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Independence of the Seas - Recap & Review (1/23) - Photos/video/scans

ultimatecruisemaster
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ultimatecruisemaster

ultimatecruisemaster

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Day 3 (Part 1) - Labadee

 

To start off the day at Labadee, we ordered some coffee via room service the night before. They gave us a ring before delivery and we received our much needed caffeine. After getting ready, we headed up to the Windjammer for some breakfast. As usual... I got my daily fill of smoked salmon, corned beef hash, sausage, scrambled eggs, bacon and some fruit. We ate, then headed down to the gangway. Down on deck 1, they were signing out towels, and we grabbed two.

 

We didn't book anything for Labadee, and were just going to play it by ear. I had done the wave riders many years ago, while on the Explorer. Nothing really screamed out at us this time though. If I end up in Labadee again... might try the coaster or zipline next time.

 

We wanted to wander first... without the towel and our bags... so we rented a locker by the entrance of the island. I believe it cost about $8, and they open and close using a (RFID?) wrist band. We left our belongings and did a walking tour of the island. We eventually settled down around Adrenaline beach... on the far North East part of Labadee. A guy brought us some sun chairs and we relaxed for a bit.

 

Lunch was open at 11:30pm. It was a bbq buffet... with salads, ribs, hot dogs, burgers and desserts. Something about bbq felt right on Labadee... and I just pigged out. We got a fancy pina colada in a pineapple, as well. We opted to stay away from the market area entirely ... but did go watch the dance and acrobat show in the little amphitheater.

 

We hopped back on the ship to reapply some sun screen, and switch up some of our baggage. Then went for some more lounging and went in the water. The beaches that we explored were fairly rocky in areas... and had a bunch of seaweed as well. Beaches on the south shore might have been better (?). After a few hours in the sun & sea ... we headed back to the ship.

 

Apparently... at about 2:40pm, they start clearing out the lockers. An employee stopped me on the way to the locker area and sent me to security, which had already picked up our bag and passports. Weird. Oh well... glad we got our stuff!

 

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Labadee handout 1

 

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Labadee handout 2

 

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Labadee handout 3

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waterbugohio

waterbugohio

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Thanks for all the comments and compliments!

 

And if anyone is curious... This was shot with the Sony HDR-AS20 waterproof action cam. That specific model is a couple years old now ... And you can get it for as cheap as $100!

 

So what kind of "selfie stick" do you use with it??

 

The video is awesome. Love the final picture. Did someone help, or did you have it mounted somewhere.

 

Great review. Just 40 some days for me!!

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ultimatecruisemaster

ultimatecruisemaster

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So what kind of "selfie stick" do you use with it??

 

The video is awesome. Love the final picture. Did someone help, or did you have it mounted somewhere.

 

Great review. Just 40 some days for me!!

 

Thank you!

 

Here's the camera in its waterproof case. For some of the shots, I just used a regular generic selfie stick that I bought off Amazon or ebay. And whenever I was in the water, it was usually attached to this floating handle, with a wrist strap (also from Amazon or eBay).

 

And that last shot... was held by just a random passenger! He was nearby and I just asked him to hold the camera up in the air for us, for about ten seconds ... haha.

 

i-Fn58pFW-X2.jpg

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ultimatecruisemaster

ultimatecruisemaster

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Ok! Continuing with the recap & review...

 

Day 3 (Part 2) - After Labadee

 

After a day of sunshine on Labadee we took a nap before dinner. Got ready and headed to the main dining room to discover that we had a full table! A couple guests from the late seating had moved up to join us earlier, so they could make Strings, the ice show tonight. The more the merrier! For starters, I had the arancini and caprese salad, and lasagna for my main.

 

We got to Studio B about 5 minutes before the Strings was to start. Venue was packed, but we did find a pair of seats together on the side. There was a slight obstructed view with a pole in the way though. The show kind of starts off slow... but picks up after about 10 minutes with more upbeat music and more exciting choreography and tricks. Overall though... the show was lots of fun, and I do recommend checking it out.

 

After the show, we stopped by Windjammer (as usual) for another fill up. Had some pasta, curry, mashed potatoes, eggplant parm and tiramisu for dessert. We browsed the art sale, then went up to the pool deck for the Party under the Stars. Not as much of a crowd there as we hoped. But people were dancing on the middle deck, and even busting a move in the hot tub. By this time... we were getting pretty sick of line dances... but they always attracted a crowd to the dance floor. We were all tired out, and stopped by the promenade again for some snacks before bed. Goodnight to day 3!

 

 

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Day 3 - Menu starters

 

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Day 3 - Menu mains

 

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Lasagna

 

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Another towel buddy

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ultimatecruisemaster

ultimatecruisemaster

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And now... just some miscellaneous notes that haven't fit into my recap and review so far...

 

- I ended up gaining about 5 pounds on the trip. We ate a lot, haha. Breakfast, lunch, promenade snack, MDR dinner, Windjammer dinner, promenade snack .... was our usual routine. To counterbalance all the eating... we tried to take the stairs as much as possible. My girlfriend has a Fitbit and we did clear 10,000 to 15,000 steps per day. We intended on hitting the gym... but with the busy schedules, never made it there for a workout.

 

- Service overall was very good from our stateroom attendant Delores, and all the wait staff. Delores was super sweet, and we ended up tipping her additional. She helped us get a corkscrew and band aids when we needed and was always interested in chatting.

 

- We did intend to get some Ben and Jerry's and cupcakes... but with all the free options, we just never got around to it. We also considered Johnny Rockets... but it didn't make the cut either.

 

- My girlfriend is a social butterfly ... so her favourite place was the hot tubs. Whenever we'd get in the hot tub, it was always a nice time chatting with guests.

 

- Despite events going on ... we never made it into the Pyramid lounge or the Viking Crown lounge.

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easyboy

easyboy

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Thank you!

 

Here's the camera in its waterproof case. For some of the shots, I just used a regular generic selfie stick that I bought off Amazon or ebay. And whenever I was in the water, it was usually attached to this floating handle, with a wrist strap (also from Amazon or eBay).

 

And that last shot... was held by just a random passenger! He was nearby and I just asked him to hold the camera up in the air for us, for about ten seconds ... haha.

 

i-Fn58pFW-X2.jpg

Thanks for this idea.

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PoseyLake

PoseyLake

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Thanks for all the info and reviews. Loved your video, it was awesome! My family of 3, booked our trip for March 20 on Indy and hope to have as much fun as you and your girlfriend did. I was wondering if in Labadee you could walk to the different beaches and are all the water activities extra cost? Looking forward to the Jamaica reviews. We're thinking of Mystic Falls for the bob sledding and maybe Dunn's River Falls.

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ultimatecruisemaster

ultimatecruisemaster

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Thanks for all the info and reviews. Loved your video, it was awesome! My family of 3, booked our trip for March 20 on Indy and hope to have as much fun as you and your girlfriend did. I was wondering if in Labadee you could walk to the different beaches and are all the water activities extra cost? Looking forward to the Jamaica reviews. We're thinking of Mystic Falls for the bob sledding and maybe Dunn's River Falls.

 

Awesome! You'll have a great time!

 

Yeah, all the beaches are pretty much within walking distance. There is also a free trolley system that will take you back and forth, if you don't want to do the entire trek. And yeah... I think all the water activities are extra. You can rent floating mats and there's a floating obstacle course water park you can purchase access to. Of course, you can just get sun chairs and hang out in the water for free though.

 

Dunn's River falls was a fun experience. It was a worthwhile excursion. I'll go into more detail in the next review update!

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