DAVE(Darkcabbie)

The Windjammer is my first port of call when we get on the Indy to get me some Honeystung Chicken

Absolutely spot on , we love the Windjammer the choice is great and even the cooked to order Steaks are pretty dam good. Another nice touch is when they dim the lights for dinner it's quite romantic :) ,,, you don't get that in MDR.

You are not alone dude lol :D

I agree with Ian and Michelle that Heathrow is the best option if you are picking up a ship in Southampton as it's the closest and you can explore some of London City if you have some extra days spare. This is always my recommendation to my clients that book me to drive them to the port. If you are considering coming this side of the big pond please feel free to ask me for info on Hotels , sights or anything you have questions about as I'm more than happy to help :) :)

A week on Monday we will be back on the Independence and booking Chops for both formal nights and even better is that my wifes Mom & Dad are coming on this cruise with us so we get to show them how great Chops is.

Wow I'm so excited it's on 11 days to go now :) :)

Thanks Marc

We are in the presence of a new A lister :lol: :lol: :D :D Anyone have a link so I can watch it ?

36 days till i get me some :D :D :lol:

36 days till we board yeeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaa

Yep spot on :)

Just give them a couple of rivetts and maybe a few bolts HE HE HE HE. When you order a drink just don't ask for a SCREWDRIVER as they may be offended :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

We pretty much do the same as most people by watching you tube videos , planning our trips ashore and of course talking to people on the blog. Another thing I like to do is follow the ship we are next sailing on day to day and even get live emails telling me each time she arrives or leaves port ( sad i know but i LOVE IT ) by going to https://www.marinetraffic.com/. I am also reminded that our Cruise is getting closer as each time I take my clients to Southampton to board their ships the Independence is nearly always there TALK ABOUT TEASING ME :lol:

Wow this looks yummy :D. Pretty sure my wife will be going for the Cocktail version and the dessert version :lol:

Monday done :) :)

99 days to go :) :D :) :D :) :D , finally under the 100 yeeeeeeeeeeeeee haaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Sunday done :) :)

Hi Steve , welcome to the blog your gonna love it :) :)

Saturday done :) :)

Hi, the bars will stay open very late and normally wait for most people to leave the area. We have been in the Casino at 01:30 and the bar was still open and busy. There may be a proposed time but i have never seen one close before we went back to our room. Please bare in mind though the Bars and Casino and Shops do not open while in port but don't worry they open pretty quick when you leave :lol: :lol:

Hi , i'm pretty sure that this gets you almost everything but i think there are limits such as $12.00 per item each time. With regard to your Sea Pass card you will have to give it to them each time you purchase a drink but they will know that you have the Ultimate Drinks Package , we haven't had the package ourselves but i'm sure that someone who has will iron out the small print for you :). Don't worry about the kids as even if they try they will not get any alcohol from any area but I would advise that you put a spending limit on their Sea Passes as they could get carried away in the shops and Video Arcades :lol: . With regard to Ironing yes their is a service provided and it's quite cheap but to be honest you should't need it other than for suits or evening dress as most things will stay fine in your case and as there is plenty of storage space in you room any light creases should drop out. Hope this helps :)

Hi Tylor, not sure what this is ? is it a Creme Brulee with Baileys :D and if so do you have any pics.

Hi ATXCruiser, our first cruises were with Carnival and we have sailed on the Triumph and the Pride and we found them to be ok. If i could put it down to ratings i would give Carnival 3 stars and RC 5 stars + not because Carnival was bad but because RC is so much better, here are some reasons why. 1) The ships are huge and look amazing 2) The food is of a much better quality and the Windjammer Buffet is we think one of the best at sea. We don't do MDR much but when we have it has been very good but where RC come into their own is Speciality Restaurants and they have some great ones :D you must try Chops Grille if you love Steaks then you won't find better (check out Tylors page on food photos he has some great pics) and the desserts are to die for. 3) The rooms are of a very good standard with pretty big balconys and are very well equipped. 4) The entertainment is very very good with great shows both on stage and on ice and the Royal Promenade (only available on some class of ships) is fantastic for shops, food and great night shows you must see the 70s dance party it's awsome :) . I could go on and on but as you may have guessed we are now hooked on RC and as I said it's not because Carnival are bad it's because RC are sooooooooooooooooooo much better :D :D :D .

A typical sea day for us is to get up around 08:00 and hit the Windjammer for breakfast then we hit the Gym for about 1 and a half hours followed by a good swim in the adult pool and then some chill time in the hot tubs :) . By now we are pretty hungry again so it's the Windjammer for lunch and then the afternoon is normally spent playing mini golf or flowrider and hitting the Royal Promenade for some shopping or as we men like to call it Torture :lol:. We don't do the MDR much so for us it's Chops Grille or Giovannis maybe Johnny Rockets or Windjammer and then we spend most evenings watching a show or drinking in the Viking Lounge and always hit the Casino. We finally go to bed around Midnight to 01:00.

Friday done :) :)