Independence of the Seas, 1 November 2014,

The so much awaited big day had arrived and I boarded the Independence of the Seas.The joy.The excitement.And the disappointment that followed!No,it was not instant,it was not when I opened the door to the beautifully presented cabin,where the big soft bed beckoned,it was not when I went to the assembly point,the same point I had stood on for the first time on 29 November, 2010, and again in March the following year with my sister.It was neither when I met two lovely teenage sisters and their adorable kid brother from the Isle of Sky,or is it Skye? [ Well, a small little place somewhere off Scotland, where they dared to say NO to separation from Great Britain.] whose parents were getting married on the ship. It was when I opened the wardrobe and realized, that there was no bathrobe waiting to wrap myself in,no pristine slippers three sizes too big,no little bathroom luxuries every good hotel provides,the little things that make a big difference. And the worse was to follow.The self service restaurant, where I remember having so many lovely meals and delicious cakes, had acquired very strange smell and it wouldn't go away and became stronger with each passing day. When I arrived at the check-in counter in So-ton and was told I was not registered for a PRIORITY check in by my travel agent,and had to wait for two hours in a queue instead of being whisked through,I said to myself it can only get better.Little did I know! On the ship I immediately wrote a nice letter to the ship's SALES TEAM asking, as it was their job, to please register the cruise.They never acknowledged my note. When I finally saw Cecilia,she barked at me I should have had it done at the customer service counter. To say I was utterly disgusted with this unpleasant unprofessional French madame, would be an understatement. Had Jetline done their job, this, of course, would not have happened. Jetline failed me in many other ways,too. They didn't register my frequent cruiser status with Cunard,the Company that owns Queen Mary, and again had a two hour wait in NY. Jetline also booked on The QM a cabin with a connecting door to the next double cabin. I could plainly and clearly hear every word a woman said to her daughter on the phone and what the daughter said to her mother! I sat on the bed in despair.Three people in Princess Diana's marriage? Three people in my room!I knocked on the door and asked, if they were aware I could hear EVERYTHING. If there is one thing I have learnt when cruising, it is, that there is no lout like an English lout.Be it in Spain, in Greece, or on a five star ship. The reception I got made me realise I had eight unpleasant days ahead of me, unless I did something about it. But the ship was full and I couldn't be moved to another cabin. Lovely Latvian receptionist suggested they tape a padding around the door.It helped a little,but it still felt like living in prison.I did not sing to myself,I did not have the TV on when I would have liked to, and when it was on I had the sound so low, I could barely hear it.In Fort Lauderdale I must have been one of the first people off the ship,taxi to the Crowne Plaza Hotel,then a four hour wait for my allocated room.The room was a revelation,comfortable,exactly what a traveller needs-a massive,soft bed, power shower,fridge, coffee maker, little luxuries-face cream, room mist, body lotion, even foot cream!And everything spotless.If the hotel was in a better position, there would not be a hotel in FL to beat it.But it is miles from any life, any shops.Would I stay there again? You bet! From FL an Amtrak train to New York. Nightmare on tracks begins.