The amenities and ship were great, being nickel and dimed, not so great.

Independence of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

elisromero2380

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 6

Overall rating:

3 out of 5

4 Night Perfect Day & Bahamas (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 10, 2023

Ship: Independence of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 2357

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Because there is no service in the middle of the ocean, we paid $100+ for 1 phone to have internet service during the cruise. I feel this is a ridiculous fee and they are taking advantage of their customers. We iron our clothes, however, you CAN'T bring a iron or clothes steamer on the ship. But you can pay them to iron your clothes. Again, taking advantage of their customers. We had booked and paid for a 7 day cruise after we booked this one. However, the two items above, along with the alcohol package scam, left me not wanting to go on a second cruise, which we cancelled the first day of this cruise. I really have an issue with being put in a position that I don't have a reasonable option other than put money in someone's pocket that in any other situation in my life, I wouldn't have to. If I want ironed clothes, I need to pay you to do it. Thats ridiculous. If I want to use my phone, which I already pay for, I have to pay you a third of what I pay for a month to you to use it!! That is taking advantage of a situation and of your customers. I will stick to my timeshare and vacationing at resorts and avoid all of these unnecessary fees and issues!!

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Very smooth and seamless.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

We ate all of our meals in the Windjammer buffet dining room. There was a wide variety of food to choose from for every meal. The dining area served tea, coffee, water and juices. However, when reviewing the drink plans, prior to arrival, they give the impression that if you don't buy a plan, you will pay for everything you drink out of pocket. The drink package is a scam. I drink but my finance doesn't. For me to buy an alcohol package, i have to buy one for her two. Which they automatically add gratuity to.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

The pool and fitness center were great! I was happy with the amount and variety of equipment in the fitness center. My only issue was there was no monitoring of children. There were about 8-10 kids in the fitness center using the equipment the wrong way. I am surprised they did not hurt themselves.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

The shows, entertainment and live music were great!!!

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

The service and staff were excellent.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

The ship was and stayed very clean. I loved the ship.

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5

The size and cleanliness were fine, however, we literally had two beds pushed together, which would separate leaving a gap that we constantly were falling into.

Ship tip

Check your bill. They add random gratuity charges that are not explained, but EVERYTHING you buy has gratuity automatically added.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Perfect Day At Coco Cay, Bahamas Did not visit port

We did not leave the ship.

Thumbs Up 0

Nassau, Bahamas

3 out of 5

We walked through a few of the shops. The day we arrived, the heat and humidity were very high, so we did not stay long. We did love the shops. There were excursions that appealed to us, but we did not do any.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

Smooth and seamless.

12 Comments

GypsyJohn 1 year ago

Sorry you were disappointed. We always love every second of our cruise. Indy is one of our favorite ships. We never felt nickel and dimed but we are pretty low maintenance and prepay for anything we might want when we make the booking so the only extra we spend on board is what we gamble in the casino. We also always tip servers, bartenders, and stewards extra just as we would in any land resort when we receive good service. I agree with comments that cruising isn't for everyone.

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Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Their are irons in the laundry

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cruising2004 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your experience.

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OGWonderWoman 1 year ago

Maybe a different cruise line would be a better fit. More precruise research may be helpful too. Everyone I know packs some downy wrinkle release spray for the wrinkles if it's that big of a deal. 🤷🏾‍♀️

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teamstewart 1 year ago

Princess cruises have a what Americans call a laundromat on each deck with free irons to use. And I’m almost certain as well that not all people in a stateroom have to purchase the alcohol package. Maybe a better option to look at next time as opposed to royal. And you’ll get Wi-Fi in the deal too if you take princess plus

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NJCruiseGuy 1 year ago

Cruising isn’t for everyone. No one is required to purchase many of the things you said were extra charges

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NIKKI7484 1 year ago

It's unfortunate that you didn't enjoy your cruise vacation experience. Don't give up on cruising. Maybe next time, try to do some advance research or work with a travel agent so you can be sure you will have the vacation experience you expect and are paying for. Also, ironing at a home and bringing a travle size Downey Wrinkle Release spray works great.

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Shh813 1 year ago

If this is not a fake review, then cruising definitely isn’t for you. Go to a resort. You definitely did not research before hand and if you did you paid for it. You didn’t have to. Cruising is the best vacation ever but I guess not for you!

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kdlady 1 year ago

Ironing/ steaming clothes isn't a money grab - it's a safety issue. Can you imagine if someone accidentally left an iron on in a cabin that resulted in a fire onboard the ship in the middle of the ocean? Seriously, think about it. You can live with wrinkled clothes - you might not survive a fire.

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Dumfy75 1 year ago

Sounds like maybe a bit of pre-cruise research would have helped.

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cortneyb 1 year ago

somebody didn't do their research before cruising

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Lawnboy1956 1 year ago

The reason you can’t bring an iron is for fire safety. No cruise line will allow you to bring any device that generates heat on the ship and keep it in your room. Fire is the single biggest danger to any ship. As for the drink package, if only one person drinks, it makes more sense to pay for the drinks as you go. Every cruise line adds gratuity to every drink package. That’s standard fare. Cell phones are expensive to use while you’re on the ocean as the ship has the beam those signals via satellite to your provider. It’s not as cheap as using your phone on land. I never understand why people want to use their phone constantly while they’re on a cruise, especially only afford a cruise. Surely you must be able to get along without it. Perhaps you are right you should stick to timeshares and land bass resorts.

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