Long review Independence March 28-April 3

[sandm]

We are just back from Independence of the Seas 6 day to Belize, Costa Maya and Cozumel. It was a great cruise. There were 15 of us total with ages 14 to 82. My family (me, DH, DS age 17 and DD who turned 15 on the ship) traveled with my siblings and their families and our parents. My family of four are Diamond members on RCCL and my brother and his wife and daughter were cruising newbies. The rest have cruised at least a few times before.

I have to say it was great fun to travel with people who have never cruised before to relive that first time excitement. I booked the Presidential Suite a year and a half ago for 9 of us. Then my other siblings decided to come along and one had a balcony and one had an inside cabin.

We stayed two nights pre cruise at the Embassy Suites 17th street. It was a great hotel for our family. It is easily within walking distance of many restaurants and stores such as Publix and Total Wine. There is a café in the shopping mall just behind the Embassy Suites called Gilberts Café. It is a family owned café with a great menu including salads served in a taco shell with mahi mahi, great hamburgers and many other options. One customer told me the seared tuna was great as he was leaving. I tried it the second day and it did not disappoint. We went there 3 times total (one time going back for “Mama’s key lime pie”).

The rooms were clean and spacious. Trip advisor had some reviews stating the rooms were tired with peeling wall paper and hard beds. We saw no evidence at all of this and the beds we had were very comfy. One of my favorite things is to go on my early morning run across the big bridge and see all the cruise ships in the port. On Saturday morning I came across some runners in a race and there were lots of spectators and photographers. I was thinking I felt pretty good about my 7 mile run only to be quite humbled finding out the race was a 100 mile run!

Sunday we boarded just before noon. The whole process took about 30 minutes and this includes a 20 minute wait in the holding area. It was a breeze.

First thing is lunch in the Windjammer. The food was good considering the amount of people they serve. There was almost always a choice of fish, and beef or chicken, and plenty of options for starches and vegetables. The salad fixins are always fresh and the pizza good. I sometimes try some of the other offerings but usually end up with my soup and salad.

The rooms were ready around 1:30. The Presidential Suite was very nice. It has 2 master suites each with a nice sized bathroom around the size (or even bigger) of a junior suite bathroom. There are also two inside sized rooms each with its own bathroom similar to a regular bathroom. The living/dining room easily accommodated all 15 of us for pre dinner drinks and gathering. The balcony is grand with a teak table to seat 14, a wet bar, hot tub, at least 8 additional wicker chairs and 4 cushioned loungers. The afternoons were enjoyed resting in the sun.

We had early seating at two tables on deck 4. Our server was really just OK. He seemed very overwhelmed constantly consulting his sheet for who got what delivering only one plate at a time and often missed a starter or two for someone in our group. His assistant was good but again we had to ask for water, rolls, wine, missing silver ware at least a few times per night.

Perhaps they were new at this and needed more practice but all the servers around us seemed to be a bit frazzled and either could have used fewer tables or more assistance.

The food in the dining room was anywhere from just OK to good. Our group enjoyed the starters more than the main dishes. The steaks were really disappointing for us. We are from the Midwest so we enjoy good beef. We ordered fish most nights and it was not bad. These are just our opinions but it was noted by all who have cruised before that this was NOT the same quality they had in past years with RCCL or not as good as they have had on other cruise lines including Carnival or Celebrity. We couldn’t tell if it was from cutting costs or simply having to serve so many people at one time. Either way, these are just our opinions and none of us left the table hungry.

We have done both private and ship sponsored excursions. Since I planned the trip and felt a responsibility to get everyone back to the ship on time I planned all ship sponsored excursions this time.

Our first port was Belize. My parents and niece, who had her appendix out just 7 days prior, went on the calypso train ride. It was relaxing for them and informative. The rest of us did the Rainforest ATV. This was great fun. Not one of us has ever driven an ATV before and this was not a problem. We took a 45 minute bus ride to a park near the granite mines where the ATV’s were ready for us to hop on. They outfitted us and gave a few simple instructions and away we went. We drove for maybe an hour and stopped at a cave where we were outfitted with head lamps and SQUEEZED through a REALLY tight opening to enter a cave. Our guide took us deeper into the cave stopping along the way to teach and show. We then drove another 20 minutes back to base camp and returned by the same bus to the ship. We all had a great time and it was definitely a “do again” excursion for us.

Our next stop was Costa Maya. My brother and his wife took my father, and niece andwent to the beach. Daniel the concierge, recommended 40 Cannons. It was lovely and the food was delicious. Plenty of beers were consumed.

The rest of us, including my 75 year old mother did the Mini Rhino adventure. WOW, what a BLAST! We took an open air bus/jeep to the camp where we were outfitted with bandanas, helmets and goggles. The mini rhinos are similar to dune buggies but a little different. They are automatic so no shifting gears. We drove through VERY rough and WILD terrain. There was SO much dust we went through long periods of ZERO visibility. As a passenger I really had to hold on. Our stomachs ached from laughing so hard on this one. After the ride we returned to camp for some chips and salsa and a dip in the Caribbean Sea to attempt to wash off. We were FILTHY! We did this in Hawaii so knew to wear old dark clothes and we threw away our shoes after but one young women wore the cutest white shorts that I don’t think the shorts will ever get white again. This is another definitely “do again” for us. We then met up with my brother at 40 Cannons and enjoyed some good food and beer on the beach. We also got quite a few looks considering we were so filthy!

Our last port was Cozumel. Half did Isla Passion by Twister Boat and the other half did Isla Passion by Catamaran. It was a much needed relaxing day on the beautiful beach. The food and drink was good and plentiful.

Another very fun thing we did was rent the Flow Rider for an hour. It was $300 and worth every penny. We had two instructors who spent the whole time with us teaching and holding on while they guided us on how to first bogie board then surf. Everyone who participated got banged or bruised but no major injuries and well worth it.

As I mentioned the dining room service was just OK. Everywhere else it was excellent. The Windjammer service was exceptional with them constantly refilling drinks and finding tables to accommodate our large party. We sat in the same area every day for breakfast and lunch so got to know Lancelot and other wonderful servers. Our room stewards were outstanding and we tipped accordingly to all.

We used the track and fitness center every day throughout the day. I run very early morning and most people followed the guidelines printed several times on the track of runners on the right and walkers on the left. I was off the track by 7:30 since that was when it started to get crowded. The fitness center was packed (as usual) the first day then the crowds taper off as the days progress. It is a beautiful facility and we used much of the equipment and used the side rooms as our family like to each bring a routine to challenge each other.

We lost a little and won a little in the casino. I only saw part of one show and left about half way through. It’s just not my thing. The kids (all teens) saw many of the shows and enjoyed them.

The kids met friends on the ship and hung out. Just an FYI for parents of teens. They were very strict about the ages to get into activities. One club has an age group of 15-18. My daughter who would be 15 the very next day was denied at the door along with her 18 year old cousin. They found something else to do but they were scanning the kid’s cards at the door.

Thanks to other cruisecritic members I came up with a picture scavenger hunt for the kids. They had a list of 30 things to get pictures of with at least one of the team members in the picture. The list included various things around the ship like the cantilevered hot tub, room 2401, a jet ski, a wife beater undershirt, someone wearing a robe in a public eating venue, someone smoking in a nonsmoking area. The kids had no problem finding all the pictures. The winning team enjoyed the cash prize.

Most of the adults in our group were in bed by 10-11. The kids were out a bit later. They often hung out playing cards or just talking with their friends. Our kids did note that they saw several kids that appeared to be drunk slurring their words, stumbling gait and loud obnoxious behavior. Our kids would see these kids in the 15-18 year old activities. My brother in law saw them a few nights also. He felt they were not 21 years old and my Brother in law also felt they were acting drunk. I am not sure since I did not see them and I couldn’t imagine how these under 21 could get a hold of alcohol. Other than a few incidences most kids appeared well behaved.

We had a great time and really enjoyed Independence of the Seas. I'm happy to answer any questions.

[abhb]

It sounds like your family had a really nice vacation. I would love to see what the PS looks like. I have never been in anything larger than a balcony:D

[sandm]

Here are some pictures of the Presidential suite (I hope). I have to ask my 17 year old son for help.

[CSBM]

I really enjoyed your review.

We are doing the same route on Liberty next March!

You gave us some great ideas for excursions for our ports!!!

 

Thanks! We will be first time cruisers and you gave us some good hints!

 

CSBM

[Matti]

Sounds like you guys enjoyed a great cruise. Thanks for the review!

 

I was on that slightly smaller Royal Caribbean ship that was alongside you in Costa Maya and Cozumel ;)

[sandm]

Matti, it was fun to compare the sizes. Seeing them side by side really puts it in perspective. We really enjoyed the ports.

[Matti]

Absolutely! Captain Ron had told us the night before Costa Maya that we'd be in port with you guys for the next two days, and even though he told us your ship was about two times as large as ours in terms of tonnage, it was really a striking comparison to see them right next to each other.

[swangirl]

You mentioned eating in the Windjammer and using the same table. As you had the Presidential Suite were you not allowed to have breakfast and lunch in Portofinos or has this perk been stopped?

[sandm]

Suite guests were still allowed to eat in one of the specialty restaurants however my sisters and their families were not in suites so we chose to eat in the windjammer so we could all be together.