Independence - May 20-28, 2018 Fresh Outta Refurb, Straight Into the Fjords

[poncho1973]

I'd also say Geiranger and Flam. For the same reasons.

[poncho1973]

The violinist was a very nice lady. She joined us for dinner that night, kudos to the matri'd who helped re-arrange our seating and she made it a point to stop by and say hello/goodbye on our last day. We also gave her some of the pictures I had made so that was a hit with her.

 

I finished my photo book last night, here is the link if you are interested.

 

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/invited/7641745/060951baaa90432f6df7c58700c9968171c6ef41

 

Thanks again for helping us relive a great trip, even if our toilets did not work right too many times.

 

Excellent photos. Thanks for the addition to my review. Your pictures, my words!

[Moonarino]

Nice review, great read. I'm trying to decide (planning waaay ahead) on an Indy cruise out of FLL next year, at a very good price with exceptional OBC.

 

Question: How did you feel about Windjammer in general? Did getting to and through the buffet lines (or circles) ever feel like a madhouse? I'm asking this because my least favorite aspect of the Oasis class ships is Windjammer.

 

 

Another general concern I have about Indy, if you don't mind me asking here:

 

... I realized that the weather was effecting some of common areas but even on the nicer days it tough to find seating. We are not sit in the sun people so a lot of the outdoor options were not so good when the sun did come out. ...

 

I've read similar comments elsewhere. I'm not interested in poolside seating (etc), just general space on the ship... the thing is, I strongly prefer ships with open inner and deck space where I can randomly escape the noise and bustle, e.g. Oasis class and CCL Dream class. Is it possible I might feel a little too closed-in on Indy? I do realize Freedom class were the biggest cruise ships at sea before Oasis, but I also realize Indy can carry 4300+ passengers. And no Central Park, etc. So this is a big question for me. TIA for any advice.

[Moonarino]

Ahh sorry about your fellow passengers- as has been mentioned, we aren't all like that I swear. Even though complaining is a bit of a national pastime, it's usually done quietly or in your head as we don't like to make an actual fuss lol. ...

 

I'll vouch for your disclaimer. I've "passed through" more than a dozen countries from England to the Near East, with extended stays in some, and I can assuredly say the Brits (and Scots, and Irish) I encountered over several weeks were as pleasant (and fun) to be around as anybody in the world.

[poncho1973]

Nice review, great read. I'm trying to decide (planning waaay ahead) on an Indy cruise out of FLL next year, at a very good price with exceptional OBC.

 

Question: How did you feel about Windjammer in general? Did getting to and through the buffet lines (or circles) ever feel like a madhouse? I'm asking this because my least favorite aspect of the Oasis class ships is Windjammer.

 

 

Another general concern I have about Indy, if you don't mind me asking here:

 

 

 

I've read similar comments elsewhere. I'm not interested in poolside seating (etc), just general space on the ship... the thing is, I strongly prefer ships with open inner and deck space where I can randomly escape the noise and bustle, e.g. Oasis class and CCL Dream class. Is it possible I might feel a little too closed-in on Indy? I do realize Freedom class were the biggest cruise ships at sea before Oasis, but I also realize Indy can carry 4300+ passengers. And no Central Park, etc. So this is a big question for me. TIA for any advice.

 

Generally speaking, the WJ was easy to get in and out of. Nothing crazy. There are plenty of seats most of the time (boarding and breakfast right before a port seemed to be the busiest) and the lines moved quickly. We got omelets every day and didn't spend more than 3-4 minutes waiting. Without that, we could've been looking for a seat as soon as we piled the food on. No waiting for a turn. The line at the entrance was negligible.

 

There were plenty of areas to sit. It got cramped on this cruise because of the weather. We've been on all 3 of the Freedom-class ships in the Caribbean and never experienced an issue. We aren't prime pool-front seat people either, like yourself.

 

I'd recommend the library, the bars during the day, or even the outdoor areas on Deck 5 as quieter spots. I really liked the forward upper seating, but my Florida born/raised wife thinks anything under 70F is bitterly cold. It wasn't an option for us this cruise, but would be great in the Caribbean.

 

I sat on our balcony several times, my wife poked her head out and went "NOPE!" so it was too cold for her.

[Moonarino]

Thanks so much for the WJ info.

 

 

... I'd recommend the library, the bars during the day, or even the outdoor areas on Deck 5 as quieter spots. I really liked the forward upper seating, but my Florida born/raised wife thinks anything under 70F is bitterly cold. It wasn't an option for us this cruise, but would be great in the Caribbean. ...

 

And this. I just discovered Deck 5 today, jonesing on pics of Indy. And that forward seating looks interesting.

[Mr. Click]

Excellent photos. Thanks for the addition to my review. Your pictures, my words!

Thanks Poncho1973. My writing skills are poor, my drawing skills are worse but I do ok with my photo skills....I really enjoyed your writing, it really brought back the trip for me. Maybe we need to do another trip together and collaborate some days.

[Mr. Click]

Nice review, great read. I'm trying to decide (planning waaay ahead) on an Indy cruise out of FLL next year, at a very good price with exceptional OBC.

 

Question: How did you feel about Windjammer in general? Did getting to and through the buffet lines (or circles) ever feel like a madhouse? I'm asking this because my least favorite aspect of the Oasis class ships is Windjammer.

 

 

Another general concern I have about Indy, if you don't mind me asking here:

 

 

 

I've read similar comments elsewhere. I'm not interested in poolside seating (etc), just general space on the ship... the thing is, I strongly prefer ships with open inner and deck space where I can randomly escape the noise and bustle, e.g. Oasis class and CCL Dream class. Is it possible I might feel a little too closed-in on Indy? I do realize Freedom class were the biggest cruise ships at sea before Oasis, but I also realize Indy can carry 4300+ passengers. And no Central Park, etc. So this is a big question for me. TIA for any advice.

We found the Windjammer impossible on embarkation day, even the promenade was bad that day but we did find seating. We prefer to do breakfast and dinner in the MDR and really enjoyed the service and the food. We did later in the day lunches in the Windjammer after the first day and it was not too bad for seating and we all found the food to be enjoyable but we always grabbed a table and then went to get food. Maybe being a group of 4 made it harder? I was particularly impressed with the chicken burgers. I live on a low fat diet now and avoid real hamburgers but the chicken ones were pretty tasty and the few fries I allowed myself some days were nice and fresh. No need to do Johnny Rockets. We found the ship felt crowded at times. Maybe a result of adding more cabins during the recent drydock, cabins that took out old public spaces or maybe it was just me/us. It did feel less crowded when the weather got nicer and more people went outdoors.

[Mr. Click]

Concierge Lounge is gone. Suite and Diamond lounges on deck 14.

A late note here, the Diamond Club, the Suite Lounge and the Crown Viking are all accessed only from the back elevators on the port side. Those are the only elevators that go directly to deck 14.

[Ocean Boy]

Thanks so much for the WJ info.

 

 

 

 

And this. I just discovered Deck 5 today, jonesing on pics of Indy. And that forward seating looks interesting.

I'm not trying to be picky but it is actually deck 4 with the outside area. Deck 5 is the Royal Promenade. The only outside area on deck 5 is out on the bow.

[poncho1973]

I'm not trying to be picky but it is actually deck 4 with the outside area. Deck 5 is the Royal Promenade. The only outside area on deck 5 is out on the bow.

 

Thanks for that.

[Moonarino]

We found the Windjammer impossible on embarkation day, even the promenade was bad that day but we did find seating. We prefer to do breakfast and dinner in the MDR and really enjoyed the service and the food. We did later in the day lunches in the Windjammer after the first day and it was not too bad for seating and we all found the food to be enjoyable but we always grabbed a table and then went to get food. Maybe being a group of 4 made it harder? I was particularly impressed with the chicken burgers. I live on a low fat diet now and avoid real hamburgers but the chicken ones were pretty tasty and the few fries I allowed myself some days were nice and fresh. No need to do Johnny Rockets. We found the ship felt crowded at times. Maybe a result of adding more cabins during the recent drydock, cabins that took out old public spaces or maybe it was just me/us. It did feel less crowded when the weather got nicer and more people went outdoors.

 

Thanks (3 days late). I booked the Indy cruise I was looking at, and all info & tips are much appreciated.

 

I'm not trying to be picky but it is actually deck 4 with the outside area. Deck 5 is the Royal Promenade. The only outside area on deck 5 is out on the bow.

 

Not "picky" at all, it clears up a little confusion I got from looking at pics and deck plans. Thanks.

[Rachelisara]

Im so happy to read this part of your review. We are sailing the Independence at the end of August beginning of September.

 

The Ports II:

I would say the port of Geiranger alone made this trip worth it. This was one of the most amazing places I've been to.

 

We skipped the ship tours based off reading these forums and just got off the ship early. We went to the tourist depot and bought 2 bus tickets for the bus that goes all the way to the top of Mt. Dalsnibba for the most amazing view. We also purchased 2 tickets for the RIB waterway tour.

 

Combined we paid less than either of these 2 options from the ship by themselves. The weather was PERFECT. I wore shorts and a light shirt. My Florida-raised wife wore light pants and a light sweater.

 

The tiny town is perfect. The people were super friendly and the shops had tons of little whatevers that you could buy and take home. More crap in your suitcase, but the shops were great.

 

The RIB waterway tour was on a nice inflatable boat (Rigid Inflatable Boat) that took us around the fjord for a wonderful water-level view. That was a great way to see everything. We loved it. They dress you up like a little kid in a snowsuit, but the water is ice cold, so if you fell in you'd need the suit. We loved this and would highly recommend it.

 

The bus tour was fairly typical. Lots of chatter from the guide, some neat, some boring, but it was a smooth ride. We had 2 stops and both were really pretty. The upper stop was so insanely good that I'd call it a must do.

 

On the way back down we asked if we could be dropped off at the top of the waterfall walk. I would beg you to do the same. The waterfall walk is beautiful and another must-do, but it's way cooler to just walk down instead of going both ways. Do as you wish, but this was a great way to do both options in a time-efficient manner.

[poncho1973]

I hope this helps you.