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Live from Independence of the Seas - bit of a blog

NorbertsNiece

By NorbertsNiece,
in Royal Caribbean International

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NorbertsNiece "Live from...." Rare

NorbertsNiece

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Day 4 contd - This is a 2 week cruise..... My name is Linda

Very few teens..... UK schools very difficult about taking children out during term time. I know we have a few Aussies on board with children.

Chops was amazing. Service of course was impeccable. I had the house salad to start.... big enough to be an entree-size serving. Delicious dressing. Followed by 10oz filet mignon medium rare wih a Cabernet reduction. They provided 2 of every type of vegetable dish for the table to share. And then a coffee cheese cake. Absolutely delicious. Cannot recommend highly enough. Had window seating. Sunset. Beautiful.

Ended evening in Olive or Twist bar.

Day 5 At sea

Not going to Yoga. Hip giving me problems. They were ok about refunding the prepaid classes. Went back to bed after breakfast and slept till lunch. Rain rain rain. Figured the dining room & Windjammers and the promenade would be full to capacity as everyone would be indoors so we had room service for lunch. Perfect.

Went to ice show matinee. Arrived to find auditorium already packed with people queuing for left over spaces. We had tickets and managed to sit together with poor view though. Clearly people needing entertainment when wind and rain force one indoors. Would definitely go earlier next time to get rinkside seats with unobstructed view. Great music, wonderful costuming and excellent choreography.

Nip up to Windjammers for chocolate milk and cookies to bring back to room. Back to cabin to have long discussion about whether or not to take organised tour tomorrow of Barcelona. We will have early dinner tonight prior to docking then suss out the port.

Sun is out!!! :D :D :D

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NorbertsNiece "Live from...." Rare

NorbertsNiece

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We are in 6374, DD and SIL in 6376 and Uncle and Aunt in 6377.

Day 5 Contd

About to get ready for dinner and open shower room door..... the room is ankle deep in foam..... not mine.... someone elses. Call maintenance. Leave off having shower until bed time by which time all is cleaned up and sorted.

Have to say Barcelona by night is lovely. Put aside my paranoia about pickpockets and being mugged we had a lovely evening. Docked during dinner. It’s one hell of walk into town from the ship so we buy return shuttle tickets from RCI. There appears to be a bus into town too from the pier but we never got around to finding out where it goes in town nor how much it costs though clearly will be cheaper than $4.50 each way with RCI. We get dropped off and decide to head for the Gothic part of town. Taking a slight detour whilst we accustom ourselves to our location we stumble upon a full orchestra on an outdoor stage in full evening dress with a large audience. Didn’t recognise what they were playing but it was lovely. We head up La Rambla along with everyone else then veered off to the right as DD decided to take us thru the pedestrian neighbourhood. Full of restaurants. Tapas bars. Children on bicycles. Very graffiti-ed reminiscent of Camden Lock. We stick to well lit paths and come up on Santa Eulalia Cathedral. Full mass is being celebrated. Girls in red and white costumes parade through the streets. Right outside the cathedral a market is opening up selling honey, jams, and other home grown delicacies. Let me remind you that this around 930pm.

We head back down La Rambla past the market stalls and street performers. Catch shuttle back. Would like to suggest to RCI that they provide the shuttle free of charge. It’s one hell of a walk and ok for the young and fit but seriously impossible for those in wheelchairs or with walking difficulties. Other ports have free shuttles.

Day 6

Head back into town after breakfast. Share a taxi with Uncle and Aunt to La Sagrada Familia. Oh my. This is one stunning work of art. As Cathedrals go I have to say this is quite exceptional and unique. Packed of course. Don’t have enough time to queue for lift nor the energy to climb to the top but the impression we are given is something which celebrates life and love. It is awesome. The sculptures are exquisite. One has to remember too that this is a work in progress. Amazing.

Having split from Uncle and Aunt, SO and I head for Park Guell, another Gaudi masterpiece. This is a park like no other. I keep repeating myself with the word stunning and for that I apologise. Palm trees, winding paths, mosaics, pillars adorned with plants; music; street vendors; tropical birds nest building; fabulous views; fountains. And lovely sunshine.

DD and SIL have been to the Aquarium and declared it brilliant.

Taxis in Barcelona are reasonably priced and despite my appalling Spanish we managed to get about well enough. We lunched at Park Guell cheaply enough.

Back to ship in good time to grab a lounger on deck 12 for sailaway following a detour to Windjammer for hot dogs and cookies and of course my chocolate milk fix for the night.

Not sure if I mentioned it earlier but the other night at dinner the whole serving staff gathered on the main staircase in the dining room and regaled us with ‘O Sole mio’!

Formal night 2 tonight. Still no invite to Captain’s table L.

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ukiecruzer

ukiecruzer

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It seems that picking pokets is an Olympic Sport in Barcelona

 

Was warned by many people who have been to Barcelona but when we went last year didn't have a problem . It's best not to look like a tourist and blend in with the Barcelonians

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NorbertsNiece "Live from...." Rare

NorbertsNiece

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Wii is in an area called On Air just outside Studio B which is the ice rink. Just realised DD hasn't been skating yet.... will ask her why later... I don't know if it's available for individual use or just for organised seesions.

Sat with people at breakfast yesterday whose daughter had been in a group of girls leaving a club in Barcelona a few weeks back and had been mugged by a massive group of youth. She had her bag ripped off her shoulder.... the straps had been wound around her arm.... onl had her mobile phone in it. Later on they tried ringing it and it was answered by the police, the bag having been thrown away.

Day 6 Contd

Dinner was lovely. Had planned to try the Bingo tonight but fell asleep on the bed and decided to climb in as opposed to getting up and out again!!

Day 7 (Yesterday)

Apologies for the delay in posting..... didn’t have time during the day to log on (though managed to write up the blog) and then when I did have the time I couldn’t get on the network..... another teeny disappointment but not one to cause an issue over.

We are awake for sunrise and anchoring at Villefranche. Lovely photos. Take the tender ashore after breakfast and decide to take the bus into Monaco. Only €1 per person. Information desk provides us with directions and train times. Bus is packed and we stand most of the way. We take the bus straight to the Casino and spend a happy while snapping the cars, the Casino, the cars, the view, the cars, and so on. If it wasn’t a Ferrari it was a Rolls or an Aston Martin, or a Bentley, or .... or.... simply stunning. Today was Monaco Boat Show and the place was heaving with beautiful people. No taxis to be had; we had wanted a tour of the GP circuit. We take a lift down from the Casino level to find ourselves at THE tunnel.... you know the one..... the one from the F1 GP .... Schumacher had a phenomenal shunt there a couple of years back..... THAT tunnel..... unfortunately it is being repaired or something so there were diggers and the like spoiling the view.

We then head towards the Marina but can barely see the pavement for boat show tents. The yachts are fabulous of course. DD would have liked to go in .... I have no idea how much a day ticket cost but I decided that we weren’t dressed appropriately as prospective buyers .... We go instead for a light lunch of escargots and moules marinieres. Very strange to keep having meal interrupted by the sound of Ferrari engines!

We catch a bus then walk up to the Grimaldi Palace. Just as we arrive at the summit the heavens open up. We run for shelter into a cafe and console ourselves with tarte au citron. Thunder, lightning.... what???? The day had started hot and sunny. About half an hour later all was right with the world again and we decide to head for the station. Bumped into some cruisers and wondered about hitching a ride with them but they had yet to go into Monaco and we were ready to go back. We find the station which is well signed. Ticket purchase impossible from machine. I speak fluent French but couldn’t work my way around the fare structure on the machine so head for the total other side of the station to the ticket office. Train due in 5 minutes. Train arrives.

That’s when hell broke loose. 4 carriage train. Apparantly there hasn’t been one for a long while. A few people get off. Hundreds, and I do mean hundreds, of people try to get on. DD and SIL manage to get on. There was no way SO and I could make it. I pass the tickets to SIL who’s just visible in the throng and watch the doors close and the train depart. We’re worried about getting onto the next train due in 45 minutes as platform is still packed..... much muttering from people who had also been stranded. There are no taxis to be had on that level outside. We are advised to go up a couple of levels to hail one. We decide to wait for the next train and see how it goes. By then the crowd had thinned as a direct train to Nice had been and gone. Train arrived on time and had loads of seating available. Received SMS from DD showing her on the beach at Villefranche.... they have arrived safely.

Catch tender back. Seriously enjoyed the hot shower.

Dinner. Again entertainment by the serving staff, this time along a surfing theme. Much fun had. Am aware there is a late buffet and will need keeping awake. Quick visit to Casino then up to games room for a spirited game of Trivial Pursuit. Outside is really blowy. Head off to Buffet.

RCI...... if anyone is reading this from the staff side..... what a great job!!! Such a wide variety of food and so beautifully served and presented. Would suggest this would have been better arranged for a night prior to an at sea day..... I have to be up early to catch our tour coach in the morning!! Thanks anyway..... the profiteroles especially were yummy.

Day 8 Livorno

Not a good night’s sleep. Upset stomach. Hmmmm. That’ll be midnight eating then. No breakfast for either of us this morning. We have docked already. SO has popped up to Deck 12 to catch the sunrise. Maybe the buffet should have included cereals! There was fruit and cheese but did I eat the healthy stuff? No, I did not.

Today is get a bag of laundry washed for $20 day (2nd one of those so far) so I have a bag ready for them.

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NorbertsNiece "Live from...." Rare

NorbertsNiece

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Day 8 Contd

Today has been one of extreme highs and lows.

Pisa and Florence as cities were spectacular. I last visited Pisa in the mid 60s. The merchandising of the Duomo and Bell Tower is extremely sad. Vendors line the way into the centre; we were warned on the coach regarding the faux handbags and even more directly made aware of the individual pavement sellers of sunglasses, shawls, jewellery who do so unlicensed. They are not afraid to come straight up to you and request you to purchase from them. There were many of them and quite annoying in their persistence. Regardless of this the sun shone and we loved the atmosphere.

Back on the coach to Florence. Easy to follow the maps provided by both the ship and the coach guide. Saw the major sites and enjoyed an outdoor lunch. Many vendors line the streets here too but the quality of the stalls was really very good. Again the pavement vendors are not afraid to use the direct approach.

So we were on the way back to the meeting point. DD and I had turned a corner, SIL and SO were photographing something beautiful (let’s face it that’s not difficult in Florence). SIL joins DD and I... I ask where is he? He’s not to be seen. I become concerned and start walking back to corner when he appears. ‘Someone just tried to mug me,’ he says. ‘What!?’ Apparently some young chap had grabbed hold of the camera strap around his neck.... jerking him around.... well.... you need to know that SO is no light weight.... he may be around 5’7” and he’s been eating well this holiday.... enough said....anyway there is no way SO is going to be parted from his prized Canon so he lays the chap out with a couple of direct blows .... passers by continue to pass by so SO steps over said youth and continues on his way.

Well...... we have decided to stick together from now on.

Sleep on coach back to ship.

Dinner. Meet up with Aunt and Uncle. Whilst in Florence she too has had a rather too close encounter. She noticed her bag zip was open during a tour of one of the sites. She thought she may have left her credit cards on board..... when she got back and checked the safe she realized she hadn’t and that her cards had been stolen. The ship staff were really helpful and assisted them in contacting the banks and card issuers. I am concerned that she is elderly and that whilst she shows a philosophical attitude and an ‘I’ll be fine’ approach that she may suffer some kind of delayed shock.

We all attended the show tonight, David Copperfield. Aunt had been stunned to think the American superstar illusionist had been snared by RCI. She actually enjoyed the show by the UK comedian bearing the same name.... the one who appeared alongside Lenny Henry in Three of a Kind way back when. He was hysterical. Very very funny. And what a voice. The man can sing, play the guitar, and hold an audience for an hour. I had tears at one point..... from laughter.

Casino. Lost. J

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taysidetwo

taysidetwo

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Gosh, Linda - what a day your family have had. I hope everyone is all right after their unpleasant experiences. I hope your tummy is back to normal. Profriteroles at midnight !!!! Mmmmmm - wouldnt be the first time for moi!!!!

 

I'm concerned (about them all, but) specifically about your SO's Canon camera. We have a normal Fuji compact, but were planning on borrowing a friends Canon SLR. I wonder if its just tempting fate to take it. Our Fuji takes good enough pics, so perhaps we should just stick with that? Hmmmm.

 

A bag of washing for $20 -? Sounds fair enough. When do you get it back? Is it only washed or does it get ironed also?! (Asking a lot here!!!)

 

We are counting the days till you come home!!!! (Sorry - I know you wont be!!!!)

 

Judi x

 

 

PS...... How are you finding the alcoholic drinks prices? Are they quite steep?

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ChristieNJ

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We all attended the show tonight, David Copperfield. Aunt had been stunned to think the American superstar illusionist had been snared by RCI. She actually enjoyed the show by the UK comedian bearing the same name....

 

Wow you had me quite amazed there for a minute also!!! I was like :eek:??? lol

 

SO sorry to hear about your unfortunate events.....it can really put a damper on things. However I'm glad to hear you are all still having a good time & making the best of it. We are enjoying your daily posts!!!! :)

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NorbertsNiece "Live from...." Rare

NorbertsNiece

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Drinks : Non alcoholic pina colada : $5.25, daiquiri $11.00, Draft beer $7.50.

Laundry just delivered back this second. Not pressed as expected.

Camera worth bringing.... well I don't have to carry it!! The pics are of course way better than those from mobile phone!! We upload the to the laptop daily. Stunning. Hundreds and hundreds. Definitely good advice to have brought the extemsion strip for the various electrical items.

Day 9 Cagliari

Sunday. It’s closed. Seriously.

I had been talked out of an organised tour.... big mistake. HUGE.

Dock around midday. Coaches are laid on to take us the 5 minutes from the dock to the town. Tour guide there offers bus trip around the island for €10pp so we head to the bus stop. So does virtually everyone else. Bus can only seat around 35 so we are in for at least an hour wait. Taxis are practically non existent. It’s already hot. There is a horse drawn tour for around 10 people; there is a queue for that. There is a queue for taxis and only a couple appear to be snapped up. I am concerned to take a taxi somewhere to be left to wander which would be lovely but then unable to return. We head back down the hill to see if we can catch a bus over to the gardens to the east where there appears to be a nature reserve. Catch a bus in the right direction. On board are other cruisers as well as cruise staff who are really helpful in telling us where to get off for the famous beach which is what we do. The gardens appear to be nearby. So we walk. And walk. And walk. And give up. Head back to the beach..... it’s beautiful.... if you like beaches this is the one for you. We see a bus facing the right way and hop on.

Joy of joys. Back in the room we discover the GP is being shown on RTL.... so ok it’s in German but that doesn’t matter!! We’ve missed the first hour but are brought up to speed by the neighbours. I’d enquired yesterday at the pursers desk whether it was likely to be shown and was told they didn’t have the rights to any of the channels it was to be shown on. SIL had come across a channel where random football matches had been shown so he’d given that a go shortly after race start and there it was! I’ve also asked for the possibility of a bridge tour or a machine room tour and was told they weren’t possible either.

And while I’m on the subject of advice given I’ve been to enquire about ‘Next Cruise’ at the RCI booking desk. There are options to purchase future cruises with OBC for UK passengers however the ‘Next cruise’ facility doesn’t exist for us...... am wondering if this is something else that is poor advice. Quite disappointed. The lady there says she would have the booking transferred to a travel agent. I’ll investigate this a bit further before we leave as I’m not convinced that this would be the best price available, even compared to booking online. I have dreams of Alaska, the far East and Australia / New Zealand.... not at the same time of course but wouldn’t that be a back to back to dream about!!

Smart casual dress tonight in MDR. Quest night in the theatre. From what I remember reading this is one not to be missed.

Last night in the theatre I was sat next to a couple who told me their friends were in the process of moving cabins. When I expressed interest as I had thought all cabins were fully occupied they said that these friends had been on Deck 2 in an inside cabin. They had complained about noise and had been moved for one night whilst work was carried out. Following move back the noise persisted so they were moved to Deck 8 into a Balcony room. Nice upgrade. The thing is THAT room had just become vacated as the occupants had left the ship. No further information available. I am sooo curious! Of course I’m aware that visiting performers get to come and go and rooms have to be available for them so maybe that’s how come there was an empty room.....

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I Church

I Church

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Thanks so much for the update review! We are sailing on her in Nov. and can hardly wait. Can't wait to read more:D

 

We too want to thank you for the lovely review. We will be making the Transatlantic Nov 5th to Fort Lauderdale. It really sound great, having been on both the Freedom and Liberty (twice) are really looking forward to being on the Independance and all those days at sea to really investigate the ship. The Wii sounds like fun.... is it only for the youth or can anyone use it? Does it cost? Never spent much time on that deck except for the ice shows. Which pools are heated? I know the hot tubs are and the candalever pool is but what others ones?

 

Tell more about the tea pot in the rooms... this will be new to us. Do they provide mugs or cups and tea bags or what?

 

We got our documents on Saturday so it really make it seem like it really is going to happen. How were you able to exchange money for the shore excursions? We will be spending one day in Spain and one day on an Island Madeira off Portugal. We might want to purchase something but don't want to get a lot of money for only 1 day and the purchase might only be a refrigerator magnant or Tee shirt.

 

Irene and Miles

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Foody

Foody

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Hi your reviews are FANTASTIC, can't believe it but I was in the same cabin as you (6374) in July ! Is Rod your cabin steward? He was fab with us and the boys.

We also did the same cruise, great ports of call. Carry on having fun !I will carry on reading !:D

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NorbertsNiece "Live from...." Rare

NorbertsNiece

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Rod IS our cabin steward!! He is a sweetie!!

SO says beer is Amstel, Stella Artois, Heineken.

Kettle provided in cabin with tea bags, coffe and decaf insachets and paper cups. We have kept back proper cups from room service. You can also bring food and drink back from the various outlets.

Day 9 Contd

Was on winning Quest team!!! Even better than that DD was our team leader and won a bottle of ‘Champagne’! It really was tremendous fun. The CD had enormous fun with a piece of her underwear.... all done in the best possible taste.... Have subsequently ordered the cruise DVD in anticipation that some of it will have made the final cut.

Day 10 At sea

Had a very bad night. 0230 went for a stroll with one of the 4 books I had brought with me. Stopped for a coffee and a sandwich at the Cafe promenade which was still open. Bad idea. When I went back to bed some time later oh the indigestion!! Too knackered to get out of bed to find the Rennies.

Part of the win at Quest yesterday was some Bingo cards so we went to play the morning session. Waste of time and the money to purchase a regular strip....$31!! OK the big prize for one of the games is $2000 I believe and that will have to be paid out by the end of the cruise. DD said she would have had more fun spending the 31 in the Casino.

Fall asleep waiting for the auction of rare masterpieces to start. Only went out of curiosity following the hype in the forum. Yes the pics are awesome and my Aunt has been attending the lectures given by the auctioneer declaring him to the amongst the best she has heard of the Park West chaps. Nontheless I wasn’t inclined to show an interest though there was some art there that COULD tempt me.... specifically a Popeye cell and a Dali etching. I have diverse tastes. Shrug. Just not the income.

It’s started raining. We go up to Johnny Rockets. Great fun. Good burgers and great milkshakes.

Try and catch up on lost sleep. Formal night in MDR. String group wearing ball frocks. Head chef introduces his team. Can’t eat dessert tonight. SO cannot do up his tux trousers.... only 3rd time of wearing. We’ll be back on the diet Saturday. Wonder if M&S will have them back ;)

Have a conference with DD and SIL about what to do in Lisbon and Vigo. Nothing decided on. Tomorrow we have booked the trip to Mijas. Aunt carries fond memories of a restaurant there from a few years back that served her the best gazpacho.

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