First Time Cruise Review Independence of Seas

I learned so much from the forums I read here that I thought it would be fitting to pay it forward and list some points of interest for first time cruisers. We just came back from a 7 day 6 night cruise aboard Independence of the Seas. Here are some items that I thought would be useful for all the first time cruisers.

Excursions

It's ok to book excursions outside the cruise line (we did); but do your research using this forum and Trip Advisor. Some points to consider when choosing your excursions are to understand how far away from the terminal your port is from your excursion. One of our ports was Falmouth, Jamaica which was over an hour away from most of the excursions on this island. Which meant you were going to be traveling 3 hours during your time on the island. Also, the cruise line will tell you their shore excursions are the one's that will be first off the ship if you have to tender (which means be transported by a ferry to the island). This is not the case. We had no trouble catching the first tender off the ship and they run quite frequently. Be sure you check the time they ship is going to leave the port. They will not wait. Bring money for tips. This was one item we didn't a lot enough for. It is customary to tip the guide, the driver and of course at the restaurant. Bring small bills for this.

Grand Cayman Island Excursion

I cannot say enough about Seven Seas Charters (7seascayman.com). Capt. Shaun was amazing. We booked a private charter with him (there were 6 of us). He took us to Sting Ray City, Star Fish Beach and a restaurant to eat. During the excursion he provided us with a history of the Cayman Islands, we traveled through a canal and he gave us a brief tour of some of the more expensive homes on the island. We arrived at Sting Ray City early (which he suggested). Prior to getting in the water he gave us an education of Sting Ray City and how we were going to interact with the Sting Rays. He educated us on the origins of Sting Ray City and why they were so tame. He took his time explaining the Sting Ray and then allowed us to each individually interact with the Sting Ray. There was no rush. He was extremely informative. Other tour groups but none were as informative as Captain Shaun. There were huge groups from the cruise ships that arrived but none had quite the experience that we did. Capt Shaun then moved us into an area 5 minutes away from Sting Ray City where we went snorkeling. But again, prior to getting in the water he took the time to educate us on snorkeling, helped fit us with the appropriate gear etc......He then provided us with an amazing snorkeling experience which I cannot describe in words. Afterwords we went to Star Fish beach where we relaxed and he again educated us on the origin of the beach and a little about the Star Fish itself. Afterwords we headed back in to a restaurant and this still provided us with plenty of time to enjoy the island. We never felt rushed or unsafe. I would highly recommend Capt Shaun and any excursion he promotes. His website is 7seascayman.com

Falmouth, Jamaica

Not one of our favorites by any means. The biggest issue we had was the time we had to spend traveling to our excursion (most were an hour and an hour and a half away from the cruise terminal). Not sure why RC chose to port there. Would've been better to stop at Ocho Rios or Montego Bay. We also dared not venture away from our guide or go off on our own outside the terminal in Falmouth.

CoCoCay We actually enjoyed just walking along the beach and relaxing. I would suggest not booking any excursion ahead of time. They make a bit to do about the aqua park and the water slide but I know after seeing this if I would've paid the price RC charged for this I would've been upset. We ventured to a not so populated portion of the island (I believe it was Barefoot Beach) and enjoyed walking out on the SandBars and just hanging out on the beach. You can rent your own snorkeling gear and do this on your own. There were plenty of kayaks, paddle boats and jet skis available so if you decide to do these there is no need to book ahead of time. Your SeaPass can be used for food and beverage but not at the Straw Market so if you want to shop bring cash.

Checking In

When we first arrived at the terminal we were very efficiently moved onto the boat. I would say it took 30- 45 minutes tops. We got there around 1030am. You DO NOT have to wait until your prescribed time to arrive at the ship. This counts as one of your days so get there early so you can start to enjoy all the ship has to offer. Your room will most likely not be ready so pack a swim suit to hang out by the pool or on deck. I believe the restaurants opened at 1pm so plan accordingly.

Main Dining Room

You do not have to wear a tux, or a suit and tie. However I would suggest a collared shirt and no jeans. They were pretty relaxed with the dress code and formal night was merely a suggestion. We did enjoy the food in the main dining room for both Breakfast and Dinner. The service is outstanding in these venues. Go as often as you can.

Food

There is plenty of options available on the ship to eat without paying. The main dining room, Windjammer and a couple of areas on deck 5 all had food for free. If you ever get hungry on the ship it's your own fault there is food everywhere and there really isn't a need to pay for anything unless you want to.

Beverage

First of all if you are not going to buy a beverage package bring a travel coffee cup and water bottle. You can refill these at the WindJammer during the day with coffee, hot tea, Ice Tea, Water and lemonade. You'll want the water on your excursions. We did end up buying the beverage package and it was well worth it. We ended up purchasing one Premium Package. I got as many bottles of water I wanted all day long and as many drinks as I wanted all day long. The price online does not include the 18% gratuity; which you have to pay per drink anyways even if you don't buy it. The package works on their private island as well. Many will tell you that you have to drink at least 5 drinks per day to make this worth it. We got at least 5 bottles of water a day plus I like a drink at dinner and a couple after while we are out at shows etc.....to me it was worth it. Do the math? One item to note is that when you go to the bar to order a drink it is only one alcoholic drink per card. Which is no big deal You get a drink; sit down; go back up get another one or have one of the attendants get it for you. I was never questioned about getting a bottle of water with my drink or for that matter I could get a sprite with a beer if I wanted. They will however enforce the one alcoholic drink per beverage card.

Disembarking at the end of the cruise

This was one in which I think RC could improve upon but hopefully these comments will help. They are great at trying to keep you informed on what is to going to happen on the last day of the cruise. We booked, prior to the cruise, transports to and from the ship. This cost 16.50 per person. If you do this be sure that you get off the ship early. These transfers only run for a couple of hours and this is not made very clear on the documentation. We will not book any transportation if we are leaving from Port Everglades Ft Lauderdale and flying lout of Ft. Lauderdale Airport. The cab ride is cheaper and I believe more efficient than the transfers. The key is how close is the terminal to the airport.

They tell you that you have to go to certain stations and when your number is called you may then leave the ship. This was done to try and keep things organized. Here is my suggestion. If you don't have to be anywhere anytime soon. Hang out on the ship and enjoy the last few hours. We rushed to get ready and off the ship only to wait for 6 hours at the airport for our 2pm flight. In summary we will take a cab the next time, enjoy our last breakfast in the main dining room and get off the ship around 9 or 930am.

StateRooms

Be sure to ask often about the differences in the discounts for the staterooms. There are so many options (position on the ship, residential discounts based on the state you live in, different classes of rooms (D1 etc...). We chose a room with a balcony towards the front of the ship on the Port side (7534) and loved our room. It was spacious with plenty of closet space, dresser space and shelf space behind the mirrors in the bathroom and the living area. We loved our balcony and used it often. We heard nothing but the ocean itself. Smoking is not allowed in the room or on the balcony so if you are a non smoker this is a plus. The walls are metal so I brought magnets to hang things on and wish I would've brought a dry erase board to write things down on as well. We left sticky notes for our porter saying thank you etc.....I wish I would've brought cards to leave him. He was great and they bend over backwards for you. We did have a minibar in our refrigerator but we asked him to empty it so we could use it and he gladly did this. I would bring clothespins to hang your suits on and to help secure your towels to the lounge chairs on the pool decks. It's windy so if you have long hair keep this in mind. I had hats and a number of fun hair accessories for this. The beds were very comfortable and the rooms extremely clean. Pack lite......and bring comfortable shoes. Most of the time during the day you are in your suits. Coverups are great to throw on for going into the restaurants (not main dining room). We didn't is the internet. We read books and enjoyed the company of the people we were travelling with and others we met on the ship.

Items I couldn't do without

Insulated Bottle for ice water etc....if you buy the Beverage Package you will get one; clothes pins; magnetic clips to hang stuff on walls of room;chapstick; sun tan lotion; aloe; alarm clock (battery powered there is not many outlets in room); sharpie; small childrens scissors needed to cut off bands they put on you to do various things on ship; duct tape (repair luggage etc.....); sunglasses; hat; comfortable shoes, sandals; water shoes (needed for many of the excursions- I used Keen Water sandals to climb the falls and they worked amazing); small bills for tips. I'd also suggest a highlighter for the Daily Compass so you can highlight all the things you are interested in doing for the day. Try it all if you can. There is so much available. We tried to do something different each day.

Points of Interest on the Ship

There is a helipad on Deck 5 of the Independence of the Seas and the view is amazing. You get to it through the cigar bar or through another lounge close by to this. A must to visit but they don't talk to much about this. There is a pretty decent library on board so don't worry about bringing books to read. We loved the deck just below the Wave Rider. It was adjacent to Johnny Rockets and away from the pool area. It was close to the WipeOut bar and close enough to the pool so if you wanted to meander down for a dip you could. We enjoyed the serenity of this deck. There is a swim up bar in the adult pool that's fun. It's small with bar stools (no actual bartender but they will bring you drinks). The hot tubs aren't that hot but fun to sit in at night. I didn't see a need to book any excercise classes. We chose to walk the ship and avoid the elevators. You can walk quite a bit on the ship if you choose to and we did. This helped to avoid the Cruise weight everyone talks about putting on. The shopping is less than desirable onboard.

I'm sure I will think of more to write but I wanted to get this much out there as a sort of pay it forward. We are already looking forward to our next cruise (I would suggest no less than the 6 night 7 day). I don't think we will do Falmouth, Jamaica again only because it's so far from most of the Points of Interest.

Hope this was helpful

A New Cruise Lover

We are going on the Indy for the first time in May and can't wait...Thank you for your review! Ps: the Windjammer for lunch on embarkation day is open earlier than 1:00. I think 11:00, maybe?

Awesome review..Thanks!! We go on the 8 night at the end of the month. :)

Can you do sailaway from the helipad by chance?? :)

Great review for a first timer!;) Better than some veterans imo. Love to read reviews even if not my ship because it gets us excited. I've been on the fence about getting the beverage package but it seems more and more like it makes sense to do it.

See you're from Tipp City. We're just down the road in Beavercreek. Thanks for the review! :D

An excellent review. You got it right - things I wished I had known before my first cruise. Thank you for taking the time.

Great review! Nice to hear the impressions of a first timer. Thanks for taking the time to write up and post your thoughts :)

Melissa

Awesome review but hope to get a wee bit more info from you as we sail for a 6n/7d on March 22nd. Would you mind providing?

- Maybe I missed this bit of info in your review but was this a recent sailing?

- Would love to see the Cruise Compass for the trip if you kept them.

- Did you by chance visit the fitness center and check out pricing on the Bootcamp?

- How quickly did they get you off the ship at Falmouth and George Town as we have signed up for shore excursions with independent tours.

- What shows (and/or other noteworthy events) were they featuring on the this IOS cruise?

- Did you take advantage of the ship's internet service? It was slow on our last cruise 1-1/2 years ago but hoping for some improvement.

- Assuming that you sailed recently, how was the crew in general. They should be wrapping up their tour pretty soon before a new crew arrives in another month or so and I'm hoping that they're still has fresh as daisies.

- Do you recall if you had to sign a waiver for each waiver-based venue on the ship or just a single one (e.g., Flowrider, rock wall, etc)

TIA! Pen

1.Our cruise was 2/22-2/28.

I didn't keep our cruise compass but it's similar to that which you see posted on this forum( very informative)

3.we checked out the fitness center but didn't use it. We chose to walk up and down the stairs and outside on the track

4. Get the first tender in Georgetown this will maximize your time on the island . But the tenders run quite frequently. I wish we would've gotten off sooner in Jamaica because the excursions are an hour twenty minutes from port. The shipp arrived at 730am do I'd get off early just do you can get to your excursion site early. You have to walk thru the terminal then turn right when u see the white tent in Jamaica to reach the dispatcher. He will direct u from there

5. We loved all the shows the first four nights(including the ice show. If Mosaic is playing go they are amazing. We also did line dancing, and the dance parties at night, lots of fun

6. We didn't do the internet and chose to access free wifi in grand cayman and Jamaica it was nice to go without it

7. The crew in dining room and our porter was amazing; a few friendly bartenders but not on pool deck. The cruise director was awesome very high energy.

8 individual waivers for flow rider and rock wall

Hope this helps; enjoy

Great review! Thank you! We are on Indy in October so I keep the excitement going by reading reviews. It's great to see a review of an Indy cruise.

Thank you for the review. We also will be sailing on the IOS in May. I really liked what you said about Falmouth. We mainly would just like to go to Margaritaville in Jamaica. Is there one there?

Thank you for the review. We also will be sailing on the IOS in May. I really liked what you said about Falmouth. We mainly would just like to go to Margaritaville in Jamaica. Is there one there?

There is a Margaritaville in Falmouth, inside the terminal area.

There is a Margaritaville in Falmouth, inside the terminal area.

We were there in Feb. We got off and headed straight to Margaritaville. Snagged some loungers in tieback near the pool and spent the day there. We drank sodas/ate lunch and swam. We had a great waitress. They had games/dancing and music. Great day

So are alarm clocks not provided in the rooms?

So are alarm clocks not provided in the rooms?

No alarm clocks, but they do have a wake-up service via the stateroom phone.

The drink package does not include tips now?:confused:

Is there a free style soda machine?

No Free style soda machine, you can go to any bar and have them fill up the cup you get when you sign up for the drink package.

The gratuities are included in the beverage package when you buy it; but the price you see doesn't include gratuities. I think they advertise it at a price then it says + gratuities.

No Free style soda machine, you can go to any bar and have them fill up the cup you get when you sign up for the drink package.

 

The gratuities are included in the beverage package when you buy it; but the price you see doesn't include gratuities. I think they advertise it at a price then it says + gratuities.

thanks for the info

Hooper,

So what did the package end up costing?? I called Royal and they told me $65.00 a day for the premium.

Did you wait until the last 4 days to purchase the package?

Also did you notice if you could change your dinning time?? I know on Celebrity we went to a bar area outside the dinning room and waited on a line to speak with the Maitre'de and he changed our dinning time to the early one.

I also thought I read that you can just go to the dinning room (NOT my time dinning) and just wait for a table?

We really didn't want to tip in advance for the "MY TIME DINNING" but hoping we could try and change our seating time or wait for a table?

Any advice on this??

Thanks!!

Hooper,

 

I also thought I read that you can just go to the dinning room (NOT my time dinning) and just wait for a table?

We really didn't want to tip in advance for the "MY TIME DINNING" but hoping we could try and change our seating time or wait for a table?

 

Thanks!!

This advice is incorrect, you cannot wait for a table. You have to go at your specified time. They will give you a few mins leway. 20 mins or so but it really throws off service the rest of your table mates.

Awesome review..Thanks!! We go on the 8 night at the end of the month. :)

Can you do sailaway from the helipad by chance?? :)

Yes you can. My favorite place on the ship.

Hooper, thanks for taking the time to write a review.

Cindy

I have booked the 'Select' drinks package on the Independence. Is it any good, and can it be used in the wine bar? Anybody?

I have booked the 'Select' drinks package on the Independence. Is it any good, and can it be used in the wine bar? Anybody?

The Select package can be used for wines by the glass in the wine bar. However, the limit is $8 per glass, and you would have to pay the difference for any purchases over that amount.

Thanks Clarea. Do I still have to pay the 18% tip?

Thanks Clarea. Do I still have to pay the 18% tip?

You would have to pay the 18% on any amount over the package limit.

I think it's unlimited, so hopefully not. Thanks.