Independence of the Seas, Independence of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Cruises
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Independence of the Seas Reviews
" More like a booze cruise to Calais "
Submitted By: rayk
Cruised with Royal Carribean before but this may be the last time. Gross overcrowding made cafe tables, seats and sunbeds impossible to find and the ship was packed with chavs who only seemed interested in getting as much alcohol down their necks as possible. Meanwhile their kids were left to play rocket ships in the lifts and chase each other around the corridors until after midnight. Not all the children on board by any means but enough to be a real nuisance. During the day they had ice cream fights on the sun deck and noisy wrestling matches in the ship's library. At first the staff tried to control things but they were ignored just so they gave up and pretended not to notice after that. I was glad when it was over!
- Date of Holiday:Aug 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Thomas Cook
" big,busy,great for kids "
Submitted By: sharonk
just returned from 2 weeks med cruise on this ship - our 3rd with RCI.
We did our homework before we booked and I would advise anyone to do the same before they book any cruise. We knew the ship was big (The biggest on the sea at the moment)and we knew it would be busy because we had to go in the school holiday.
Embarkation was quick and simple, if you are travelling with a child under 18 years of age and you have a different surname to your child you must take proof of your relationship such as birth certificates and marraige / divorce papers. If you are travelling with a child that doesn't belong to you you must take a letter signed by the parents giving you permission to travel with the child. If you have this paperwork you will glide through embarkation and can get to your room at 1pm. Our bags were delivered very quickly, we were unpacked by 3pm. The advantage of sailing from Southampton is the massive 90kg baggage allowance!
Our Stateroom Attendant introduced himself and showed us to our room and asked if we had any requests for anything. We asked for the beds to be changed to singles and for our ice bucket to be refilled every night. The room had a prom view, plenty of storage, hangers, flat screen TV, 2 sofas, coffee table, kettle, dressing table, hairdryer and plenty of sockets.
We then went to the Windjammer for lunch. Given the fact that the weather was bad we had expected the Windjammer to be crowded and it was. Yes it was difficult to get a table but we weren't in a rush so it wasn't a problem.
Our room was on Deck 8 next to the lift. We didn't get any noise from the lift at all and even though our room overlooked the Prom the only time when it was nosiy was when there was a parade but even then if you shut the curtains it wasn't a problem.
The room had plenty of storage and was very clean. A kettle was provided as was Tetleys teabags, paper mugs (think Starbucks) and milk. Coffee is not provided. This is because RCI have a contract with Seattles Finest and as yet they do not do indiviual packets of coffee however RCI are in talks with them to try and get something sorted out so they can provide them in the rooms. Because they have a contact with this Coffee company they can not provide coffee from a different company. Independence of the Seas is being seen as a "trial ship"
and RCI are looking at introducing new things and are learning as they are going along. The kettle in the room is one example of this.
We had "my time dining" which worked great for us. You don't share tables so if you like this aspect of cruising "my Time Dining" may not be for you. We always asked for a table in the same area and that way we got to know our waiters, you can end up sitting anywhere and having a different waiter each night. If they show you to a table near a serving area don't be afraid to ask for a table somewhere else. We found the dining room staff to be very attentative and unlike on other ships the head waiter came around every night to speak to the dinners. The food was OK I would give it a mark of 3-4 out of 5, I found it to be rich and rarely had a desert because I was too full. I had a glass of wine with my meal at $6. Bottles water with your meal will set you back $7 but they will give you iced jugged water which tastes just fine.
Breakfast in the Windjammer is busy some days. The selection of food is fantastic and very enjoyable. I was supprised to see stir fries at breakfast but they were avaiable as were other Asian foods, fruit, cold meats, cheese,bread, muffins, bagels, coissants, toast (wholemeal and white) English bacon, American bacon, various sausages, beans, mushrooms,hashbrowns, potato, hot ham, cerals, grits and an egg station where you could order fried eggs or omeletes with any fillings. Tea and coffee was plentiful as was juice and water. If you wanted freshly squeezed orange juice it cost you $4.95. Waiters served drinks as tables if you wanted them. If you couldn't face the Windjammer you could have breakfast in our stateroom or dining room where you had the choice of buffet or waiter service.
Free food was also available in Sorrentos pizza parlour and seattles finest coffee bar(coffe not free) on the prom.
Free food is served on plastic plates which is because you can take it poolside and I guess it is for health and safety reasons.
Jonny Rockets is also on the ship but carries a cover charge but we didn't get time to try it although we heared nothing but good reports.
Portofino and chops grill also carry cover charges and were reported to be very good although we didn't try either.
The activities for all ages of children are great, Babies in nappies can not use the pools.
The H2O area of water activities are super and kept very clean, as are the other 3 pools and 5 whirlpools which are open 24 hours. The gym is huge and very much in use, the boxing ring was in the entrance to the gym and we did see someone using it. There were lots of classes in the dance studio. The spa had 7 treatment rooms and looked very inviting but the prices very high.There are also sauna and steam rooms available.
The Entertainment team is big, dancers, singers and ice dancers. I'm not sure how much I liked the shows. The shows in the theatre were very colourful and included lots of circus skills - something I am not very keen on and I thought the stage often looked over crowded. However, even though I wasn't keen on the content I can not dispute the talent and stage sets which were amazing. The ice dancing shows were fantastic. You have to queue to get tickets on one morning each week to get your tickets. If you don't have a ticket, provided there are empty seats just before the show starts they allow people without tickets into the show. They allow one ticket per person for each show title and they reapeat each show a few times a week which ensures everyone gets chance to see each show.
The bands, pianist and violinist are all very good indeed. I found 2 of the female singers a little harsh but having sat behind the sound technician a couple of times and seeing the indicators go into red a few times when they sang I tend to think it was the techies job to do something about the mics - but hey I'm not a technician.
For those who like singing there was chance to get on th mic in one of the lounges, if you don't have the nerve to stand in front of the crowds there are singing booths onboard.
There is also a lounge were you can play wii games with your family and watch major sport on the TV.
The prom has a pizza parlour, coffee house, ben and jerrys, logo shop, fashion shop,general store,jewelry store and sports store, hardly a shopping mall. The only difference to other ships is that all this things are in one area rather than on say Briiliance when they are scattered around the ship - there are no more or no less than on say Brilliance
You can skate on the ice rink which is great fun. The flowrider is great to watch and my 16 year old says its great fun to try too - I will take his word for it.
you can hire the flowrider for an hour for $300 which isn't bad if there is a big group of you. If you want a lesson you can do this for $60, you can learn to surf or boogie board (or have a go at both.
The Rock Climbing wall is huge and has many face to climb including a "chimney" which is free standing from the wall. In my opinion this wall is much higher then the ones on Brilliance and Splendour.
The kids have access to an amusement arcade, you load dollars onto your seapass card and the card is then used in the machines. There are also dancemats and air hockey tables.
The casino is has lots of tables and machines but we never used them. Officail photos will set you back $19.95 each but are a great reminder of formal nights when you are in all your finery.
Staff also put on activities such as various dance classes,pool games, scrapbooking and card making classes, although the latter was rather dire.
We didn't go mad with drinks as non of us are big drinkers but the drinks we had I didn't think were too expensive. We didn't bother with the soda or water packages as in the past we haven't really found we have had good value from them - you can get free iced water, lemon and fruit juice plus tea and coffee.
We prepaid our tips for the first time and I did worry that we wouldn't get such a good service because "they already had our money". This wasn't the case. Every member of staff was polite and keen to give good service - nothing was too much trouble.
There are 2 negative things I would say......the shuttle transfer costs are high - $11 each in some cases. I have looked at previous cruise statements and can see a huge hike in shuttle costs. many people were unhappy because the cost of a family using shuttle bus services were higher than using taxis.
The other thing I would mention is the sales in the prom each day. Please double check prices of things with 2 staff as they don't always seem to know prices. I picked up a jade ring priced at $495 and heard one salesman saying the jewelry was reduced but not all by the same amount. I asked another salesman for the price of the jade ring and he just checked the ring and gave me the price on the ticket. I asked if it was reduced and he said no, I asked him to check, which he did and the price of the ring was actually $325!
On another occasion I purchased a jade necklace for everyday wear, it didn't have a price on it so she just took a price from another similar necklace. I showed it to my mum who went and bought the same necklece but she paid $5 more. The next day the same necklaces were on sale at 3 times the price!
Overall this cruise was great for my family, there was planty to do on the ship if you didn't want to go ashore, entertainment for kids was excellent, that includes teenagers who are often hard to please. Last year on Splendour of the seas my teenage son was bored stiff - we had no such problem on this ship.
The Captain spoke daily to passengers and you could check your TV in your room at anytime for weather reports, speed and viewcam pictures.
If you are planning on going on a cruise do your homework before you book - this ship is exactly what it says , big, busy with lots to do. If you want to experience it but don't like the idea of so many kids book term time dates. If you don't like big and busy this isn't the ship for you.
One final point, despite this being the biggest ship on the seas it is also the rockiest and creakiest ship I have been on although I always felt safe. I have had smoother sailings on the smaller ships that don't go so fast. Having said that I would sail on her again without a second thought
We did our homework before we booked and I would advise anyone to do the same before they book any cruise. We knew the ship was big (The biggest on the sea at the moment)and we knew it would be busy because we had to go in the school holiday.
Embarkation was quick and simple, if you are travelling with a child under 18 years of age and you have a different surname to your child you must take proof of your relationship such as birth certificates and marraige / divorce papers. If you are travelling with a child that doesn't belong to you you must take a letter signed by the parents giving you permission to travel with the child. If you have this paperwork you will glide through embarkation and can get to your room at 1pm. Our bags were delivered very quickly, we were unpacked by 3pm. The advantage of sailing from Southampton is the massive 90kg baggage allowance!
Our Stateroom Attendant introduced himself and showed us to our room and asked if we had any requests for anything. We asked for the beds to be changed to singles and for our ice bucket to be refilled every night. The room had a prom view, plenty of storage, hangers, flat screen TV, 2 sofas, coffee table, kettle, dressing table, hairdryer and plenty of sockets.
We then went to the Windjammer for lunch. Given the fact that the weather was bad we had expected the Windjammer to be crowded and it was. Yes it was difficult to get a table but we weren't in a rush so it wasn't a problem.
Our room was on Deck 8 next to the lift. We didn't get any noise from the lift at all and even though our room overlooked the Prom the only time when it was nosiy was when there was a parade but even then if you shut the curtains it wasn't a problem.
The room had plenty of storage and was very clean. A kettle was provided as was Tetleys teabags, paper mugs (think Starbucks) and milk. Coffee is not provided. This is because RCI have a contract with Seattles Finest and as yet they do not do indiviual packets of coffee however RCI are in talks with them to try and get something sorted out so they can provide them in the rooms. Because they have a contact with this Coffee company they can not provide coffee from a different company. Independence of the Seas is being seen as a "trial ship"
and RCI are looking at introducing new things and are learning as they are going along. The kettle in the room is one example of this.
We had "my time dining" which worked great for us. You don't share tables so if you like this aspect of cruising "my Time Dining" may not be for you. We always asked for a table in the same area and that way we got to know our waiters, you can end up sitting anywhere and having a different waiter each night. If they show you to a table near a serving area don't be afraid to ask for a table somewhere else. We found the dining room staff to be very attentative and unlike on other ships the head waiter came around every night to speak to the dinners. The food was OK I would give it a mark of 3-4 out of 5, I found it to be rich and rarely had a desert because I was too full. I had a glass of wine with my meal at $6. Bottles water with your meal will set you back $7 but they will give you iced jugged water which tastes just fine.
Breakfast in the Windjammer is busy some days. The selection of food is fantastic and very enjoyable. I was supprised to see stir fries at breakfast but they were avaiable as were other Asian foods, fruit, cold meats, cheese,bread, muffins, bagels, coissants, toast (wholemeal and white) English bacon, American bacon, various sausages, beans, mushrooms,hashbrowns, potato, hot ham, cerals, grits and an egg station where you could order fried eggs or omeletes with any fillings. Tea and coffee was plentiful as was juice and water. If you wanted freshly squeezed orange juice it cost you $4.95. Waiters served drinks as tables if you wanted them. If you couldn't face the Windjammer you could have breakfast in our stateroom or dining room where you had the choice of buffet or waiter service.
Free food was also available in Sorrentos pizza parlour and seattles finest coffee bar(coffe not free) on the prom.
Free food is served on plastic plates which is because you can take it poolside and I guess it is for health and safety reasons.
Jonny Rockets is also on the ship but carries a cover charge but we didn't get time to try it although we heared nothing but good reports.
Portofino and chops grill also carry cover charges and were reported to be very good although we didn't try either.
The activities for all ages of children are great, Babies in nappies can not use the pools.
The H2O area of water activities are super and kept very clean, as are the other 3 pools and 5 whirlpools which are open 24 hours. The gym is huge and very much in use, the boxing ring was in the entrance to the gym and we did see someone using it. There were lots of classes in the dance studio. The spa had 7 treatment rooms and looked very inviting but the prices very high.There are also sauna and steam rooms available.
The Entertainment team is big, dancers, singers and ice dancers. I'm not sure how much I liked the shows. The shows in the theatre were very colourful and included lots of circus skills - something I am not very keen on and I thought the stage often looked over crowded. However, even though I wasn't keen on the content I can not dispute the talent and stage sets which were amazing. The ice dancing shows were fantastic. You have to queue to get tickets on one morning each week to get your tickets. If you don't have a ticket, provided there are empty seats just before the show starts they allow people without tickets into the show. They allow one ticket per person for each show title and they reapeat each show a few times a week which ensures everyone gets chance to see each show.
The bands, pianist and violinist are all very good indeed. I found 2 of the female singers a little harsh but having sat behind the sound technician a couple of times and seeing the indicators go into red a few times when they sang I tend to think it was the techies job to do something about the mics - but hey I'm not a technician.
For those who like singing there was chance to get on th mic in one of the lounges, if you don't have the nerve to stand in front of the crowds there are singing booths onboard.
There is also a lounge were you can play wii games with your family and watch major sport on the TV.
The prom has a pizza parlour, coffee house, ben and jerrys, logo shop, fashion shop,general store,jewelry store and sports store, hardly a shopping mall. The only difference to other ships is that all this things are in one area rather than on say Briiliance when they are scattered around the ship - there are no more or no less than on say Brilliance
You can skate on the ice rink which is great fun. The flowrider is great to watch and my 16 year old says its great fun to try too - I will take his word for it.
you can hire the flowrider for an hour for $300 which isn't bad if there is a big group of you. If you want a lesson you can do this for $60, you can learn to surf or boogie board (or have a go at both.
The Rock Climbing wall is huge and has many face to climb including a "chimney" which is free standing from the wall. In my opinion this wall is much higher then the ones on Brilliance and Splendour.
The kids have access to an amusement arcade, you load dollars onto your seapass card and the card is then used in the machines. There are also dancemats and air hockey tables.
The casino is has lots of tables and machines but we never used them. Officail photos will set you back $19.95 each but are a great reminder of formal nights when you are in all your finery.
Staff also put on activities such as various dance classes,pool games, scrapbooking and card making classes, although the latter was rather dire.
We didn't go mad with drinks as non of us are big drinkers but the drinks we had I didn't think were too expensive. We didn't bother with the soda or water packages as in the past we haven't really found we have had good value from them - you can get free iced water, lemon and fruit juice plus tea and coffee.
We prepaid our tips for the first time and I did worry that we wouldn't get such a good service because "they already had our money". This wasn't the case. Every member of staff was polite and keen to give good service - nothing was too much trouble.
There are 2 negative things I would say......the shuttle transfer costs are high - $11 each in some cases. I have looked at previous cruise statements and can see a huge hike in shuttle costs. many people were unhappy because the cost of a family using shuttle bus services were higher than using taxis.
The other thing I would mention is the sales in the prom each day. Please double check prices of things with 2 staff as they don't always seem to know prices. I picked up a jade ring priced at $495 and heard one salesman saying the jewelry was reduced but not all by the same amount. I asked another salesman for the price of the jade ring and he just checked the ring and gave me the price on the ticket. I asked if it was reduced and he said no, I asked him to check, which he did and the price of the ring was actually $325!
On another occasion I purchased a jade necklace for everyday wear, it didn't have a price on it so she just took a price from another similar necklace. I showed it to my mum who went and bought the same necklece but she paid $5 more. The next day the same necklaces were on sale at 3 times the price!
Overall this cruise was great for my family, there was planty to do on the ship if you didn't want to go ashore, entertainment for kids was excellent, that includes teenagers who are often hard to please. Last year on Splendour of the seas my teenage son was bored stiff - we had no such problem on this ship.
The Captain spoke daily to passengers and you could check your TV in your room at anytime for weather reports, speed and viewcam pictures.
If you are planning on going on a cruise do your homework before you book - this ship is exactly what it says , big, busy with lots to do. If you want to experience it but don't like the idea of so many kids book term time dates. If you don't like big and busy this isn't the ship for you.
One final point, despite this being the biggest ship on the seas it is also the rockiest and creakiest ship I have been on although I always felt safe. I have had smoother sailings on the smaller ships that don't go so fast. Having said that I would sail on her again without a second thought
- Date of Holiday:Jul 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" First Cruise "
Submitted By: sharon Ex
We experienced our first ever cruise on the 4th July on the Independance of The Seas. I have looked at other reviews and feel people are moaning unjustly. Lets be realistic, you know once you are captive on a ship, on the ocean, things are going to be expensive! If you want to penny pinch then this isn't the holiday for you.
The service from the time of check in through to departure, was outstanding. The organisation and logisitics of moving 4,500 people and their luggage cant be easy! Likewise getting on and off at ports, all dealt with as smoothly and personally as possible.
The entertainment (and entertainments Manager) were outtanding. There is something for everyone, nothing is repeated. I cant believe the people who had to stand or couldn't get in shows, there were empty seats at all performances I attended. The ice shows are popular, but you are told this and given various options to obtain tickets.
We dined in the King Lear with a specified timing option. The menus,food and service were 5*. We only chose the Windjammer for lunch, that was busier, but always had a good choice. People saying breakfast was busy could have had room service with a full menu choice at no additional cost.
I suggest people do as we did and check websites before booking. We were aware that drinks were not allowed to be brought in luggage. We also knew that tips were added in to prices of drinks (this also aleviates tipping, you only add extra if you wish.) Lastly, I really don't understand why people go on large ships, then complain how large they are!!
We will definately be travelling with Royal Carribean again.
The service from the time of check in through to departure, was outstanding. The organisation and logisitics of moving 4,500 people and their luggage cant be easy! Likewise getting on and off at ports, all dealt with as smoothly and personally as possible.
The entertainment (and entertainments Manager) were outtanding. There is something for everyone, nothing is repeated. I cant believe the people who had to stand or couldn't get in shows, there were empty seats at all performances I attended. The ice shows are popular, but you are told this and given various options to obtain tickets.
We dined in the King Lear with a specified timing option. The menus,food and service were 5*. We only chose the Windjammer for lunch, that was busier, but always had a good choice. People saying breakfast was busy could have had room service with a full menu choice at no additional cost.
I suggest people do as we did and check websites before booking. We were aware that drinks were not allowed to be brought in luggage. We also knew that tips were added in to prices of drinks (this also aleviates tipping, you only add extra if you wish.) Lastly, I really don't understand why people go on large ships, then complain how large they are!!
We will definately be travelling with Royal Carribean again.
- Date of Holiday:Jul 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Money making machine "
Submitted By: graham f
Sailed on the Independence of the seas in July. The ship is beautiful but to large. The staff are helpful and the food very good, but some of Royal Caribbean’s policies are questionable. Firstly the drink is expensive; any alcohol brought onto the ship is taken off you and given back on the last day. The ship has a duty free shop and the price of alcohol is good. Again you cannot get access to this alcohol until the last day. Every thing bought on the ship is more expensive than bought on land. Don't purchase their drinking water packages. It costs about $4.50 for a litre bottle of water. Better to get the free glasses of water from the bars. What is a good purchase (only because of the prices they charge) is the pre paid soft drink packages. Another problem because on the size of the ship is getting a sunbed. Apparently there are only 2500 sunbeds on the ship. Royal Caribbean were employing a policy that if you leave your sunbed for longer than 1/2 hour then they removed your towel and gave the bed to another passenger. This does not give you sufficient time to queue for your lunch and eat it on time or use the facilities like the flow rider or climbing wall. All the time we were on the ship it felt that Royal Caribbean was attempting to fleece the last penny from your pockets. If it wasn't for official photographs at $20 a photo, it was cocktails at the pool side, art auctions, paying for fitness classes or paying for the shuttle buses at some of the Ports that convey you from the boat into the local town.
Lastly if possible avoid signing up for Royal Caribbean's excursions. We used the local train service to travel into Rome for the day. It was only 9.5 euros return per passenger as opposed to Royal Caribbean's excursions price of about £50 return. Overall we enjoyed our experience of the ship but these small things add up and niggle at you. I would definitely thing twice before I booked a cruise with Royal Caribbean again.
Lastly if possible avoid signing up for Royal Caribbean's excursions. We used the local train service to travel into Rome for the day. It was only 9.5 euros return per passenger as opposed to Royal Caribbean's excursions price of about £50 return. Overall we enjoyed our experience of the ship but these small things add up and niggle at you. I would definitely thing twice before I booked a cruise with Royal Caribbean again.
- Date of Holiday:Jul 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Not what we expected. "
Submitted By: spitfire9
The best way to describe our cruise on this ridiculous ship is "Butlins on a boat".
It just needed a few hundred Redcoats to complete the picture.
It just needed a few hundred Redcoats to complete the picture.
- Date of Holiday:Apr 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" Rip the British off cruise "
Submitted By: jan.drury@flybmi.com
We have been on 5 cruises before, 4 with RCL but the Independence of the Seas was definitely the worst ship we have been on. It was a complete rip off as far as drinks was concerned and was informed by a passenger who sailed from the States to S'hampton that as soon as the ship arrived in S'hampton the drinks were doubled and the bars where smoking was allowed was changed to no-smoking. We did feel we were in a holiday camp of a very low grade, even the Captain was unaware of the weather conditions (on the sea) most of the time by quote: "I expect you would like to know as I would!" There were only about 3 or 4 good shows and then most of the time we could not get a seat so had to stand, the ice shows were great but again, they overbooked so people had to stand and the worst thing was trying to find a table to eat breakfast in the Windjammer restaurant so we ate breakfast in our stateroom most mornings. All RCL are interested in is getting as many people onboard with a bigger ship but keeping all the facilities the same as other ships.
This latest experience on what used to be a luxury cruise company is definitely our last.
This latest experience on what used to be a luxury cruise company is definitely our last.
- Date of Holiday:Apr 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Booked Independently
" First Cruise Experience "
Submitted By: vroone
This was our first cruise and we treated ourselves to a balcony stateroom which was a great bolt hole when we got fed up with not finding some where to sit on sea days when weather precluded the on deck options. (4 out of 5 days unfortunately). The ship is just too big and the Windjammer was a nightmare at times, no seats so your food went cold.
The prices of drinks were a total rip off, as were photo's and the trips, so we had to limit ourselves. 2 weeks worked out at just under £4000 and although we enjoyed the itinery it wasn't worth that money. Even seasoned cruiser's complained about the prices. Exchange rates were also abysmal. The shows were poor and on 2 nights "A night at the Movies" was all that was available. There was a bit of a hoiliday camp atmosphere with Jackpot Jen, advertising bingo tickets on the tannoy with regular monotony and at $32 for 6 books they weren't cheap either.
On the plus side the cabin was great with plenty of storage, shame there was no coffee though, only tea and only paper cups to drink from!!(more penny pinching). The food was lovely in the dining rooms and The My Time Dining was a brilliant choice. The staff were always attentive, polite and helpful, but people felt so strongly about being "ripped off" that a lot were refusing to leave tips, which I think was such a shame as the staff weren't to blame.
We will not be rushing into cruising again and will definately never go with Royal Caribbean.
Vivien O'Neill
The prices of drinks were a total rip off, as were photo's and the trips, so we had to limit ourselves. 2 weeks worked out at just under £4000 and although we enjoyed the itinery it wasn't worth that money. Even seasoned cruiser's complained about the prices. Exchange rates were also abysmal. The shows were poor and on 2 nights "A night at the Movies" was all that was available. There was a bit of a hoiliday camp atmosphere with Jackpot Jen, advertising bingo tickets on the tannoy with regular monotony and at $32 for 6 books they weren't cheap either.
On the plus side the cabin was great with plenty of storage, shame there was no coffee though, only tea and only paper cups to drink from!!(more penny pinching). The food was lovely in the dining rooms and The My Time Dining was a brilliant choice. The staff were always attentive, polite and helpful, but people felt so strongly about being "ripped off" that a lot were refusing to leave tips, which I think was such a shame as the staff weren't to blame.
We will not be rushing into cruising again and will definately never go with Royal Caribbean.
Vivien O'Neill
- Date of Holiday:Apr 2009
- Itinerary:Not Specified
- Tour Operator:Travel Counsellors
" Just returned from cruise on the new... "
Submitted By: Mrs S J Wright
Just returned from cruise on the new ship, 'Independence of the seas'. We felt it was far too big, it has a shopping mall going through it, and my husband said, oh great, 2 weeks in Blue Water!"!! We had our first cruise with Royal Carribbean 3 years ago on 'Legend of the seas', which is much smaller but much more personal. We felt this was just a large money making machine, all geared up for families rather than couples....the top of the ship is a bit like a floating Butlins, geared up more for children, and the main swimming pools for adults were much too small. Will not be going with Royal Carribbean in the future.
- Date of Holiday:Jun 2008
- Itinerary:Full Board
- Tour Operator:Select
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I'm sorry but anyone saying this ship is good in anyway has not had a good holiday before.