So So

Independence of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 64

Overall rating:

3 out of 5
Verified Review
Independence of the Seas

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 10, 2015

Ship: Independence of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 6231

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 9 years ago

Review summary

Did enjoy the relaxation of the cruise, but my dislikes we're porting at night in Puerto Rico, wasn't much to do and most of the excursions you can't do at night. We did just choose to go out on our own and found a great pizza place Prililio. St Martin we also did our own adventures, Butterfly Garden early because that is when they are out, a little pricey but it is a family owned business and you can stay as long as you want, from there we went to Moho beach, our taxi drive came back and picked us up, taxis are a bit expensive unless you are with a group of 5 or more so beware. We saw probably 7 planes fly in over us from puddle jumpers to jets, no 747's or any really big jets but it definitely cool and not something to miss, do it on your own you can spend more time there and there are taxis that come by through out the day, definite a tourist stop. St kitts, i would never go back, such a poor country nothing to do waste of time and money. This cruise was a 7 day cruise 1 1/2 day at sea to start the the 3 islands then 2 days at sea, I hope they fix this trip because to many days at sea and not enough stops. I have only done 4 cruises and this was by far not the best. Price wise we got a great deal. Additionally to the trip the cruise director and his staff were awesome. We didn't eat in the restaurant because our seating was at 8:30 and that is just to late to eat a 3 course meal for us. So watch your gratuities, we had them romove the 12$ per person per day and we just paid our room attendant at the end. Also watch out for the gratuity, they pre add 18% right off the bat and if you don't catch it you will end up giving additional tips. We were told to have them removed the 18% and you can just tip what you want because trust me it adds up. Check your fee's daily on the tv so you don't get charged for something you didn't use or get. We were charged for a soda that we never got and they did remove it. They will work with you on most stuff. We chose this cruise based on the price and I just wanted to relax and I did, but these were just a few of the things that we wished we knew about before hand. 

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5
We at the windjammer every night except for one and wasn't overly excited about the one night we ate in the dining room. We had late dining service and basically got dressed for the 6pm serving a requested to be seated and we were.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5
kind of out of date at least our room felt that way

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5
We kept the bed separated because it gave us more room, if your suite case is a normal size you can store it under the bed and pull out as you need things. Pillows were flat, they should be replace frequently due to the use that they get, I woke up with a head ache almost every day, no support. Room sleeps four, bathroom is small so not recommended for a larger person. Not enough water pressure also but you get what you can on a ship.

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

3 out of 5
Live in florida so N/A

San Juan, Puerto Rico

3 out of 5
Were ported at night not much to do but walk around and eat

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

3 out of 5
Lots of things to do Maho Beach on your own is the best

Basseterre, St. Kitts

1 out of 5
Waste of time and money, if you go there don't even get off the ship
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1 Comment

glomarrone    9 years ago

Thanks for posting your first review on this Website.  I enjoyed reading it.  It seems like it was a mixed bag.  Please join in our Forum discussions.  We'd love to hear from you.

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