We had a wonderful time on the Independence of the Seas in January! The Staff and Crew were stellar!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Organized, smooth, and speedy!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
You'll find a variety of meal options daily from breakfast to dinner. The ship offers several specialty restaurants; we enjoy Chops. The Windjammer restaurant is buffet style. The food was pleasing.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We frequented the Solarium pool area and always found lounge chairs and enough room in the pools. There is a bar there for drinks, or the waiters will stop by and take your order too.
In addition to the pool, give the "Perfect Storm" (water slides) a try for fun! The fitness center was very crowded but was clean and appeared well maintained.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Royal Caribbean offers excellent stage shows and other performers; we sailed with first time cruisers who were amazed to find the quality of the entertainment. The Ice Show was wonderful too.
Children's Programs
Traveling without children; the ship provides a variety of children's activities.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
From our arrival at Terminal 18, until we departed at the end of the cruise we were greeted by cordial and helpful professionals. Our Suite Concierge Ooma was top notch. Room Steward Remy provided great service. Waiters Ranjiv and Adriano were terrific; Assistant Waiters Sanket and Almalita were marvelous too. In the Suite Lounge, Karen and Reymond were there for us; lovely professional people, great rapport, and provided excellent service. Cruise Director Cuddy and his Assistant were fantastic. Again, from start to finish the ship's hard working team did a great job.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
There is plenty of signage on the ship to help you navigate. The ship was clean and well maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Aft facing, the cabin was spacious, clean, and comfortable. The master bedroom (with a large circular window) and the second bedroom (no window) were both spacious. The main sitting room with slider to our large balcony was equally large. On the balcony, we had three lounge chairs along with a table and four chairs (enough room - not crowded).
Ship tip
If you want to do the "Escape Rooms" book early. We were disappointed that there were not more times available to choose from and that as Suite guests were unable to be accommodated. There should be openings reserved for suite guests each day.
We did not do any excursions. We felt safe close to the ship in the shopping area(s) there are restaurants and musicians playing at times. I walked from the Forum Shops back to the boat, and observed some side streets in that area that did not appear to be safe.
They say no shorts but we were on the Allure in November and they were letting many men in with shorts, even on dress up night. Mostly men, not women. You can wear jeans though with a nice top. Make sure to see Grease. It was fantastic. The best show I’ve ever seen on a cruise.
Glad you had fun. I will be on this ship in April. I have a question if you can answer. Were people wearing shorts in the main dining room at dinner? I know the website says no shorts but on our last RCL cruise, many were in nice dress shorts. TIA
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