The Independence of the Seas is a beautiful ship with a wide range of activities and a wonderful crew. The weather and COVID regulations (masks) were somewhat limiting, but we had smooth sailing, arrived at ports at the scheduled times and overall enjoyed our 4 night cruise, especially when we returned home to 2 feet of snow!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
I was amazed at the ease and speed of our embarkation. The process was very organized, no lines and everyone was very helpful.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Service in the main dining room and buffets was fantastic. The quality of some of the food was a bit below par, when compared with my 6 previous cruises, but I attribute that to the COVID shutdowns and recent inflation and supply chain issues. The ship offered a wide range of selections for all meals. We did not experience any of the specialty restaurants.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The first 2 days were cloudy, windy and rainy so we only used the hot tubs and lounges on deck.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
We attended the Grease performance, which was great. We saw the end of the ice show one evening and planned to see it from the start the following night, but that show got cancelled. The comedian's late night show was a bit raunchy for my taste and mildly funny, but I guess that was to be expected, as it came with a warning. We enjoyed the Name that Tune games (I won a fake gold medal at one of them) and would have participated in Karaoke if not for the mask requirement, which made it a bit weird.
Children's Programs
No children traveling with us.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
We could not have asked for better service. The crew throughout the ship went out of their way to serve and to make our experience memorable and fun. The hand-washing singers/dancers as we entered the buffet were especially endearing and fun.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Crew members were on the spot to clean up at meals, in restrooms and all common areas. Our cabin was tended to three times daily. The ship was very well kept and clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
The shower was a bit small, but that was expected. The room size was fine for two and we really enjoyed the balcony for our morning coffee and breakfast treats. It was exciting to go out on the balcony each morning we woke up in a new port.
We flew into MCO and took an Uber to Cocoa Beach the day before the cruise and stayed at a hotel near the beach. We used Cocoa Beach Shuttle service to the port and then back to MCO after the cruise. We did not do any excursions.
CocoCay was beautiful, and we were blessed with great weather that day, as well. My only complaint is the price for the water park and the fact that there were not many options for someone my age (67). My granddaughter forced me to go down one of the slides, which was supposed to be the mildest one, and climbing the many stairs to the top wore me out! I also had to keep my eyes closed during most of the way down. A lazy river would have made the experience perfect.
The weather put a damper on things, but even if it had been sunny I was not pleased with the port. There was a lot of construction going on everywhere, and the place seemed very run-down compared to my earlier visits. Natives were extremely bothersome, pushing their wares and services and not taking "no" for an answer. We ate at a bar (pirate themed) and were not given an itemized bill and were overcharged. I have no desire to return to Nassau and did not feel very safe there.
I too was on the Independence in December! And do not like port of Nassau myself, always under construction, alway being push to buy something or just don’t leave me alone! I have taken different scenic tours and show the same places.
I wish they would do 2 days at coco cay instead….
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