For a first time cruiser, this was pretty disappointing. I was very shocked about the lack of hospitality to cater for the amount of people they had onboard. And also the amount of children despite the fact it wasn’t school holidays! I was hoping for a nice, relaxing holiday but instead, I ended up really annoyed by the end of it. We will probably never go back with royal caribbean after making a complaint and they pretty much called us liars. Next time though, we will be going at less peak holiday times.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Pretty smooth and easy since we checked-online. All luggage arrived to our room pretty quick too. No complaints here.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Very average. The main dining menu was good although some nights you were struggling to pick something. The windjammer has the same lunch menu for the entire 2 weeks which was very disappointing. Not to mention the sheer struggle to even find a seat to sit and have some food. Staff were super friendly.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Because of the sheer amount of people onboard - 4,500 - we had to pick wether we wanted to go and enjoy one of the shows or have a seat and a drink at the bar. If we got up from the bar, our seat would be gone and we’d never get one back. If we went to the show, we struggled for a seat inside and would never get a seat at the bar afterwards so it was back to the cabin! Struggled everyday for a sun lounger - got up at 7am one morning and every single one of them was taken.
Entertainment
2 out of 5
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Staff in the main dining area and bars at the pool were excellent, they were super friendly and really chatty. They made the experience that bit more tolerable.
Ship Quality
3 out of 5
They should never have added the additional cabins, we struggled to move most night without banging into someone. Struggled for a seat anywhere. Cruises are supposed to be relaxing and enjoyable whereas, I felt I hardly relaxed at all.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Cabin was great, just perfect for the both of us. Balcony gave the best views, cabin attendant was really lovely and super friendly.
Ship tip
Be prepared to never have a seat anywhere, surrounded by kids and to eat the same thing for 2 weeks.
We had an organised excursion with royal Caribbean for a beach transfer to Sandy Beach. Beach itself was amazing, so clean and quiet, even the ocean floor was so clean so you didn’t have to worry about where you where stepping! Lovely little restaurant on the beach and the food was amazing. Shuttle however, was late picking us back up by an hour and then we sat in rush hour traffic for 2 hours making the boat 2 and half hours late leaving - really stressful!
It’s a working port, nothing there. Organised excursion to Rome and back. Rome was ridiculously busy. Be prepared to be harassed by people trying to sell you things, couldn’t walk 2ft in front of you without being stopped by someone. We walked around most of Rome and there was lots of beautiful buildings to see. Can officially tick it off my bucket list but I’ll never be back.
Organised shore excursion to Portovenre, lovely little place but you had to get a public boat over there and back and it was SO BUSY. absolutely crammed with people.
Organised shore excursion to Pompeii. Bus took us there and back. It was actually really nice, I found Pompeii really interesting but it was VERY hot so be prepared. And the usual, crammed with people and tours.
Absolutely stunning port, such a beautiful little village - probably my favourite port. We didn’t do an excursion, we just go off the boat and had a wander around.
I had no expectations going into this cruise considering it was my first one, I had absolutely no idea what to expect but it certainly wasn’t that. We went mid June before the schools were on holiday, we made sure we didn’t go when the schools were off but there were still over 500 kids on board. The ship was fully booked to capacity at over 4,000. My “complaints” aren’t petty at all, this was actually my experience of the ship. Overall, I did actually enjoy it but when you spend so much money and save up for an entire year to get away for the first time in 13 years but struggle to relax, it is very disappointing and you wouldn’t expect to struggle for a seat somewhere. I wasn’t just interested In going drinking every night but I’m a young adult and paid for the bloody drinks package so I’ll be getting my money’s worth. Yes we have booked another cruise for September with another cruise line way out with school holidays so we’ll see how that holds up.
To be fair to the OP, you should be able to go on holiday in term time and not be surrounded by kids. We wouldn’t dream of booking a holiday in school holiday time because of the amount of children there would be. Family ship or not, in term time, it should be relatively kid free.
Agree that the ship is more crowded since they added the extra cabins. Saying that you couldn't find a sunbed iis ridiculous, we had no trouble last year finding loungers, ok maybe not always right by the pool but there are plenty of other places. We liked the new area up front by the mini golf, normally plenty of seats there. There are other options for breakfast, buffet in the MDR or table service there. Bars can get busy but the staff will do their best to help you find a seat, service is always friendly and as fast as they can be. You cannot expect a family ship to be quiet in the middle of summer. Reviews can be helpful if they are positive criticism along the lines of it was busier than expected, this ship may not be for you if you want a quiet time. Just highlighting petty niggles is not helpful
So many negative reviews because of the amount of children "allowed" onboard. This is at least the third review in recent memory on this ship with cruisers being upset about too many children onboard. Maybe an adult only cruise line would be a better choice if they are so annoyed by them. I'm looking forward to my sailing on Independence regardless, and I will judge for myself if the ship is too crowded.
I am surprised by this review. I was on Indy with my daughter during Spring Break this year & loved every minute. Found a deck chair every time we wanted, our own quiet little table & chairs overlooking the water and found a table at the Windjammer every morning for breakfast with no issues at all. Never waited for more than 3 minutes for a drink (better than my local bar). And if you couldn't find something delicious in the main dining room every night then you just dont like food. 😀 Sorry you had a bad cruise but maybe it was based more on your own expectations than the actual experience?
I’m not sure why you would Be surprised at lots of children on board in mid June. I am not sure what the school sessions are in Europe, but most US schools are out by June 1st or soon there after.
A little surprised at some of your comments. Have just got off the Independence today. Middle of August so lots of families and children and very busy in some areas at times. We found it was just a case of finding the quiet places that we could enjoy the most. Windjammer has a huge array of food every lunchtime- some standard items but lots of different hot food every day. Also, the staff work so hard to clear the tables quickly, we never had to look for long for a table.
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