Independence of the Seas Pre-Inaugural Review

[tamtot]

Gosh, that is awesome! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[yogimax]

Gosh, that is awesome! CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You are indeed one lucky kitty!

[alphakitty]

I thought I might find you here, alphakitty. You're doing a fine job of explaining everything. I'll just continue to lurk.

 

We too loved the ship. It's gorgeous. We have taken 4 previous cruises, two (Grandeur of the Seas and Serenade of the Seas) with Royal Caribbean.

 

Strangely, your photos look alot like mine. Unforunately, I don't have a site where I can post them.

 

To answer a couple of London questions, we stayed one night post-cruise, Since we had so little time, we took the Big Bus Tour for a few hours. Luckily, people can hop-on and off as often as they like because sitting in London traffic isn't much fun. We did manage to see quite a few sights and take a lot of pictures. I would also like to recommend the City Inn Westminster, if you are looking for a nice, yet reasonably priced hotel.

 

HiYa Musicman! :) So nice to see you here. Happy to hear you and your better half enjoyed your day in London.

 

Why don't you have a site to post the photos? Webshots is free up to 2600 pics I think.

[alphakitty]

You are indeed one lucky kitty!

 

:D:D I do feel blessed yogi, for many, many reasons. :) I feel so lucky to be able to travel at any time. It's really a privilege that I don't ever take for granted.

 

And MusicMan is a lucky guy too!! :D:D

[loobylouuk]

Hi Melissa,

 

Must sees for us included, The Tower of London tour...that was absolutely fantastic! I've always had an interest in The Tudors and King Henry VIII.

The bus tour was a great thing to do the first day. It's a hop on/hop off bus, so you can spend some time at the sights and it does cover most everything in London. It also includes a short river cruise on the Thames, which was nice for a different perspective on the sites along the river. I would have liked to tour Westminster Abbey, we just didn't find time for that. The flight on the London Eye was good for awesome views. St. Paul's Cathedral is also something I'd have liked to tour. All these things cost $$ though too and London is expensive! The museums are all free. We enjoyed the National Portrait Gallery on a rainy afternoon. I've heard and read great things about the British Museum as well. 3 days is just not long enough to really see a lot. We just scratched the surface. I'd suggest at least a week long stop in London. One other thing I'd wished we had time for was one of the many guided walking tours. London Walks comes highly recommended. http://www.walks.com/

 

We saw Cabaret at the Lyric Theatre, one of the oldest on Shaftesbury Avenue. http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/londontheatre/westendvenues/lyric.htm

I purchased tickets in advance and picked them up the night of the show. Theatres here rival Broadway in NYC and there are many, many theatres and shows to choose from. We used the underground to get there....Leicester Square was the stop and then walked about two blocks to the theater from there. Using the Tube, as it's called, was the fastest, most cost effective way to get around. It's very easy to figure out and there are always people to help if you need directions.

 

Hope this helps some. :)

 

If you look on the British Isles forum here on CC, there is a lot of info from locals that helped me decide what to do. :)

 

 

Can totally vouch for "London Walks" they are fab.

we did the Jack the Ripper walk one cold dark night and the guide was so theatrical it was truly a great experience.

The london dungeons on pudding lane,where the great fire started are quite good for a bit of fun history too.

Lou

[Merion_Mom]

Alphakitty:

 

All I can say is

 

WOW!!!!!!!

[dulcimergirl]

Hi,

Great review, and the pictures were awsome! I can't wait to board her Dec 7. I don't think there's too many pictures, I'm sure I will be taking at least that many..:D

Congratulations on the win and the trip,

[SPARKLE10]

Hi Musicman 1::)

 

Can you tell me any more about the City Inn Westminster? We have a pre-nite booked there before our IOS cruise in September; which is the Italian Med. itinerary. We've cruised a lot (over 40 & Diamond with RCCL) but this is our very first time to this part of the world.

 

What do you suggest we see? We're only there for one pre-night and I don't know how close this hotel is to anything.

 

Any comments or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.;)

 

Thanks....Sparkle 10 (Anita)

[Musicman1]

Hi Sparkle 10;

 

City inn Westminster is a very modern hotel. I would compare it in style to a W. The hotel is in a great location, approximately 1 block from the Thames. Westminster Abbey is close, as are the Houses of Parliament and Tate Modern museum.

 

As I said, we only had one day in London. If you want to see as much as possible in a short time, try the Big Bus Hop-on, Hop-off tour. There is a stop close to the hotel. You can buy tickets on-line (and save a couple pounds) in advance. I believe the site is http://www.bigbus.com. If not, try a google search. Have a great time.

[Lisa-UK]

Hi Kitty

 

Fantastic review and photos - you are sooooo lucky - :D

[alphakitty]

Thanks Lisa :)

 

I loved your country and can't wait to get back again someday to see much more of it. :)

[newcastle.uk]

great review and pictures kitty we are sailing transatlantic on independence next april and can't wait now:) glad you liked your short stay in england. melissa hope you are well now and sorry we missed you on explorer last november. maybe we will meet on independence in 2011. wayne