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Live Review - Independence of the Seas. Spanish Med July 2014

Nix111

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Nix111

Nix111

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Live review Independence of the Seas - Spanish Med Cruise - Day 1

 

I've decided to live blog our summer family cruise, I love reading live reviews and thought it might be fun to share the story of our family summer holiday.

 

Firstly a bit of context so you know who we are, I'm Nicky (43) sailing with my husband Andy (51) and our gorgeous little sailor Finn (6). We are from the UK and live in the North near Manchester. This is our 10th cruise, our 3rd so far this year (yes I'm a very lucky girl!) and I love cruising, a self confessed cruising geek. We have cruised lots of different lines, don't necessarily have any brand loyalty, we've enjoyed RCI, Carnival, NCL, Thomson and most recently the MSC Divina - that was in April and my husband was adamant it was our last cruise for a while, not a chance I thought.

 

I was researching ideas for our summer family holiday and just couldn't get inspired by the idea of two weeks in an all inclusive hotel and summer is a little hot for a city break with a 6 year old (although last year we had a fab land based holiday in Toronto) so I started taking a sneaky peak at cruise sites :) I stumbled across the RCI Spanish Med cruise on the Independence of the Seas, it was departing in summer holidays on a fabulous family friendly ship with an amazing itinerary including Vigo, Gibraltar, Barcelona (one of our favourite cities ever), Ibiza, Valencia, Lisbon, Cadiz oh and a stop in Palma, Mallorca where happily my Mum lives so I can tick off a family visit too! Absolutely perfect I thought, now I just had to convince the husband.....

 

Several weeks of badgering, being a lovely wife and much red wine later he finally cracked and allowed me to book it. On the proviso that I'd already had my main holiday (on the MSC Divina in Yacht Club) so I could only have an inside cabin to keep the cost down, we'll I logged on to look at prices and sadly all the inside cabins had gone (hurrah!) so an outside it was, well so I thought. I called my amazing travel agent (who I have spent a small fortune with over the years) who called me straight back to say she had a guaranteed balcony for the price of an outside - did I want it? Did I ever! So we booked and the holiday countdown started.

 

We've never sailed on the Independence of the Seas before but had done the Oasis of the Seas on a back to back a few years ago so we had a good idea what to expect, a little like Oasis but without the park or the boardwalk. That didn't stop me reading a million reviews and joining a few Facebook groups to help the days pass by and add to the excitement.

 

We were hugely excited about sailing from the UK as it's not something we'd done before, having always opted for fly cruises, the last one involved a particularly long, arduous flight and two hours at customs. The idea of avoiding that was heavenly and also as I get older jet lag and a 6 year old is not a great combination.

 

Anyway a few weeks ahead of boarding I logged in to RCI to do the paperwork and noticed our cabin had been allocated, I nervously checked the deck plan as I realised I was taking a bit of a gamble with a guaranteed. To my absolute delight we had been allocated cabin 7408, a corner aft balcony. I googled it and found a YouTube video showing the cabin and balcony which was massive - I love the internet, the info you can find is amazing. I couldn't quite believe how lucky we were, happy days.

 

Ok, that's probably enough background so on to the holiday. Manchester is around 4 hours drive from Southampton so we decided to break the journey (and start the holiday a day early!) by driving two thirds of the way and stopping near Oxford in a Premier Inn. We made a lovely day of the journey stopping at a National Trust property to enjoy the glorious sunshine and a fabulous lunch. This turned what I thought might be a painful journey in to a lovely adventure and we arrived at the hotel relaxed and excited. The next morning after a leisurely breakfast we hit the road for an hour or so drive arriving at Southampton docks around 10.45am. I'd booked parking at the docks, yes it was a little more expensive than off site parking but absolute heaven to turn up, park, have our luggage taken straight off us by a friendly and helpful porter and then take a three minute stroll to the ship. At first sight the Independence of the Seas is incredibly impressive, my 6 year old was squealing with excitement (and I was only marginally calmer!). We headed into the terminal to find hardly no queues at all and as gold members we we're given gold stickers and fast tracked through although I suspect even without a sticker you wouldn't have been waiting long. We were through security, straight to check in desk and had our key cards in our hands within minutes. We then followed the 'to the ship' signs where boarding had already started.

 

We swerved the ships photographers as always and headed up the gang plank to hear my favourite phrase in the world - 'welcome aboard ' and that satisfying ding as they swipe your card.

 

Rooms aren't available till 1pm so we headed up to the top deck to explore. The pool areas are lovely, the adult only solarium looks fabulous with cantilevered whirlpools hanging off the ship although I'll only enjoy that properly if Finn does Adventure Ocean. There is a central outdoor area with stage and bars and a huge splash zone kids pool which Finn was very excited about. We'll definitely be sampling this on our first sea day I'm sure.

 

We headed to the bar to have our first drink of the holiday. We had pre-purchased the select drinks package that gives us any beer and wines up to $8 a glass plus unlimited sodas which is more than enough for us as we don't really drink spirits. I think this was about £20 a day so really four or five drinks and you are already saving money. It's a bargain for us - last time we did RCI they didn't do all inclusive packages and our bar bill getting off a back to back on the Oasis was eye watering. It's nice not to have that concern this time.

 

Following a drink my 6 year old was desperate to explore so we headed to the Royal Promenade a huge mall that runs along the centre of the ship on deck 5. We had a stroll down the mall collecting menus and leaflets for the speciality restaurants and then headed to the Schooner Bar for a cheeky glass of wine, well I need to get value from that drinks package! Following the wine we'd worked up a little appetite so we headed to Sorrentos a pizza place on the Royal Promenade that also does panninis and desserts and had a few slices of pizza that wasn't exactly gourmet but very tasty and soaked up the alcohol!

 

It was now 1pm so we headed up to the 7th floor, the door wasn't quite open so we waited in the library where my 6 year old was delighted to find a kids section and promptly borrowed some holiday reading. The doors soon opened and we headed to the aft excited to see our room. It is quite a trek however I guess that will help with walking off the inevitable cruise calorie gain.

 

We opened our door and were delighted with what we saw, a lovely, spotlessly clean, spacious stateroom with large queen bed, sofa and good size bathroom however what really makes this cabin is the beautiful corner aft balcony. It is huge and has two sun loungers, a table, two chairs and a porthole to one side and a regular balcony to the other, it's beautiful, gives you two different sea views and has a lovely mix of sun for me and shade for the boys. We so lucked out getting this and I'm beyond thrilled at the idea of having it for two weeks!

 

Two of our three cases arrived so I started unpacking. I have a small confession here, we had packed a couple of wine boxes in our luggage - now in my defence we have booked and paid for the wine package so it's not to save money it's actually to save my legs walking back and to to the bar from our room. I just wanted to enjoy a glass or three on my amazing aft balcony. One of the cases with a box arrived but the other didn't. An hour or so went by and I was getting extremely nervous I'd be called to the naughty room! I'd already worked out what I was going to say, I.e. I was saving RCI money by drinking my own wine :) Anyway thankfully I was worrying unnecessarily as our final case arrived a short while later - phew!

 

I unpacked and relaxed on the balcony and then there was a knock at the door, Delores our state room attendant arrived to introduce herself and check we had everything we needed. We gave her a small initial tip to ensure a constant supply of fresh wine glasses and towel animals and then headed up to muster. The muster was quick and easy and conducted in glorious sunshine, not something I was expecting on a UK sailing. We then took the 6 flights of stairs to the top deck as the queues for lifts were pretty long and if taking the stairs always means you can enjoy a guilt free dessert later.

 

There was a sail away party up on deck with the entertainment crew doing the Macarena etc. I bet they have to go on a training course to learn those dances. Another glass of wine later and we enjoyed a Caribbean style band and Finn and myself had a paddle and dance in the shallow pool. We'd all slipped into holiday mode very nicely.

 

We headed back to our room to change for dinner which was casual dinning tonight. We headed to the King Lear dining room for anytime dining and happily there were no queues. I had tried to reserve online our preferred time but the RCI site won't let you as it's a 14 night cruise with 3 people that's more items that your basket allows. I called but they said just to do it on board. It wasn't an issue as the staff happily booked us in and we were whisked to our table. We met our waiters Jose and Dominic who were friendly and helpful, keeping our glasses topped up and delighting my six year old with a napkin mouse (who now lives in our stateroom!). The dinner was delicious and both me and my husband enjoyed a lamb broth followed by a fabulous traditional English roast beef dinner with garlic roast potatoes, gravy and even a Yorkshire pudding. It amazes me how they cater for so many so well and the food was piping hot. Finn enjoyed the kids menu and our waiters brought him fruit to start without us even asking and then he ordered chicken strips which were delivered with a ketchup smiley face followed by a delicious chocolate brownie that I helped with!

 

After dinner we met up with the family of someone I'd been chatting to on a cruise Facebook group. She has a 7 year old and the boys played together beautifully while we enjoyed another glass of wine in Boleros - yes I think we got value out of the drinks package today! They headed off to dinner so we explored a little more. We found the swings in the solarium and met a lovely family on their first cruise and chatted for a while. We were going to explore further but it was a bit windy on deck so we headed back to our aft balcony for a nightcap. Me and Finn snuck off to grab a cheeky slice of Sorrentos and were planning to make the opening night parade but holiday exhaustion got the better of us so it was an early night all round.

 

I was a little worried about the infamous Bay of Biscay but hardly felt any movement, a wonderful nights sleep later and we are now ready for day 2 - more to follow later....

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CharlesSilver

CharlesSilver

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Live review Independence of the Seas - Spanish Med Cruise - Day 1

 

I've decided to live blog our summer family cruise, I love reading live reviews and thought it might be fun to share the story of our family summer holiday.

 

Firstly a bit of context so you know who we are, I'm Nicky (43) sailing with my husband Andy (51) and our gorgeous little sailor Finn (6). We are from the UK and live in the North near Manchester. This is our 10th cruise, our 3rd so far this year (yes I'm a very lucky girl!) and I love cruising, a self confessed cruising geek. We have cruised lots of different lines, don't necessarily have any brand loyalty, we've enjoyed RCI, Carnival, NCL, Thomson and most recently the MSC Divina - that was in April and my husband was adamant it was our last cruise for a while, not a chance I thought.

 

I was researching ideas for our summer family holiday and just couldn't get inspired by the idea of two weeks in an all inclusive hotel and summer is a little hot for a city break with a 6 year old (although last year we had a fab land based holiday in Toronto) so I started taking a sneaky peak at cruise sites :) I stumbled across the RCI Spanish Med cruise on the Independence of the Seas, it was departing in summer holidays on a fabulous family friendly ship with an amazing itinerary including Vigo, Gibraltar, Barcelona (one of our favourite cities ever), Ibiza, Valencia, Lisbon, Cadiz oh and a stop in Palma, Mallorca where happily my Mum lives so I can tick off a family visit too! Absolutely perfect I thought, now I just had to convince the husband.....

 

Several weeks of badgering, being a lovely wife and much red wine later he finally cracked and allowed me to book it. On the proviso that I'd already had my main holiday (on the MSC Divina in Yacht Club) so I could only have an inside cabin to keep the cost down, we'll I logged on to look at prices and sadly all the inside cabins had gone (hurrah!) so an outside it was, well so I thought. I called my amazing travel agent (who I have spent a small fortune with over the years) who called me straight back to say she had a guaranteed balcony for the price of an outside - did I want it? Did I ever! So we booked and the holiday countdown started.

 

We've never sailed on the Independence of the Seas before but had done the Oasis of the Seas on a back to back a few years ago so we had a good idea what to expect, a little like Oasis but without the park or the boardwalk. That didn't stop me reading a million reviews and joining a few Facebook groups to help the days pass by and add to the excitement.

 

We were hugely excited about sailing from the UK as it's not something we'd done before, having always opted for fly cruises, the last one involved a particularly long, arduous flight and two hours at customs. The idea of avoiding that was heavenly and also as I get older jet lag and a 6 year old is not a great combination.

 

Anyway a few weeks ahead of boarding I logged in to RCI to do the paperwork and noticed our cabin had been allocated, I nervously checked the deck plan as I realised I was taking a bit of a gamble with a guaranteed. To my absolute delight we had been allocated cabin 7408, a corner aft balcony. I googled it and found a YouTube video showing the cabin and balcony which was massive - I love the internet, the info you can find is amazing. I couldn't quite believe how lucky we were, happy days.

 

Ok, that's probably enough background so on to the holiday. Manchester is around 4 hours drive from Southampton so we decided to break the journey (and start the holiday a day early!) by driving two thirds of the way and stopping near Oxford in a Premier Inn. We made a lovely day of the journey stopping at a National Trust property to enjoy the glorious sunshine and a fabulous lunch. This turned what I thought might be a painful journey in to a lovely adventure and we arrived at the hotel relaxed and excited. The next morning after a leisurely breakfast we hit the road for an hour or so drive arriving at Southampton docks around 10.45am. I'd booked parking at the docks, yes it was a little more expensive than off site parking but absolute heaven to turn up, park, have our luggage taken straight off us by a friendly and helpful porter and then take a three minute stroll to the ship. At first sight the Independence of the Seas is incredibly impressive, my 6 year old was squealing with excitement (and I was only marginally calmer!). We headed into the terminal to find hardly no queues at all and as gold members we we're given gold stickers and fast tracked through although I suspect even without a sticker you wouldn't have been waiting long. We were through security, straight to check in desk and had our key cards in our hands within minutes. We then followed the 'to the ship' signs where boarding had already started.

 

We swerved the ships photographers as always and headed up the gang plank to hear my favourite phrase in the world - 'welcome aboard ' and that satisfying ding as they swipe your card.

 

Rooms aren't available till 1pm so we headed up to the top deck to explore. The pool areas are lovely, the adult only solarium looks fabulous with cantilevered whirlpools hanging off the ship although I'll only enjoy that properly if Finn does Adventure Ocean. There is a central outdoor area with stage and bars and a huge splash zone kids pool which Finn was very excited about. We'll definitely be sampling this on our first sea day I'm sure.

 

We headed to the bar to have our first drink of the holiday. We had pre-purchased the select drinks package that gives us any beer and wines up to $8 a glass plus unlimited sodas which is more than enough for us as we don't really drink spirits. I think this was about £20 a day so really four or five drinks and you are already saving money. It's a bargain for us - last time we did RCI they didn't do all inclusive packages and our bar bill getting off a back to back on the Oasis was eye watering. It's nice not to have that concern this time.

 

Following a drink my 6 year old was desperate to explore so we headed to the Royal Promenade a huge mall that runs along the centre of the ship on deck 5. We had a stroll down the mall collecting menus and leaflets for the speciality restaurants and then headed to the Schooner Bar for a cheeky glass of wine, well I need to get value from that drinks package! Following the wine we'd worked up a little appetite so we headed to Sorrentos a pizza place on the Royal Promenade that also does panninis and desserts and had a few slices of pizza that wasn't exactly gourmet but very tasty and soaked up the alcohol!

 

It was now 1pm so we headed up to the 7th floor, the door wasn't quite open so we waited in the library where my 6 year old was delighted to find a kids section and promptly borrowed some holiday reading. The doors soon opened and we headed to the aft excited to see our room. It is quite a trek however I guess that will help with walking off the inevitable cruise calorie gain.

 

We opened our door and were delighted with what we saw, a lovely, spotlessly clean, spacious stateroom with large queen bed, sofa and good size bathroom however what really makes this cabin is the beautiful corner aft balcony. It is huge and has two sun loungers, a table, two chairs and a porthole to one side and a regular balcony to the other, it's beautiful, gives you two different sea views and has a lovely mix of sun for me and shade for the boys. We so lucked out getting this and I'm beyond thrilled at the idea of having it for two weeks!

 

Two of our three cases arrived so I started unpacking. I have a small confession here, we had packed a couple of wine boxes in our luggage - now in my defence we have booked and paid for the wine package so it's not to save money it's actually to save my legs walking back and to to the bar from our room. I just wanted to enjoy a glass or three on my amazing aft balcony. One of the cases with a box arrived but the other didn't. An hour or so went by and I was getting extremely nervous I'd be called to the naughty room! I'd already worked out what I was going to say, I.e. I was saving RCI money by drinking my own wine :) Anyway thankfully I was worrying unnecessarily as our final case arrived a short while later - phew!

 

I unpacked and relaxed on the balcony and then there was a knock at the door, Delores our state room attendant arrived to introduce herself and check we had everything we needed. We gave her a small initial tip to ensure a constant supply of fresh wine glasses and towel animals and then headed up to muster. The muster was quick and easy and conducted in glorious sunshine, not something I was expecting on a UK sailing. We then took the 6 flights of stairs to the top deck as the queues for lifts were pretty long and if taking the stairs always means you can enjoy a guilt free dessert later.

 

There was a sail away party up on deck with the entertainment crew doing the Macarena etc. I bet they have to go on a training course to learn those dances. Another glass of wine later and we enjoyed a Caribbean style band and Finn and myself had a paddle and dance in the shallow pool. We'd all slipped into holiday mode very nicely.

 

We headed back to our room to change for dinner which was casual dinning tonight. We headed to the King Lear dining room for anytime dining and happily there were no queues. I had tried to reserve online our preferred time but the RCI site won't let you as it's a 14 night cruise with 3 people that's more items that your basket allows. I called but they said just to do it on board. It wasn't an issue as the staff happily booked us in and we were whisked to our table. We met our waiters Jose and Dominic who were friendly and helpful, keeping our glasses topped up and delighting my six year old with a napkin mouse (who now lives in our stateroom!). The dinner was delicious and both me and my husband enjoyed a lamb broth followed by a fabulous traditional English roast beef dinner with garlic roast potatoes, gravy and even a Yorkshire pudding. It amazes me how they cater for so many so well and the food was piping hot. Finn enjoyed the kids menu and our waiters brought him fruit to start without us even asking and then he ordered chicken strips which were delivered with a ketchup smiley face followed by a delicious chocolate brownie that I helped with!

 

After dinner we met up with the family of someone I'd been chatting to on a cruise Facebook group. She has a 7 year old and the boys played together beautifully while we enjoyed another glass of wine in Boleros - yes I think we got value out of the drinks package today! They headed off to dinner so we explored a little more. We found the swings in the solarium and met a lovely family on their first cruise and chatted for a while. We were going to explore further but it was a bit windy on deck so we headed back to our aft balcony for a nightcap. Me and Finn snuck off to grab a cheeky slice of Sorrentos and were planning to make the opening night parade but holiday exhaustion got the better of us so it was an early night all round.

 

I was a little worried about the infamous Bay of Biscay but hardly felt any movement, a wonderful nights sleep later and we are now ready for day 2 -

 

more to follow later....

 

 

Lovely !

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Adayatatime

Adayatatime

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Yeay! We are doing the same cruise in 4 weeks time, and did exactly the same one last year. My fave city is Barcelona too, I love the area the ship docks in in Ibiza as well. We have a 15 year old so don't have child are issues, except trying to keep her with us for at least a few hours a week!

 

Glad bay of biscay calm, always the harder bit.

 

Keep us updated. Looks like you will be my research!! X

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Nix111

Nix111

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Live Review, Independence of the Seas, Spanish Med - Day 2 - Sea Day

 

As a family we love sea days, I always think it's a perfect way to spend a second day giving you a chance to find your sea legs and explore the ship. My six year old wants us to go on a cruise that is purely just sea days as he never wants to leave the ship, so much so that disembarking at ports usually involves a little bribery around a visit to a toy shop.

 

We started the day in a lazy fashion, the boys had a lie in while I wrote the first instalment of this blog and then we headed for an al a carte breakfast. This is such an indulgent way to start the day and one of the things I love on a cruise, you rarely get waitress service in any hotel these days at breakfast and trying to feed a 6 year old at a buffet is a far from relaxed experience. We enjoyed a full English with proper back bacon rather than that American streaky stuff. This was served with fabulous hash browns and eggs any way we liked. We were happy to share a table so there was no queuing and we met a nice Scottish couple enjoying a good conversation around the Commonwealth Games, Scottish independence and plans for the cruise - a lovely and social way to start the day.

 

A quick note on wifi, one of the main reasons I'm able to write this blog and respond to comments etc. is because of the very reasonable wifi package. RCI do a 14 day unlimited wifi package which you can use on up to two devices at any time for $269 ( this included a small gold member discount of 10 or 20% I think). I was pleasantly surprised by this, we need wifi for work as we run our own business so a holiday is never quite a holiday. We've paid significantly more for wifi on previous cruises and it's a joy for it to be across a few devices and unlimited. This saves all that remembering to log on or off as previously I have forgotten and lost valuable data allowance.

 

We left breakfast and headed to the Royal Promenade and collected our tickets for the ice show for the show times we wanted. The queues were small although apparently you don't necessarily need tickets as you usually can get in on standby queues.

 

We headed up to King Lear dining room for the Cruisecritic meet n mingle. I think there were around 50 people however as it was in the dining room everyone sat in their own groups at tables so there wasn't a lot of mingling if I'm honest. On arrival we were given a free RCI branded notepad and pen and there were refreshments available (cute little filled croissants, cookies etc). The event was hosted by Alison the activities manager, a northerner from Darwen not far from where we live in a village in the hills outside Bury. She did a great job of getting people laughing and there was a raffle where you could win a range of prizes from the good (bottles of champagne) to the less good ( a fridge magnet). I think everyone won something. We won a camera case or as Alison put it a hamster rucksack which my son's toy doggy is now wearing.

 

Following the meet n mingle it was back to our room to relax for a little while and enjoy the lovely perspective from the aft balcony. We've decided we love the wide perspective you get looking back on the wake and as that's also our surname it seems very apt. I think I may be requesting an aft on future cruises as I've been spoiled by this.

 

Finn then decided he wanted to try kids club so we headed up to deck 12 aft, to sign him in. I think our cabin is well located for Royal Promenade, dining and kids club and the exercise walking the corridors to our room is a bonus. Sign in at Adventure Ocean was quick and easy, the RCI kids staff really are some of the best at sea and so welcoming with children who may seem shy or hesitant. Finn was given a free Adventure Ocean lanyard for his sea pass and he skipped in happily to join the others in Explorers, the club that caters for 6 to 8 year olds. This allowed me and the husband a little us time so we headed to the top deck to explore.

 

We went to the flow rider, to watch not participate! I think we are both a little old / lacking in balance for that. We do enjoy watching the flow rider, great fun as the music is blaring, the sun is shining and everyone is having so much fun. The young guys having a go seemed to be loving it. The instructors were showing everyone how it's really done and at one point deliberating doing tricks that soaked all the spectators - us included! Still it serves us right for sitting at the front, we chose the raised side seating later in the day!

 

From there we went off to the climbing wall. The teenagers on board really are having a riot, we peeked into their hangout space The Living Room too and I'm sure if you have a teenager you won't see them for 2 weeks. It certainly beats the wet caravan parks I holidayed at as a teen.

 

We then headed up to Olive & Twist or Viking Lounge at the very top of the ship. This is another RCI concept I love, great views of the ship in a peaceful setting.

 

At noon we headed back to collect Finn. Explorers is right through the huge arcade on board and a build a bear style shop. It's like exit through the gift shop and I'm sure will cost us dearly later in the cruise - clever planning RCI!

 

Although it was lunchtime we still weren't that hungry after our huge breakfast so we headed back to the room to relax. I just grabbed a slice of pizza from Sorrentos on our way and we thought we'd wait till dinner to eat properly.

 

The plan for the afternoon was the art auction, unsurprisingly Finn wasn't keen so he wanted to go back to kids club. We dropped him off then headed to the auction or so we thought. We made our way to the art gallery on deck 3 as that seemed logical but they'd moved the event to the Pyramid Lounge. We had a quick explore of deck 3 stumbling across On Air the karaoke lounge with private karaoke booths if you don't want to make a public display of yourself! The ice rink and the ship's TV station are down there too.

 

We finally found the auction and were giving our lot number. We are no real art experts but we do buy a bit and collect a little at home, I was keen to see what work they had and maybe pick up a piece as a nice reminder of our trip. My husband collected our glasses of free champagne and we settled in. The auctioneer was rather cheesy to say the least, he proceeded to run through a long list of rules (which were already written on our lot cards) and then brought out print after print of quite frankly overpriced rubbish. Nobody was bidding, in fact he was bidding against himself to try and create some interest. I almost felt sorry for him, the champagne was okay though ;) We left after half an hour and my husband likened it to the art version of 'inch of gold'. He often offers to buy me an inch on our cruises - too generous I know!

 

We headed back to our balcony for a glass of wine where I found a fabulous wine shelf in our balcony and then went to pick up Finn. It was formal night so we started getting ready. I love a formal night, my husband isn't quite so keen. He refuses to do black tie but did manage a jacket and shirt, Finn was dressed in a cute linen suit and jacket so we scrubbed up okay I think.

 

We headed to the dining room and were seated in a different section to our first night with sea views, worryingly our table number was 666 but there wasn't any devilment to be had. Our waiters were Edwin and Vicky. Andy had scallops and double chicken consommé as he couldn't decide which he wanted, the waiter happily brought both. I was very brave as I tried the scallops as I don't usually do seafood and even I thought they were delicious. I had a very tasty chicken salad which was more chicken than salad. For mains I had Beef Tenderloin which was delicious, served with mash and asparagus which was cooked perfectly. Andy had Strip Tenderloin with a jacket which he enjoyed. Finn requested a fruit salad with extra strawberries and was given a huge bowlful in addition to his regular fruit salad, he then had a pizza with fries. I forced myself to order a dessert (well I have been on a pre- cruise diet for months prior to this) and enjoyed a yummy vanilla and strawberry cheesecake.

 

After dinner we headed to Boleros, bumped into friends we'd met yesterday and enjoyed a drink and chat while listening to the band. We were people watching and I was pleasantly surprised by just how dressed up everyone was for formal night, the majority of men were in tuxes and the ladies looked fabulous. There were some very cute little boys in their bow ties and girls in Disney style princess dresses and even the odd kilt! Very different to some of the Caribbean cruises I've been on where the dress code is often loosely interpreted.

 

Following drinks Andy headed off to bed, me and Finn weren't tired so we decided to explore the ship. First stop was the cupcake cupboard to sample the cakes, we had two small ones at $1.50 each and they were gorgeous, I'll be back for more. They also do cupcake decorating lessons which are probably great fun but I'm no Mary Berry so I guess I'll leave those.

 

We strolled the Royal Promenade visited all the shops and then went to the Pyramid Lounge for a nightcap and to watch the band who were great. We then had a quick walk along top deck where it was beautifully warm with hardly any breeze and surprisingly quiet. Finally we visited guest services as there was no queue. The team were very helpful, checked our account and confirmed our on board credit had been applied - now what to spend that on? They also provided a free sewing kit on request as we need to repair a broken sun hat.

 

Then it was time for bed after a lovely day at sea and we returned to the cabin to be greeted by a lovely towel elephant and to read the cruise compass and plan tomorrow's adventures. More to follow soon...ImageUploadedByForums1406535786.870439.jpg.f8fd6533de3dad1b7120e9a11886e71e.jpg

 

 

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PAFC

PAFC

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Thanks for your comprehensive review. I note you went to the Pyramid lounge and thought the band was good. Do you rember the name of the band and could you tell me the type of music they play please? We have been on Indy and enjoyed Rock the Boat but they are on vacation just now so wondered what the replacement was like for our up coming sailing. Enjoy the rest of the cruise.

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jo24

jo24

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Fantastic review so far and great info regarding the wifi. I was on Indy in May and am doing the TA in November. I wasn't bothered about internet going round Norway but I will be for 2 weeks!

 

If you don't mind and if you get the chance, can you see if there is any idea who the CD will be in November? Tim was our activities manager in May (so perhaps he is on leave now) and Joff was CD. I asked if he knew at that stage and he wasn't sure (he got on same day as us!)

 

Have a great cruise!

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kcms4

kcms4

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Yeay! We are doing the same cruise in 4 weeks time, and did exactly the same one last year. My fave city is Barcelona too, I love the area the ship docks in in Ibiza as well. We have a 15 year old so don't have child are issues, except trying to keep her with us for at least a few hours a week!

 

Glad bay of biscay calm, always the harder bit.

 

Keep us updated. Looks like you will be my research!! X

hi Adayatatime can you remember where about's in Ibiza the ship docks? friends are meeting us of the ship wasnt sure if it was in Ibiza town or not.

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Nix111

Nix111

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Hi Jo, I'll check with Joff if I see him around the ship, he was busy filming on the promenade last night when we passed - I 'll post yesterday's blog later when we return from Lisbon and I've got the ipad out the safe

 

Thanks for the lovely comments everyone, more soon

 

 

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Nix111

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Live review, Independence of the Seas, Spanish Med Day 3 - Vigo

 

A leisurely start to the day resulted in us missing the a la carte and buffet breakfast options in the MDR so there was nothing else for it - we had to brave the Windjammer.

 

We made our way up to deck 11 fearing the worst having seen it described on numerous boards as akin to feeding time at the zoo. Well it was busy as expected but after a bit of circling we found a table and proceeded to tuck into a delicious breakfast of French toast, American style sausages, home fries and ham. Both the boys said it was actually tastier than yesterday's a la carte. On leaving the Windjammer we spotted the English Fayre section which includes black pudding, back bacon etc. if a full English is what you prefer. The quality and variety was excellent, the food was hot and the staff were friendly and helpful clearing tables quickly with a smile so I'm struggling to see why anyone has felt the need to complain at all. I'm sure we'll repeat breakfast there over the fortnight's cruise.

 

We returned to our room, grabbed our belongings and made our way to the gangway to disembark. The gangway is on deck 4 which has a promenade style deck, this is great as it means you aren't queuing in stairways or corridors to disembark but instead you stroll down an open deck in glorious sunshine, a nice feature.

 

We disembarked and were quickly ashore. On exiting the ship there is a large three story shopping mall, if you take the escalators inside to the top you can exit into the town avoiding the steep walk on foot. We navigated the narrow streets, glancing in shops and headed towards a fort my husband had spotted from our balcony. We easily reached it and enjoyed fabulous views of the Independence below us. The stroll helped walk off a few cruise calories too. We ambled back down taking a slightly different route and stumbled across Vigo's main shopping street which was lined with lovely floral planters and lit up by the sunshine. It was hot, hot, hot so much so it was possibly the only time my six year old has been begging to go into shops ( to enjoy the air conditioning!). We were searching for a Camper shoe shop (lovely Spanish shoes) but sadly didn't find one, still there are plenty more Spanish ports to go so I'm sure we'll solve that before the cruise ends.We did however accomplish one mission which was to find a toy shop, €10 euros later on some tiny plastic Pokemon and one happy six year old :)

 

By this point it was 12.30 local time so time for our first grown up refreshments of the day. We found a lovely little square surrounded by pavement cafés and practised the only Spanish phrases we know, vino tinto y cerveza por favour!

 

Vigo is actually one hour ahead of ship time but we were told to stay on ship time - a disaster waiting to happen when most people rely on phones which pick up local time rather than watches - we'll look forward to seeing fellow guests racing to the ship from our balcony later!

 

Suitably refreshed we made our way back to the ship and were soon on board. You can't help comparing cruises and I was looking at the decor of the Independence thinking although it doesn't compare to the more stylish ships we've recently enjoyed such as the drop dead gorgeous designer Italian beauty MSC Divina, I actually much prefer the Independence for its facilities and atmosphere. I suspect sailing from the UK means it feels a little more like home and with lots of friendly fellow guests on board, it's been very social so far. I can forgive some slightly dated colours or fabrics as I think the atmosphere is what wins you over. It does make me think I'd like to try Quantam from the UK next year as that could be the best of both worlds - just need to work on the husband now....

 

Unbelievably I was feeling a little peckish, I swear your stomach grows on a cruise! We checked our lunchtime dining options which were Johnny Rockets, Windjammer or room service but we opted for the ease and choice of Windjammer. Lunch service was much calmer than breakfast with plenty of available tables. We sat in the front section and within seconds a lovely, helpful waitress came over calling Finn her little prince and taking a drinks order. Two glasses of wine and an iced water were with us within minutes and she even offered to get us some food if we wanted. We declined and took it in turns to check out and choose from the many options. Andy went to Jade, an oriental / ethnic section serving Chinese, Indian and Thai at lunch and dinner plus sushi in the evening I believe. He had stir fry pork and a lemon chicken with rice. I explored the main section and chose Chicken Schitznel and meatballs and pasta which was absolutely gorgeous, Finn enjoyed his first hot dog of the cruise (and definitely not his last I'm sure). I vowed not to do puddings at lunch so I resisted temptation and we left to change into swimwear.

 

Next stop was the brightly themed kids H20 Zone. I had read on these boards that the pools on the Independence were heated, well I can categorically tell you that they certainly aren't on this one. Wowsers it was chilly but certainly refreshing when the temperature in the sun is around 80 degrees Fahrenheit so we weren't complaining. Anyway we bravely took the plunge amid much squealing ( both me & Finn) and I was delighted to see he'd not forgotten how to swim, a skill he only recently learnt on the last cruise. The kids area is great fun with water shooters, cascading buckets, waterfall, pools for tots and a lazy river. If you don't have kids avoid this area like the plague and head to the adults only pool in The Solarium.

 

It was 2.45pm and Finn had a play date at kids club with his new mate Jaxon so we got dressed and I dropped him off. I came back via the Dog & Badger to collect a wine on my way to chase the sunshine round my balcony for an hours quality me time. I was amazed how busy the Dog & Badger was on a glorious day, that said it was mainly blokes enjoying a quiet pint presumably while their better halves were sunbathing or enjoying all that Vigo has to offer.

 

Al in all I thought Vigo was a nice port, not the prettiest we've visited but very easy to DIY for a meander, a drink, a bit of shopping etc. We saw some lovely beaches from the ship a short taxi ride away around the bay which could be a great idea if you don't fancy the main town.

 

I collected Finn from kids club and he'd had a great time, hot and sweaty and chatting ten to the dozen about variations on dodge ball and new friends he'd made. We went back to the stateroom to change ahead of the Strings ice show at 5.15pm in Studio B, the ice rink on floor 3.

 

We arrived five minutes before the show started but there were still plenty of seats so we found a spot with a good view. The storyline was at best tenuous but the performances were excellent. I had my heart in my mouth as they did the headbanger on a rocking ship (you know you've watched too much Dancing on Ice when you know the move names!). Yes there were a few tumbles but the production values were great and the skill levels high. My only slight issue is Finn now wants to go skating this week and I'm living in fear of having to step foot on that ice as I have no natural balance.

 

After the ice show it was off to dinner, back on table 666 - good job we aren't superstitious. Dinner was lovely, I had chicken and rocket salad with a pepper dressing and mustard crusted beef with Yorkshire pudding and Andy went for Cock a Leekie soup and Singapore noodles - delicious all round and plates cleared. Finn went for fruit salad and chicken strips, service was great and the wine was flowing. We didn't manage dessert. I've noticed the menus have a distinct English theme heading out of Southampton, lots of dishes I've never seen on Royal Caribbean before, nice to see they adapt and cater to local markets. Really must try the afternoon tea they apparently serve in Windjammer daily.

 

The captain made an announcement just before we sailed to warn us off high winds and possible turbulent seas, he said it could get quite rocky and to watch our step and hold rails around the ship. I was a little concerned but felt hardly any movement at all during the night. The Independence is one of the most stable ships I've ever sailed on, the wind was whipping round the balcony a little but other than that no problems at all.

 

We retired to our room to relax for a little and supposedly watch the sunset slip into our porthole so we could photograph it. Slight issue, we blinked and missed it, oh well plenty more nights for that opportunity I suppose.

 

At 9pm it was time for a show in the Alhambra theatre which is deck 3 & 4 forward. Tonight's show was a headliner, this is where acts are flown in specially (rather than resident entertainment team). It was a band called the Zoots who did a 60's covers set. They were tight and professional as they rolled out hit after hit and everyone seemed to be enjoying it and clapping along. It was fun but nothing spectacular and my husband thought they were a bit Butlins - that said we do occasionally go to Butlins for the odd weekend with friends and their kids and we all have a great time!

 

Finn was exhausted after a day of fun and about 40 minutes into the show was nodding off on my knee. At 6 he is now far too heavy to carry the length of the ship (quite a way on the Indy!) so we snuck out before the end and strolled back to our cabin.

 

A small nightcap later and it was time for sleep ahead of Lisbon adventures tomorrow...

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jo24

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Hi Jo, I'll check with Joff if I see him around the ship, he was busy filming on the promenade last night when we passed - I 'll post yesterday's blog later when we return from Lisbon and I've got the ipad out the safe

 

Thanks for the lovely comments everyone, more soon

 

 

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Thank you :) Hope you continue to have a lovely cruise and I am still loving the review!

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I read somewhere on cruise critic there is smoking allowed in the casino is this right.my hubby likes a go on the machines every night and he wont go in there if it all smoking area or is there a no smoking section. thanks if you could let me know

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Hi Redwell, we don't really do casinos but we did wander through yesterday and there is a no smoking section and a smoking section, the air felt pretty clean as walked through, the smoke wasn't noticeable although it wasn't very busy at the time - hope that helps

 

 

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Day 4 - Live Review, Independence of the Seas, Spanish Med - Lisbon

 

We awoke early around 7.00am eager to get ready and get up on top deck to view the Indy sail underneath the famous 25 April suspension bridge across the Tagus Estuary. This was probably the one occasion our gorgeous aft balcony wouldn't deliver the best view so we hot footed it to top deck with a matter of minutes to spare. We were rewarded with fabulous views and an optical illusion that really does make you think that perhaps the captain has misjudged his course, the clearance is literally a matter of feet. We obstructed the jogging track taking numerous photos (really people you are on holiday, who jogs on holiday?!) and looked out at Lisbon excited for the day ahead.

 

Next was the important matter of breakfast and keen to research the ship thoroughly we opted for buffet in the main dining room. We arrived, were quickly given an amazing table, allocated by the lovely head waiter from our evening dining room, Anne (I think but I'll check), right next to the window - Obviously Finn got the window seat. We went to take a look at our options, it was a very English offering, all amazing quality but not quite the variety of the Windjammer yesterday, no pancakes or French toast, limited pastries but the full English on offer was delicious. Service was top notch, our waiter providing a diet coke on request as I don't do coffee or tea and quickly taking away dishes as we finished. We left with our stomachs lined ready for Lisbon, the city of seven hills.

 

We didn't really have any plans for Lisbon, in fact we don't really have any plans for any ports. That's not to say I haven't done my research but I've realised that the absolute beauty of this itinerary is that you really don't need to do excursions to get the most out of any port of call. Almost all ports can be enjoyed with a short stroll or shuttle bus from the port. We went back to our cabin, slapped on the sunscreen and took the lift to deck 1 to disembark.

 

We were quickly off the ship, exited to glorious sunshine and passed through the port gates. My husband had spotted the hop on hop off bus from the balcony and suggested it. Amazingly after 10 cruises, goodness knows how many ports, we've never done a HoHo bus however today it seemed like a great idea. There were a few options for transport including an RCI transfer just to the city, all of which varied in prices. We spoke to a rather helpful salesman on the Yellow Bus company who offered us a day ticket at €15 per adult and Finn would be free, this included two bus routes, free red route trams and the funicular railways. This seemed like an absolute bargain so we jumped at it, boarded the bus to be given headphones for the commentary and made our way to top deck. To my absolute shame Finn, my 6 year old loudly pronounced Mummy I have never been on the upstairs of a bus before! Well holidays are all about new experiences!

 

Well it was an absolute highlight of the trip, sitting aboard an open top bus in the glorious sunshine with a child squealing with delight as the trees almost brushed us. I really enjoyed the headphone commentary in English and also available in numerous other languages which points out the landmarks and showcases the highlights of Lisbon. If you have ever tried to walk through a city with a small child whose legs are tired you'll understand, I honestly think I may be HoHoing in every port from here on in! We did the complete blue line tour back to the terminal taking in the sights for around an hour and then continued back into the city. Our plan was to have a quick break for an ice lolly and a drink and then take a tram ride and the funicular.

 

Sometimes things don't quite go to plan as we found a lovely side street restaurant and ordered a bottle of wine ( it made sense economically - honest). The service was great and the food being served around us looked fantastic but we were still digesting a full English. On leaving we walked through the restaurant which was barbecuing fabulous fresh fish and meats, it made we wish we'd eaten, I'd definitely return and took a card. If you are in Lisbon be sure to check out Aldea on Rua da Vitoria just off R.do Oura, it looked amazing. The wine was very reasonable at €11 a bottle for a very drinkable Portuguese vintage, even on the main drag the prices seemed reasonable but we've learnt that it's always better to head to the side streets for a better experience and deal.

 

The wine got the better of us so instead of heading for a tram or the funicular we ended up with a little retail therapy and found an incredible nearby shop called Tiger. It was like Muji but full of incredibly quirky, funky things at rock bottom prices. We bought a fly swatter, a sumo money box, a festival of Britain style coat rack, a kaleidoscope, a wine decanter and a pigs bottom fridge magnet (Finn's choice) - as I said fabulous shop! I had my eye on a 6ft cactus coat rack but thankfully sense got the better of me and we left. We then stumbled into a Camper shop, if you don't know the brand they are fabulous Spanish shoes made in Majorca and equally comfortable and cool looking. We love Camper and I expect we'll be leaving our Spanish cruise with several pairs each. Today was Andy's turn and he now has a gorgeous new pair to add to our collection.

 

Time was ticking on and tummies were rumbling so we jumped a cab back to the ship, a bargain at €5 plus tip. There were some short but quick moving queues for security and we were soon back on board. We went to the room to drop our shopping off then myself and Finn went to Sorrentos to collect pizza and drinks. Sorrentos were serving hot roast lamb sandwiches with gravy jus, well it would be rude not too, I ordered two for myself and Andy (who had insisted he wasn't hungry), pizza for Finn and a diet coke for me. The lamb sandwiches were scrummy and promptly wolfed down. I asked if they did wine that was in our package and they happily gave me two of those mini bottles ( the type you get on the plane) which made carrying so much easier. I'll be stopping by regularly to pick up those in future!

 

We relaxed in the room for an hour while I made a start on this post and then Finn decided it was time for a swim. We donned our swimsuits and made our way to the H2O Zone while Daddy enjoyed a rest. Thankfully the pool was distinctly warmer than the day before and as the sunshine beat down it was really quite refreshing. We swam, splashed, shot water cannons, stood under tipping buckets and conquered Finn's fear of water on his face by running the gauntlet of a spraying corridor of hoops, I was very proud. After all that fun it was time for an ice cream from Sprinkles, a free self serve machine on the top deck serving vanilla, chocolate and a mix of the two flavours. If you wanted more variety they do have a Ben & Jerry's on the Royal Promenade where you can get a range of flavours in tubs and cones for just a few dollars. I was a little disappointed that they don't do their infamous hot core sundaes here as I was hoping to try one of those. I'd seen them at our local cinema but refrained as I was on a pre cruise diet, a fairly regular thing as I'm nearly always pre cruise!

 

Following the ice cream we went back to the room to change for dinner. I enjoyed a glass of wine in the sunshine on our balcony as we sailed away from Lisbon watching hundreds of jellyfish in the waters below.

 

Finn wanted to spend the evening in the kids club as tonight was PJ movie party where all the kids go in their pyjamas and watch a movie. This is a great idea as it gives parents a bit of 'us time' to enjoy a meal without having to discuss Minecraft videos or play noughts and crosses on the kids menu. As Finn insisted on going we decided to take full advantage and book a meal at one of the two speciality restaurants. We fancied Giovannis Table, an Italian restaurant that costs $20 a head however when we called to book they were doing a Murder Mystery night which isn't really my husband's thing as he lives in fear of audience participation! So we booked Chops Grille, billed as the best steakhouse at sea and costing $30 a head.

 

I took Finn up to Adventure Ocean and it reminded me of our very first cruise 4 years ago when he was just two. We were on board Ocean Village (a cruise line that sadly no longer exists) in the Caribbean. It was our first proper holiday away without taking either set of parents with us and to our delight the kids facilities were amazing so much so our boy would have spent his entire holiday in there had we let him. They also had a night nursery complete with cots where you could drop off a sleeping child and they'd give you a buzzer so you could go out for dinner knowing the staff would contact you if necessary. We had many amazing nights enjoying dinner where I got to talk to my husband and eat hot meals - a really luxury as any newish Mum will understand!

 

The Independence of the Seas has Royal Tots & Babies, a similar programme for 6 months up to 3 years although I think there is a small charge. 3 - 5 year olds are catered for in Aquanauts, Finn's group is the 6 - 8 year Explorers and there are the 9 - 11 year old Voyagers. Each group has their own dedicated play room and space with age appropriate games and toys. There are a range of free organised activities every day from 9am - 12pm and 1pm - 5pm and children can attend a kids tea in the Windjammer with youth staff between 5pm - 6.45pm again free of charge. There's another free session between 6.45pm - 10.00pm and finally a late night party zone from 10.00pm - 2.00am for parents who want to dance the night away but there's a $7 per hour charge for this. Finn has never done this before but said he wants to go so maybe later in the cruise we'll be trying to stay awake so he can party the night away!

 

He skipped in happily to kids club and we went to Schooners Bar for a pre dinner drink. At 7.30pm we made our way to Chops Grille located on deck 11 aft. It is a separate restaurant located next to the Windjammer. Sadly Chops Grille was not all we hoped for, in fact it's probably the only disappointment of our cruise so far. I may sound a little negative here but as you can hopefully tell from my posts so far I really am a glass half full kind of girl. I can only share how it was for us on the evening. We were met on arrival by a member of staff who was on a mobile phone and proceeded to chat for a few minutes leaving us standing there. Once he finished his call he then said, let me get the host and again we were left just stood there. A few minutes later the host arrived, checked our booking and escorted us to a nice table of two with sea views. The restaurant lacked character compared to the Chops Grille we'd visited and enjoyed on Oasis of the Seas which felt far classier and was located in Central Park.

 

The waiter arrived with menus and wine list. I already knew we couldn't use our drinks package in speciality restaurants so I looked at the wine list to order a bottle. We are no wine connoisseurs (although we drink plenty!) and at home we are just as happy with a box of wine and rarely spend more than five or six pounds on a bottle. We selected the house wine at $40 a bottle which I was confident would be very drinkable. Unfortunately our waiter told me that was no longer available and suggested we try another at $108 a bottle. I politely declined the blatant upsell and requested another at $45 a bottle that was also not available so we finally found a Shiraz at $45 which was. I was in need if a drink by then! Annoyingly he also tried to upsell us on water too, offering Evian or a sparkling one till I requested just iced water. Not a great start to what was supposed to be a wonderful date night dinner for two.

 

Undeterred we pushed on and glanced through the menu and the waiter came to take our order. For starters I opted for the duck salad and Andy had the mushroom soup. We both ordered the 10oz filet mignon, mine cooked medium well, Andy's medium then we asked if we could share a portion of the jumbo shrimp in addition. We'd done this previously and if you ask for a second main in the main dining room to taste or share it is no problem whatsoever, in fact the waiters seem delighted to do this. We were therefore surprised when the waiter said we could have the additional entree but we would be charged $10 extra for this! The service was very grumpy, our waiter less than helpful and he made us feel uncomfortable for even requesting this. We refused the extra charge as a matter of principle. We'd already paid over $100 for our meals and wine and felt this was yet another attempt to rip us off - as the menu leaflet states a fee is applicable, not fees. It set the meal off to a bad start and we were unhappy diners. Finally sensing a little atmosphere the manager came over and explained we could have the shrimp after all. I'm glad they sorted it out but it still left us disappointed with the whole experience.

 

The food arrived, starters were okay, my duck salad was nicely presented and Andy enjoyed his soup. The steaks arrived, Andy's was over cooked and arrived well done rather than medium, mine was nice though, the sauce was good and the side dishes plentiful and tasty. The waiter was hastily pouring our wine during dinner and as soon as the bottle was empty suggested another which we declined. We didn't stay to order dessert although the couple next to us did and the portions looked huge. We left disappointed with the entire experience and won't be repeating it. The menu describes it as upscale dining, overpriced more like....

 

We enjoyed another glass of wine in our room before picking up Finn from kids club, he'd had a whale of a time, watching Spy Kids and decorating an Adventure Ocean pillowcase he brought back with him, a nice souvenir of his evening. We came back via Sorrentos on the Royal Promenade so Finn could have late night pizza, it was incredibly busy as there was a party starting with singers on the bridge. It all felt very crowded so we escaped back to the cabin to relax.

 

We are looking forward to a morning at sea as we don't dock in Gibraltar till lunchtime, Finn is very excited to see the monkeys! ImageUploadedByForums1406708986.659299.jpg.d5b4724665e12195ef3c190dfecf6ca8.jpg

 

 

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