Wilmsta

Happy Cruising hayley_bopp, following with interest as were on Indy in a couple of weeks and it’s our first ever cruise. 
I was just wondering what the plug situation was on like board - Is it both European and US sockets? 
Also did you embark as per your arrival appointment - our set sail pass says 11:30 till 12 and whilst I’ve read on hear a few times that this is just a suggestion it says in the ticket booklet that due to limited seating any guests arriving before this time will be asked to return at their assigned check in time. 

Thanks monctonguy, you’ve confirmed I’m not going mad!
Yes I think i’ll wait until a promotion/offer is released before reconsidering - shame tho.

Just compared priced on the .com and .co.uk wesbites and :
£925 in total ($1250 approx) for OVB cabin 6276 on the .com website which also includes $50 of on board credit. however 
£1340 in total ($1800 approx) for the same cruise,identical cabin, (well next door - cabin 6278) on the royalcaribbean.co.uk website
Over £400 ($540 approx) difference - Doesnt seem fair to me ? unless i'm missing something
 

Just compared priced on the .com and .co.uk wesbites and :
£925 in total ($1250 approx) for OVB cabin 6276 on the .com website which also includes $50 of on board credit. however 
£1340 in total ($1800 approx) for the same cruise,identical cabin, (well next door - cabin 6278) on the royalcaribbean.co.uk website
Over £400 ($540 approx) difference - Doesnt seem fair to me ? unless i'm missing something
 

Just realised that i've got my conversions all muddled:
 
£1400 is actually around a around $1875!

I will let you know about this one @Wilmsta.  I am currently tracking the prices for Mariner for August.  It's not something I have to book, however, for the right price, hubby and I have decided that we will jump on it.  We have one week in August blocked off and we are trying something that we have never done with cruising, booking within the 90 day window if the price is right.  If it doesn't drop, then we'll do a staycation.  It's a 4 night sailing that I'm looking at but I don't like the price yet.  So to be continued....

I think promotions, in general, tend to favor the 4-night to 7-night sailings the most.  The 3 and 4 night cruises are already fairly inexpensive since it's just a few nights.
Of course, there are always exceptions.

Stumbled across this on the RC site - couple of nice little time lapses of Indy being positioned in dock for the refurb.
https://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/our-ships/independence-of-the-seas/live-camera/ 
 
 

Stumbled across this on the RC site - couple of nice little time lapses of Indy being positioned in dock for the refurb.
https://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/our-ships/independence-of-the-seas/live-camera/ 
 
 

Stumbled across this on the RC site - couple of nice little time lapses of Indy being positioned in dock for the refurb.
https://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/our-ships/independence-of-the-seas/live-camera/ 
 
 

Stumbled across this on the RC site - couple of nice little time lapses of Indy being positioned in dock for the refurb.
https://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/our-ships/independence-of-the-seas/live-camera/ 
 
 

Thanks everyone, so helpful and informative.
I think i'm going to enjoy this cruising business - as i'm already lining up what my second cruise is likely to be. I also get the feeling the once you've got the cruise bug it stays with you!     

If this is your first cruise and you have never been to any of the ports by all means get out and explore even if it means just hitting shops.   Remember it is very important to be back to the ship on time.  The ship will not wait for you!

And when i say cruise bug -  i don't mean Norovirus  

Thanks everyone, so helpful and informative.
I think i'm going to enjoy this cruising business - as i'm already lining up what my second cruise is likely to be. I also get the feeling the once you've got the cruise bug it stays with you!     

And when i say cruise bug -  i don't mean Norovirus  

In general, there are very few bars or lounges not available to all guests on Royal Caribbean.  

Thanks Twangster, very helpful and i’ll def have another read of your blog. 
So much information to take in being new to cruising - so I’m so glad I found this site. 

Independence will lose it's Concierge Lounge this spring and will gain a Suite Lounge.  It already has a Diamond Lounge which will remain.  
If you are not Diamond or above or staying a Suite then the Diamond Lounge and Suite Lounge should be the only venues you can't visit.

From time to time I see people asking about what drinks are included in the Coca-Cola Freestyle drink dispensers. 
@Matt has written blogs on the Freestyle machines.  Here is one from 2015:
https://www.royalcaribbeanblog.com/2015/07/20/coca-cola-freestyle-machines-royal-caribbean
While I am on Anthem I have some free time so I grabbed some pictures of all the Freestyle drink menus.  
Let's start with the main menu:
 
From here you can see the types of drinks available in each category.  First are two pages for the "All Drinks" category:
 
 
Here are the types of drinks available within each option:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
And of course plain water:
 
The same drinks are sorted by "Low/No Calories" options:
 
The same drinks sorted by "Caffeine Free" options:
 
Finally the same drinks are sorted by flavor:
 
Here are the Cherry drinks:
 
 
Orange drinks:
 
 
Raspberry drinks:
 
 
Grape drinks:
 
Lemon drinks:
 
 
Peach drinks:
 
 
Strawberry drinks:
 
 
Lime drinks:
 
 
Fruit Punch drinks:
 
Vanilla drinks:
 
Cherry Vanilla drinks:
 
Mixed Berry drinks:
 
For those that are asking what is a Freestyle drink dispenser?  
Certain Royal Caribbean ships have these Freestyle drink dispensers.  See the blog above for a list of ships that have them.
 
Freestyle dispensers work only with special cups provided with beverage packages.  The souvenir cups have a chip embedded in the base that is read by the machine when you place the cup into the machine.  There are various designs that are provided.
 
When a cup is first used it is registered in the system and an expiry date is assigned.  The expiry date is usually a few days longer than your cruise.
 
The machines also function as ice dispensers.
Lastly, these menus were captured in January 2018.   It's possible that menus will vary over time and by ship.   
 

Hi.  Yes, everything you book through the Cruise Planner must be paid for at the time of purchase.  Everything can be cancelled up until a certain date (3 days before sailing?) for a full refund and rebooked if a better sale comes along.

Morning are quite easy.  Most ships have it marked one side for walkers, one for runners.  Mid-day on sea days would be a tough run, better to jog in place.   
The early bird gets the worm, and the jogging track.

Fingers crossed it’ll be the same then. It’s the only game I can beat the kids at..!

Yes of course, that's understandable.
Loved the Indy blog btw Twangster, wonderful pictures. On the dry dock refurb will the mini golf also be going do you know?