Independence of the Seas trip report with pictures

[CruisinCrow]

It's a tie!

[CruisinCrow]

After lunch in the Windjammer Café, I was chilling in my lounge chair with a Mudslide and a book when Ron called me over to the railing. He pointed to the ship’s wake, where we could see flashes of silver in the waves. There were two huge fish swimming alongside the ship and chasing flying fish. Ron thought they were probably mahi mahi or maybe even sailfish. Every once in a while they would flip around to go after some prey - they were so fast! I’m lucky that Ron is good at spotting these things. The ocean has such amazing things to see when you stop and look.

 

By around 3 o’clock, we were starting to feel a little over-sunned and decided to move some place with shade where we could still enjoy the pretty day. Since we hadn’t made it up to the Viking Crown Lounge yet, we thought we should at least check it out. The Viking Crown Lounge is Royal Caribbean’s signature bar, wrapped around the smoke stack at the top of the ship with panoramic views. Normally, I’m not a big fan of the Viking Crown Lounges. They are out of the way and usually have a smoking area so they smell like cigarettes. But I was pleasantly surprised by the lounge on Independence. There was no smoky smell, just expansive views of the ocean on all sides. Ron and I ordered a Grapefruit Caipiroska to share, but Ron had to order a second one since I drank most of it. :)

 

 

[CruisinCrow]

We had dinner a little earlier that night so we’d be able to make it to the 9:15 musical production of Grease. We usually skip the production shows because, well, they’re kind of cheesy. But this one was very good. I haven’t seen the Broadway version of Grease, only the original movie, so some of the songs weren’t familiar. But I had a hard time not singing along to “Summer Nights” and “You’re the One That I Want”. :)

 

 

When the show was over it was almost 11 o’clock and I could barely keep my eyes open. We made one last stop at the Champagne Bar to say thank you and goodbye to the bartenders, Nicholae and Emilion. As we were walking back to our cabin, the 70’s Street Dance Party started up on the Royal Promenade. Uh oh, was the music going to be that loud inside our cabin? The answer was yes, it was that loud. We might as well have been out on the Promenade. OK, whose bright idea was it to have a loud dance party at 11 o’clock right outside of people’s bedrooms?? :( Thank goodness, the party didn’t last long and by the time I’d finished packing up our suitcases, it was quiet again and we could get to sleep.

 

Back in Fort Lauderdale

 

Up at 6 so we could do the early self-assist debarkation. As we ate our last breakfast in the Windjammer, we watched a beautiful sunrise over the Atlantic. I was already ready to go back to Mexico!

 

 

 

Happy Cruising!

~Susan

[bneems]

How did you like self assist? Approx. how long did it take you? What time did you start and what time were you out of Port Everglades? TIA.

[CruisinCrow]

How did you like self assist? Approx. how long did it take you? What time did you start and what time were you out of Port Everglades? TIA.

 

We always do self-assist on our 3- or 4-day cruises. It's so much easier. You don't have to have everything packed and outside the door by midnight and you can get off the ship much sooner.

 

The self assist started at 7:30 and we got in line at 7:45. It took a full hour to get out to the parking lot! It was a strange debarkation - we came back to the same terminal we left out of but instead of debarking on deck 4, we got off the ship on deck 1. The elevators would only go down to deck 3 so be aware you might have to carry your bags down a couple of flights. Then once off the ship, we had to walk outside to another building to go through customs. It was very strange. Some people were using the Mobile Passport App, which probably cut off 10-15 minutes of the wait.

 

Embarkation, on the other hand, was a breeze. We just walked right through with no waiting at all.

[CruisinCrow]

As promised, here is a link to the Cruise Compasses: http://susancrow.blogspot.com/p/blog-page.html

[bneems]

Perfect! Thank you! 11 days!

[JustinCMH]

Perfect! Thank you! 11 days!

 

 

I'll see you there!

 

Thanks for the cruise compasses and photos, they are very helpful.

 

 

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[CruisinCrow]

Have a great time, bneems and JustinCMH!

 

I still need to work up some final comments and post a few more pictures. If anyone has questions, feel free to ask.

[ramja96]

Thanks for the review and photos. I hope your health concerns were nothing serious and you're doing well.

[CruisinCrow]

Thanks for the review and photos. I hope your health concerns were nothing serious and you're doing well.

 

Thanks, Bob. I'm still having issues but I'm seeing a cardiologist now and hope to have some answers soon.

[CruisinCrow]

And now we come to the food portion of the review. The people who don't like food pictures can just skip this part. :)

 

The Main Dining Room menu order:

Night 1 - Mojo

Night 2 - Saffron

Night 3 - Pimiento

Night 4 - Pomodoro

 

Spinach Salad

 

Seafood Spaghetti

 

Almond Chocolate Cake and BBB Creme Brulee

 

Shaved Cantaloupe and Honeydew Melon

Edited March 15, 2017 by CruisinCrow

[CruisinCrow]

Caprese Salad

 

Garlic Tiger Shrimp

 

Tiramisu (with a cappuccino)

 

Pan Seared Sea Scallops and Chorizo

 

Rosemary Lamb Shank

 

Chocolate Sensation

[packer report]

Hello Cindy,

I was checking out responses for RC Independence of the Seas & I noticed your message saying you were going on the same ship but going this summer leaving from Southampton. My family & I will be departing July 7....they'll be 5 of us. We're on deck 7 Balcony & an interior for our adult kids. We've never sailed on this particular ship before & were a little concerned if it would have enough to do with so many sea days....it should be fine.

[easyboy]

And now we come to the food portion of the review. The people who don't like food pictures can just skip this part. :)

Love those food porn!

[Knmerrick]

Going on this cruise in 2 weeks! Did they have Pavlova on the dessert menu? I am obsessed with pav!

 

 

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[CruisinCrow]

Love those food porn!

 

People seem to either love it or hate it, so that's why I decided to put it all in one place at the end. :)

[CruisinCrow]

Going on this cruise in 2 weeks! Did they have Pavlova on the dessert menu? I am obsessed with pav!

 

Sorry, I didn't see anything like that on the menus.

 

Have a great cruise!

[grandmarnnurse]

Just started reading your review, and was reading the health issue you were having. That is a classic panic attack. As long as you've checked this out ahead of time to rule out any cardiac issues, I would bet this is what is going on. Next time it happens, take note of what was happening at the time. Was it crowded? Was there anything that could have made you nervous? Perhaps further down in the thread somebody else may have mention this, but I haven't gotten that far yet. It was either a panic attack, or that latte had a double shot of espresso in it!! (P.S. I am a retired cardiac nurse)

 

 

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[grandmarnnurse]

One more thing: I love the review. I sailed the Indy in 2014 and had a wonderful time! I am reliving my cruise through your review.

 

 

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[CruisinCrow]

Just started reading your review, and was reading the health issue you were having. That is a classic panic attack. As long as you've checked this out ahead of time to rule out any cardiac issues, I would bet this is what is going on. Next time it happens, take note of what was happening at the time. Was it crowded? Was there anything that could have made you nervous? Perhaps further down in the thread somebody else may have mention this, but I haven't gotten that far yet. It was either a panic attack, or that latte had a double shot of espresso in it!! (P.S. I am a retired cardiac nurse)

 

Thanks, I'm still working on ruling out cardiac issues. I have a stress echo-cardiogram on Monday and I've been wearing a monitor. The heart palpitations were happening when I was taking a nap or just writing emails so I don't know. I've cut out caffeine the past couple of weeks. Boy, do I miss coffee. :) Hopefully we'll get it all sorted out soon.

 

I'm glad you enjoyed the review!

[TXMary]

Thanks for sharing your review! Leaving on Indy on the 30th- our first time on her and our first 4-nighter. Really looking forward to a few days of rest and relaxation. Hope you get some answers for your health issue.

 

Thanks again!

[Marina Harvey]

Great review and an amazing pictures, you did such a great job! Thank you so much for all your hard work documenting your trip, very helpful. Going on Indy on 25th or 5days and as a first time on this ship was a bit nervous.. but not anymore after your review! ;)

[Pellaz]

Great review and great pics, too!

 

I was on the Indy just a short while before your cruise, on the 70,000 Tons of Metal music charter.

Seeing your photos of the main pool deck really brings home the immense amount of work required to convert that deck into what's billed as the largest open-air stage structure at sea. Both pools are drained and covered over and it looks like the entire floor might be raised by a foot or so. :o

I knew it was a lot of work -- it literally takes up the entire first day -- but seeing your photos, I think it's even more work than I'd thought before!

If you type "70K Tons pool deck stage" into Google Images you'll see what I mean; it's hard to believe it's the same place, with the railings removed, etc.

(Pics from the last three sailings would show the Indy or Liberty being used, before that the charter used Majesty, where they covered up one of the two pools there.)

 

I, too, have to wonder about the wisdom of having a dance party in the Promenade at 11 pm on the night before debark. Seriously, what are they thinking? :)

 

BTW, next time, DO try out the hot-tubs, particularly the cantilevered ones over the sides of the ship. Those are really nifty. Quite big, too...and mostly covered from the sun.

[CruisinCrow]

Great review and an amazing pictures, you did such a great job! Thank you so much for all your hard work documenting your trip, very helpful. Going on Indy on 25th or 5days and as a first time on this ship was a bit nervous.. but not anymore after your review! ;)

 

There's no reason to be nervous at all! Indy is a very nice ship. It might seem older to you since you've recently been Harmony and Allure. But since we're usually stuck on the ships from the 90's, it was new to us. :)

 

Service was great. The Ice Show and Grease were great. You'll have a fun time.