Travis_in_Chicago

That's disappointing to hear about Giovanni's. Which items were a miss? Did others in you party find something that was good?

My app was prosciutto-wrapped mozzarella on crostini, which was good. Pretty hard to screw that up. I had gnocchi with gorgonzola sauce - the sauce was good but the gnocchi was super pasty and gummy. My entree was something with jumbo shrimp or tiger shrimp or something - the shrimp was quite overdone and flavorless, and it was nearly impossible to remove from the shell. When we had lobster tail in the MDC, our server removed it from the shell for us. My partner had lamb, I believe, and he seemed to like it well enough. Dessert was tiramisu which was totally average, 5/10. I didn't hate my meal there, but most of my food was not really good, especially considering it's an uncharge restaurant. I really enjoyed Chops. With the BOGO deal you essentially get Giovanni's for free, so there's nothing really to lose, as long as you're OK with the set nights you have to eat there.

Thank you everyone for your response. My wife and I are still deciding on what to do. We live very close to Tampa and are leaning towards the Brilliance.

Since you've already done the Freedom, my tendency would be to try the new class and do Brilliance.

I booked the BOGO on Indy for our sailing a couple weeks ago. It was a good deal, but if I had to do it again I would skip Giovanni's and do Chops later in the week if I wanted to. I was very unimpressed with my food at Giovanni's - MDR was better. Chops was quite good. It didn't bother me too much as our night at Giovanni's was essentially free, but I think I would have preferred to take better advantage of the MDR the first day or two.

I loved our 9th floor balcony room. It was our first cruise and I was pleasantly surprised by the size, and the balcony window made it feel even larger. The smoking areas are only on one side of the ship, and our balcony was on the opposite side, so smoke was a non-issue. Everything was nice and quiet and I loved being walking-distance to the pool deck. IIRC the smoking side is the 'right' side of the ship, I forget whether that it port or starboard. :)

Compared to "Invitation to Dance", which had been on the ship forever, this show must be spectacular.

They still had "Invitation to Dance" when we were onboard a couple weeks ago. It was the second night show, IIRC.

If you want to get on the ship as early as possible, I'd get to the terminal around 10:30am.

Thank you!

We will be going on our very first cruise this Saturday, sailing on the Independence of the Seas out of Port Everglades. On our documentation the check-in window lists check-in from 12:30-3:30. Is there any benefit to arriving before 12:30, and if so, what would be a good time to arrive? I don't mind getting there early and waiting, and would like to be on the ship early to enjoy as much time on-board as we can. Thanks.

Thank you for the reply.

I'm thinking about looking into some getting some meds when we're in Cancun, potentially brand name things my insurance here won't cover. This is my first cruise, and I'm just wondering what the practicalities of this are. Do they search you upon re-entry to the ship? This is technically illegal, right? Or do I need to bring a prescription?

Travis, pretty much everyone would like a tip when you are on a cruise vacation. :D

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic! :D

 

If we are at an AI with one attendant, we tip at the end of the day.

 

Tipping is a personal matter. You have to decide what or how much you wish to tip.

Thanks for the welcome! I'm on the Independence this December for my very first cruise ever - just booked it. And thanks for the information.

Is gratuity included in the all-inclusive resorts? If not, how is it handled?