Cruise-y

Thank you CruziJenn! I really appreciate your kind words. 😀

I think perhaps I lost everyone's interest with the wonderful ports of call, but hopefully it helped some with similar itineraries. A few had asked about crowding so I'll post a note on that as my final.

The ship was crowded, but not in the way I expected. Because it was a school holiday and because RCCL is emphasizing families with their refurbishments (laser tag, candy store, virtual reality, slides, etc.) I expected a lot of kids. But, there were not any more kids than usual (maybe even less), perhaps because of the port-intensive itinerary (I don't mind kids at all though). However, the ship was crowded. On the one sea day that was actually sunny (when we were in the Med) it was hard to get a deck chair and they all filled up. Most of the zillion chairs were pressed right together to make one giant bed, so you had to crawl in and out from the end - and were practically touching the stranger next to you. On sea days, the Windjammer was of course packed, with lines waiting to get in because no tables were available. The Promenade (with small sandwiches) was extremely slow (when there was no reason for it to be) so it also had long lines and thus wasn't a good alternative during meal times. The MDR was ok, but not as convenient as the Windjammer on pool days. It was hard to find a chair in most (but not all) of the bars at night. As my third RCCL cruise, I could tell a difference with the added cabins.

With all that being said, it wasn't unbearable. I didn't mind standing and strolling with my drink at night, we ate lunch late to avoid the crowds and we got up very early to get a deck chair. However, the experience wasn't as pleasant as it could have been - most especially the sea days - and in my case (we booked 3 months out in high season) it was very expensive. I've cruised other lines (same time of year) where the sea days were so relaxing and enjoyable - no stress to get up early to find a chair, no waiting in lines, really great food in the buffets, etc. RCCL seems to be giving up customer comfort as time marches on. I guess that's a bottom-line business decision but I probably won't be back for a 4th time.

Thanks for listening.

The windjammer now had huge selection of lobster and prawns at lunch and dinner... amazing selection. They have really upped the selection and quality there. Have never seen this before.

 

On cruises from England there is a slightly different menu in the MDR at dinner which always has a curry or a pie alternative. Did you not try those?

 

 

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Good call on the lobster. Thanks. Yes, on the day after lobster night the leftover cold lobsters are in the Windjammer and they are very good.

I love Indian food and was happy to see it served. I had it both in the MDR and the Windjammer and just thought it wasn’t as well executed as in the past - stale roti, etc. But I had just come from London where it is so outstanding so maybe that isn’t fair.

Cont'd.. Food

There are a lot of extra-pay venues for food on the ship that are new from the refurb - bar food in the pub (nachos, sliders, etc.), fish and chips by the pool, a candy store on the Promenade. I'm sorry we didn't try any of these so I can't report. I didn't see anyone eating at them but I'm sure they did and we just didn't notice. I thought the candy store was a waste of space. Way too much sugar, ugh. There's already an ice cream shop on the Promenade.

Great: We did Chef's Table and loved it. Lots of courses with a personalized invite and personalized menu. Excellent wine pairings with each course that were fully explained and discussed in depth by the sommelier. The table was set beautifully and made special. Three hours. It was all excellent and well worth it, in my opinion. The food quality was outstanding and I would definitely do it again. Highly recommend.

Pretty Good: We did Giovanni's twice and Chops once. We have eaten at Giovanni's on past cruises as well. The venues are very nice with giant windows and great views of the sea. Much nicer and calmer than the MDR, which is almost worth the price right there. Both were still good but I noticed a slight downtick in quality from the last cruise. My octopus starter had gone bad (the skin was sloughing off and it tasted fishy). My husband ordered a steak medium rare that arrived well done. A few other things I won't belabor. Minor of course - but definitely not as great as last time. The red velvet cake in Chops is good but it is dry and pre-frozen and is the exact same version that is offered in the Windjammer (in smaller bite-size portions). On the upside, however, the chocolate cake in Giovanni's is really good, as are the tuna sashimi, the steak tartare and the velvety carbonara (when it is cooked correctly). So I would still recommend them.

OK - As our third cruise on RCCL, I definitely noticed a downtick in the quality in the MDR and Windjammer as well. I'm sorry, I wish I could report otherwise but I'm being honest. We never order from the standard set menu (shrimp cocktail, Caesar salad, grilled chicken, cheesecake) but instead always order from the rotating options that are much more imaginative and change nightly. The waitstaff was always exemplary. The starters and desserts were usually pretty good (sometimes very good) and I have no complaints there. It was the mains that suffered. The meat (even fish) was always overdone and dry. I (and several tables around me) had to send the duck back because it was so tough you couldn't even cut it with a knife. I should have done the same with the veal and steak Dianne. I noticed the same downtick in the Windjammer, with usually a pretty good variety to choose from - but just a lack of quality. Tough meat, browned lettuce in the salad bar (and iceberg only), minimal overcooked vegetables, boring fruit like (somehow flavorless) watermelon, cantaloupe and musk melon. Pre-frozen hamburger patties cooked long ago, sitting in a warming tray. Nothing was bad, mind you, but just not what it used to be. I wish RCCL would set up a poolside grill like other cruise lines do - it would alleviate traffic in the Windjammer and provide freshly-cooked burgers.

Saving Grace: They do set up a buffet in the MDR during lunch and it was really very, very good - like the Windjammer used to be - with a lot of salad bar varieties (including many types of lettuces - all crisp and fresh), cold grilled and marinated vegetables, tropical fruits, berries, etc. all presented in a very classy, calm venue. Unfortunately we only discovered this on the last day. The problem is you can't just roll in quickly from the pool with a cover-up and then roll back out again - you have to shower and dress presentably. And of course we were on shore during most lunches anyway.

Promenade: Can't remember the name of the venue, but there were free pastries and sandwiches that were ok but pretty heavy on the bread. Lines and very slow service so it was hard to partake. The free (frozen) pizza in Sorrento's is inedible, in my opinion. But lots of people were eating it so I guess I'm in the minority.

Food on RCCL is very subjective and I'm sure some will disagree with me. Feel free to weigh in. Other than Chef's Table, overall I was disappointed.

Ports of Call, Cont'd.....

Nice: We did not do the ship's bus excursion to Monaco and Éze, even though we wanted to see them, because it included a perfume factory tour (with shopping there afterward) and also shopping in Monaco which we weren't interested in. Instead we hired a private driver to take us around. He talked us out of driving through Monaco because he said the traffic was horrid. He drove us to the top of the hills and we hiked a bit to a spot where we could look down and see both Monaco and Nice at the same time. He was knowledgable about the area and told us a lot of the history, and pointed out the sights from above which we could see easily - Monte Carlo, the famous casino, the royal palace and its wooded grounds all hidden behind high walls (we could see in, even their pool), the Oceanographic Museum, the road where Princess Grace crashed, the demarcation lines between France, Monaco and Italy, etc. - all nestled in the big green hills, surrounded by vivid blue waters with both ports full of yachts and sailboats. I guess it was better than driving past them in a bus. He also talked us out of walking up Éze, but we saw it from above as well. He had a great reputation and was very entertaining. It was fine - but expensive. I'd probably do the ship's excursion next time. He took us to a good Italian restaurant in Nice where we ate lunch outside (although I was hankering for French!).

Cadiz: We took a 2 hour walking tour in this quaint port city with a guide that took us along the ocean wall and around the Medieval town with its narrow pedestrian-only streets, pointing out sites and discussing the history. It was free but you were to pay the guide at the end what you thought it was worth. There were two huge groups of Spaniards on the walking tour who had Spanish-speaking guides and then a much smaller English-speaking group. It was fun and entertaining. Our guide recommended a great open-air restaurant on a little side street where we had wonderful seafood paella for lunch.

I'd never had a hankering to see Spain but I'm so glad we did. I enjoyed every port. I hope this helped anyone who is going to these locales and I'm happy to answer any questions.

To be continued, but maybe not until Saturday.... Food next.

Which cabin did you stay in? We are booked in an aft JS (#1706) in December and am wondering if you're JS was an aft or side cabin.

We were in 9244. It was near the front right by the elevators. We never heard any elevator noise at all (a wall separates the room from the elevators) and we liked the location a lot because we didn't have to walk down half a long corridor to get to our cabin, like you do when your room is in the middle of the ship.

Great review, thank you.

 

I was disappointed to read though that there was no iced tea in the windjammer :(

It’s possible that ships that leave out of Southampton don’t have iced tea because it’s maybe not that popular with Brits. I can’t remember if there was iced tea on the cruise we took before that left out of the U.S.

Shore Excursions Cont'd....

Malaga: Alhambra is one of the reasons we chose this itinerary as it's always been a bucket list item. We took a ship's excursion. It was a 2.5 hour bus ride and the guide talked to us about the surrounding area during the trip. Lots of olive orchards to see on the way. On arrival, we had a quick sack lunch (cold ham and cheese sandwiches, yogurt and a banana) on the shady porch of a charming old hotel on the grounds - surrounded by Mediterranean trees and bushes. The lunch was blah but the setting was just so delightful and peaceful. We had a separate tour guide for Alhambra and spent 2.5 hours walking the grounds there (with small ear receivers so we could hear the guide speaking into a small microphone). We had separate entry (these tours are all scheduled by date/time and name so you need to bring a picture ID or passport). It was nothing short of amazing and so worth it. We loved it all. 2.5 hours back in the bus and we arrived just before the ship sailed. I wouldn't do this tour any other way than through the ship because of the length and danger of something happening on the way back. It was a highlight for sure.

Corsica: We loved our day on this island. We rented electric bikes (you still have to pedal them but the battery power gives you a big boost so they are very easy to ride). The bike rental was just a short walk from the ship but you have to reserve the bikes ahead of time (easy to find if you google it). We rode several miles along the coast (on the side of the road) with the beautiful sea right next to us, out to the Sanguinaires Islands. On the way back we stopped at a great open air restaurant right next to the water for a seafood lunch (with super views) and then swam in the blue ocean and lounged on the beach for a while. This far away from the city nobody spoke English at the restaurant but we muddled through with our tortured French and the food was excellent. Upon return, we toured the birthplace of Napoleon which was an old home just a short walk from the bike rental. There were audio guides for this home tour which was quite extensive. We were there on a Sunday and there was also an open market by the ship with cheeses and meats and fruits.

Sorry have to leave but will finish the shore excursions later today.

Cont'd....

I'll digress from the Ports of Call reviews for a moment to discuss some shipboard amenities, since I think some people are more interested in that. (And yes, I will get to the food later. It's a loaded subject).

Drinks: Keep in mind that unless you buy a soft drink package (there are various levels), you get no soft drinks with your cruise. So, in the Windjammer, there is water, an orange juice drink (in the morning) and some kind of punch or lemonade. No iced tea. No sodas. Water is ok with me, but my husband bought a diet coke several times from the bar. If you want fresh juice you have to purchase it. Coffee is available free all day in the Promenade and also in the Windjammer. It is actually good coffee. We also had it in our Junior Suite room.

Alcoholic drinks are, as expected, expensive. In the range of $14 each for a mixed drink (and $10 to $14 for wine, although you do get a good pour). Beers around $8 to $10. RCCL used to show the automatic 18% tip separated out on the bill, but now they just include it altogether with the total - so it is hidden and you will be inclined to add an "additional" tip (which we always do - the bartender will remember). At the bottom of the bill it does say that an 18% tip is included in the price.

We prepaid to have a bottled water package in our room - my gripe with this is that the water is in liter-size bottles. Too large to take on excursions and even too large to take to the pool or have by your bedside. It takes two hands to lift them to your mouth and they get stale, warm and back-washed. Plus it is Evian which tastes oily and flat to me.

Art Gallery: I'm going to veer off on a tangent since I have an open slot in this review and am holding court. Do not buy art on a cruise if you think it is an investment. It is not. The upper-end cruise lines don't even have onboard art because it is a customer rip-off. If you really like a piece and just want to own it, then go ahead. But you will pay 10 times what it is "worth." I could go on for pages on this subject, including the Peter Max junk and the suspect Chagall and Picasso prints. Google cruise art and you will get all the info you need. Or go to eBay and look for the same piece you are about to buy. I'm an accredited antiques appraiser and am just doing my informative duty here. I'll leave it at that.

Next... I'll get back to the Ports of Call. I really did love this itinerary. I hope I'm not boring anyone and maybe some will get worthwhile info. Cheers.

Cont'd....

Ports of Call: We don't shop on vacation and we avoid shore excursions and locales that are geared for shopping. We're old and don't need any more knick-knacks. We choose cruises for the itinerary and like educational venues, art and nature. We are big walkers. I liked all the ports on this trip and will try to give some pointers here (but maybe what we do is not everyone's cup of tea). I especially loved all of the Mediterranean foliage and tropical trees and bushes that were lush and green in every port.

Gibraltar: We took the ship excursion's rock hiking tour and loved it. Our guide was fantastic and talked all about the area, history, etc. We rode the tram up to the top of the rock, walked around to see the beautiful vistas and then down to the caves. Interacted with many monkeys and there was lots of time for photographing them and watching them. We had a tour through the caves and then a walk to the military tunnels used in different wars from the late 1700s through World War II. Lots of history here and very interesting as we toured through the tunnels. Highly recommend. There is a bit of walking, a little bit uphill, but it's not that strenuous.

Cartagena: There are a lot of Roman ruins in this port city and it is an easy, short walk from the ship. We did this on our own. There's an opulent Roman home, a forum and a large theater. Also a museum about the ruins that is connected to the theater. It is dryer here and the city itself is a bit run-down but the Roman ruins are worth the visit. There's an avenue with restaurants along it right by the ship; we had lunch at one and it was sub-par. This was the only city meal we had that wasn't good, though - and maybe we just picked wrong (forgot to Yelp it first). Our least favorite stop but still very interesting.

Palma de Mallorca: We took the Hop-on Hop-off bus into Old Town and loved this part of Palma. Medieval buildings, narrow cobblestone streets, beautiful trees and plants, lush parks and squares, all very clean and upscale. We had coffee and pastries near a beautiful park full of pink bougainvilleas and later a fantastic tapas lunch outside by the Plaza de la Reina fountain. Visited the 10th century Arab baths and toured the Palma Cathedral (that you can see rising above the city as you come into the port). The grounds of this gothic cathedral (which dates from the 13th to the early 17th centuries) are breathtaking, with ponds, fountains, pools of water and lush vegetation. The interior of the cathedral has a hanging chandelier by Gaudí that's amazing as well as other great art and architecture.

Barcelona: Unfortunately the stop in Barcelona wasn't very long (we had to be back on the ship by 4:30) so it was very hard to see as much as we wanted. We took a taxi to Gaudí's masterpiece, Sagrada Família. I bought tickets online to tour it (with audio guides) many weeks before we left. You have to purchase them for a specific date and time slot (for crowd control) and they sell out. (We did not do a ship excursion because those just drove by and did not include an interior tour, which we wanted.) We took a taxi then to the Gothic Cathedral for a quick run through and then walked to the close-by Picasso museum (we also had pre-purchased tickets for this with a specific time slot). Our plan after Picasso was to walk to a close Gaudí house (Park Güell) which I was really looking forward to touring. Alas, while we were in the Picasso museum a torrential downpour started that didn't let up for literally hours. We tried to wait it out but finally had to give up and take a cab back to the ship. We had umbrellas but still got pretty wet. I enjoyed everything we did immensely - but was so disappointed that we had to miss Park Güell. Because of the time crunch, we just grabbed a sidewalk sandwich from one of the many open-front stores in Barcelona. Needed more days here for sure.

More ports to be continued.....

Cont'd....

Room: We always book a Junior Suite on RCCL. I love it. It is so big and roomy with a big balcony (table, chairs, recliners) and a huge walk-in closet with a ton of shelving inside, so all of your clothes, shoes, totes, suitcases and so forth can be tucked away and not out cluttering the living space. There's also lots of storage in the bathroom for all your stuff. The beds have first class bedding with very high-end sheets and are super comfortable. The room was spotless. The tub is wasted on us because we never use tubs in hotels but the shower was strong and hot. Junior Suites also have coffee/tea machines, nice light-weight robes and shampoo, conditioner and shower gel (which we never use because we bring our own) and other light toiletries. The AC worked fine. The small fridge isn't really a fridge, it's really more of a cooler so we didn't use it. (No suite benefits for a Junior, just FYI).

WIFI: I got the VOOM package and it worked fine all the time with good speed, but I didn't try to watch any videos. This is definitely an improvement over past cruises on RCCL so I assume it was part of the Independence upgrade.

Staff: The staff was exemplary everywhere. Our room steward was super, brought us ice every night and kept the room very clean and tidy. Waitstaff was also great, as were the bartenders and all the patient people at the Guest Services desk. Just A+ all around.

(Note, so far I've been pretty complimentary but I'm talking about all the things I liked first. I also liked the Ports of Call and I'll post about them next).

They handle the ice show differently on the Navigator - you can’t book it via the Cruise Planner beforehand but they issue you a day and time based on your Muster Station, and then in the Cruise Compass it will just say ‘Ice Show for those in Muster Station A1’ etc. It’s a better way of doing it I think as the first time we were on the Indy we missed it completely because of not wanting to have to wait for tickets!

Yes that does sound much better. However, even though the ice shows were sold out, we had no trouble getting in. Lots of no shows.

Will post more later today.

If anyone is interested, I'll post a review of this cruise. Only because I had a lot of the questions I'm answering here and searched in vain for these topics prior to the cruise. I realize most of the people on this blog cruise all the time and are well-versed in RCCL - but I assume newcomers could benefit from the info. These are my personal opinions of this cruise only so please take it as such - I understand some may differ.

Background: Experienced cruiser on different lines but not constantly. Have cruised RCCL 3 times in the last 4 years.

Embarkation Southampton: Extremely fast and smooth, one of the easiest ports ever. Total time maybe 10 minutes. Ditto on Disembarkation (we carry off our own luggage). There's a nice little kiosk outside that sells breakfast sandwiches, crisps and drinks. If you are commuting from London, I highly recommend Silver Fleet transfers. They may be a bit more expensive but the personal service is well worth it. Pick up at your hotel, constant communication and super easy online booking and payment.

Bay of Biscay: We had 2 sea days to get down to the Western Med from Southampton and I naively thought they would be warm pool days, especially in August. I was wrong. The passage through this part of the Atlantic is blustery, rainy, windy and sometimes even cold. The waters can be a bit rocky (but nothing requiring dramamine). You can maybe get one afternoon of sun. Perhaps this was unique weather but I don't think so. Not a big deal, and if you live in the British Isles you have no choice, but I might not have chosen this itinerary (coming from the U.S.) had I known. Once in the Med, however, everything was sunny, calm and hot. And wonderful.

Shipboard Entertainment: The ice shows were nothing short of spectacular. I can't even believe a cruise line has this kind of talent. They were really phenomenal. On Independence, you can't reserve seats on the Cruise Planner ahead of the cruise. You have to stand in line on the first day (first thing in the morning) to get free tickets - which is not well publicized. I'm on vacation - so no way I'm getting up at the crack of dawn on the first day to stand in line, even if I'd known about it (which I didn't). We were kinda worried, but we appeared at show times and had no trouble getting in and getting good seats after the ticket-holders were let in. Grease was also really, really great (no tickets required for this one) and very professional. The rest of the shows were mediocre at best. The lounge bands were ok. Pulse was the best and liveliest with a varied repertoire. Vibes had a great lead singer but they looked half asleep most of the time.

Refurbishment: The best refurb was the addition of the giant sports bar next to the casino. Lots of big screen TVs, open seating, bar food, games, etc. A very good change to all those old-fashioned lounge bars. We don't do flow rider, rock climbing or slides - but I thought the addition of a virtual reality trampoline ball that can hold only 3 to 4 at a time was a waste. What a long wait for so few at a time. Adding a lot of new inside cabins just compounded the crowding problem (more on that later). Adding hand-washing stations before the Windjammer was very good - they are fast and easy. A couple of RCCl staff near the stations sing and joke and play with the kids and remind you to wash (great idea).

Coming Next (if you want): Food, ports of call and more

It’s amazing that employees are in trouble if the don’t get a perfect 10 for service - but rating the food a 2 results in no change in the quality.

Interestingly, on the post-cruise survey I recently completed, there was a question asking if any member of the staff mentioned the survey and/or asked for a high rating. The next question on the survey asked which department(s) the staff members were from who mentioned it. I was surprised by this question, but answered honestly. Now the question is: Does RCI encourage or discourage this practice?

This is tough. Our waiter gave a pitch about the survey and asked what number we’d give him. And, if not a 10 why - so he could improve in the few remaining days. He was a fine waiter but it was awkward and annoying. On the survey, I really don’t want to say that he asked because I know he’ll get in trouble and I like him. And he didn’t really ask for a 10, per se.

And this may be beating a dead horse - but it is something that RCCL needs to address. Thus it deserves discussion.

Truly, a laundromat would be so welcome. It doesn't take up much space - a few machines can fit in many places. Oceania has this feature and it honestly makes me want to use them over RCCL. We are often traveling several weeks before or after a cruise and don't want to haul so much luggage. We used Oceania's machines a lot.

Great. Thanks for the response.

How do I notify Chef's Table of food allergies? I noticed on a sample menu that the starter is scallops and I'm allergic to them. I don't want to just show up and announce it moments before the appetizer is served. I also don't want to stand in line at the concierge desk - I'm on vacation. Can I call somewhere once I'm onboard?

Calling RCCL before the cruise is worthless. I've done that for countless other things and it never gets recorded. Thanks!

Great artistic photos! Well done.

Thanks Bob!

We reserve My Time Dining in the MDR every night at approximately the same time (except when specialty dining). We get a table for 2 but get the same staff.

If we decide to eat in the Windjammer one night, we'd like to notify the MDR so we're not just no-shows. How do we do that? I'd rather not stand in line at the MDR just to tell the host that we are eating elsewhere. Can I call it in?

Thanks

I'm sure someone here who has cruised a lot can answer this. Thank you. Does the "no sugar added" dessert mean exactly that - no sugar added? Or does it mean that they have used an artificial sweetener like Splenda?

So if what I'm reading is correct, one person in the cabin who likes to drink alcohol can get the alcohol package and the other person can opt out. The second person can claim to not want any alcohol (but really be lying, in this hypothetical scenario) and the first person can get as many drinks as he wants and share them with the second person - for free. That's why I thought anyone over 21 in the same cabin had to buy the same package. What am I missing?

Does anyone know if there is a Queen tribute band on Independence of the Seas sailing out of Southampton? (This is just a question.)

I happen to love Miami - food, culture, art deco, music. BUT, if you book a cruise for certain ports (because that is what you like) then it is a real bummer when the itinerary changes. I'd be mad if a sea day was substituted for a port. Or if a U.S. port was substituted for a Caribbean port. Yes, sometimes Mother Nature interferes and nothing can be done. But dock construction should be scheduled and known ahead of time. Give away some OBC and everyone is appeased. Marketing 101.