Thanksgiving with Family

Item: Independence of the Seas
Rating: 4.1
Author: mickonrun

Independence of the Seas Cruise Review

mickonrun

Contributor Level: Second Mate

15 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 5

Helpful Votes: 123

Overall rating:

4.1 out of 5

5 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 25, 2019

Ship: Independence of the Seas

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 4 years ago

Review summary

A wonderful cruise to take with family for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Embarkation

3 out of 5

Ft. Lauderdale is a terrible port for cruising. The port itself is pretty but the staff is not very good. They have good port security but the line really take a long time.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Ship food was good. Nothing gourmet but better than Applebees quality.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Plenty to do on the ship between eating, sunbathing, and evening shows.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

All good quality and never super crowded for the late shows.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Cabin steward was very good and the bar staff all over the ship was excellent.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Stayed in a Junior Suite and it was spacious and nice. Plenty of room for 2 adults.

Ship tip

Bring metal straws as the paper ones fall apart in frozen bar drinks.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Cozumel, Mexico

4 out of 5

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

1 out of 5

This is an industrial port and you cannot walk into town from here. Allow extra time to get back into the port with the enhanced security.

Thumbs Up 2

George Town, Grand Cayman

4 out of 5

Disembarkation

2 out of 5

Terrible and takes forever. No signage for lines to exit so everyone stands and the lines don't move. Easily could have taken 2 hours to get off ship but we just kept cutting the line when people were standing around looking confused.