Independence of the Seas - A Rookie's Reflection

Been on Freedom twice. This will be our first time on Indy Oct 18. Anyways Freedom has 3D movies in the Theater, It also has Dreamworks characters walking around and available for photo ops. And also, correct me,if I'm wrong but I believe the Freedom has the soda machines as well.

Freedom had the soda machines when we were on it in 2012. Independence doesn't have them?? :confused:

Freedom had the soda machines when we were on it in 2012. Independence doesn't have them?? :confused:

No Freestyle machines on Indy.

No Freestyle machines on Indy.

Well now that's a real bummer!! Thought those were going fleet wide. Dang. :(

Thanks for the info, tho.

No Freestyle machines on Indy.

Wow. I am surprised at that. Thought all the larger ships would be well equipped.

Thanks for the info.

Macdon9876, Thanks for posting the compasses for the Indy-eastern. We will be on the Indy in 4 days. My wife loves the Freestyle machines, but with none on the Indy guess we will have to make due at the bars!!

Wow...even enchantment had the freestyle machines

My rookie mistake was showing an interest in the Art Show/Auction.

We turned up because we hadn't been to one before, but instead of being an interesting and pleasant occasion, the snake oil salesman of an auctioneer made it very brash and in your face. Didn't like him at all, he rubbed me up the wrong way.

Subsequently for the rest of the cruise, we had what I can only class as junk mail shoved into our cabin door every few days with some new offer to do with the art show or auction. It felt a bit too high pressure, wheras I would'be considered interest in the art show or auction to have been a more relaxed and enjoyable affair.

I loved looking at the art (for sale) onboard, but not for long enough for one of the art gallery staff to see me and make a beeline over to me to inevitably try and sell me the darn thing.

Next time I'll stick to enjoying the ship's integral art.

My rookie mistake was showing an interest in the Art Show/Auction.

 

We turned up because we hadn't been to one before, but instead of being an interesting and pleasant occasion, the snake oil salesman of an auctioneer made it very brash and in your face. Didn't like him at all, he rubbed me up the wrong way.

I happened to wander past the art auction, about fifteen minutes after it began. I hadn't intended to go, but I was meandering from one place to another while my wife was napping, so I decided to pop in and watch. (They didn't offer me any champagne! :p)

I missed the introduction and explanation of the auction, so perhaps I missed some important details. For each piece, the auctioneer would first describe the artwork and then declare the retail value. When he finally began the bidding, he'd start with a price above retail value. Needless to say, I was quite confused: isn't the objective of an auction to try to get merchandise for less than retail? He did this same thing with several pieces before I left.

There were definitely some beautiful pieces of art onboard, and some serious cash was being exchanged. One of the pieces auctioned while I was observing went for somewhere north of $10,000!!

A bit out of my league, sorry to say! :)

Macdon9876, Thanks for posting the compasses for the Indy-eastern. We will be on the Indy in 4 days. My wife loves the Freestyle machines, but with none on the Indy guess we will have to make due at the bars!!

Yes, I was disappointed that there were no Freestyle machines too. I had never tried one - I don't know if they've been rolled out to the east coast of Canada yet, but I've never seen one. I ultimately did get to try one on shore in Fort Lauderdale - very cool!

It's probably a good thing for me, though. I love pop, but in the absence of the machines I either drank adult beverages or water, mostly, with a Coke here and there. Between the water and taking the stairs everywhere, my wife and I think we actually might have lost a tiny bit of weight during our cruise - go figure! :D

Have a great cruise!

Don't be afraid to order a fresh pizza. Sorrento's often has some hot specials also. Just ask or check the black board. We also like the glass case where you choose the makings you want for a nice antipasto complete with fresh Mozzarella and crisp garlic bread slices....

For the new cruisers, Sorrento's and the Cafe Promenade on deck 5 are both complimentary, so enjoy!.....

Great Post; thanks for sharing. I've been grilling my friend who has been on the RC several times about tips/recommendations and she mentioned to keep your bags in your room with you before getting off the ship (much faster).

also, my TA said that the early dining option (I think it's called "MyTime"?) has a wait list and we're on it...what exactly does that mean?! if we don't get on this...does that mean we can't eat around 6pm when the kids need to eat (we have young kids travelling with us).

Great Post; thanks for sharing. I've been grilling my friend who has been on the RC several times about tips/recommendations and she mentioned to keep your bags in your room with you before getting off the ship (much faster).

 

 

 

also, my TA said that the early dining option (I think it's called "MyTime"?) has a wait list and we're on it...what exactly does that mean?! if we don't get on this...does that mean we can't eat around 6pm when the kids need to eat (we have young kids travelling with us).

There are three types of dining. First seating, also called main seating is around 5:30 (not sure exact time, might be 6:00, as I don't use). There is also second seating, sometimes called late seating, which is T 8:30. These are fixed times. There is also My Time Dining where you have to make a dining reservation each evening and can pick your time to dine; approximately between 5:30 and 9:00.

Your TA should have told you which one you are signed up for. You have to be signed up for one. You could also be on a waiting list for your preferred time. These are for the main dining room.

Great Post; thanks for sharing. I've been grilling my friend who has been on the RC several times about tips/recommendations and she mentioned to keep your bags in your room with you before getting off the ship (much faster).

 

 

 

also, my TA said that the early dining option (I think it's called "MyTime"?) has a wait list and we're on it...what exactly does that mean?! if we don't get on this...does that mean we can't eat around 6pm when the kids need to eat (we have young kids travelling with us).

You can keep your bags in your room and request the early walk off as soon as the ship docks. However keep in mind you have to take them yourself down ramps, stairs, etc. without any assistance. You still have to join the same lines as those people who let the ship handle. Those passengers pick their bags up in the customs hall where you will eventually end up. Not sure it is that much faster unless you are walking off with the early/first off people and even then there are lines.

)also, my TA said that the early dining option (I think it's called "MyTime"?) has a wait list and we're on it...what exactly does that mean?! if we don't get on this...does that mean we can't eat around 6pm when the kids need to eat (we have young kids travelling with us).

When we booked our cruise, our agent said that the set dining options were full, so we had to take MyTime (which worked for us). We could have been wait-listed for one of the set seating times had we wanted to, but we decided to stick with MyTime.

On Indy, there are three main dining rooms. Two of the three are for guests with set dining times, and the third dining room is for MyTime guests.

MyTime allows you to go whenever you wish, although I'd suggest making reservations each day to avoid waiting in line. Reservations aren't strictly required, though - you can show up and wait in line as you would at any restaurant. Depending on the time and night, comments from other cruisers (who didn't make reservations) suggested the wait was anywhere from five to thirty minutes. So, in your case, if you wanted to eat every night at 6pm, you could make reservations for the entire week on the first day (I think).

If you prefer the guarantee of eating at the same time each evening, with the same table and wait staff, the set seating might work better for you. Even though it sounds like you're wait listed, people on these forums suggest that a chat with the main dining room maitre d' on embarkation day can help you get what you need.

Good luck, and happy cruising!

Thank you so much for your detailed response! I'm guessing to make reservations, I should do that when I get on the boat (before desired eating time)?

When we booked our cruise, our agent said that the set dining options were full, so we had to take MyTime (which worked for us). We could have been wait-listed for one of the set seating times had we wanted to, but we decided to stick with MyTime.

 

On Indy, there are three main dining rooms. Two of the three are for guests with set dining times, and the third dining room is for MyTime guests.

 

MyTime allows you to go whenever you wish, although I'd suggest making reservations each day to avoid waiting in line. Reservations aren't strictly required, though - you can show up and wait in line as you would at any restaurant. Depending on the time and night, comments from other cruisers (who didn't make reservations) suggested the wait was anywhere from five to thirty minutes. So, in your case, if you wanted to eat every night at 6pm, you could make reservations for the entire week on the first day (I think).

 

If you prefer the guarantee of eating at the same time each evening, with the same table and wait staff, the set seating might work better for you. Even though it sounds like you're wait listed, people on these forums suggest that a chat with the main dining room maitre d' on embarkation day can help you get what you need.

 

Good luck, and happy cruising!

You can make the reservations online. If the time you want isn't available, take the closest one and then talk to them on the first day about switching it to your desired times.

You can make the reservations online. If the time you want isn't available, take the closest one and then talk to them on the first day about switching it to your desired times.

That's good to know - I didn't realize MyTime reservations could be made online in advance.

MT_addict: we made our reservations on the ship, usually on the day of the meal. Towards the end of the week we started making reservations for the next day on our way out, after we finished our supper, so long as the desk wasn't too busy.

Our needs were a bit different from yours: we liked the flexibility of MyTime: we sometimes ate early and sometimes later. If you want a set time each day, you'd probably be best to reserve online in advance (or try to get the early seating).

so here's something weird....

we booked Indy for Oct 11 sail to East. Caribb. 7 nights and I asked for the MyTime dinner thing...then agent responds with the following:

"Sure you can choose My Time Dining. For My Time Dining you can go to main dining room for dinner anytime you want during 5:30pm to 9:30pm. If choose my time dining, cruise line will collect the gratuity when the time you book which is CAD$111.34 per person for total 7 nights. After you pre-paid it, you don’t need to paid it again"

does this make sense to you? I thought when you book a cruise, you'll be paying auto grats anyway (the $12/day/person) so not sure why MyTime would be more?!

The phone rep does not have the latest information. You no longer have to prepay gratuities to have My Time Dining.

Thanks for this.... Is there a link or somewhere that I can provide to him which states this?

The phone rep does not have the latest information. You no longer have to prepay gratuities to have My Time Dining.

Thanks for this.... Is there a link or somewhere that I can provide to him which states this?

Sorry, I've not seen a link. Just reports by a number of different people.

Thanks for this.... Is there a link or somewhere that I can provide to him which states this?

Perhaps have your TA who told you this check with RC. RC will not answer questions on your reservation when you have booked through a TA.

Gratuities went up to $12.95 per person per day in non suite rooms.

does this make sense to you? I thought when you book a cruise, you'll be paying auto grats anyway (the $12/day/person) so not sure why MyTime would be more?!

My understanding is that, in the past, guests could either choose to give cash gratuities (usually at the end of the cruise), or prepay grats combined with their cruise fare. However, guests who select MyTime dining were required to prepay.

So basically it is the same thing: you are prepaying grats, since you need to do so anyway with MyTime. Our TA said the same thing when we booked.

I had thought that Royal Caribbean recently introduced prepaid gratuities for all guests, regardless of dining. Perhaps they have changed this policy.

so i reached out to RC on Twitter and they said the following:

"Yes. If you have MyTime dining, you must pay gratuities when reserving." :(

that's ridiculous...another $300-something for grats for this? :mad:

what is the difference between MyTime dining and not having this? does that mean we have to eat at like, 9pm?

The phone rep does not have the latest information. You no longer have to prepay gratuities to have My Time Dining.