MermaidMary

Jamaica is indeed wonderful - we went to Doctor's Cave Beach in Montego Bay, and had a great time. It is such a beautiful place to swim! And we did get off the ship in Ocho Rios despite the downpour - we took a cab to Evita's and had a delicious, relaxing lunch. We didn't book any excursions because we have been to Jamaica many times on land vacations, mostly for Sumfest, and we have seen all the sights (some twice!)

I hope things will go better on the cruise next year. We still have our deposit down, and are waiting until the first payment is due to make the final decision. Hopefully by then they will have announced the 2 additional daytime performers.

We were also new to Royal Caribbean, and were recently on Independence, which is in the same class as Liberty. I always need refrigeration for my eye drops (glaucoma medication), and when we got to our cabin I opened the "cooler" and it wasn't cool AT ALL. I called and said it wasn't working, and that I needed it to work because of my medication. Our steward told me it was working, but that he could bring me a mini-fridge. He did, and we were so glad to have it - not just for my medication, but also for cold bottled water.

The only other ship I have been on is the Norwegian Pearl, and we did have an actual mini refrigerator in our cabin. I'm not sure what's up with this "cooler" thing, and I also don't know if all RCCL ships have those instead of mini fridges.

Ship - Independence of the Seas

Deck - 10

Stateroom # - 1304

Stateroom Category – D1

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Yes.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - Yes, but we did not hear anything at all from next door.

Balcony View - Give comments on view, noting if location of any obstructions was an issue. – View was good, but it was our 3rd cruise and we had aft corner balconies on our first 2 cruises (on Norwegian Pearl). I did not like the side view as well, but it was still nice to sit out on the balcony. The view was great when docked in both Montego Bay and Ocho Rios. Weather kept us off the balcony for much of the cruise, unfortunately.

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? - The balcony is small and has 2 chairs and a small table - no lounger. I would say it is normal for class.

Was wind a problem? - No.

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? - n/a

Any specific problems with this cabin? - The bed in this cabin did not have a foam topper - it was hard as a rock. Every day I forgot to ask for one until it was time for bed (and I did not want to call that late). I missed the insanely comfortable bed we had on the Norwegian Pearl. Also, the "cooler" for beverages wasn't cool at all. However, the steward, Henre, was great and he got me a little mini fridge to keep my eye medication cold. We also used it for cold bottled water.

Any other comments? - This cabin is well located, but right outside the door is an area where stewards sit. We did not mind it at all, and found it helpful to quickly find our room (and ask questions a few times when needed). We could not hear them from inside our room, but I could see some passengers not liking it from a privacy aspect - there was always someone to see you coming and going.

Great review, Jonny. This was our 3rd Jamrock cruise. On the first cruise, the last night was partially rained out, although there was the now-legendary impromptu atrium show to compensate. We were on the 1st of the 2 ships in 2015, and our last night got completely rained out. The headliner, Capleton, did eventually perform indoors in the atrium, with no band, but the communication was so terrible we had no way of knowing that, so at about 3 am we decided to get some sleep, and were very bummed when it turned out we missed Capleton.

The Alhambra Theatre is a better option than the atrium on the Pearl since it does accommodate a band, but it still leaves out over half of the paying customers, as you pointed out, and in addition to the dangerous overcrowding of the aisles there also was a very dangerous situation entering the theatre on Thursday night since there was no policing (or roping) of lines so it was a scary mob coming from all directions when they unlocked the doors. Many of us were afraid we were going to be trampled, but at that point we had no choice, since there was no way to exit the mob.

The chair-saving in the theatre was maddening - there is no reason any one person should be allowed to save so many chairs, either in the theatre or on the deck. Either the ship or the Jamrock management needs to come up with a policy on this and enforce it! Or maybe send out some pre-cruise emails in an attempt to channel everyone's "One Love" vibes. Why not SHARE chairs on the deck and in the theatre so that everyone can sit for a few minutes when their feet need a break?

Before the cruise we got several emails saying it was a nonsmoking ship, and that we really, really would not be allowed to smoke, other than in the designated smoking areas. Apparently for the cruise the designated smoking area was the ENTIRE SHIP. I was very concerned about fire danger. People were dropping cigarettes on the deck without even putting them out. The only concern for safety I saw from the ship's crew was at the muster drill (which was horrible due to some passengers who thought they could skip it - we had to stand the entire time in straight lines - while on Norwegian at least there was a place to sit while we waited for the latecomers!)

The music was excellent, and the lineup spectacular. We skipped dinner 2 nights so that we could get into the theatre for the music, and we did not regret our choice. The sound clash was great also, and the ice skating rink turned out to be a good venue for that. The afternoon concerts on the deck were a blast, and Kabaka Pyramid's early evening concert on the deck was one of the best shows on the cruise.

I agree they should use 2 venues each night, and I think it would be perfect in many ways. They could have one schedule for the deck and one for the theatre, with the ice skating rink as a rainout option. I heard many people say they prefer the deck, and others loved the theatre, so on nice nights everyone would be happy! And on rainy nights, at least everyone could get some music. They could also split the concerts based on the genre - roots in one venue, dancehall in the other. Those who like both (like me) could see both, but those who hate dancehall could avoid it entirely.

But it does not appear they are going to make any changes to the format for 2017, other than reducing the number of acts per night from 4 down to 3. And the lineup for 2017 is nowhere near as amazing as the first 3 years (still great, but not many true headliners like we've had in the past, and that troubling 25% reduction in the number of artists). So although we put our deposit down back in April, we probably won't go this year - not until they either fix the format or make the lineup great again - preferably both!

Yes, Radlad! I wish RC would carry at least one of these almond milk ice creams in their Ben & Jerry's shops!

We stayed at Lago Mar in November for 2 nights before our cruise - it was beautiful! The food and service were also excellent, the bed comfortable, and the shower great. It is right on the beach - no need to cross the road - and it is a HUGE beach, with hammocks and free chairs (rustic but they worked for us) - you can pay extra for a modern lounger and umbrella but there is NO resort fee.

Nice photos - that sunset is gorgeous! And the other one reminded me of a big advantage of this cabin - being able to not just sit on the balcony, but lounge on it. Thank you!

Not on Rock Legends, but that looks like an excellent cruise! We will be going on our 4th year of the Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise. Thanks again for your help!

Thank you Vicki, that helps - my husband is 6'5" so cozy may not be a good thing! And we did not notice any noise from above last year in 1304 - I could hear music from above when I went on the balcony but I liked it (it is a music charter).

Still, I keep thinking about that aft view and larger balcony. Did you find the door in 9704 difficult to open? That is something I saw mentioned by a few people regarding the corner aft cabins on deck 9.

Thank you all for your replies! If anyone else wants to chime in that would be helpful also. I think I need to make a decision today, because one of the 4 (9406) is already gone.

Hello, my husband and I will be sailing on Independence of the Seas for the 2nd time in November. It will be my 4th cruise. My first two were on the Norwegian Pearl and we had the same corner aft cabin both years and LOVED it. The aft view is very relaxing, both sight and sound.

Last year our charter switched to Independence of the Seas and we had cabin 1304, and although it was a very nice cabin and a great location, I did not like the side balcony view nearly as much as the aft view. Being close to the elevators was nice but we still ended up doing a lot of walking (not a bad thing) because the events on our cruise were in many locations around the ship.

We have 1618 booked for this trip, also a mid-ship balcony. I booked it back in April, just hours after the cruise went on sale, and no aft balcony cabins were available. Yesterday I visited the booking page of our charter just to see how fast it is selling out, and noticed 4 aft balconies are suddenly available - 9704, 9706, 9404, and 9406. Afts on other decks remain unavailable.

I have done a lot of searches, and have read many pros and cons, but I still am not sure if we should give up 1618 for an aft balcony. My concerns are that in the 04 afts there is no sliding door and many have said the door is heavy and that makes it difficult to get in and out. There is also a beam on the balcony that some hit their heads on. In the 06 afts there is the sliding door and a larger balcony, but it connects to a Royal Suite and also has some view obstruction from the superstructure. I wonder if my concerns are that big of a deal, since last year I had concerns about 1304 being a connecting room, and that wasn't a problem at all.

If anyone has stayed in 1681, 9404, 9406, 9704, or 9706 on a Freedom class ship, I would be interested in what you would do - would you keep 1618, or switch to an aft balcony?

Thank you!

Mary

I have noticed in the photos I've seen of MDR menus that the little vegetarian symbol does not appear by the desserts. Does anyone know if that is because they all contain gelatin? I've noticed that even desserts that are fruit-based don't have the vegetarian symbol.

Is it just self-disembark that does not have elevators available? If they aren't available at all for disembarkation, is there an exception for those who are physically unable to walk down 10 flights of stairs?

Thanks,

Mary

This is not good news at all - I am booked on Independence of the Seas for a music charter next year, and just returned from this year's charter, which was on the Norwegian Pearl. Our mattress on the Pearl was incredibly comfortable both this year and last year (first year of our charter, and my first cruise, so I have only sailed the Pearl).

I don't understand why they would cut corners in such an important area - a good night's sleep and a pain-free day are very important for a good vacation experience!

No, there isn't a lot of time to sleep on a music charter, but the sleep we do get needs to be good quality. :eek:

Mary

This is great - thank you! Looking forward to the rest of your review.

Mushroom quesadillas sound delicious! I don't cruise until October (first cruise ever) so I probably won't get any on my cruise, but I may make some at home :)

Thank you all for the replies - every single reply helped to chase away my winter blues! Kchoya, I hope you and your family have a wonderful cruise - I enjoyed looking at the newsletter and found it very helpful to see where and when they schedule things. Looks like a great cruise! And sun~, thank you for the answers to each of my questions - I do like being front and center of the stage, and I also like to dance at reggae concerts.

Mary

Thank you for the replies! I will resist buying the UDP - sounds like there will not be time. I have been wanting to try a cruise for years, but this is the first one that really got my attention, and got me to actually book (good thing I did, because it sold out quickly, and yes, this is the first sailing).

Mary

Hello, my husband and I will be going on our first cruise on the Pearl in October (Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise). I have been enjoying learning about cruising on this forum, but I am wondering just how much the charters differ from the regular cruises. Here are some questions I have (and any tips are welcome!):

Is the UDP a good idea on the charters? Would the longer dining times in the specialty restaurants cause us to miss some shows? We did sign up for the late shows (Flying Dutchmen gave us a choice of early or late). The specialty restaurants sound very appealing, but it is more important to me to attend the concerts.

Do they still have the all-white party, and is the music played the music theme of the charter (in other words, are we likely to get an all-white reggae party? That would be awesome!)

Is it easy to get into all of the concerts, or do you have to get there really early?

Where in the ship are the concerts held?

Are concerts held while the ship is in port?

Is it easy to get drinks at the concerts, or is it too hard to move through the crowd?

Thanks,

Mary

I was on a chartered cruise (the Country Cruising cruise on the Pearl) in January, in a 2 bedroom suite, and can tell you that very few of the expected suite perks were offered. No priority boarding, the concierge and butler were pretty much invisible/non-existent, etc. There was a bottle of champagne waiting in the suite when we arrived.

That is disappointing to hear (but better for me to know now, so I don't get my expectations up). My husband and I will be going on our first cruise in October - the Welcome to Jamrock cruise, also chartered by Flying Dutchmen (same ones who did your Country Cruise, I believe). I booked an aft penthouse suite, and one reason was for the perks - since we have never cruised, I thought the priority boarding would be helpful. Was your cruise out of Miami? Was there no Suite/VIP Checkin area?

Also, did you get to eat breakfast and lunch at Cagneys?

The description of the suite on the Flying Dutchmen Welcome to Jamrock web page does say "Includes butler and concierge service" but it doesn't mention the priority boarding or other perks. I read about that on the NCL website.

I hope the suite will still be worth the extra cost - but even if not, the incredible lineup is bound to make me happy :)

Mary