Don’t listen to the naysayers! I read so many negative comments about this ship and we didn’t experience anything remotely negative. We were on a sold-out sailing and didn’t feel like it was overcrowded at all. We got seats at all the shows no problem (loved the ice show), bar service was great, entertainment was everywhere. We experienced all the activities (laser tag, sky pad, flow rider…etc) with reasonable wait times. Read your cruise compass and use it. No excuse for missing out when everything is spelled out for you each day. I would highly recommend a Christmas sailing on the Independence of the Seas, it was fabulous!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Moved right along. Took about 45 minutes. Even though we took our pictures ahead of time using the Royal App, they still took them at the Port.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
We did not have one bad meal. We were a party of 6 and everyone from adults to kids ordered something different each night in Main Dining Room and it was all very good.
We purchased the 3 night dining package and had dinner at Chops Grille which was excellent, then we had sushi and ramen at Izumi for lunch the following day, also excellent. Our last night was at Giovanni's table and although the food was fine, it was our least favorite meal.
We also had the drink package and refreshment packages for this kids. Bar service was always quick and we never had a hard time getting bottles of water. The freestyle machines in the Royal Promenade and Windjammer also had ice every time we went and never long lines. We were not allowed to get shakes using the drink packages from Johnny Rockets unless we ordered food.
We found Sorento's pizza to be good and loved the Cafe Promenade for specialty coffee's and light snacks. Never experienced long lines at these venues either.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
Use your Cruise Compass and plan accordingly. We did the Sky Pad 2 times with no wait, the Flow Rider and Laser Tag. Never waited more than 10 minutes at the waterslides.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Again, use your Cruise Compass. Dinner never interfered with our ability to see all the shows. Ice Show was excellent, not to be missed. Grease was also fantastic and we enjoyed Once Upon A Time which was very fun. Comedian Heath Harmison was hilarious. The cruise director Jamie was so much fun too. He had so much energy.
Children's Programs
3 out of 5
This is specific to the arcade as my kids did not participate in the kid's clubs. I would just warn to be careful with any arcade credit that you may pre-purchase. It was very difficult to keep track of. Also many of the games were broken and most were $2.50 each which I think is crazy.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Words can't explain how wonderful the Service and Staff were. One night my son wanted french fries for an appetizer in the Main Dining room and they brought him a giant plate of them. We were so full after our meal at Chops Grille that they offered to put our desserts in to-go containers so we could have them later. Just little things like that all week long made the experience so pleasing.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Our previous cruise was on the Disney Dream where I was blown away at the cleanliness and I found this ship to be right on par with Disney.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
This was a spacious balcony room. We had a connecting room with 6368 and it was perfect for the 6 of us. Lots of storage space and the balcony was big with no obstructed view.
Ship tip
Read your cruise compass and take it with you. There is so much to do on this ship.
We were moving along quite well until we got to the bottom of the terminal and then there was a hold up for some reason and we were stuck in line for close to 90 minutes.
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