Independence of the Seas review

[ak1004]

We just came back from the Independence of the Seas cruise and I posted a review -

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=113144

 

If you have any questions I will be glad to answer.

[redwings1958]

Overall service:

 

Pretty good, not outstanding. Waiters in the pool and bars were very quick to come and offer you a $10 cocktail, I wish they were as quick to offer free stuff such as coffee at breakfast and lunch. Our cabin service was just okay and not consistent. I asked to get ice every evening, I got it about every other evening. Some days the cabin has been cleaned during our breakfast time, other days it could take as long as 3-4 hours. Sometimes it felt that there is not enough stuff for such a big ship, and their first priority of maximizing profits, not necessarily providing the best service.

[Our cabin was never cleaned until about 3pm. This was OK since we spent all day outside. The evening turndown was consistent; By the time dinner was over, the cabin was cleaned and ready for bedtime

 

 

Food:

 

Just okay. Breakfast had pretty good selection, but it was exactly the same each and every day. Lunch buffet was below average. About 30% of the selection was junk food (pizza, hamburgers, fries, sausages) which is probably fine with most Americans. The rest was just okay. Dinner was usually good quality, but only two courses (starters and entree). Costa had selection of 4-5 courses. Juices (orange and apple) were free only during breakfast, rest of the day you had to pay for it. No midnight buffet, which one of the main attractions on each cruise. When we asked our waiter why there is no midnight buffet, he said it is a waste of food. Well, breakfast/lunch buffet are waste of food as well, maybe just cancel them and bring some sandwiches.

[I totally agee! The food was just average. However if U ate in the MDR for breakfast or lunch, the quality was much better than the WJC

 

 

Entertainment/activities:

 

There were limited activities during the day. The skating was very nice, but it was available only 3 days for 3-4 hours. The evening shows were just okay, most of them have been performed by in the house singers and dancers and felt a bit amateur. The guest show was pretty good. The Ice show was outstanding. The cruise Director, Joff Ethan, was hilarious. The farewell shows was pathetic. FYI RCI: you don't put a piano on wheels.

I thought the entertainement was really good, especially Jeff Tracta. The ice show was excellent and Joff EATON(sp) was a terrific CD

 

 

Cabins:

 

I guess bigger ships means smaller cabins. The cabin was only 150 sqf including bathroom and closet. Not a big deal since you are supposed only to sleep in the cabin. Just don't expect bigger cabins only because it's a bigger ship. Costa was 175 sqf btw.

 

 

 

Ports/excursions:

 

We visited 4 ports: St. Kitts, St Maarten, San Juan & Labadee. Don't take excursions from the ship. You can get a $45 tour for $20 from a local tour provider. Those are exactly the same excursions; you just pay double if you book through the ship. The only inconvenience is that locals usually accept cash only. St. Kitts is beautiful. St Maarten and San Juan are very nice for shopping. Labadee is a private island owned by RCC. It was a very nice day on a beach, very well organized.

Ditto

 

 

Wi-Fi:

 

This was a complete disaster. They charge $0.65 per minute for an Internet service which is about 3 times slower than a high-speed Internet. It was supposed to be available in the cabin and most public areas. In reality, most of the time you had to go to the Business center to get it. The price and the service were just outrageous.

Didn't use it. Waited until SJU to use Internet and the Cell Phones

 

 

Public areas:

 

Pools were nice but way overcrowded. Most of the time it was difficult to find a spot. The largest public area was the casino, which is probably the biggest cash cow for the ship.

Disagree here. Never had an issue with any of the pools, especially the Solarium and the sport pool. Chairs were plentiful and available. Smaill kids ususally were in the Kids zone, which left a loft of space for the regular pool

 

 

Conclusion: Larger ship doesn't necessarily mean better ship. We didn't feel that the stuff is ready to go the extra mile to turn a good cruise to outstanding. Overall, the quality does not justify the significantly higher price compared to Costa. Maybe this ship is an exception, but based on our experience, I would not call RCI a premium cruise line. This ship is a 4 star ship at 5 star price. Next time we will probably try Celebrity, or go back to Costa.

To each his own. My fam had a wonderful time

[ak1004]

I agree about Jeff Tracta, he was excellent. The rest of the shows were pretty good, but nothing special, the shows on Costa were better.

 

Pools were okay on the port days, but during on sea days, we had issues finding a spot. Not a big deal, I just felt that the pool area was not big enough compared to the size of the ship.

 

Overall, we had a fantastic time as well. I'm just saying that I expected more from RCI which is considered an upscale cruise line.

[39august]

I don't understand your comment about only two courses at dinner! There are salads, appetizers, soups, entrees and desserts. You can order as many of each as you wish. There have been no midnight buffets on any RCI ship for about 3-4 years now. But thanks for your review.

[Tyron]

I agree about Jeff Tracta, he was excellent. The rest of the shows were pretty good, but nothing special, the shows on Costa were better.

 

Pools were okay on the port days, but during on sea days, we had issues finding a spot. Not a big deal, I just felt that the pool area was not big enough compared to the size of the ship.

 

Overall, we had a fantastic time as well. I'm just saying that I expected more from RCI which is considered an upscale cruise line.

RCI is definitely not an upscale line. It's mass market just as Carnival, Costa, Norwegian, Celebrity, etc. I'm glad you did have a good time overall. :) :cool:

[PattyG12]

I'm just saying that I expected more from RCI which is considered an upscale cruise line.

 

 

Celebrity is more upscale ...RCI is a family line.

[LBumb]

nice review

[berylde]

I am a big fan of RCL

BUT, I agree with your review. Of couse, we enjoyed our cruise but something was just "off"

 

I had 2 piecies of luggage and only one was delivered.

When I went to the service desk, they had no record of it and said they would do a search. The next day (late afternoon), the desk called to say they found it but I had to go down and get it ! I had one 750 ml bottle of wine in the luggage and it was put aside because someone didn't know about the new rule allowing 2 bottles of wine per cabin

 

Just one example------------------

[ak1004]

I don't understand your comment about only two courses at dinner! There are salads, appetizers, soups, entrees and desserts. You can order as many of each as you wish. There have been no midnight buffets on any RCI ship for about 3-4 years now. But thanks for your review.

Two courses are not including the desert. They have starters which include soups, appetizers and salads, and entrees. "Officially", you are supposed to order one starter and one entree. I agree that in reality, there is no problem to order soup AND salad. On Costa, they had 4-5 courses (separate for soups, separate for salads, separate for pasta etc.) and each course had 3-4 choices. RCI had total choice of 5-6 starters which is a bit limited.

 

I didn't know about the midnight buffets, and I'm surprised. Costa and Carnival had it, and both are considered inferior to RCI.

[ak1004]

RCI is definitely not an upscale line. It's mass market just as Carnival, Costa, Norwegian, Celebrity, etc. I'm glad you did have a good time overall. :) :cool:

Galaxsea http://www.galaxsea.com/ratings.html puts Celebrity, RCI, Cunard, Holland, Disney and Princess under PREMIUM CLASS. Carnival and NCL are under Budget class. The price also reflects that. RCI is cheaper than Celebrity, but more expensive than carnival or Costa.

 

To me, RCI was way better than Carnival, but about same level as Costa. Maybe because Costa was our first cruise..

[crusinpeg]

I am so glad that midnight buffets are a thing of the past......I remember them back in the day and can't believe the amount of food that was wasted. I would see people pile their plate sky high..take one or two bites and then leave it.

[PattyG12]

Galaxsea .

 

is a travel agent ... it's an opinion, not factual at all

[wolfcathorse]

 

Labadee is a private island owned by RCC. It was a very nice day on a beach, very well organized.

 

 

not true, Labadee is a beach area on the northern edge of the island of Hispaniola (half Haiti/half Dominican Republic). RCI definately does not own Haiti/Dominican Republic!

[ak1004]

not true, Labadee is a beach area on the northern edge of the island of Hispaniola (half Haiti/half Dominican Republic). RCI definately does not own Haiti/Dominican Republic!

You are correct, it is a private resort leased to Royal Caribbean International until 2050. So they don't own the whole island, only this particular area, but it is still limited to RCI only.

[ak1004]

is a travel agent ... it's an opinion, not factual at all

Maybe.. however, based on price, it is more expensive than "budget" lines. We could do Carnival, Costa or MSC for around $700 at the same period, while RCI was $1,200. You would expect better quality for almost double price.

[ak1004]

I am so glad that midnight buffets are a thing of the past......I remember them back in the day and can't believe the amount of food that was wasted. I would see people pile their plate sky high..take one or two bites and then leave it.

Well, based on this logic, you should cancel all buffets (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and leave only the dining room.

 

The midnight buffet with all ice sculptures and the food arrangements was one of our best memories from Costa and Carnival.

[ticktoneer]

We just came back from the Independence of the Seas cruise and I posted a review -

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=113144

 

If you have any questions I will be glad to answer.

Good review. I respect your points and opinions and am not standing by with a taser gun to jump on you as fast as i can like others seem to on here !!!

[will773]

Thanks for the review, although I'm a bit confused with your comments. You seem to be curious about Royal Caribbean's service levels, and even speculated that perhaps the Independence was just a fluke, but you have been on several other RCCL cruises, so surely you would have prior experience with the cruise line.

[PattyG12]

Maybe.. however, based on price, it is more expensive than "budget" lines. We could do Carnival, Costa or MSC for around $700 at the same period, while RCI was $1,200. You would expect better quality for almost double price.

 

You're correct and I respect your opinion. I had a terrible cruise on Carnival and got BASHED on here. It didn't lessen the sting of the bad cruise and the bashing didn't make the cruise better. I'm really sorry you didn't receive good service on RCI. It's really unexcusable!

[ak1004]

Thanks for the review, although I'm a bit confused with your comments. You seem to be curious about Royal Caribbean's service levels, and even speculated that perhaps the Independence was just a fluke, but you have been on several other RCCL cruises, so surely you would have prior experience with the cruise line.

No, actually it was my first Royal Caribbean cruise - I sailed with Costa twice and with Carnival once. And again, I didn't say that the service was bad, I just said that based on the price, I expected it to be MUCH better than Costa, but in fact, it was a similar level. I was with Costa in 2006 and 2008, maybe things have changed since then and Costa is also not what it used to be.

[micmacmissy]

$1,200 seems extremely reasonable for a week long cruise, unless you were in an inside cabin?

[ticktoneer]

$1,200 seems extremely reasonable for a week long cruise, unless you were in an inside cabin?

Tell me you're joking. $1200 is high end !!!!

[ak1004]

$1,200 seems extremely reasonable for a week long cruise, unless you were in an inside cabin?

Yes, it was an inside cabin. Even considering it was a holiday season (Christmas), this is VERY expensive. Like I mentioned, I could get Costa, MSC or Carnival for ~$700 for the same period. Unfortunately, this is the only time we could travel, but I still consider it a complete rip-off. The difference in the price is simply not justified.

[WillWorkForCruise121]

I got the impression that RCI was much more than Carnival in terms of price when I decided to give RCI a try after having only sailed Carnival. But, honestly...When I finally picked my cabin( mid ship, up one deck, etc.) The cabin prices seemed to inflate quickly on Carnival and stay pretty close to the base advertised price on RCI.

 

I think Carnival's price advertising is a little on the misleading side personally. If you are just looking price of an interior room... you are looking at an interior guarantee or cabin with bunk beds and the price of an actual room you may want is typically much much higher. I know all of the lines show the starting at... $$$ ads but I think for the most part RCI doesn't have this crazy seperation between lowest cabin price and a cabin most people will book.

 

RCI does seem to have slightly higher prices for similar sailings in similar cabins when comparing to Carnival. However, it is not a huge difference in my experience.

 

I honestly think RCI far exceeded the experiences I had on Carnival. Carnival was still fun, but if it's a difference of less than maybe...25-30%... I think RCI is absolutely worth it.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the review!