Independence 6-day Review (1/27-2/2) with photos that WORK!

[micmacmissy]

So sorry for screwing up that last thread. I did test it out and it appeared to be working on my (crazy) computer. Now I'm testing it all on my ipad, and this should work.

 

Okay! So where were we?

 

My husband and I have cruised before (Celebrity) but our kids (10 and 12) are new to cruising. We chose this ship over the Allure/Oasis because it was so much cheaper, and we figured it would be better to start the kids out with more realistic cruising expectations, and the Freedom class was getting such awesome reviews.

 

Day 0 - Arrive in Fort Lauderdale

When we left Baltimore it was 18 degrees and snowing...see ya! We had a quick and easy flight to FLL. Lucky for us both Air Tran and Southwest fly there direct and cheap. It cost $500 for our family of 4, round trip. Additional $60 each way for luggage. Still a bargain!

 

We booked Hyatt Pier 66- we had stayed there pre-cruise before so we knew it was nice. Booked waaay in advance and got a $99 military rate. The hotel is 15 min away from the airport, about 5 minutes from the Pier, and is a $20 cab ride away. The Hyatt has lovely grounds and nice pools, and most of the rooms are modern and upgraded. If you book, be sure to ask for a renovated room. We didn't, and got a dated room- which was still nice, but had carpet, older furniture, and a bathroom that was not up to Hyatt standards. Newer rooms have marble baths, tile floors, modern furniture, etc. Beds were doubles and small, but comfortable. For $99, I didn't feel I had a right to request one of the renovated rooms, and it was only for one night.

 

Room views are great- we were on the outer side of the hotel, which faces the canals. Our room views:

 

 

 

Once we were settled in the room, we put on our bathing suits and hung out by the pool. There's a nice pool bar there where you can order lunch. Not cheap, but good. We got busy relaxing!

 

Another nice thing about this hotel is that it has a 16 story tower with views of the pier. We went up to watch Oasis pull out:

 

 

 

After that, we walked to dinner. There are several places to eat within walking distance. We headed to Pelican's Landing, which is on the hotel's pier and an easy walk. You can eat out on the upper deck with a great view of the canal. (That is, when Steven Speilberg's $200 million dollar 280 foot yacht is not blocking your view):

 

 

After dinner, we walked around the piers and looked at the different boats and yachts. Then we settled into our room for an early bedtime. We were all SO excited about getting on the ship the next day!

[micmacmissy]

Day 1 - Embarkation and Exploring the Ship!

 

We got up early and took a walk over the drawbridge to get breakfast. There are several shops and places to eat there. It takes about 10-15 minutes from the hotel, and it's fun to look at the ships while you walk over the bridge. We could see two Princess ships, an MSC ship, Celebrity, Holland America...everyone but the Independence, who was stuck waaay back at Pier 29.

 

After we walked back to the hotel, we showered and got ready to head to the pier! My husband kept pointing out that our travel documents from Royal said embarkation times were either 1:30pm or 2:30pm (depending on which one you were looking at). I told him he had to trust me - and the thousands of folks before us at Cruise Critic - cause we were getting to the pier by 10:30am!

 

I printed out our luggage tags at home and covered them with clear packing tape, which was the perfect width (still don't understand why so many people obsess about finding holders for these). Bellhop stapled them on the bags and we were ready to go! Hopped in a cab and took the quick ride to the Pier.

 

We arrived at Pier 29 a little after 10:30am. They have the embarkation process well under control- the taxis pull right up to the porters who are waiting for your bags. Be sure to have singles...our lucky porter got $10 for our 3 bags cause I had no change. Once you drop your bags, you can get in the check in line. The doors to the warehouse-like building were not yet open, so we got in line, which was covered and shady. There were probably 100 people ahead of us. The doors opened around 10:45am and we were inside within a few minutes. You are then directed to a snaked security line, which took another 15 minutes or so. And then you're through and off to check-in!

 

A word about passports: no, you don't need them for your kids if they're under 16 and you're departing from/returning to a US port. I was going to get them, but I procrastinated and didn't want to spend an additional $300 to get them shipped last minute. I was sweating over having only birth certs- I was worried something would happen. But it was fine. Birth certs must be state issued and have a raised seal. We got our sea pass cards within minutes and we were on our way to the ship! By this time it was about 11:20am.

 

 

 

We were so excited we didn't know what to do first! We decided to head to the Windjammer and beat the crowds there. We explored a little on the way...barely anyone was on the ship...

 

The Promenade was empty...

 

The main pool/H2O zone were empty...

 

And the solarium was empty...

[micmacmissy]

And then we got to the Windjammer. Not crowded at all. We found a nice seat by the window overlooking the check in pier. At this point, I had low expectations. I've read all about the Windjammer food and how mediocre it would be. Well, I was pleasantly surprised. There were a lot of good choices...of course we tried the Honey Stung chicken (which did not reappear for the rest of the week, unfortunately), roast beef, mashed potatoes, salad, dessert...everything was actually very good.

 

The kids were thrilled with the Windjammer- they loved being able to pick and choose whatever they wanted to eat. They had a blast getting up on their own and looking at the different options. Waiter service (on the first day only) was very good; we had drinks delivered to us, plates cleared, lovely service.

 

As you can see from our table view (this was before noon), the Pier and embarkation area was remarkably uncrowded:

 

We decided not to linger in the Windjammer, as we didn't want to be chair hogs on day one! We wandered around and had fun checking out the sights:

 

Rock Wall, Sports Court:

 

Johnny Rockets and Mini Golf area:

 

And the Kids Club:

 

By this time, it was almost 1:00pm, when staterooms were ready. I spent a lot of time and energy to figure out what the best room was for a family of four, and we scored big time! For the price of a D1, aft cabin 1200 is huge- about as wide as a Junior Suite with a fantastic balcony.

[micmacmissy]

You can google search and find a good view for aft cabin 1200. I tried to get photos before my family rushed in...but you can see they weren't very patient!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The balcony was great- it had two full size loungers and two regular chairs with a small table. The overhang on one side was nice, you always had a bit of shade.

 

I was really impressed with the closet space- lots of shelves (we brought a TON of clothes) and one long hanging bar, with another hanging bar that could pull down if you needed more hanging space, which we didn't.

 

 

In addition to the shelving, there were plenty of nice wooden hangers and hangers with clips. The vanity area had a bunch of drawers, too. Even the mirrors had hidden shelving in them. After one night in a hotel room, I was worried about the ship- but we had plenty of room to unpack all our stuff. After unpacking, we stored the suitcases under the bed, where there was plenty of room.

[micmacmissy]

 

Oh no! At this point we realized my daughter's Sea Pass card was missing. Yikes! With my credit card linked to it. We wandered down to Guest Relations and it was no problem. They just reprinted her card and off we went. This time we went straight to the Kids Club to register the kids (and to get lanyards so we wouldn't lose any more cards!).

 

Normally there are 1,000 kids on a sailing. This one had only about 230, they told us. The "open house" at the kids club consisted of two toddlers running around. We looked around and left- that was all we saw of the kids clubs all week! The woman who worked there was not very friendly or outgoing, and told us they were combining 3-11 year olds since there were so few kids. I have heard great things about the kids clubs before, but I'm guessing those are on sailings when there were more kids. Either way, our kids were content to hang with us and didn't feel like they were missing anything.

 

We went back to relax on the balcony before we could decide what to do next. Our stateroom attendant, John, came and introduced himself. He was very nice; I let him know it was my daughter's birthday the next day, and he said he knew just what to do. And later that night, he did:

 

 

My daughter was beyond thrilled.

 

We went to muster drill, which was crowded but organized; they had us in and out of there in good time. We went to the upper decks to watch sailaway, which was fun. There weren't nearly as many people waving from the buildings as I remember from past cruises, but it was exciting nonetheless!

 

This guy has a flowrider in his yard:

 

 

 

The Coast Guard boat that escorted us out was doing all kinds of tricks in the water. Everyone was cheering and egging him on!

 

[southstaffs3]

looks great can not wait to be on her 2nd of march :)

[Toddcan]

looks great can not wait to be on her 2nd of march :)

 

Keep her clean and tidy, we're right behind you on the 10th.

[southstaffs3]

Keep her clean and tidy, we're right behind you on the 10th.

will do :)

[micmacmissy]

After a very organized muster drill, we got ready for dinner. We had My Time Dining, which worked wonderfully for us! We really liked it much better than traditional dining.

 

For this first night, I had made the reservation online a week prior. The dining room was pretty chaotic. We were seated quickly and had excellent service. Our waiter was Norbert and his assistant was Bogdan. They were great and quickly learned our preferences. We were seated in their section each night.

 

Funny thing about My Time Dining: we could never get a reservation! All they could offer us was either 5pm or 8:15pm. So we chose just to walk in whenever we were ready- which worked out better. First of all, the lines for people with reservations were consistently long, and there were often NO lines for people without reservations! Even when we showed up at the prime hour of 6:30-7:30, we were seated within minutes. I don't know why, given that situation, people would bother making reservations at all!

 

As for the food, I have read a lot about the quality, the old/new menus, and how mediocre it is. I have to say, I had low expectations and I was pleasantly surprised. I am not one to take food photos, but I will say, we enjoyed most of what we ate. My husband felt like the food was better on Celebrity, which it might have been, slightly. I would compare the food to a wedding banquet. Not gourmet, but certainly decent! My son and I quickly found the Savory Bites and loved them (recipe, anyone???). The Mexican tortilla soup on the first night was really good, too.

 

Service was excellent. Our asst waiter made my daughter chocolate milk every night by covering the interior of the glass with syrup and then filling it with milk. She told him, "This is heaven on earth!" He had never heard that expression before...and every night, he delivered her milk by saying, "Madam, here is your heaven on earth." It was really nice...and he even brought her one whenever he saw us in the Windjammer. I was impressed.

 

My husband gave Celebrity the edge on food and service. My thoughts on MDR: if I don't have to shop for it, cook it, or clean it up, I'm pretty happy. I think service was equally good on both lines.

[Meggo]

 

This is super random but was this your Bogden? He was on the Navigator last year and he was AMAZING! Made our cruise.

[micmacmissy]

After dinner, we went to the theatre to watch the Welcome Aboard show. I have to say, this was not my favorite part of the cruise. The entertainment was amateurish. Granted, I am a little jaded in this department- I've seen a lot of shows in NYC/DC/etc, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. It opened with the cruise director, who was amusing. There was also a comedian aboard, who was really good (bummed that his only other show didn't start until 11:30pm!). But the opening "Come Sail Away" act was- embarrassingly bad. Reminded me of a high school production. The kids and I left early- my husband stayed until the end...he thought the shows were okay, and he's able to enjoy things for what they are, so that was good!

 

We were too tired to stay up much past 10:30pm...we were all wiped out! It was fun returning to the room all cleaned and made up...our room steward was great.

 

Day 2 - At Sea

We woke up early, and my husband and I headed to the jogging track. 5 laps = one mile, and it was pleasant up there- not too windy at all. It's hard to run on that track, however, cause there are so many people on it! I left my husband up there and went to the gym.

 

The gym was nicely equipped- plenty of treadmills (nice ones), ellipticals, weight machines. etc. I'm not quite sure why they have a boxing ring there...seems like a waste of space. Towels and alcohol wipes available there. The bathroom in the gym had changing space, a steam room, and a sauna. It was very easy to get equipment on the sea day, not crowded at all. I would have liked to try a yoga class, but didn't get around to it.

 

After the gym we all headed to the Windjammer for breakfast. Even on a sea day at 9:30am, it wasn't too crowded at all. Here's what stood out: THE PANCAKES WERE AWFUL! How hard is it to get pancakes right? They were inedible. But no matter- there were plenty of other good choices.

 

After eating we headed up to play a round of mini golf, which was fun, and then we watched people surfing on the flow rider, also fun. We headed down to the promenade to pick up tickets for that day's ice skating show. Shows were at 3:15 and 5:15 but the 3:15 show was sold out, so we got tickets for the 5:15. The cruise director staff at the ticket table noticed by daughter's happy birthday shirt, and they all sang to her- very nice, and she was thrilled.

 

We hung out on the pool deck for awhile after that, and made some friends up there. The weather was amazing- 90 and sunny and the seas were perfectly calm. The pools on board were CHILLY...but we swam, then jumped into the hot tub. So a word about chair hogs...it wasn't too bad. We arrived on the pool deck around 11 and didn't have too much of a problem finding two chairs together. We saw LOTS of chair hog nests, however.

 

After leaving for lunch in the WJ, we went back to the pool and no chairs to be found. We just removed a couple of towels and made ourselves comfortable. After reading for a couple hours, never saw the people who put them there.

 

After the pool, we showered and went to see the ice show. It was called "Freeze Frame". It was pretty good, and we enjoyed it. Some of the skaters were really talented, and how they are able to skate on a rink that size is impressive. After that, another dinner, and another show. That night the show was "Once Upon a Time" (or something like that). We watched the first ten minutes and left. It was pretty bad...

 

Next day: Grand Cayman!

[micmacmissy]

 

This is super random but was this your Bogden? He was on the Navigator last year and he was AMAZING! Made our cruise.

 

Nope...our Bogdan was someone else. He looked young, maybe mid to late 20's?

[Daghis]

Keep her clean and tidy, we're right behind you on the 10th.

And you have to do the same. We're following you on the 16th! :D

 

Thanks for this review with the pictures. I'm glad that they're working now. The birthday towel creation is really cute.

 

BTW, you may want to double-check your cabin number. I don't think there is a 1200 on the Independence of the Seas. The pictures make me think it may have been 1400, though.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[mivama]

 

For some reason, this picture gave me the chills. I just love that feeling of walking up the gang plank when you are about to set foot on the ship! That will be me in less than 2 weeks!!! Thanks for an awesome review so far!!

[39august]

Thanks for your detailed review. I was on this cruise as well, and I just have to say that I thought "Once Upon a Time" was one of the best production shows I have ever seen on a ship. Different strokes for different folks!

[megessey]

I was just examining a Compass from the Independence of the Seas from 2009, and they were performing the Once Upon a Time show back then!! that was 5 years ago :eek:

[DrD]

Thanks. BTW the proper term is "chair hog sty," not "nest." ;)

[micmacmissy]

And you have to do the same. We're following you on the 16th! :D

 

Thanks for this review with the pictures. I'm glad that they're working now. The birthday towel creation is really cute.

 

BTW, you may want to double-check your cabin number. I don't think there is a 1200 on the Independence of the Seas. The pictures make me think it may have been 1400, though.

 

Today was clearly NOT my day. Yes, it was 1400. And shoot, there is no way to go back and edit my previous post, is there?

[LuckiStac13*Majesty*]

Thanks so much for your review! Will board Indy at the end of this month so your thoughts are particularly interesting.

 

We will be staying in FLL for a few days prior, and one of my stops is going to be Pelican Landing. Would you go there again? Was the food pretty good? I'm mostly interested in the view and drinks, but just wondering what you thought. Thanks again!

[woostercruise]

We are doing the 6 day in March with our 9 & 11 year old boys, I'm hoping at least my 9 year old will go to Adventure Ocean. He is one of those that would like to have friends over all the time. Hopefully, with more children things will be better. Would love to know your children's impressions of the cruise.

 

What did you do in Falmouth? I'm struggling with what to do there.

 

Thanks for the great review!

[workathome]

I am in the same cabin as you on Liberty, can you tell me how large the sofa was when made into a bed. I know it opens like a futon, but did it open any larger. Someone in a past thread said something about getting an extension? Did both your kids sleep on it? My kids are 13 and 15 and not sure if I should bring a air mattress. I am loving your review and love, love, love your pictures. Your doing a great job.

[micmacmissy]

Thanks so much for your review! Will board Indy at the end of this month so your thoughts are particularly interesting.

 

We will be staying in FLL for a few days prior, and one of my stops is going to be Pelican Landing. Would you go there again? Was the food pretty good? I'm mostly interested in the view and drinks, but just wondering what you thought. Thanks again!

 

We've been there before, and yes, I'd definitely go back. The service isn't great (it was crowded and getting a seat was kind of a free for all), but the food was really good. Simple sandwiches, mostly. I had a chili burger with a side salad- the salad was a nice, big spinach salad.

[micmacmissy]

We are doing the 6 day in March with our 9 & 11 year old boys, I'm hoping at least my 9 year old will go to Adventure Ocean. He is one of those that would like to have friends over all the time. Hopefully, with more children things will be better. Would love to know your children's impressions of the cruise.

 

What did you do in Falmouth? I'm struggling with what to do there.

 

Thanks for the great review!

 

We weren't on the ship for 24 hours when my 12 year old proclaimed it "the best vacation EVER". There will probably be more kids on the ship when you go since more kids are on break in March, so that will have an impact. Even without going to a kids club, my kids had a great time. They are begging to go back.

 

At Falmouth, we did the Chukka Beach Break for $29/pp. I will put up a review of that and photos when I get to day 4! I would NOT go off on my own in Falmouth (at least with the kids).

[micmacmissy]

I am in the same cabin as you on Liberty, can you tell me how large the sofa was when made into a bed. I know it opens like a futon, but did it open any larger. Someone in a past thread said something about getting an extension? Did both your kids sleep on it? My kids are 13 and 15 and not sure if I should bring a air mattress. I am loving your review and love, love, love your pictures. Your doing a great job.

 

I have photos of it opened up that I will post as soon as I find them. It was plenty big enough for my kids...I'd say it opened to queen size? The room steward brought two sets of blankets so each kid could have their own cocoon. The nice thing was that even with the sofa opened, there was PLENTY of room in the cabin. You will love it! I will try to find that photo for you and get it posted.