Independence of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We arrived at about 11:15 am and was in the Winjammer by 11:45. The cabins were released/open at exactly 1:00pm. Luggage arrived hours later. The arrival/check-in process went very smooth.  Very pleased with my cabin. Two things that I did not discover on the first day that might help others is:  room temp thermostat is next to bathroom door, and to hear announcements, have your intercom turned on (you can adjust the sound). It is located between dresser and mirror. I kept mine on the lowest volume. It will play music all the time. Our cruise went to Labadee, Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel.  Labadee Tip: There is a shuttle that will take you to the far end to the water toy area if you choose to go to that area. I think there were 3 areas for the BBQ/eating pavillion. We made the mistake of not really knowing where to go even tho we looked at a map and followed signs. We were escorted to the area we wanted to be which was the farthest area, which was helpful. I did not take any money with me, but I think they would like tips. Our stop in Jamaica didn't start out well when we were told that we needed a picture ID. They really didn't check for it when we got off the ship... I think for your own protection if you "needed it for some reason" while off ship? Dunn's River Falls does have restrooms at both the top and bottom, which I think is helpful info to have in planning.  We snorkeled in Grand Cayman and also swam and petted the stingrays, which I had done before at a Bahamian island on my own with friendly stingrays in shallow waters in the wild (so to speak). I enjoyed this more than I thought I would.  Snorkeling in Cozumel was absolutely awesome with the exception of being with beginners and having to stay with group and moving at a slow pace, but there are currents which I am very familiar with and understand why they have inexperienced snorkelers strictly follow instructions. It would be better to go out on a smaller private boat for people wanting to be a little more 'free'.  I have snorkeled a lot in my lifetime, living in FL, and snorkeling the FL Keys and Bahamas  and Conzumel had the clearest water with visibility of 120+ ft!  Of course weather affects visibility to some degree.  We enjoyed the shows onboard. The main dining room was nice and I enjoyed the food. I have heard others say they have had better, but it was adequate.  Our servers were Allan and Dagim, and they were a delight!

This was my husband and I for screws this is the second time we sailed with Royal Caribbean. Customer service was great. We didn't really enjoy the food at all we didn't like the fact that they didn't have a laundry facility so we couldn't do our own laundry. We ate and one of the specialty restaurants. We were very disappointed. We were with a group of 8. The manager George invited us back make it right and he did an excellent job. I'm pretty sure that will never sail Royal Caribbean again I think Royal Caribbean have the better ships, but overall I think we like carnival better.

The ship was boring. The cruise was full of older people. Not much to do for the younger generation. My 23 year old twin daughters were bored on the ship. The entertainment on the ship was kinda blah! 

Overall we have an awesome time on the cruise. Awesome service, great food and a lot of fun. Very well organized excursion, every night live shows . I highly recommended.

This cruise was a combination of wonderful relaxation and interesting ports of call. Old San Juan was charming and the excitement of watching airplanes land just yards (it seemed) from the beach coupled with beautiful snorkeling at nearby reef made for two days of fun shore excursions. The visit to St Kitts was full of historical information about the British West Indies.

Overall experience fun. We knew there were going to be 3 complete days of cruising on the ship probably more than we wanted.  But, entertainment on board top knotch.

The shoppping guy Michael gave very helpful tips and deals. Enjoyed as we saw 2 islands we hadn't seen, got beach time and also got a chance to see Ft Lauderdale.

Independence of the Seas is not a big ship, but is comfortable.  It is well kept, and the amenities are great.  The Dinning Room on Deck 5 is great and the food amazing.  I was served by Sixto and Veejayananda which were in a scale of 1 to 10, a BIG 20!!!!!  

We also had excursions, which are not cheap, but they every penny you spend is worth it!!!!  My wife and me did the Sea Trek at St Marteen, and the Swimming with Dolphins in St Kitts.  The personnel in both sites was very attentive and understanding.  Even thought my wife doesn't know how to swim and is scare of the water, they helped her and she enjoyed both experiences very much.

The shows are fantastic.  Cruise Director is great!  The only thing I would say it could improve is the variety of the food at the Windjamer, the casual food option.  Pizza at Sorrento's is great, and so are the Lattes at the Promenade!

We were so excited that we reserve for the next cruise on board.  Is summary, if you want to have relaxing cruise, with amazing food and service, you should choose Independence of the Seas and you won't regret it.

Best cruise so far! Had a BLAST!! The staff and crew members were so polite and respectable. Housekeeping (Phillip Charles) was the best, always came back to a clean room.

I've traveled many cruises from different lines for the past 20 years.  This has been the worst disembarkation procedure I have ever experienced!!! It took too long and was very much unorganized.  A better system needs to be enforced because as of now, I do not want to go on any more cruises via Royal Caribbean. Also, why is everything so expensive???  Y'all need to do better!

It would have been nice. But I got sick and was quarantined to my room for 3 days. Missed all of my excursions. Not exactly the 21st birthday I was hoping for.

PAID A LOW SEASON PRICE, HAD PERFECT WEATHER AND

PERFECT CRUISE!  SHIPS PHOTOS TOO EXPENSIVE. DRINK PKG

TO EXPENSIVE, ORANGE JUICE, REALLY!! NEED BETTER CONTROL

OF DECK CHAIRS ON SEA DAYS!, CROWN & ANCHOR MEETING AND

SALES PROMOTION WE COULD DO WITH OUT. THANK YOU

Can't wait to go again! The crew & guest were amazing! Everyone was so polite, efficient & the guest was all about having a good time. This was my husbands first cruise & he's already planning our next one ...... Royal Caribbean see you again soon 😉

Let me just say I've been on this ship before and that's why I selected it again. Out of the 7 nights we were on the ship our dinner was cold 4 nights. They had no organization when it came to my time dining on formal night. The wait staff was ok but extremely slow and not attentive. Room service was just as bad. Food would be cold or items would be missing from our order. There was no show during dinner like they normally do on certain nights with the wait staff. Didn't have a good selection when it came to entertainment either. 

This cruise was ok, would like to see an extra port added, because two days at sea straight is not for everyone, felt trap at times.   The drink packages were very expensive and options were limited for those who do not drink soda nor alcohol

Everything on the ship was about selling or charging.  There was a channel and live shows 24/7 about buying at the ports.  Half of the boat itinerary had to do with the spa.  Another 25% was activities for a fee, like bingo.  The free activities that had prizes were mocked by the staff due to the cheapness of the prized, keychain, pen , bag.

The ice skating rink was open 1 day for 4 hours

The shows were second rate

As the title says, this cruise was wonderful but could have been spectacular.  I will try and be thorough as I know some things will bother certain people more than others.  This was our fourth cruise with RC and although it won't be my last I may entertain looking at other cruise lines in the future too.  I would like to add this before I begin..... as you read please keep in mind that we made it a point throughout this cruise to remain polite, friendly and smiling no matter what.  If we encountered a staff member who was not smiling, upset or rude we responded with politeness and a smile and refused to let anything or anyone spoil our vacation.

Getting on and off the ship:  We arrived at 11 am and it was very crowded.  The staff was friendly and I felt like it moved very quickly.  The same can be said for getting off the ship although we were in no hurry to catch a flight and were able to relax through the process.  I can see how some people felt like cattle being herded but I'm not sure there is a better way to load and unload 4000+ people in a relatively short period of time.  Once on the ship we went right to the Windjammer to eat.   The staff there and everywhere on the ship at this point did an outstanding job handling the large influx of people in a very short time span.  Again, it was very crowded but understandable.  I was very surprised at how quickly the rooms were ready and luggage delivered to the room!

Balcony room #7662:  Loved the room and the size of the balcony.  The rooms seemed a bit larger than rooms on the smaller ships (Grandeur of the Seas).  The bed for me was very comfortable although my girlfriend said that it hurt her back by the 3rd day.  The bathrooms are small, which is expected on a cruise ship, but I felt they were comfortable and the space was used very well. Out stateroom attendant, James, did an outstanding job taking care of the cabin throughout the week.  He was always polite and ready with a smile.

The ship: The ship was absolutely beautiful and I felt like it was very well laid out.  I really had no complaints about the ship itself and enjoyed walking down the Promenade each and every time.

 MacBeth Dining Rm:  I know it can be the luck of the draw but our headwaiter was just so so but luckily our asst. waiter (who was fairly new) was unbelievably fantastic and made dinner and enjoyable experience every night we were there.  His name was Kino (sp?....pronounced Keeno) and he deserves a shout out for being without a doubt one of the best employees on the ship that we dealt with during our 7 days.  The food, I think, was all very good.  Some things were much better than others but you could always find something that was delicious.  We did have dealings with other staff members in the dining room and all seemed to be very friendly and willing to help.  My suggestion here is to make sure you are set on your dining arrangements before the day of the cruise.  We thought we had a 6:00 seating time (as did two other ladies sitting at out table) only to see on our sea pass card upon arriving that it was 8:30(ughhhh).  Forget trying to change it, no matter the circumstances, believe me we tried.  We didn't, however, let it get the best of us and enjoyed the experience.  I would say that the head waiter (wish I had his name) that is at the front of the D.R. on the day we left needs to take a people skills class as he was by far the rudest person we encountered on the ship.  We simply (and politely) asked about changing our dining time to 6 and he responded as if I had just asked him if I could sleep with his wife.  When I tried to explain to him that guest services had told us to come talk to him about the situation he dismissed us.  Luckily one person does not a cruise make

The Windjammer:  The staff was attentive and friendly overall.  Although the food here, on this cruise, did not seem to be quite as good as I have seen in the past.  Don't get me wrong, it was not bad but the quality of the food seemed to have gone down over the years.  That being said, it always amazes me to watch the sheer number of people they serve and wonder how in Gods name they do it.

Drinks and drink pkgs:   The drinks were well made and always to my liking.  We had the premium drink pkg. and the beer pkg. and found that, for us, it was well worth the price.   We both drank steadily during the cruise but not to excess (okay...maybe one night) and other than stopping by the Dog and Badger Pub at the end of each night we did not hang out in any of the bars. The other pro about the drink pkg is in not having to stop and sign your name each time you get a drink that is included in the drink pkg.  The water being included in the premium drink package was a huge plus for us as we always tried to drink some water throughout the day.  Hope this helps you in deciding!

The bartenders:  This is my biggest complaint of the whole ship.  Keep in mind that we were always smiling and polite, even asking questions of the bartenders, when ordering our drinks.  They (almost without exception) never responded to our being pleasant.  We did not get a smile, a "hi, how are you?", "are you enjoying your cruise?" ....nothing...not even a "your welcome" to our "thank you's"!   Not sure what the problem was but I believe RC needs to take a long hard look at this area on this ship.  

Pool area:   It is pretty much the same as other cruise ships.  Liked how there was a separate area for families with kids if they chose.  The other two pools were crowded but hey...its a cruise ship and it was great for meeting people.  Even though we only spent one afternoon by the adults only pool it was very, very nice.  We only went there because they started showing a movie in the main pool area one afternoon about 3:30???  Not sure what that was about especially since they showed the same movie over and over throughout the night.

Specialty Dining:  We ate at Giovannis table.  I thought it was good but would rather buy the kids or Grandkids a few extra gifts with the $50 extra it costs (not counting the wine).

On board entertainment:  I did not care for the nightly shows on this ship compared to other cruises.  Judging by the numbers that were attending I would have to say many on the ship agreed.  The only exception for me was the acrobats on the last night of the cruise.   Poolside entertainment was fun but wished there was a little more of it....the same goes for the game show type entertainment at night.  

The Labrynth: This is RC's  main dancing nightclub and I just don't get it.  4000+ people on a ship and I never saw more than 10 people on the dance floor.  If they did play something that had people up dancing the DJ immediately switched the music to clear the dance floor??  Have seen this on the other 3 RC cruises I have been on and still don't get it.  

The Royal Promenade:  This was on Deck 5 and was wonderful.  It was always a nice stroll down through this area with a nice assortment of bars, eateries and shops.  Easily one of my favorite areas of the ship.

Excursions:  We went jet skiing in Haiti and we loved it and would highly recommend it and would probably do it again if I go back.    Went to Dunns River Falls and the Green Grotto caves in Jamaica.  I enjoyed them both although Dunns River Falls was very crowded.  I would recommend them if you are interested in either but I would not do again.  Did not do anything in Grand Cayman other than shop but we happened by a bar called 5 below zero that is not advertised but I would highly recommend it even if you do not normally hang out in bars.  It is literally 5 below zero and everything except the floor and the bartender are made out of ice.  Last stop was Cozumel and we did the salsa and Margarita making and learned to salsa dance...I wasn't sold on the idea at first but the people running it and the experience made it well worth It.  

I could probably cover more areas but hopefully I have covered one or two that help someone.  Overall we really enjoyed our cruise.  None of the negatives I touched on were enough to keep us from going back but were worth mentioning in case they might bother you more than they did us.

This was a perfect vacation.  Both the embarking and disembarking were easy.  The service providers were friendly, anxious to help, and efficient.  The itinerary was perfect for a week cruise with enough time to make some exploration possible.  The food was very good.  Giovanni's was excellent.  The ship was very clean and well maintained.  Except for one, the evening programs were very good.

This was my wife's and mine first cruise .We both were in ah at the the whole experience.The staff and ship were amazing. The food was over the top.Royal caribbed is are new way to vaction

Cruise was great only comment  ist hey should have let people know that American Express is not accepted on ST Kitts, Got caught in a low cash situation wnd only had an AMEX on me. Had to cut short a beach excursion as I did not have enough $ for lunch

I must indicate that My Grand Daughter and Myself had the most wonderful experience cruising on the Independence of the Sea. From the very moment that we step onto the Ship, it was such a beautiful experience. Our waiters at the Windjammer Restaurant and the Dinner crew was excellent. I can definitely recommend Royal Caribbean to anyone wanting to go on a cruise.  Amgie you are the best. thank you.