written by Acechildcare on 11/08/2013
We have just returned from our cruise on independence of the seas. The highlight for us the band rock the boat. They are fabulous kept us entertained every night. The ship is fabulous and offers lots of facilities. The food in the dining room was not up to previous standards but was ok. The food in the windjammer was excellent lots of choice and very hot. A lot of children on the cruise at this time of year. But didn't spoil it for us. The soda package has changed they only offer you the cheapest soda. I paid for it and then cancelled it not a problem royal carribean happy to do that. If you pay each time you can have proper coke or orange. Drinks are a little expensive but its a luxury ship so you expect it. Chops Grille is wonderful well worth the £20 charge. We visited Vigo, Lisbon, Gibraltar, Valencia, Barcelona, Palma, Ibiza and Cadiz. All really nice places. A wonderful holiday and would go again.
written by onpar on 28/11/2012
This was a nice little break for me and my boyfriend. We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and got lucky with excellent weather the whole time. The ship itself is MASSIVE and you can easily get lost. I read reviews of the ship being really rocky and I was worried about getting seasick but it turned out to be okay. Maybe we just got lucky but the water was really calm. Thoroughly enjoyable trip. My only complaint...drinks should be part of the price! The drinks at the bar were so expensive. My boyfriend and I were spending more per day on drinks then the price of our room! If you are nice to the staff though they may sneak you an extra cheeky shot in your Rumrunners...don't tell them I told you that though ;)
written by on 30/03/2012
We are Aussies and cruised on ind of the seas in dec 2011, 18 nights to med. Their were only 61 Aussies on board. Ship and staff were fantastic. Very comfortable king size bed in balcony cabin on deck 7, mid ship. At all times all staff were simply THE BEST. Food excellent in dining rooms at night, but Windjammer cafe always too crowded. WE only ate their on an odd occasion. The general attitude from the majority of POMS on board, is (WE ARE BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE). They were generally very rude, and some most unpleasant to the wonderful staff. Their were far too many elderly guests on board, with wheelie walkers and wheelchairs. These guests were so very rude, especially when entering and exiting lifts. I would never travel out of Southampton again, for fear of having to cope with RUDE POMS. We travelle with our Daugher and son in law. They had an inside cabin also on deck 7. They were amazed at the elderly POMS on board, and at times were quite lonely, as their were no younger people for them to socialize with. LUCKILY the four of us get on so well, and we had many laughs. Overall we loved the ship, food, and staff. (ITS JUST A SHAME ABOUT THE rude POMS) Also embarkation and disemabarkation was very efficient.
written by on 27/03/2011
We have just returned from a fantastic cruise on the Independence of The Seas. The 6 adults in our party thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and there was plenty to do for the 2 grandchildren. Four of us, adults, had never been on a cruise before and initially i wasn't interested as i thought i would be bored and feel enclosed in. However my views on cruising have changed entirely. We found all the crew to be polite and helpful. The quality, choice and quantity of food to be amazing. One could eat 24 hours per day!! The entertainment in most cases was superb, with just the odd show in the Alhambra theatre not to everybodies liking. Above the Alhambra is the Pyramid lounge where music is played regulary and also game shows. There was plenty to keep you occupied even if you didn't want to partake in the action but only wanted to watch. Foe example swimming, the flowrider, the Wall. miniature golf, table tennis, ice skating and exercise track. Plus there is a library, bridge games room and internet cafe. There are plenty of bars/lounges to relax in with a drink or one could relax around the pools with a book plus a free ice cream. Basically there was something going on all day in various areas.
We did find many things rather expensive but were prepared after reading reviews beforehand. I understand certain crew are on low pay and therefore rely on gratuities.
There was the odd situation to moan about but the good things outweighed these by a long way. Prior to setting off for the cruise we had been advised that we wouldn't be able to board at the original fixed time as the ship had to be sanitized after a norovirus outbreak. We were still surprised though at the long queue outside waiting to board the ship. Although it was somewhat cold fortunately it wasn't raining and hot drinks were available. Most people however appeared to take the situation in good spirit. In the long run we found the ship to be very clean and didn't hear of any more outbreaks of norovirus.
On one occassion instead of disembarking at the stern on the starboard side we headed down to the midships disembarkation point as it would be easier for my wife who has a walking disability. On arriving at this point it was annoying to be told that we had to backtrack and go down the port side before crossing back over to starboard. A few signs along the passageway would have been the answer to this problem.
To my amazement the most annoying factor turned out to be the rudeness and ignorance of a number of other passengers.
In conclusion although we spent slightly more than we intitially budgeted we all had a brilliant holiday. Would we cruise again with Royal Caribbean - yes definitely.
written by pw52 on 06/03/2011
RCI Independence of the Seas - 18 day Mediterranean - FEB 2011
Great cruise - 3rd time on this ship - last time was in 2008 and no disappointments. Ship is very clean and crew going to extreme lengths to prevent viruses despite some passengers lack of hygiene knowledge.
Really recommend the RCI and Independence of the seas but please note the following to prevent you joining the whingers:
The ship is huge so you may have a fair walk to reach dining rooms and other venues - I am disabled but was aware and coped ok.
There are over 3,000 people on board so some queues and delays are to be expected but in our experience were minimal and les than expected.
The Windjammer buffet restaurant closes for a short period afer breakfast and lunch - partly to allow thorough cleaning - a trade off between full access, and health and safety that gets my vote
Whatever price you pay for the cabin there will be extra costs and charges, that you either accept or decline; eg drink alcohol and pay the price (we love wine and found that we were charged similar price to local Southampton hotel for same bottle - and less if we took the wine package for example).
Ports of call are either tours or walk off or get shuttle bus - at some ports you cannot walk thru the port so MUST pay for the shuttle bus or stay on board - some felt $12 was excessive.
written by on 16/02/2011
Well what can I say except FANTASTIC.
Left Southampton on the 26th January and check in was very smooth as had completed check in on line, so all they had to do was check printed cards and issue me my sea pass.
Boarded the ship and went to our inside cabin on deck 7 front. room was neatly laid out with all the necessary paperwork about the ship available. went for some tea in the windjammer whilst awaiting for our luggage, 5 cases. a quick walk around the ship to see what she is like and what a beautiful ship she is, the royal prommonade , the champagne bar, the boleros lounge, the pyramid lounge. and johnny rocketts diner.
Luggage arrived, so unpacked and went for dinner in the beautiful dinning room, we dined in the romeo and juliet level of the 3 storey diner. Our waitress Rose was just perfect for the job, she was so brillant, the food was always hot when it arrived and if you wanted some thing more , she sorted it out. brilliant she was. Thw wine steward Robert was always at your call, topping up your glass of wine all the time. We purchase the platinum wine package before we boarded and it is cheaper, worth it.
The ports of call where ok, rome being the best and the shuttle busees and staff where ok, yip expensive but hey you are there so do it.
2 bithdays were celebrated on board and the cakes where great (you had to pay for then prior to you boarding on line.
The ship was full and you did have to queue for certain things like tickets for the ice show and to get off the ship, but if u wanted cheap drink /tobacco etc to take back home then you had to queue.could not be bothered.
Entertainment was ok, best i have seen on ships, with Journy south and the east coast boys. The IOS orchestra were Brilliant as weel as the Ice shows.
Well i could go on and on saying how brillant this holiday was, only a few moans. not enough seating in lounges inside if weather is bad outside
but thats it. def will cruise with them again
written by on 09/02/2011
Our first cruise on the Indepence of the Seas was most enjoyable. Good shows and the ice shows were fantastic. I totally agree that the drinks were very expensive, bottle of wine was $30, but I made it last me 3 nights and there was certainly plenty of moaners although I did notice that they were enjoying themselves on a number of occasions. Cabin clean, all of the staff were polite and were very welcoming and there was plenty to do on sea days.
I thought the adult swimming pool was too small although the weather was not warm enough swim outside so an indoor pool would have been nice. Also a launderette would have been helpul in view of he 18 days voyage.
Would certainly go with them again
Polly
written by on 18/12/2010
just returned from our first ever cruise. the ship was huge (independence of the seas )and fantastic it was spotlessly clean food was great and staff were unbeatable, however a lot of people were complaining about price of drinks which were ,i admit extortionate apart from this the other negatives for us were departing from southampton ,never again the crossing was rough. we would cruise again but not with royal carribean unless they drop drink prices and we would go in summer not winter.
Written on: 05/01/2011
ive been on lots and lots of cruises before... me and my boyfriend have just booked the independance of the seas to go round the canary islands in october this year. but im really paniking about the weather. weve always flown out to the ship never docked in england and everyone says its going to be really choppy water. and will not be warm when we sale into the canary islands can you help me out please
written by Des Horlock on 02/12/2010
We had Cruised with Royal Carrebean on Voyager to Carrabean.
The things missing from Voyager were the Chocoholics buffet night.
A good sized sports bar and the very expensive poor quality drinks.
A mint on your pillow was no longer given.
The push to sell Duty free items ie Cigs and Drinks also cheap fashion items
and jewellery on the main promenade every night got boring and overcrowded
the promenade. The Theatre entertainment was overall Very Good. The ice show
was top class and the tickets for this were easily obtained if you went later than advertised. The cruise ship unfortunately had to go 100 miles
towards USA to fight the Hurricane force winds 77 knots and 30 metre high
waves. The ship handled the waves better than the crew many of them were
sea sick along with some guests, we were fine.
The most annoying aspect was the alcahol a draft Heineken at £4.45 a pint
that was not cold and went flat in a couple on minutes. The wine package
at $155 for 5 bottles not chilled abd charged 15% tax, why what happened to Duty Free offshore. The Cruise on Voyager out of Miami the drinks were cold
and not overpriced. The wine package is over £11 a bottle for very average
wine. The crew were very polite and helpful the Captain a comedian and the Cruise Director excellent at his job. The Bingo also was overpriced at $32 £20+ for 4 games only 1 winner per game all over in less than 30 minutes.
The drinks are more expesive than Royal Ascot.
written by on 19/11/2010
STAFF GOOD, FOOD GOOD, ACCOMODATION GOOD, TRIPS ASHORE GOOD
ONLY TWO POINTS NOT SO GOOD - DRINKS VERY EXPENSIVE
ALL SWIMMING POOLS WERE EXPOSED TO THE ELEMENTS, SO ON COLD AND WINDY DAYS
ONLY THE VERY BRAVE ATTEMPTED TO USE THE POOLS. IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO HAVE HAD AT LEAST ONE POOL ENCLOSED.
written by hilledward on 08/11/2010
the liner was a fantastic pease of engineering the only complaints food is not hot enough and it is very rependitive. It would also be a good idea if they would enforce the fact that children are not allowed in alot of the Bars after 04.00pm. They could also do more to celebrate our holidays and events as they did nothing to celebrate the 5th Nov.I would also like to point out that when it comes to paying the tips up front (prepaid tips)you have no choice in who it goes to,and it may go to someone you think did not deserve it.I found out that the staff your prepaid tips go to are told before they leave dock so you cannot change it. So if you want to reward good service and not just who they say don't prepay.
Written on: 18/11/2010
Very true ! We hardly ever see the head waiter ? and he got the largest share.? Our table waiters were extremely hard working and entertaining and got less...(We were most annoyed)
<br/>
<br/> Hi Eddy & Irene ..We are off again next week
<br/>
<br/> No not a cruise...?..back to flying.lol.(Tunisia)
written by on 31/10/2010
Just returned from our cruise on Independence of the Seas and a great time was had. Ate in King Lear Dining staff were wonderful as was the food, cabin stewardess was very helpful, so clean everywhere and a delight to be on board. Windjammer Cafe was manic for late breakfast and food was not always hot enough. Decided to get up earlier and went to the dining room and this was great, good service and so much easier than the Windjammer. Choices were magnificent for food and entertainment. We had 900 children on board!!! Mostly well behaved but do think young children should be kept out of dining after 8:30pm and the Adults Bar called Olive and Twist which supposedly has a ban on children from 4pm onwards - but some were there....... sometimes some of us want children free areas. We love kids but sometimes they were raucous especially the teenagers. A huge ship - get your exercise just walking from your cabin to the dining areas but hey ho what great fun. The sea was like a millpond all the way there and back with just a little ripple sway now and then. Well done RC even though it is obvious this is run as a business and sometimes charges are too much for some things especialy on trips ashore. Drinks too are expensive. Getting off ship flowed so smoothly albeit very early....... This ship was full and we found in the evenings that there were not enough chairs available at certain venues but with 4400+ on board most things were great. Dolly Dee Bedfordshire.
written by Kitty bag on 15/10/2010
This was our first cruise,and very enjoyable.The state room was spacious with lots of storage, all the staff were extremely helpful,nothing was to much trouble.The restaurant was amazing and all the waiting staff were wonderful,although the head waiter was a little smarmy!.Diffrent show everynight with 2 showings but you had to grab a seat early as others were holding seats for their friends. Dog and Badger pub was always busy,typical English pub Ben and Meera worked there socks off to keep glasses full,Excellant choice of food,but Windjammer sometimes resembled a cattle market,The cruise before ours had an outbreak of noro virus so ship was deep cleaned before we could go to our cabins,our room attendant did not clean our toilet and left us with dirty glasses in the bathroom(toothpaste) but did clean up as soon as we mentioned it to him and kept room sparkling for the rest of the cruise.Shops were not very exciting and were pricey.Was confused about gratuities as thought that we had to pay what they suggested ,but turns out you can opt out to pay on your account and can give cash to staff that you choose to,this was better for us .Chose to bring our own luggage off the ship when we arrived home and was of the boat in 15 mins. Not everything is "free" all drinks in windjammer are free,but we were charged $9.10 for freshly squeezed orange juice,there was no sign up to say that we would have to pay,so had a word with the helpdesk and money was refunded,also coffee in main restaurant is free with your meal but if you fancy a latte then you will be charged.Entertainment was a little repetitive and only had 3 formal nights,wish that I had been informed of this before as I bought far to many "posh frocks". happy sailing
written by on 12/10/2010
Overall the ship was well managed apart from the Windjammer cafe which was very crowded & in my opinion a poor layout of food counters. Particularyly noticeable at breakfast. Staff were very friendly & attentive. Imperccable service in main dining room. Had a previous Nor Virus outbreak but no problem with our cruise. Stateroom was excellent. The daily activities were not waried enough & the same for every day. Shows at night were fair but the last night was very poor & done on the cheap. Could have had a bit longer in some ports. Would I travel on this ship again is unlikely due to passenger numbers & queues. Steward for our cabin was very good. Brian M
written by on 29/08/2010
Independence is an incredible ship with plenty to do, my children had a great time with the ice-skating and flowrider and we all tried rock-climbing. Staff were always polite and really helpful. Obviously there were loads of kids on board as it is school holiday, can't blame RC for this and did see kids in the pool being told off for being rowdy but this is parents fault, my kids are my responsibility but other parents don't think the same about theirs! Drinks expensive but not much worse than Princess. Entertainment OK but gaps in the evning with nothing for families with older kids to do, especially between early dinner and main show.
written by on 21/07/2010
This was our first cruise and we loved it. The food was very good and varied. The staff were very helpful and friendly, our waiters were delightful and made it a fun time in the dining room. We enjoyed the entertainment also, particularly the band "Rock the Boat". I agree that the drinks are expensive espescialy the wine. Half of Scotland were on board, but so what. We would have prefered for there to be less children, but they didn't cause us any problems.
written by on 03/07/2010
Just returned from our first ever cruise, it was AMAZING!!!! the ship and its crew are FIRST CLASS, "thank you all"!
There is plenty to do on and off the ship and you are well informed of what is going on day and night. I do agree with the previous review about the bar being closed on the top deck at 8pm, this is a shame because it is nice to be sat outside during the evening when you are sailing on the med. This is the only negative thing I can say about the ship.
Food you can eat as much as you like, when you like.
The rooms are cleaned twice a day every day and all areas of the ship are spotless.
All the crew on board are happy to assist with request and the cruise director actively encourages all holiday makers to see any member of the crew if they are happy/unhappy with any part of their stay, in order for them to improve services.
There is no doubt we will be booking our next cruise with RCI.
5 star luxury at 3 star price.
Written on: 17/07/2010
Just booked to go on the Independence of the Seas in Oct, and after reading through dozens of reviews I am having serious doubts about this ship.
<br/>This is about the only review which has lifted my spirits.
Written on: 19/07/2010
Try another cruise line RC are penny pinching
written by on 20/06/2010
This was our first cruise and as soon as it was over we booked again for 2010.It simply makes for a great holiday!
1.NO AIRPORTS!
2.Mindblowing ship
3.World class service
4.Always loads to do
5.Good food (maybe not world class)and LOTS of it
6.Good ports of call and trips
7.Drinks a little pricy but it is only once a year
All in all if carsberg did cruses...
ENJOY!
written by slperkins on 28/05/2010
Altho we have cruised several times, this was our first with RC. The Independance is a huge ship (4000 passengers) too big for our taste as we spent a lot time walking to and from our cabin and queueing for lifts.
The ship was clean, our cabin, roomy and spotlessly maintained by a friendly woman. The food was good, but there wasnt a lot of choice and few vegetarian dishes apart from fish. Fortunately I dont have a large appetite. The restaurant staff were friendly and more than willing to get something not on the menu (salad) if you asked.
There was a lot for children to do, thankfully there werent a lot on our cruise, and those there were were mostly under school age.
The shows were good, however drinks were mega expensive, almost 10 dollars for a soft drink and a pint. We met up with friends and one evening for 3 pints lager, 1 Malibu and coke and one martini with lemonade plus a soft drink it came to over 30 dollars and the bar staff did push you to continually buy drinks.
We had asked for a table for two in the restaurant but found ourselves sharing with three other people (no problem). Imagine our shock when one of our dinner companiosn told us that the Cabin stewards and Restaurant waiters and bar staff didnt actually recieve a salary, but relied solely on tips. We were horiefied and checked this info with Guest Reations who embarrassed, told us this was true.
THEN I could understand why RC phoned us just before we sailed asking if we would like to pay the gratutities BEFORE we cruised. We said no afterall you dont book a meal in a restaurant and pay the tip up front, the restaurant and or food may be awful.
All thru the cruise we got little reminders left in our cabin of how to pay the gratuities up front, which we refused to do.
I have vowed NEVER to use RC again for a holiday and have written at length suggesting to the Hierarchy they take a wage cut and pay their staff at least the minimum wage. I have suggested they need to encourage their staff to join a Union, but of course that wont happen.
In 2010, people are being used almost as slaves to ensure holiday makers have a good cruise. Despicable behaviour, altho RC promise a response to emails within 48 hours, unsurprisingly I havent had a reply. However I shall kepp on emailing until I do get a reply.
I would encourage (and have done so to all my friends) to boycott RC Cruises until they begin to treat their staff like human beings and salaried human beings. Those staff work long long hours and I understood that RC plan to increase their working hours in the near future. I noticed with interest that most of the Restaurant and Bar and Cleaning staff came from poorer countries, Phillipines, Mexico etc, there werent any British restaurant, barr or cleaning staff to be seen. No surprise there then?
No mater whether you enjoyed your Rc cruise or not, pease think seriously before you book another, our Cruise and certainly others we informed had a rotten few days knowing that we were almost colluding in RC's despicable treatment of their staff.
I did check this info thoroughly with Guest Relations and rather upsettingly a fe guests were aware of RC's policy on pay, yet still chose to use their liners for a holiday. So at the time of writing this review I am still of the belief that Im factually correct. RC havent contacted me to tell me Ive made a huge mistake, so can only assume they dont care.
written by on 04/10/2009
It was fantastic - a great wonder as everything was so clean and so colourful.This was the Independence of the Seas. The staff were so helpful and cheerful. We tipped as we went along as they do go ashore too at times and are so pleased to get some extra.We loved the fabulous different things so huge like the ice rink and theatre. and superb choice of prints on wall etc. There was something for everyone.In spite of such a huge number of passengers we found no trouble finding a secluded spot to sit. We were rather taken aback though having to pay to get off the ship i.e shuttle buses in some places. never come across this before. All in all it was a fantastic experience and good choice of ports visiting.Prices of drinks were a bit ovr the top and I resented having to pay extra for a latte.!
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Chriswortley5's Comment
Written on: 09/04/2012
You cannot realy blame the company for the guests. I found the carribean cruises have more younger customers.