A lovely cruise but The independence is now making it harder to enjoy a special holiday which I have to work hard to save for! I can't see me cruising on it again unless Royal Caribbean stop turning it into a floating playground and start appreciating its full fare paying adult clients!
Embarkation
4 out of 5
OK but a bit impersonal.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Lovely food but avoid the seafood on the last few days. Has been frozen, and tastes like it!
If you love lots of hot vegetables you may feel a bit left out.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Great if you have kids but as an adult, the solarium pool adult area is absolutely rubbish! Sun loungers packed in like sardines and mostly in the shade. And with the upcoming 'revitalisation' with more kids facilities, it will probably get worse!
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Same old cruise ship acts, nothing really new!
Children's Programs
No children
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Overall a great group of people but the 'next cruise' staff are a bit arrogant and impersonal. Seem to expect a sale rather than grateful for one!
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
Very clean and tidy but starting to look a bit dated.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
Spent 2 weeks asking the cabin steward not to make my bed only to find she makes it. A small point I know but the little things matter. Attention to detail makes a holiday a bit more special.
Ship tip
Don't expect to feel special! The Independence is only there to make money! If you are an adult who's paid full fare, your a cash machine. If you have cut price kids, you will feel like this is the ship for you!
We normally cruise on the Indy, in September when the number of children is a lot less than in peak summer. On this year's cruise there were about 100 kids, didn't see any bad behaviour and everybody was enjoying themselves. As for the comparison with Butlins, the original holiday camps were built to enable normal people to be able to afford to go on holiday, I can remember going as a child and having a magical holiday. If cruise lines such as Royal Caribbean offer hard working families a chance to experience cruising as far as I am concerned that is great.
I like, and agree about the "floating playground" correlation. But honestly, as long as these big ships keep debarking full, more will be built with more amusement rides. One of the draws for many cruisers. I am NOT opposed to the big ships, I just hope the smaller ones stay in the fleet.
I'm not being funny but the Indy is a family ship and is based on kids and family's to have fun , it's not a adult only ship , and it does have stuff for the adults to enjoy on there to , but there are other cruise lines that do more adult ships that don't have fun things to family to enjoy , so maybe try cunard or celebrity if you want a more stuck up ship and don't want to be hassled by kids having fun and enjoying there holiday, every family that goes on there are full fare paying adults and children , so maybe try a different company next time!!!@
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