QTBabyNurse

We were on the 12/28 Indy sailing and received those same texts before our cruise also. We ignored them and we were on the ship eating lunch by 11:30am.

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:D Well??? :D

How I wish we could this year again but we are saving up for a land based vacation this year instead which we had planned to do with other family members. Maybe for NYE 2017!

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Just curious, is the muster drill held in centralized locations or on the promenade deck? Do you take life jackets, or is it like Oasis class ships where they are at the muster stations? We are on Indepence in October so I am curious.

 

 

 

Thanks for the review.

 

Andrew

It was held outside on deck and you did not need to take your life jackets...yeah!! We did however actually have life jackets in our cabins unlike when we sailed the Allure.

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QTbabynurse, thanks so much for all the information you are giving us. So happy to read you had a great time. Any information and ideas you can give us would be great. Did RCCL give or do anything special for the NYE cruisers? Disney gave out free champagne in plastic commemorative glasses, a good size box of chocolates with Disney Dream 2015 NYE on it and a picture as well as party hats.

 

Thanks so much.

There were party hats and favors at your dinner table that night.

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Great review. And because of your review I went ahead today and booked Indy for next New Years. :D

OMG! How exciting! I'm jealous cause I'd love to do it again next year!

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I forgot to mention one more thing! When we showed up at muster drill, none of the crew members were calling off cabin numbers to make sure that everyone was present. Later that same evening, we received a nasty-gram in our cabin saying that we didn't show up to our muster drill! :eek:

If this band is that good I'm glad they will be on our Indy cruise, which coincides with the last week that they may be on the ship. We sail on Indy from 2/14 to 2/22.

They are THAT GOOD! :)

I was just on the Indy and yes...Once Upon A Time is still playing.

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We just got off the Indy the other day. To answer a couple questions on this thread...

The Diamond Lounge was to the side of Olive or Twist. The Diamond Concierge was Gustavo Butcher.

There was only a dispenser for shampoo in our shower and hubby said the shampoo really made his hair feel dry. There was no shaving bar in the shower for the ladies. No body wash dispenser...we got bar soap.

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Happy to hear about Rock the Boat as they were not on Indy on our Jan. cruise last year. Going Jan. 11 on b2b and looking forward to hearing them. Did they play in various venues on differnt nights or only in the large lounge? How was the pub and Schooner bar entertainment?

Rock the Boat played in the Pyramid Lounge every night. They played each night for about an hour, then took a 45 minute break and then came back for about another hour. They said they cannot play later than around 12:30am as the ship tries to keep all the loud music confined to The Labryinth at that time because of the cabins nearby.

Sorry, I cannot comment on the entertainment at the Schooner or the pub. Didn't spend much time there.

Thanks so much! On with Costco as I type booking our cabins for December 28!! Taking my sisters family that loves DCL so hoping their kids love it too. My kids are older but always loves RCCL clubs over Disney. I can imagine the Promenade was extremely crowded but we will be where the party is! How did you find the overall look and feel of the ship.

 

Booking three E1s and one PR on Deck 8.

I posted a review today regarding this particular cruise...so some of your questions might be answered by reading that post.

The Royal Promenade was extremely crowded! You really need to start staking out your spot around 11:00pm! It was very loud and hot, so if that is not your thing, you may want to be in a different location. Some people watched from their Promenade cabins and others overlooked the Promenade by sitting in the chairs on decks 7,8,9 (although there aren't but 6 chairs on each deck so you'd have to get those early!).

RCI gave out party hats, leis and bead necklaces (they were at your dinner table that night). Yes, the ship was still decorated for Christmas but I didn't see anything decorated at Labadee.

I thought the ship was in very good condition. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time! ;-)

We were just on the Independence for New Year's Eve. We had a WONDERFUL time! The main party is on the Royal Promenade, although I heard that there were other parties scattered around the ship and out on deck also.

What cabin # did you have?

We were in cabin 9323.

Glad to hear Rock The Boat is still aboard. Hope they still are next month. Didn't get to see enough of them a year ago on Indy

I believe I heard they will be on for a couple more months. There is a chance they will be moving to the Anthem in spring, although they commented that wasn't a 'for sure' thing yet.

Thank you for the review. We are sailing on the IOS in April...do you happen to have Compasses ?

 

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Sorry...I did not keep any of my Cruise Compasses.

We just returned from the Independence of the Seas for the New Year's Eve cruise and so I will jot down some of my thoughts and if you have any questions, I will be glad to answer what I can.

Here were the Pros---

Entertainment by far! There was a Journey tribute band onboard called Resurrection. They are not to be missed if you ever get a chance to see them perform onboard or on land. They are based out of Nashville. If you closed your eyes, you would think you were listening to the "real" Journey.

There was also an Elton John impersonator, Craig A. Meyer. Again, tremendous performer! He had all the crazy costumes, glasses and shoes going on! The band that played with him were wonderful musicians also.

Well, you would think that would be plenty....but that's not all! Every night there was a classic rock band perform called Rock the Boat. These guys I cannot say enough about. They were incredible musicians and a bunch of really nice guys also. The lead singer was originally from the UK and the rest of the band hails from Canada. I saw every set they played and I don't believe over the course of the week they ever repeated a song! Everything from Dire Straits to The Beatles to The Rolling Stones! They have apparently been playing on the Indy since 2008! Not to be missed! :)

New Year's Eve onboard a cruise ship is just crazy nuts! So many people...so loud...a great party atmosphere! I would not have missed it for the world and I certainly plan to do it again!!

Okay...now for the "So-So's"--

Food---I don't think the food was a good as on previous cruises we've taken on RCI. The food choices for the new menu are not very appealing in my opinion....but I understand that is just MY opinion. I wish RCI would stop using gelatin in their desserts...it really is not that appetizing! The breads are great however!

And lastly the Cons--

Odor-----The minute I walked into our cabin on Day One, I smelled an unpleasant odor. I checked the bathroom and it wasn't coming from there and I really couldn't tell what the source was......until I went to bed that night and realized our bedding had a mildewy odor to it. ICK..... :(

Dining Room-----I had requested a large table for our Main Dining Room early seating. When we boarded the ship, I checked in the dining room for our table assignment and saw that we had a table for 4. So I followed the process with the Head Waiter right then to change our assignment to a table for 8, which he gladly did. That evening we had a lovely dinner with another couple and their college aged daughter. The rest of the table was empty. The next morning I received a notice in our cabin that our dining table was changed AGAIN. I go back into the dining room to see where our new table was and we were yet again placed at a table for 4. I ran into our original table mates at the pool that day and she was just as upset that her table assignment was also changed. She went to the dining room and was told that there was a large party onboard who all wanted to sit together, so they decided to separate all of us into other arrangements. I had requested a large table one year ago when I booked this cruise and was not happy with being shuffled around to accommodate other people who did not plan appropriately. Not a happy camper! :mad:

Casino-----You pay a premium to sail on a holiday cruise to begin with. Be aware that the casino also gouges you with raising the minimum bets on the tables...specifically Roulette. I have sailed with RCI many times and have never seen a $10 minimum bet on Roulette. I asked the casino staff why the minimum was so high and was told that it was raised during the holiday cruises. Needless to say, I did not play the one game I had waited all year to enjoy. :(

Hot Water----We did not get hot water in our shower until day 3. I called maintenance after my first shower and was informed it would be taken care of. Well, the next morning it was still cold. So I went to Guest Services and the next day it was fixed. THAT'LL wake you up quick in the morning, let me tell ya!! :eek:

I have seen numerous comments on Cruise Critic about the Cruise Director Jamie. I thought he was good! Kinda silly...but that's what I like! I would've liked to have seen him host The Quest, but I missed it (for the first time ever I might add!). I totally forgot about it! :cool:

Just for your information...my husband rented a tux for this cruise for the first time and everything was perfect! We were a little nervous about doing this but it worked out very well and it was nice to not have to pack (and later dry clean) his own suits.

All in all, it was one of the best cruises we have had....and I would say mostly because of the entertainment onboard and the super fun New Year's Eve celebration! I will definitely do another New Year's Eve cruise!

We choose our cabin by the price we want to pay. We've been in everything from an inside to a balcony and back again. It doesn't matter to us!

For our upcoming New Year's Eve cruise, we booked an inside cause everything was so expensive to begin with. Truth be told, we aren't in our cabin very often anyway.

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Why are there no cruises to Bermuda departing from a Florida port??

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Just to let you know....Florida kids don't always get all of Thanksgiving week off. Most school districts factor in Hurricane Days and if they don't use them by Thanksgiving week, then they get the whole week off.

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In the process of moving their ships away from Traditional Dining and to Dynamic Dining, they have removed the enjoyment many of us like to experience when we cruise.

We enjoy Traditional Dining where we get to meet new friends on night 1 and discuss where we are from, our families, etc. That progresses through each night of the cruise where as we all meet again for a meal, we each share what we did that day and enjoy the daily experiences of each other. It is a wonderful social experience for us as we cruise!

Now with Dynamic Dining, you either sit with just your spouse and have the same conversations you have while you are at home or you sit with new people every single night. So the conversation each night is the same as you try to make conversation..."where are you from", "what do you do", "how many kids do you have"...by the time you discuss those things, the dinner is over only to be repeated the next night and the night after that. You never get a chance to move on to more in-depth conversation because your tablemates keep changing each night.

Why couldn't they just leave it as it was so that we ALL can enjoy the different aspects of why we cruise. My Time Dining could satisfy the people who do not enjoy the MDR and dining with strangers. Traditional Dining could satisfy cruisers that tend to like more of a social atmosphere at dinner and love to meet new friends! :)

We have never dined at a specialty restaurant! We enjoy the MDR and feel there are plenty of options there. We also enjoy traditional dining at a large table getting to know our table mates throughout the week!

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Ok and point me to one specific case that has been documented to have spread by touch another surface ,(you will not find one)..All documented cases are via direct contact with patients fluids or caring for patient.Yes it can stay active on a surface for a certain time under the right conditions but there is not one documented case of this scenario to date.I would not worry if I were on a ship with a CONFIRMED case of ebola.Practice good hygiene as you should always do and your chances are almost zero of being infected UNLESS you have DIRECT contact with the patient.Please dont add to the panic its already out of hand.

How did the NBC cameraman contract Ebola? Surely he wasn't taking direct care of patients. He probably contracted it by contamination.

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Ok you are an RN TOO.Then I am now totally shocked on just about everything you have said.You are way over reacting.Reading your post I guess I should quit my job as well.Common sense will prevent you from getting ebola.Just like any contagius disease its always healthcare workers who get infected when it comes to bodily fluids.Usually because a protocol was broken.Common sense,wash your hands,dont put your fingers in your mouth,dont sit on the seat cusion naked,if your food falls on anything but your own dish dont put it in your mouth.All this is common sense that you should be doing everyday anyways and it will prevent you from getting ebola if thats what your worried about.But you are an RN and you should know this already.! Geeze you make me laugh!Absolutely rediculous!OMG!

I am an RN as well and your comments are really naive and ignorant, sorry to say. If you are exposed to a person with active Ebola symptoms, there is no "common sense" in the world that will protect you. The hospital in Dallas had no Ebola protocol in place so blaming the brave nurse who risked her life for "breaking protocol" is rather cruel and unkind. :(

Mr. Duncan didn't arrive in Dallas on a flight from one of those three countries. He arrived in Dallas on a flight from Brussels, Belgium. That demonstrates well the difficulty of trying to ban travel from three specific countries in Africa. The ONLY way that would really work is for every country other than those three to ban all flights from the three countries. Or for the United States to ban flights for a period of time from ALL countries, which of course is completely unrealistic.

 

Yes, exactly as Mr. Duncan did in this case...

Don't people coming into this country have some trail of previous countries they've been in? What about visas? Passports? Don't those documents state the person's travel history and date?

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here is a statement from Carnival.

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