Patty Vognild and her daughter, Angie, recently went on a 5-night cruise on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas. She is sharing her experience with us in this guest post.
After cruising for over 30 years, I changed things up and had a great cruise experience!
I've been cruising since 1992, and I've cruised the Caribbean more times than any other port of call. I was given the opportunity to cruise with my daughter on a five-night Western Caribbean sailing that visited Cozumel, Mexico, and Royal Caribbean's private island, Perfect Day at CocoCay.
For me, the onboard experience is normally my favorite part of a cruise.
During this trip, I decided to make an effort to switch things up. I wanted to try some new things and change my 30-year cruise routine up a bit. These minor and more significant changes resulted in an exceptional Royal Caribbean cruise.
Embarkation day
Starting on embarkation day, I did two things differently than every other cruise I had done.
First, I didn’t want to head up to the crazy busy Windjammer buffet like 90% of the passengers normally do. Instead, we were excited to try a quick-casual complimentary dining option on Independence of the Seas: Fish and Ships. In fact, this dining option is only available on Independence of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas.
I am a huge seafood fan, so I was anxious to try a new menu. When we found it on the pool deck, there was no line at all, which was a nice surprise. Our no-cost choices were fish and chips, chicken fingers and chips, fried shrimp and chips, and a fish sandwich.
I ordered both the fish and chips plus some shrimp. The fish was thickly breaded, fried, and very tasty. The shrimp were small but tasty, along with the fries. Angie, not being a seafood person, tried the chicken fingers and chips. Because they were so small, she thought they were mislabeled and should be called chicken nuggets.
Another small thing I did was order a frozen fruity cocktail within the first hour I was on the ship. Usually, I am in a hurry to head to the Windjammer, check my table location in the Main Dining Room, and drop off my carry-on luggage in my cabin. It felt like the right way to start my cruise vacation by getting a cold piña colada.
Interior cabin enhancements
After reading a Royal Caribbean Blog post about questions to ask your cabin steward, I learned I could ask our cabin steward for a mattress topper. There have been several cruises where the bed was too firm for my taste, so I wanted to try a mattress topper to see if that would help. I didn't know this was a possibility!
On the first day of the cruise, I asked our cabin steward for a topper, and he put it on my bed that night. The mattress topper softened the bed and enhanced my comfort for the five-night cruise.
Along those lines, I had other requests that made the sleeping situation better in our interior cabin.
Originally, one bed had a nightstand on both sides. Both of us like to have the somewhat narrow twin bed up against the wall. This made for a wider walkway between our beds. It also gives more bed width when placing pillows along your back for side sleepers (like myself). Additionally, the pillows don’t constantly fall off the bed when rested against the wall.
I also requested more hangers, a paper Cruise Compass every day, and extra pillows. Our cabin steward was happy to accommodate!
Formal night in the Windjammer
On day three of our cruise, it was formal night, and the musical Grease was showing at 7 p.m.
We were looking forward to Grease so we opted to skip the Main Dining Room, see the musical, and then eat dinner in the Windjammer. So, in our nice formal evening outfits, we headed up to the Windjammer after the show for an 8 p.m. meal. Never in all my 30-plus cruises have I spent a formal night in the Windjammer.
The Windjammer theme was “Savor La France” and the Main Dining Room theme was “A Taste of France,” so most of the food offered in the Windjammer was also served in the Main Dining Room. It was definitely a different experience not being waited on, which I always thoroughly enjoy in the Main Dining Room.
One pleasant difference was that since the Windjammer was only about 20% occupied, we were able to secure a nice window seat and enjoy the beautiful sunset. Our assigned table in the Main Dining Room was smack dab in the middle of the huge room, so we never saw the ocean views during dinner.
They had a crepe bar with multiple toppings, so we enjoyed strawberry and chocolate crepes for dessert. We both agreed that the food was fine but not exceptional.
In my long dress, grabbing buffet food on a formal night was such a casual experience, and honestly, we missed the sit-down wait service. However, we were very pleased we got to see Grease.
I don’t know if I’d make this choice again unless it was another situation where it was the only way to see a show I really wanted to see. And maybe I wouldn’t get all dressed up to only go to the Windjammer!
Read more: Everything I ate on Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas: Food review and pictures
Try out the sauna and steam room in the spa
With Cozumel as one of the ports on our cruise, I had no burning desire to get off the ship because it was extremely hot and humid. Plus, I have been to Cozumel many times.
I have never stepped foot in the sauna or steam room in the spas of Royal Caribbean. It always ends up being too busy to stop by. Since Angie had work to do, I was on my own and decided it was a good time to try them out.
I was literally the only person in the women’s sauna and steam room. Although I had questions, I followed the signage on how to operate the sauna and steam room. I also listened to all the warnings they posted.
The facilities were very clean as I expected. As the only one in the space, it was calming since I had no idea what I was doing.
First, I did the sauna and added some water to the coals as the sign stated. I didn’t stay in the sauna for more than 10 minutes like the sign warned—7 minutes was enough for me. Since I have high blood pressure and was alone in the room, I wanted to be careful.
Next, I tried the steam room. This space had a single-tile seat to rest on. The steam was thick and made me feel claustrophobic. Again, I followed the warning and only stayed in there for less than 10 minutes.
Stepping back into the shower area felt refreshing after the hot sauna and steam room. I enjoyed using the extra-large shower in this space. It helped me cool off before getting dressed for more exploring around Independence of the Seas. I was glad I tried them both for the first time.
New breakfast options
My breakfast is usually in the Windjammer, and maybe once on a cruise, I get up in time for breakfast in the Main Dining Room. I always talk about getting room service but I never do because of my family not wanting to select a specific time. I consume multiple cups of black coffee every morning and want it very hot. I assumed room service coffee would come lukewarm in a cup, so I figured it would not be satisfying.
I went ahead and ordered room service to be delivered between 9 and 9:30 a.m. At 8:50 a.m., they rang my cabin to make sure I was awake and ready to receive my order. Within a few minutes, they delivered the tray.
To my delight, the coffee came in a carafe and was very hot—just the way I like it. I also ordered a fruit plate and an English muffin. I expected the English muffin to be room temperature, but it was still warm. I was very impressed and pleased! It was a nice way to start my day as my roommate was sleeping in.
I will definitely be ordering room service on my future cruises. Why did I wait all these years?
The Crown Lounge also provided a light breakfast on sea days until 10 a.m. so we showed up at 9:45 a.m. to try it out for the first time. During our sailing, there were only 125 Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Pinnacle cruisers, so the concierge told us the Crown Lounge was very quiet. We were the only passengers in the lounge for breakfast.
Read more: What You Need to Know About Royal Caribbean Crown and Anchor Society Status Levels
There was a nice selection of pastries, fruit, and yogurts, plus juices and a coffee machine. The beautiful ocean view from this lounge made our light breakfast even more enjoyable.
Two visits to a specialty restaurant
Specialty dining is something I usually enjoy once per cruise, but I have never gone to the same specialty restaurant twice during one sailing!
We had cruise credits to spend, so we decided to have lunch at Giovanni's Table for only $22.99 per person versus $54.99 per person for dinner.
The lunch was fantastic. To start off, the calamari was so good. It was at least 5 times the size of what you would find in the Main Dining Room. It was lightly breaded with a crispy coating and served with tomato sauce and lemon garlic aioli. I couldn’t stop talking about how good it was!
The waiter promoting Giovanni's challenged us to try their fillet and said it would be better than Chops Grille. Because of our waiter’s challenge, we both ordered a fillet plus some pasta dishes. He was right; the fillet was amazing. It was cooked to perfection and so tender. It was indeed just as good as Chops Grille—if not better. We left satisfied and stuffed, to say the least.
On the last day of the cruise, as we approached the Windjammer for breakfast, our Giovanni's waiter was promoting the restaurant. He remembered us and was trying to convince us to return. I stated if you make us a deal, we will come that night, but we are always satisfied with our meals in the Main Dining Room. To my surprise, he offered us a BOGO deal. I didn’t know he would do that, so it was only $54.99 for both of us!
Normally we establish a pleasant relationship with our Main Dining Room staff by the end of the cruise. But honestly, on this short cruise, our Main Dining Room staff hadn't made that special connection we normally experience. This fact made it easy to accept the BOGO offer to Giovanni's. This was the first time I can ever remember not wanting to be in the Main Dining Room on the last night of a cruise.
Our second meal at Giovanni's was similar to the first with a few modifications. I tried the beef carpaccio as an appetizer. Of course, I got the amazing calamari, and we both enjoyed the fantastic fillet again. We both were glad we made the decision.
Read more: 5 things I did differently on my cruise that made a huge difference
A few more changes I tried
On this cruise, I was challenging myself to do little things differently and maybe start new normals for my future cruising vacations.
As a relatively new diabetic, I felt obligated to order the no-sugar-added desserts offered in the Main Dining Room. Some of these included dark chocolate custard, coffee pot de crème, coconut layer cake, and vanilla ice cream.
They were all pretty good, but obviously not as good as the full-sugar desserts. I was happy they offered them as a choice when I was trying to be watchful of my blood sugar. I was still able to enjoy one of my favorite things about cruising – the food!
I wanted to have a Johnny Rockets milkshake once on the cruise, but I felt guilty about the sugar, so I asked for a half-size vanilla milkshake. I never thought to ask, but it was the perfect size. It was enough to satisfy me so I wasn’t tempted to have a large one.
Also, I didn’t have even one piece of Sorrento’s Pizza. That is a first for me. I like pizza hot and straight out of the oven, but that was usually not the case when we walked by. There were a lot better food choices onboard anyway.
One night, I sat outside on deck 5 after dark, listened to the waves, and gazed at the stars. These 30 minutes were a new relaxing way to grab alone time away from all the passengers. I almost felt like I had the ship to myself.
On disembarkation morning, Angie suggested a specialty coffee while we waited for our number to be called to sadly leave the ship. It was a nice way to use our Diamond Plus drink vouchers on the last few minutes of a wonderful cruise. I honestly never thought that was a possibility on disembarkation day.
Maybe it's my age, but it's funny how you can get in a rut doing the same routines while cruising. I enjoyed pushing myself to make some changes. They were small, but they added to the overall experience on our Independence of the Seas cruise. Anytime I can cruise with one of my daughters, I’m in.
Angie Vognild
Angie Vognild has a love for cruising, with her first cruise at just one year old. Since then, she has traveled to nearly 40 countries and been on over 30 cruises. Her favorite cruises were to the Holy Land on Odyssey of the Seas in 2022 and Japan on Spectrum of the Seas in 2019.
