Independence of Seas Review 5/24-5/31/2015

[snail]

After cruising on Norwegian and Princess ships we decided to try Royal Caribbean. After much trepidation over what we read on Cruise Critic we boarded the Independence of the Seas on May 24th for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise. Arrived at the pier at 9:45 am and were on board at 10:30 am.

 

We could not get into our room until 1:00 pm - so we took a tour of the upper decks, made reservations for the Spa, had lunch at the Windjammer, enjoyed sitting in the Promenade and were able to get our ice show tickets before we went to our room at 1:00. Because our luggage had not arrived - we spent the afternoon on the deck in the solarium before we had to attend the drill. Stayed on Deck 12 for the sail away and had our luggage delivered around 4:30. Because we had a meeting at 5:00 and had to unpack we went to the Windjammer for dinner, where we had to wait in line for it to open. That evening, we attended the show and saw a very funny comedian. We sat on Deck 4 for the show and had very good seats - a prior recommendation from CC. Went to the Pyramid Lounge afterward and listened to Synergy and played a game.

 

The second day we had breakfast and lunch in the Windjammer and spent the day at the pool in the solarium. It was very windy and we were told that is normal for the first day. We ate in the King Lear Dining Room - which we liked and met some great people at our table. It was formal night and we were impressed with the way most of the people dressed - saw a lot of tuxes on the men, which we haven't seen before. Had pictures taken and attended the late show which was called Invitation to Dance. The singers and dancers were new to the ship and were excellent. We spent time on the Promenade which was very festive for the evening and listened to the Cruise Band - who are really good.

 

On the third day we had breakfast in the Romeo and Juliet dining room on Deck 3 and really enjoyed it. The only downfall for us was that the restaurant did not open until 8:00 am. We would have preferred an earlier time due to getting seats in the solarium - by the time we got there at 9:00 - all the chairs were taken. The wind was much less that day and we spent the day on Deck 12. The boat docked in San Juan at 4:00 pm. We took a stroll to the end of the pier and returned to the boat to go to dinner at Giovanni's for dinner. One of our promotions was a free dinner at a specialty restaurant on a port day. The meal was excellent and our waiter was very good. We went to the show and saw an Elton John impersonator who was very entertaining. Spent some time in the Casino for the first time and at the Schooner Bar listening to the piano player.

 

On the fourth day we ate breakfast again in Romeo and Juliet and decided since this was our third time in St. Maarten's we would go to the pool for the morning and then go shopping after lunch in the afternoon. We tried out Sorrento's for the first time at lunch and found the pizza to be very good - we enjoyed it for lunch over the Windjammer. That evening, we attended the Ice Show and were impressed with how good it was - the skaters were very good and the show very entertaining.

 

On the fifth day we ate breakfast in the Windjammer as we were going to the Carambola Beach Club for the day. I had made reservations to be there by 10:00. We found a taxi driver who said he would take us one way for $16 and would return to pick us up at 2:00 pm. When we got there he showed us around - it was 9:45 when we arrived and we had made arrangements to rent two lounge chairs (that had pads on them) and an umbrella for $30. We were able to select where we wanted to sit and the chairs and umbrella were set up for us. It was a wonderful day weather wise and we had a nice breeze from the ocean. We took towels from the ship and there were many others there from our ship. It was very clean and had clean restrooms. There was a restaurant there with a bar and the food was pricey but very good as well as the service. We would highly recommend it and strongly suggest making a reservation before going - if there is more than one ship in port that day it could become very crowded. We were the only ship in the ports all week, which was very nice. That evening was the 70's Dance Party in the Street. We went to the Pyramid Lounge to see Synergy and then watched all the festivities from the lounge on our deck. It provided great seats and a good view of what was going on.

 

On day six we got our towels and chairs in the solarium and went to breakfast at the Windjammer at 7:00am. When we returned to our seats at 7:45 am someone else was sitting in them and our towels and bags were gone. The people in our seats had just sat down when we returned and told us that the deck agents had taken our belongings. They were kind enough to say we could have our seats back and held them until we retrieved our belongings. There were three others ahead of us in the line to get their items. I had a massage that morning, which was very good. The therapist was 15 minutes behind schedule and gave me a stone massage to make up for being late. It was definitely worth the wait!!! It rained for about a half hour and we went to Johnny Rockets for lunch and returned to the solarium where we were lucky enough to find two chairs for the rest of the day. The second formal evening was that night and we opted not to go to the show which was an acrobat. Everyone said it was just ok - so we didn't feel we missed anything. Went to the Schooner Bar to hear the piano player and then to the Promenade for some ice cream.

 

One the final day, we were getting our chairs at the solarium again at 7:00 am. I spoke to the pool agent and explained they were our chairs and we were going to breakfast and would be returning. He assured me he would not remove our belongings. After 11:00 they don't bother removing the items from the chairs. It was a beautiful day at sea. My husband got his massage in the morning and felt relaxed - his was on time so no stone massage for him! Again it rained for a short period and we went to Sorrento's for lunch and purchased our pictures. We returned to the solarium for the rest of the day. Began packing before dinner as the suitcases had to be out by 11:00 pm. We used the airline's service to take the bags to the airport and receive our boarding passes. Definitely worth the money for this service. Last night in the dining room with the new friends we made. Finished packing and attended the last show. It was Opening Night for a new production called Once Upon a Time and was tremendous - the best show we saw all week. Don't miss it! Had a final drink in the Promenade, finished packing and put the suitcases in the hall.

 

Early rising and breakfast in the Windjammer. Left our room at 8:50 and got our taxi at 9:45 to the Ft. Lauderdale airport. It was a long travel day for us back home with plane delays and we walked into our door at 8:45 pm.

 

We stayed on Deck 6 in room 6206 - it was a very big room and we overlooked the Heli Pad. Our steward was Warren and he was great - we asked for an extra chair for the room and it was there when we got back from dinner the first night. We had fresh ice in the morning and evening and he was very friendly and accommodating. Really liked the layout and especially enjoyed the round shower with the sliding doors instead of a curtain.

 

In comparing the ship to others we have been on we missed the lunch barbeque on the deck and also missed a full length mirror in the room. The omelet station had only one person working and it was a long wait to receive your omelet in the Windjammer. The food was really never hot in the mornings and the hot dogs and hamburgers left a lot to be desired. We did not feel there was enough activity between 7-9:45 pm. I was disappointed in the shops on the Promenade. We also thought the photographers should have had more stations to take pictures. Our biggest complaint was the dress code for dinner - it was casual which was fine - most people dressed nicely but others (especially men) wore shorts and looked like they had just come from the beach.

 

We did like the ship - it was easy to get around once you learned the layout - the staff was friendly and very helpful. The food was good in the dining room except for the last evening - don't order the chicken marsala! The wait staff was great - made our meal enjoyable. I had my hair done for both formal nights and was very pleased with the service - Maria is very good. We purchased the Special Drink package and changed it the third day - as we knew we were not going to get our money's worth. There was no problem doing it and we just stuck to the soda package and paid for our drinks separately. We enjoyed the shows very much and seating was never a problem - we tried Deck 3 once and went back to sitting on Deck 4. There were 480 children under 18 on board and you didn't even realize they were there.

 

All in all a good trip and we would return to Royal Caribbean and try a larger ship the next time.

[mickev99]

Thanks for this, we are sailing the same itinerary in July.

 

Do you recall (or happen to have the compasses to look at) if they had open ice skating on any days? They list it on the page with the dining room hours below the rock wall climbing times, not on the last page with the list of times of activities.

 

Can't wait for our cruise!!

[molsonschooner]

After cruising on Norwegian and Princess ships we decided to try Royal Caribbean. After much trepidation over what we read on Cruise Critic we boarded the Independence of the Seas on May 24th for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise. Arrived at the pier at 9:45 am and were on board at 10:30 am.

 

We could not get into our room until 1:00 pm - so we took a tour of the upper decks, made reservations for the Spa, had lunch at the Windjammer, enjoyed sitting in the Promenade and were able to get our ice show tickets before we went to our room at 1:00. Because our luggage had not arrived - we spent the afternoon on the deck in the solarium before we had to attend the drill. Stayed on Deck 12 for the sail away and had our luggage delivered around 4:30. Because we had a meeting at 5:00 and had to unpack we went to the Windjammer for dinner, where we had to wait in line for it to open. That evening, we attended the show and saw a very funny comedian. We sat on Deck 4 for the show and had very good seats - a prior recommendation from CC. Went to the Pyramid Lounge afterward and listened to Synergy and played a game.

 

The second day we had breakfast and lunch in the Windjammer and spent the day at the pool in the solarium. It was very windy and we were told that is normal for the first day. We ate in the King Lear Dining Room - which we liked and met some great people at our table. It was formal night and we were impressed with the way most of the people dressed - saw a lot of tuxes on the men, which we haven't seen before. Had pictures taken and attended the late show which was called Invitation to Dance. The singers and dancers were new to the ship and were excellent. We spent time on the Promenade which was very festive for the evening and listened to the Cruise Band - who are really good.

 

On the third day we had breakfast in the Romeo and Juliet dining room on Deck 3 and really enjoyed it. The only downfall for us was that the restaurant did not open until 8:00 am. We would have preferred an earlier time due to getting seats in the solarium - by the time we got there at 9:00 - all the chairs were taken. The wind was much less that day and we spent the day on Deck 12. The boat docked in San Juan at 4:00 pm. We took a stroll to the end of the pier and returned to the boat to go to dinner at Giovanni's for dinner. One of our promotions was a free dinner at a specialty restaurant on a port day. The meal was excellent and our waiter was very good. We went to the show and saw an Elton John impersonator who was very entertaining. Spent some time in the Casino for the first time and at the Schooner Bar listening to the piano player.

 

On the fourth day we ate breakfast again in Romeo and Juliet and decided since this was our third time in St. Maarten's we would go to the pool for the morning and then go shopping after lunch in the afternoon. We tried out Sorrento's for the first time at lunch and found the pizza to be very good - we enjoyed it for lunch over the Windjammer. That evening, we attended the Ice Show and were impressed with how good it was - the skaters were very good and the show very entertaining.

 

On the fifth day we ate breakfast in the Windjammer as we were going to the Carambola Beach Club for the day. I had made reservations to be there by 10:00. We found a taxi driver who said he would take us one way for $16 and would return to pick us up at 2:00 pm. When we got there he showed us around - it was 9:45 when we arrived and we had made arrangements to rent two lounge chairs (that had pads on them) and an umbrella for $30. We were able to select where we wanted to sit and the chairs and umbrella were set up for us. It was a wonderful day weather wise and we had a nice breeze from the ocean. We took towels from the ship and there were many others there from our ship. It was very clean and had clean restrooms. There was a restaurant there with a bar and the food was pricey but very good as well as the service. We would highly recommend it and strongly suggest making a reservation before going - if there is more than one ship in port that day it could become very crowded. We were the only ship in the ports all week, which was very nice. That evening was the 70's Dance Party in the Street. We went to the Pyramid Lounge to see Synergy and then watched all the festivities from the lounge on our deck. It provided great seats and a good view of what was going on.

 

On day six we got our towels and chairs in the solarium and went to breakfast at the Windjammer at 7:00am. When we returned to our seats at 7:45 am someone else was sitting in them and our towels and bags were gone. The people in our seats had just sat down when we returned and told us that the deck agents had taken our belongings. They were kind enough to say we could have our seats back and held them until we retrieved our belongings. There were three others ahead of us in the line to get their items. I had a massage that morning, which was very good. The therapist was 15 minutes behind schedule and gave me a stone massage to make up for being late. It was definitely worth the wait!!! It rained for about a half hour and we went to Johnny Rockets for lunch and returned to the solarium where we were lucky enough to find two chairs for the rest of the day. The second formal evening was that night and we opted not to go to the show which was an acrobat. Everyone said it was just ok - so we didn't feel we missed anything. Went to the Schooner Bar to hear the piano player and then to the Promenade for some ice cream.

 

One the final day, we were getting our chairs at the solarium again at 7:00 am. I spoke to the pool agent and explained they were our chairs and we were going to breakfast and would be returning. He assured me he would not remove our belongings. After 11:00 they don't bother removing the items from the chairs. It was a beautiful day at sea. My husband got his massage in the morning and felt relaxed - his was on time so no stone massage for him! Again it rained for a short period and we went to Sorrento's for lunch and purchased our pictures. We returned to the solarium for the rest of the day. Began packing before dinner as the suitcases had to be out by 11:00 pm. We used the airline's service to take the bags to the airport and receive our boarding passes. Definitely worth the money for this service. Last night in the dining room with the new friends we made. Finished packing and attended the last show. It was Opening Night for a new production called Once Upon a Time and was tremendous - the best show we saw all week. Don't miss it! Had a final drink in the Promenade, finished packing and put the suitcases in the hall.

 

Early rising and breakfast in the Windjammer. Left our room at 8:50 and got our taxi at 9:45 to the Ft. Lauderdale airport. It was a long travel day for us back home with plane delays and we walked into our door at 8:45 pm.

 

We stayed on Deck 6 in room 6206 - it was a very big room and we overlooked the Heli Pad. Our steward was Warren and he was great - we asked for an extra chair for the room and it was there when we got back from dinner the first night. We had fresh ice in the morning and evening and he was very friendly and accommodating. Really liked the layout and especially enjoyed the round shower with the sliding doors instead of a curtain.

 

In comparing the ship to others we have been on we missed the lunch barbeque on the deck and also missed a full length mirror in the room. The omelet station had only one person working and it was a long wait to receive your omelet in the Windjammer. The food was really never hot in the mornings and the hot dogs and hamburgers left a lot to be desired. We did not feel there was enough activity between 7-9:45 pm. I was disappointed in the shops on the Promenade. We also thought the photographers should have had more stations to take pictures. Our biggest complaint was the dress code for dinner - it was casual which was fine - most people dressed nicely but others (especially men) wore shorts and looked like they had just come from the beach.

 

We did like the ship - it was easy to get around once you learned the layout - the staff was friendly and very helpful. The food was good in the dining room except for the last evening - don't order the chicken marsala! The wait staff was great - made our meal enjoyable. I had my hair done for both formal nights and was very pleased with the service - Maria is very good. We purchased the Special Drink package and changed it the third day - as we knew we were not going to get our money's worth. There was no problem doing it and we just stuck to the soda package and paid for our drinks separately. We enjoyed the shows very much and seating was never a problem - we tried Deck 3 once and went back to sitting on Deck 4. There were 480 children under 18 on board and you didn't even realize they were there.

 

All in all a good trip and we would return to Royal Caribbean and try a larger ship the next time.

I am dissapointed to hear about the chicken marsala. It has been a favourite of mine since our first cruise.

[Goodtime Cruizin]

It sounds like you had a nice cruise vacation. Good for you!

 

A few questions..

1. By chance do you recall who the entertainer was a the Piano Bar?

2. And if you do, by chance would you know long he/she will be on the ship?

3. RCL baggage transfer service to airport...how did you go about reserving this and what was the cost?

Finally...

4. It'll be the DW's birthday on the embarkation day. So I plan to gift her a cake, champagne, a massage and hair day. I can price all of these goodies except for the hair day. What do think might be the cost for a 'do' ? No cutting or coloring etc., just shampooed and styled.

 

We sail Indy in Oct. & we're looking forward to it! Thanks for your review!

[F27TW]

You better duck .... you do realize that you're going to be attacked on here for being a Chair Hog, right?

 

Claiming "your" chairs and then leaving to go to breakfast? Seriously ??

[riclop]

Thanks for your review.

[snail]

1. Ice skating was available on days 3, 6 and 7

2. The piano player is listed as "Piano Man Dan" - have no idea how long he will be on board the ship

3. On day 4 you can get the form for the airline transfers - the service fee is $20 per person plus the cost the airlines charge for your luggage. You will receive your luggage tags on day 7 and also your boarding passes. You then can get off the ship anytime you want on the departure day.

4. Hair Salon cost - I have short hair and paid $39 to have it washed, blow dried and the curling iron used. I think the cost may depend on the length of the hair.

[mickev99]

1. Ice skating was available on days 3, 6 and 7

2. The piano player is listed as "Piano Man Dan" - have no idea how long he will be on board the ship

3. On day 4 you can get the form for the airline transfers - the service fee is $20 per person plus the cost the airlines charge for your luggage. You will receive your luggage tags on day 7 and also your boarding passes. You then can get off the ship anytime you want on the departure day.

4. Hair Salon cost - I have short hair and paid $39 to have it washed, blow dried and the curling iron used. I think the cost may depend on the length of the hair.

 

Thank you!!!

[tothemax31]

Chair Hogs. :mad:

[Goodtime Cruizin]

1. Ice skating was available on days 3, 6 and 7

2. The piano player is listed as "Piano Man Dan" - have no idea how long he will be on board the ship

3. On day 4 you can get the form for the airline transfers - the service fee is $20 per person plus the cost the airlines charge for your luggage. You will receive your luggage tags on day 7 and also your boarding passes. You then can get off the ship anytime you want on the departure day.

4. Hair Salon cost - I have short hair and paid $39 to have it washed, blow dried and the curling iron used. I think the cost may depend on the length of the hair.

 

Thanks! We're going to try the Luggage Serice.

[A6cruiser]

1. Ice skating was available on days 3, 6 and 7

2. The piano player is listed as "Piano Man Dan" - have no idea how long he will be on board the ship

3. On day 4 you can get the form for the airline transfers - the service fee is $20 per person plus the cost the airlines charge for your luggage. You will receive your luggage tags on day 7 and also your boarding passes. You then can get off the ship anytime you want on the departure day.

4. Hair Salon cost - I have short hair and paid $39 to have it washed, blow dried and the curling iron used. I think the cost may depend on the length of the hair.

 

Snail

Do you have any pictures of the beach during sail away? I was there taking pictures of Independence of the Seas during your sail away. I'm making a cruise preview video for our sailing coming up on 6/21/15. Here is a link to the footage I took

 

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8eh3v7nf3zlol15/AABUJiNI1VqLxBFjD5wqKZUta?dl=0

[kimlet]

I noticed you stayed in 6206, we are staying in 6202 next year and I was wondering what you thought of the location and how much movement did you feel.

[bleuiz]

We are taking our first RC cruise on Independence of the Seas this January. We are sailing with a club from our community. Your review was very helpful..:cool:

[ptf2009]

Yes, chair hogs!...Not nice:(

[tanner2]

I thought a chair hog was someone that put there towel , tanning oil , etc. out early to save a chair but don't show up till noon are after to actually use the chair. :confused:

On my other cruises you at least get 30 minutes to leave unattended to go eat or run or whatever you need to do .

[Memom04263]

I thought a chair hog was someone that put there towel , tanning oil , etc. out early to save a chair but don't show up till noon are after to actually use the chair. :confused:

On my other cruises you at least get 30 minutes to leave unattended to go eat or run or whatever you need to do .

 

Right I'm sorry I don't see an issue with people going to get food or a drink, just don't save 10 chairs and not be there all day.