don’t mix so I was fully expecting to break or sprain something so I wanted to wait until the last day so that it wouldn’t ruin my vacation (and depending on what happened could’ve extended my time off work). In any event, after Jackie went, I ran back to our cabin and put on my swim trunks. I managed to return just in time to see Dale start his ride and cutting through the waves on the boogie board like a pro. Then it was just up to me to wait in line and hopefully not flop around like a dead fish when it was my turn. Well, eventually, it was my turn and, much to my surprise, I did OK. I didn’t tear it up or anything, but I also managed to stay on for a bit and not break anything. Emboldened, I got back in line and 15 minutes later, I was again riding the wave. This time I did much better and was able to control my movements around the wave and even managed to save myself from wipeouts a couple of times. Not wanting to wipeout, I choose my own time to get out which earned me a rating of “Lame” from the crew member running the show because I wouldn’t wipeout.

While I relaxed in the whirlpool, my wife went off to try and do another wine tasting which was unfortunately, cancelled due to lack of interest. She did, however, have a nice flight of wines and, I’m told, had a nice time at Vintages. A word here about Vintages. I am not a wine drinker (I’m not much of a drinker period although on this cruise I did have 2 beers and 3 glasses of champagne), but my wife loves Vintages. I must admit the atmosphere is very nice inside and I’m sure that if I liked wine, I would spend lots of time there. The crew who work there seem very knowledgeable and its clear they love wine and talking about it which is important in a place like that. I’ve never heard a bad thing about Vintages and its unfortunate that not more people enjoy what they have to offer onboard.

This afternoon we went to the backstage tour of the theater which was very entertaining. We learned a lot and it was cool when they lowered the orchestra pit so we could see how all that worked. Its amazing the shows they put on with all the costume changes etc. in such a small space. After the backstage tour, it was off to afternoon trivia (second again…drat!). We did a little last minute trinket shopping on the Royal Promenade and then met up wit ha couple of friends for a quick drink before it was time for my second shave of the week. I enjoyed the first one so much (and didn’t need to shave for like 2 das after) that I went again. It really is very relaxing and, in the future, I may skip the spa all together and just get shaves. While I was getting pampered, my wife used the time to get to know a couple of more wine varieties and enjoy some time at Vintages.

That evening, we got ready and headed down to the Diamond lounge and then caught part of the farewell show just to see the promo for the Cruise in Review Video. We ran upstairs to finish our packing and then pack down to the Diamond Lounge to say a final goodbye to some of our friends there. We went to the main dining room for dinner and enjoyed our final night with our waiters and tablemate. We have a cruise tradition that we started a long time ago that we have carried forward since. On the lat night of the cruise, we arrange to have a bottle of champagne for our table (or in this case our table plus a table of friends nearby since our table was so small) to celebrate another wonderful vacation and of meeting new people.

After dinner, we went to the final adult karaoke and cheered on Cathy as she “brought the house down” with her “singing” of Wild Thing. By this time, it was after midnight and we knew we had an early morning of getting off the ship and activities in Fort Lauderdale.

A word here about our wait staff and stateroom attendant. Our stateroom attendant, Jonathan was very good. While we didn’t see him as much as other attendants we have had in the last, he was great in keeping my collapsible cooler filled with ice for my Pepsi and the stateroom was always perfect. Our wait staff, Murat and Steve got off to a rocky start but, by the end of the week, were great. I think a large part of the problem at the beginning of the week was the weird situation with our table and tablemates (or lack thereof). Murat didn’t seem overly social but, as the week went on, he became much more social and animated and was a very good waiter. Steve, our assistant waiter took a couple of days to remember my drink preference at dinner (Coke of course) but by the 3rd or 4th night, he had them lined up and waiting for me. This was the first cruise we’ve had where our Head Waiter actually impacted our dinner experience. Jason, our head waiter, was excellent and was able to smooth over a few problems quickly and very nicely. We usually think the Head Waiter is unnecessary, but Jason really did a wonderful job in enhancing our dining room experience.

Sunday-Day 9

Well, time to get off the ship. We always fly in a day early and fly out the day after we disembark so we don’t have to rush or have any travel problems. This allows us to loiter on the ship and we are always one of the last off. We had no problems with disembarking and were able to get our bags right away and catch our shuttle to the hotel.

After stowing our bags at the hotel, we caught the city trolley to the beach area and then off to catch an afternoon harbor cruise on the CarrieB. This was an hour and a half cruise around the harbor on the Carrie B which looked like a paddlewheel boat. Their website is http://www.carriebcruises.com/index3.html and it was a lot of fun. I learned of the tour through www.inletcam.com as the Captain of the Carrie B hangs out in the chat area. Seaton was a great captain and we learned a lot about the houses on the water and the local flavor. I would highly recommend the tour to anyone who has the time either before or after their cruise or if you’re just going to Fort Lauderdale.

After the tour, we walked around the beach area and then headed back to the hotel. We had a nice dinner with Jeff and Cathy and Joanne and Fred who were also staying in town for the night and then it was off to bed for our flight home the next day.

A few final observations. First, Independence is a great ship. Very familiar feel from the Voyager Class but still a little different. She was beautiful and the crew was great. The additions made to the Freedom Class, mainly the cantilevered whirlpools, the Flowrider, and a Close Shave were excellent. I was a bit disappointed that they removed the bookstore and replaced it with the Loyalty Ambassador. The other disappointing thing was the selection of merchandise onboard. I don’t know if Royal Caribbean changed vendors for the onboard shops, but I thought the selection, variety, and just the overall experience were not as good as on past cruises.

Several things made this trip very special. The first was the great group we had from Cruise Critic. We made several sets of new friends and at least three are planning on visiting Las Vegas in the next year which will be very nice. A big thank you to Cathy and Jeff, Dale and Jackie, Vicki and Claude, Joanne and Fred, Ronnie and Grant and all our other Cruise Critic friends we met during the week. The second was the availability of the inletcam and the www.inletcam.com website. Wiley does a wonderful job with his site and chat and it was very special for our daughters and family to get to watch sailaway and chat with us as we sailed away. I’m looking forward to seeing the pictures that Wiley took of the sailaway soon. The last was the cruise on the Carrie B. Seaton and his crew were excellent and we really enjoyed the tour. It was an excellent cap to a great vacation.

Well, until next time (hopefully the Oasis next year)

So this is Part 1of my review of our most recent cruise. It was an eight night cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas from Saturday, March 7 through Sunday, March 15, 2009, out of Fort Lauderdale. A little background about my wife and I. We are both in our mid-30s and this was our 9^th cruise and 8^th on Royal Caribbean. I should warn you, it will be very long as I am an attorney, and by definition, long winded.

As is our normal habit whenever we cruise from a port that we need to fly to, we left a day early. Being from Las Vegas, we had a long flight day on Friday the 6^th and arrived in Fort Lauderdale around 8pm. Unfortunately, there was no shuttle service from the airport to the hotel so we took a cab. We stayed at the Embassy Suites that was very near both the airport and the cruise terminal. The room was very nice with a separate living room and bed room. There was a small fridge in the room which was also nice. After arriving in town, we set out to buy a collapsible cooler and soda. I carried on a 12 pack of Pepsi and my wife carried on a 6 pack of Diet Dr. Pepper with no problems.

Saturday-Day 1

Saturday morning arrived and I made arrangements to use the hotel’s shuttle to the cruise terminal. The earliest shuttle was at 10:15. My wife and I then headed to the “free” breakfast offered at the hotel. My advice is to skip it if you can. The food wasn’t great and it was a scene of chaos with all the cruise passengers getting ready to head out.

We arrived at the cruise terminal and were on board before Noon. The departure terminal at Fort Lauderdale looked like it was set up ok with chairs etc. Being Crown and Anchor Diamond members, we were seated upstairs for priority boarding but there looked to be lots of seating in the main room as well. As is our custom, as soon as we’re on board we head up to make spa appointments for sailaway night. We also managed to switch our reservations for Chops so that we were at dinner during sailaway from San Juan.

A couple of observations about the ship herself. The Independence is still very new (as it was still technically its first season) and as expected was in very nice shape. This was our first Freedom Class of Ship and while we could definitely tell it was bigger, it still felt very familiar when compared to the Voyager Class. The whirlpools sticking out the sides of the ship were very cool and the wife took advantage of them right away.

After lunch in the Windjammer, we headed to check out our cabin and the Diamond Lounge on Deck 14 and then to meet up with Cruise Critic friends at the Schooner Bar. The cabin was a Junior Suite on Deck 9 mid-hump port side. The Diamond Lounge was very nice although the evening cocktails were held in the dance club because of the number of Diamond cruisers.

Prior to the cruise, I had discovered a great webcam site, www.inletcam.com which has a cam right on the inlet of the port as well as a chat feature where people will gather to watch sailaways etc. The owner of the site is a great guy and he takes pictures of sailaways. In that spirit, I had offered our cabin balcony as a gathering place for sailaway and Dale, a fellow Cruise Critic buddy made a banner that we held as we sailed away. My daughters were able to find us and were very excited about seeing us sailaway and I’m told there are some good pictures as well of us and our banner. We had a great time with everyone on our balcony and met a bunch of great people that we would hang with for the week. Hi to Cathy and Jeff, Dale and Jackie, Vicki and Claude, Joanne and Fred, and everyone else.

Dinner in the main dining room was as remembered. Prior to the cruise, I had contacted Royal Caribbean and requested a 6 or 8 top near the Captain’s Table. Well, it turned out we ended up with a 6 top that ended up only having me, my wife, and one other lady. She was very sweet and really an inspiration. She is 94 and travels all over by herself. I can only hope that when I’m that age, I’m as active as she is.

After dinner, we watched the parade on the Royal Promenade and remembered why we usually skip it. After some wandering, we headed to bed to rest up for Day 2.

Sunday-Day 2

Day 2 is at sea and boy it was windy! We noticed the wind almost right after sailing from Fort Lauderdale and it never let us until we hit San Juan. This was due to the ship cruising at over 22 knots the whole way to San Juan.

Having two young daughters means that no matter how much we try on vacation, we never sleep in real late. We were up and in the main dining room by 9 for breakfast. We usually just grab something in the Windjammer or have breakfast delivered and eat on our balcony but wanted to try the main dining room once. It was nice but not being a big breakfast person, I could take it or leave it. The first sea day is traditionally the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle and this one was one of the beat (and longest) we’ve been to. I swear Royal Caribbean was trying to empty out its prize closet as they must have given away like 20 prizes. Cathy, one of the great people we met, organized a gift exchange online via our roll call. Each couple was to bring a small item from their town or state to exchange with another couple. Being from Vegas, we brought a mini-Welcome to Las Vegas sign and a deck of cards from the Bellagio. In the exchange, I got a real nice Michigan State sweatshirt which came in handy because of the winds on deck.

After a looooooong nap, I headed to the whirlpools which the wife worked out. Sunday was formal night so we got all dressed up (only time I can wear my tux so I take advantage). In general, I found the food on this cruise in the main dining room to be much better than my last couple of cruises. After dinner, we caught the Millionaire game show and then enjoyed watching the adult karaoke with Jeff and Cathy and Vicki and Claude which was always good for some laughs.

Monday-Day 3

Day 3 was our first port, San Juan. We had been to San Juan a couple of times before so we had no specific plans in port. After lounging around a bit, we went into town and just strolled around. Visited the Cathedral and then on to the birthplace of the Pina Colada where the drink was as good as my wife remembered from our last trip.

After getting back on board, I decided to try out one of the new things on the Freedom Class that I was looking forward to (no, not the Flowrider, that’s later in the week). I made an appointment for a shave at A Close Shave. It was very cool and I would highly recommend it to any guy. It started with hot towels and more hot towels and then a shave and more hot towels and then a second shave and more hot towels. Then there was a facial and a hand and arm massage. It was fabulous and I enjoyed it more than the massage I had gotten on Day 1. The only downside to it was that it was on the Royal Promenade so it was a bit noisy with people coming back on board from San Juan.

Throughout the week, we participated in many trivia games as anyone who knows me can attest that I have a very trivial mind and enjoy the games. I can’t remember exactly when we did them but this ship, unlike others had at least two games a day (usually at 10 and 3) so I got lots of games in. For the week, I didn’t do too badly and managed to win twice (once with lots of help from a Cruise Critic friend Stan), came in second a few times, and third a couple of times.

Dinner was at Chops, the specialty restaurant/steakhouse. The food and service were fabulous as always and well worth the extra price. We had a wonderful table by the windows and were able to watch as we sailed out of San Juan.

Well, it’s Day 3 and we finally managed to make it to the theater for a show. This was a comedian who was very funny. We try and make as many shows as possible during the week but somehow hadn’t managed to make it either the Welcome Aboard or first production show.

Tuesday-Day 4

Day 4 brings us into St. Thomas. We have been to St. Thomas a couple of times before and had done snorkeling and scuba diving before so this time we wanted to get out of the main shopping area. We booked a private tour with Spiderman Tours and had a very nice trip. After giving us a couple of hours to just wander around the shopping area, he took our group up to the mountain top where there were banana daquiris and wonderful views. One of the interesting things that I learned was the big difference between the temperatures on the Atlantic side of the island compared to the Caribbean side. It was a good ten degrees cooler on the Atlantic side. After the banana daquiris, we went to another area with wonderful views where the specialty was a mango daiquiri. Being one who doesn’t really drink, I take my wife’s word for it that both were very yummy. After seeing some more the island sights off the beaten track, we went back to the ship and relaxed in the whirlpools.

Tonight was the Welcome Back party for past cruisers and we had fun sitting with Cathy and Jeff and I began lamenting the lack of any chocolate covered strawberries which O love and they used to have the welcome back party. As is standard procedure, they gave little pep talks about how much they loved having back on board etc. and made a hard push for the Oasis.

Tonight was an early night for me as I had a headache and went back to the cabin right after dinner. My wife went to the Love and Marriage show which she said was excellent and much funnier than on past cruises mostly because of the Cruise Director Graham.

A quick word about Graham Seymour the Cruise Director. He was, by far, my favorite CD. He was funny and spirited and when I watched the replay of the Love and Marriage show, he really did make that show. One thing he did that I loved was that every morning he had a short show on the TV where he would go through the daily compass and crack jokes about events etc. (I particularly liked the day when the Drink of the Day tasted like feet and we learned way too much about Graham’s past love like). While I got the impression that he thought quite a lot of himself and his self worth, I thought he was quite funny and he managed to make even the lame stuff funny.

Back Soon With Part 2

P&O Ventura, credited as one of the ships which has contributed to record passenger numbers in 2008.

In stark contrast to the news this week that British Air Travel Passenger Numbers Fell for First Time in 17 years – 0fficial figures from the Passenger Shipping Association show that the number of people who took a cruise in 2008 was up 11% on the previous year.

Although the figures fell just short of the 1.5 million projected by the industry, a record 1.477 million UK Holidaymakers took a cruise in 2008.

The PSA expects the level to remain the same this year, however a further increase is projected for 2010 when at least three news ships will be introduced to the UK market.

The latest statistics show a 23% increase in the number of people joining their cruise in a UK port while the number of fly-cruise passengers increased by 4%.

The Mediterranean and Northern Europe, including the UK, proved to be the most popular destinations seeing increases of 17% and 24% respectively year on year.

The Mediterranean has a 43% share of the market with 634,000 passengers and Northern Europe 18%, with 265,000 passengers.

Speaking at the Seatrade cruise convention in Miami, PSA director William Gibbons, said:  “2008 proved to be another tremendous year for the UK cruise industry.

“The launch of P&O Cruises’ Ventura, Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas, Fred Olsen’s Balmoral, and the first full year of service for Cunard’s Queen Victoria, along with ship launches from Carnival, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America and MSC, all contributed to a record number of passengers.

“The decision by a number of cruise lines, including MSC, NCL, Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean, to increase the number of British port departures contributed to an additional 110,000 passengers choosing to begin their cruise in the UK in 2008.”

Looking ahead, Gibbons said: “The world of today is a very different one from that of 12 months ago.

“Although the cruise industry is not recession proof it is better placed than many other travel sectors to weather the economic storm.

“Our research shows that people are still looking to go on holiday and the inclusive nature of a cruise, along with exceptional service and exciting destinations, means its future continues to look assured.”

Short Breaks | Hotel Deals | Scarborough Hotel | Bournemouth Hotel | Malton Hotel | Scarborough Self Catering | Wedding Venues | Conference Venues

This Sales Event is a one-day only event. These prices are valid only for NEW bookings made on Tuesday February  3, 2009.

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* Click on the Royal Caribbean International logo below to see their current cruise offers.

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Royal Caribbean has some amazing fares on last minute cruises.

Our last minute deals is a complete list of deeply marked-down cruises departing in the next 90 days. Average availability on these discounted specials is less than ten days and many deals sell-out within hours of listing. Don’t miss out on these great prices, call us and book today!

Navigator of the Seas: March 5th leaves out of Ft. Lauderdale and visits Cozumel.

Grandeur of the Seas:  March 12th leaves out of Tampa and visits Cozumel.

Independence of the Seas:  March 29th leaves from Ft. Lauderdale and visiting Belize City, Costa Maya & Cozumel.

Radiance of the Seas: March 13th leaves from Sao Paulo, Brazil and ends in Valparaiso on the 29th of March which ports of call of Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Punta del Este, Puerto Madryn, Cape Horn, Ushuaia, Punta Arenas, Magellan Strait, Chilean Fjords and Puerto Montt.

Enchantment of the Seas: Departs April 19th from Colon and ends in Ft. Lauderdale visiting Puerto Limon, Cartagena, Santa Marta and Aruba.

Voyager of the Seas is a Transatantic cruise leaving from Galveston with stops in Bermuda, Ponta Delgada, Cork, Cherbourg and ending Southhampton.

All prices are person person, based on double occupancy. Government taxes are additional. Prices change frequently, to get current pricing please check online or call a cruise specialist at 800-942-3301.

MIAMI  –  December 5, 2008  –   Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. today announced the suspension of its fuel supplement for Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises and Azamara Cruises sailings that depart on or after January 1, 2009, anywhere in the world.

The decision reflects the recently sustained lower price of fuel.

Effective Monday, December 8, guests making new bookings for sailings that depart on or after January 1, 2009, will not be charged the fuel supplement.

Additionally, guests already booked on sailings that depart on or after January 1, 2009, will receive a refund of any fuel supplement paid, as follows:

Guests with existing bookings for sailings that depart on or after January 1, 2009, and who are now paid in full, will have the supplement automatically refunded to them in the form of an onboard credit during their sailing.
Guests with existing bookings for sailings that depart on or after January 1, 2009, and who are not yet paid in full, will have the supplement automatically removed from their outstanding balance.

The company reserves the right to reinstate fuel supplement charges for all guests that are no greater than those currently in effect.  The reinstatement would occur only if the price of West Texas Intermediate fuel exceeded $65 per barrel, on the quarterly milestone dates mentioned in the company’s October 24, 2008, press release.

The company announced on October 24, 2008, that no fuel supplement would be charged for new bookings made on or after November 10, 2008, for sailings that depart on or after January 1, 2010, unless there is an upturn in fuel prices.   Today’s announcement does not affect those previous terms.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. is a global cruise vacation company that operates Royal Caribbean International, Celebrity Cruises, Pullmantur, Azamara Cruises and CDF Croisieres de France.  The company has a combined total of 38 ships in service and six under construction.  It also offers unique land-tour vacations in Alaska, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Europe and South America.

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Credited and Written on Wed Nov 19 2008, by travel Trade Staff

Royal Caribbean International’s newest Freedom-class ship, Independence of the Seas, made its US debut today as it docked at Port Everglades in Ft. Lauderdale.Sharing the title of world’s largest cruise ship with sister-ships Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas, the 3,634-guest Independence will be the line’s first Freedom-class ship to sail from Port Everglades.

The ship will sail from Ft. Lauderdale and alternate between eight-night Eastern Caribbean and six-night Western Caribbean itineraries. The Eastern Caribbean itinerary will call at San Juan, Charlotte Amalie (St. Thomas), Phillipsburg (St. Maarten) and Labadee, RCI’s private beach destination in Haiti. The Western Caribbean itinerary will call at Belize City (Belize), Costa Maya and Cozumel in Mexico.

In addition to standard Freedom-class amenities, such as the FlowRider, H20 Zone water park, adults-only Solarium and others, the Independence also features some of the other offerings RCI is known for including, an ice-skating rink, a rock-climbing wall, several choices of dining venue and the Royal Promenade — an entertainment boulevard stretching the length of the ship with shops, restaurants, bars and lounges.