Mines Posted October 15, 2008 #1276 Share Posted October 15, 2008 We are sailing on Independence Nov.6th,going to Vigo,madeira,etc.Wanting to do a tour on our own(not RCCL).They(local tour guide) take Euros-we have U.S. $.Where do we get Eoros,or how does this work?Thanks much-first time for us with this situation. Euros is no problem. If the tour company do not accept credit cards (most of them do) there are plenty of ATM machines. The decision on whether to take a ship's tour or a private one has to be taken carefully. We always look at the security element and think of the worst case scenario. The ship will no wait for you if you are lete arriving from a private tour, but will guarantee a ship's tour. If you get left behind in Vigo (with Madeira the next stop), you could travel by train to Oporto, spend a pleasant day there and then take a plane to Madeira (not too expensive). If you got left behind in Madeira, what would you do? There are no planes to the next stop:eek: The roads in the North of Madeira are very twisty and the pssibility of an accident is not too low - they drive like crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Legalneen Posted October 15, 2008 #1277 Share Posted October 15, 2008 We are sailing on Independence Nov.6th,going to Vigo,madeira,etc.Wanting to do a tour on our own(not RCCL).They(local tour guide) take Euros-we have U.S. $.Where do we get Eoros,or how does this work?Thanks much-first time for us with this situation. Presumably you are starting your cruise from Southampton? If you have time before you join the ship find a bank, there are plenty! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NorbertsNiece Posted October 15, 2008 #1278 Share Posted October 15, 2008 Presumably you are starting your cruise from Southampton? If you have time before you join the ship find a bank, there are plenty! As above. Should be better rates than the ship exchange bureau which fixes the rate per cruise and sticks to that rate for that duration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taysidetwo Posted October 16, 2008 #1279 Share Posted October 16, 2008 We are sailing on Independence Nov.6th,going to Vigo,madeira,etc.Wanting to do a tour on our own(not RCCL).They(local tour guide) take Euros-we have U.S. $.Where do we get Eoros,or how does this work?Thanks much-first time for us with this situation. We are just back yesterday from Independence, and did a tour (the RCI one) in Maderia. Our trip was late getting back, - last boarding was 5.30pm, and we didnt get back until 5.50pm, with a sail time of 6pm. We made it, just by the skin of our teeth! We DID see some people, in other ports, not on tours, coming back late to the ship - Lanzarote where our sail time was 3pm, and these people thought it was 5.30pm as it had been previous ports, and the sauntered up to the ship at 3.15pm!! The Captain DID wait for them, but I wouldnt want to be the person who held up the ship, and I wouldnt want to bank on them waiting again! In short, although the RCI tours are more expensive, IMHO, its worth the extra money for peace of mind. Hope this helps! Judi :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nicunurse28584 Posted October 16, 2008 #1280 Share Posted October 16, 2008 What does IMHO mean? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
moogiechompy Posted October 16, 2008 #1281 Share Posted October 16, 2008 What does IMHO mean? In My Honest/Humble Opinion :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mines Posted October 17, 2008 #1282 Share Posted October 17, 2008 We are just back yesterday from Independence, and did a tour (the RCI one) in Maderia. Our trip was late getting back, - last boarding was 5.30pm, and we didnt get back until 5.50pm, with a sail time of 6pm. We made it, just by the skin of our teeth! We DID see some people, in other ports, not on tours, coming back late to the ship - Lanzarote where our sail time was 3pm, and these people thought it was 5.30pm as it had been previous ports, and the sauntered up to the ship at 3.15pm!! The Captain DID wait for them, but I wouldnt want to be the person who held up the ship, and I wouldnt want to bank on them waiting again! In short, although the RCI tours are more expensive, IMHO, its worth the extra money for peace of mind. Hope this helps! Judi :) Yes . you have to consider what it would cost you to miss the ship. If it is the last port before Miami on a transatlantic, you could miss six days of sailing and have a very expensive air fare to find. That is probably the worst possible port to get stuck in. Of course, the captains are well aware of this, so it is not surprising that he waited in your case to be nice to people - but they are not obliged to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gagirl7143 Posted October 18, 2008 #1283 Share Posted October 18, 2008 We are just back yesterday from Independence, and did a tour (the RCI one) in Maderia. Our trip was late getting back, - last boarding was 5.30pm, and we didnt get back until 5.50pm, with a sail time of 6pm. We made it, just by the skin of our teeth! We DID see some people, in other ports, not on tours, coming back late to the ship - Lanzarote where our sail time was 3pm, and these people thought it was 5.30pm as it had been previous ports, and the sauntered up to the ship at 3.15pm!! The Captain DID wait for them, but I wouldnt want to be the person who held up the ship, and I wouldnt want to bank on them waiting again! In short, although the RCI tours are more expensive, IMHO, its worth the extra money for peace of mind. Hope this helps! Judi :) We agree!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisinCJ Posted October 21, 2008 #1284 Share Posted October 21, 2008 I have to also agree. Over the years I have listened to people talk about all their private excursions and I can only think about "what if". I just have that extra piece of mind, when I book an excursion with RCL. They SHOULD know if we have not made it back. So again I agree! Carol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
retiredawacs Posted November 3, 2008 #1285 Share Posted November 3, 2008 By any chance does anyone know the name and email address of the Loyal Amassador onboard the Independence? Thanks Eric Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iadom Posted November 3, 2008 #1286 Share Posted November 3, 2008 The decision on whether to take a ship's tour or a private one has to be taken carefully. We always look at the security element and think of the worst case scenario. The ship will no wait for you if you are lete arriving from a private tour, but will guarantee a ship's tour. Of course you could use The Irish Way to get back to the ship. :D Jim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NorbertsNiece Posted November 3, 2008 #1287 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Of course you could use The Irish Way to get back to the ship. :D Jim. Rofl...... brilliant!!!! :eek::D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valmouche Posted November 3, 2008 #1288 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Can anyone please tell me what the weather was like this past September/Oct on the Independence of the Seas? We are looking at four cruises... and would like to know which region and dates would be best, weatherwise. Thanks in advance...These are the cruises and dates we are considering. Italian Mediterranean Departure Date: 26 September 2009 Southampton, England - 17:00 Vigo, Spain Lisbon, Portugal Cadiz, Spain Cagliari (Sardinia), Italy 17:00 Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy Livorno,(Florence), Italy Cannes(Monte Carlo), France Gibraltar, UK OR Mediterranean Treasures Departure Date: 12 September 2009 Southampton, England Gibraltar, UK Cagliari (Sardinia), Italy Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy Cannes (Monte Carlo), France Barcelona, Spain Málaga, Spain Lisbon, Portugal Vigo, Spain OR Canary Islands Departure Date: 02 September 2009 </B>Southampton, England Funchal,Portugal Tenerife, Canary Islands Las Palmas, Gran Canaria Lanzarote, Canary Islands Vigo, Spain OR Canary Islands Departure Date: 10 October 2009 </B> Southampton, England Funchal (Madeira), Portugal Tenerife, Canary Islands Las Palmas, Gran Canaria Lanzarote, Canary Islands Lisbon, Portugal Vigo, Spain Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iadom Posted November 3, 2008 #1289 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Of those four I would say that the Canary Islands Sept 02 would be your best bet. Jim. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NorbertsNiece Posted November 3, 2008 #1290 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Can anyone please tell me what the weather was like this past September/Oct on the Independence of the Seas? We are looking at four cruises... and would like to know which region and dates would be best, weatherwise.Thanks in advance...These are the cruises and dates we are considering. Italian Mediterranean Departure Date: 26 September 2009 Southampton, England - 17:00 Vigo, Spain Lisbon, Portugal Cadiz, Spain Cagliari (Sardinia), Italy 17:00 Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy Livorno,(Florence), Italy Cannes(Monte Carlo), France Gibraltar, UK OR Mediterranean Treasures Departure Date: 12 September 2009 Southampton, England Gibraltar, UK Cagliari (Sardinia), Italy Livorno (Florence/Pisa), Italy Cannes (Monte Carlo), France Barcelona, Spain Málaga, Spain Lisbon, Portugal Vigo, Spain OR Canary Islands Departure Date: 02 September 2009 </B>Southampton, England Funchal,Portugal Tenerife, Canary Islands Las Palmas, Gran Canaria Lanzarote, Canary Islands Vigo, Spain OR Canary Islands Departure Date: 10 October 2009 </B> Southampton, England Funchal (Madeira), Portugal Tenerife, Canary Islands Las Palmas, Gran Canaria Lanzarote, Canary Islands Lisbon, Portugal Vigo, Spain We sailed on the 14 night cruise leaving 20th September. Embarkation and the next couple of days was lovely. Gibralatar was overcast on docking; poured with rain midday then glorious sunshine. We had fabulous weather in the Med up until we left Vigo on the return leg. Vigo itself was very sunny if windy. Open decks on the last sea day were closed to passengers as the wind and the rain combined to create quite a rocky road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
valmouche Posted November 4, 2008 #1291 Share Posted November 4, 2008 Thank you so much for the advise. I guess we will lean toward Early-Mid September than. THANKS AGAIN! Quick Question for Norbertsniece....Did you feel like 14 days was too much? I am planning a family reunion cruise in which half are from Luton/London and 1/2 from the US. I am a little concerned about the drop off in food quality as the cruise went on, as stated by others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marylizcat Posted November 5, 2008 #1292 Share Posted November 5, 2008 A lot of the reviews I read complain about a lack of vegetables served with the main course at dinner. Is it possible to order vegetables separately as an 'extra' item? (and do they cut out the veg to save money?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NorbertsNiece Posted November 5, 2008 #1293 Share Posted November 5, 2008 A lot of the reviews I read complain about a lack of vegetables served with the main course at dinner. Is it possible to order vegetables separately as an 'extra' item? (and do they cut out the veg to save money?) Main Dining eating is not overly generous with veg true, however you can always ask for more of anything. There's also a good selection of vegetarian options. Uncle would order a starter and a salad with each meal. My guess it's to do with wastage more than being 'tight'. Plenty of veg served in 'Chops'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pemcorgimum Posted November 5, 2008 #1294 Share Posted November 5, 2008 A lot of the reviews I read complain about a lack of vegetables served with the main course at dinner. Is it possible to order vegetables separately as an 'extra' item? (and do they cut out the veg to save money?) We just happened to say one day we liked the broccoli and from then on the waiter asked if we wanted more veg and by the end we were getting an extra plateful usually of broccoli but sometimes whatever.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
English Rose Posted November 5, 2008 #1295 Share Posted November 5, 2008 Can anyone tell me what the voltage system is like on the Independence? Are there English sockets or are they American? Will we need American adaptors and is it OK to use English hair dryers and straightners etc? Sorry if this question has already been asked..... Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NorbertsNiece Posted November 5, 2008 #1296 Share Posted November 5, 2008 Can anyone tell me what the voltage system is like on the Independence? Are there English sockets or are they American? Will we need American adaptors and is it OK to use English hair dryers and straightners etc? Sorry if this question has already been asked..... Thanks. Hi, You'll need an adapter as the sockets are American. Would recommend you bring an extension lead. There is a hair dryer in the desk drawer which is quite powerful IMO but then I have very short hair. Your straighteners will work fine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pemcorgimum Posted November 5, 2008 #1297 Share Posted November 5, 2008 One European socket too but the kettle was plugged in that but you can take it out of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NorbertsNiece Posted November 5, 2008 #1298 Share Posted November 5, 2008 (edited) One European socket too but the kettle was plugged in that but you can take it out of course. D'oh..... didn't think of that!! Still would've needed the adapter though..... Edited November 5, 2008 by NorbertsNiece Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pemcorgimum Posted November 5, 2008 #1299 Share Posted November 5, 2008 That's why I took both LOL Faster too on the European one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NorbertsNiece Posted November 5, 2008 #1300 Share Posted November 5, 2008 That's why I took both LOL Faster too on the European one. Now she tells me...... sigh.... ;):) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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