(Slightly less so) Cheapo dad's trip report on Independence of the Seas

[harryfat1]

Don't forget a set of ear plugs.

 

Yeah, good point. Amazing how loud the airplanes are.

 

 

I'm hoping not to do another red eye to east coast for awhile but I am sure once I see the sales price of a red eye compared to a regular flight (say $50/pp savings X 4 people), I will book another red eye and forgotten about this ordeal.

[harryfat1]

I like the fort pictures, too and I've been to those forts. Your perspective and pictures are interesting.

Heather

 

Also remember this is a family project. Not all the pictures are from me so you are getting different perspective from various members.

[harryfat1]

I like all your pictures Harry. Boats, sand, ropes, food, rocks, trees, forts, fanny packs...it's all good. Keep em coming. Did you do any tilt shift/miniature pictures this time? I don't remember on Freedom if that was a setting in your camera or if you did that with software after the cruise.

 

Hi, Bob,

 

Thanks for continuing to provide words of encouragement.

 

The old tilt shift pictures were mainly taken from the Canon camera as they have a feature in the dial to do that. But if you took a regular picture on the phone or camera, you can download free apps that can manipulate the pictures for you. For whatever reason, I wasn't in the tilt shift frame of mind on this cruise. I was all into bokeh as that was the new feature on the note 8.

 

I need to go back and find some pictures from this cruise to do some after the fact effects on it.

 

Just played around with couple pictures while I was at Costco earlier today. Will see what I can do in the next few days.

 

 

[harryfat1]

We too were on this cruise which was our first family cruise. Loving reading your views and looking at the pictures as it is bringing back happy memories. Seems you also have a similar ideas to us as to what to do in port - i.e. avoid the cruise tours and do it yourself (I'm also a cheapo dad !). We did the same as you in San Juan except in reverse order of forts. Looking forward to the rest of the report.

 

Hi,

 

Thanks for the compliment. Another person from our sailing following along. Good to relive the old vacation at zero cost, eh?

 

We had a mixed age group of 8 people doing the walk, with 2 little girls. So I knew they would get tired soon if the first fort is too far and we will get the "are we there yet?" question. Thus I opted for the nearest fort first. That way they can sit and rest while we split up and do our own thing.

 

By going in reverse order, one can go and get the map from the tourism office on the east side after getting off the ship. We never made it there as we would have to double back and I'm too lazy to do that. As long as I had my phone and Google map up and running, I didn't need a physical map.

[harryfat1]

 

Harry, I’ve been following along from way back at page 1 and I’m enjoying reliving every single moment with you. My boyfriend and I were also on this cruise. I had to LOL at this picture. If you zoom in at the top of the ramp, you’ll see a crazy lady with her arms up in victory. That’s me, just happy to have made it up that steep ramp ;). The forts were amazing but quite a workout.

 

Hi, Shelly,

 

Thanks for following along. It's a wonderful thing to go back and relive a memorable vacation.

 

That's why we take so many pictures - so we can go back and remember. That's important to us.

 

Yes, the forts are huge and if you try to do both, you have a decent workout just walking to and from both, not counting the steep inclines at the fort itself.

 

Amazing how small the world is in my wife just catching you guys walking up at the right time and taking that picture. Smile, you are on cruise critic...

[harryfat1]

We walked off the ship and decided on a whim to take the $20 tour. We were not disappointed. Our local driver LOVED his home of Puerto Rico, which made it such a great ride. The first stop was touring the Capital of Puerto Rico. Wow - gorgeous! You def need to put that stop on your next SJ list! Your pictures will be amazing! Our driver showed us many points of local interest, including the photo op stop at the fort. Wrapping it up, he offered a drop downtown in the shopping district, or you could stay on and he'd drop you back at the pier. We enjoyed it!

Looking forward to hearing about your SXM stop as well. We have nothing planned for there yet, as we weren't sure what's operating or not.

 

Thanks Harry!

 

It sounds like a good value for the $20 tour. That's a decent price to drive you around town to see various highlights. Will have that in mind if we do another eastern Caribbean cruise and have a stop at SJ for just few hours.

 

I should get to SXM part of the trip report either tonight or tomorrow as I wrap up day 4.

[harryfat1]

Still here following along! We did the walk up to the El Morro fort but did not see the first one. We thought the fort was awesome but what we loved possibly even more was walking up and down the colorful, Spanish colonial streets. Some of the street corners are so photogenic, not something you would normally see anywhere back in the continental U.S.. It was interesting because compared to some of the other port stops, OSJ seemed busy and bustling, but not necessarily in a tourism kind of way. I am especially looking forward to your St. Maarten pics because we went on a speedboat tour, but I am curious how the devastation looked from a land perspective. Thanks!

 

Hi, Brandon,

 

Thanks for hanging in there with me.

 

By time we made it back to streets of OSJ, many stores were closed as it was Christmas Eve. But you can't do everything as the ship didn't dock until 1 PM.

 

Next time hopefully we will have more time to see OSJ as I like the busy activity of the area. The narrow cobble stone street reminds of how Puerto Vallarta.

 

We took a whole island tour at St. Maarten so there will be some pictures to share on some of the damages. Should be able to start day 5 by either later tonight or tomorrow.

[harryfat1]

Keep posting. I am enjoying the photos and comments. On Freedom in April.

 

Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Forums mobile app

 

Thanks for the compliment.

 

Have a great cruise on the Freedom before she leaves Florida and head south to SJ.

[Coralc]

After you showed us the minature feature on the camera, I spent an entire cruise trying it out with the Canon. This was from Bonaire. Thanks, Harry!

[harryfat1]

After you showed us the minature feature on the camera, I spent an entire cruise trying it out with the Canon. This was from Bonaire. Thanks, Harry!

 

Ah, very nice.

 

I have found the best tilt shift miniature pictures are from repetitive things (like houses or seats) and things that our brain is used to seeing miniature models (cars/buses/trains).

 

You captured both in one shot.

[ObrienRx4U]

Following! We will be on freedom March 17th for 8 days! Can't wait!

 

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[harryfat1]

(Thanks again to everyone for following along this War & Peace novel. So where were we? Oh, yeah, ready to leave the fort)

 

Last few pics of the area as we start to walk back toward the cruise terminal

 

 

Just can't get over the green grass and the blue ocean contrast and how much wide open space the whole area is

 

 

 

This was taken at 5:30 PM local time.

 

Using Google map on the phone and more or less following few loose groups of folks that looks like cruise ship passengers and tourists, we made our way past Old San Juan.

 

 

There were so much written by people here on what OSJ would look like post hurricane. From what we saw in walking back and the stream of cars driving by, I didn’t see any impact of hurricane in the OSJ area.

 

 

Of course, outside the district and further into the rural area, it might be a whole different story for someone else to report on. But from what we saw and the pictures will prove out, things look pretty normal.

 

[harryfat1]

 

 

 

 

 

ALWAYS happy to see your ship docked in port after a long day out

 

[harryfat1]

 

There is a CVS across from the cruise terminal and we stopped there to pick up some sundry supplies. You know you are in the Caribbean when you see a whole row of suntan lotion related items. Certainly not the same CVS from back home.

 

 

Your typical Caribbean stop at a given port runs the 8 AM to 5 PM cycle. Such that by time you get back to the pier, it is still bright and sunny. Very seldom do you see a ship all lit up when you walk back.

 

This is a rare case in that the port stop is shifted by few hours and we get to see the ship with a twilight background. I know for Europe, they have some later departure time slots but that does not happen as often in the Caribbean.

 

These pictures were brighten by the camera’s software as in reality, it was darker than the photo showed. Nevertheless, there pictures it would be even better if they were taken 90 minutes later. But we weren’t going to do that. After walking around the forts since 1 PM this afternoon, we were ready to get back to the cabin to shower and rest.

 

 

[harryfat1]

Time stamp for this is 6:08 PM local time on a late December night as it was darker outsude. The software added more light to the picture than in reality

 

 

Vendors setting up to try to get some last minute business before the cruisers get back to the ship. I can't see any signs of hurricane related issues from the hustle/bustle of the water front

 

 

[harryfat1]

I love seeing the ship all lid up. Not often you get to see this as we are typically on board by time night rolls around or in the summer months when it doesn't get dark until after 8 PM, you typically only see the ship in sunlight at the ports.

 

Here is the difference between the wide angle of my Canon versus the cell phone.

 

The first picture is from the cell phone. Noticed I can't really fit the entire ship in there. The very end got chopped off.

 

 

Second picture is from the Canon. Have plenty of room to spare on this one. So if you are shopping for camera, be sure to get a wider angle one as sometimes you can't just back up to take a picture

 

[harryfat1]

In perfect world, I would have centered the picture but in real world, the dang security guards set up a security check tent right at the middle spot such that I wasn’t allowed to take a picture at the exact middle spot. So this is the best you can see.

 

 

This is where they are stationed as taken from earlier in the day. Right in the middle. Really? Get out of the way

 

 

Guess this is the closest "center shot" we have as taken by the wife. Like the movie, Speed 2, the ship is going to ram into the pier...

 

[Coralc]

But the cell phone image is crisper with more detail and gives a better impression of the awesome size. You are right, cell phone cameras are very impressive.

[harryfat1]

So we are back to the pier. I like all the lights around the area

 

 

 

 

The dark background is more of a true representation of the sky than the previous pictures. The time stamp has this picture taken at 6:20 PM.

 

[harryfat1]

But the cell phone image is crisper with more detail and gives a better impression of the awesome size. You are right, cell phone cameras are very impressive.

 

Yes. Also the cell phone apps get periodic software update to add features. Cameras are pretty much static once you buy it.

 

But there are pictures like the ice shows that the camera can take much better pictures in. Just different tools and one needs to experiment with to see when to use what.

[jumully]

One reason I didn’t update my anal spreadsheet is on the Freedom class ship, you don’t need to pre plan for shows or dinner as with other ships. The Indy follows the more traditional 2 seating setting and typically has shows pre or post dinner, depending on when you have dinner.

 

For some, that is great as they don’t have to worry about uber planning and being super anal to know where they will eat 4 months later. But for the Disney planner in me, this is too boring as I have nothing to do pre cruise to “d o something”.

I have been conditioned by Disney to start sweating months before to gear up for the reservation system like in pouncing on the computer and phone to reserve dining at the 180 day mark to book all the days of the Disneyworld trip. The Freedom and Indy style is “too tame” for the 9.8 anal scale people like myself.

 

About the pre-planning I did was to email Royal 49 days out and requested a table. Don’t laugh, someone else from my roll call beat me to making the request so it goes to show you that just because you rank 9.8 on the anal scale of 1 to 10, there will always be 9.81 and 9.82+ level people out there.

 

For those who don’t know, you can email Royal to make a specific request. RCLDining@rccl.com

 

My request was for table for 8 on deck 4 next to the balcony railing. Simple, no?

 

Then they emailed back to confirm you have the table. We were assigned table 468. The map below is the MDR for deck 4. The number on the top is table number, the number below is size of table. Do note this changes by seating by sailing such that sometimes they can change the table to make changes between 4 to 6 to 8 on an as needed basis.

 

At least I thought that was all settled. Will explain more on why this thing fell apart by time I get to day 1:

 

 

 

Shut the front door. You can request a specific table?! I've discovered a new kindred spirit in planning!

 

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[harryfat1]

Since SJ was a late stop with “all aboard“ at 8:30 PM (1 to 9 PM officially), I wonder how crowded was the 5:30 MDR dinner? Anyone from our sailing that ate at 5:30 in the MDR can chime in? The reason I ask is we obviously wouldn’t be able to make the early dinner in not getting back to the ship until after 6:20. If we did have early dining, we would have been at WJ for dinner instead.

 

In order to make dinner at MDR for the 5:30 time, your time in port would be severely limited even if you were able to get off the ship at the earliest 1 PM docking time.

 

After getting back to the cabin, it was the basic routine of shower and getting dressed for dinner.

 

Oh, I do want to report an interesting story. Well, interesting to us. Totally trivial (why you even waste our time with this story) to 99.9% of the folks reading.

 

Ever since day 1 of the cruise, the shampoo dispenser in the bathroom was struggling in dispensing the shampoo. At first I didn’t think anything of it as I just though the opening was stuck somehow. But as long as I get something out in pumping it enough times.

 

But by the night of day 4, when my wife was in the shower, she yelled out there is no shampoo in the shower and I had to go over to the kid’s bathroom to get some shampoo. Of course, I go over to their bathroom and their shampoo is pretty much empty also. WTH? The cabin steward is on vacation or what?

 

Great!? So I walked outside the hallway looking for the cabin steward as it’s around 7 something and they are typically around that time of the evening. Found him and told him the issue, he went and got some shampoo and came back to the kids’ bathroom to fill that and he said he would fill our bathroom’s dispenser tonight after we are off to dinner as my wife is inside the shower now.

 

Now I can understand him missing one shower but having both showers gels be empty the same time seems odd as it was end of day 4 for us. You would assume during the twice a day cleaning routine they would just periodically check the shampoo level, no? Or at least fill it to the top upon boarding on day 1?

[harryfat1]

Shut the front door. You can request a specific table?! I've discovered a new kindred spirit in planning!

 

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Forums mobile app

 

Haha, stand in line for this fraternity. Many people on CC requests table seating by number. I am by no means alone in this request.

 

I'm just one of the few admitting to the 9.8 anal factor. Others do the request but won't admit to it for fear of either sounding too anal or giving away their secret table number/location so others will fight for it (similar to secret fishing hole you don't talk about).

[harryfat1]

Anyway, as we didn’t get back late and didn’t finish shower until 7 something (after we gotten some shampoo), we obviously missed the night’s show – Once Upon the Time. For those that have sailed on both the Indy and Freedom, are they the same show as I know we saw a show on the Freedom by the same name. Seems pretty sad that couldn’t come up with something slightly different from ship to ship.

 

At any rate, we passed on the show. Seeing we had time, we went upstairs to walk around the pool area to take few pictures area and the dock before heading for dinner

 

 

 

 

soft serve machine shut down for the day

 

[harryfat1]

Then it was time for dinner. ZERO line to walk in at 8:01 PM for the 8 PM dinner. Either people are over at WJ or they are not even back to the ship yet or they may be at the wonderful special holiday dinner being offered by RCI.

 

 

As tonight was Christmas Eve, RCI sees the opportunity to upcharge (gouge might be another word) for the Christmas and Christmas Eve dinner at $79/pp to eat at Specialty restaurant.

 

Haha, cheapo dad/moms can’t say NO fast enough…But for those that are reading this in planning for the upcoming holiday cruise, just add this to your budget.