Day 3 on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas found us docked in Cozumel, Mexico for a full day of…. well, for me not much. The ship pulled in around 7:30am and passengers were cleared around 8am. It was a beautiful day, albeit a bit on the breezy side. Overnight we did encounter some wind that had the ship rocking a bit, but nothing that a few Bonine and a martini couldn’t make quick work of.
We decided to brave the Windjammer buffet for breakfast, thinking that most people would be off the ship and we wouldn’t have to partake in the full-body contact sport called “Grab that Table Before Someone Else Does.” Luckily our predictions were true and it wasn’t too busy. We quickly scored a prime window seat and began to load up our plates with slices of salty, crispy pig.
During the entire time we were enjoying breakfast, not one server came by to see if we wanted drinks. As I mentioned in yesterday’s installment, this is something that is not cruise-line specific. There just doesn’t seem to be any emphasis on service in the ship’s buffet. They want you in and out, so they can turn the table over and get the next guest seated. We grabbed water and lemonade from the self-service juice stations to quench our thirst. The lemonade was cold, the water was warm. We left, grabbed our unlimited soda cups, and grabbed some drinks on our own.
Since it was a port day, and the ship was pretty much empty, we felt it was a great time to do some exploring and get the photo tour of the ship done.
We started up on Deck 12 and made our way down to Deck 3 snapping photos of all the unique features and public spaces that make up the Independence of the Seas. Signs that she was built in the ’90s can be seen throughout the ship, from the teal and salmon-colored rugs to the salmon-colored stateroom doors, to the very 90’s look of the ship’s Champagne Bar and Centrum. That’s not to say she hasn’t been taken care of over the decades.
The ship is in very good condition, and the only area I’ve seen that could use a little attention is the carpeting on the spiral staircases in the ship’s Centrum. Not sure why they chose to go with carpeting on those stairs, as there are many other beautiful alternatives such as the crystal used on the staircase on the MSC Divina, or tile that wears better and doesn’t show the wear as much.
After we completed our photo tour it was time to go off the ship and see what Cozumel had to offer. It’s been a few years since I’ve been to Cozumel, so I figured why not, let’s go for a walk around and see what it’s like.
The first thing you encounter when you leave the ship is the obligatory walk through the gauntlet of merchants selling just about everything you don’t need. Like carnival barkers, they yell “best for less” and do just about everything but grab you by the arm to pull you into their shop. As we passed one of about 36 jewelry shops, a man jumps out, notices my earring, and instantly began the hard-sell sales pitch. The $ 1,000 USD pair of diamond earrings suddenly went down to $300 if I paid cash. I told him I don’t have cash and then he dropped the price to $ 250 USD. When I told him, I wasn’t interested, the price came down to $ 225 USD if I bought them right now as it was a “today special.”
Not knowing if I was getting diamonds or Mexican glass, I did my best to talk myself out of the situation and escape his clutches. We hustled like two chickens being chased by Colonel Sanders out of the marketplace and made it to the street where now instead of jewelry, t-shirts, hats, and trinkets, street sellers were pushing scooter rentals, private tours, taxi rides, and who knows what else.
This is the reason I don’t usually leave the ship unless it’s a port I’ve been to before and know my way around and what to expect. From here we ventured across the street to a small shopping mall home to a Carl Jr’s, Hard Rock Cafe, a Harley Davidson dealership, three stores selling sunglasses, and a drugstore.
We stopped in a free-standing sunglass store to see what they had and ended up walking out each with a new pair of shades. There was no high-pressure selling in there which was a welcome relief. The next stop was to the drug store, where we grabbed a bottle of Mexican Coca Cola then we both agreed we had enough of Cozumel and began the short walk back to the ship.
As we made the reverse trek through the cruise terminal marketplace, I had one goal – to make it through without the guy who tried to sell me the earrings seeing me.
Success!
Back on board, we headed back to our stateroom, grabbed our laptops, and headed down to a nice quiet area on Deck 4 in the Centrum where I worked on the daily installment.
Like most Internet connections at sea, this one has been frustrating. At $25 per day, for unlimited access for one device, it’s not a bad deal compared to per-minute packages offered by other cruise lines. However, Royal Caribbean has not rolled out their next generation of Internet called Voom to Independence of the Seas yet. Therefore, the connection is painfully slow and doesn’t work most of the time, and when it does you try to get as much done as you can while you have the connection.
If I were paying per-minute rates for this, I would not be a happy camper, but the price is right and for the most part, as long as your content with using it to just check email or Facebook, it’s no big deal. I definitely got spoiled with the amazing Internet on Quantum of the Seas. Don’t expect to Skype friends back home on this connection until it’s upgraded.
Once the publish button was hit, it was off to find a nice, secluded spot on the ship to just relax. We headed up to San Tropez, a quiet area way up top at the bow of the ship. There are several lounge chairs, as well as a few tables in both the sun and under a shaded canopy. It’s one of those hidden gems to sneak off to when you don’t want to be around the crowds at the pools.
Speaking of the pools, they haven’t been too crowded and each time I’ve walked around, there have been plenty of deck chairs available even though the ship is sailing at capacity with 900 – yes 900 – children on board. Considering this is a holiday sailing, that high number of rug rats is to be expected. I haven’t encountered any unruly teenagers, but I’d still like to catch the scoundrels who make a mess out of the ice cream machines.
Let’s talk hot tubs. Independence of the Seas has two cantilevered hot tubs that extend over the side of the ship as well as one on the pool deck. Not sure what the attraction of getting in a boiling kettle of water with a dozen other people oozing sweat and other bodily fluids is, but these things make me itch just walking by them. But they’re always crowded, whether it be with couples, kids, teens, or people you would never want to share a bath with, they’re a hit for some reason.
Disgusting I say. Disgusting.
Sail away from Cozumel was set for 6pm. We were in port today with another Royal Caribbean ship, Brilliance of the Seas, as well as the Carnival Triumph and the Emerald Princess. The first ship to depart was the Triumph, followed by us, then the Brilliance and the Emerald.
As the ship’s whistle signaled we were ready to pull up lines and begin to cast off, a pier runner was seen hustling her way to the ship in the hopes that she would not miss the boat. When she finally made it, cheers erupted from those out on their balconies watching her make the run of shame. I guess running fast to catch the boat is better than standing pier side waving goodbye as the ship sails without you.
We relaxed out on our balcony as we watched the sunset as we departed. The Brilliance of the Seas followed close behind and throughout the night, the Brilliance and the Emerald sailed tandem under the moonlit sky.
As I mentioned yesterday, we did not have a specific reservation for dinner tonight. Since we were not given a table for two in the main dining room, that was not an option for me. I won’t get into the whole sharing of tables thing that so many people enjoy on a cruise, but I don’t walk into a restaurant on land and get taken to a table of 10 strangers to have dinner with, and I refuse to do it on a ship.
Knowing that the Windjammer would probably be just as crowded for dinner service as it has been for breakfast, we decided to go to dinner at…
Johnny Rockets!
Yep, the 50’s themed hamburger joint that serves burgers, milkshakes, fries, and rings. Johnny Rockets has a restaurant on Independence of the Seas as it does on all Royal Caribbean ships. Depending on the ship, some also serve breakfast. Johnny Rockets on Indy only serves lunch and dinner.
Located at the top of the ship near the teen center, Johnny Rockets has indoor and outdoor booths as well as counter seating. Non-functioning jukeboxes are at each of the booths and like the restaurants on land, it’s designed to look like a 1950’s era stainless steel diner.
There is a cover charge to eat at Johnny Rockets and milkshakes are additional on top of the cover charge. The restaurant was not busy when we were there around 7:30pm. Some teenagers from the adjacent teen center were having dinner at the counter while one other booth was occupied. The loud banging was heard the entire time were there. Right above the restaurant was where workers were installing the ship’s “scrubbers” next to the funnel. (Scrubbers “scrub” the ship’s exhaust making for cleaner emissions.)
Our server came over, presented us with the limited menu, and explained what was included in the cover charge before we selected what we wanted for dinner, we asked for a half order of french fries and a half order of onion rings, and I ordered a strawberry milkshake.
The fries and rings arrived quickly with the signature plate of ketchup in the shape of a smiley face. The fries were lukewarm, limp, and not cooked enough while the onion rings were steaming hot and crispy.
My cruise mate ordered a grilled cheese and I opted for the Rocket Double. Double patties with American Cheese, onions, lettuce, tomato, and bacon. Our food came out but my strawberry milkshake still didn’t make an appearance.
I said to our server, “where’s my milkshake,” to which he replied, “oh chocolate, right?”
After resetting, he came back with a strawberry milkshake, which was thick and delicious.
The burger was good, although it was quite greasy and sloppy to eat. The beef was not overcooked and the bun was fresh. Overall, a good choice.
After dinner, we did some walking around the Royal Promenade where the Caribbean Party was set to take place. It turned out to be a sales event with shops selling goods at x% off and bar servers selling Caribbean-themed drinks. Not much of a party was going on there.
Up on the pool deck, Jurassic World was playing on the big screen for Movies Under the Stars.
We opted out of the “headliner” entertainment which was an acapella group called “The Cat’s Pajamas.” It’s just not my style of music.
We headed up to the top of the ship to the Viking Crown Lounge / Olive or Twist where we had a few martinis and listened to a Reggae band play from 9:45pm to around 11pm. The martinis were cold, filthy, and quite delicious. The band was very, very good!
From there we headed down to the Labyrinth – the ship’s nightclub where blue light and fog filled the club. We had another martini there as we waited to see if anyone else was going to show up. The DJ was playing music for us, the bartender, and the security staff and that was it. We asked where everyone was and was told there was a “Pool Party” up top and that’s why it was slow.
After one drink we headed up to the “Pool Party” where about 75 people were line dancing. Not much going on there either.
It was now midnight and the martinis were making me want my bed more and more, so we called it a night and headed back to our stateroom where the motion of the ocean gently rocked us to sleep.
Today is a sea day as we are heading back to Fort Lauderdale for a 7am arrival tomorrow (Monday) morning. The sun is out, there are a few clouds, the wind is blowing at 29mph and the sea is running 6 to 8 feet.
Not much on the schedule to do today other than relax and get a final day of rest before returning home tomorrow. We ordered room service breakfast this morning and enjoyed it out on the balcony and will be hitting up Chops Grill for a re-do with hopefully better service and food this evening.
Stay tuned for that in tomorrow’s update from the Independence of the Seas!
Personal Day-By-Day Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas Cruise Review:
Photo Tour of Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas:
During my cruise on Independence of the Seas, I took many photos of the ship’s impressive features and amenities. From the stateroom to the dining options and entertainment, there was always something to see and do on board. You can see what it’s like onboard by checking out my photo tour.