Independence - bits 'n' pieces - Dec 29 2013 - Jan 12 2014

I hope to not repeat anything, or much of anything, that Jane told you in her "max's mom does indy b2b, 1st two weeks of December", but she hadn't finished posting it all when I left, so please forgive me.

1. Giovanni's Table was a little disappointing after my last two dinners there on the Oasis. I was SO looking forward to the chocolate dessert, which was a lot like the mud pie at Chops. Nope, this was dry and tasteless chocolate cake.

2. Service at GT was top-notch. No complaints there at all.

3. Place was mostly empty the first night. We used my BOGO, but on signs around the ship, they were offering $15 dinner that first night.

4. We had to wait to enter the terminal Sunday morning. They only let in about fifty people or so, then we waited until they felt like letting more in. And when we entered, the terminal was pretty empty. But we were able to board directly after getting our sea passes, at about 11:10. Nice and early.

5. The boys wanted to make the GT reservations immediately, so we went up to Deck 11. Windjammer was not open yet, but they let them go through the closed door just to make the reservations. Then they opened the doors very soon - also early. Quite empty for a long time. Not as many different offerings as usual. Honey Stung Chicken didn't look so snappy, so I passed on that. No yummy green beans. Extra cute melon carvings on animals.

6. BIG NEWS FLASH. In today's Cruise Compass:

There will be a charge for room service between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. :eek:

7. No Sprite Zero in DL. Forced myself to drink Jack Daniels. I really only wanted a soda - I swear.

8. No problem carrying out a drink.

9. Got to cabin at 1 P.M. Luggage already there. :D

Now, I may have missed this somewhere along the line, but I received a huge surprise.

I KNOW that 350 point-and-up D+ only get ONE amenity on 3 & 4 night cruises.

Apparently, that's now true for any cruise less than SEVEN nights.

So, I am not getting my Pinot Grigio on this six night cruise. I wish that I had known. I would rather have a bottle of wine than a bottle of champagne, since there will be so much free stuff tomorrow night. (New Year's Eve)

Formal night: Instead of tonight, night #2, it will be tomorrow, New Year's Eve. But they kept the Welcome Aboard Party and pictures with Captain Teo tonight. Sorta weird to see all that with most people looking not so neat and trim. :rolleyes:

Sign in Deck 11 ladies' room: caution, slippery when wet. It's the bathroom with a door to the outside deck, the pool deck. So I was very very careful. I was not wearing heels. I was wearing flats, with normal soles.

I fell not ONCE, but TWICE. Ouch. I went to Guest Services and asked them to have someone dry the floor. (It was SOAKING WET). No one asked for my name or cabin number. Sort of asked if I was ok.

The production show on Independence is IDENTICAL to the one on Freedom, which I saw twice on a B2B just this past September. Sort of surprised me. Maybe it should not have, but it did. (Once Upon A Time)

I will not be uploading pictures, because I am cheap. :D

Ask away.

I will try to find 39august's information about Vintages and the Champagne Bar tomorrow.

Over and out, at sea somewhere near Grand Cayman, our first stop.

...I KNOW that 350 point-and-up D+ only get ONE amenity on 3 & 4 night cruises.

 

Apparently, that's now true for any cruise less than SEVEN nights...

Been this way for at least the last 3 years.

Thanks for the updates! Looking forward to our B2B cruises on Sat.!!:)

Been this way for at least the last 3 years.

I guess that I haven't taken a cruise of five or six nights since I hit 350. :o

I rarely order room service, but I'm curious. Is that a permanent change or just for this holiday sailing, today only? :confused:

BTW...hope you're ok from the falls

Looking forward to your review Carol.:) Hope you feel better after your falls.

Happy New Year!!

Hope you are OK and no bruises?

How is the first day of no balcony smoking going? Did they put out a notice or something on the cabin/balcony door?

We are on IOS Jan. 4, so wondering how it is and looking forward to our balcony without cigarette or cigar smoke!!!

Thanks!!! Hope you are having fun tonight.:)

According to news sources, a passenger is reportedly missing from the Independence of the Seas cruise ship which sailed to the Cayman Islands today.

The missing man is a 65-year-old man from Canada who was reported missing by his wife, before the Royal Caribbean ship arrived at the Grand Cayman's port.

Link wouldn't show

Looking forward to following your adventures!!

If you attend the 1/5 Meet & Mingle on the Indy, find me. I have a "gift" set aside for you.

Sherri

Island284

Did they maybe change the room service time to 10pm just because it was New Years Eve?

Unacceptable about the bathroom floor! Hope you aren't too sore.

Hope you have a great time!

Hey Carol!!

My sentiments exactly on Giovanni's! Not like the others I've been to. I started to ask them to go over to Chops and bring me a Mud Pie!!

Please give Raj my love!! I hope to be back on again before he goes on vacation.

Look forward to checking out the rest of your thread!

Happy New Year!!

 

Hope you are OK and no bruises?

 

How is the first day of no balcony smoking going? Did they put out a notice or something on the cabin/balcony door?

 

We are on IOS Jan. 4, so wondering how it is and looking forward to our balcony without cigarette or cigar smoke!!!

 

Thanks!!! Hope you are having fun tonight.:)

We will have to wait till the second half of MM's B2B as the new smoking policy takes place on sailings departing on or after Jan 1. Anything departing prior to can still smoke. Looking forward to hearing about how this goes as well.

We will have to wait till the second half of MM's B2B as the new smoking policy takes place on sailings departing on or after Jan 1. Anything departing prior to can still smoke. Looking forward to hearing about how this goes as well.

I guess that will be our cruise then on Jan. 4.:)

When we were kicked out of the CL it was the Date, not the cruise date. One day in and next day out.

Hope Carol is OK and had a good New Year's Eve!!

6. BIG NEWS FLASH. In today's Cruise Compass:

 

There will be a charge for room service between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. :eek:

 

I'm curious as to whether this is a permanent change also...:confused:

I'll be following along, thanks for posting, we'll be on Indy for the 1/18 sailing.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

Happy New Year.

Keith

Can't find the thread I saw this morning about the man overboard on the Independence last night. Please tell me it hasn't been removed!!

Can't find the thread I saw this morning about the man overboard on the Independence last night. Please tell me it hasn't been removed!!

Here it is. It never said he went overboard, just that he was missing. I have not found any further info on-line.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1963071

I guess that I haven't taken a cruise of five or six nights since I hit 350. :o

Violins playing in the background.......oh, you poor darling.:D

MM is MIA.:confused: Did she party too much on New Year's Eve and now sleeping it off somewhere?

Violins playing in the background.......oh, you poor darling.:D

 

MM is MIA.:confused: Did she party too much on New Year's Eve and now sleeping it off somewhere?

I believe Carol is still on Indy.

Subscribing - eager for more! Sorry about your falls - ouch. Very sorry to hear someone has gone missing on this cruise.

I believe Carol is still on Indy.

Yes, I meant sleeping it off somewhere on the Indy.:)

This is cruel and unusual punishment - no info since 12/30. Hoping this means she is having a great time! :)