flamingos

Independence is a nice ship. You'll enjoy it. Any specific questions?

If that means you think that cruises leaving from Florida don't require proof of vaccination, you are incorrect.

I am so jealous! We try to go to the opera houses of any city we visit, and they are dark the evening we are there. We are booked on a half day tour that will take us to the Vasa museum, as that restored ship fascinates us (if you are ever in Portsmouth, England, go see that Mary Rose. It's Henry VII's flagship that sank in the harbor in 1545. They restored that ship using the methods they learned from the restoration of the Vasa. Thanks for the ideas for the rest of the time in port.

Interesting question. Having done both, I'd prefer day 1. I want a full sea day for my last cruise day, for maximum relaxation before getting back to real life. As for packing, we walk off with our luggage so there is no rush to get our suitcases outside the door. That's not even a concern.

We just got our assigned time of 1 p.m. We were thinking of having a cab drop us and luggage off an hour or two early, since we have to leave the hotel, then we could wander around and find something to eat - or see if the line is open for early arrivals.

Yeah, I've only done one and found out afterwards that the organizers took all the points on their card, presumably with the knowledge and permission of the casino. I had no problem with it - they did all the work - but there were those who were upset that it was not disclosed.

We usually have the cheese plate as an appetizer - after the first night you ask for it, it is brought to your table automatically. Hopefully, you have someone in your group who likes each part of the plate - blue cheese, swiss, mild cheddar, walnuts, fig jam and brown bread.

We used ours on the cruises when the casinos were smoke-free. Didn't use them last trip.

Find a nice spot like the british pub where you can hang and get your wifi better. I hope things improve after they are reported.

We missed one day with rough seas. It was our last day before docking at Canaveral so the captain just kept going in circles and every few hours we'd be back to see that it was too rough to dock. Apparently there were still complaints so the last pass was long and slow so we could all get a really good view of the waves crashing over the pier.

August 21, 28, and Sept 4. So the last two Baltics and the Arctic Crossing.

To have in the cabin for whenever. I rarely take them with me on deck.

That is new as well, I think because so many people do not use them. You simply go to any bar and they will give you one. We are on Voyager in August, so any details will be interesting! Thanks for the updates.

Probably not, if you know about it. I'm asking what kind of notification they give you - do they tell you when you are parking in Terminal 1 that you have the option of dropping your luggage, then parking in Terminal 5 and getting shuttled back? I'm just imagining sitting on the balcony on that last morning, watching the ship go right past the expected terminal and wondering how the heck we'd get back to our car. 🙂 Basically, it's a question about communication.

Yeah. One trip, we wandered down a dirt service road to the right of the tender dock, and ended up walking through the trees to a secluded beach with NO ONE ON IT. We spent a glorious hour or two just sitting in the sand with the surf lapping at our legs, and silence except for the birds and the wind. 🙂

You could take it to any bar and ask them to please wash it for you. Don't they have the rinse sink in each one? I'd toss a small tip in with that. We always wash ours in the cabin sink and let it air dry overnight.

Yes, too risky.

We considered that, but we would rather be on board and relaxed as soon as possible. So I can carry it for a little while. The key is that big beach bag so the 12-pack sits flat on the bottom.

Did they mention if it was going to be included, or an additional fee? 😅

Every time we cruise. When we board I carry a beach bag with our swimsuits so we can go straight to the Solarium and get our first drink in the hot tub. A 12 pack of coke fits neatly in the bottom of the beach bag.

I know, but we've been on Mariner 3 times since the restart and always came and left from the same place. I would hope they'd have some notification at the pier so you know and don't get blindsided when you end up 1/2 mile away with all your luggage. 🙂

It never occurred to me to look. I've never heard of coming back to someplace different that when you parked your car. One more thing to worry about. 🙂

We bring a 12 pack of coke on every cruise, in my carryon. Any leftovers, we leave for the room steward.

Hard no, unless something has changed. We took Serenade on a transatlantic in 2018, and once we turned north at the Azores there was no one in the pool. Hot tubs still worked and had some hardy souls in them. But the lifeguards were on duty all day, in sweat pants and hoodies, just in case. I felt like they needed some diversion in their day and jumped in the pool after a hot tub visit - and nope. Not heated. 🙂

How do you know in advance that you're returning to a different terminal? Absolutely.