A LITTLE DISAPPOINTED FOR MY 1ST CRUISE

Independence of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

ctdmommy

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 29

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5

Verified Review

4 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: December 20, 2021

Ship: Independence of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 1388

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

I'm not happy that I was not told about how expensive drink packages would be. I was told everything minus alcohol was inclusive and it was NOT.....I was promised certain ammenties that were the main reason why i chose this cruise and they were not made available. I was screwed out of $420 at the ship just to board which in turn screws their own staff members of getting tipped and screwed the guests from being able to afford everything that the ship charges for that should be included for the prices they charge.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

I was in tears. My covid test results showed negative and even though they were "too old" by 5 hours, I was required to pay $420 to get tests done again and pf course they showed negative. That is high way robbery and hurt my ability to tip or purchase excursions

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Dining room and staff were amazing. Our dinner staff (John and Ramone) felt like family members and we were very sad to say goodbye to them

Onboard Activities

1 out of 5

Pools and spa's were too crowded to be able to use at any time....breakout room was closed down...laser tag was closed down...bingo and arcade prices were outrageous...Couldn't get into ice show due to no seats left at any time.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Got to see Singer and Comedian once each...Very talented and entertaining. Even my kids liked them even though the material was geared to older adults

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Great idea but my kids could only do one or two because of how many kids and not enough staff or equipment to have multiple matches happening (so kids got bored watching other kids for so long)

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Everyone was amazing....i wish I could have had my $420 to be able to tip them as they deserved, but the cruiseline screwed me of that money

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Very nice and easy to navigate, except when the areas of shows were wrong on the cruise app.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

It was phenominal. It was a little bigger than I prepared myself for and the storage space and drawers were so helpful

Ship tip

Don't expect to get to use as many of the free amenities that are advertised...it's not easy at all to get the opportunity to use them due to some are closed numerous times a day and then everyone flocks to them when they are available IF they become available

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5

Nassau, Bahamas

2 out of 5

Perfect Day At Coco Cay, Bahamas

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

11 Comments

dgrove627 2 years ago

Whoa. Almost everything you are complaining about was self inflicted. If you had read the cruise material on lone you could have avoided almost every issue you encountered. If you read the drink packages that are available, it would be obvious what’s included. As an example, why would they sell a soda package if it were included? As to the tests, it says 2 days. It’s math. You didn’t follow the math. As to you not having Covid, how would you or anyone else know that? There’s been plenty of Covid on board even with tests within two days. As to not getting into shows or children activities, had you pre-read the site you would have known that as soon as you board, sign onto the ship’s Wi-Fi and you sign up ASAP for all the shows and child activities. Sorry you had a bad experience but it was your own fault, not the cruise line.

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AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Sorry this cruise didn’t meet your expectations.

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crumcrushers 2 years ago

Please dont let this sour you on crusing. The next time you plan a cruise look for a sale on the drink package. You need to constantly look. That's what I did and got a deal that made it qorth it. Also too Its a pain but I read everything on Royals site.

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Bertfish 2 years ago

2 days = 48 hours. Pretty straight forward I would think. Not trying to be an ass, but just sayin. As for attractions being closed. It’s a pain I know but the CDC has all the CruiseLine’s scared of a shut down again. COVID isn’t going away. We just need to adjust to the changes. Hopefully things will get back to normal soon. But as others have said do your research before you book. Drink package you buy before you sail if you want a decent price. (But the package prices have been higher since COVID for sure)

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ericerie 2 years ago

Went on independance over thanksgiving and was great. But then again......we did our homework prior to going

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hollysmomtravel 2 years ago

Sorry you didn't have a blast. Prehaps a little more research on your part will help know what is or isn't Included a little better. Not sure what happened with the covid test,

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javawoody 2 years ago

Sorry you were misinformed TA are usually better informed. It pays to do your own research

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Mybubba17 2 years ago

It is days not hours as I went on cruise first of December and made sure hours didn’t matter as long as it was the allotted days before that you tested you were good so not sure on the 5 hour thing unless you went on the wrong day and got tested

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johncindycruise 2 years ago

I am sorry your first cruise was so disappointing. Sounds like you were mislead by a travel agent. Always check the royal website for the facts about your ship and prices.

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GoCCL 2 years ago

I thought they counted days not hours regarding testing.

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cruising2004 2 years ago

Thanks for sharing.

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Fun getaway

Nice Ship, Nice Crew, but still somewhat Disappointing