All Aboard the Ship - Two Lane Adventure on the High Seas – Day One of the Cruise

Vacation Day Three - I thought the hotel lobby and pool area was mobbed the last few days, it is a zoo when the weather is bad! We woke up to rain this morning and had to fight to find a dry spot to stand with our luggage to wait for the 11:30 shuttle to the port. We rode the KSA bus limo hauling a cargo trailer for luggage to the port. The trip to the port is only about 10 miles, but it took us almost 50 minutes to get there! The port traffic is awful! Charlie and I were thinking about driving the truck to the port, glad we decided against that!

Naturally, where the shuttle dropped us and our luggage off was under some cover, but not enough! The rain was beating down on us and the luggage as we verified our luggage had made it to the porters. We skirted under the cover of the luggage area for a while and then had to make a mad dash between the drops to get to the terminal. Of course we all got wet! After you pass through security and get to the check-in desk, the first thing they want to do is take your picture! We all looked like drowned rats! So, the pictures were oh so flattering for all of us. Good thing the only people seeing them were the entire staff of the ship! Every time you swiped your seapass card the employee looked at the picture to verify that it was you. Nice, very nice!

The rain changed many of our initial plans. We had wanted to enjoy the pre-departure time on the deck of the Independence of the Seas, in the sun enjoying our drink packages while we waited for our rooms to be ready. Since that was not possible, we settled for a pub located on the Royal Promenade deck. It is called Hounds and Badgers; it is an Irish style pub.

Independence of the Seas is a Freedom-class cruise ship operated by the Royal Caribbean. The 15-deck ship can accommodate over 4,300 passengers and is served by over 1,300 crew members. At 1,112 feet long and 154,000 gross tons, she joined Freedom of the Seas and Liberty of the Seas as some of the largest cruise ships and passenger vessels built. Oasis of the Seas, the first ship in the Oasis-class, displaced the Freedom-class as the world's largest passenger ship. Like the other Freedom-class vessels, Independence of the Seas features an interactive water park, the H2O Zone, a dedicated sports pool for volleyball and basketball, and whirlpools which extend from the ship's sides. It houses an internal shopping "street", the Royal Promenade, lined with shops, pubs and wine bars. The Promenade features a "sky bridge" which can be lowered from the ceiling to provide a performance space above the crowds during parades. There is also the two story Alhambra Theater, seating 1,200, and a complete conference center. The show cabaret lounge, called the Pyramid Lounge, is themed to ancient Egypt. On a lower level is an ice skating rink named Studio B, which home to a series of professional ice shows and is also available for personal skating. This facility was first featured on the Voyager-class and Independence of the Seas is the eighth ship to feature a rink. The ship also features a range of eateries, Wi-Fi connectivity throughout, and flat-screen televisions in all staterooms. Independence of the Seas is also the first Royal Caribbean ship to feature heated, fresh water pools. On the Sports Deck, there is a rock climbing wall, a basketball/hockey court, a mini golf course, and a FlowRider for surfing. It also has 3 seating areas around it to allow people to watch. Okay, enough about this little ship we are on, back to our trip.

We were able to get into our rooms by 1:00pm and left off our carry-on bags and opened all the balcony dividers between our seven rooms. That gave us a long balcony area to enjoy as we cruise! I took this opportunity to apply my herbal motion sickness remedy, trying to avoid the sea sickness that usually accompanies me on a cruise. The rain had stopped by then, but it was still overcast so we ventured onto an upper deck. We located the Solarium bar and remained there until the ship left the port.

After the ship was underway, we all headed to our rooms to get ready for our 6pm dinner seating. Only a few couples had their luggage, so we all remained in our casual attire and headed to the Macbeth dining room. We were greeted there by a warm and welcoming wait staff, Ash will be our head waiter for the cruise, Rose is his assistant waiter and Albert is a bar staff for dinner. Speaking of eating, some people get their sea legs right away, others it takes a little time. I am one of those people that it takes a little time. We order our dinner and the appetizer arrives. I manage to get through that course, with one trip out to the deck for fresh air. The main course arrives and I get a couple of bites down before I decide that I had better head back to the stateroom. I excuse myself and make it to the elevators, praying that the wave of nausea passes quickly. I get back to the cabin and crawl into the bed. Funny thing is; I fought the sea sickness off longer this cruise than the last one … at least I got through the appetizer this time! After dinner, Charlie brings me ginger ale the bar staff gave him. He decided not to let my steak go to waste, he ate that. I think this cruise is going to be filled with too much food and liquor for sure!  It was an early night for some, while others enjoyed exploring the ship and its bars and features. Some have plans to be sure that we visit every establishment on the ship that sells alcohol and partake in a little liquid libation!