Independence of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We had an amazing, relaxing fun filled vacation! The service was outstanding, our stateroom attendant Wendy was great, the food was incredible and the shows were awesome!! We enjoyed every minute on this cruise, the hot tubs, the pools, the drinks, I just can't say enough great things about it! It was so good we almost booked another one while on board but just wanted to go over a few things with out son first. But looking to book again soon!! We have only gone on Royal Caribbean and only through Cruises Only and that's how it will stay!!

Did enjoy the relaxation of the cruise, but my dislikes we're porting at night in Puerto Rico, wasn't much to do and most of the excursions you can't do at night. We did just choose to go out on our own and found a great pizza place Prililio. St Martin we also did our own adventures, Butterfly Garden early because that is when they are out, a little pricey but it is a family owned business and you can stay as long as you want, from there we went to Moho beach, our taxi drive came back and picked us up, taxis are a bit expensive unless you are with a group of 5 or more so beware. We saw probably 7 planes fly in over us from puddle jumpers to jets, no 747's or any really big jets but it definitely cool and not something to miss, do it on your own you can spend more time there and there are taxis that come by through out the day, definite a tourist stop. St kitts, i would never go back, such a poor country nothing to do waste of time and money. This cruise was a 7 day cruise 1 1/2 day at sea to start the the 3 islands then 2 days at sea, I hope they fix this trip because to many days at sea and not enough stops. I have only done 4 cruises and this was by far not the best. Price wise we got a great deal. Additionally to the trip the cruise director and his staff were awesome. We didn't eat in the restaurant because our seating was at 8:30 and that is just to late to eat a 3 course meal for us. So watch your gratuities, we had them romove the 12$ per person per day and we just paid our room attendant at the end. Also watch out for the gratuity, they pre add 18% right off the bat and if you don't catch it you will end up giving additional tips. We were told to have them removed the 18% and you can just tip what you want because trust me it adds up. Check your fee's daily on the tv so you don't get charged for something you didn't use or get. We were charged for a soda that we never got and they did remove it. They will work with you on most stuff. We chose this cruise based on the price and I just wanted to relax and I did, but these were just a few of the things that we wished we knew about before hand. 

Had a very enjoyable cruise. Visited San Juan, St. Kitts, St. Maarten - very interesting ports.  The ship was beautiful, our rooms were kept very clean by James. The food at the windjammer was awesome. Went to the dining room a few times but opted for the Windjammer most nights as we enjoyed the variety of food. Loved the karaoke and evening shows. 

Mostly a very nice cruise.  There were a few moments when the beauty waned regarding service at the Champagne Bar, quality of beef served in the dining room and Guest Services.

The Bar was short staffed, the beef had a strange texture and Guest staff tried to blow off a problem blaming BJ's Travel (still in dispute).

The dining room food (except the beef) was exceptional.  The Promenade had nice food and drink venues.  Filling the gaps between our three meals for the day.

Unfortunately, it seems that cruises (not just this one), have turned in to one big sales venue.  Not everyone goes on a cruise to buy "duty free" goods.  Some (like me) go for the destinations and the joy of sailing.

I would still recommend this cruise to anyone who would like to visit specific destinations.

My husband and I really enjoyed our 7 night Western Caribbean cruise.  The personnel on the ship were very professional, friendly, courteous, helpful, full of fun and did I say very professional.  The food was fantastic.  Our waiter, Dane was fantastic, along with his assistant (can't remember her name).  Our cabin steward, Denton, was funny and just totally great.  The pool side bar waiter, Attilla, was hillarious and professional.  Overall I would rate this cruise a 10+ and we have already booked a cruise for next year on the Allure of the Seas.

I was surprised to see the food quality has gone downhill a bit. The drinks are exhorbitant.  ($14.00 for a Pina Colada??) The employees could speak more English, that was a good thing.  Very polite and helpful crew members  It wasn't quite like the other RC cruised we have taken.  The Oasis was very nice.

I've been to several different cruise ships and this ship has the worst shows.  The only show I liked was the ice show and I needed to get in the line to get a ticket on the first day then line up again to get in.  So, if you don't check in early, you're out of luck and they don't notify you till you get in the ship.  All other shows were bad and I figured why the theater was half empty.

Food was good and the staffs were very kind.  

We have only been on one other cruise so far, but there was a notable difference in customer service on the Independence. When we cruised on the Allure of the Seas a couple of years ago, the customer service from all of the staff was outstanding. Although there were a few outstanding staff people on the Independence (especially our wait staff in the main dining room), the general feel was not as welcoming. We were even treated very rudely by a gentleman at guest services when asking about which port we were docking on in the morning. I think it was because the excursion was not booked through Royal Caribbean. It was very disturbing. All in all we had a very enjoyable time on the ship. We wished that there had been more of a variety of shows in the evenings. The shows we did see were spectacular. The only other thing that felt a little uncomfortable was that a lot of the employees seemed upset if you didn't add an extra gratuity to things where it was already added to. I am truly hoping the the employees get the gratuities that are added or prepaid. I truly hate to complain and usually don't but I am a massage therapist and massage is a huge part of my life. When I booked my massage for the Island in Haiti, I booked it for 75 minutes. This was one of the top things that I had been looking forward to. When I got there the girl told me that she only had time for 50 because they had to book other people. I did enjoy the massage but was very upset by this. All in all, everything was O.K. We are going to give Royal Caribbean another chance and try to cruise next time on the Oasis, Quantam, or the Anthem, hoping we see the service we had on the Allure. 

I rarely complain and have been a loyal Royal Caribbean customer, but this particular cruise was probably the least pleasurable cruise we have had with Royal Caribbean.  Usually we have a great time but this time we had too many things that were not up to par.  

First and most disappointing was the dining room service.  For most nights it took almost 2 hours to have dinner.  Many times our dishes stayed on our table for 20-30 minutes before they were removed. Additionally the food was not nearly as good as last years on the Indy.  Our portions were considerably smaller and they took the appetizer staple off the menu (shrimp cocktail).  I finished my salad in just a few bites.  The steak was horrendous and chicken was hard as rock.  Lastly and most frustrating was how each table received their food.  We were always right on time (6:00), while other tables came 15 minutes to 30 minutes late, but many times those late tables received their food before we received ours. This is not our typical experience on RC.  Usually, the dining experience is our favorite and we really look forward to it, but this time we constantly discussed about skipping the dining room.  It was just plain bad.

Secondly, the adult pool was filled with white debis for most of the trip.  It was just gross. It looked like toilet paper.

Thirdly, our shower water temperature had to be fixed since it only had luke warm water. Also, the bathroom sink water faucet had a broken aerator which caused the water to splash everywhere.  Our room was clean though.

Fourth, RC scheduled two ships at Labadee which made it tough to find a nice spot to relax.  They let the first ship get off the ship before our ship, so most good locations were already chosen by the time we got to the beach (we were one of the first people off the ship).

The smoking on the pool deck is still something I would rather not deal with, but I don't want to be unfair to smokers.  It's just that almost half the side of the ship is filled with smokers.

Our room steward was excellent and have no complaints at all there.  Most of the waiters were great too, especially in the Oliver or Twist bar.

We really enjoyed the food at the Windjammer. Great omelets!  We rarely had a difficult time finding a table, even though the ship was packed.

Embarkation was smooth and quick.  Loved that part. 

Entertainment was ok, but we hoped for better dance bands.

Beautiful ship, workers were constantly keeping the ship in continuous working order. Food was awesome. The shows were fun and entertaining. There was always something going on. 

I have cruised 19 times now on various lines, 6 on Royal Caribbean, one being on the sister ship, The Freedom of the Seas. In general, the experiences have been positive. My family and I looked forward to another great experience. Wrong!! It seems Royal Caribbean has cheapened things. Staffing has been cut and other areas have also been cheapened.  It started with the disappearing ink on the sea-pass cards. The printing would disappear and the card would not work. After a few replacement cards, my son was told it's due to  suntan lotion. This is a tropical cruise. You need sunscreen. It seems there must be some permanent ink. The service desk was the next disappointment. Service is the wrong title. Most people there had to find someone else to get the answer to any question. The wait-staff has especially deteriorated. It would take us two hours for dinner every night. We were told that the number of wait staff had been cut resulting in more tables per waiter and less assistant waiters to help. We only saw the head waiter/waitress on the last night. As for service in the dining room for breakfast, forget it. The host/hostess was unfriendly and the staff was minimal. Room service was also affected as the breakfast we ordered for 8-8:30 wasn't delivered until 9am. Bar service was also slow. One pool bar server actually answered my son "I guess so." when asked if a drink could be ordered. On the subject of pools, the adults only pool was warmer than the "hot" tubs. The hot tubs were actually warm tubs. I don't understand why at least one tub could not be hot. 104 is the usual standard. Onboard, I bet they were 88-90 degrees. A new little box in the lower right corner of the menu was also a surprise. There are now added charges for certain items on the main dining room menu! Specialty restaurants are one thing. But in the main dining room?

These are just a few of the issues we had this cruise. On a positive note, the ship was very clean. Our room steward did a great job. Boarding was very organized and quick, as was debarking the last day-if you walked off with bags. But the overall experience was disappointing. Next time we will try a line we have never experienced.

Great time. Ship staff was magnificent, especially Dane Bailey our waiter at dinner. He really made our dining experience delightful. He was very attentative and had such a cheery attitude. We really loved him. The other waiters were great, but Dane really stood out as being fantastic. The only disturbing experience was in Labradee during the lunch time when while eating we could see a gathering of the local island children sitting on the mountain holding empty plates. They were clearly hungry.  This took away any enjoyment I experienced on this island.

My family thoroughly enjoyed our cruise. We went with friends who are frequent cruisers so was nice to have great advice along the way. It was our first cruise and was amazing. We had awesome service in the dining room. Our waiter was so awesome with the kids as well. There was something for all our various ages to do so was never a dull moment. It was a much needed relaxing get away for us. Thank you for making our first time Amazing!

Royal Caribbean is fabulous.  We had a great time.

Just going to point out a couple issues we had that never happened before.

Our room steward was lazy.  Did not pick up used glasses for days.  Asked for ice to be in our room daily.  We had to remind he every day.  We left remote to TV on the floor near the sliders to our balcony.   It was still there on the floor after he "cleaned" the room.

Entertainment was disappointing.  The Once Upon A Time musical, made no sense and people, including us were leaving.  Another night it was a violinist.  Yup, a guy playing the violin.  Not the kind of entertainment we want to see on a cruise.  Maybe in one of the lounges it would be okay.

None of these detracted from the fun we had, it was just a little disappointing and unusual for Royal Caribbean.

My son and I went on this cruise in April, 2015.  My son is 21 years old.  We had a wonderful time.  First of all, the ship is beautiful and modern. The nightly shows and the entertainment throughout the day and night were great.  My son had a wonderful time as well.  He met lots of nice people from all over and was out with them every evening enjoying himself either in one of the many lounges/dance clubs they have or just eating in one the many restaurants. I enjoyed the shows, walking around the lovely Promenade, shopping or  just enjoying a cup of tea from one of the shops and just people watching.  The rooms were cleaned twice a day and the room attendants were all very pleasant.   It really was a wonderful time and experience for both my son and I.  My family and I have done about 8 cruises and this one was one of the best.

So don't wait book a cruise and enjoy!

Easier to board and leave ship. Nice that less time taken for evacuation info.

Wonderful drink packages offered. This is a major plus.

Compared to Princess: Very disappointed in the number of lounge dance venues Royal has. Princess has several different lounges with many genes of music that play every night to dance. They play for the whole evening.

Compared to Princess: The food was a 1 for the buffet for Royal compared to a 5 for Princess. Princess was top quality and hot. It was good in the MY TIME but not hot. Talking with other cruisers this was a major complaint.

Compared to Princess: The late night food available was poor. Princess has a 24/7 deli café. They have Panini's, salads, desserts, coffee etc.

Yes, the Captains party in the street was a nice feature. More people can enjoy it. The music in the street is also very nice. Royal has this going for them.

Royal is lacking greatly in the music department. On the Princess Cruise you had music playing at some place on the ship at most times. Much of the time, there was music in many locations. Plus, on a Caribbean Cruise they had the feel of the Caribbean going with Caribbean music.

Maybe someone who reads theses surveys can tell me of a Royal Caribbean Cruise ship that has more dance lounges with different venues of music.  I can live with the  poor buffet, and not hot food. The food in the MY TIME was tasty. 

$ for $ Royal is a good Cruise. It just did not meet my expectations. Now that I know what to expect and what not to expect I won't be disappointed.  I may have to cruise with them again $ for $.

  I (WE) learned a lot by talking to other passengers on the ship about Cruises. I would advise anyone to talk, ask questions and make friends. There is much to learn. We had a great time and made new friends. Some of which we probably will cruise with again.

Excellent service by our wait staff in the main dining room.

Food in main dining room was very good (breakfast and dinner).

Wait staff in Wind Jammer could have been more attentive.  I had to ask for table to be bussed several times before we could sit down.

Professional staff at the Customer service desk.

Ship was very clean overall.  Our stateroom  bathroom smelled of urine.  We reported it; it was cleaned , but odor still lingered.

Enjoyed the time away from home, Good food, good service. Great weather and the ports were beautiful.

Not too much for teenage kids. Too many people drinking too much. 

This was our first cruise in 30 years so we didn't know quite what to expect.  We are in our 70's and have traveled extensively, flying to destinations and traveling independently.  We wanted to find out what a cruise experience would be like.  Our overall experience was good.  The ship is really nice, the crew is great and the food was plentiful and good.  The entertainment at night was excellent.  We found the large number of passengers overwhelming at times but we were able to find quiet spaces on the top deck where we could relax.  The stops were great.  We booked excursions over the internet before we left after reading about the islands.  the cruise offers lots of excursions, most of which are just too active for us.We had an inner cabin with a large mirror that made it seem bigger.  That was fine for us as we spent very little time in the cabin.  I personally hated walking through the casino area to get to the theater - smoked filled and noisy - but others might like the gambling.  There were many families traveling together, even very small children.  I personally wouldn't take small children on a cruise, but they seemed to be managing well.  We loved the sunshine and getting to know Jamaica and Grand Cayman.

This is a very pretty ship, but it had 3900 passengers on it (and it was not full),  and 1200 crew members...so obviously it was almost always crowded. It was difficult to get an elevator. I did request a middle inside cabin and therefore I didn't experience very much rocking in my cabin, although we did encounter some rough seas.  The room was much smaller than any other ship I've cruised on before, but the room service and cleaning staff were spot on and were there at a moment's notice.  Staff was very friendly(everywhere).  Loved the entertainment in the big theater and the cruise director was absolutely hilarious!  Lots of evening games and clubs. This ship has a Rock Climbing Wall, and Ice Skaking Rink, and a Surf Rider; it also has a Johnny Rockets.  The food was delicious...everywhere.  I guess my complaints are that my room was just too small and not receiving my boarding time until the day before departure was a real problem.  Had I know that I wasn't supposed to board until 2:30-3 p.m., I could have taken a much later flight into FT. Lauderdale, Florida.   Even though we did pay for and request transfer from the airport to the ship, we were dropped off at the wrong ship and nobody noticed (even security),  until we'd gone thru a 45 minute waiting line.  Trying to retrieve our luggage was a nightmare and we had to beg a Taxi Driver to take us to Port 29 (as we were at Port 25) and he wanted $20 for a 7 minute drive.  We had asked the Transport ladies in the airport where to wait for the Bus and they lead the whole group to the bus, then I asked the bus driver (and elderly man) if this bus would drop us off at the Independence of the Seas and he had a sign saying "Independence of the Seas", plus he said yes. So, obviously our boarding of the ship was a complete mix-up. The departure of the ship was much more organized and we were given 2 days notice to get ready to depart the ship and there were no crowds upon departure. I would not travel on this ship again, as it was too crowded, hard to get an elevator, not enough deck chairs or seating for outdoor fun, Shopping extra expensive within the ship too.   Extra Kudos to Cruises Only and to the Super Friendly staff on this ship.