Independence of the Seas Photologue



Deck Five

		Deck five is home of the Royal Promenade, the notoriously famous avenue for dining, shopping, and entertainment that was pioneered on the Voyager of the Seas in 1999 and has been incorporated into every Royal Caribbean International ship since. Located aft on deck five is the King Lear level of the ship's three story dining room. Fittingly throughout the King Lear Dining Room are works of art that pay tribute to the namesake tragedy by William Shakespeare, based on the legend of King Lear of Britain, and considered to be one of his greatest works and supreme achievement. Greeting guests at the entrance of the dining room is a marble relief 'King Lear and Cordelia', based on act five, scene three from the play when the grieving King Lear carries the body of his loving daughter Cordelia. Overhead at the aft section of the Royal Promenade is a striking metal, glass, and gold leaf 'Kylix' by American artist Larry Kirkland, which is a wine drinking cup that is shallow form to air the wine. The Dionysos Kylix is one of the few remaining signed examples by the greet Greek artist Exekias, who worked between 550 and 525 BC in Athens. The drinking vessel is a symbol of pleasure and wine, and the good bounty of the Earth. The dolphin images on the kylix are thought of as good omen for those traveling by ship. Proceeding forward, guests will find the forty nine guest capacity Champagne Bar to be a familiar site, as located on most all other Royal Caribbean International ships. The five collage works located throughout the Champagne Bar were inspired by the Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer and the Italian Renaissance painter Filippo Lippi. Opposite of the Champagne Bar are the Guest Relations and Explorations!®. Here, guests can get general ship information, exchange money or cash travelers cheques, and book shore excursions. The Café Promenade features sandwiches, pastries, and the popular coffee brand Seattle's Best Coffee® and is open twenty four hours a day. If shopping is more of the guests' fancy, a number of shops line the Royal Promenade such as Get Out There, a general store, jewelry shop, gift shop, logo & souvenirs shop, perfume shop, and fashion boutique. For gentlemen who like to be pampered, there is A Clean Shave, which features not only a traditional close blade shave but also a variety of other spa and facial treatments. Vintages wine bar, with guest capacity for up to seventy two, features wines from California's Robert Mondavi winery, Italy's Marchesi Frescobaldi, France's Rotschild, and Australia's Penfield. Vintages has evolved to feature more international wines due to higher number of guests sailing from around the World. It previously was promoted as a Napa Valley wine bar. Located outside of Vintages wine bar is a model of the Morgan Roadster V6 2008. A specially manufactured blue Morgan was ordered through the Morgan factory in England . This model, a Morgan Roadster 2008, was developed as a replacement for the +8 model. The car comes with a Ford V6 engine and has the same wide body as the +8 model. Just opposite of Vintages is the Dog and Badger, a traditional pub that seats up to 96 guests and often features live music. Casual dining venues continue along the Royal Promenade with Sorrento's Pizza, which is open daily into the late hours of the evening and is free of charge. Sorrento's, with guest capacity of up to seventy nine, is featured on many of the other Royal Caribbean ships.




















Located completely forward on deck five is the Pyramid Lounge which is predominantly, and namesake as such, of Egyptian theme. At the entrance to the Pyramid Lounge is the Connoisseur Club, a small cigar lounge that also offers a nice variety of Port and Brandies. The up to three hundred guest capacity Pyramid Lounge serves as Independence of the Seas' secondary lounge featuring a live band, hosting events such as the Crown & Anchor cocktail reception, and hosting a number of activities such as Name That Tune. To complement the name of the Pyramid Lounge is a host of such of themed artwork. Stretching one side of the lounge is 'Nelios' (Niles River), a photographic print on canvas by Swedish artist Jacob Halaska. Crowning the entrance of the Pyramid Lounge is 'Cleopatra's Needle' by Novidis of France. Obelisks were used as pairs at the entrances of temples and tombs in Ancient Egypt. This one in particular has engraved hieroglyphs representing the foundation of life, with the four basic elements of water, earth, wind, and fire.