Travel News June 2018
CRUISE NEWS - INDEPENDENCE 23 SWEET DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS...
Annie Lennox provides the mood music for two-day trip
Contributor PAUL CLEMENTS samples the atmosphere and glamour of the inaugural relaunch of RCI’s Independence of the Seas
ROM THE moment that a smiling Royal Caribbean host in a dandelion yellow T-shirt offered us a glass of champagne, we knew we were in good hands as we stepped on to this spectacular ship in Southampton. Through the speakers, Annie Lennox is blasting out ‘Sweet Dreams’ creating the perfect mood-music, ‘I travel the world and the seven seas…’, for what is a right Royal occasion – the relaunch of the Independence of the Seas following a multi-million-pound makeover.
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In conjunction with a familiarisation cruise, the travel agency awards were also presented at a ceremony on board. Details were revealed of the hotly- contested category for the best overall performance by a Northern Ireland travel agency which this year was won by Clubworld. And Northern Ireland has shown that in the past two years it has been the fastest growing region of the U.K. for cruise ship travel. The Independence of the Seas is one of Royal Caribbean’s international fleet of 25 ships, and many new features have been added to the reimagined vessel. This includes a refurbishment of restaurants and bars, as well as the upgrading and addition of more staterooms. The Izumi Sushi and Hibachi Grill claim to be the largest Teppanyaki dining in the entire fleet. A new Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade means fans are catered for with major live sporting events.
For the first time, guests can try the Sky Pad, a virtual reality bungee trampoline experience which transports them to other planets via a headset, or they may choose to spend time at the interactive aqua park, Splashaway Bay. Perfect Storm racing waterslides, called Cyclone and Typhoon, are also part of the new-look.
Aside from four swimming pools with waterside activities, and a popular new Fish & Ships Café, there are numerous other attractions such as the solarium and hot tubs, seven jacuzzis, a vitality spa, and a glow-in-the-dark laser tag. The Escape Room houses an observatory where guests work together for one hour to find hidden clues and solve high-tech riddles to unravel a mystery This produced some of the best fun of our cruise and is an activity that can be enjoyed by all the
family.
Elsewhere, retail therapy is available along the Royal Promenade lined with boutiques, beauty shops and jewellery stores. This is the chance to escape the hot sun with an ice cream or a visit to the candy store, a buzzing café or pub. At night the area transforms into a music venue where singers perform on the balcony and guests party along to well-loved classics.
Amanda Darrington, Royal Caribbean sales director for the UK and Ireland, says the Independence is destination-centric and is all about creating a cosiness for the family. ‘The ship is a familiar auntie for our guests with a sense of homeliness about her,’ she says.
‘Our guests have an affiliation with her and we have a huge amount of repeat business. We are all about quality service, and from the moment people arrive, they are made to feel they are on holiday. Our average age of passengers has dropped to 42, so we are very family-oriented and it’s important for us to excite the children and get the parents involved.’
The Independence of the Seas, which began life in 2009, has recently been voted the UK’s favourite ship. In total it can carry 3,858 passengers and comes with a crew of 1,400. The ship’s home base is Southampton which handles the lion’s share of cruise traffic. Our two-day cruise set off from the Mayflower Terminal, sailed through the Solent, then passed the small towns and patchwork fields of the Isle of Wight before heading into the Channel’s shipping lanes. The Independence ploughs a steady path at a sedate speed of 10 knots. For a longer trip the normal cruising speed is 21 knots. We spot other traffic such as cross-channel car ferries, fishing trawlers, cargo vessels, an occasional small yacht, and even a Polish warship, but most of the time the wide sea horizons are empty.
The Independence of the Seas will call at destinations throughout Europe and the Mediterranean until November 2018. Prices vary, depending on the time of year. It is best to check the website for details:
www.royalcaribbean.co.uk or call 0844 493 3033; travel professionals can visit:
www.myclubroyal.co.uk
Feeding the four thousand
WITH A total of 163 cooks and 200 waiters, guests will never go hungry or thirsty on an Independence of the Seas cruise. A tour of the kitchens with the head
chef, Alastair Gillott, provides a fascinating insight
electronically into how a
‘megaship’ caters for nearly 4,000 passengers. All meal orders are processed
through
screens in the kitchens. More than 500 people work there during peak lunch and dinner times, and a one-way system is operated to avoid collision. One of the most popular restaurants is the
Windjammer Marketplace which offers a buffet from which you can mix and match hot meals with salads. Here you will find exotic dishes such as grilled wahoo, chicken saagwala, and beef caldereta (a goat meat stew from the Philippines) as well as Waldorf salads and a vegetarian selection. ‘Guests love to graze,’ says Alastair,’ and that’s why we have such a huge choice as we serve up to 25,000 meals per day.’ One small, but staggering statistic,
shows that the daily consumption of eggs in the ship’s restaurants range from between 8,000 up to 10,000.
The revamped Independence of the Seas pictured in the English Channel recently
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