Independence of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This is my first time going on a cruise and was certainly not disappointed.  The staff was friendly and were very helpful if you had any questions.  There were always activities to do on the ship when it wasn't docked at port.  Despite a bad weather day, they added extra activities to do.  The other guests on the ship were very friendly.  Food was excellent!  Would definitely book another cruise in the future.

Great cruise, from beginning to end. Independence of the Seas was awesome and the staff was great. Dancing at the Bolero lounge was fantastic and the band playing was superb. One of our stops was San Juan, Puerto Rico. Below is a picture taken from our balcony entering San Juan. 

The service on the dining room was exceptional as well as the state room attendance. Food was good as well as the general up keeping of the ship which was very well maintained. The only thing that was off by far was the timing of the arrival in San Juan Puerto Rico (4:00 PM) by the time we got off the ship there were not much to see in such a beautiful island

Cain stewards were very nice and always making sure we had everything in our cabin that we needed. The only real complaint is about room service, the room service was not up to speed and there was not a good variety of food- waiting 45 minutes to and hour and 15 minutes was to lengthy. 

I was very excited to go on our Caribbean Cruise on Independence of the Seas. The reviews for the ship had me expecting a fun-filled cruise with lots of entertainment and activity. It was not our first cruise, but it was or first with Royal Caribbean. While I enjoyed the amenities like a movie screen in front of the pool and 7 hot tubs on the pool deck - the lack of available service because of the ship catering to so many different private groups was more than frustrating. We constantly had to hunt down service for things from drinks, to activities, to even getting our food and drink refills at dinner in the main dining room. In our past cruising experience, I've never had these issues, I've always felt catered to on my vacation. 

The other big issue on this cruise was lack of entertainment. Everyday the lounges were primarily closed with "Private Functions", even going so far as to not have a show one night in the main theater. I understand that there is probably a huge benefit to booking private groups on the ship, but for the first time on a cruise, I felt bored.

Royal Caribbean really dropped the ball on overall customer service. I'm sure the private groups had a great time, but I'm doubtful I'll return, hot tubs or not. 

We were generally not satisfied with this cruise.  We are Emerald members of RC Crown and Anchor and have been on many cruises.  This one lacked the usual expectations. We did not enjoy the buffets in the Windjammer Cafe(same menu everyday).  Food was not hot and just not appetizing.  Main dining room was just OK.  Nothing was really served hot and menu was not the usual Royal Caribbean.Main pool was not senior citizen friendly(ladders getting out of the pool).  We were forced to use Solarium pool (which was too cold) because it had stairs getting in and out.  The shows were just OK.  All in all, this cruise will be one that will be forgotten easily.  Will think twice before going Royal Caribbean again.

We have been on 5 other cruises with Carnival and this was our first experience with RCI.  We had heard that they were a step higher than Carnival and expected excellence and sophistication.  What we found was mediocre food in the main dining room and the same items every single night with the exception of 1 or 2 items of the day.  We were given the choice of ordering lobster or a filet each night for an additional price.  You have to pay extra to have a hamburger at Johnny Rockets, on Carnival Guy Fieri's gourmet burgers joint was included.  Everything costs extra on RCI and the photos and souvenirs are extremely over priced.  There were only 4 exceptional staff members that stood out, the rest simply did their job every day and didn't seem happy to be doing it.  The Broadway shows were just okay, had two comedians one the first night and one the last night (Carnival has a comedy club with entertainment twice a day every day), however I did enjoy the cruise director and his staff, they were very entertaining by the pool and on the promenade deck.  We loved the excursions and the group we went with, they made the entire experience enjoyable.  Not sure I would recommend or go on Royal Caribbean again.

Had a wonderful time on the Independence of the Seas.  Great service, lots of things to do and the staff was wonderful. The staff and onboard activities were great.

EXCELLENT SERVICE, EXCELLENT WAITRESS, SYLVIA FROM ROMANIA, EXCELLENT ASSISTANT WAITER, MARVIN ALLISON FROM JAMAICA, GREAT ROOM SERVICE RONALDO, GREAT FOOD, FUN, 

LOVED THE PIANO BAR,WHAT A GREAT TIME WE ALL HAD  WILL GO AGAIN

Embarkation: We arrived early and went straight to the counter to process our paperwork and take our photos. This took less than 10 minutes. We then went to the lounge to wait for customs to clear the ship. Due to a problem with the gangway we were delayed in boarding until noon. Our luggage was at our stateroom within 30 minutes of the staterooms being available.

Cruise: The ship was gorgeous and very clean. We never had to hunt for anything we needed.  The bar crewmembers were exceptional, especially in the Schooner Lounge.  The Windjammer was always very busy during the prime dining times, so we always tried to adjust our schedule to arrive at slack times.  We enjoyed St. Kitts the most, just casual shopping, a casino, and fun little tiki bars along the shopping area.  All  our stops didn't require tenders which was a plus.  Most people don't go on a cruise to watch TV but if you want to, it's the same old Royal Caribbean programming. If you see something you do want to watch, it isn't in English.  Dining rooms were gorgeous and if there was a problem it was handled quickly and with a smile.  The food was good and you could always find something to eat.  

Disembarkation: The fastest seen to date.  We started at 8:30am and were in a cab by 9:10am.  

We loved the ship, destinations, and the crew. Hats off to the hard working crew. 

It was ok. The staff are extremely pleasant.  There werent enough (non sport) on board activities though. Also the stop in san juan was late in the afternoon and short. I will pay attention to port schedules next time.

This cruise was excellent.  Service, food, shows, shore excursions were great.

There were a lot of shore excursions and the workers of the service deck very professional to help us. Great service in the "My Dining Time" on the deck 5.

Food was very delicious and fresh in the evening restaurants and in the Café on Deck 11.  Ship is very clean.  Crews are very nice.  All shows were very interesting.

I have been a faithful Carnival Cruise passenger for years and decided to delve into a different ship.  I was very pleased with my overall experience.  I was not a fan of the drink packages that you HAD TO purchase in order to drink anything on the ship; however, other than that, it was really nice.  In fact, we liked it so much, we booked another one for 2017!

Bon Voyage!  

First day of cruise was great, but on Monday I discovered that our On Board Credit of $275.00 was deleted and we had none.  We went to Guest Relations only to be told that we needed to take it up with Cruises Only.  I called the number for the agent we dealt with but she never answered the phone.  When we finally got someone they tried to blame it on us saying that I didn't do the survey, which I did and even verified after I did with our agent.  After 2 1/2 hours of getting no where and becoming more frustrated.  I told them that someone better get it fixed before we get off the ship.  We missed the evening show on the ship.  On Tuesday when we got up we checked our on board account which only showed a $100.00 credit - still missing $175.  So I called our agent again and got no answer, left message that we were in San Juan and I would leave my phone on to call me.  NO CALL.  I called the 800 number again and spent another 2 hours on the phone.  They said that it was Royal's fault and that $200 should be in our account.  They would have to credit me the other $75.  I was fuming by then as we missed time touring San Juan as we were not there long.  I asked if they could compensate us with a bottle of wine in the room or a free speciality dinner and they said they couldn't and since it was Royal's mistake to check with them.  I checked with Guest Relations when we got back on the ship and they insisted that it was not their fault and that it was Cruises Only error.  They would not compensate us.  So now we are waiting to see it Cruises Only refunds us the $75.00 - to date we haven't received it.  Based on this bad experience - we will not be using them again.  Neither will our friends that were cruising with us.

Excellent cruise.  Worst experience was being woken up two nights by people partying in their cabins at 2 and 3 in the morning.  Increased security rounds at night should stop this.

My week on the Independence of the Seas was absolutely the best vacation I've ever had. Carnival Cruises tainted my view of cruises 27 years ago, and I was reluctant to sign up. Thank goodness my mother encouraged us to take this adventure with her because I couldn't rave about it more. My mom, sister, sister in law and I didn't want it to end. We could have stayed on that ship forever.

A big thank you to the wonderful staff on this ship for making it such an incredible experience. We were treated like royalty throughout the entire week. We absolutely loved the dining staff who served us, David Porter, Joseph and Amiel were so attentive to us that we wanted to take them home with us! :) Hang on to those three gentleman; they are the best. Such great attitudes and always met us with a smile.

Our cabin Steward, Abdul, was also extremely attentive, helpful and clean. He did a wonderful job keeping our cabin ship shape and always had a great attitude, greeted us with a smile and made us feel special.

I am planning to bring my husband, kids and grandkids on a cruise next year and will only go with Royal Carribean after having one of the best times of my life last week.

I miss you Royal Carribean!

I cruised with my husband and another couple.  It was very nice.  The staterooms are small (interior) but that is par for the course on any cruise ship.  The dining room service was very good.  The buffet service was a bit tight, but again expected when cruising with 3,000 people. The entertainment was great! The ship is very clean and the staff was attentive.  Our excursions were primarily booked through private vendors and not through the cruise line (which I would recommend investigating for more reasonable costs). All in all very nice vacation 

I have previously cruised twice before on another cruise line so I am familiar with the processes of cruising. Let me begin by saying, the person assigned to my cabin Casbyn was outstanding. He was helpful and very courteous. The servers during dinner Ina and her partner were amazing. They were very accommodating and friendly. The shows every night were exceptional and Ricky the cruise director was fantastic. However, the food for morning and lunch was much to be desired. The Windjammer could not accommodate the passengers during breakfast and lunch. The waiters didn't understand anything out of the normal questions and neither could guest relations. During the day, if you were not a kid there want a whole lot to do. I was unable to go in the pool due to back surgery so it was kind of boring during days at sea. We had purchased a shore excursion in Jamaica, and the tour guide left without my mother-in-laws and I. They did offer a complimentary shore excursion; however, most of or morning was lost trying to figure out where we should be and waiting. It was incredibly unorganized. If people are doing to interact with the public they should be able to: 1. comprehend and know the different excursions; 2. Be able to direct cruise passengers accordingly since we are unfamiliar with the island our shore excursions. It was very upsetting. Markey Mark was fun but he ridiculed this mother and daughter during kareoke which was totally uncalled for. People are volunteering to come up and sing in front of strangers and the MC makes fun of them. That's just not right! Finally, the hallway to the left of the entrance to the Allejandra Theatre, where the ladies bathroom is, where I feel over a floor dryer after having back surgery. The hallway was not lit very well and there was no signage indicating anything do I followed the crowd only I was the one who feel over the dryer. Luckily, after visiting the medical facility on the ship, and being examined and x rayed I was ok. To avoid this in the future, light up hallway better or if equipment is there put signage out do it is noticeable. Or, block the hallway from being used to avoid any injuries. Other than that the cruise was okay. I will probably not recommend to my friends nor travel with Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas again. It was not worth $1500 plus a built in 18% gratuity for everything I purchased. There were definitely services I would not have tipped that much. In addition, I would have had a better time drinking responsibly than having to worry about the gratuity every time I wanted a beer. Your loss! Disappointed passenger

Had a great time on this ship, we love to cruise with Royal Caribbean and the customer service was top notch.  Food is wonderful, lots of choices, ship is clean, plenty of activities.  We had a balcony room on deck 8, best choice we made was to get a balcony room, was worth every penny, plenty of space and loved the private view from our room.  St Kitts was our favorite port, beautiful island and nice people.  San Juan was a short stop later in the day so not a lot to do, St Marteen is great fun.  Would definitely like to take this trip again.  

Service, food, etc. all met our high expectations.  Fpod service  by Jeana and John was expecially good

Getting off and on the ship was a pain....don't think they've done it before!!  In San Juan it took 40 minutes for our excurision group to disembark...for no apparent reason.....took 45 minute to get back on--a belated announcement claimed a security issue but no one told us that while waiting in line.

In 20 cruises, the cruise director was full of more phony enthusiasm than any other we've see.  And the entertainment sucked....at some point they've done away with nightly outside entertainers.....the RCL productions were fine, but two are enuf...the wedding game is NOT decent entertainment and that was the main event one night...Mosaic group on another nite....after four songs I never heard of, I walked out.

I think this cruise moved us up the RCL Diamond status and I'm not sure we'll do another RCL cruise....already have Norwegian line up for this spring.