Perfect Holiday Cruise

Independence of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Reviews: 2
Helpful Votes: 64

Overall rating:

4.7 out of 5
Independence of the Seas

9 Night Eastern Caribbean Holiday (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 21, 2017

Ship: Independence of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 9385

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Perfect opportunity to disconnect from the world! We did not purchase Wi-Fi for this reason. I would do this cruise again in a heartbeat.

Embarkation

4 out of 5
The embarkation line was long but it moved smoothly.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
We ate in the main dining room for almost all dinner meals. The food was not extraordinary, but it was good. The service was incredible. The buffet at the Wind Jammer was typical of a large buffet, very ordinary and packed full of people. We ate breakfast there most days.

Johnny Rockets

4 out of 5

We ate at Johnny Rockets one night. Great service and good food. The view was amazing.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
The flow rider and climbing wall were fantastic and usually had a long line. The pools and hot tubs were always busy. The activities were enjoyable.

Center Ice Rink

5 out of 5

The ice rink was busy when there was free time. My kids enjoyed it.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
The shows were incredible. The only show that was not perfect was the hypnotist. His show was not entertaining. Grease was wonderful and the accapella group was fantastic.

Alhambra Theater

5 out of 5

The theater was very large and accommodating for all shows.

Children's Programs

No young children

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Every staff member was pleasant and helpful. Our waiters and housekeeping staff were amazing. We became good friends during the trip!

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
It was easy to learn the layout of the ship. The high traffic areas were always being cleaned but due to the large number of people, stayed a bit shabby. Many times dishes were left outside rooms for awhile. Staff tried to keep up with the messes.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
The bed was very comfortable. The area was clean. Size was adequate for 2 people.

Ship tip

Try to eat in the main dining room instead of the Wind Jammer. Go to all the shows.

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida Did not visit port

Left out of this city

Labadee (Cruise Line Private Island)

5 out of 5
We relaxed on the beach. The kids did the water activities and loved them.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

4 out of 5
We shopped. The city is still recovering from the hurricane. Trolley not working yet. Police made sure tourists were comfortable walking around.

Philipsburg, St. Maarten

5 out of 5
We took a private boat and snorkel excursion. It was amazing. The island has been devastated during the hurricane. It was still beautiful.

St. John's, Antigua

5 out of 5
We took a private tour. It was a gorgeous island and we loved learning about it.

Basseterre, St. Kitts

4 out of 5
The volcano hike was not enjoyable or well organized. We would not do that again. It was disturbing to see people with monkeys trying to make money on tourists.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
We took our own luggage out and left early. It took 1 hour for us to leave the ship and take the shuttle to our car. Easy!
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3 Comments

grandmarnnurse    6 years ago

I never buy the WiFi either! Perfect time to disconnect and reconnect with family and just have fun! We cruised in 2015 with our sons and their families. One son refused to buy WiFi for their teens and we had a glorious week together. The other son bought it for his teens and they spent the whole week in their cabin on devices, only came out for food, and back again, and kept texting their father to return to cabin also. What a waste of a vacation!

htabell    6 years ago

Have a wonderful time!

treski    6 years ago

We're not getting the voom package for our Jan 27 cruise on Indy for the same reason. Thanks for the review. I am so excited!

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