Independence of the Seas – A Diary of a Day at Sea

Once Royal Caribbean’s new vessel the Anthem of the Seas is launched, their current ship, the Independence of the Seas, will stop sailing from Southampton. So now is the time to book your place aboard this remarkable cruise vessel for a 2014 voyage, before it stops sailing from the UK. To show you why you should book a suite on the Independence of the Seas now before it’s too late, here is a diary of a typical day aboard this marvellous ship.

8am

We woke up at about 8am after a peaceful night’s sleep in the large comfortable bed in our luxurious balcony suite. We had time plenty of time to make a cup of coffee and sit out on the balcony before heading out for breakfast. The wonderful sea views from our balcony were an amazing way to start the day.

9am

Just before 9am we set off across the vessel to the Windjammer Cafe, where we helped ourselves to a delicious a la carte breakfast. We loved the relaxed atmosphere and the excellent self-service option of the Windjammer, so we enjoyed a great breakfast of sausages, bacon and hash browns. The perfect fuel for a busy day at sea.

10am

After our tasty breakfast we thought we would try out the Independence of the Seas’ state-of-the-art fitness centre. After an intensive session on the facility’s modern gym equipment, we even had time to go for a run in the fresh sea air around the on-board jogging path, designed specifically for jogging enthusiasts. The previous day we spent most of the morning at the wonderful Ice Skating Rink, which was a terrific and exciting experience, especially for the kids.

11.30am

Following our morning workout, we decided it was time for some pampering, so we paid a visit to the ship’s Vitality Spa for a much needed rejuvenating massage. The relaxing massages we received at this brilliant spa facility were just what we needed to relax ourselves before another full day of fun and frolics on the open water.

12.30am

We headed back to our superb suite for a quick post-massage shower before arriving at the Giovanni’s Table restaurant to meet our lunchtime reservation. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal, which consisted of a scrumptious salad starter followed by a pasta-based main course. We even had room for a piece of tempting chocolate cake, over which we discussed what we would do with the rest of our day at sea.

1.30pm

After much discussion, we decided we would spend some time by the pool, while the children went off to have bucket-loads of fun at the on-board Kid’s Club, where they had already made several new friends that they were itching to see again. My wife and I had a quick swim in the swimming pool and a long sunbathe on the sun-drenched sun deck. I had considered taking on the rather exhilarating-looking Flowrider surf simulator, but decided it would be better just to watch other people on it for now and pluck up the courage another day.

Realising the kids would be at their Kid’s Club for a while longer, we decided to check out the vessel’s Royal Promenade Boutiques and purchase some souvenirs for ourselves and others. My wife bought a new pair of designer sunglasses, while I bought another ‘trendy’ Hawaiian shirt to add to the ever-growing collection.

3.30pm

At around 3.30pm we all met up again as a family to take advantage of some of the ship’s activities and facilities together. First of all, the children had a go on the towering climbing wall, and despite being a little intimidated by the size of it; I was eventually persuaded to give it a go myself. Apart from a miniature breakdown about half way up, I managed to scale the colossus and felt rather proud of myself afterwards.

With plenty of time before dinner, we played a round on the nine-hole miniature golf course, which was a lot of fun. I came out of the round victorious and spent the rest of the day gloating about it, to the annoyance of my wife.

5.30pm

Everyone was beginning to get hungry after my mini-golf triumph, so we decided to treat ourselves and the kids to a scrumptious meal of burger and fries at the popular Johnny Rockets fast food outlet. The singing and dancing waiters were very entertaining and we got the children a milkshake each, which they were particularly pleased about.

7.30pm

The night before we had seen a movie on the large outdoor movie screen, so tonight, we decided to go and see a show at the ships extravagant Pyramid Lounge theatre. This show was an all-singing all-dancing extravaganza and we were all quite taken with it. It was like something straight off of Broadway!

9.30pm

After the excellent show, we went for a drink in the ship’s marvellous bars and lounges to unwind and socialise with some of our fellow passenger, who we had made friends with during our time on-board. The children went to bed quite early as they were worn out from the long day of fun, but we stayed up late into the night. We even tried to strike it lucky at the on-board casino but unfortunately did not hit the jackpot this time.

???

I am not quite sure what time we eventually got to bed as we completely lost track of time. All I can say with certainty is that we had a wonderful day aboard the Independence of the Seas.