My View...Independence of the Seas

[APDMOM]

One of the reasons we chose this cruise is that we needed 8 days until Platinum. We were originally booked on FOS for 7 days. We saw the price drop for IOS - adding the extra day cost us a grand total of ....drum roll...$4. It was a no brainer to change to IOS. Here are some of the perks for Crown and Anchor "Gold". In December, we look forward to a couple of extra perks as Platinum members :)

 

Here are the perks for kids:

 

 

 

These are for adults:

 

 

Internet packages:

 

 

Gokce at customer services patiently showed me how to use the internet on the iPad. They have really improved and simplified the logoff procedures - unless they use a different system on IOS vs. FOS.

 

Tip: We have a gmail account that we only shared with our close family, to keep in contact with us. We used our 10% off coupon and purchased 60 minutes of online time. I turned off my additional e-mail accounts so that I don't have to waste my internet package downloading unnecessary e-mail. I log on quickly to retrieve e-mail, then log off immediately. I can then read my e-mail and create my responses while offline. After creating responses and typing a daily update to my family, I briefly log on again to send the e-mail. This way, I only use 2 to 4 minutes of internet time a day.

[APDMOM]

My View: Day 2 (At Sea)

 

 

We treated our son to room service breakfast on the sea days. Here are some tips regarding breakfast. If you note 1 serving of sausage, you literally get one sausage.

 

 

The fresh fruit was definitely in season. The pineapples were especially great!

 

 

The juice comes in a small glass. Be sure to order 2 or 3 per person:

 

[APDMOM]

I no longer feel compelled to lay out in the sun while I am on a cruise. It must have something to with turning 40 and discovering L'Oreal Sublime Bronze :D

So, we enjoyed the quiet of our balcony a lot on sea days. Mid-morning, we went to our Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle. Here is a sample of the invitation we received in our cabin:

 

 

Cuddy, the CD's sidekick, arranged a game for us to meet and mingle. It was a fun game and we got to see a lot more interaction than on other cruises. Some of our roll call members went to a slot pull afterwards. I heard they won BIG... friendships for life are valuable, right? LOL!

 

We did lunch in the MDR with Turkey burger, Split pea soup (excellent), as well as oregano rolls and peppercorn rolls. Here is the menu:

 

 

I spent the afternoon with a nap on the balcony...

 

 

Coming up next... The first formal night. (After I cook my own meal for tonight :p )

[3disboysmom]

We were on the ship (and at the meet and mingle) with you! Looking forward to reliving a great cruise through your review!

 

 

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[kuddles14]

Looking forward to reading more. We will be boarding Indy on April 12 for our 8 day. Thanks for the helpful suggestions.

[In Toronto]

Thank you for doing this review!

[dreamer976]

Loving this review! Thanks for the tips, also.:)

[APDMOM]

We were on the ship (and at the meet and mingle) with you! Looking forward to reliving a great cruise through your review!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

It is so much fun to sort through the pictures! :) I'm keeping my sanity by writing this review. I really miss that balcony and the sound of the ocean...

[clochette]

great review, thanks for taking the time to write it. I am curious what time did you get off when you returned to Fort Lauderdale, we have a long drive back home and really hope we don't have to wait for the shuttle from Park and Go.

[APDMOM]

Thanks to everyone for reading. I don't want to drag this out by responding to every post, but I do appreciate the positive comments! Moving along with day two...

 

All dressed up for formal night (as dressed up as we get) :D

 

 

 

 

We went to the Pyramid Lounge for the Captain's Reception, where we enjoyed the complimentary sparkling wine and great music by "Rock the Boat". They became one of our favorite live bands on any cruise (second only to the Blackjack Band we had on Carnival Dream).

 

 

[APDMOM]

great review, thanks for taking the time to write it. I am curious what time did you get off when you returned to Fort Lauderdale, we have a long drive back home and really hope we don't have to wait for the shuttle from Park and Go.

 

The ship was delayed for disembarkation. Self-assist walk off started about 7:30 (at least that is when the announcement was made that the ship had been cleared). We were in zone 34 and slated for disembarkation at 8:45. We did not get off the ship until 9:50. We left Park 'n Go in our car at 11:05. So, it was quite a long wait to get through customs and catch the shuttle. I think if you call them once you are in line to get off the ship, they may send a shuttle earlier. I called them after a 10 minute wait, but we still waited another ~30 minutes to get on a shuttle. Of course, our ship was fully booked, so that may have been part of the delay.

 

I have read on CC that Sundays are the worst for disembarkation. I know it was not bad on the Saturday we embarked, because we were able to enter the terminal when we arrived at about 10:45.

[APDMOM]

My View: Night Two:

 

 

 

I will tell you about the hair tomorrow:

 

[cruiseluvingirl]

Loving your review, we will be cruising her in December, we too love the Afts. Thanks for the review.

[brianjb]

I am sure you are ready to get out of Columbus! We used to live just north of there. After 2 years of not tolerating the cold winters, we moved back to Florida. Enjoy the last few days of the countdown :)

 

 

What a small world! I actually grew up in Florida. I live just north of Columbus in Powell now.

 

I lived for a small time in Tampa and Stuart (east coast north of Palm Beach), Florida. But I mainly lived in SW Florida (Ft Myers and Cape Coral).

 

I really do miss Florida sometimes. I'd love to live there again.

[brianjb]

One of the reasons we chose this cruise is that we needed 8 days until Platinum. We were originally booked on FOS for 7 days. We saw the price drop for IOS - adding the extra day cost us a grand total of ....drum roll...$4. It was a no brainer to change to IOS. Here are some of the perks for Crown and Anchor "Gold". In December, we look forward to a couple of extra perks as Platinum members :)

 

Here are the perks for kids:

 

 

 

These are for adults:

 

 

Internet packages:

 

 

Gokce at customer services patiently showed me how to use the internet on the iPad. They have really improved and simplified the logoff procedures - unless they use a different system on IOS vs. FOS.

 

Tip: We have a gmail account that we only shared with our close family, to keep in contact with us. We used our 10% off coupon and purchased 60 minutes of online time. I turned off my additional e-mail accounts so that I don't have to waste my internet package downloading unnecessary e-mail. I log on quickly to retrieve e-mail, then log off immediately. I can then read my e-mail and create my responses while offline. After creating responses and typing a daily update to my family, I briefly log on again to send the e-mail. This way, I only use 2 to 4 minutes of internet time a day.

 

This may seem like a silly question. But I have never used the coupons included with the gold status. Now that they are included with the seapass, how does that work if all three of us are gold members? Will I have 3 of each coupon loaded? So can I buy three glasses of wine or whatever and get 3 free? Not all on one sitting, but I'm thinking that using one coupon one three different nights. And the same for the buy one get one free shake.

[APDMOM]

This may seem like a silly question. But I have never used the coupons included with the gold status. Now that they are included with the seapass, how does that work if all three of us are gold members? Will I have 3 of each coupon loaded? So can I buy three glasses of wine or whatever and get 3 free? Not all on one sitting, but I'm thinking that using one coupon one three different nights. And the same for the buy one get one free shake.

 

Yes. You get one for each gold member. Just keep track of which seapass card you use. There will be one loaded on each of the cards. I think the reason we could not get the 10 free minutes for my son's seapass card is that we did not allow him purchase privileges. So, it will work for each seapass card that has authorization to make onboard purchases.

[APDMOM]

Last night, I realized that I closed day 2 out a little pre-maturely :)

 

I did try the 9 pm show "Invitation to Dance". This is my opinion and intended to help others who think like me, and have a musical ear... I sat through 5 songs of which I only semi-enjoyed one. I was really disappointed, since this did not live up to the standard of RCCL entertainment I am used to. This show was much more like the kind we have seen on Carnival. It was not the classy, creative, novel choreography I have come to expect from Royal. The songs all sounded the same, with lots of forceful singing (screaming) rather than good, talented singing. I realize in order to present a balanced review of the show, you would have to sit through all of it, but I did not want to waste more of my vacation time with the hopes that it "might" improve. This is where FOS stands out head and shoulders above Indy.

[APDMOM]

My View: Day 3

 

All the "My View" pictures were taken from the lounger on our balcony:

 

 

Little did I know that today would mark a change in my appearance :D I saw in the Compass that they would have a hair demonstration in On Air, and you could win a haircut if you attend. I thought, "Hmmmm, maybe it is time for someone other than my husband to 'trim' my hair." So, I took the chance to attend the hair demo. While I was waiting for the demo to start, one of the hair stylists (Gemma) came up and asked if there was anything I wanted to change about my hair. Before I knew it, I was one of two "models" to sit in front of everyone, getting my hair cut. It was GREAT fun! Ladies, this one is worth your time. They also gave us some free gifts and a special $99 for 8 or 9 services, as opposed to 3 of the salon sampler.

 

The new, layered hairstyle (I feel 30 again):

[APDMOM]

We enjoyed lunch in the MDR again. Based upon CC recommendations, I tried the Beef Carpaccio. Maybe I should have found out what that was first. I did not enjoy it at all. The carrot soup was delicious though! DH had Tandoori Lamb Skewers and they were excellent. They come with a side of lentils with very good spices. He does not usually eat lentils but he loved these.

 

 

In the afternoon, we just relaxed on the balcony and checked our e-mail in Boleros. Tip: This is a good and quiet wifi spot. I did not notice until later that it had a 'wifi' sign on one of the pillars. No wonder the e-mail downloaded faster here than in our cabin...

 

 

The area is very quiet and deserted during the day - even on a sea day:

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

One of my favorite snacks is R&R (a rum and raisin chocolate snack) in the promenade café.

 

 

Oh, did I mention this was St. Patties day? The Dog and Badger pub was packed!

 

 

 

5:15 pm - Time for our Crown & Anchor appreciation party. They served several types of drinks - yellow bird and something with melon. The peach champagne was my favorite.

 

Here is the captain welcoming us to the party.

 

 

We went to the 7pm show of the ventriloquist. He was very funny, with high energy! It takes some extra planning with a young child to enjoy the entertainment on the ship. A lot of the live entertainment starts later than on Carnival, so if you are early to bed, you miss a lot of it. We decided to skip dinner in the MDR so that we would not miss the show.

 

 

 

We ate in the Windjammer. I really enjoyed the mushroom soup - excellent. The mac 'n' cheese is always a winner on Royal. They had many of the MDR choices here too.

 

In the middle of the night, I woke up to find there is no running water in the bathroom. Fortunately, it was fixed by 7am. We did not have to call it in. It was just a minor inconvenience in the night.

[APDMOM]

My View: Day 4 - St. Maarten

That is Norwegian Getaway right next to us...

 

We ate in the MDR for breakfast. We ordered the heuvos rancheros. It was very different drom what we had on Carnival and FOS. It did not have any cilantro, which is a key ingredient in our opinion. So, although it was good, it was not what we had expected.

 

We got off the ship briefly for a few pics. I lost a hat in the wind, bought a new hat, and went back to the ship. We decided to enjoy the empty ship here, since we will be back in St. Maarten in June.

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

There were 5 ships in port, including NCL Getaway, Mein Schiff 2, Aida Luna, and Celebrity Eclipse. The port area was so crowded, it was even hard to get a picture without someone walking in front of the camera. So, it was a good day to enjoy the quiet pool area on the ship.

 

 

 

 

 

We may have to try Norwegian Getaway sometime...

 

 

There were only 2 families at the H2O zone. Nice and quiet after 2 busy sea days!

 

[petesweet]

great review, thanks for taking the time to write it. I am curious what time did you get off when you returned to Fort Lauderdale, we have a long drive back home and really hope we don't have to wait for the shuttle from Park and Go.

Thought it might ease your mind to know that we did not experience that same problem. Might have been a one-time problem. I hope so. I love Park and Go.

Kathy

[APDMOM]

Lunch was in the Windjammer, with good chicken a la king and roasted sweet potato. Coconut ranger cookies were finally available. Enjoyed coffee in the promenade, Shuffleboard on deck 4, and a crunchy caramel mousse from Sorrento's.

 

Here are some more views from our balcony:

 

 

 

Late in the afternoon, we saw a whale! I never thought I would see one so close to St. Maarten. Here are a few pics. I wish I had a better zoom lens!

 

 

 

 

After a while we finally saw the tail! Boy, I love balconies!

 

[APDMOM]

Thought it might ease your mind to know that we did not experience that same problem. Might have been a one-time problem. I hope so. I love Park and Go.

Kathy

 

Yes, I read a lot of great reviews, which is why we chose them. It may have something to do with spring break, Sunday, and many ships filled to capacity... That is why I am not totally writing them off :) It was definitely considerate of them not to charge us extra and to give us free water for the road.