Living it Up on Independence of the Seas! 8-nt Eastern REVIEW-lots of pics & detail!

[nenner1]

I also was on this cruise as one of the fan club members for Daylin James, an Elvis Tribute Artist. (He wore the black jump suit during the afternoon benefit concert discussed above.) Our group had a wonderful holiday, made even more special because of the extra shows we had with the 3 Elvis Tribute Artists. More cruises featuring the Elvis TA are coming up. Here is a link that provides more information: http://www.cruisingwiththeking.com/

 

We all thought the service, entertainment, ship, food, etc. was excellent on this cruise and look forward to our next cruise with RCCL. Special mention should also be made regarding Joff Eaton. He was fabulous and I can't imagine another Cruise Director to be more entertaining or personable.

 

Thanks also for your wonderful review! You certainly have a gift for writing and recalling details.

 

Hi and thanks so much for reading! :)

 

We just totally LOVED the Elvis tribute experience! It really made the cruise special!! Daylin was amazing! So talented!!! (he was my favorite!) And I totally agree about Joff- he was by far the best CD we have encountered on any cruise!!

 

It's good to know there are so many Cruising With the King opportunities, it is something we would love to experience again!!!

 

Thanks for this info. It seems a bit pricey but I guess it's pure convenience (and RCCL excursion prices :D).

 

Yep, totally.

 

I did hear others complain about not having enough time on the beach. I think the excursion says only 45 minutes. :eek: And yes, props to the OP. Can't even imagine doing it with 3 little ones! So it's taxi, ferry and taxi to get there, right? Maybe I'll start planting the seed now.

 

Mary

 

Yep, we actually saw once of the RCCL excursions leave, and then another one arrive during our time on the beach. I agree about it not being enough time. Plus if you do it yourself you can get there earlier (than the other cruise ships' excursions...Royal actually has one that is pretty early- they were already leaving as we were arriving), and that is a huge advantage, since it is so nice before the huge crowds arrive.

 

No matter how you decide to get there, you will love it! :D

 

WOW! What a fantastic review. We are looking at booking the Liberty 8 night sailing for next Feb. (We just got off the Liberty last Sunday). How was the weather on your first and last sea day in Jan? Was it warm enough to tan up on deck 12 (just above the pool area) and not blow away or have to be huddled with your towel around you to keep warm? We did the Jewel 8 night back in Jan 29, 05, and it was a bit chilly. I am thinking it would be better weather (a little warmer) the first week of March, but the rest of the family likes to go first of feb.

 

Well the first two sea days were nice enough temperature wise. However it was CRAZY windy. That made it seem cooler than it actually was and also made it not as enjoyable just relaxing up on deck as it could have been. I think that was due to a front that had just passed through though, as it also affected the seas (high and rough) and Capt. Teo actually changed the route to keep us near the protective lands of the Bahamas and Cuba and make our experience as enjoyable as possible. But just the little change in latitude does make a big difference in temperature- I couldn't believe how *cold* ('60's LOL) it was when we arrived back in FLL. The last sea day was GORGEOUS! Not windy, warm, sunny, FANTASTIC! So overall I think there won't be too much difference in temp once you get south of Cuba, be it Jan, Feb, or March! :cool:

 

I am thinking you must be a writer in your spare time, LOL, after you take care of the kiddies and your DH. So glad you enjoyed your time on the Independance with your family.

 

Oh thanks so much for reading and your kind words! I wish writing were my day job, but no such luck...yet...LOL! :)

[nenner1]

I am on page 1 of review and loving it! :)

 

But I can't see your pictures. Photobucket has inserted some sort of message like update to Photobucket Pro.

 

I REALLY want to see your pics!

 

I love all of your details.

 

Thanks so much for reading, I am so sorry about the pictures! This review has been so popular (and I posted so many pictures) that I used up my allotted bandwidth for the month. It really stinks and I am so sorry. I wish I could go back and edit the posts to include new links to pictures but I can't.

 

The good news is that they will be back and visible on March 3rd. I hope you will check back to see them! :o

 

I've read most of your very lengthy reivew of the 8-night Caribbean cruise that we too were on! Except we were part of the "Cruising with the King" group, so we got to see all the Elvis shows (like "Canuck Flo," who has also replied). I'm pictured in on the left side of the one you took of the "back side" of the Elvis (Brad Boice) in the On Air Theatre when you were leaving the ice show, but our special Elvis was/is Daylin James, the one in the black and blue jumpsuit in the one show you saw (and earlier in the gold lame). Next year you should plan to do "Cruising with the King" yourselves, for a difference experience -- it will be on the Allure of the Seas! Reading your review brought back many happy memories of our own experience so thanks for such detail -- you did much more sightseeing than we did since we spent so much of our time just visiting with friends. And you're brave to do the cruise with three children! Hope they'll all remember it forever, as we will.

 

Oh yes, like I posted above, we totally loved the "Cruising With the King" experience and Daylin was phenomenal! We have already rebooked next year on Allure but I'm not sure we are keeping those dates. That would be a lot of fun so who knows! ;) It was a great time, all week long we were keeping track of our "Elvis" sightings!

 

Thanks so much for reading, (or should I say "Thankyuh, Thankyuhverymuch!" LOL) I'm glad this review brought it all back for you! :)

 

 

Thank you for taking the time to post such a detailed and great revied, just booked our first RCI cruise have cruised disney before and had some concerns but you've put them all to rest and am now very excited.

 

Donaldsc, if you don't like it don't read it and don't be so rude when someone has clearly taken time to help all other cruise critics.

 

Thank you so much for reading! I'm glad it has helped you know what to expect after cruising Disney! I know you will love RCI too!! :D

[nenner1]

I was really enjoying your pictures, do you know when they will come back?

 

I am so sorry about that! :o If I had known it would have been a problem I would have spread them out over a few photobucket accounts or something to prevent this. But they will be back March 3rd! Please come back to check them out!!! :)

[SherriZ366]

LOL! :p Thanks so much for reading!!!

I wanted to post more of my thoughts on your debarkation in Fort Lauderdale using the Stepchild Terminal 25. We had the long walk (under blue awnings for us) but did not have the winding long lines in the terminal. We were has priority disembarkation following the self-dembark folks who carried their own luggage. Our luggage color was scattered in two small rooms. Really hard to find the suitcases. After we found the luggage, there were no porters so we wheeled the suitcases ourselves to the bottom floor of the parking lot. Went a bit better when we rearranged the cases. The traffic was so bad that it would have been very time consuming for DH to get the car and come back to the terminal. DH brought the car to the lower level of the parking garage. It was our worst disembarkation from RCI. Just pure chaos. I put in a call to Customers Relations about how bad the experience was. We've sailed out of that terminal on Enchantment but that ship did not overwhelm the terminal. Jewel disembkation was pretty bad and I have heard that the Navigator had problems there. This was coupled with the same kind of disinformation for the Indy departure on the ship that you had in the Schooner Lounge regarding what color tags had been called. We were in the Platinium/Diamond Lounge and they were clueless (part of this might have been because of terrible Loyalty Ambassador who did not get our invitations to us and then blamed the cabin steward).

 

That's why I was thrilled to see that Liberty is doing the 8 night out of Miami as per my earlier posts about how easy our disembarkatoin was from FOS in 2008. Also, we want to sail on Liberty as she is going to Barcelona (not sure if it is year round or seasonal).

 

Your points about how horrible the traffic is at For Lauderdale plays into this too. Did not have the same kind of problems in Miami. Port Everglades is a zoo overall although I hear that getting to the new terminal 18 for Oasis is much better. And of course Port C is a dream in the traffic area and there was an area to check in luggage in the parking lot -- a great idea that I let RCI know how much we loved this.

 

Again, thanks for a wonderful review. I love reading the really long reviews.

[tuff2]

Great review! The only problem is that you should have put into a book and published it. It would it made it much easier to read. LOL

[SherriZ366]

Great review! The only problem is that you should have put into a book and published it. It would it made it much easier to read. LOL

Under thread tools, there is an option for printer friendly copy, which is what I did. I looked at the great pictures first and then printed the review. As you can see, I really enjoyed it.

[flcraigs5]

Thanks for the great review. We are on the Indy - 8 night eastern on March 20, 2010 so its great to hear about what awaits us :)

[flcraigs5]

quick question on arriving at Port Everglades. Can anybody give directions/advise if you are being dropped off and dont need to park a car? Thanks

[nenner1]

I wanted to post more of my thoughts on your debarkation in Fort Lauderdale using the Stepchild Terminal 25. We had the long walk (under blue awnings for us) but did not have the winding long lines in the terminal. We were has priority disembarkation following the self-dembark folks who carried their own luggage. Our luggage color was scattered in two small rooms. Really hard to find the suitcases. After we found the luggage, there were no porters so we wheeled the suitcases ourselves to the bottom floor of the parking lot. Went a bit better when we rearranged the cases. The traffic was so bad that it would have been very time consuming for DH to get the car and come back to the terminal. DH brought the car to the lower level of the parking garage. It was our worst disembarkation from RCI. Just pure chaos. I put in a call to Customers Relations about how bad the experience was. We've sailed out of that terminal on Enchantment but that ship did not overwhelm the terminal. Jewel disembkation was pretty bad and I have heard that the Navigator had problems there. This was coupled with the same kind of disinformation for the Indy departure on the ship that you had in the Schooner Lounge regarding what color tags had been called. We were in the Platinium/Diamond Lounge and they were clueless (part of this might have been because of terrible Loyalty Ambassador who did not get our invitations to us and then blamed the cabin steward).

 

That's why I was thrilled to see that Liberty is doing the 8 night out of Miami as per my earlier posts about how easy our disembarkatoin was from FOS in 2008. Also, we want to sail on Liberty as she is going to Barcelona (not sure if it is year round or seasonal).

 

Your points about how horrible the traffic is at For Lauderdale plays into this too. Did not have the same kind of problems in Miami. Port Everglades is a zoo overall although I hear that getting to the new terminal 18 for Oasis is much better. And of course Port C is a dream in the traffic area and there was an area to check in luggage in the parking lot -- a great idea that I let RCI know how much we loved this.

 

Again, thanks for a wonderful review. I love reading the really long reviews.

 

Ugh....that sounds awful. I couldn't have imagined it could be too much worse than what we experienced, but it sounds like it was for you! :( I have just read so much negativity about Pt E. I wish they would make the effort to get organized there. It would just make everyone's experiences so much smoother at the beginning and end of their cruises!

 

Great review! The only problem is that you should have put into a book and published it. It would it made it much easier to read. LOL

Ha! Thanks so much for reading! I would love it if I could write cruise reviews for my day job! Someday.....LOL! :)

 

Under thread tools, there is an option for printer friendly copy, which is what I did. I looked at the great pictures first and then printed the review. As you can see, I really enjoyed it.

 

Oooh, neat I didn't know that! Thanks Sherri! :)

[nenner1]

Thanks for the great review. We are on the Indy - 8 night eastern on March 20, 2010 so its great to hear about what awaits us :)

 

Thanks so much for reading! I hope it helped- have a wonderful cruise!:)

 

quick question on arriving at Port Everglades. Can anybody give directions/advise if you are being dropped off and dont need to park a car? Thanks

 

Hmm, I'm not exactly sure how they handle drop off's that are from a private vehicle. I know at the port entrance they check ID's and cruise documentation so I am not sure they will let any non-cruisers/non transportation vendors in past security. But if they do, directions depend on which entrance to the port you arrive from. Check out the Port Everglades site here- they have a very good map which shows pretty clearly the port and terminal setups as well as the road configuration. Hope that helps you and thanks again for reading!

[nenner1]

:):) I'm sorry it took so long- I have been crazy busy the past couple of weeks. But here are all the compasses, plus a planning guide they gave us the first day and all port shopping guides, the new Labadee map, debark and luggage valet info.

 

Find it all HERE!

 

I hope it helps you plan the best cruise ever! Happy sailing!!

 

Jen

[SherriZ366]

Ugh....that sounds awful. I couldn't have imagined it could be too much worse than what we experienced, but it sounds like it was for you! :( I have just read so much negativity about Pt E. I wish they would make the effort to get organized there. It would just make everyone's experiences so much smoother at the beginning and end of their cruises!

 

Ha! Thanks so much for reading! I would love it if I could write cruise reviews for my day job! Someday.....LOL! :)

 

 

 

Oooh, neat I didn't know that! Thanks Sherri! :)

I was in tears during disembarkation because it was so frustrating. That's why I was so excited about Liberty doing the same itinerary out of Miami in 2011. I know that Oasis/Allure embarkation/disembarkation will be smooth because of the the new terminal 18. And I would think that the Solstice embark/debark will be smooth even when they have to leave the new terminal due to Allure but I would rather avoid the stepchild terminal 25.

[pheelgood]

Jen,

 

Thank you so much for this fantastic review and for posting the compasses!!!

It really will help our family plan for our upcoming cruise.

 

Thanks again,

 

Phil

[debshomespun]

We were in Labadee on our Navigator 1-30-10 cruise, and they gave us the OLD MAP! I would have thought they could give us a new one that showed the new pier, and all the new things! I was disappointed. At the time, I thought they were just trying to use up the old ones. Guess not though!

[depplep]

I'm very distressed to hear all these comments on Ft. Lauderdale, it's our favourite port. We just sailed out of there last Aug. and it was quick and effecient. I hope things haven't changed that drastically since then!?

[SherriZ366]

I'm very distressed to hear all these comments on Ft. Lauderdale, it's our favourite port. We just sailed out of there last Aug. and it was quick and effecient. I hope things haven't changed that drastically since then!?

From your signature, you sailed on Enchantment which is a much smaller ship than Indy. We had a great disembarkation on EN a few years ago (one of our best) but Terminal 25 could handle that. The problem is when you dock a Voyager or Freedom class ship at that outmoded terminal. It just isn't Jen and I who have had problems. There are posts all over the RCI board about how bad disembarkation is in that terminal for large ships. Oasis and Allure sail out of Fort Lauderdale but there have been no problems with disembarkation because the terminal (18) was built to handle 5,400 plus passengers. I remember sailing on Golden Princess back in 2002 and it was an easy disembarkation. It is just stepchild terminal 25 that is the problem and RCI seems to be recognizing the problem by homeporting some of their ships in Miami, which is probably under-utalized with Oasis and Allure sailing out of Fort. Lauderdale. I'm sorry to bear bad news but you should be organized and prepared. We drive to the port so there may be an extra layer of stress parking the car and retrieving it after the cruise. Flyers are very close to the FLL airport so that is an advantage.

[nenner1]

I was in tears during disembarkation because it was so frustrating. That's why I was so excited about Liberty doing the same itinerary out of Miami in 2011. I know that Oasis/Allure embarkation/disembarkation will be smooth because of the the new terminal 18. And I would think that the Solstice embark/debark will be smooth even when they have to leave the new terminal due to Allure but I would rather avoid the stepchild terminal 25.

 

I'm very distressed to hear all these comments on Ft. Lauderdale, it's our favourite port. We just sailed out of there last Aug. and it was quick and effecient. I hope things haven't changed that drastically since then!?

 

From your signature, you sailed on Enchantment which is a much smaller ship than Indy. We had a great disembarkation on EN a few years ago (one of our best) but Terminal 25 could handle that. The problem is when you dock a Voyager or Freedom class ship at that outmoded terminal. It just isn't Jen and I who have had problems. There are posts all over the RCI board about how bad disembarkation is in that terminal for large ships. Oasis and Allure sail out of Fort Lauderdale but there have been no problems with disembarkation because the terminal (18) was built to handle 5,400 plus passengers. I remember sailing on Golden Princess back in 2002 and it was an easy disembarkation. It is just stepchild terminal 25 that is the problem and RCI seems to be recognizing the problem by homeporting some of their ships in Miami, which is probably under-utalized with Oasis and Allure sailing out of Fort. Lauderdale. I'm sorry to bear bad news but you should be organized and prepared. We drive to the port so there may be an extra layer of stress parking the car and retrieving it after the cruise. Flyers are very close to the FLL airport so that is an advantage.

 

Yep by far it is terminal 25 and the larger ships that seem to cause the problems there. I have heard 18 is very nice now. The term I heard before I cruised out of it was that terminal 25 is not very "user friendly". I pondered that a lot before the cruise but now I know just how accurate (or maybe actually an understatement that is..LOL). I know if you expect it and are prepared for the chaos maybe it won't be so bad. I have to wonder if arriving early afternoon instead of morning could have helped....

[nenner1]

Jen,

 

Thank you so much for this fantastic review and for posting the compasses!!!

It really will help our family plan for our upcoming cruise.

 

Thanks again,

 

Phil

 

You're very welcome Phil! Thanks for reading and I hope you have a fantastic cruise! :)

 

We were in Labadee on our Navigator 1-30-10 cruise, and they gave us the OLD MAP! I would have thought they could give us a new one that showed the new pier, and all the new things! I was disappointed. At the time, I thought they were just trying to use up the old ones. Guess not though!

 

Huh. That is strange. I guess it is up to each ship..what they hand out. I will say the new map looked rather basic and kind of thrown together quickly. Since the new maps were not posted here yet before we left I had been scouring google earth so I had a pretty good idea of where everything was (even though those images were not updated yet either).;) Thanks for reading!!

[depplep]

I guess we'll see what happens in 24 days. We took Navigator out of Lauderdale as well and had no issues. Just can't believe all the trouble, again, it's our first choice in cruise ports. We hate Miami and Tampa far more.

[SherriZ366]

Yep by far it is terminal 25 and the larger ships that seem to cause the problems there. I have heard 18 is very nice now. The term I heard before I cruised out of it was that terminal 25 is not very "user friendly". I pondered that a lot before the cruise but now I know just how accurate (or maybe actually an understatement that is..LOL). I know if you expect it and are prepared for the chaos maybe it won't be so bad. I have to wonder if arriving early afternoon instead of morning could have helped....

The big advantage that Miami and Port Canaveral have over Terminal 25 is that they have the luggage conveyers like the airlines use. This is far superior to having the luggage piled in different areas (sometimes rooms) of the terminal.

[sharktums]

I've read all of these terrible reviews and stories about embar/debarkation of Independence. Can anyone give me specifics? We'll be driving our own car to the port, parking, doing the 8 night Independence, then driving home.

 

From what I've read it seems like we will leave out of the dreaded 25, but there's a chance we may come back into 18? Where is the parking lot in relation to these two terminals? Will it be a problem returning to a different terminal?

 

Would love to hear what everyone went through! Thanks!

[TPCRUISER2]

Thanks for your review and pictures! Does my heart good to know there are a few families that really enjoying cruising and the economic's of cruising. Hope your children know how lucky they are!

[nivek82]

Thank you so much for the compass this is great. Never have seen the planner before that's cool to have as well.

 

Anyone else on this or recent 8night know when the C&A party is and the P/D/D+ party is? Do they have two or just the one for all C&A members?

 

Thanks again!

[nenner1]

I guess we'll see what happens in 24 days. We took Navigator out of Lauderdale as well and had no issues. Just can't believe all the trouble, again, it's our first choice in cruise ports. We hate Miami and Tampa far more.

 

Hope you have a wonderful cruise!!! :D

 

 

I've read all of these terrible reviews and stories about embar/debarkation of Independence. Can anyone give me specifics? We'll be driving our own car to the port, parking, doing the 8 night Independence, then driving home.

 

 

 

From what I've read it seems like we will leave out of the dreaded 25, but there's a chance we may come back into 18? Where is the parking lot in relation to these two terminals? Will it be a problem returning to a different terminal?

 

Would love to hear what everyone went through! Thanks!

 

No chance for Terminal 18 if you are on Indy, not at this point in the schedule. Oasis is there when you embark on Saturdays and Solstice is there when you come back on Sunday. Sorry...

 

The midport garage is directly across the street from Terminal 25. there is an elevated walkway to easily cross after parking.

 

As far as returning to terminal 24...24 is actually connected to 25. So basically when Indy returns from a cruise it always parks in the same slip which is basically for both 24 and 25. The new cruisers are coming into 25 which is on the right and the departees are exiting into 24 which is on the left. But they share pick up/drop off areas which are outside of 25. Hence some of the chaos outside with baggage and traffic. Too much mingling of comers and goers.

 

Hope that helps! :) Have a great cruise!!!

[nenner1]

Thanks for your review and pictures! Does my heart good to know there are a few families that really enjoying cruising and the economic's of cruising. Hope your children know how lucky they are!

 

Thanks for reading, I'm glad you enjoyed it! :) Yep they do know how lucky they are....I remind the kids all the time that I didn't get to go on my first cruise until I was 33! :p LOL!

 

Thank you so much for the compass this is great. Never have seen the planner before that's cool to have as well.

 

Anyone else on this or recent 8night know when the C&A party is and the P/D/D+ party is? Do they have two or just the one for all C&A members?

 

Thanks again!

 

You're welcome, I'm sorry I can't help with the C&A/P/D/D+ events. :o It will be a few more years I think before I am P. Have a wonderful cruise!!! :)