Firstly we were disappointed at first that our drinks package costing £144 only included 5 bottles of wine!!We complained to reception who looked at us as if we had horns coming out of our heads!! The cabin was fine but had no coffee!!Unbelievable on an American ship.When complained was told to use room service!!What!!Not labour saving at all. The food in the waiter service restaurants was poor.I went to the restaurant on my birthday expecting great things but was very disappointed! We found the buffet restaurant much better. Dont think the slavery issue has left the Americans as most of the menial jobs were carried out by non-whites but most of the shop staff and officers were white. The Reception staff were particularly rude to customers.I heard one man complaining about the $30 wi-fi saying it did not work and could not believe they said it was his fault!! The Americans need to learn a lot from the Italians and Spanish!! Also at every port we were made to queue for at least 30 minutes in the rain.This is unacceptable.

I have been on 25 cruises and this was my 5th RC cruise. It was the most horrible cruise ever. RC adds $12 per person per day for tips so there is no motivation for the staff to provide good service. Most of the cruise staff had bad attitudes. Everything seemed like an effort when we asked for something. It was as if everyone was at the end of their contracts and fed up with their job. We had a balcony stateroom which was a good size and nicely furnished. The bathroom was the typical small cabin bathroom. The cabin attendant kept the cabin fairly clean but the toilet had a horrible odor. The public restrooms were disgustingly dirty. It seemed that there was always toilet paper on the floor, urine on the seats and water on the floor and counters. The water was scalding hot. There were food and plates littered around the ship including on the stairs. Understandably, this was the fault of the passengers but it did take a long time before someone cleaned it up. We observed the staff cleaning the chairs and seats in the Windjammer/Jade cafe and then using the same cloth to clean the tables after it was used on the seats. There was an outbreak of Norovirus so the shopping was limited. The staff became even more unfriendly when they were forced to seve the food in the Windjammer/Jade cafe. The food was good overall but somewhat salty. The service in the main dining room was good. The menus could use some revamping. For instance, there was salmon on the first and second night and lamb on the 7th and 8th night. The ports were great and there was a good variety of tours. Unfortunately, we tried to book some tours when we got on board and most were sold out. The shows were good but there wre not enough of them. The entertainment was geared mostly towards kids and young families. I am not a complainer by nature and didn't say anything until the 5th day. Instead of an apology, the guest services manager offered explanations and excuses. RC lost my business for sure.

Recently returned from a cruise on Independence of the Seas. Lovely ports of call and interesting sights. We had an inside stateroom which was adequate but began to feel a little claustrophic after the first week! Meals were very good all round. We ate in the main dining room each evening and tried the outlets like Johnny Rockets a few times. Very good fun! I agree with previous comments though that RCCL could do so much better with regard to stateroom facilities and I did get the feeling that everything was geared to "extracting" as much money as possible from passengers The cost of the Spa treatments was extortianate compared with major hotels. Many of the lectures on board were promotions for services on board, basically sales pitches 15% is added onto all drinks bills and along with the 12 dollars per person per day, we felt that this was taking the gratuity issue to a new level! We had a problem with the wine package on board and were charged twice for it and at 389 dollars (inclusive of the statutary 15% addition) this was just one charge too many! We have travelled with RCCL four times now and for me, I will try a different cruise line next time. We felt that we were paying above and beyond for services at every turn I researched P and O tips on my return and they appear to be more sensibly priced so I think we will give P and O a try next time We love cruises and enjpoy the many lovely places to visit. My guess is that all the mid priced cruise lines offer a very similar product

Have sailed on this ship before and was so disappointed to find so many annoying things about it. 1 No coffee in the cabins. Why? This is an American ship. 2 No shower gel just a small bar of soap. If I had known that this time there would be no toileteries then I would have brought my own. 3 Ordered wine with lunch but had finished our lunch before the wine arrived. Had to remind three different waiters. 4 The outragous price of drinks. We expect to pay more on board but compared to other ships the prices were unreasonable. 5 We were aware that it was half term but lots of things were geared to children and very little of interest to us unless we went to a so called seminar which ultimatley were trying to sell you products. On the good side. The cabins are large and very very clean and the food is of excellent quality. We will not be travelling with R.C again as there are other ships we have been on where standards haven't dropped.

We have never travelled RCI before and have no criticism except the drinks package which was not value for money and did NOT include adecent cup of coffee. The crew, under the excellent Cspt.Remo wre fasntastic in every respect - profssional, attentive, caring and helpful. The food wss amazing considering the fact that after 6 nights at sea, 150,000 meals had been served. The facilitis were excellent - lovely spoacious stateroom, great balcony, fabulous ice skating show, enjoyabkle entertainment and so many activities!!! Rock wall climbing, surf board riding, mini golf, pools, jacuzzis, and endless dining opportunities both formal, informal and snacks - many open 24 hours. We enjoyd it so much - a stable ship in Force 7 and a scary foghorn when we entered fog on return in North Sea. Hot plates,endless food choices,. friendly helpful waiters and, we even found our drinks on the table on th 2nd night, based no what we drank the first night! Imprssive all round and a Capt. who instilled confidence from leaving dock in Southampton.

traveled from 24 Sep to 12 Oct Radiance of Sea cought a most shocking cough near end of cruise High prices on coffee, chai latte and tea outside of dining and then it was delivered in paper cups. Had to stand in line - no service. food was of learners standard. My granddaughter can create better mains and sweets. Very disapointed as for entertainment - very poor quality. nothing to do except dance (bad hip) gamble (obscene) will not use this company again. Yes I have cruised many time.

This was our 4th time on the Indepedence of the Seas and it was our best trip yet. The staff were so much friendly than ever before and the guest entertainers were amazing. So much to do for all the family and even though there were a lot of people on board, there was hardly any queuing! However, the highlights of the cruise have to be the ice shows, and the quizzes, especially CD Joff's Progressive Quiz and the brilliant gameshow Friendly Feud (hosted by Scott and Ben who were the most fun CD's staff). The restaurants were brilliant fun; however, if you're British, don't rely on all the descriptions given, but the waiters were brilliant! Finally I would like to warn all faithful C&A members that if you have children, the quality of bonuses we received for being Diamond members was appalling, even though we have paid full price, so be careful! I would definitely recommend the ship to anyone and it is the perfect holiday for a family

Southampton to the canaries :Where do i start! Great cruise, reading previous cruise reviews there was lots of variations in opinions, reviews give a general idea, but depending on the person and what they are like in general life will depend on the review they give , we read the food taste the same whatever you eat, so does salad taste like curry and rice? of course not the food is great but if you eat to much all the time and want to stay bloated then of course you may experience that feeling of non satisfaction, simply put don't over eat. mobility scooters where mentioned in another review, that they are a pain, well they can be , some think its there god given right to go first ,others don't , personally speaking i could not find one mobility scooter on deck unattended, I say this because i would of taken great satisfaction throwing one overboard ! and this comes from a parent with a disabled child. Another review was to many children running round , My answer don't go in holiday time and you won't experience this, children do have a right to enjoy themselves and they provide quality children's clubs that are awesome and believe me they would rather be in there than running around the ship. Our opinion: A clean ship is a healthy ship and believe me it is clean, you use alcohol hand gel before you go in any restaurant or shop, you cannot get out of the toilet without being reminded to was your hands. Waiter service is excellent, restaurants excellent and we recommend using them for all meals because you don't have to fight for a seat, i say that because if you use the windjammer then it is often difficult to find a seat at breakfast and lunch, you get the same in the restaurants on deck 3 and 4 and great service with it. The shows are fantastic , that was an easy one. shuttle buses are over priced. excursion to loro park in tenerife is the best excursion . Lanzarote is lanzagrotty " what a hole, mind you saying that its like landing on the moon so some may like it lol. WARNING do not book your next cruise on board the ship, we did and we got ripped off, British travel agents get you a better deal, we booked on board and got 150 dollars on our next cruise and free parking, when we got home our daughter wanted to join us and they got a better deal cheaper with 400 dollars and free parking, DO NOT IGNORE THIS ADVICE.......... we will make up our money by not paying tips because they won't budge on the offers......Plenty of entertainment, plenty of parties and parades , must see is the ice shows so line up for those tickets the queues go down like lightening, Be in the Alhambra theatre about 40 minutes before the show to get the seat you want there is a waiter service in there. the beer i found about £3 60 a pint converted for a pint, wine is expensive i thought but we buy from a local off licence at £6 to £8 a bottle and it starts at $29 about £18 in English currency and that the cheapest my opinion is i don't like to overpay. Despite being annoyed about our booking and spitting our dummy out over the price we paid compared to our daughters, i would 100% recommend this cruise to all , so book and enjoy , oh and they loved my some jake and treated him like a king as they do all children ...

just returned from a cruise round the canaries on IOTS terrible storm in the bay of biscay meant we could not call at maderia. the ship was crowded queues for everything loads of kid running about even though it was term time. standards were very low people coming to dinner dressed in tracksuits trainers baseball caps even on so called formal nights. food was of poor standard and always cold. the staff were very good the ship was spotless but no other plus points the whole atmosphere was that of a cheap package holiday. very disappointed and will never cruise with t5hem again

I have read several of the reviews of previous cruises on the Independent and it appears that we do not always get the same type of cruise. I went on 11th April to the Canaries and I should think that every ship's rule was broken. Children were in the Casino, they were also in the areas designated as child free, they also ran around in packs(many with Seapass cards in their hands - no doubt free to do as they wished with them). I agree with many comments about the Windjammer - just do not go there. Eating on Deck 3 is far more civilised. The food quality was acceptable but usually too cold. The Promenade is no doubt a good idea in some respects but if you require a lift you are obliged to take a long walk to one end or the other to acheive this. A central Atrium is more user friendly. I had a junior suite which was brilliant as a haven away from bustling crowds as well as being extremely comfortable. Overall, if you want a relaxing break this is not the ship for you, it is just too big and crowded.

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.

This was our 3rd trip on IOTS and will sadly be our last. The service remains excellent as always with RCI but sadly the whole experience has deteriorated because of the behaviour of other guests. I`m by no means a snob but when you pay for a 5* holiday (we travelled in a Grand Suite)you find yourself having to rub along with some pretty low life travelling companions. I appreciate the need some passengers have to use My Time Dining but was disappointed that we were seated in the same dining room, so there seemed to be a constant stream of people, rather than the single late sitting we opted for. Our waiter and assistant waiter were as always very attentive. In fact I have only praise for all the long suffering staff. The ice shows were excellent and the Rat Pack show was good but not exceptional. We very much enjoy the casino, especially since its one area children definitely arent allowed. The constant sanitizing can become intrusive but I would rather that than complacency. The ship is starting to look a little tired and I understand is due for a refit. The drinks onboard were quite expensive and in some cases poor quality. Beer on tap was reasonably priced, wine expensive and and in some instances not great. Better value are the cocktails from Boleros which is a quiet haven. The champagne bar similarily, after 4 pm when children not allowed. We did have access to the Concierge Club which is oversubscribed but does offer free drinks between 5- 8.30pm. Champagne on offer there was such poor quality we declined - even a modest Cava would be more palatable. We will probably cruise again and give Celebrity a go or Royal Caribbean on a different route.

We have enjoyed around 40 cruises over 17 years on a number of cruise lines including Royal Caribbean but this cruise was the worst we have ever known. The environment on board is where everyone has to queue wherever they go, the Windjammer Cafe which is the main buffet is so conjested that there are continual announcements requesting guests to vacate their tables in order for other guests to be accommodated in order they can eat and drink from melamine mugs and plates. The cafe on the promenade was also very conjested and people were always waiting for a table there and outside the promenade pub. The clientele consisted largely of very elderly guests many of who needed either walking aids or wheelchairs and were so rude by pushing to the front of queues for food or pushing guests to one side when entering lifts on their motorised chairs and guests dressed in trainers and jeans with either a football shirt or hoodie top even at dinner in the evening in the main restuarants with a number of gentlement of a mature vintage sporting what I understand is a modern design in earings. Our room was superb and the Ice show excellent however Royal Caribbean you have built nothing but an expensive floating Butlins style holiday camp.

This is our 3rd time on this ship. The lovely latin bar has now turned into a saga bar.The main reason for our return. AS advertised a latin bar THIS IS NOT NOW! They play old songs. The nigh club (the Laberynth) only go in if you like dancing in an ash tray.Because thats how you smell when youve been there. Great entertainment. Great singers, dancers and star acts. They all joke about saga ships but thats what this ship is turning into. Etiquette in the dinning room was poor. But food was great. on a good note. Bar staff and waiters were very good. Beautifull ship wasted.