DAVE(Darkcabbie)

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

I think Windjammer is very underrated as a dinner option. If you go in at 8.30 - 9pm, there's no problem getting a table, the food selection is excellent. Best of all, you can have a great dinner, head out for a 15 minute walk, then come back for a great dessert!

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.

I have no idea what Kiehls is  :lol:

You are not alone dude lol  :D

Just curious about what is the main airport to fly into when sailing out of SouthHampton? Just wondering for future purposes.

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 :) :)

If you have iTunes, you can find the current episode of the Podcast there. Here's the iTunes link to it: Weekend Travel Show

Thanks Marc

:)Wow Hollywood - good job

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

To be clear, it is itemized, but not by particular purchase, but instead by each card-swipe transaction.

 

If, for example, you buy three drinks at one of the bars and leave an extra gratuity, your final bill will show two transactions: one for the cost of the drinks plus standard 15% gratuity, and one for the extra gratuity, both labelled only with the name of the venue.

Yep spot on  :)

I'm wondering whom I'm supposed to tip in this situation....

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:  

 

 

Yes! So there is a cocktail onboard Royal Caribbean ships called the BBC. It is Bailey's Irish Cream, Banana Liqueur and Colada mix. The BBC Creme Brulee is a take on that cocktail. So imagine creamy custard with a hint of Bailey's Irish Cream flavor and fresh banana. It's divine and part of the "always available" selection of desserts on the main dining room dinner menu!  

 

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 :) :)

I know the promenade cafe stays open all night - but what time do they close the bars?

 

Either around the ship and in the Casino?

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 all - first timers on here from the UK! 

 

We are travelling on the Navigator of the Seas in August this year and even though we've done loads of research we've seen your impressive forums and website and hope you guys can answer some of the smaller details that we can't find online.

 

I'm sure we'll have loads more but the first thing we wanted to understand is the way these sea passes work.....

 

We've booked the ultimate drinks packages and understand that this gets you any drink you like (is that right??) but do you swipe your card every time you get a drink? How does it work with the kids - is there someone there to know if they are getting a premium drink as a opposed to a "free" drink?

 

Or have we got it totally off track?

 

Any info about how swiping drinks and food would be great

 

-----

 

Another thing is is there a separate ironing service to the laundry service? Without an iron how can we make sure we don't all walk around with creased clothes?! If there is one any idea how much?

 

Thanks!

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 :)  

Great Episode 47 all about the Cruise Compass and wow it really is amazing to think it's been nearly a year since number 1. 

 

Can't wait till the live Podcast.

 

As always great job Matt and thanks for all that you do  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)  :)

Loved the Podcast with Nick Wier it was really ear opening Matt and i really can't wait for the Anthem to arrive in the UK   :D  :D

Great Creme Brulee photo! It is good. The new BBC Creme Brulee is good too! :)

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

Hi everyone, I have only cruised on Carnival Cruise Lines - twice on one of their newer ships, Magic. I know that Carnival has a bad reputation, often being compared as the "Walmart" cruise line, but the truth is we enjoyed both our cruises. I can only speak for the Magic ship, but it was really nice. Was it perfect? Of course not, but no big complaints.

 

Now we are wanting to branch out and try other cruise lines. I am from Texas so we leave from Galveston (where Carnival is year round), but Royal is also there and I have heard lots of good things about Royal! One of my good friends only cruises with them and refuses to even try Carnival.

 

What I'm interested in is hearing from those that have cruised from both cruise lines and learning about some differences between them. What can I expect from Royal that is different than Carnival? I'll be honest and say the food on Carnival can be mediocre... is Royal any better? What else?

 

I'm not interested in bashing either cruise line, just want to hear what's different. :)

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 .