Not the greatest.

Item: Independence of the Seas
Rating: 3.6
Author: studiosmiddleto

Independence of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

studiosmiddleto

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 24

Overall rating:

3.6 out of 5

Verified Review

4 Night Bahamas & Perfect Day (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 01, 2022

Ship: Independence of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 8453

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 2 years ago

Review summary

Cruise was supposed to be fun and relaxing, but was stressful with all the issues & too over crowded.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

We all (11) had our covid test done, and I called Royal Caribbean, 3 times to make sure if it was in the guidelines, and was told "yes". When we tried to board the ship, was told we had our tests done 6 HOURS too early, and was made to get tests again, costing $1325 on ship.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

Only able to get into dining room 2 times. After a My Dining reservation, still waited 2 1/2 hours to get into dining room, then another hour to receive our food.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Activities were great if able to get to them. Tried every time to do ice skating, and the schedule was full each time.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Shows and entertainment were all great.

Children's Programs

3 out of 5

Teenagers went to club, said there wasn't a lot to do.

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Waiters were great. Room steward WAS EXCELLENT. Manager at dining room, rude & nasty. Ship's photography department not accommodating for families, etc. Got so tired of hearing "For safety reasons ..." as a constant excuse for everything.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

All excellent here.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Excellent. Our room service lady was most awesome! She was the best part of our cruise!

Ship tip

TOO CROWDED!!! Felt like they crammed as many people on board as possible.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

1 out of 5

Where we boarded ship and was denied and everyone was made to get another covid test, after Royal Caribbean stated we were OK.

Thumbs Up 0

Nassau, Bahamas

5 out of 5

No excursion, but shopping. Loved it.

Thumbs Up 1

Perfect Day At Coco Cay, Bahamas

5 out of 5

Island was beautiful. Food was great. Crew members were nice and helpful. Especially first aid. My grand son, hurt his foot and they (female & male - don't remember names) went above and beyond in service.

Thumbs Up 1

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Great. Well done.

Traveler Photos

Our family of 11, most were first time cruisers.

7 Comments

Bertfish 2 years ago

Cruises are running at 100% capacity. They’ve got to make up all the lost pandemic money. Plus extra busy during summer when school is out. Just gotta know going in it will be a full cruise. Covid testing rules are pretty cut and dry. Although they are ending.

Thumbs Up 0

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javawoody 2 years ago

Sorry about the hiccups. 6 hours early sounds like a over zealous port employee

Thumbs Up 0

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Dadm 2 years ago

It really is helpful to have a Travel Agent when booking a Cruise. They can help you in so many ways and the service is usually free.

Thumbs Up 0

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AuntPinkie 2 years ago

Sorry this cruise didn’t meet your expectations.

Thumbs Up 0

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Gwbigdog 2 years ago

Oops sorry 😞 thanks

Thumbs Up 1

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yk07us 2 years ago

Were there people sleeping on decks and in hallways? If not, the ship was at capacity. It's easy to find out all details about the size of the ship and number of passengers and other important details. Then you know what to expect.

Thumbs Up 1

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CVCruiser 2 years ago

Hmm... Sounds like you didnt read what tests were allowed and the testing days allowed. I'm also guessing you picked "My Time Dining", vs picking early or late dining. Using the RCL app and reading it throughly, and A simple search on shipmate would have fixed all of these issues. Unprepared cruisers are usually chasing their tails. As always, the success of a cruise is directly proportional to the amount of research and preparing you do before the cruise... ESPECIALLY if you have a large group!! Leason learned for the next cruise!

Thumbs Up 1

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