Indy... what do I do first???

[dcedar]

Never sailed with Royal before.

 

Anything I should do as soon as I board the ship? I know I can book excursions and dining now but not much else.

 

What do I need to book? Shows? Rock wall? Ice Skating?

 

Any help is appreciated:)

[Ourusualbeach]

Never sailed with Royal before.

 

Anything I should do as soon as I board the ship? I know I can book excursions and dining now but not much else.

 

What do I need to book? Shows? Rock wall? Ice Skating?

 

Any help is appreciated:)

 

No reservations can be made on Indy other than for the Ice show which can only be done on board.

[didicruiser]

I suggest starting on the top deck and walk around!

Then, go down one floor and ....walk around. Repeat down to deck 3

So much to see!

[Paulette3028]

Never sailed with Royal before.

 

Anything I should do as soon as I board the ship? I know I can book excursions and dining now but not much else.

 

What do I need to book? Shows? Rock wall? Ice Skating?

 

Any help is appreciated:)

 

We were on her sister ship, Liberty several years ago and will be on Indy in February.....I am sure Indy is as beautiful as Liberty was and I enjoyed the Promenade tremendously. It isn't about booking things to do on Indy, it is just about doing things. I am not into the Rock Wall, other than to watch people or Ice Skating....but there is plenty to do and enjoy -- flowrider for me!!!!

[Ocean Boy]

You will board the ship on deck 4. Go up one flight of stairs to deck 5 and take in the Royal Promenade. No matter how many pictures you look at there is nothing quite like the first time you step onto a Royal Promenade in real life. For us it was on Explorer and I'll never forget the feeling.

 

Indy is an awesome ship. We have sailed it 3 times. Take time to explore it during the week. And the view from the top of the rock wall is well worth the climb.:)

[kwazi07]

You will board the ship on deck 4. Go up one flight of stairs to deck 5 and take in the Royal Promenade. No matter how many pictures you look at there is nothing quite like the first time you step onto a Royal Promenade in real life. For us it was on Explorer and I'll never forget the feeling.

 

Indy is an awesome ship. We have sailed it 3 times. Take time to explore it during the week. And the view from the top of the rock wall is well worth the climb.:)

I agree. RP first!

[George C]

Ice show is a must do

[CT Sean]

You do have to sign up for the rock wall on your first climb. Basically signing a waiver and getting your seapass card punched to indicate the waiver is on file - after that, you can climb whenever it's open. WHEN you initially sign up doesn't really matter - I don't know when it's open on embarkation day.

 

Bring socks - you can't climb if you don't have socks

[BillOh]

Never sailed with Royal before.

 

Anything I should do as soon as I board the ship? I know I can book excursions and dining now but not much else.

 

What do I need to book? Shows? Rock wall? Ice Skating?

 

Any help is appreciated:)

 

I would just explore the ship, it will be quite a bit different from what your use to. Most people say its easier to get around than Carnival ships, but I have no knowledge there myself. You can book a dinner at one of the premium restaurants ahead of time. I hope you enjoy the ship.

[14Terry]

Head to the MDR and locate your table number.

 

 

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[cb at sea]

Finding your table is NOT a necessity! It's the company at your table, not the table's location that makes dinner fun!

[kwazi07]

Finding your table is NOT a necessity! It's the company at your table, not the table's location that makes dinner fun!

Not a necessity but the location could be fun...like the edge if the balcony.

 

Sometimes, your table mates can make it NOT fun.

 

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[Paulette3028]

Not a necessity but the location could be fun...like the edge if the balcony.

 

Sometimes, your table mates can make it NOT fun.

 

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I guess I have been lucky, never had table mates that were NOT fun. I did not have to 'love them', since I probably would never see them again (but we have had the occasion to cruise with people we met more than once), but all of our table mates were nice.

 

To others in this thread who have cruised on Indy....post some of your pictures of the ship from your past cruises, if you don't mind.

[fwacruiser]

Not a necessity but the location could be fun...like the edge if the balcony.

 

Sometimes, your table mates can make it NOT fun.

 

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^^^This. I'm an introvert to my core. I certainly don't want to be rude to table mates, so I always engage in awkward conversation, but I don't enjoy it. I'm thankful for My Time Dining so my wife and I can simply get a table for two.

 

 

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[kwazi07]

^^^This. I'm an introvert to my core. I certainly don't want to be rude to table mates, so I always engage in awkward conversation, but I don't enjoy it. I'm thankful for My Time Dining so my wife and I can simply get a table for two.

 

 

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I agree. Especially when the conversation goes political or religious. Definitely NOT fun.

 

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[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

Finding your table is NOT a necessity! It's the company at your table, not the table's location that makes dinner fun!

 

Hubby would disagree with you. If he doesn't like the location of the table, nothing else matters. Good folks can be found at almost any table as can incompatible ones. So one of the first things Hubby does is head to the dining room, find our table and if he doesn't like it, he goes to the maitre d' to change it.

Edited October 23, 2014 by Gangway Style

[kwazi07]

Hubby would disagree with you. If he doesn't like the location of the table, nothing else matters. Good folks can be found at almost any table as can incompataible ones. So one of the first things Hubby does is head to the dining room, find our table and if he doesn't like it, he goes to the maitre d' to change it.

Not related to your post but I love your username!

 

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[molsonschooner]

You will board the ship on deck 4. Go up one flight of stairs to deck 5 and take in the Royal Promenade. No matter how many pictures you look at there is nothing quite like the first time you step onto a Royal Promenade in real life. For us it was on Explorer and I'll never forget the feeling.

 

Indy is an awesome ship. We have sailed it 3 times. Take time to explore it during the week. And the view from the top of the rock wall is well worth the climb.:)

 

Our first ship was the Liberty. As you mentioned, board on deck 4,go up to deck5 and Wow

[molsonschooner]

Finding your table is NOT a necessity! It's the company at your table, not the table's location that makes dinner fun!

 

I like to find our table so I know where I am going the first night It just seems less confusing if I know where I am going. I do know that someone will take us to our table, I just like getting the by myself .

[dcedar]

Thanks for all the replies. The cruise is getting closer and closer so the excitement is growing and growing!

 

We are doing My Time dining or whatever it's called. I like the idea of not having to plan around meal time but I will miss sitting with a bunch of strangers:) I love people:)

 

I will attempt the rock wall but I am not physically fit so if I make it up 5 feet off the ground I will pat myself on the back! I did the Dirty Girl Mud Run in September and I could barely walk the next day.

 

The surfboard thingy??? I don't like falling so I will skip that but it does look like fun! Maybe I will go watch for a while for the wipeouts!

 

I really CANNOT wait!!!!!!

[mjldvlks]

Spent two weeks on Independence for our TA -- it's a great ship.

 

As to what to do first, I am a creature of ritual and tradition so I normally follow a very similar patter. When we first board, we take the elevator to our cabin deck to see if cabins are accessible [even if not ready]. If so, we drop off the carry-on stuff and head to the Windjammer. If not, we heft the stuff to Windjammer with us. I know it might be crowded, but the first visit to the buffet is my "now it's a cruise" moment. After eating, depending on the time, we might find a place to sit and visit with friends until cabins are ready.

 

Once we drop off the stuff [or immediately after eating if we got lucky and dropped it off before] we start the grand tour. We generally start at the top and try to walk into every public space we can. One of my personal rituals is to get to the highest outside deck possible. As we continue this tour, we hit the fitness center, bars, shops, etc and eventually work our way down to the lowest public deck [4 I think on the Freedom Class] which usually has the outside promenade deck [or as close to one as there is]. Another of my rituals is to walk all the way around the ship on this deck. On the Freedoms, this includes going up the stairs to the helipad on Deck 5. One of my favorite places on the Freedoms is the area on the outside promenade where the deck bows out around the Main Dining Room and is out in the wind and the spray when you are at sea. If you want to "connect with the sea" there is no better place in my opinion. While we are on the appropriate deck, we will walk through the MDR to find our table. Mainly for education purposes so we know where to go at dinner time [We are typically travelling with friends so changing tables for social/conversational purposes would be politically incorrect]. Our grand tour will also include a tour of the Royal Promenade and maybe a stop for a drink/snack at Sorrentos or the Promenade Café [by that time it may have been as much as an hour since we left the Windjammer]. By the time we finish our touring, it will be getting close to muster drill.

 

I should mention that this is also my opportunity to photograph the ship. Typically, as many as 2/3 of my "aboard ship" pictures will come from the first afternoon.

 

If we run out of things to do, we will probably meet our traveling companions at a bar or other eating/drinking establishment. We don't see our cruise friends all the time so there is a lot of visiting to be done.

Edited October 23, 2014 by mjldvlks

[mcatmcat]

Finding your table is NOT a necessity! It's the company at your table, not the table's location that makes dinner fun!

 

 

Sometimes is both lol

I'm lucky enough to always get a table with my family only. I had a table once that was about 10 inches apart from another table 😁. I changed it as soon as I noticed it

 

 

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[Paulette3028]

Spent two weeks on Independence for our TA -- it's a great ship.

 

As to what to do first, I am a creature of ritual and tradition so I normally follow a very similar patter. When we first board, we take the elevator to our cabin deck to see if cabins are accessible [even if not ready]. If so, we drop off the carry-on stuff and head to the Windjammer. If not, we heft the stuff to Windjammer with us. I know it might be crowded, but the first visit to the buffet is my "now it's a cruise" moment. After eating, depending on the time, we might find a place to sit and visit with friends until cabins are ready.

 

Once we drop off the stuff [or immediately after eating if we got lucky and dropped it off before] we start the grand tour. We generally start at the top and try to walk into every public space we can. One of my personal rituals is to get to the highest outside deck possible. As we continue this tour, we hit the fitness center, bars, shops, etc and eventually work our way down to the lowest public deck [4 I think on the Freedom Class] which usually has the outside promenade deck [or as close to one as there is]. Another of my rituals is to walk all the way around the ship on this deck. On the Freedoms, this includes going up the stairs to the helipad on Deck 5. One of my favorite places on the Freedoms is the area on the outside promenade where the deck bows out around the Main Dining Room and is out in the wind and the spray when you are at sea. If you want to "connect with the sea" there is no better place in my opinion. While we are on the appropriate deck, we will walk through the MDR to find our table. Mainly for education purposes so we know where to go at dinner time [We are typically travelling with friends so changing tables for social/conversational purposes would be politically incorrect]. Our grand tour will also include a tour of the Royal Promenade and maybe a stop for a drink/snack at Sorrentos or the Promenade Café [by that time it may have been as much as an hour since we left the Windjammer]. By the time we finish our touring, it will be getting close to muster drill.

 

I should mention that this is also my opportunity to photograph the ship. Typically, as many as 2/3 of my "aboard ship" pictures will come from the first afternoon.

 

If we run out of things to do, we will probably meet our traveling companions at a bar or other eating/drinking establishment. We don't see our cruise friends all the time so there is a lot of visiting to be done.

 

We will be cruising on Indy in February 2015, and glad to hear your opinion of her. We were on Liberty a few years ago, and know that they are 'sister ships', since they are both in the same class.

 

I do agree with your assessment, that the first time you visit the WJ, is your 'now its a cruise moment' -- that is so true. We have made it a cruise tradition to have lunch on embarkation day at the WJ, so I can enjoy paella, which is never offered any other time in the WJ.

[Cruzbear24]

Thanks for all the replies. The cruise is getting closer and closer so the excitement is growing and growing!

 

We are doing My Time dining or whatever it's called. I like the idea of not having to plan around meal time but I will miss sitting with a bunch of strangers:) I love people:)

 

I will attempt the rock wall but I am not physically fit so if I make it up 5 feet off the ground I will pat myself on the back! I did the Dirty Girl Mud Run in September and I could barely walk the next day.

 

The surfboard thingy??? I don't like falling so I will skip that but it does look like fun! Maybe I will go watch for a while for the wipeouts!

 

I really CANNOT wait!!!!!!

 

 

With MTD you can still share a table. We did a TA on Indy 12 mths ago and when we arrived to get a table we were asked "willing to share?". I think we had a table for 2 only 2 nights out of the 13.

[TigerLady]

Thanks for all the replies. The cruise is getting closer and closer so the excitement is growing and growing!

 

We are doing My Time dining or whatever it's called. I like the idea of not having to plan around meal time but I will miss sitting with a bunch of strangers:) I love people:)

 

I will attempt the rock wall but I am not physically fit so if I make it up 5 feet off the ground I will pat myself on the back! I did the Dirty Girl Mud Run in September and I could barely walk the next day.

 

The surfboard thingy??? I don't like falling so I will skip that but it does look like fun! Maybe I will go watch for a while for the wipeouts!

 

I really CANNOT wait!!!!!!

 

Looking forward to meeting you and celebrating my birthday on Labadee!!:p