Independence of the Seas Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Everything was awesome! We even had a rough day at sea the first day and would still do it again! Need better rates for Canadians, with exchange and how far we have to travel it makes it hard to do cruises as often as we would like.

Mdr was great. Lunch buffet bad. Breakfast and Dinner were good

Not sure if I will cruise with this cruise line again. There were to many negatives. Our first day was ruined because of the fiasco with finding a cabin, and then discovering our cabin. Couldn’t support all of us comfortably and having to deal guest services so much

After arriving at the port, I dropped off my luggage with the porter and waited for it to arrive at my room. However, the luggage never arrived, and still hasn't arrived nearly a month later. I spoke with Guest Services every day and while I appreciated their efforts, there was minimal indication that they hoped to rectify the negative experience that overshadowed my entire weekend and the following week as I was stuck in Florida for Thanksgiving with no clothing. Eventually they provided the minimum amount of credit for me to purchase overpriced clothing and toiletries on the ship, but it took multiple days for me to get a real response. A month later and I'm still so disappointed in this experience. Over the past month I've emailed, called (while being left on hold for over an hour), and haven't felt any real response from Royal Caribbean that they understand the plight I was, and am currently, in. Now I have to replace a quality luggage bag and 10 days worth of clothes because of an unfortunate scenario that Royal Caribbean won't take responsibility for. I'd set sail with them multiple times in the past, but now I see their true colors when faced with a situation where they can make something right.

We had a great time and have another cruise booked in just two weeks. Our only complaint was the food and timing of service in the MDR. We have already switched our next cruise to the UDP. (Not a loss for RCCL)…

We were a little disappointed the cruise was cut short, but the weather is beyond anyone's control. We made the most of it and will receive a credit for the day we missed. It went by quickly, but was well worth it. We've already got a 5 day booked on Mariner in 2 months. We always have fun on Royal.

The company (family) made up for some of the lacking. My largest issue is that the things that are easy to change (aside from food) were the absolute worst. Maybe it’s time for some new management.

Overall I am very happy with my cruise experience. I would definitely cruise with Royal Caribbean again.

Without any doubt, this was the worst vacation of my life leaving me needing a vacation from my vacation. Where to begin…perhaps it’s best to address the main man on board. Captain Gus is the most rude, incompetent, and unprofessional person I have ever had the displeasure of speaking to. I unfortunately had several dealings with this man, none of which were of any help. Our ship had major itinerary changes that were largely at his discretion. I do not begrudge him that a Hurricane Nicole was blocking our path to the Bahamas, but in that case cancel the sailing or plan to send us south to another country like the other 5 Royal Caribbean ships did. We floated around for days doing nothing. He was asked about requesting corporate to return our port taxes as our sailing turned to all sea days, but we were rerouted to Nassau for 5 hours only to be met with rain, a dirty beach, and closed businesses all because they had just received a direct hit from Nicole. It is now my belief that we were only sent there so Royal Caribbean did not have to return our Port fees/taxes. At the Captain’s Q&A, Captain Gus was incredibly condensing with his responses to my questions and borderline racist to another passenger. He also informed us that we would be stuck at sea for an extra day because they failed to plan for the port being closed due to the Hurricane. Though it should be noted Carnival and Disney were able to return on the same day that we were originally scheduled for. On top of this we faced frequent and significantly delayed notifications of itinerary changes which prevented us from making a fully informed decision before boarding the ship. Because Royal Caribbean did not cancel the trip, travel insurance would not cover any additional changes to my itinerary which means, either I had to board the ship or incur significant financial burdens. We were not told of the first itinerary change until we arrived at port (the other Royal ships were notified the night before), we received the second itinerary change 2 hours after boarding, and the third change after we returned to the ship from the Bahamas. I am not exaggerating when I say I felt like I was being held captive. Royal Caribbean also ignored and downplayed the severity of Hurricane Nicole to passengers. On night one we faced horribly rough seas resulting in shows being cancelled because it was too dangerous for the performers. I heard numerous people complain of seasickness and it’s something that the Captain even addressed in an announcement. Several passengers had their luggage lost. The pools were horribly crowded because that is all that’s available to do when your stuck on board, they even shut down one of the pools on the last day for cleaning. The food was mediocre at best. Not up to the standards I’ve had on other ships. We also had a terrible experience with disembarking the ship as only one gangway was open and the facial recognition software for immigration was malfunctioning which resulted in significant delays with getting off the ship. I also got sick after the trip because they changed their covid policy after I booked with no option to cancel. By day 5 people were coughing all over the place. Nothing like a side of Covid, the flu, and RSV with your bland burger at the Windjammer. But the worst of it has been dealing with their horrid customer services. I have never experienced anything so frustrating. Once Royal Caribbean takes your money, they do not care what kind of experience that you have always referring to their iron clad contracts that are made to screw over the customers. I will NEVER sail with them again and will warn everyone to avoid this company like the plague. I have had to get the BBB involved to get Royal Caribbean to respond to me. I made multiple complaints while as a passenger that were largely ignored. The Cruise Director took my stateroom number and nothing happened, the customer services desk gave me misleading information twice, and I was completely ignored a third time. They also cancelled my post cruise excursion to the Kennedy Space Center which included airport transfer. When asked if they were going to assist with getting a shuttle they originally said yes and then said they would not and for me to get an Uber. Ubers were $130 plus. This trip was horrid, and the customer service is a joke. Do yourself a favor and NEVER sail with them. This is your warning.

Solo and excellent. I’d try it again on more then s 3 day cruise

I haven't cruised in over 15 years and this was the best!

Expect to pay $72 to park your car for three days. The water park is not free. It’s an excursion you’ll have to pay for. Internet is $75 a day and it doesn’t work well. $100 will be taken out of your credit card and your spouse’s to use as onboard credit and you will not get a refund if you don’t use it. The free buffets will cost you each day. A can of 12oz coke will cost you $5. Will never use Royal Caribbean again.

Can’t wait to go again. The atmosphere was so relaxing. There was always enough chairs on the deck to sit out and enjoy the breeze. The shows could’ve been more diverse and catered to all ages but that’s just a personal preference. Overall this was a great vacation.

4-Night Cruise that started in Port Canaveral then went to Perfect Day at Coco Cay, Nassau, then we finally had a day at sea on the last day of the cruise.

Overall the cruise was good. It would be nice if smoking were not allowed in the casino. Nice activities in the Star Lounge and good music in the bars.

This was our first vacation & cruise without our children in 22 years! So glad we finally made the time for ourselves and sailed with RCCL. It was ONLY three days and we wanted more time when it was over because we had a great time. It was our 2nd cruise but first on RCCL and we loved the Promenade and meeting new people. We'll be back.

Our family - me, hubby, and 12-year old twins had a great trip!! Can’t wait for the next one!

loved Indy 2nd time this year sailing on her! First time sailing without kiddos.

We had a great time and honestly there was so much to do that you will not get to do everything you want to do. We enjoyed the band in boleros and would go back again. This is only our second cruise but what an upgrade from the first time you went on a smaller Cruise Line. There is something for everyone on this ship whether you are athletic love dancing or just want to relax. The only thing I did not care much for on this cruise with the casino honestly I've just hate what slot machines have come to be, but maybe it's like that everywhere now. Will definitely do this again and I definitely trust Royal Caribbean for my vacation pleasure.

My cruise was fun and upbeat. The cruise director was great and the food was amazing 👏 😋