Questions about Indy

[banshee72]

Going to be sailing on the Independence of the Seas on March 16th (8 night). This is only out second cruise, the first being on the Enchantment of the Seas about 6 years ago.

 

I have a few questions on the IOTS and was hoping someone on this board could help me out.

 

1) I know IOTS is bigger that the Enchantment but how would you compare the two. Is it just bigger because there are more cabins and it holds moe passengers. We had a great time on the Enchantment. It was a five nighter and we thought that was too short. Hoping the Independence can live up to our last cruise.

 

2) If you buy the alcohol package, are you allowed to buy a bucket of beer and bring it back to your room? I'm guessing not, but figured I would ask. Can you order drinks through room service?

 

3) Have cabin 6590. HAve heard that deck five is not one of the best deacks to be on because of the noise from deck 5. Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

4) Does anyone know what kind of entertainment is on the ship now? I know there is an ice show, but what are some of the other live entertainment on board?

 

5) Do all cruise have "Quest". I've seen a couple of compass' and didnt see it mentioned.

 

6) We are staying at the Hilton Marina (ft. Lauderdale) for the night before the cruise. Does anyone have any suggestion for dinner? Price isnt really a big deal but we dont want to have to dress up to go to a restaurant.

 

7) With there being so many passengers on board, are there places that are a little secluded to go to get away from the crowd (other than your cabin). I remember when we were on the Enchantment the bars during the day were mostly empty. Are there some bars on the IOTS that are not as busy as others?

 

8) Has anyone been on the dragon coaster at Labadee? Looks fun but also a little dangerous. I'm fairly sure that this would not meet regulations in the U.S.

 

9) Can you wear shorts and a shirt in teh MDR for breakfast and lunch? Do they have the same things that Windjammer has? Buffet?

 

10.) Where can you eat that is actually free other than Windjammer and the MDR? Is there somewhere where you can get something to eat late at night?

 

7)

[MreenD]

Going to be sailing on the Independence of the Seas on March 16th (8 night). This is only out second cruise, the first being on the Enchantment of the Seas about 6 years ago.

 

I have a few questions on the IOTS and was hoping someone on this board could help me out.

 

1) I know IOTS is bigger that the Enchantment but how would you compare the two. Is it just bigger because there are more cabins and it holds moe passengers. We had a great time on the Enchantment. It was a five nighter and we thought that was too short. Hoping the Independence can live up to our last cruise.

 

2) If you buy the alcohol package, are you allowed to buy a bucket of beer and bring it back to your room? I'm guessing not, but figured I would ask. Can you order drinks through room service?

 

3) Have cabin 6590. HAve heard that deck five is not one of the best deacks to be on because of the noise from deck 5. Does anyone have any experience with this?

 

4) Does anyone know what kind of entertainment is on the ship now? I know there is an ice show, but what are some of the other live entertainment on board?

 

5) Do all cruise have "Quest". I've seen a couple of compass' and didnt see it mentioned.

 

6) We are staying at the Hilton Marina (ft. Lauderdale) for the night before the cruise. Does anyone have any suggestion for dinner? Price isnt really a big deal but we dont want to have to dress up to go to a restaurant.

 

7) With there being so many passengers on board, are there places that are a little secluded to go to get away from the crowd (other than your cabin). I remember when we were on the Enchantment the bars during the day were mostly empty. Are there some bars on the IOTS that are not as busy as others?

 

8) Has anyone been on the dragon coaster at Labadee? Looks fun but also a little dangerous. I'm fairly sure that this would not meet regulations in the U.S.

 

9) Can you wear shorts and a shirt in teh MDR for breakfast and lunch? Do they have the same things that Windjammer has? Buffet?

 

10.) Where can you eat that is actually free other than Windjammer and the MDR? Is there somewhere where you can get something to eat late at night?

 

 

Just got off the Independence yesterday. I can't answer all your questions but I'll try some of them:

 

#5 - Indy has the Quest game.

 

#7--yes, lots of places throughout the ship, especially during the daytime-- Schooner bar on the 4th deck (not the casino) and the Champagne? bar on deck 5 seemed to be very quiet during the day. Also, we loved sitting on deck 4 outside (on the non-smoking side) and lounging in the chairs watching the sea go by. If you want sun and quiet area--try the helicopter pad from deck 4. There are benches and it may be windy.

The library on deck 7 is very quiet and peaceful. You can sit facing the window to the promendade deck and people watch.

 

#10 - The Cafe Promenade (deck 5) and Sorrento's Pizza on the promenade deck (deck 5) are free. Great snacks all day and late into the night. Actually I think the cafe on the promenade deck may be 24 hours. You can also order room service 24 hours but will incur a small fee $3.95 from midnight to 5am.

 

Hope this helps!:)

[banshee72]

Thanks for the Info!!

[39august]

Indy doesn't just carry more pax. She has the inside promenade where first and last night parades are held. It is a breathtaking space. There are shops, Vintages wine bar, a pub, the Cafe Promenade and Sorrento pizza as noted above open about 23 hrs daily. There is a large lounge at the forward end of the promenade and dining room at the aft end. This is all on deck 5. Your cabin will be on deck 6. No noise from deck 5 should be noticible. There is also a larger pool area with a kiddie splash zone. And at the aft there is the flo-rider for simulated surfing.

[banshee72]

Thank you!

[Daghis]

I've got a few comments that I hope will be useful for you.

 

1) I know IOTS is bigger that the Enchantment but how would you compare the two.

I'd say that with all the amenities and venues on the Independence of the Seas, there's a lot of potential for you to have an even better time than you did on the Enchantment. I personally love the Freedom class, especially the Royal Promenade.

2) If you buy the alcohol package, are you allowed to buy a bucket of beer and bring it back to your room? I'm guessing not, but figured I would ask. Can you order drinks through room service?

I don't think so. From what I've seen about the package, you're only allowed to get a single drink at a time. If you'd want a bucket/bag of beer, you'd have to buy that.

 

Room service usually doesn't include packaged beverages. I don't know about the alcohol package, but you can't get a soda from your soda package from room service.

 

4) Does anyone know what kind of entertainment is on the ship now? I know there is an ice show, but what are some of the other live entertainment on board?

There should be an ice show, at least two stage productions, a headliner, and one or two comedians during the week. In addition, there are musicians in several places including the Schooner Bar (piano bar), Olive or Twist (varies), Boleros (Latin music), the English pub (guitarist), and often something like a string trio in the main dining room for dinner.

 

As far as specific entertainment, you can contact Royal Caribbean at [noparse]web_reservations@rccl.com[/noparse] a couple weeks before your cruise and ask them. They should know who the guest entertainment will be for your cruise.

 

Other people can help provide additional information, too.

[TravelerThom]

...

2) If you buy the alcohol package, are you allowed to buy a bucket of beer and bring it back to your room? I'm guessing not, but figured I would ask. Can you order drinks through room service?

 

4) Does anyone know what kind of entertainment is on the ship now? I know there is an ice show, but what are some of the other live entertainment on board?

 

5) Do all cruise have "Quest". I've seen a couple of compass' and didnt see it mentioned.

 

9) Can you wear shorts and a shirt in teh MDR for breakfast and lunch? Do they have the same things that Windjammer has? Buffet?

I did Indy B2B when it was in the Carib 3 years ago, and did the TransAtlantic back from England on her this fall.

 

2) I've never done the alcohol package, but highly doubt you can get a bucket of beer for the room as this would be too easy to share with others.

 

4) I think that Indy has some of the better shows. I think it is the only ship with two different ice shows - one for Easten Carib and one for Western. IMO the production show "Once Upon a Time" is one of RCI's better production shows.

 

5)I think all RCI [and only RCI] cruises have Quest.

 

9) Shorts are fine in the MDR for breakfast and lunch. Long pants requested for MDR dinner, but should be fine in Windjammer. MDR has lunch only on Sea Days. MDR offers menu service and also a buffet [generally on different floors of the MDR] for breakfast and lunch; not the same as WJ, but some items may be the same. MDR has a very nice salad bar with shrimp, chicken, etc at lunch.

 

enjoy

Thom

[banshee72]

Thanks for all the info!!!! It's hard to believe that the cruise is still 60 days away....I want to leave NOW. I drive myself crazy scrolling through messages and webcams...

[Ocean Boy]

Indy is not just bigger than Enchantment. It is a completely different design with a lot more public space. If you liked Enchantment then I think that you will love Indy. The Freedom class ships are AWESOME!:)

[avazah]

I just got off Indy yesterday. Some of the other stuff was covered, but for #7, I found the helipad at the front of deck 5 to be very secluded and quiet in general, as well as outside deck 4 on the non-smoking side. In the middle of the day, there will be people at cafe promenade, but it was also pretty quiet. I was able to get some tea and read in there on several days. For some sunshine, go to deck 11 all the way in the front of the ship. Even on the busiest sea days, it's breezy and quiet there. You can also take the stairs there to the St. Tropez deck, which is just a little deck with more loungers and can also be quiet(but is also more windy). During the day, many of the night venues are open and quiet, like the pyramid lounge(no one stopped us from going in there, at least), schooner bar, champagne bar, and boleros. The library on deck 7 is also quiet, as well as the chairs facing the promenade all the way forward on the ship on decks 6, 7, and 8. If you feel a little overwhelmed by everyone, take dinner in the Windjammer one night... When we did it, they had basically all the same stuff from the MDR(except seafood I'm guessing, but we don't eat seafood so I didn't notice), but it was very very relaxed and quiet.

[simply coffee]

Thanks for all the info!!!! It's hard to believe that the cruise is still 60 days away....I want to leave NOW. I drive myself crazy scrolling through messages and webcams...

 

THANKS so much for asking these questions ... we'll be on the same cruise as you ... still seems a tad too far away. (I need a sunny reprieve from this Canadian snow!)

[samj80]

6) We are staying at the Hilton Marina (ft. Lauderdale) for the night before the cruise. Does anyone have any suggestion for dinner? Price isnt really a big deal but we dont want to have to dress up to go to a restaurant.

 

 

Our favorite place to eat in Ft. Lauderdale is Old Heidelberg. If you like German food it's excellent. If you never had German food, I would highly suggest it.

 

I can also recommend My Big Fat Greek Restaurant. My wife is a bigger fan of Greek food then I am, but I still enjoyed it. They have a wonderful patio overlooking a canal.