Sea monster - just back from Independence

[cruisemimic]

Monster of the seas

Just back from a great two weeks cruising the western Mediterranean on Independence of the Seas. (Aug 15-29)

Our first and last impression of the ship is that she’s a monster! Truly enormous and over the top. There is nothing subtle about the Independence of the Seas. We last travelled on Sea Princess – almost half the tonnage of Indy - and were keen to try the big ship experience.

We expected big-time glamour and Independence didn’t disappoint. All the public areas were kept spotless – although the staff struggled some days to counteract the creativity of passengers when it came to leaving a mess (who leaves empty plates and cups in a lift??)

RCI have pitched this ship at British families and I’d say this ship fits that niche perfectly. There were 1200 under 18s on board when we sailed (middle of the school holidays) and while we were very aware of the younger cruisers we never felt they were taking over. (We’re a couple in our 30s with no kids)

The ships design helps a lot in this respect – three pool areas have specific personalities and clientele – adults, sports / activities and children – so you can choose an area to suit your mood. We frequently sat on deck four under the lifeboats – in the shade and away from the mayhem of the main pools. Perfect!

Also the activity areas for children are at the back of the ship, close to the climbing wall, flow rider (great to watch!) and sports court, so again the design helps separate active passengers from those wanting to relax. It’s a shame this isn’t a real promenade deck as sunbeds encroach on the walking and jogging track on the upper deck.

What we liked a lot:
RCI’s own entertainers were first class. The theatre is better than you’ll find in many UK cities The headliner acts we saw were really good with the exception of Darren Day. It’s a shame he was one of the first acts of the cruise as I think it put a lot of people off, but David Copperfield and The Beatles tribute were really good. The back stage trip gave a great insight to how the shows are put together.

Elsewhere the musicians were also excellent. Rock the Boat rocked everything from Abba to Zeppelin. We watched them most nights in the Pyramid Lounge or by the pool.

Olive or Twist has the best views on the ship and was a child-free haven after 10pm.

The service charge had gone from drinks bills – but with the exchange rate not in our favour the drinks felt expensive even if they compare with hotel prices on land. We paid around $13 a round for a beer and a G&T. (Around £9)

Food in the restaurants was excellent. The choice in Windjammer was vast. We used it for breakfast (when we were awake early enough!) and for lunch. It was busy but the staff tried hard to help people find empty seats. We had second sitting (8.30pm) for dinner in the Macbeth dining room. It was great to have a set table at a set time and the others on our table were really good company. Only downside was lots of the entertainment was pitched at guests on early sitting so we missed out.

Check in and departure were a doddle. On the ship by 11am and off by 8am using the self carry service. None of the usual hanging round in lounges. No flying was a bonus too – no luggage restrictions.
Our cabin was great – a balcony cabin on deck 7 - and was kept spotless by Jermaine, who bent over backwards to help. I’m glad we didn’t have a cabin overlooking the promenade. One the rare occasion someone had their curtains open you could see straight in.

The overwhelmingly British passengers dressed to impress. Most of the casual attire would have passed muster on formal nights!

And a huge thank you to the generous passenger who handed in the ring I lost. I really thought I’d never see it again but it shows you shouldn’t underestimate the honesty of fellow passengers.

RCI did their bit to maintain onboard harmony – at least one family were left ashore when their behaviour didn’t come up to scratch.


What we liked less
There was a feel from the start that RCI were out to squeeze as much money from their passengers as possible. Low prices mean they’re trying to recoup revenue in other areas. We knew better than to buy bottles of water at $4.50 each (boil the kettle, fill your own bottle, put in the mini bar fridge, drink and repeat…) but I’m sure many others didn’t.

There weren’t many announcements but the ones you wanted to hear (updates from the captain) were really quiet, while the ones you didn’t want to hear (Bingo and art auctions) were loud enough to raise the dead. But then the art auctions and bingo are money spinners….

Port information was geared towards dissuading people from going it alone. RCI stressed that several ports required shuttle buses from the ship to the port exit and these had to be paid for. Indy is so big she has to dock on the edge of many ports and RCI takes full advantage of this by making passengers pay extra to catch the shuttle. Buses cost around $8 return, which soon adds up if you’re a family of 4 and want to leave the ship. I don’t mind paying for shuttle buses into town (in Livorno the bus journey is a must) but really objected to paying in Malaga for a hop to the edge of the port. We accidentally caught a free shuttle bus in Lisbon provided by NCL for their passengers!

Cigarette smoke from Labyrinth night club filters out, despite the double doors, and makes Schooners bar smell really bad, which was a shame because it’s a nice bar with a good atmosphere but I couldn’t stand the smell.

The layout of the ship means some forward areas can only be accessed from the back of the ship – it’s not possible to take the forward lifts straight to some areas. And the promenade means lifts and stairs are only at either end of the ship. There’s none in the middle. This was fine for us as we have no mobility problems and our cabin was near a lift but could make moving round the ship more difficult for anyone who can’t walk very far.

The entertainments programme seemed to wind down on the second last night. This, combined with poor weather on the way back to Southampton, made the last day a real anti climax. I’d like to see RCI move things up a gear on the last day rather than giving off the impression that the holiday ended in the last port. I was forced to have several cocktails to restore the holiday mood!

Ports

Gibraltar – flat, hot 20 minute walk into town from the port. Huge queues for cable car (Grand Princess also in port that day) so we caught a local bus as far up the rock as we could and walked the rest so we could see the monkeys. Gibraltar is a good first stop as it feels really cheap compared to the ship – great for buying anything you forgot.

Cagliari – free shuttle to the edge of the port. It’s a really hilly town, and most of the interesting bits require a steep climb. There wasn’t much to do in town. Lots of the shops were closed.

Livorno – you really need to take the shuttle bus here – about 9 euros return from the ship. Then we bought local bus and train tickets from the tabac (opposite the bus stop), hopped on a local bus to Livorno station and took the train to Pisa. I think it was about 14 euros for two, return.

Cannes – tender to the port, using local charter boats which took around 200 people each, so there was no real wait. And it meant disabled passengers could go ashore. We walked along the main street and people watched - it was too hot to do anything else!

Barcelona – my favourite! We walked into town (about 30 mins easy stroll in the heat) then caught the open top tourist bus and hopped on and off all day (20 euros each). We walked back to the ship in the dark (quicker as not so hot). Be aware it’s only 1 day in Barcelona -, not two, as advertised in the brochure. We arrived at 6am and left at 1am so technically we’d been there two days but it really was a technicality!

Malaga – we caught the RCI shuttle bus (8 euros each) as were told it was a 40 minute walk into town and as this was only a six hour stop and we didn’t want to waste time walking. In the end it’s not that far so we felt a bit ripped off. (could probably have walked in 20 mins)

Lisbon – another port where RCI stresses the need for a shuttle bus. It is a long way into town but the local buses and trains run from the port. We bought a 14 euro ticket for the yellow open top bus which entitled us to get on and off all buses and trams all day.

Vigo – a surprising gem. We walked up to the castle and so almost completely missed the lively street of sea food sellers. (keep the shopping mall on your right and then cross the main road, follow your ears and nose to the back streets!)

Anything else

I would recommend this ship and itinerary to families with children and to passengers in wheelchairs. The ship is perfect for exploring on wheels but anyone who can’t walk too far would struggle to get from one end to the other without a sit down.

We enjoyed our trip but would probably not choose such a large ship again – whatever the cruise line. Having tried smaller ships we wanted to give a large ship a try, hence choosing the biggest in the business. I missed the personal service which comes from smaller ships, the camaraderie and the opportunity to see the same faces more than once.

While Independence is perfect for active families and we did enjoy our holiday she’s not the ship for us. I think we’ll go back to something smaller in future but I’m glad we went and saw her in all her splendour. But isn’t this the beauty of cruising? So many ships, so many itineraries, so many opportunities. We now have the perfect excuse to book another and see how that compares!

[The Big Booper]

Originally Posted by cruisemimic

....>>SNIP<<....Livorno – you really need to take the shuttle bus here – about 9 euros return from the ship. Then we bought local bus and train tickets from the tabac (opposite the bus stop), hopped on a local bus to Livorno station and took the train to Pisa. I think it was about 14 euros for two, return. ..>>SNIP<<

We stopped here on the Briliance in 2007 and this shuttle service was free at the time. We did the exect same run to Pisa.

To the OP - you ought to try a Brilliance class ship - the RCI experience in a smaller ship, @ 90,000 GRT rather then the Indy's 158,000 GRT.

[yogimax]

Thanks for the review and glad you loved the cruise! We have seen the Beatles tribute group twice and loved them!

[Esprit]

Your review was so much more diplomatic than mine! Good point about the last day. You really feel they want you off the ship ASAP once the last port has disappeared.

We noticed plates and glasses in the lifts too but missed the Beatles tribute show. Odd that, as we saw most of the others.

Like you, we have no regrets and will stick with the ships around the 110,000 ton size in future.

Cheers
Peter

[cb at sea]

There's no need to "boil" the water before you drink it! The tap water is perfectly fine--after all, the ice, the tea, coffee, lemonade and food are all made with the ship's water!

[cruisemimic]

You're right about not needing to boil the water - that was there for the benefit of the Brits who have been brought up to think all water outside UK shores needs to be boiled first! I worked for a water company for 4 years so should know better about questioning the quality of what comes out of the tap.

Interesting that the shuttle buses used to be free -shows that maybe RCI are feeling the credit crunch like the rest of us.

Peter - I have your review to thank for my diplomacy! It's not usually my strong point.

Will definitely give some thought to RCI's smaller ships but won't be in the queue for Oasis.