VolFanInGa

Good luck. We were on Indy a couple weeks back, and the night sky from the helipad rivaled some of my more remote backpacking trips.  On our last night at sea, my 9yo daughter spotted a satellite!  It was one of our favorite things to do post dinner.  We often had the whole space to ourselves. 

@Lauren123 I don't recall recall getting an email.  I took a screenshot when I redeemed it. 

I was getting nervous, and did call Royal a couple months before the trip.  The customer service rep was able to see the OBC on my booking, and she emailed me a copy of my reservation that showed my gift cert redeemed per their record.

Lauren - we had the same experience with the Gift Certificates my mom gave me.  They never showed in the Cruise planner prior to the trip.  Also, bring the record of your redemption with you on board.  We were missing one $50 GC on my account on Indy last week.  Guest Services had to call and have details emailed to the purser on board to have it applied.  It all worked out in the end, but it was 2-3 stops at Guest Svcs I would have preferred to avoid. 

Just off Indy today, and the Sky Pad was closed the whole voyage. We had a reservation for the first sea day, and we did not learn of its closing until we were on board. Needless to say, the kids were bummed. 

Anyone know how long the Sky Pad has been closed?

@klc317 Looks like a fun day to extend the vacation a bit before heading home.  can you share the name of the sanctuary you happened across?

We're heading down that way this weekend. 

@tonyfsu21 We're headed down this weekend for the April 1 IOS cruise.  We are planning to visit Coopertown air boats on Sunday for an Everglades tour, then off to the Ernest Coe Visitor Center to get the girls' national park passports stamped.  

We'd like to visit the Biscayne Bay National Park visitor center as well, but not sure how much we'd gt out of the visit besides a stamp.  

Curious for a locals opinion on the Sunday plan.  

BTW, congrats on making it back to the Sweet 16.  Hope you get your rematch with Michigan this weekend. 

23 hours ago, MeaganA said:

Yes!! We will have our two teenage daughters with us! 

Btw I’m in Georgia as well. Northeast. 

Awesome.  I'm NE of Atlanta, just barely in Gwinnett.  8 days and counting

April 1, huh? Must be on IOS. Same here. We're planning to hang out at Blue Kay. We have 2 kids and don't want the obligation to stay all day at an all inclusive. We'll stay at Blue Kay as long as everyone is having fun, then head back to the ship. 

May see you in a little over a week!

That would be the Zumba cruise.  

Gonna be a tough act to follow.

https://www.zumba-cruise.com/

I pity the spouses of a lot of the posters over there. I can close the tab and move on with my day. Their husbands, wives and kids cannot. So glad I found this site. @Matt and his "micro machines man" video narration is growing on me.

34 minutes ago, RDDAILY said:

VolFanInGa - Hi!  The JW Marriott is a beautiful hotel.  You will love it!  As far as dinner, I guess it depends on what type of food you would like!  In the downtown area, Fratelli Milano has amazing, fresh Italian food.  Cvi.che 105 has some of the freshest ceviche and seafood you could ever have.  Just across the Brickell Bridge (about a two minute Uber ride from your hotel), you have Capital Grille.  It's probably one of the best known restaurants in the area.  Brickell has a ton of really good restaurants.  If you have a couple of hours to spare and want dinner with a view, you can go to Bayside Marketplace.  It's on the bay, and has great shopping and restaurants.  There's a Hard Rock Café, Bubba Gump Shrimp, and many other places to eat.  You can always Google all of these places to see their menus, etc.  If you would like a specific type of food, I'll be more than happy to give you some more suggestions! 

Thanks for the tips.  We'll be in town for meetings, and typically like to take customers out to cool local places with creative menus. Cvi.che 105 looks amazing.  

Just now, SpeedNoodles said:

The snow here is so high that I no longer have view of the ice.  

What part of MN?  Used to live in Elk River, and work in Minnetonka. Sadly, I miss a real winter.  Granted, I was ready for it to be gone by March, but I do miss the snow.

2 hours ago, RDDAILY said:

I admit I haven't really been keeping up with Royal Caribbean news, so when I saw this ship from my office window this morning, I was a bit surprised!  After staring at the bow for a little bit, I was finally able to read the name, Navigator of the Seas!  She looks absolutely amazing!  We went on Mariner last year, and would love to go on Navigator in the near future.

Now that is a view!

Off topic, but I'll be staying nearby at the JW Marriott at the end of April, and I'd love to get some recommendations for a nice dinner spot near our hotel.  

What a crappy port to be left behind in...

Sounds like your T/A is on the right track.  This is on the US State Dept website.

A parent or legal guardian departing Mexico with minor children should carry a notarized consent letter from the other parent if traveling separately. INM requires at least one parent to complete a SAM (Formato de Salida de Menores) for all minors departing Mexico with a third party. Travelers should contact the Mexican Embassy in Washington, D.C., the nearest Mexican consulate, or INM for more information.

Link to the page

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Mexico.html

When you go to check out, you hsould have an option like the one below to either use OBC or not. 

Water, lemonade, milk, tea and juices (from concentrate) not fresh squeezed are included.  Because of that, we are not buying the soda pkg or our kids.  We're sailing with a 6 & 9 yo this Spring, and we plan to carry on a case of Capri-sun or juice boxes.  Those are more so to have a packaged beverage option for them at the pool and in the room.  They are both pretty good water drinkers, but we want to make sure they both drink plenty. 

I find myself tracking Indy's webcam several times a week. Today I noticed she was in Costa Maya, and yesterday she was in Cozumel.  Her planned itinerary was for her to be in Costa Maya on wed the 6th, and Cozumel today.  I know schedules are subject to change, however this one seems odd since both ports have plenty of pier space, and are relatively close together.  Aside from gaining insight from a current passenger, do any of you fine folks know how I may learn the reason for her change?

We've only been to St Thomas once.  On our visit, we sailed on the Rumbaba.  It is a 37' sailboat that was the highlight of our shore excursions.  All inclusive and a great lunch.  

https://rumbabacharters.com/

They only allow 6 guests, so it is not crowded at all. Check it out. 

@melski94 is right.  When I've looked up her webcam, on embarkation day, she's parallel parked at 18.

This was Thursday the 31st.

https://www.royalcaribbean.co.uk/our-ships/independence-of-the-seas/live-camera/#royal-caribbean-independence-of-the-seas/i/5c5356239847360001042981

Good morning, @twangster- Have you noticed if the special Flowrider times are published in the Compass this week?

Another option for your kids may be Sea-bands.  We have them for our kids' upcoming first cruise in April.  They are a relatively cheap alternative to medicines.  My brother and niece swear by them.  I think we purchased two pair for under $10.  

You are correct.  Also, the higher decks on the aft have less of an obstructed view. 

Still stuck on $49 for Indy in early April.  I think I'd pull the trigger if it got to the $44 range.  If one of our stops was an RCI island, I'd have already bought it for my wife and me.