Independence Of The Seas 7 day Western 5/17-5/24

[CalieK]

I have learned a lot from other reviews so I figured I would do one and post up some things I thought might be helpful.

 

Some background on me. My husband and I are from the Tampa, FL area. This is our third cruise. The first two were on the Allure, and both were eastern cruises. So this is the first time for a western and on a slightly smaller ship. I will draw some comparisons between them.

This year we cruised along with my younger brother-in-law and his wife.

 

Making our way to Ft Lauderdale.

We drive down to the port its about 4 hrs for us. We leave the day before and arrive around 3pm. For the last 3 years we have stayed at the Fairfield Inn off of Griffin Rd. Its a nice hotel that offers hot breakfast, transportation to the Port, and parking up to 21 days for a reasonable price ($169 for a king)

 

Day 1 Sail Away Day

 

This year we decided to get to the port the earliest we could (around 10:15am). First thing we noticed was how different things were this time. When arriving at the port on the Allure sailings it was crazy with porters and people everywhere. This time we got dropped off right at the entrance. Porters didn't come out to grab our bags we brought them to the porters. Inside was the same. No lines, hardly any people. Maybe we were really early? We waited maybe 2 min before be called up. We had priority check-in. Getting checked in was as quick as it had been before. We were directed to a waiting area until we were allowed to board.

 

Boarding of the ship was different as well. Instead of coming into the Promenade and getting that wow factor we came in on deck four which wasn't anything to be amazed at. Once inside the Promenade there was some noticeable differences between the Independence and the Allure. The Independence was tall and long seemed to go on forever. The Allure was much wider but not as tall and not as long. Not a huge difference but after a few days I did miss the extra width of the Promenade.

We walked around for a bit and then headed up to the Windjammer for lunch. The food was great and finding a table was easy. We returned to the windjammer for breakfast every day and lunch on sea days. When 1:00pm rolled around we went to visit our rooms. We had room 6632 and my BIL (brother in law) had room 6630. These room were at the bulge of the ship and we had a cool view down the ship We had our room attendant open the balcony divider to make one big balcony

View from one balcony to the other

View looking forward from balcony when pulling into Hati.

 

After much good advice from the forums we found our way to the Helipad for the sail away. Its an awesome place. I always wished the Allure would open its helipad up.

The sail away was interrupted by a few bursts of rain but it was still enjoyable. and boy was it windy.

After that we did the muster drill and went to dinner at the MDR. It was a casual night because most people, including us, still didn't have our bags. I am cool with that. More on the MDR dress code later

After dinner we hung out at the schooner bar for a bit and then went to the adult comedy show. He was pretty funny, a typical loud mouth New Yorker.

Called it a night after the show.

 

Day 2 Day At Sea

 

Like every day we started with a large delicious breakfast at the Windjammer. We explored the ship some more laid out in the sun getting our sun burn started early. We also make it a habit to attend the belly flop contest. It always fun to watch. This was one of the big differences between the Allure and the Independence. On this ship it was done in the athletic pool and used the big screen for replays. On the Allure its a much bigger and entertaining event. Its held at the Aqua Theater at the back of the boat. They make use of the adjustable level of the pool as well as the underwater camera which is pretty cool. They also use the two large screens for replays.

 

In the evening we had another headliner show which was musical guest Savannah Jack. They are a musical entertainer group that plays a bunch or songs and rolls them together with some humor. It was entertaining and the crowd seemed to enjoy it.

[CalieK]

Day 3 Labadee Hati

 

Pulling in it was the most beautiful port of the cruise. When we came in there was low level clouds that hid part of the mountains. Looked like something from Jurassic Park.

 

We got off the boat as soon as we could and headed straight to the beach. It was a very pretty island. RCI did a great job keeping it neat and clean while preserving the natural look of the island.

 

One thing that kinda ticked us off was the guys wearing brown RCI shirts automatically grab you chairs and then put their hand out expecting a tip. We never asked him to help us, the chairs are accessible for us to get our selves and he only moved them about 5 ft. Seeing the RCI shirt made me think that they worked for us this week. But no I assume they are natives that work the beaches while ships are there. Not a big deal just not expected.

 

Here are some shots of the beach from our vantage point.

My husband Chill-laxing

[CalieK]

On the way back to the boat there is a look out point behind the zipline base. So good photo ops and nice views

Panoramic from my phone

 

Picture of me at the look out point

 

My husband likes to snorkel and swim a lot. But here the water wasnt very clear kinda had a teal milky color and the water was very very salty. I had never experienced water this salty before

 

Heading back to the ship I snapped this shot. Purty ship isnt she

 

That evening we had another headliner Adam Kario. He was a juggler entertainer. He had some pretty cool routines including juggling and playing music with ping pong balls in his mouth. Afterward we attended the "Love and Marriage" game show. Its another RCI gem we make sure to attend every time.

[cajuncowgirl13]

Love your review can't wait to hear more!!!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[cincicruisers]

Thanks for taking the time to do a review. No am looking forward to reading the rest!

[CalieK]

Day 4 Jamaica

 

 

At this stop we had a day planned with Know Jamaica Tours, better known on the forums as the Marva Shaw tour. We planned to go to the Blue Hole and Dunn River falls, possibly Grotto Caves. I booked with her via email about 2 months before the cruise. She was fantastic. Very fast responses. Getting to her tours is a little bit confusing. You can ask information at the port like we did but that didnt help much. To get to the third party tours you must walk all the way to end of the port and then go right all the way to the end. You will see some white tents and a sign that tells you these are the private tours. There are plenty of people at the port that will guide you in the right direction.

 

Once we found our tour guide we were on our way. His name was Glenroy. He was very friendly and informative. He told us about Jamaica, what life is like there and other cool facts. If we passed any interesting things on the way he pulled over and explained what it was. For example we stopped by a local farm and showed us what is grown in the area. He stopped by the Christopher Columbus area. It had some old artifacts that they used back then as well as some signs with information about the site. He also pulled over on the bridge over the river that Columbus had gone down. Before we arrived he told us that people would try to sell us things and weed would be one of them. I expected this so I wasnt shocked when it happened. They were very polite, when I declined they never asked again. It might have been the nicest least shady drug dealer in existence. Ha Ha. The drive to Ocho Rios was long about an hour. Blue Hole is up in the mountains. You go down some roads and are deep into the common people towns away from the commercial areas. The country is very dirty and very third worldish. It makes you appreciate what you have. Glenroy was very good in preparing us for what we would see and not to be afraid.

Marva Shaw tours go to the very back of blue hole where there are no people selling things and it is a safer place to be. Glenroy assures us that it is safe to leave our things in the van as he locks it and stays near the van while we are at Blue Hole.

Once we get there we are introduced to our guide. I dont remember his name but he was very polite and friendly. Always willing to help us climb, or film us jumping. The Blue hole is back in a jungle-ish area. It was a set of cascading waterfalls. Our guide navigated us to areas we can jump or swing from. Not gonna lie, some were pretty scary looking. The water there was very brisk and refreshing. A very enjoyable spot. To end it our guide disappeared for a few min then appeared up in a tree about 40-50 ft above the water. He did a flip and dived into the water. There was nearly no splash. I have seen people make a bigger splash on the olympics. The

Blue hole was a fantastic stop we enjoyed much more then Dunn river falls. I'll get more into that later. On the way back to the van Glenroy had it running and the ac nice and cold.

Here are some pics from Blue Hole

 

[CalieK]

Day 4 Jamaica Pt2

 

With our Guide

 

After Blue Hole we headed to Dunn River Falls. unfortunately i dont have any photos because I thought I read they charge to bring your own camera. I was wrong, plenty of people had go pros and the like.

Dunn River is a huge tourist trap. Its a zoo at the falls. Guides are yelling and calling to their group, and video people running all over the place. I instantly didn't like the place. One thing we didn't want to do is hold hands with strangers who more than likely would make us fall. We found out you don't have to have a guide to climb the falls. We walked all the way down to the beach where the river empties to and climbed up from there. The tricky parts you can watch the path the guides take and jump in line.

This place is an ankle breaker. So many hidden drop offs in the water, and algae that makes you slip. My husband was worried one of us was gonna break something. Luckily no one did, and we climbed the entire falls ourselves. It isnt easy and quite tiring. Every time we reached a pool we rested in it for a few min.

Dunn River is a nice place it kinda has a theme park feel when you walk through the park. Its decently well kept. The falls itself is pretty but way way too crowded and we went during the off season. I wouldn't go back. I would prefer to spend more time at blue hole since it's a similar theme but much less crowded, more fun overall, and a much more beautiful place.

 

Both of these parks require you to have some kind of water shoes. Buy them before your trip so you dont have to pay $10 to rent them.

 

After Dunn River we were tired and hungry so we asked to go somewhere for lunch . Glenroy took us to a great little Jerk place. Food was fair in price and was delicious. The jerk seasoning was so good.

They had live music too.

 

After a late lunch we headed back to the port about an hour away. Driving in Jamaica is interesting, it seems road lines and signs are just suggestions to them. The weird thing is that everyone on the road is so much nicer then here in the states. When they are going slow they make room for you to pass. No road rage, just laid back Jamaican style driving. All the commercial drivers warn other drivers of speed traps. Beeping the horn isnt a mean thing to do its a friendly whats up.

 

Jamaica was a fun stop. Marva Shaws tours are great. I was worried about doing a tour in Jamaica that wasn't with RCI, but thanks to CC forum I found out about Marva and I am glad I did. I highly recommend her tours. I felt very safe while on the tour.

 

Back on the boat we went to see another headliner show. Notice how many we had so far. Still have another to go. More on why later on. Tonight was a good one. It was an Elton John impersonator, Joel Mason. He plays the music on the piano and was accompanied by the ship's orchestra. It was a great show and the guy can really play. It had some comedy mixed in as well to keep it lively.

 

I havent mentioned it yet but the Cruise Director Leigh Xuereb is a pretty funny guy. I have had Ken Rush twice before and think he is great but this guy has so much pent up energy, and such a smart mouth he will always get you laughing. He is a show in and of himself.

I will write up Grand Cayman, and Cozumel Tomorrow.

[CalieK]

Sorry about the delay. Work and real life got in the way. On to the rest of the cruise

 

Day 5 Grand Cayman

 

This was to be another do what we want day. No excursions, just some snorkeling and shopping planned. At Grand Caymen as many of you know the ship is tendered. This does create kind of a back up for getting off the ship. The boats are nonstop and there was always two loading at one time. It does take time to load the ferries so thats the delay. Its a short little trip from the ship to the pier, but you do get a nice view of the Independence on the way.

 

 

I had done some research on the forums, and found a recommended place to snorkel at. Its called Paradise. I believe. I cannot remember but its easy to get to. You walk to the end of the pier were the main road is. Take a right and walk about 1/2 mile you will see a bar/restaurant with a bright green roof. It will say the companies name on the roof.

 

You can snorkel there for free, they have gear you can rent as well as storage lockers. Its $5 for the locker, not sure on the gear as we brought our own. They have a stair case and ladder that leads to the water. Its not a very big entrance and once you step off you cant really touch the bottom, and there is not any rest places once you're out there. For some that might be something to consider. The area you have to snorkel is huge. There was a decent amount of people out and we rarely bumped into them. There is plenty of reef area to snorkel as well as some open water areas. Lots of cool fish to see.

 

 

This is us out snorkeling. You can see the ships behind us.

 

After snorkeling you can clean up and eat the restaurant that's there. Its got a good selection of food and it was good tasting. It is expensive. The menu is listed in the Cayman dollar which is $1.00 cayman dollar to about .80 US. So its higher in the Cayman's favor. For us we had 1 burger, 3 fish sandwiches, 4 cokes and 1 non alcoholic drink, it came to $84.xx including the already included tip. Food and service was good so I didn't feel taken, but some people may want a heads up on the prices.

 

Afterwards we did some shoping on the main strip. Lots of stores on the way back to the ship.

 

The warnings they give you about not waiting for the last tender back to the boat are true. The line back gets long quick. It hot and not a fun place to be waiting. The ship does offer cold water that is on a table by the Port security building.

 

Once back on board it was another Formal night although it seems that only half the ship involved in it. One thing we noticed that was different then the Allure was that on the second formal night they removed most of the photo spots. There was some that we were wanting to do on the second night that they didn't open. Kinda sucked. Another odd choice was the 70's dance party on a formal night. I dont remember that on the allure. People didn't seem so "into it" this time. Maybe because everyone was wearing the nice clothes, not usually a lot of room to move in those. My sister in law and I had a good time, we even got on the Cruise in Review DVD. The guys left early and went and played ping pong, which they pretty much did every night.

Edited June 4, 2015 by CalieK

[takevtr1]

EXCELLENT review.

Keep up the good work.

 

We are sailing the same ship and itinerary on 8/9/15, so I am loving this.

 

Question:

Which beach did you go to on Labadee?? Was it crowded?? Were there a lot of young kids there?? Did you walk to it or take the tram.

 

Thanks,

Mitch..........

[njcruisebunny]

We were on the same cruise. Agree with most of his observations.

Will say--we saw a lot of unhappy workers--we weren't wowed with RCCL this trip. Cruise director was fun.

 

MUST have sand shoes for Labadee--very rocky.

Rent a cabana at Royal Palms in Cayman. We had it for the day--only reason you need shoes is the tile flooring by the bars gets very hot.

2 buckets of beers

2 buckets of water

11 people ate lunch

2 cabanas (each $100)

a cabana guy to take care of you all day.

 

$550--of course it would be much cheaper if we didn't have so much to drink or all eat a big lunch. $550 (after tip) divided by 11 people--$50--best excursion on the cruise.

Water was crystal clear! Bathrooms, swimup pool bar--it was great!

The cabanas are $100 and they are for up to 6 people. Best deal ever. Bus was $4 per person--a steal!

 

We've been to Cayman many other times and have done all the ship excursions in the past so we were looking for something new.

[takevtr1]

We were on the same cruise. Agree with most of his observations.

Will say--we saw a lot of unhappy workers--we weren't wowed with RCCL this trip. Cruise director was fun.

 

MUST have sand shoes for Labadee--very rocky.

Rent a cabana at Royal Palms in Cayman. We had it for the day--only reason you need shoes is the tile flooring by the bars gets very hot.

2 buckets of beers

2 buckets of water

11 people ate lunch

2 cabanas (each $100)

a cabana guy to take care of you all day.

 

$550--of course it would be much cheaper if we didn't have so much to drink or all eat a big lunch. $550 (after tip) divided by 11 people--$50--best excursion on the cruise.

Water was crystal clear! Bathrooms, swimup pool bar--it was great!

The cabanas are $100 and they are for up to 6 people. Best deal ever. Bus was $4 per person--a steal!

 

We've been to Cayman many other times and have done all the ship excursions in the past so we were looking for something new.

my kind of excursion!!

for grand cayman, we plan on going to the turtle farm, dolphin discovery and hopefully if time permits, spend about 2 hours along 7-mile beach (just not sure exactly where.)

[CalieK]

Mitch, I looked it up, we were at adrenaline beach in Labadee. We were able to watch the zip liners go across the water. We walked to the beach, it wasnt that far of a walk maybe 5 minutes, but if someone has difficulty walking it would be a little far for them. I don't think we were really crowded. We had enough space around our chairs. But then again we cruised in may which is an off season, so I don't know if that makes a difference. We were in front of the first aid station to be precise. There's a small drop off in the sand to climb down to get to the water just to let know. I also agree with the other person, bring some kind of shoes to wear all the time, even in the water. Rocks are everywhere! It was slightly painful walking in the water. And my brother in law scraped the top of his foot on a rock. Ouch. Other than that, it was nice place to swim and float for the day.