What is wrong with Independence?

[Clarea]

That would be great. I really want to do that 8-night, but on another ship. I wish they'd change it. Love the Navigator and have wanted to try Liberty for awhile now.

You can do a Liberty 4 and 5 day B2B. You can choose Cozumel for the 4 day and Labadee, Falmouth for the 5 day.

[idjaffe]

Here was our quick review of Indy over Christmass - don't get me wrong, we had a great time - just not quite as polished as other cruises....

 

If I could, some of our thoughts:

* Entertainment was HORRIBLE - some of the worst on any cruise. The production shows are tired, slow, boring - not our idea to sit for an hour and watch someone lip-sync. OUr family of 4 fell asleep almost every night.

* the first guest entertainers - the pop/opera trio were so bad they were laughable. We sat about 3/4 of the way back and watched the crowd walk out on them

* Motown group was great

* Juggler and comedian were both very good - but should have been allowed to have the full hour - and not 1/2 hour with a half hour of Production singer and dancers...

* Dinners in MDR were very good - loved our waiters! They took care of our party of 10 as if we were family....some of the best we have had on any cruise.

* Pool side entertainment - good

* Ice show - talent was great, show was ehh - first 1/2 was boring until the guy does the back-flip.

* Lunch options - very few. The Windgamer is 90% the same each day - must admit that we miss a true deli. AS much as we like RCCL better for a whole bunch of reasons - Carnival (in general) does lunch better - Grills, Deli, Wok, Burritos, etc. Really missed the solarium lunches of Oasis and Allure. Also the options at the Promenade Cafe never seem to change.

 

Ports:

* St. Kits - beach day - very nice

* San Juan - Fort and walk back to ship - ok

* St Marteen - went snorkeling - bad weather so no comments

* Labadee - loved the beach - went Jet Sking - was fun...BUT, there is a security problem with the vendors. WAY TOO aggressive - they harassed my 12 yr old daughter - and we found them stealing food off of the Buffet. Saw 1 vendor change her shirt to look like a passenger and go through the line..had a beach bag with her that she filled with fruit and rolls. Then she sat down at the pick nick tables and started gobbling food - just to look up and greet a friend that was doing the same thing. While I am not cold hearted, and understand how poor Haiti is, I also know that RCCL gives heavily to the local community (including power and water sources and food)...there needs to be a better organized way for charity.

 

Overall had a great cruise - but the ship just felt a little "tired"...could use a boost of energy. Would we go RCCL again - absolutely - but probably not on Indy.

[hairymelon]

I went on Indy last June and have to say it was a wonderful cruise. The staff couldn't do enough to make your trip special and I loved the ship and the facilities available. In fact, I loved it so much I am going back in May and November!! :D

[Kinny]

Wife and I sailed Indy in November and we loved it. :D

[pcur]

- and we found them stealing food off of the Buffet. Saw 1 vendor change her shirt to look like a passenger and go through the line..had a beach bag with her that she filled with fruit and rolls. Then she sat down at the pick nick tables and started gobbling food - just to look up and greet a friend that was doing the same thing. While I am not cold hearted, and understand how poor Haiti is, I also know that RCCL gives heavily to the local community (including power and water sources and food)...there needs to be a better organized way for charity.

 

I don't think they were actually stealing the food. I know that RCCL packs up the leftovers and gives it to the Haitian staff, rather than take it back to the ship or throw it away. They violate health policies if it goes back on the ship.

 

I think these ladies were getting there's a little early! :D:D

[Charger2008]

I am surprised that this ship does not have the Dream Works character experience as FOS/LOS? My kids loved this on the last cruise on FOS and i booked the INDY not realizing it didn't offer this! Plus i don't like the fact that you cannot book the entertainment online prior to the sailing (like FOS/LOS), and that doesn't make sense either if the INDY is supposed to be a Freedom class ship???

 

Those are a few of the things we like about the IOS, we can just decide, last minute to go see a show, not have to worry about having a reservation and I have always enjoyed the dancing at sail away; however, on the Freedom of the Seas, you have to just sit back and watch the Dreamworks characters dance and that was no fun at all, in my opinion, because I like to do the dancing, not just watch :D

[LBumb]

i will post a review when we return in a couple months

[DaytonCruisers87]

I really hope this isn't as bad as it sounds. This upcoming cruise on Indy will be my wife's first and I don't want her to get a bad vibe about RCI. I guess we will find out starting Sunday and I will post back after we get back. We are doing the 6 night...wish us luck.

[Topo Gigio]

I really hope this isn't as bad as it sounds. This upcoming cruise on Indy will be my wife's first and I don't want her to get a bad vibe about RCI. I guess we will find out starting Sunday and I will post back after we get back. We are doing the 6 night...wish us luck.

 

A bit dramatic...

[bilyclub]

I stated that the Indy is "off" compared to the rest of the fleet after doing 11 days on her in December of 2012. I got my feet held to a lot of flames for that.

[Ambiverol]

I'm biased...Indy was my first cruise ever, when she was brand new. I loved it and became hooked. I had the pleasure of sailing her again (1st/only solo cruise), and enjoyed it. It was an 8 night cruise last Spring and was the final sailing before crossing the Atlantic for the refurb.

 

Some things that stood out last time:

 

--It's my favorite sized ship. I've done bigger and smaller, and feel this is just right for me. It has plenty of amenities, but is not as bloated as the Oasis class (which I also enjoy).

 

--I love the gym location. I don't work out as much as I'd like while on vacation, but this encourages it. It feels like being on the bridge of the ship. I have fond memories, on an elliptical, next to my wife, watching the tv channel with all of the ship/weather info, and approaching ports as if we were driving. That's the only fond memory I've ever had on an elliptical machine.

 

--I like the steam room area of the gym, and it doesn't cost extra.

 

--As far as windjammers go, the food on Indy was particularly good

 

--There were a large amount of western europeans on board, many continuing on a BTB and sailing home.

 

--My stateroom attendant was the worst I've had. But, it's partially my fault. I pretty much asked her to keep the ice and towels fresh, and don't worry about towel animals, turn down, etc.. She was clearly stretched thin/exhausted and appreciated my laid back expectations, but slacked big time (even with my ice and towels!). It was more funny to me than anything, and I'm now a little more careful when talking expectations with the SA.

 

--The cruise director was a dud. In his defense...he retired years ago (don't remember his name) and found himself recently out of work and needing cash. He called Royal, who needed a fill-in on Indy for a few weeks, and here he was. He shadowed a guy for a week, and then it was his show. He had very little familiarity with the ship and RCCL's current policies. This rubbed a lot of people the wrong way who felt, "Hey, I paid good money for this cruise and I'm getting a sub-par experience bc of the CD." I can see their point, but there was also a refreshing aspect to this guy. He wasn't working off of the same old, tired script. Everything he said/did was off the cuff, but that also made for some awkward moments.

 

--I like not needing tickets to shows (only need it for ice show on Indy)

 

--Good sized casino/pool area/cantilevered hot tubs are awesome

 

--They were doing quite a bit of construction on the ship (to prep for refurb), but that's long done

 

--The ship motion was minimal

 

--The promenade is beautiful

 

 

So, I like Indy would enjoy sailing on her again.

[Merion_Mom]

<snip>

* Ice show - talent was great, show was ehh - first 1/2 was boring until the guy does the back-flip.<end of snip>

 

Thanks for pushing that memory button for me!

 

My ice show experience. I love the ice shows on Royal Caribbean. I REALLY liked the ice show on Independence.

BUT.............

 

On the January 4th cruise, the seas were VERY rough for a while. They didn't cancel the ice show, as they sometimes do.

 

There were four performances of the ice show on this sailing.

 

Two on Day 2.

 

Two on Day 3.

 

The rough seas were on Day 2.

 

I attended a performance on Day 2, and practically held my breath the whole time. I really didn't want to see anyone hurt. The show was great, but for the first (I am not sure.............10 minutes?) part, I felt that they were doing a very good job of adjusting to the conditions and eliminating all of the special "tricks" that CAN be dangerous if the ship is moving a lot - jumps, spins, almost anything in which the skater leaves the ice and has to land safely.

 

I decided to go back the second day and see it again, and observe the adjustments that they had had to make.

 

The sea was now totally calm.

 

SURPRISE!

 

No changes. They seemingly had NOT eliminated any "tricks" - there just weren't any in the entire first section of the performance!

 

I was really really really shocked. No, shocked is too strong. But it was not what I expected.

 

Just one person's observation.

 

:)

Edited January 23, 2014 by Merion_Mom

[mollanjake]

I think it's just a matter of personal preference.... I liked the ice show. A roll call friend and her figure skater daughter enjoyed it as well. I liked most of the shows. All performers have off nights. I think once a few people start complaining it becomes easier for the rest of us to find fault and complain.

 

 

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[shipshape sam]

Indepence 8 days is one cruise what we are considering doing next winter. So I am wondering why does she constantly gets so bad reviews? We are considering it mainly because of its gym, running track, boxing ring and itinerary of course. Why does so many people feel disappointed after Indy cruise? Wondering if she is wrong choice for us... What is your experience?

 

 

GOT off Indy in December 2013 and would sail Indy again without hesitation.

 

Sailed 30+ times and Indy is a good ship. Could there be improvements? Just like there could be on any ship that I have sailed on.

 

Ice show, Strings, on Indy was the best that I have seen ever! The violinist theme was great.

[sandra3022]

I am booked for March 29 and honestly I find if you treat the staff kind you will be treated the same way ! I have a question to those who just got back what shows are on now I was hoping to be able to sign up for the shows online but they don't offer it ! Sorta bummed since I got spoiled from Oasis and Allure

[mkmom514]

We did the Indy 8-day November 2013. I would go on that exact same cruise tomorrow! We had a fabulous time and loved the ship, especially the porch swings. I just wish they had a logo shop.

[Merion_Mom]

I am booked for March 29 and honestly I find if you treat the staff kind you will be treated the same way ! I have a question to those who just got back what shows are on now I was hoping to be able to sign up for the shows online but they don't offer it ! Sorta bummed since I got spoiled from Oasis and Allure

 

As previously explained, you cannot reserve (or need to reserve) any shows before your cruise. You pick up ice show tickets on morning #2 down on Deck 3.

[DaytonCruisers87]

A bit dramatic...

 

Absolutely...

[Ocean Boy]

GOT off Indy in December 2013 and would sail Indy again without hesitation.

 

Sailed 30+ times and Indy is a good ship. Could there be improvements? Just like there could be on any ship that I have sailed on.

 

Ice show, Strings, on Indy was the best that I have seen ever! The violinist theme was great.

 

I was just wondering if you have sailed on Oasis? And if so you still think that Indy has the best ice show?

[shipshape sam]

I was just wondering if you have sailed on Oasis? And if so you still think that Indy has the best ice show?

 

I have not sailed on Oasis, but did sail on Allure in December 2010 on her second full week of sailing.

 

And yes, I really enjoyed the ice show on Indy. I think, for me, it was the theme and presentation vs any athletic ability or spin/jump. The show via the music and lighting and for sure the skating was memorable to me! :)

[Ahhh]

I have not sailed on Oasis, but did sail on Allure in December 2010 on her second full week of sailing.

 

And yes, I really enjoyed the ice show on Indy. I think, for me, it was the theme and presentation vs any athletic ability or spin/jump. The show via the music and lighting and for sure the skating was memorable to me! :)

 

Funny, I liked the ice show on the Indy, but liked the one on the Mariner better, for all the reasons you mention. Both were better than the one on the Allure, I felt.

[Clagmeister]

Indepence 8 days is one cruise what we are considering doing next winter. So I am wondering why does she constantly gets so bad reviews? We are considering it mainly because of its gym, running track, boxing ring and itinerary of course. Why does so many people feel disappointed after Indy cruise? Wondering if she is wrong choice for us... What is your experience?

 

There is nothing wrong with Indy. It is a fantastic ship with an excellent crew delivering top quality service. Give it a try. :-)

[VillaHappy]

Just got off of sailing on Indy for 8 nights. I did miss the Logo shop in the Promenade, but not too badly. The staff was super friendly and I felt that most bent over backwards to deliver excellent service. The food was excellent. I don't think you can go wrong by booking the Independence!

[big bro]

We have been on 8 cruises and on some pretty fancy ships, Indy was our favorite. People are great and not pretentious.

[aubreyc1988]

I am booked for March 29 and honestly I find if you treat the staff kind you will be treated the same way ! I have a question to those who just got back what shows are on now I was hoping to be able to sign up for the shows online but they don't offer it ! Sorta bummed since I got spoiled from Oasis and Allure

 

 

We loved once upon a time and the ice show! Sign up as soon as you can on the ship for the ice show!

 

 

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