Short Caribbean soujourn

Independence of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

mgreen542

Contributor Level: First Mate

7 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 19

Helpful Votes: 257

Overall rating:

4.9 out of 5

5 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 30, 2019

Ship: Independence of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 1236

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

Having come off a 15 day transatlantic cruise in suite this was a big change going to a 5-day balcony. Longer cruises are full of top tier old white folk that just rest by the pool and read. Almost no kids or many people under 49 for that matter and almost all couples or singles The 5 day cruise is more ethically diverse, more blacks and Latinos in large family and extended family groups, a younger crowd ready to party hard, drink and carouse. Labadee is geared for the beach crowd and Falmouth for the wilderness and the highs. Perfectly targets the demographic. Fun for everyone. I enjoyed the change so much I will do it again in a heartbeat.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Embarkation at Port Everglades was a breeze. Drop the bags, go through expedited check in security and you're on board.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

We only went to the dining room one night and the food was delicious. My rack of land was perfect and the survey as well. With MyTime dining we sat at our own table for two flanked closely with others so you can be as social as you want. We did no specialty dining; for a 5-night trip the upcharges are no bargain. The Windjammer buffet food was great but heavy on Americana cuisine. Other cuisines were featured but not a lot in keeping with the clientele on these type cruises

Windjammer Marketplace

5 out of 5

The main buffet dining place is large and spacious. Lots of seating and plenty of space between tables. The food is geared to the younger budget demographic. Lots of burgers dogs steaks chops and potatoes. Less on more exotic foods but some Asian and Indian foods were represented.

Portofino

5 out of 5

Porto Dino's is no more and has been replaced by Giovanni's Table and excellent place with probably the best steak in board

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

There were a lot of options but I just wanted downtime. Reading, trivia etc

Casino Royale

4 out of 5

The casino is large and the staff super friendly. However as a non smoker I going the non smoking section not to have sufficient separation from the smoking are and not designated sufficiently. This resulted in smoking patrons not respecting the area, using the area as a place to light up and not gamble and not very pleasant place for us non smokers. The bar was great and smoke free thankfully

Diamond Club

5 out of 5

It is nicely laid out with plenty of couches chairs and tables. The outside seating was excellent too.

Center Ice Rink

5 out of 5

The ice shows are fantastic and the are really no bad seats in the place.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The Main orchestra was fantastic and the main musical Grease was spectacular with great dancing and powerful vocals. The second show was also great. The ice show is also amazing.

Studio B

5 out of 5

Studio B is the ice rink

Children's Programs

No kids

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Attendant was great. The fridge didn't cool to my liking and he made sure ice was available constantly. Diamond lounge concierge Ooma was very personable

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The venues and promenade are well laid out. Ship was spotless

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Typical RC balcony up near the bridge the balconies are quite private

Ship tip

Be ready to walk. The ship is long

Thumbs up

Ports of call

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

Embarkation

Thumbs Up 0

Labadee (Cruise Line Private Island)

5 out of 5

It's a great beach day. I'm not a beach goer but it was obvious most of the folks were and they were having a ball.

Thumbs Up 0

Falmouth, Jamaica

4 out of 5

No excursion. Been here many times and we have another cruise in 2weeks that returns here. Just walked the port area to stretch legs and window shop

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Easy off. Uber right there

Traveler Photos

2 Comments

Fiesta83 4 years ago

Awesome

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tomika75 4 years ago

Was on this cruise and I agree that this was more of a party crowd than what I was used to on Royal. This was also the most diverse crowd, too which was a nice change of pace. After reading this, I wish that we dined in the MDR for dinner at least once. Thanks for sharing!

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