Photo Review:Carnival Cruiser Sails Independence of the Seas:Southampton, Le Havre

I sailed on the 11/15 Caribbean itinerary. The first sailing since leaving Europe. Same issues with service in bars , casino and dining room.It is definitely a management issue. Also, I never once saw the captain on this 8 day cruise.

I was on the 11-15 cruise also and thought it was strange not to see the captain at least once. Also knowing what I know now I wouldn't book a cruise that is the first one back from being overseas. Don't get me wrong, we enjoyed the cruise and booked another on the explorer for the same time next year but you can see differences in the staff.

Enjoyed the review and the pics. Thanks.

Early the next morning, our ship docked in Zeebrugge, Belgium.

We knew we wanted to spend the day in Brugge, but upon disembarking the ship, we started doubting our methods on the best way to get there.

The cruiseline employees were selling shuttle tickets for 12 euros/each (round-trip) to nearby Blankenberge. From Blankenberge, we would have to purchase train tickets to get into Brugge.

Once we did the math on the cost of the shuttle + the cost and time involved for the train, we opted for private taxi. All of the private taxi's are 50 euros/each way and take approximately 15 minutes or so.

Several people told us that the journey by shuttle + train ends up taking approximately 90 minutes. Especially since the shuttle buses don't depart until they are full, and the trains from Blankenberge aren't extremely frequent, especially after 10am.

We arrived to a quiet, beautiful Brugge. We were there around 9:40am before the crowds arrived, and it was lovely. That alone made it worth the taxi fare.

Our taxi driver booked a return time for us, since he said it's very difficult to find a free taxi starting at 3pm or so when everyone is looking to head back to port.

We booked him for 4:30pm, and he promptly arrived, right where he dropped us off.

We really enjoyed wandering through the lace shops in Brugge. Upon arriving we meandered over towards Duc de Bourgogne hotel along the canal. We were getting hungry (already!), and saw a sign for a set lunch for 19 euros. My goodness, this was one of our best decisions! The food was AMAZING, and the setting was absolutely perfect! If you're looking for an authentic proper restaurant to dine at while in Brugge, I can't recommend this one enough! Warning: the sparkling water comes in a beautiful embossed glass bottle, and was a whopping 9 euros! It's cheaper to drink wine than water in Europe...That's what I've learned. :)

Following lunch, we headed out to take a canal tour. There are several companies along the canal that tout 30 - 35 minute tours for approximately 7 euros each. We really enjoyed this, and it was a fun way to see different parts of the city. The canals were full of swans, and the narration was very good (not loud and obnoxious like some of these tours can be).

...more to come!

So, as you probably know, Belgium is the place to eat WAFFLES!

We bought some lovely pre-packed little waffle cookies (both with and without caramel) at a cute little shop called Juliette's, just off the main square. If you have the opportunity to pop in there, I'd highly encourage you to buy a bag! They also sell boxes of various cookies. The caramel waffles are made and packaged so they can be stored for a couple of months. I purchased a bag for my husband, and he loved them!

We also ate at one of the little hole in the wall waffle joints, where we shared a plain waffle. It was DELICIOUS! It's like eating partially cooked cookie dough - nothing like the waffles I make in my Caphalon iron!

Here are a few more pics of this quaint beautiful place!

It will be a signature feature which I can live without then, thanks. Give me a decent, outside, wrap-around, promenade deck anytime.

 

horses for courses...

The ship does have a decent, almost wrap-around promenade deck. If you count going up to the helipad, it does go all the way around the ship.

Deck 4

http://www.royalcaribbean.com/findacruise/ships/ship/decks/deck/home.do?deckCode=04&shipCode=ID&shipProfile=1513&sailDate=1131215&hasNavigation=false

It looks like a great time! We're doing a similar cruise this summer. So I'm wondering, are these the only stops this ship had? Was it a shorter cruise?! I'm just glad to get some ideas on 2 of the stops at least. We already booked a tour to Omaha Beach and other stops through RCI. But in Bruges we're thinking of just going our own. And getting chocolate for sure!!

Your kid is adorable!

It looks like a great time! We're doing a similar cruise this summer. So I'm wondering, are these the only stops this ship had? Was it a shorter cruise?! I'm just glad to get some ideas on 2 of the stops at least. We already booked a tour to Omaha Beach and other stops through RCI. But in Bruges we're thinking of just going our own. And getting chocolate for sure!!

Hello! Yes, these were the only two stops. It was a 4-night cruise out of Southampton.

Bruges is so easy to do on your own! Definitely do a little canal tour too! Enjoy!

Hello! Yes, these were the only two stops. It was a 4-night cruise out of Southampton.

 

Bruges is so easy to do on your own! Definitely do a little canal tour too! Enjoy!

Thank you! I appreciate the tip about getting a taxi on our own as well, to get there quicker. My parents were there so they gave us a few tips as well. They were just telling me the one nice thing is that most things are in English there. They also gave me the tip on which chocolate shop to go to! ;) And I like the canal tour idea too. Sometimes we're more comfortable with sticking with cruise ship tours, but on occasion we'll venture on our own, this sounds like an easy place to go on our own.