Contributor John Hoiden is currently sailing on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas and has graciously agreed to share his experience with us over the course of his cruise! Here is John’s Day 3 report:
It’s my third day on Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas, and I got a little bit of a late start this morning. After breakfast, I got ready to get off the ship and explore Grand Turk, the only port of call during this 4-day Eastern Caribbean cruise. I know I mentioned a few times that I have several friends on this ship, some of which I ran into as I was heading down to the gangway, so we all got off the ship together.
While walking around the port, someone mentioned renting a golf cart. I had zero plans to do anything but explore the port and walk down to Local Village, an area near the port where restaurants, craft shops, a beach, and watersports rentals. I also wanted to check out a place called Jack’s Shack, but I thought, “What the hell. This might be the only time I am ever in Grand Turk!” So we headed out hoping to find a cheaper golf cart to rent but no luck. The person in Local Village walked us back through a parking lot and onto the main road and back towards the port for our rental. We were able to get the golf cart for $150. Usually it is $160, but the guy made a mistake when we asked the price, so he honored it.
My friend drove, and we had a hard time going at first. That’s when he discovered it kept slipping out of drive. The passenger had to keep his foot on the shifter in the drive position. But that’s OK because now we are on our way to explore Grand Turk! (Note: It was very weird driving on the left side of the road). A few minutes into the trip, we found our first donkey.
They were everywhere!
We drove around aimlessly in our golf cart that did not have a lot of power. Going up a relatively small hill we lost all momentum and almost rolled backwards. We all got out and gave it a push.
We then decided to go check out one of the tourist attractions, the Grant Turk Lighthouse. We paid the $3 admission to enter the area that includes the lighthouse, a gift shop, a bar and restaurant and stunning views. After having a local lager and relaxing for a while, we decided we should start the trek back. I mentioned earlier driving on the left is very weird, a roundabout when driving on the left side of the road is even weirder. I am pretty sure it confused all of us.
We dropped the golf cart off and headed back to the port. My friends went to Margaritaville, which is right at the port and has a restaurant, several bars, a large swimming pool and plenty of places to lay out in the sun. I ended up going back to the ship, grabbed a quick shower and lunch at the Windjammer, the ship’s buffet. Lunch has been a miss for me in there this week. I am no foodie by any means, but it’s been very a very bland and repetitive menu. Needless to say, it was another disappointing lunch.
When will I learn?
As people started coming back onboard, the outside areas of the ship got crowded fast. No tables or chairs available on the pool deck or the Solarium. I just used this time to walk around and take all the pictures I have been missing.
We were delayed leaving the port, and I later found out a passenger was escorted to the ship by local authorities to get his bags and then escorted back off. The rumor going around is he tried to buy drugs from an undercover cop. There was a guy who asked if I wanted to rent a lounger and umbrella on the beach, I politely declined. Then he asked if I wanted to go on an excursion, I again declined. Then he asked if I wanted “party favors” and I again declined. I will say, this is the first time I was asked to buy drugs inside of the port area, typically that happens when you start wandering outside the port area and in the local streets. So that was a first for me.
One of my friends on the sailing said he was also asked about “party favors” three or four times. I wonder if this is a regular sting they set up in Grand Turk.
Anyway, we finally sailed away, and I went to try my luck in the casino for a little bit. I was up and down. I hit a few good bonuses back-to-back to give me some bankroll back. I had to quit though as it was time to get ready for dinner. I can’t disappoint my server Mark! He holds our table and hunts us down. Amazing service. He really has treated us great, and I want to believe it’s because he enjoys our company. He spends all of his time at our table and drops what he is doing to make sure we have everything we need. I am sure he has other tables he does this with. We also have been tipping him very well, which I am sure helps.
It’s Italian night! I started with beef carpaccio and a side salad. I’m sorry, I was so hungry I dug right in and forget to take pictures of these. The beef carpaccio was delicious!
For my entrée, I went with Lasagna. Again, was not disappointed. 10/10. Mark came over to check on us and insisted we get more food. One of my friends mentioned she really enjoyed the rice in her pan seared fillet of sole. So he brought her another entrée. He said to me, “Come on, you want more?? Try the Chicken Parm!” So I went for it. He quickly delivered a Chicken Parm to me, and I am glad I tried it! I wasn’t a fan of the spaghetti it was served on, but the chicken itself was a 10/10.
For dessert, I went with Coffee Pot De Crème. This is a coffee flavored custard topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a strawberry. I don’t usually eat dessert, but I ordered them all week. This was excellent. I’d get it again. As stuffed as I was, Mark came over and put down an Italian Chocolate Hazelnut Cake with ice cream on the table and says, “Here, I know someone will eat this.” That someone ended up being me. I did not finish it, but I had to try it. It was not what I expected. The texture and flavor were both better than I expected. I am not a big fan of chocolate and Mark even said when he went over the menu that “The flavor of this is not what you would expect it to be” and that’s exactly what it is. Looking at it, I expected a flavor and texture and what I expected and what I got was not only different, it was way better.
I was absolutely stuffed after dinner, but it is Italian night and Mark made sure to give that authentic Italian feeling of “Come on eat, eat more! There’s plenty here! Eat up!” I felt like I was at my Uncle’s house.
For the evening entertainment, we decided to check out the magician. He was on Penn and Teller’s Fool Us, AGT, and a few others as they showed clips during the pre-show. Now I know how he ended up on the ship and why he didn’t fool Penn and Teller! This was one of the worst magic shows I have ever seen.
Now, I am a big fan of magic, growing up I had magic sets, magic books, videos of tricks. I’ve practiced some sleight of hand etc. I wasn’t any good, which is why I didn’t pursue it. Now don’t get me wrong, I give him credit for being up there and dong it, but his trick selection, in my opinion, was not good. He also had some really cringing, hack jokes and would cue some music to be played for his jokes.
No one laughed.
It was cringe-worthy, for sure.
After that, I called it a night as I was exhausted! I’ve been getting to bed around 2am every night and up by 6-6:30am. My body is used to getting up early for work and no matter what time I go to bed, I naturally wake up early.
So there you have my day 3 adventure! It’s almost time for the depression to kick in as I head into day 4 and the final day of the cruise.
See you all tomorrow, thanks for following along!