A nice surprise!!

Item: Independence of the Seas
Rating: 4.3
Author: gofinsup9973

Independence of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

gofinsup9973

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 46

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5

Verified Review

5 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 18, 2017

Ship: Independence of the Seas

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 9654

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

We loved our junior suite that connected to our friends junior suite. Gorgeous views from deck 9. Staff was friendly and helpful. Main dining room food was surprisingly good. Desserts need improvement. Sorrentos pizza is better than it was. Smoking section is a nuisance. Couldn’t watch the movie without smelling smoke 😠.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Since I’m a platinum member there was no wait. That was wonderful!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Main dining room food was better than the last time I was on this ship. They still need a better dessert chef. Quality was still sub par. Having sailed on Celebrity though does spoil you. Windjammer food was better than the last RC cruise which was a nice surprise. Chops was fantastic and didn’t disappoint.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Tired of all the classes that require you to spend money. It’s a vacation...not a money pit.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Grease was good but wish there were more “family friendly” entertainment options.

Children's Programs

No kids

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Excellent job!!

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Had a junior cabin...spoiled my husband with the big closet 😊

Ship tip

We had 15 people with us and everyone seemed to find something to do. That’s why we chose this ship.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

4 out of 5

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

4 out of 5

We went to a private beach which was nice. I’m not sure what other people do there.

Thumbs Up 0

Cozumel, Mexico

4 out of 5

Clean. We did the dune buggy/snorkel tour which was a lot of fun.

Thumbs Up 6

Disembarkation

3 out of 5

Better than before...still feel like your at the DMV but more confusing.

13 Comments

grandmarnnurse 6 years ago

I really don’t think it should be their choice to expose other people to hazardous second hand smoke. I am aware there are set smoking areas, but their smoke travels outside those areas. I’ve taken much passionate flake from smokers on my stance against smoking, but my years as an RN watching many patients suffer and die from diseases associated with their “lifestyle Choice”, and as a taxpayer aware of the impact on our insurance industry in the form of higher premiums to pay for those with these “lifestyle choices”, I think I have the right to voice my displeasure with their “lifestyle choice “ and how it affects other people’s lives. I will continue to cruise with smokers, because cruise lines haven’t followed suit with the smoking laws in many states in the US, and feel they need to cater to them but the reality is that there are far more non smokers now than smokers because the majority of the population is better educated in its extreme dangers.

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vickylo 6 years ago

Yes I agree, smoking it's awful but people choose to do it so it's a lifestyle choice

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MrHighTop 6 years ago

I wish smoking was banned in this country so many stupid people getting cancer because of smoking and they think it's cool I wish smoking was a crime my grandma smokes and she makes me kiss her afterwards it's so stupid that people think smoking is cool and smoking on a ship hell no

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dsctravel 6 years ago

@grandmarnnurse... It's just one more thing to complain about while you are on vacation. Have fun and relax, and let others do the same. I have friends that smoke and if it ever bothers me, I just move to another spot or go to the non-smoking section. This includes while being on the ship. I see so many non-smokers sitting in the smoking section of the casino and all they do is complain about it. I try to stay positive, especially while I'm on vacation!

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vickylo 6 years ago

I don't smoke but banning smoking on cruise ships will harm the industry surely. I have no problem at all with smoking on cruise ships, it's only on certain decks, what's the problem???

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grandmarnnurse 6 years ago

drewcjm—I have no intentions of stopping cruising because of it, but in the spirit of keeping our public healthy, I just feel it should be banned. And the one Carnival ship was years ago. The general public opinion and laws have changed dramatically since then.

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vickylo 6 years ago

Im sorry but when we was in the casino I didn't see anyone smoking & it wasn't smoky so I really can't understand why half of it was a smoking area. My other half smokes & he either went on the promenade deck or went to the smoking room near the pyramid

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dsctravel 6 years ago

Ask Carnival how well their smoke free ship worked out. Please don't complain about it, just stay at home!

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grandmarnnurse 6 years ago

Lol! Just because half the casino is smoking doesn’t mean second hand smoke doesn’t travel. If cruise lines cannot provide an inclosed smoking area with ventilation so as to not expose the other passengers to harmful second hand smoke, they need to ban it there.

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dsctravel 6 years ago

Yeah, half of the Casino is the smoking section. The ships have great filtration systems in place!

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vickylo 6 years ago

Didn't know there was a smoking section in the casino on indie. We never noticed one so it must be tucked away somewhere.

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dsctravel 6 years ago

The smoking section is only on one side of the ship on the pool deck. You can always use the other side if it bothers you that badly. All of the ships I've been on do a great job of keeping the smoke out of the non-smoking side of the casino.

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grandmarnnurse 6 years ago

I am a big proponent to having smoking banned on cruise lines. Hoping the cruise lines will wake up to the fact that most public places now ban smoking, and the majority of cruisers are non-smokers. The general public is much more educated on the health risks of smoking and second hand smoke, and there are far less smokers. I know cruise lines equate smokers with more gambling in casinos, but I think more non smokers would spend more time in the casino if we didn't have to deal with second hand smoke. Just being near a smoker when they are not smoking is nauseating to me, as their clothing carries the stench. Cruise lines wake up! Time to ban smoking!

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