KansasK

They tell divers to coat the mustache with Vaseline. My son shaved his mustache and kept his beard and dives and snorkels without a problem.

A leaky mask is misery for a snorkeler or a diver. You spend all your time clearing the mask.

Favorite cruise line!

It is interesting that it turned out to be a training run for the staff. Facing sideways as they are, you would think the handled device on the size line would be in the way.

I was on a real zip line once and they gave us heavy duty gloves to wear to slow ourselves down and to pull ourselves along the wire if we stopped too soon. It does not look like they are even wearing gloves.

The zip line on the Oasis and Allure is much more user friendly with a handled device in front of you. It is over so quickly, that it is hard to imagine there is time to get stuck, but there must be.

We have had Promenade cabins twice on the Freedom and just three weeks ago on the Independence. We had cabin 8323 and were actually above Customer Service and looking down on the bridge that changes color leading to the Promenade. We could see the Royal Promenade sign. We heard nothing.

When more centrally located on the Freedom, we did hear the events with loud speakers - the parades and the 70's dance. None of this was much of a problem for us sleeping. We liked our location on the Independence.

I brought some clothes pins that would hold the sheers closed when I wanted them closed. They sheers have the shape of an open oval at the center from being pushed back to see, and do not close completely. At night, I always shut the drapes for privacy. The two couches give plenty of seating and the cabin is a good size. I would do it again. You will love the Independence!

The production shows were: "Invitation to Dance" - excellent. It was 45 minutes of non-stop dancing. "Center Stage" - singing and dancing. "Once Upon a Time" - based on fairy tales using present day music - very good. Of course, also the Welcome Aboard show and the Farewell show. Also, the ice show "Freeze Frame" was very good. Had to do with movie clips, headlines, etc. from the past.

We had the same productions shows. I especially liked "Center Stage". The set itself was well done. Phil Tug is a comedian who performed at the Welcome Aboard show and then did a late night show another night. I thought he was funny. A Headliner was "Poparazzi" a group of 3 who did pop opera. The three singers had amazing opera voices, but sang in Italian too much for me. I enjoyed the performance, but it was not really for me. The Farewell show had a magician, Scott Alexander, who was good.

The theater was almost full for the production shows and other shows. We enjoyed the entertainment.

I just got off the Independence of the Seas yesterday after a wonderful 8 day cruise. The two formal nights were quite dressy. Quite different from what I read on this site before the cruise about dressing for the formal night. I saw lots of long dresses and cocktail dresses on women. Also variations on pants with dressy tops. I saw a number of tuxes on younger and on older men, but many more men with suits and ties. Less than 5% with khakis and polo shirts, or similar casual business wear. I saw almost no shorts.

I based this on what I saw in the dining room and in the Promenade after dinner for the captain's cocktail party. They gave out free champagne, so there were a lot of people there. The other night was about the same, but I did not see as many people.

Maybe it was because this is winter and this was an 8 day cruise, I don't know, but people got dressed up. I wore a long dress that is dressy, but not super fancy one night and a black longer skirt with a dressy top the other night. My husband wore a suit and tie both nights. Regardless of what other people wear, this is what we wear.

Maybe this is swinging back toward being less casual, but from reading this board, I kind of doubt it.

I feel differently than some posters before me. I enjoyed the Central Park Balcony that we had on the Allure. I liked sitting on the balcony and watching the people walking by in Central Park. We were still outside and got some sun on our balcony. I have had Promenade cabins and have liked them, but this was much better. It was a good way to save money, too. We had never had this kind of a cabin, and were willing to try it out.

It is true that you cannot look out on the ocean like you can on an ocean balcony. You also have to be conscious of the fact that people can look across Central Park into your cabin, especially at night, so draw the drapes for privacy.

I am going on the Oasis in May, 2014 and a balcony cabin was cheaper than we paid for the Central Park cabin on the Allure in 2011, so we went with the ocean balcony. I started off looking at the Central Park balconies since I knew we would be happy with one, though.

Thanks for posting the Compasses and Menus! We will be on the Independence sailing Nov. 15 this year. This will be an eight day cruise, so the compasses may be a little different, but it was fun to see them, anyway!

I have 331 work days left. Not counting weekends, holidays or vacation days. I started it after a bad day with an abrasive boss. I figured it out on a napkin at lunch that day and then some time later my husband put it on a spreadsheet for me. This was better than the napkin approach. I had over 700 days when I started.

I realize these are the days of my life and am trying to live to the fullest now, cruise as much as I can, and not just wait for day 1 to arrive. I'm 63 and will retire when I reach 65. My abrasive boss is less abrasive now, fortunately. All any of us can do is do better. I still plan to retire on time.

I will usually send about $40.00 worth of clothes to be washed through the week. My husband dives and his dive skin comes back smelling awful, :eek: so we send it to be washed. This works out well for me! I send a one or two tops and maybe a pair of capris to be washed during the week. They come back looking freshly pressed and nice. My husband always tells me that compared to the cost of the cruise, the cost of having a few clean things to wear again is not much to pay. Everyone has their own feeling on this, though.

On Carnival, we bring quarters with us and do a load of wash during the week. The washing machine and dryer are both timed, so you can leave and come back. We come back before it is done to be courteous. This is a nice convenience, but on the other hand, not having to do it is nice, too!

I have a couple of more simple long dresses that I wear. No glitz or beads or sequins. I dress casually at home most of the time and I admit that I enjoy the chance to dress up. I put them on top when I pack and they take little space - they smash down well and shake out when I hang them up. I still find it kind of fun to dress up on the "formal" nights. My husband rented a tux for years and looked wonderful in it. He bought a new suit and now wears it instead.

Like the OP, I cannot sit in the sun any amount of time. If the umbrella collapses to a carrying size, I don't see why she should not bring it. Those of us who really sunburn easily with an afternoon on the beach think of bringing umbrellas or verifying there is shade when others would be OK with the umbrellas being all rented or no shade. After all, it's a beach day, right?

My husband brings a suitcase packed with his dive gear. He could rent it, but prefers his own equipment. He keeps it in the bag until he dives and then dries it and puts it away in the suitcase under the bed. I never thought he was crazy for doing this and I am the one tripping over it at times. We live in Kansas and this is a chance to dive.

I hope the OP can find an umbrella that folds up easily and is not too heavy to carry. I hope she brings it if she finds the one she wants. This is her vacation!

When it comes to sharing a soda package instead of buying one for each person, it really does come down to what your moral code is. For me, I have been taught that stealing is stealing and the amount is not really what matters - it is the deed. So maybe some of you feel that stealing something inexpensive from a huge corporation is an OK thing to do. So where do you draw the line? If it is OK to steal soda, is it OK to add an extra little item from the gift shop? I mean hey - you paid for one souvenir flashlight, why not take two? After all, they only cost $6.

I also feel that I buy the coke card package because I try to play by the rules in big and little things. I don't think RCI says bringing on soda and water is officially allowed, like bringing a bottle of wine in your carry-on is. People have just found they are not stopping the water and soda right now.

With what it costs for us to fly to Florida, stay at a hotel the night before the cruise, and then the cruise itself, we see this as part of the cost of the cruise. I also would feel guilty walking on with a carry-on full of pop and water, even though I understand that the people who do it see no reason for feeling this way.

We've never missed a muster drill, but on one cruise we flew in the day of, had cruise line transportation and got to the ship so late that they were all going to the muster drill when we arrived. We went to our cabins, grabbed our life vests (you had to wear them, then) and hurried off to the drill. They used to check you in and call off cabin numbers if people had not checked in. On our last RCI cruise on the Allure of the Seas, they scanned our cards with a hand scanner. I guess that is so they can let people who did not show up know where they are supposed to go in case of an emergency, or maybe to track them down! ;)

I would not have the waiters sing and dance every night. A few nights is fine, but not every night. Sometimes it seems so contrived. Don't have the waiters sing "O Solo Mio" - this is done on every cruise line. At first it is novel, but after a few cruises, it loses something.

We're on the Freedom on Oct. 22 of this year and I was happy to see pictures of the balcony cabin and around the ship. Your pictures were great and the review was interesting to read. We're on the Cozumel, Costa Rica, Panama route. Thanks for posting!