DAVE(Darkcabbie)

I thought this would be a good topic to add as i think i can safely say that probably all of us have been to the Windjammer and it would be good to hear what you love about it and also share some tips , tell us your favorite food they serve and which ship do you think has the best one on board etc. For us our first experience of the Windjammer was last year on the Independence Of The Seas on our first RC cruise and we loved it and thanks to Matt's advice i'm hooked on Honey Stung Chicken and the Omlette Station :D . One of my wifes favorite times is around 15:30 as they finish up lunch and bring out fresh Scones with Cream and Jelly. With out doubt i would say RC have one of the best buffets at sea and considering how many types of food they serve its not easy to keep the standards as high as they do. One good tip for anyone who is new to the Windjammer is that they serve pretty good Steaks in the evening and they are cooked as you wait.

We will be back on the Independence in October. Counting down the days till Chops Grille & Honey Stung Chicken in the Windjammer :) :)

Independence for us she is awesome. We was considering Adventure for our cruise this year but have decided to go back on the Indy again as my wifes parents are taking the plunge with RC for the first time and as the itinerary is perfect and it's the Indys last year going from Southampton we just had to show them the ship. Not sure if we will get to try the Adventure as I'm guessing that this is her last season from Southampton too as RC are now pushing Explorer for the Med next year.

Hope you both have a fantastic cruise Don and can't wait to read about it. Enjoy Chops Grille :) :) :)

Thanks Tylor. I have never been to Labadee looks like it's going on the list.

Hey Tylor how u doin. Yes I'm back :) , had some health issues. Wow I love that picture where was it taken.

I think it comes down to each individual and how they like to enjoy their vacation. Some like me like to spend months researching their ports of call and the ship so as to get more time to do extra things on board instead of sitting in your cabin trying to decide what to do and others like to just go with the flow and see what each day brings which is just as good because sometimes the days you don't plan are the best because you have no expectations. I would suggest a little research though as it can save you money as well as time. For example on our cruise last year we used Google maps and the Internet to look at our ports of call and check out other options for sightseeing.This worked really well especially in Lisbon where we only spent €15.00 each to see everything and this was done by purchasing a ticket from the tour buses (which are normally by the port) which included use of 4 different bus tours around the city , use of the trams and entry to one of the attractions all of which you could hop on or off all day this was massively cheaper than booking with RC. One thing that is guaranteed though is you will have a fantastic time and be hooked by the fun and romance of cruising. Massive welcome to the blog John :)

Bryce you are spot on, if people washed there hands after using the restroom it would greatly reduce the spread of germs but so many don't. On our last cruise I was amazed to to observe a member of staff from one of the restaurants enter the restroom and use the toilet and then leave without washing his hands. Surely the staff are programmed on how important hygiene is.

Hey Don only one problem with that idea will you have any room left for even a quick bite after you have had all the real deal Italian Tiramisu , Canolis , Gelato , Pizza etc in the fabulous destinations in Italy you are going to visit. :) :) :)

Definitely know what you mean Marc. The Love Boat there's a blast from the past :) . I think we are all guilty of cruise fever , once we have booked we don't stop planning or talking about it and spend hours and hours on You Tube checking out the boat and destinations and then google maps to plan our own trips down to the time and distance for each day. We do the odd excursion but generally find it better and cheaper to do our own thing.

We normally look at the Cruise Compass when we come back in the evening see what catches the eye for the next day and make a mental note off what we want to do.

We purchased the Soda package for the Independence last year as soon as we boarded and were really looking forward to the unlimited drinks but even though we checked with RC before the cruise when we went to use them 2 days into the cruise we found out that the Independence did not have them on board even though she had just had a minor refit. Fortunately we had not broken the seals on the souvenir cups and RC happily refunded them back to our account. The machines look great so I hope the Adventure has them on board for our next cruise.

Have a good cruise Chad :) . I'm well jealous, can't wait to hear about you first RC experience ours was awesome and I know yours will be too.

Thanks Matt, but most of all THANK YOU :D for all the hard word work you put in to keep this all going. I would not of had such a great cruise without the information provided by you and all the other people who are part of this blog. I also think of you and everone as friends and hope we can all meet one day. A very Merry Christmas to you and you family and I hope you have a happy and healthy New Year. Dave & Samantha Viney.

We love the Independence and even though it was our first cruise with Royal Caribbean you just felt at home as the staff were amazing and the ship was way above what the other cruise lines we have sailed with offered. Not sure what your itinerary is in October but we did the Canaries ( Vigo, Lisbon, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Funchal & La Coruna) in late October this year and it was fantastic. The weather was good and in the high 80s in the Canaries. If you need to know anything just let me know and i will give you as much info as i can. How did you find the difference between Voyager and Freedom class ?

There are some great shows around and i am going to guess it could be one of these that will be on Anthem. 1. Wicked 2. Charlie And The Chocolate Factory 3. We Will Rock You 4. Dirty Dancing 5. Phantom Of The Opera I am hoping that it will be Wicked :)

I'm so jealous we never get those deals in the UK :P .

To say i'm happy is an understatement :D :D :D :D as soon as you can book we will be on the phone for a late 2015 cruise. The only down side is that as she arrives the Independence will leave which is a shame as i really hoped that RC would expand the amount of ships based at Southampton :( so our 2014 cruise may be the last time we sail on the Independence or the first time we cruise on Adventure.

If you leave a cash deposit for your on board account as we do then make sure you close it before bed on your last night. It stops you standing in long lines on the morning you leave the boat to get your unused cash back. That is of course if you have any left :) :) :) .

It may have been our first RC Cruise but we love the Freedom Class.

I agree Don airfares are off the scale these days and air travel is not as chilled as cruising. So here's hoping that RC base more ships at Southampton and include a good Med cruise which includes Venice before time runs out.

We are planning a Mediterranean Cruise for next year but we can only find RC Cuises that have an itinerary that includes sailing into Venice if we fly to Barcelona which means luggage restrictions and airports. After such a relaxing experience by going from Southampton we are hoping to avoid this so hopefully by next season there might be a change to some of the itineraries to include Venice from Southampton.

That would be a great idea Tyler as P&O do that in their restaurants with 3 celeb chefs. You are so right when you said --(For the most part, dining onboard a Royal Caribbean ship is an upscale inviting experience with quality ingredients and attention to detail.)-- so RC should ensure that this level is kept up in any restaurants they have on onboard as food is a BIG reason why we all Cruise.

OR, is "don't fail to dine at Chops the #ONE useful thing to know"? Good point Don I think that should be a useful thing to know.

Now there's a great start to your day Shawn , a great steak with some eggs :) .