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If anyone is interested, I'll post a review of this cruise. Only because I had a lot of the questions I'm answering here and searched in vain for these topics prior to the cruise. I realize most of the people on this blog cruise all the time and are well-versed in RCCL - but I assume newcomers could benefit from the info. These are my personal opinions of this cruise only so please take it as such - I understand some may differ.

 

Background: Experienced cruiser on different lines but not constantly. Have cruised RCCL 3 times in the last 4 years.

 

Embarkation Southampton: Extremely fast and smooth, one of the easiest ports ever. Total time maybe 10 minutes. Ditto on Disembarkation (we carry off our own luggage). There's a nice little kiosk outside that sells breakfast sandwiches, crisps and drinks. If you are commuting from London, I highly recommend Silver Fleet transfers. They may be a bit more expensive but the personal service is well worth it. Pick up at your hotel, constant communication and super easy online booking and payment.

 

Bay of Biscay: We had 2 sea days to get down to the Western Med from Southampton and I naively thought they would be warm pool days, especially in August. I was wrong. The passage through this part of the Atlantic is blustery, rainy, windy and sometimes even cold. The waters can be a bit rocky (but nothing requiring dramamine). You can maybe get one afternoon of sun. Perhaps this was unique weather but I don't think so. Not a big deal, and if you live in the British Isles you have no choice, but I might not have chosen this itinerary (coming from the U.S.) had I known. Once in the Med, however, everything was sunny, calm and hot. And wonderful.

 

Shipboard Entertainment: The ice shows were nothing short of spectacular. I can't even believe a cruise line has this kind of talent. They were really phenomenal. On Independence, you can't reserve seats on the Cruise Planner ahead of the cruise. You have to stand in line on the first day (first thing in the morning) to get free tickets - which is not well publicized. I'm on vacation - so no way I'm getting up at the crack of dawn on the first day to stand in line, even if I'd known about it (which I didn't). We were kinda worried, but we appeared at show times and had no trouble getting in and getting good seats after the ticket-holders were let in. Grease was also really, really great (no tickets required for this one) and very professional. The rest of the shows were mediocre at best. The lounge bands were ok. Pulse was the best and liveliest with a varied repertoire. Vibes had a great lead singer but they looked half asleep most of the time.

 

Refurbishment: The best refurb was the addition of the giant sports bar next to the casino. Lots of big screen TVs, open seating, bar food, games, etc. A very good change to all those old-fashioned lounge bars. We don't do flow rider, rock climbing or slides - but I thought the addition of a virtual reality trampoline ball that can hold only 3 to 4 at a time was a waste. What a long wait for so few at a time. Adding a lot of new inside cabins just compounded the crowding problem (more on that later). Adding hand-washing stations before the Windjammer was very good - they are fast and easy. A couple of RCCl staff near the stations sing and joke and play with the kids and remind you to wash (great idea).

 

Coming Next (if you want): Food, ports of call and more

They handle the ice show differently on the Navigator - you can’t book it via the Cruise Planner beforehand but they issue you a day and time based on your Muster Station, and then in the Cruise Compass it will just say ‘Ice Show for those in Muster Station A1’ etc. It’s a better way of doing it I think as the first time we were on the Indy we missed it completely because of not wanting to have to wait for tickets!

I realize this is an old thread, but how exactly was it harsh and to whom? No one has any clue who these women were and no one was injured by the poster stating what she did. Yes, she assumed, but to say it was "harsh" is strange. No one was actually accused of anything since there's no way to say who they were.

Okay I appreciate the women didn’t know that the OP assumed they were thieves, but it seems a bit of a strange conclusion to come to just because she saw someone pick something up off the floor! It might have been something the woman herself had dropped!

When we were disembarking I did not know I had lost it yet and I heard two women scream. I saw one bend down and pick something up. After we got outside I realized my ring was gone from my finger.

It’s a bit harsh to accuse two women you don’t know of taking your ring just because you saw them pick something up off the floor! :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Do bear in mind that on a 7 day cruise, a ship of 4,000 people is likely to have approximately 70 birthdays on it - so I highly doubt they would do anything without you requesting it! They wouldn’t have time to do anything else otherwise! :)