Royal Caribbean- Independence of the Seas

I loved this ship. It’s large and filled with things to do. The staff and service were excellent. Our room with a balcony was great. We chose the anytime dining option but pretty much ended up at the same table, at the same time, every night because we really liked our waiters. The dinners were my favorite part of the day.

seriously had an AMAZING time … I wish I could go back again today ! This was my first cruise ever and it was so much fun! the first day we went to a nice dinner and our servers were Teddy and Teri they were AMAZING servers (I’m a server myself) they never left us with empty drinks, they were extremely knowledgeable, the club was packed and fun, the drinks were exotic and fun, the stores were clean and staff was friendly! I bought my boyfriend a deep tissue massage and that gave me time to soak up some sun and eat unlimited buffet which by the way has EVERY option you can think of and I’m vegetarian … they have everything from fruit to a full salad bar to cookies ! The view was amazing, we stopped in Nassau we went to señor frogs then got right back on the boat because it was a lot funner than the island ! Our maid knew us by name and was extremely nice, our room was cleaned every time we got back to the room.
ONLY issues we had was right when we got on the ship we had asked for tips to not get taken out from our credit card because it charge $ 13 a day per person and we tipped in all cash so I didnt put a card on file. our last day before leaving the ship we got a letter in our door saying that we each owe him $ 300 which was fine because we spent money on our own time but they didn’t respect our requests as asked for the tips to not be taken out so we went to the front desk and they took it off with no problem… but when I checked my bank statement this morning which is now four days later they actually didn’t ever take it out and DID charge me for it so I called up Royal Caribbean and he said that their bank statement is not in the computer and there’s nothing that they could do which is pretty sketchy if you ask me. other than that amazing staff and amazing cruise

A cruise vacation was long overdue since it was 6 years ago that I stepped on a cruise ship. Let’s face it. Life happens and it slipped away from us when we had our son a couple years ago. We made sure that we were going to go on one this spring and we are definitely happy that we did.
This ship wasn’t the first one we have traveled with by Royal Caribbean. The first two were Explorer and Adventure of the Seas. We had a blast on them and we had no doubt that Independence was going to be the same. The ship is beautiful and we received excellent service throughout the entire weekend by all the staff members.
Our outside cabin was kept clean and the bed was made neat when we were out of the room for a few hours at a time. It felt so good to be lazy and not have to make up the bed for three days straight. There was a pack and play that was put in our cabin for our son for him to sleep in and it was nice not to have to pack one more thing to bring with us. It was already enough to bring his stroller, toys, and books to keep him entertained. It’s amazing how much space we had in that cabin and we somehow made it all work. The extra storage space behind the mirrors and in the closet made a huge difference.
There was plenty to eat and drink on board. There was an endless buffet at the Windjammer Café that we stuffed our faces at most of the time. We had dinner at Chops Grille one night, which is a specialty restaurant that is worth checking out if you want to spend the extra bucks and get away from the usual offerings of the ship for a while. It was so delicious! If you go hungry, then that’s your own damn fault. I’m not planning on stepping on the scale until next week since I’m still in guilt with consuming all of the calories while I was on that damn boat.
The countless bars had drinks pouring out left and right. There was a different drink of day for each day of the ship and they looked so good. I did stick with a couple virgin strawberry daiquiris and they were quite tasty. I did not plan to be expecting when I went on this past weekend and I plan to make up for it the next time I go on a cruise ;) My husband did make it up for me, but hey, that doesn’t count… lol!
Don’t plan to get bored while you’re on the ship either. There is a «compass» for each day of the itinerary, which lists the schedule of activities and times of restaurants will be open. We could play at the casino, go swimming in one of the pools, watch a ice show, play bingo, explore the ship, shop until you drop, and other countless things to enjoy while you’re on board. We were at the Bahamas the second day and we were able to get off to enjoy some off board time touring the city while the ship was at port for the whole day.
Our 2 year old son was with us and we were able to take advantage of sitting services for a couple nights while we were able to enjoy some adult time. It was so nice to know that he was in safe hands with trained professionals in an activity room with other kids that were around his age. They provided dinner and performed activities with them to keep them interactive and happy. He was able to enjoy some of things on board and he loved the food as much as we did.
Embarkation and disembarkation went smoothly and we had no issues going through security. Our luggage was delivered to our room promptly and we were able to unpack everything before dinner the first night. We chose to bring our luggage with us for the early departure since we didn’t want to have to wait to be called by number on the last morning of the trip. The staff members were extremely helpful with the questions we had and guided us to where we needed to go if we were lost.
It was an overall nice short getaway this past weekend. We wanted to see how our son would do on a short cruise trip and he did excellent. When our new arrival comes, we will definitely plan to go on a longer one in the future when she gets older. I simply think a cruise ship is one of the best vacations you can go on with the transportation, room, food, and entertainment included in the price. It’s cost effective and the things you have pay for is the additional services they offer, such as the spa, adult beverages, photography, child care, specialty restaurants, shops, and excursions. We had a lot of fun and we can’t wait to sail with Royal Caribbean again!

Thought the ship was beautiful. The service was great except for our cabin steward but our cousin’s steward was good.
Activities were plentiful. Loved the parade and Dancin in the Streets. Ice skating show was incredible.
We thought the food in both the windjammer café and dining room were very good.
I think Royal needed to be a bit more organized at dining room and debarkation. Other than that, things went pretty smoothly. Embarkation went quickly.
Had the Jr. Suite which was beautiful and plenty big for 2 people.
Would definitely cruise with them again.

This is my second time to cruise with the Royal Caribbean and this cruise did not compare to my first time cruise with the Royal Caribbean. I was on the Zumba cruise on the last week of January 2016. My feedback overall was this ship is of poor quality in terms of cleanliness/​hygiene in the cabins and public areas and customer service of line/​service staff at the Windjammer Café. The management needs to be proactive in terms of maintaining cleanliness in the cabins and bathrooms as well as they need to educate staff strongly and solidly on providing excellent customer service to customers before the ship sails.
a. Not clean
In terms of cleanliness, it was below par. My cabin’s entrance smell of body waste during the first two days of the cruise and my bathroom smelled throughout the cruise. I was getting tired of reporting these incidents to my cabin steward, his supervisor via phone, and finally I waited in a queue to talk to the Guest Relations Desk to report the incident. Only then, did I get a response. Still, I felt that the bathroom in my cabin and the public bathrooms are not mopped at all as it smelled of urine from day 1 — whether you visit them in the morning or noon or evening!!!
b. Mislabeled Food.
The Windjammer café serves ordinary but readily accessible and fast breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I went to this café most of the time because of the busy Zumba schedule. Some of the food were not labelled correctly and the roving Chef seemed to take it lightly. The ship needs to realize that there are allergies or lifestyle preference in terms of eating. We need correct labels.
c. Customer Service was lacking at the Windjammer Café.
The omelette station staff were not professional. They were disrespectful, discourteous, and did not exhibit good customer service when I visited their station. The male order taker and omelette makers were lackadaisal and were just horsing and joking around and did not deliver my requested omelette correctly. They were just making fun of me, a paying customer, and despite me asking them to stop, they still continued. I reported the incident to the supervisor on the floor but nothing happened as I received the same taunting treatment from the omelette station staff (front and back) the next morning as well. I paid for this cruise and I felt that I deserved a better treatment from staff so I went down again to the Guest Relations Desk, did the queue, and shared my valid complaint with staff. The Windjammer Manager contacted me to apologize and sent me a basket of strawberries dipped in chocolate. He apologized and said that he will do the appropriate training and has reassigned the omelette order taker. I told him that this should not happen in the first place as we are paying customers who expect to relax and be treated courteously and respectfully during the cruise.
These negative experiences created a truly bad impression with Independence of the Seas.

If I could give this company zero stars I would. Read this before you plan on traveling with this aweful line. My boyfriend and I are broke college students who saved a years worth of money for this and have never taken a cruise before so this was our first experience. The trip started out with them taking 3 hours after the time they told us to be at the port to board to even begin boarding us, we never found out why this happened and we were told this process usually takes around 40 minutes. Then we didn’t end up leaving the port for 4 hours after we were supposed to leave. Day three we get to Mexico, we leave very early because we made plans to do an offshore excursion right when we arrived, we asked two employees on the way out what time to be back to the ship (again we have never taken a cruise and had no idea) and we were told 7pm. The day goes by and we try to come back «two hours early» at 5pm. We were told to run to the port, and as we get there they forced us to stop and we watched the ship sail away. This now has had us stranded in Mexico and THANK GOD I brought our passports (even though the ship told us not too) or we would have been stranded. The ship refused to help us, and we had the port manager helping us for 24 hours. We had to pay to stay in the worst hotel you could ever imagine, and I wish i was over exaggerating but the only windows in this room were the ones that lead out to the hallway and made it very easy for someone to break in if they wanted to. We woke up at 5am to take a ferry and 4 hour bus ride to meet the cruise at our next destination (all of this had to be payed out of our own pockets). As we get to the bus and were about to leave we are told that the ship decided not to dock at the second destination anymore. After taking another ferry back to our destination before and we have given up all hope, we are lucky and saved by another cruise line that had an extra room coming back to Florida. This all would have been fine and solved, until I had already talked to the port about holding our luggage until we returned to get it, they sent it to their warehouse and we are unable to retrieve it before our flight back home. Now i have to pay to get our 50 pound suit case back to Massachusetts. I have nothing but terrible things to say about this company and how it is run, if you want to take a cruise, take any line but it. I truly wish I was over exaggerating or being dramatic, but I’m not and would never wish what happened to us on my worst enemy.

From the start — poor signage and poor communication. They shuffle you into a large room (over 2,000 passengers) no food or water and only 1 bathroom even before check in! Took over 3 hours wait which made us miss our first two Zumba classes that we had to preregister for. Food was substandard every meal. Selection of comp restaurants were minimal. The Zumba store on board was inadequate. Over one hour line to get in and then another hour to check out. There was never enough agents at their service desk. Debarkation was an exercise in road rage. Three hours to get off the boat! No directions or signage from staff. We had to carry out bags down 2 flights of stairs after a 2 hour line. People that left their bags for the staff to take off the ship didn’t even get off the boat for two hours before even standing in the 3 hour immigration line. They only thing that saves them is their excellent room staff. Our attendant Tyrone was at our service 7 – 7 everyday right outside our door. He was friendly professional and always met our needs.

my first two cruises were both on royal caribbean’s allure of the seas (which as of right now is the biggest cruise ship in the world, but only until april 2016 when harmony of the seas is completed). saying that, i think i got spoiled with the allure and so was slightly disappointed with the independence of the seas.
the service was phenomenal and we especially loved our servers in the MDR. the maitre d’ was on top of things with my food allergy and came to get my order nightly for the next day’s dinner. i wasn’t impressed with the food in general in the MDR so we did mostly specialty restaurants. we love chops grille and giovanni’s.
the entertainment was okay and we skipped most of the shows. however, they did have fun trivia games and scavenger hunts that we enjoyed. my favorite was the harry potter trivia which, not surprisingly, was a packed event.
the ship itself is older and it’s showing it’s age. i think it’s a fine ship if you’ve never cruised before, but if you’ve been on the allure, you’re going to be disappointed in terms of environment, food, and entertainment.

It’s hard to give this ship a stronger rating. But not for the reason one would think.
I’ve sailed on the Allure of the Seas and I feel it is one of those situations where when you’ve sailed on one of either the Allure or the Oasis that any lower class of ship within RCLs fleet is just not worth it.
It did the job for a 5 Night Western Caribbean sailing but my wife and I felt we were missing something.
The food did the trick and I enjoyed the Garlic Soup as always in the main dining hall but I had some difficulties with the dining room this time around. Out of the 4 times I dined in the main dining hall of the 5 nights, I was only offered a drink once while everyone in my party was constantly catered to and it got to a point where I felt left/​singled out. I also had difficulties consuming the scrambled eggs in Windjammmer every morning because they were just falling apart and had me running to the bathroom every time I ate them. That’s what I’ve got for food on the negative side.
On the positive though: We ate once in Giovanni’s table and I FINALLY had risotto done correctly which is hard in itself but well worth it. The Garlic Soup (as per usual for me is something I’ll always order) was great! We felt that Ben and Jerrys was also a nice touch.
I’m not sure what people are expecting with a lot of these food complaints. Some people cruise for the travel and some people cruise for the food. But when you factor everything that a cruise offers you and (lodging, transportation, service, dining, and amenities), I feel it is well worth your money at the end of the day.
We traveled with a 9 month old and we found it a bit challenging but its more that we haven’t traveled with her before. Our stateroom attendant (Dennis) was fantastic at taking care of us and her and meeting a lot of our needs and we all had a great time because of it. In the H20 Zone, there is a small pool where infants in swim diapers can play which was a nice touch.
My wife and I got a lot of use out of it and the day care took care of her when we wanted to see shows at $ 8 per hour until midnight (if we gave them the heads up). They also provided a phone on the boat to call us if there were anything wrong. My advice to parents of infants is to bring your own diapers and food so that you don’t have to buy them from the boat and save yourself a chunk of change.
The only thing stopping me from giving this ship a 4 or a 5 star rating is because it isn’t the Allure or the Oasis and there were some gaffs that I decline to mention in this review that have left a bad taste in my mouth. I would recommend this ship because we did have a great family vacation but it’s hard to think that way once you have been on better ships.

We returned from the 7-​day Western Caribbean cruise and I’m still having withdrawal! It was pure delight! The ship is so beautiful, colorful, clean. There are always places buzzing with fun, and other places for a quiet retreat. There were shows and activities all the time, and these were repeated just often enough to make it possible to do everything. The staff was warm, friendly, and professional. We felt so well taken care of. We loved the flo-​rider (surf simulator), game shows, professional performances, outdoor movies at poolside, & karaōke. Food was well-​presented, plentiful, with nice variety, and available at all hours. We did MyTime dining and found the reservation staff very flexible and gracious. (The only reason I gained only 2 pounds is that their stairs and gym are appealing and very accessible!) Our teens enjoyed the teen club social scene, so our trip was a mix of family time plus date nights for my husband and me — this never happens on vacation! Kids were constantly engaged and happy. The ship was well-​appointed and kept. Discarded dishes or trash disappeared instantly. The many decks both below and above gave us plenty of beautiful space to explore. One of my favorite moments was a morning run on the outdoor track on deck 12, with the beautiful deck, ocean, and sky spread out all around me. I am so grateful that our family was able to take this trip. We did DIY trips into the four ports of call; these were interesting and trouble-​free. (It was challenging planning this from aboard. I’d definitely do all that research in advance next time.)

OK, but not what I remember from Royal Caribbean. I’ve cruised with other and RCCL in the past, and remember the food on RCCL as having been the tops. Aboard this ship, the food was «OK» but nothing special. Maybe too many people. Service was excellent and the ship had some nice extras like restaurants and pubs on board. Nice itinerary although shore excursions were not worth the price, especially in Jamaica.

BEWARE OF THE FOOD ON THIS BOAT! The worst filet mignon you will ever eat awaits you.
I’ve never been on a cruise where you didn’t bond with the main dining room waiters. Ours were error-​prone and completely lacking in warmth.
You’re better off with the Windjammer for dinner or Giovanni’s. The Chops steakhouse was one-​star awful.
Enjoy the Flowrider and the Rock Wall. They did a good job with the Promenade and the Pizza shop.
You will feel like cattle unloading on the ports of calls and being whisked off to your excursions. When you eat breakfast, you will feel like you’re in a swarm of locusts.
Still, we had a great time. But there’s something pretty wrong with this ship.

We took a seven day cruise on the independence of the seas.
Me, the wife, and my parents. Though I’ve sailed with royal in the past, and enjoyed it, This trip was a little different. Now don’t get me wrong this was a very nice ship, with nice activities and a deck with cool little shops and
restaurants. Also I was able to get some much needed rest. I was very surprised to see how on this trip there were so many different diversities
People from Italy, Europe, etc. many flying in from their native countries
Just for this cruise. It was very fascinating. Anyway my pain started
When I left a practically new fitted cap from lids at the morning buffet, and
I mean I was only gone for no more the fifteen minutes and some snake walked off with my hat. Man I liked that hat. Glad he wasn’t crazy enough
to wear it on the boat where I could see it, because I probably would have
Choked him with it. Anyway I felt a little better when my wife reminded me
that the ship gave us a one hundred dollar credit because of being crown
and anchor members, meaning we sailed more than once. We were very surprised to find that when checking our account that evening we noticed
that they were taking the gratuities from the credit, and they continued to
do that until the end of the cruise. Ain’t that a real trip? They decide what amount they feel is appropriate and they just take it. Even though they ask
how do you want to pay gratuities, that should be left entirely up me, the
Service I received, and my wallet thank you very much. Another issue I had
Was the fact that the shops on board were nice, but their prices were off the chart. Now I do realize that on a cruise ship, that the retail shops on board
are a little more pricier than normal, but good goog amagoo, Their prices
Were outrageous, and they act like just because they put up signs saying
Tax free duty free that your getting some great deal, please spare me…
Now for the food. The food in the windjammer this go round was just ok, I was not impressed. Each night had a different theme nothing special.
It was nothing like the food on the jewel of the sea. That food was great.
I will say however the food in the main dining room was on point. Nice portions, and the food was well seasoned with great choices for desert.
If you wanted another helping just ask. My first time having escargot in a cheesy garlic butter, and man I tell you it was absolutely delicious…
I have to shout out my waiter Edwin, he was by far the best waiter ever.
If anyone on that boat deserved my tip it was him. He was excellent.
Our ports of call were, The Grand Cayman Island which was a joke, pricey
and kind of ratty if you asked me. Some of these island people are a real
trip, they think just because we come from the U. S that they can charge us
top dollar, and that we’re stupid enough to pay it. One minute they want
Fifty dollars for something and when they see your not biting they’ll take ten for It. When you walk away your still wondering if you got beat anyway.
The other ports of call were Jamaica and Haiti. Both places were nice and
Scenic, definitely worth visiting and we picked up some cool things to bring back. I got a kick out of the Haitian shop owners they were fast talking to
make that dollar. Hey my friend you my brodder? you my brodder? I have special gift for you. They were too funny with their hustle, but I understood
it. Other than that I just relaxed and tried to enjoy the rest of the cruise.
Guest services called the last day to let me know that my hat was never turned in. Hard to imagine someone not only keeping, but putting someone
else’s hat on their head, how grouse and where’s your dignity? I could have had ring worms or some nasty scalp disease, Unbelievable… Anyway that’s my experience on independence of the seas.

If you haven’t been in a cruise before, what the heck are you waiting for? There’s nothing quite like waking up every morning and being somewhere different without having to pack and unpack. Spend the day soaring through the forest, parked on a white sandy beach, or strolling along a market takin advantage of duty free shopping.
I’ve spent 8 days of Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Sea recently. The ship is one the largest ever built, complete with amenities you need at sea, like an ice skating rink, themed bars, gobs and gobs of pool deck chair, and enough food to feed a city for several days.
My trip started with two days at sea before seeing land again. In my opinion, these days are best spent on the pool deck with a good book, sunscreen and a good pair of shades. Read a little. Sleep a little. Eat and little. Repeat until the worries of your normal life seem a distant memory.
Once you’ve had enough sun, grab your cruise compass and take a peek at the activities going on around the ship. Learn how to make drinks with the bartender, or spend some time in the casino testing your luck. Whatever your interests are. There’s something to do.

Overall, we were very disappointed with the poor quality of food and service. This was our third cruise with Royal Caribbean and had good experiences with them in the past. This time was different.
This was the first time we went on a cruise and did not gain weight, the food was so bad. At the Windjammer buffet, in the past there was always someone to bring water, coffee, etc but they were nowhere to be found. Perhaps Royal Caribbean is hiring less staff or not doing adequate training, or not paying them decent wages and not giving them habitable living quarters. In any event the quality of the service was sub-​par and the food even worse.
I left a note next to the ice bucket in our room asking for ice when housekeeping did our room and got no ice. I had to ask twice more before we got ice. In a hotel you can get your own ice but on a cruise ship you are at the mercy of the staff to keep your ice bucket filled.
We had an unfortunate incident at dinner when my wife ordered a glass of wine. She was on the daily flat rate beverage plan, but handed the waitress my card instead of hers. They charged us the a la carte rate for a full bottle of wine. When we protested and explained the card mix-​up, she refused to adjust the charges but kept the bottle for the next night.
We went to the customer service desk and mentioned the wine situation and asked that the charges be reversed die to the simple human error of the cad mix-​up. The customer service manager agreed and adjusted the charge. We specifically said we did not want trouble for the waitress; we simply wanted our account charged properly.
Apparently the waitress somehow became aware of the charge reversal because her attitude was markedly hostile that night. We noticed her whispering to one of her colleagues and pointing at us. My wife ordered a glass of Pinot Grigio and what was brought tasted more like urine than any kind of wine. When my wife protested the waiter sneered and said «This is Pinot Grigio from my private collection». He also didn’t give us back our card until we asked at least five times. «Don’t worry, I have it», he said in a snarky, hostile tone. My first instinct was to jump out of my seat and strangle him but I kept my cool.
It was obvious that the waitstaff had targeted my wife for retaliation and hostile treatment. She ordered some sort of fish dish where the fish was indistinguishable from the mashed potatoes, and under the fish there was one baby carrot, one sprig of wilted asparagus, and one string bean. When my wife asked for a small amount of more potatoes and vegetables, they came back with two dishes, one with a mountain of mashed potatoes, one with a mountain of vegetables, slammed them on the table and said «HERE, you wanted more potatoes and vegetables?» This passive-​agressive behavior was infuriating and humiliating.
The next day we went back to the customer service desk and vehemently protested our treatment at dinner the night before. The service rep was very empathetic and arranged for us to eat in a different room that night and the specialty restaurant, «Chops», the next night. Also, the manager of our original dining room visited us at our table, personally apologized and brought a bottle of wine as a peace offering.
I was satisfied with the efforts of management to compensate us for the negative experience at the dining room, but that episode should never have happened in the first place.
In conversations with others on the ship people shared their own horror stories and agreed that Royal Caribbean has gone downhill.
Royal Caribbean needs to do a full top-​to-​bottom evaluation of their policies, hiring and training staff, and do something about the poor quality of the food, not just in the Windjammer but the dining room and room service as well.
This will be our last cruise, certainly our last cruise on Royal Caribbean.

I’d like to preface my review with some context. This was my first cruise, as cruising is not personally my ideal type of vacation. I prefer going somewhere and having time to explore — maybe city– or country-​hop if I can. But I’m not typically into tours or rigid itineraries. Still, I love tropical environs, water and sailing, and am ok with resorts in general even though they’re not as authentic as the places surrounding them. So I tried to go into the cruise with a fairly open mind. In the end, I have decided that cruising is not for me. On the other hand, there are some people that love cruises. So the things that bothered me might not apply to everyone else. But I will try to be thorough and specific, so at least others can get a sense of what I experienced during 6-​Night Western Caribbean Cruise on the Independence of the Seas with Royal Caribbean.
As a quick summary, I found that there wasn’t enough time to spend in the better port stops (Grand Cayman and especially Falmouth, Jamaica) and the other was completely artificial and run by the cruise line (Labadee, Haiti). Even in the stops that had some authentic culture, sights, and activities, Royal Caribbean tried to dissuade people from leaving the port area complexes where they take a cut of sales from vendors and luxury shops. They claim the towns and countries can be dangerous. If that was the case, why bother going? Why get off the ship? It’s just a money grab. On that note, there were LOTS of upcharges from the alcohol packages to the souvenir cups and the added-​fee restaurants that were totally generic and not much better quality than the regular dining hall. The food quality and preparation in the dining hall and buffet were pretty atrocious — most dishes were mediocre at best, and some were appalling. There was also a lack of variety in foods, with one exception being the Singapore-​Style Curry Noodles… unfortunately, while they tried to offer an ethnic taste, they were comically bad (they tasted like ketchup, French dressing, and sadness). In general, the foods were bland, drab, and not particularly fresh. Exceptions were some of the pastas and the steak. The ship, while large, felt confining. It was like we were confined to what Royal Caribbean felt like giving us as a vacation, rather than getting to enjoy ourselves and make the most of the time and the places we visited.
I hope some of this might help people make their cruise related decisions in the future — the bottom line is that if you already like cruising, you probably will enjoy this ship and itinerary with a few exceptions. And if you’re not sure about the cruise experience, there are some downsides that are probably worth being warned about in advance.
Overall, the most important thing I can say that should apply to everyone is that Labadee was, in my opinion, the absolute worst part of the trip – and a waste of time and money. Even if you’re gung-​ho about taking a cruise with Royal Caribbean, I’d urge you to check out an itinerary that avoids this lame excuse for either a resort or a genuine port stop. I looked through their port brochure, and am intrigued by some other places they serve such as Puerto Rico and St. Maarten.

First time on this ship, have been on many other ships in the past (over 10) and I have to say this ship is very, very nice, the staff went above and beyond to help you no matter where we were, the activities were great, we had a room with a balcony like we normally get but the rooms on this ship are much bigger than what we have stayed in the past, the food in the specialty restaurants was excellent, the food in the dinning room was good also (not excellent) and the food in the buffets is the normal cruise ship food.

This was my 5^th cruise on Royal Caribbean and I enjoyed it as much as my other ships. Will definitely continue to cruise with them! We took a cruise from Fort Lauderdale and the check in process was very quick and smooth.
We got on board before the 1PM time that you can go into your stateroom so we headed up to the Windjammer where the buffet is. The Windjammer gets busy during breakfast as most people don’t eat in the dining room for that meal. But for the evening buffet it isn’t so busy. There are a number of ways to enjoy a meal or snack including the pool side burger/​hot dog, free room service, specialty restaurants, and Johnny Rockets for a fee. Lots of food but quality isn’t excellent but most of the time good.
Royal Caribbean is a great line for families, couples, and active older crowd. The pool side chairs and upper deck gets busy with the sun worshippers enjoying the music and hot sun. On the upper sports deck, there’s a basketball court, surfing, mini golf, and climbing wall. The gym is one of the best! It’s on the upper desk as well so you can run on the treadmill and enjoy the ocean view. There’s a boxing ring, machines, free weights, treadmills, and ellipticals.
Activities for those who to keep busy or not sun worshippers. I went to scrapbooking and craft activities where I got free supplies and instruction for the crafts. The nightly shows are hit or miss with the entertainment. But the great thing is if you don’t enjoy it, you can leave mid way. We enjoyed the karaōke nights, and music trivia. We added to our Royal Caribbean collection with a few wins at trivia. Casino and shopping are also on board. I also watched a movie pool side as the sun was setting and there weren’t many people out.
We splurged and got a junior suite and it was fabulous with lots of walking room, closet, bathtub, and larger balcony! We had room service breakfast most mornings on the balcony. It was quiet and relaxing and I would recommend paying more if you like peace from the crowded decks.
The crew are always lovely with their smiles and attentiveness. They deserve the standard gratuities as they work hard. I also like that Royal Caribbean offers points for repeat cruisers where you get perks.
My tips are:
— Disembark later in the morning and enjoy the breakfast when it’s not as busy. You can take your own luggage off the ship if you didn’t have time to pack the night before. If you don’t like time they have scheduled you, ask at Guest Services for a later time. This is great to wait for the crowd to leave if you don’t need to catch a flight.
— The ship will be quieter on port days so you can enjoy the activities including pools onboard
— Check out prices at ports for cheaper souvenirs and alcohol than on the ship stores. The gift shops are very busy the last sea day as everyone is trying to stock up on Royal Caribbean memorabilia
— The my time dining is faster than the early or late seatings. We reserved 8:15PM nightly (before we left home) and were done dinner by 9:30PM. Our friends who had the 8:30PM late seating weren’t finished until close to 10:30PM

Second time cruising, but first with RC. Have to say we really enjoyed ourselves, the meals were excellent, service was great. Went on a 6 day Caribbean. We stopped in Grand Cayman, Haiti and Jamaica. The Haiti Labadee island stop was nice with great beaches. Only complaint we had here, as well as with RC in General was the feeling we got charged for every little thing. The drink plan was great but be careful, they are a bit confusing and do not build on each other as you would assume. Net-​net is great overall, take extra caution and care if you get a drink plan. Overall feedback of all the folks who have cruised with the others was that Royal Caribbean is their favorite overall

Die Independance of the Seas gehört zur Freedom Klasse von Royal Caribbean und war mit ihren Schwester, der Freedom of the Seas und der Liberty of the Seas das größte Schiff der Welt, bis Royal die Oasis of the Seas vom Stapel laufen ließ.
Die Independance ist optisch an die Voyaber Klasse angelegt und wurde nur breiter, länger und höher konzipiert.
Das Raumgefühl an Bord ist immens. Breite Gänge zu den Kabinen, hohe Decken und viel Platz in den öffentlichen Bereichen zeichnen das Schiff aus.
Trotz der hohen Passagieranzahl von 3600 Gästen, merkt man die Masse Mensch an Bord kaum.
Höchsten beim Essen oder am Pool fällt einem auf, das sich doch ein paar Leute an Bord befinden. :-))
Die Independance wurde im Mai 2008 in Dienst gestellt und ist mit 338 Meter Länge, noch einmal mehr als 20 Meter länger, als die Schiffe der Voyager Klasse.
Von Southampton bereist die Independance jedes Jahr das Mitelmeer und landet wieder im Abfahrtshafen an.
Auf dieser 14 Tagen Tour bereist man viele schönen Zeile, u.a. auch Gibraltar, Vigo und Korsika.
Das Schiff bietet alle Annähmlichkeiten, die man von Royal Caribbean gewohnt ist und auch erwartet.
Die obligatorische Eislaufbahn gibt es hier ebenfalls, wie auch die Kletterwand am Schornstein.
Das Burger-​Restaurant Johnny Rockets, gib es ebenso, wie das allseits beliebte Buffet-​Restaurant Windjammer.
Der Speisesaal mit dem wuchtigen Kronleuchter wirkt hier nochmal um einiges größer und der Saal ansich beeindruckt einfach durch seinen kitschigen Prunk.
Die Amerikaner mögen es halt funkelnd. :-)
Wie auf allen Royal-​Schiffen ist auch hier der Service vorbildlich und mehrsprachig vorhanden.
Die Kabinen sind zu jeder Zeit sauber und werden zwei Mal am Tag gereinigt. Wünsche werden vom Stateroom-​Attendent gerne entgegen genommen.
Die Wertschätzung der Gäste wird sehr hoch aufgehängt. Der Gast ist König und wenn etwas mal nicht so rund laufen sollte, dann werden alle möglichen Hebel in Bewegung gesetzt, dieses zu ändern.
Besondere Essenwünsche, wie z.B. lactosefreie oder hefefreie Kost, sind ebenfalls möglich und werden mit einer kleinen Vorlaufzeit auch erfüllt.
Die Independance of the Seas ist für alle diejenigen da richtig Schiff, die gerne Entertainment und Abwechslung wünschen, aber trotzdem auch die Möglichkeit nutzen möchten, ungestört und ruhig mal ein Buch zu lesen oder einfach das Schiff zu geniessen, ohne das Gefühl zu haben, man wird die ganze Zeit bespaßt!

Great Ship! And Yes, I tried to do it all!
Definitely try the flowrider — lots of fun! They usually have an adult hour one of the evenings and the line was quite short.
Rock Climbing — lots of fun — nice staff, really good sports.
Ice Skating — Well, the skates were tight… but it was a lot of fun to say that I went skating in the caribbean. A fun diversion.
The food was, well, fine. The highlights were the Prime Rib — melt in your mouth and the kid’s brownie sundae dessert:-)
I like RCCL because it’s a good all around cruise line. Yes, the food is just ok, but the activities, amazing pools, fun activities, great facilities (sauna and steam room are complimentary in the gym) are just great reasons to sail on them.
The itinerary was fine — Cozumel, Belize and Costa Maya. But this trip was really to experience the ship and we were not disappointed!