LIVE REVIEW - 18th to 26th May - Norway - Independence of the Seas

[ticktoneer]

Day 3 - Monday 20th May 2013 - Flam, Norway - Arrival 1pm

 

One thing I didn't chat about on yesterday's review was that me and my buddy are quite stocky with shaved heads and when dressed in our Tux's together we look like nightclub bouncers or personal security - lol. I was stopped 9 times last night - I was asked 3 times for directions, twice if people were old enough to come into nightclub, twice what job I did onboard the ship and twice about the role of security onboard.

 

I think people engage and talk to me as I'm very friendly, smile at everyone I pass and say hello to people around me. I'm going to have to start looking miserable and grimacing at people so I get left alone. Ha ha ha !!!!!

 

One of the people asking me for directions was an elderly woman, not too steady on her feet. I walked her from deck 4 to the Pyramid Lounge and she tried to give me a $1 tip while telling me that staff should all be as helpful and friendly as me. Ha ha ha. I just played along letting her assume I worked on board, kindly refused her $1 tip and went on my way. It was a funny occurrence and made me giggle all evening.

 

OK - on with today . . . . . . .

 

Aaaagggghhhhh ! Do you remember that last night we got in from 'The Labyrinth' at 1.40am (and got to sleep around 2.30am). Well, our early bird friend whom we've brought away on holiday gave us an early morning call at 6.55am !!!!

 

Ha ha ha !

 

What was amazing after she had called and woken us up was opening the curtains and seeing the stunning scenery. As I said in my introduction to the cruise I had never fancied visiting the fjords or Norway as I am a sunshine, pool and beach person who isn't usually into scenery. However you can't not be blown away by the beauty of the mountains, snow, amazing forests, picturesque houses and waterfalls on each side of the ship.

 

If you remember from my introduction, our friend who we have brought away to heal from grieving for her sister (and now having no family at all) is quite naive and nervous with this being her FIRST EVER vacation at 58 yrs. old. As such she didn't want to do any excursions and only wants to get off the ship for an hour or so at each port. I was happy with this as we mainly want to meet her needs and help her to heal on this holiday and for me the ship is usually my destination and what I enjoy. However after seeing this landscape for just a couple of hours I would have loved to be going exploring and on excursions at every port. Oh well - there's no option but to do another Fjords cruise - lol.

 

We got up at 7.15am to find that our friend had only had around 1 hours sleep despite being in bed for 9 hours. All night she had a beeping come from her TV, a rattling in her A/C and a slow dull tapping in the cavity of her wall. It would have driven me mad for 9 hours !!

 

We also had annoying noises, but not as bad.

 

She said she didn't know who to contact and didn't want to wake us up in the night. So, before breakfast we spent 45 minutes at guest services to be told we must be exaggerating the noise !!! I don't know about you all reading this but that sort of disrespectful loaded comment changes me from a gentle, calm guest into a respectful but blunt and direct guest. Needless to say the guest services officer was following me to the room after 2 minutes to listen for herself. We quickly reached a potential resolution in that a number of people are disembarking today and they will be seeing if they can move us to 2 new cabins.

 

My buddy and I had a good nights sleep (albeit very short) but we're sure this was down to all the alcohol we had last night !!! Lol.

 

Breakfast was good in the MDR on deck 4 this morning (see yesterday's review for my silly mistake).

 

After breakfast we went for a walk outside. We went to the Helipad via the side door in the Pyramid Lounge. I've never felt such strong wind. As I said above I'm quite stocky and the force of the wind was even making me lose my footing. Our friend is not tall and quite slight. I grabbed her arm straight away to secure her before blew off the ship !!!! Take the wind away and the weather was lovely - blue skies and bright sunshine.

 

The fierce wind and how it blew her around actually frightened her so we ended up going to deck 14 to Olive & Twist to watch the passing scenery in warmth and comfort.

 

There's nothing to tell you from 10am to 12 noon as we all went to bed for a couple of hours to see if we could catch up on our sleep.

 

We ate lunch in the Windjammer after 1pm when a lot of people had left the ship. In the MDR until 1pm there was an 'English Country Buffet Feast'. I'm not sure what this was.

 

At 3pm we left the ship to have a walk around the port area. There were some nice gift shops, along with the train station for the Flam railway and Flam ferry terminal. We hadn't researched how far actual Flam town was so we didn't try to walk and find it. Because the pier where the ship docks is very small there was only one gangway open to disembark and embark from. The queue to disembark took 20 minutes and the queue to embark took 45 minutes.

 

Back on the ship at 4pm me and my buddy went to the sauna and steam room then at 5pm went to the Diamond Lounge for a couple of drinks.

 

They have opened Cloud 9 and the room next door (which I can't remember the name of) on deck 14 as an overflow Diamond lounge. They have all the snacks and a full bar service available just like in the main lounge. This was SO MUCH better than the main lounge as it was quieter and because the outside wall is all glass the views while sat in there were awesome.

 

Cast your mind back to the noise problems in our rooms from last night . . . . . .

 

We visited guest services at 6pm for an update regarding them moving us into different staterooms. They were extremely helpful and did say deck 2 staterooms can be noisy from the crew and I95 and also because the lower decks contract and move a lot. They showed us 2 balcony cabins - an E1 on deck 8 and a D1 on deck 6. These were great and they gave us a complimentary upgrade into these.

 

I was REALLY IMPRESSED by this customer service. They were attentive and treated us with respect, empathy and genuineness. Thanks Royal !!!!!

 

They also made moving very easy. We packed our 'loose items' into our suitcases. An attendant with a luggage trolley then came and transported our luggage and clothes still on hangars to our new stateroom.

 

We rushed to unpack in both cabins then got to dinner at 7.30pm - 45 minutes late for our MTD reservation. We were seated within 4 minutes despite this. Great service again ! I ate gourmet meatballs, aloo gobi curry (which horrible) and honey & walnut tart with ice cream. My buddy and our friend had a salmon starter followed by New York strip, then BBB créme brûlée.

 

We had tickets for the 9.15pm ice show 'Freeze Frame'. We arrived at 8.45pm to a queue that stretched from studio B to the MDR. Lol. When we eventually got in we got great seats and the show was fab. In November we saw their other show 'Strings' and that one was my favourite.

 

After Strings my buddy and our friend went to bed and I went to watch the 'Love & Marriage Gameshow' n the Alhambra Theatre. This was really funny but Rob as a new Cruise Director needs to polish how he presents this. There were lots of long gaps at times which stopped it flowing.

 

11.30pm back to my new Balcony stateroom (hooray !!) to finish today's review and then sleep soundly, hopefully !!

 

More tomorrow - Day 4 in Skjolden

[caranc]

What number staterooms were you in on deck 2? As we are also on this deck in July, hopefully it will not be too noisy.

[Galaxy]

ticktoneer,it was P&Os Ventura who sailing together whit you.....on the AIS it looks like you had a race Southampton - Norway because it was going very fast a while :D

 

Ventura is on the way up here now from Bergen and will arrive in 7 hours. ( 08am )

[LisaAtlCruiser]

Loving the review. And so very happy you were upgraded to Balcony rooms. Kudos to Royal for doing that!

 

I look forward to reading your review tomorrow.

[JFontaine]

Thank you for your review. May your kindness be returned in spades.

[amcb]

Wonderful review! Thanks so much.

 

I know someone asked about which cabins you were in on deck 2. I would also be interested in knowing since my aunt has been assigned a cabin on deck two (2652). She is a sister (nun) and this will be her first true vacation since entering the convent. I would love for her to have a great trip! I know she will enjoy herself no matter what, but I hope she has no issues.

 

Also, can you confirm that the highchairs in the dining room are the kind with the plastic detachable trays?

 

Thanks again!!

 

:-) amcb

[juliemc]

Enjoying your review. Was wondering if the gangway in Flam was forward or aft?

[hairymelon]

Really enjoying your review and will be in Flam on the cruise in two weeks.

 

So glad you got upgraded and I hope you and your friend are able to sleep better :)

[ticktoneer]

More questions answered and information. . . . . .

 

motif - in the staterooms I have seen inside and our two staterooms we've stayed in there don't seem to be any changes to fixtures and fittings or decor / colour schemes.

 

dmackay46 - cabin 6604 - I went up there last night and it appeared very quiet. Luckily the current guests staying there came out and they said there is very little noise. The only time they can really hear noise is if there is a parade or party on the promenade.

 

h18furball - I went up the cabin numbers you quoted and the stateroom attendant covering those areas said they can be opened to create one large balcony.

 

juliemc - the gangway in Flam was aft

 

Someone also asked who the Diamond Concierge would be on 24th August. Mel the current Diamond Concierge goes home next month and she said that RCCL haven't given her any details of her replacement yet. Sorry I couldn't help more with this.

 

The staterooms on deck 2 we were in were #2656 & #2658

 

There are some other questions you've asked and I'll get to those over the next few days.

[Jason12]

Loving your review, next best thing to being there as RC closed the booking system as I was paying on Friday... :( we will be there in August thou..

Did you notice how long the wait was for the Flaam train...?

 

Cheers Jason

[littlesteelo]

Nice to see Rob McNally got a promotion to CD, he was assistant CD on my cruise last year.

[Jason12]

Nice to see Rob McNally got a promotion to CD, he was assistant CD on my cruise last year.

 

His he the guy from Liverpool? I'm terrible with names..

[MattyBarlow]

Did she get the new soda machines during the refit?

[marielco]

Great review, thank you for all the detail. I hope the weather improves for you.

Sorry you got blown away on the heli deck. Its lovely on a still day!

[Navigat8]

Thanks for this fabulous review. You've already made my mind up for me for next May.

 

I'm really pleased that Guest Services were able to sort your room problems out. :D

Looking forward to your next instalment.

 

Enjoy it!

 

Gill:D

[higgib]

Looking forward to hearing more. We are doing a similar itinerary on AOS in August.:)

[JPRLHR]

Did she get the new soda machines during the refit?

 

No, they didn't fit the Freestyle machines.

 

can you confirm that the highchairs in the dining room are the kind with the plastic detachable trays?

 

Yes indeed they are. There are also some of the wooden type too.

 

Not trying to jump in on the OP's thread but just thought I'd answer the above as we were on Indy last week.

[MattyBarlow]

No, they didn't fit the Freestyle machines.

 

 

 

 

 

Why not????????????

[MattyBarlow]

 

Not trying to jump in on the OP's thread but just thought I'd answer the above as we were on Indy last week.

 

 

We must have seen you in La Coruna as we were on Ventura last week.

[JPRLHR]

is he the guy from Liverpool? I'm terrible with names..

 

Yes that's him.. Has a voice that sounds like Paul O'Grady..!! :D

 

I thought he did a decent job last week and I'm sure his banter will come across better with a stronger sidekick on the morning show now that the woman who was on there with him (can't even remember her name now) has gone.. She was useless.. !! Zero personality, squeaky voice and not the sharpest tool in the box either.

[JPRLHR]

Why not????????????

 

No idea why not. Seemed to be the perfect opportunity.

 

We must have seen you in La Coruna as we were on Ventura last week.

 

We stayed on board in La Coruna thanks to the horrible weather but we saw Ventura in port and we overtook you just before entering the English Channel. :D

[h18furball]

 

h18furball - I went up the cabin numbers you quoted and the stateroom attendant covering those areas said they can be opened to create one large balcony.

 

 

Much thanks for doing this. You went above and beyond what I expected, now go enjoy your cruise.

[ticktoneer]

Day 4 - Tuesday 21st May 2013 - Skojden, Norway - Arrival 7am

 

Hooray ! What a great nights sleep. We all feel human again :-)

 

Breakfast was 8am on deck 4 in the MDR (remind me never to cruise with someone who's an early riser again !!).

 

At 9am our friend who we brought with us (and who wanted to go on no excursions) decided she wanted to do 3 ! Lol. After checking availability we got Mel the Diamond Concierge to book us onto:-

 

Day 5 - Olden - Cruise on Lake Loen

1 hour coach ride through Kjenndat Valley, visit to Kjenndat, 10 minute walk to the glacier area with fantastic views. Waffles and coffee at a quaint lake side cafe followed by a 9 mile cruise on the clear turquoise lake.

 

Day 6 - Alesund - Saga Islands & Atlantic Sea Park

Taking us to the Saga Islands of Giske and Godoy. Drive to the islands over many bridges and one of the longest sub-sea tunnels in the world. Visit Giske Chapel dating back to 1135. Then a visit to Atlantic Sea Park. On the way back to the ship a stop off at Mount Aksla view point.

 

Day 7 - Stavanger - City Sightseeing with Iron Age Farm

Visit the Iron Age farm, a site whereViking King Harold Fairhair defeated the last regional prince in 872. We will see Hafrsfjord and the Monument of the Three Swords. There are photostops at Ullandhaug and Stavanger Cathedral. At the end of the tour we stroll through the cobbled streets of Old Stavanger to see the white wooden houses dating back to the 18th & 19th century

 

I'm looking forward to all 3 of these. More of an update and my opinion on each one as I review day by day later in the cruise.

 

While with Mel the Diamond Concierge we also signed up for the Diamond Entertainment Tour on Day 8 at 9.30am.

 

At 10am we played morning trivia. It was so difficult (or of course we might be a bit thick !!!). We scored 9 out of 25 and missed out on the expensive sought after RCCL magnetic floppy photo 'frame'.

 

At 11am my buddy and our friend got off in Skjolden to have a a walk and look around. There isn't much here really. The fjord and mountains look the same as Flam (which thinking about it logically, of course they would. It is the same country and area !)

 

(Roll on my next Transatlantic/Caribbean cruise)

 

I stayed on board this morning as I was feeling a little bit disorientated and dizzy. As some of you will know from my previous review on LOS, I suffer from Bi-Polar and I think it is kicking off a little bit today. Until this evening it's going to be a restful day for me with some sleep to keep the Bi-Polar Troll at bay !!!!!!!

 

3.30pm I woke up feeling a lot better and went up to the steam room and sauna for an hour.

 

At 5pm me and my buddy went to the Diamond Lounge until 6.30pm and then met our friend for dinner at 7pm. Me and my friend ate red lentil soup, roast beef and cappuccino chocolate cake. My buddy ate shrimp cocktail, roast chicken and pecan tart. Everything was fresh and hot. We are in My Time Dining and have asked to always be seated in the section of Noriel (waiter) and Edgar (asst waiter) as they are excellent at looking after us.

 

Tonight was the dining room staff parade with them singing 'O Sole Mio'. We usually do traditional dining and I didn't realise until this cruise that the 'parade' doesn't happen in MTD.

 

After dinner I was starting to feel a little heady and shaky like this morning so I decided to retire to my stateroom, finish today's review and watch TV so that I chill and get an early night.

 

More review tomorrow - Day 5 from Olden

 

Some activities from today's cruise compass are:

- morning quiz

- odd one out quiz

- Nintendo Wii bowling

- movie - the cold light of day

- card making

- 70's tunes music quiz

- headliner showtime - Paul Adams "funny man"

- 70's disco inferno street party

- ballroom dancing

[dmackay46]

More questions answered and information. . . . .

 

dmackay46 - cabin 6604 - I went up there last night and it appeared very quiet. Luckily the current guests staying there came out and they said there is very little noise. The only time they can really hear noise is if there is a parade or party on the promenade..

 

Thanks very much ticktoneer...way way above the call of duty ! :D

[pcdodge]

Re your tapping noise in your cabin we had the same in cabin 9330 for hours I complained at 2in the morning and they changed our room straight away you have to have a go and insisting being moved