Almost Perfect

Item: Independence of the Seas
Rating: 3.8
Author: vegasstrip

Independence of the Seas Cruise Review

vegasstrip

Contributor Level: Second Mate

63 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 54

Overall rating:

3.8 out of 5

Verified Review

4 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 25, 2022

Ship: Independence of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 7260

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

It was an almost perfect 60th birthday. Happy I went! Happy I found a sale where the solo penalty wasn’t so horrible I was able to get a balcony. I loved my balcony!!

Embarkation

5 out of 5

With The Key I walked right in the special Key door. Walked right to the counter and was immediately processed. Very nice!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Windjammer was tolerable. Selection was limited. Bread was stale!! Golden Corral is better!! Playmakers and Johnny Rockets was an epic Customer Service fail. Staff at each location was horrendous!! Nothing positive about either of these places!! Izumi Hibachi was excellent! Minus the fire this was as good as any Hibachi restaurant. Great Customer Service!! Chops Grill was outstanding. One of my favorite restaurants anywhere!! I was spoiled with the perfectly cooked meat!! Service was superior!!! Fish & Ships served very good Fish & Chips. No complaints there. However the lobster roll was a lobster salad. There were no chunks of lobster. There was chunks of onions. Onions was the main ingredient. I could only eat one bite of this nasty horrific onion thing. I returned it to the counter. Do not order this unless you loved onions!! Room Service. Well. They forgot my pancakes both times although they did give me syrup both times. Second time they also forgot my bacon and sausage. What was impressive was how quickly the missing items were brought up to my room. Happy

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

I ate and I sat on my balcony when I was not having a drink on the unlimited drink package. I looked at the itinerary and there’s just not a lot of stuff I wanted to do other than rest and enjoy the view. I thought the shopping was weak. I personally planned on buying some royal Caribbean souvenirs, bags and such but the selection was pretty pathetic. The smoke in the casino did not make me happy. Smokers didn’t gamble they just smoked. And regarding the casino I have never seen such tight machines. I occasionally heard a cheer from the roulette table but to the best of my knowledge no one ever had a decent win on any of the slot machines. I’ve done casinos for over 30 years and I lived in Las Vegas for 11 years. I understand the ebb and flow of a casino. I understand some days you have luck and some days you don’t. I also understand this is the tightest casino I’ve ever been in.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

I saw the Cruise Director on TV but never saw him anywhere else. I didn’t see a party when we left port like they do on Carnaval. There was some show with supposedly some talented experienced person. Unfortunately they weren’t that entertaining. On the last day the play Grease was done twice. It was a spirited group and the show was shortened to 45 minutes. I guess it was OK but there are so many other plays that should or could have been done. Personally I’m sick of Grease and the music of Grease. Just called me a grumpy old guy but Norwegian has much better entertainment. Give me Chicago, Phantom, kinky boots, Priscilla, anything but grease!!

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Many people would have gotten a five star rating. Regrettably, there were several that got a zero star rating. My room steward and the staff at the premium dining restaurants were simply superior and outstanding.

Ship tip

Treat yourself to the unlimited dining package if reasonably priced. Finally, see the sunset!!

Thumbs up

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

I paid extra for The Key benefit. Sure, the welcome lunch and goodbye breakfast was great! What was better was walking past 1000 people in line and getting off before them. The VIP treatment was worth it!!!