Independence of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Good cruise, the only downside was the weather on the first and last two days. Wrong time of the year from Southampton. First class food and drink, service excellent. Would have liked more time ashore in Gibralter. and Barcelona

the ports of call were very good,entertainment was great food as always varied and tasty.the crew on all levels were very helpful and couldn't do enough for you

the only criticism would be the overpricing in the spa and under trained staff 

It was good to come back to Independence , have been on a lot of ships but, this is still close to my heart is looking a-bit tired but the atmosphere on board is still the same as it was at the beginning of her sea life. The whole cruise was a sheer delight, my wife and I enjoyed all the entertainment and the food on board was a real delight.The itineraries was just what we wanted and was really surprised at Cartgena, that was well worth the trip alone. Can't wait to see Independace after the re-fit.

This was our first time with Royal Caribbean and it will not be our last.  We had a brilliant time.  The entertainment and food on ship was absolutely out of this world.  We were spoilt rotten. The staff in the restaurant couldn't do enough for you. We loved the Dog & Badger and so did everyone else as it got very busy.  That is the only gripe we have as it could have been a little bigger. The staff where pleasant and helpful no matter which venue, bar, gym spa or food hall you where in. The ports of call we visited were stunning.  We have booked again for next year. Gan't wait

Did not know what to expect when we booked the Independence of the Seas because of some negative comments; just really pleased we ignored them. 

We had a great time; everything about the cruise was brilliant. The accommodation was as we expected, like being in a good 4*hotel. The food was never ending excellent quality quinine. We could not fault the entertainment, first class every night including top deck black & white nights.The crew could not do enough for you. They were very pleasant, friendly and very helpful. The excursions were as good as you made them with really good tour managers. We could not fault anything. We will be going with Royal Caribbean again and would definitely recommend using them. Thank you

Did not know what to expect when we booked the Independence of the Seas because of some negative comments; just really pleased we ignored them. 

We had a great time; everything about the cruise was brilliant. The accommodation was as we expected, like being in a good 4*hotel. The food was never ending excellent quality quinine. We could not fault the entertainment, first class every night including top deck black & white nights.The crew could not do enough for you. They were very pleasant, friendly and very helpful. The excursions were as good as you made them with really good tour managers. We could not fault anything. We will be going with Royal Caribbean again and would definitely recommend using them. Thank you

This cruise enabled us to enjoy a balcony at a reasonable price. Although dealing with large  numbers of people, everything on the whole was well organised especially getting on and off the ship.

Good choice of ports and trips ashore.At this time of year very family orientated therefor ship very full 4300 on board.Good facilities catering for different age groups up to 18yrs.

Negative high cost of supplementary taxes on all refreshment also the expected level of tips (Much higher than P&O Cruises)

At different time of year itinery would be highly enjoyable for adult age group. 

This is a great cruise to have fun in the sun all along the Western Med.  Just don't look for pool weather until you get south of Lisbon.   The ship is well maintained with a friendly crew.  We were surprised to find many more Brits than Americans on this cruise and the cruise line follows those interests in both entertainment and menus. The Brits seemed more polite and a bit more reserved than yanks except when it comes to football and we enjoyed their company.  I can't say we enjoyed the brit comedy shows as their accent and sense of humor were quite different.  We found plenty of food variety in the Windjammer so we did not need to develop a taste for black pudding or bangers and mash.

We enjoyed all out tours and all ran flawlessly. 

Our cruise experience was memorable from the boarding to the stateroom's cleanliness to the friendly,professional staff in every department to the entertainment onboard to the land excursion, all met and surpassed our expectation.  To Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas staff and crew members, on belf of myself, my sister and my daughter....THANK YOU!! for a most rewarding and memorable European vacation!

Sailing from the UK for 66 hours before reaching land is simply too much particularly through the Bay of Biscay with inclement weather and no cover over the swimming pools.

The premium restaurants were very poor, especially the steaks served in Chops Grill.

The choice of entertainment was limited with movies being rerun a number of times in various locations.

This cruise has put me off a) Royal Caribbean and b) cruising.  Such a pit y as our previous experience aboard Independence and in the Baltic was very good.  Simply no comparison between the two.

The Independence of the Seas was a very clean, organized, and very staff friendly.  We have had a little bit better food on other cruise lines, but, never-the-less, the food was very good.  Our cabin attendant, waiter, and busboy were excellent, as were all the staff.  The excursion were well-organized.  The destinations were very good.  Some extra time in ports would have been appreciated since there is so much to see which is very incredible.  We would recommend this ship and its itinerary(ies) to all.

For first time cruisers it took a couple of days to understand what was going on and where everything was on the ship. Once that was over my son and I enjoyed what was on offer. The food was good and there was plenty of choices. I am not sure I would book offshore trips again. They are well run but there are only so many buildings I want to look at. Gib was well worth it though.

It's then up to you what you want to join in with.

Apart from not always being able to get a sun bed near the pool everything else went very well and the room was kept spotless.

Had a lovely time onboard. The ports were not that great. The independance of the seas was fantastic.   Lovely food in the dining room.  Choice of desert was not that much in windjammer.  Ice skating and violin player was fabulous. Royal  Promenade parties were great too. Love and marriage show hilarious. Bars with live music were very good.  Cherbourg was the worst port to visit.  Absolutely nothing to do.  Most passengers got off ship and returned within a few hours. Bilbao was nice and Gijon was ok.  Would definitely recommend Independence of the seas and Royal Caribbean.

We celebrated in style for our wedding anniversary. Our friends decorated our cabin door, the cabin attendant dressed our bed with swans and heart, the staff in the windjammer sang to us with candles in the breakfast muffins and the best part of all was how Walter our waiter had dressed our table and was on hand to take photos, we also had chocolate dipped strawberries, a glass of bubbly each for our table, more deserts with candles and more singing - very enjoyable day

Loved this transatlantic cruise.  60% of guests were from the UK so the menu items had a nice British touch.  I'm a healthy 61 years old and did the Flow Rider (I've never surfed before), climbed the rock wall twice to the top, ice skated (first time since college), and attended the enrichment lectures.  We participated in many of the trivia contests, attended most of the shows, and the food was great.  The service was outstanding and I can't imagine a better way I could have spent the 13 days!  Also did the final RC excursion to Windsor castle and LHR.  It was a good value and the tour guide was excellent.  I'd do this cruise again in a heartbeat!

Our favorite part is the time at sea as always on a Transatlantic cruise.  There was much room for improvement on Independence of the Seas, especially the food--in the dining room the menu was limited and often consisted of leftovers--a necessity, I guess, on a 13-day cruise.  In the cafeteria/Windjammer, food was often over-cooked, areas were often closed off making the place even more over-crowded.

On-board shopping was the poorest I've seen, compared to other cruises, it was either over-priced or almost non-existent.  Why have empty shops with designer handbags and designer watches (whose shops were mostly empty)which were not suited to the passengers on board?

As far as service, our cabin attendants, dining room waiters, were excellent, well-trained and eager to make us comfortable.

This was our 2nd Transatlantic cruise during the same time of year, late April, and by far a much better one than the 2015 cruise. That year we went northern route departing Boston and never saw the sun the whole sea time of 8 days. We expected cooler to cold weather but for almost the entire 14 days which included port stops we experienced rain. This time the weather for the first 8 days was warm to almost hot. Sea conditions where unbelievable calm for the entire 13 transit days expect for one; which was bearable. Should note that the captain took a longer route, 150 miles more to avoid some turbulent weather that we would have experienced if we followed the intended route.

We had concerns on what time to book a departing flight out of Heathrow, not knowing what to expect once we arrived Southampton.  We booked our transfer with the cruise line, which cost us $101.00 ea. We where off the ship at 7:30 leaving the port at 7:45 and arriving at Heathrow at 9:05 A.M. Everything at the port was very well organized and the check in at Heathrow was a breeze.  We booked our flight with our travel agent and got a much much better price than if we booked it ourselves. We flew British Airways back and where very much pleased with their service. Professional and gracious are only 2 words that can describe the service that where given to use. We landed in Boston in the early evening and off the plane and through customs in less than an hour.

First of all the boarding was organized and the line moved efficiently. Upon boarding the ship was clean and quite large. The ship had a beautiful ambiance. The ship was modern and the staterooms were nice and clean.  

Our cabin steward and waiter and assistant waiter were professional and receptive to our needs.

 The shows were excellent and there was plenty of seating. The boat was so large you never felt crowded or rushed.

 Now the negatives, the buffet had a large selection, however the taste and preparation of the food was not acceptable. The dining room was beautiful, however the food was not acceptable. It tasted like cafeteria food t[he was just sitting for purchase.From appetizer all the way through desert the food was bland and not acceptable. Even the deserts  were bland.(ex. souffle). Now it is true we did not eat in any of the specialty dining choices, however we have been on many cruise lines where we enjoyed the food in the dining rooms. This quality of food was not what we expected. In closing all other aspects of the cruise were enjoyable.

The cruise ship was beautiful I would recommend getting the ultimate package for drinks and doing a specialty dining (Chops Grill). My chief complaints about the cruise was that the main dining room food was not tasty. The buffet at windjammer was average and the pools were overcrowded.  The casino was fun and the live shows were unexpectedly good. Plan an excursion to get the most out of your cruise.