Independence of the seas 8 day Christmas review

Now that we are back from our first ever Christmas cruise I am going to post a short review about some good, bad, and just ugly things onboard, and what to expect during a Christmas cruise if you haven't taken one before. If anyone has any questions feel free to ask away.

Ill being doing this review in sections and rating the different aspects with a letter grade.

These are my opinions on the subjects at hand.

Let's start with FOOD: B+

The food on this ship is pretty much the same throughout the fleet.

The Jammer is the same and has a huge variety of food. You will never have a problem finding something to eat.

The MDR food was nice the new menus are being used and we had a special Christmas menu on Christmas night that was very nice.

Problems with food and service:

The only complaint about the food would be the poolside barbecue we had one day. When I hear the word barbecue I do not think tacos/Nachos, but that just me. On the Radiance this summer it was an actual barbecue a la Labadee food.

The service was very nice throughout other than we finally had a bad assistant waiter. We didn't meet her until the 3rd night, and we were very pleased with the service of the first to by what we though was our assistant Ryan. The new one in three nights didn't clear one dish, brought bread one time, and brought one refill. One night she didn't even come to the table leaving Ryan and our excellent waiter Raniel to do the work. She didn't come back after that and we got Ryan back.

ACTIVITIES AND SHOWS: A-

The shows that we went to were very nice on this cruise. We didn't see Once upon a time as we have seen it multiple times before. We also didn't do one of the headliners shows as it was 50's music and just wasn't our thing. Their was plenty of activities to choose from so you should never be bored.

The quest was hilarious as ever with Joff, who was an excellent cruise director and a pleasure to chat with.

The Ice show was superb and one of my favorites. We had just two falls which was great as the ship was rocking good. The first two days we had heavy seas and wind with a lot of ship movement. I'm surprised that they even had the show. Their were several glasses broken this trip.

ITINERARY: A+

This is the best itinerary you can get from Florida in 8 nights or less in my opinion.

We have never been to St. Kitts before and we went snorkeling which wasn't very good, but we were on a super nice catamaran and a great crew so it was very nice.

St. Mateen we have been here numerous times before so we stayed on the ship late and then went of just to roam around and check out the shopping.

San Juan was the nicest stop and I really wish that we had more time there as there is just so much to do. The shops were having huge sells as it was the day after Christmas. We went to El Morro and the Cathedral which were very nice and did some shopping. Old san Juan is a great stop, as the ship docks right in the middle of town. Also they have free trolleys there to so hit those up.

Labadee: we have been there before numerous times and done all the big things there so we were using this as a beach day. We had a cabana on adrenaline beach. These are new and are canvas. They are supposed to come with beach mats, but we didn't have any and took till lunch time to get them. The Cabanas are right on the beach close to the water and they are not private at all. This is really the main problem with these as anyone can just come right up next to you. They should have their own little area like on Nellies beach.

Lunch on the island was beyond packed as their were two ships in. We thought we would have a separate area or line to go in but no. The wait was easily 30 minutes as people were packing multiple plates just stacked with food.

ITINERARY: A+

This is the best itinerary you can get from Florida in 8 nights or less in my opinion. We have never been to St. Kitts before and we went snorkeling which wasn't very good, but we were on a super nice catamaran and a great crew so it was very nice.

 

St. Mateen we have been here numerous times before so we stayed on the ship late and then went of just to roam around and check out the shopping.

 

San Juan was the nicest stop and I really wish that we had more time there as there is just so much to do. The shops were having huge sells as it was the day after Christmas. We went to El Morro and the Cathedral which were very nice and did some shopping. Old san Juan is a great stop, as the ship docks right in the middle of town. Also they have free trolleys there to so hit those up.

 

I completely agree with you on both points. I love Indy's 8 night itinerary. And I really feel that San Juan is short changed. It is a port very much deserving of a full day visit. We always enjoy our visits there.

Thanks so much for the review. I'm doing this cruise on Jan. 18. I've never been to San Juan and am bummed we have such an early departure.

I'd definitely consider a Christmas cruise. Would you do another one?

Thanks for the review.MY wife and I are on this 8 day itinerary leaving on the 18th as well. Looking forward to some time off work.

ITINERARY: A+

This is the best itinerary you can get from Florida in 8 nights or less in my opinion.

We have never been to St. Kitts before and we went snorkeling which wasn't very good, but we were on a super nice catamaran and a great crew so it was very nice.

 

St. Mateen we have been here numerous times before so we stayed on the ship late and then went of just to roam around and check out the shopping.

 

San Juan was the nicest stop and I really wish that we had more time there as there is just so much to do. The shops were having huge sells as it was the day after Christmas. We went to El Morro and the Cathedral which were very nice and did some shopping. Old san Juan is a great stop, as the ship docks right in the middle of town. Also they have free trolleys there to so hit those up.

 

Labadee: we have been there before numerous times and done all the big things there so we were using this as a beach day. We had a cabana on adrenaline beach. These are new and are canvas. They are supposed to come with beach mats, but we didn't have any and took till lunch time to get them. The Cabanas are right on the beach close to the water and they are not private at all. This is really the main problem with these as anyone can just come right up next to you. They should have their own little area like on Nellies beach.

Lunch on the island was beyond packed as their were two ships in. We thought we would have a separate area or line to go in but no. The wait was easily 30 minutes as people were packing multiple plates just stacked with food.

We're going on her Jan 18th . . . . did you know in advance that there would be 2 ships in Labadee? Wonder if that will happen to us? Any info would be appreciated!

Thanks! Colleen

We're going on her Jan 18th . . . . did you know in advance that there would be 2 ships in Labadee? Wonder if that will happen to us? Any info would be appreciated!

 

Thanks! Colleen

It seems that when Indy is there with two ships it is usually weeks where it meets up with Explorer. You may be lucking out as Explorer will be at Labadee on Jan 18 and Indy on Jan 24.

We were just on a B2B. There were two ships on our 6 night leg, but not on the 8 night. I did NOT like it with two ships. Too crowded!

If you go to http://www.cruisecal.com you can input your ship and departure date, and it will show you each stop and how many ships will be in port, so you can check if you are alone at Labadee or not.

I'm glad that on our upcoming Celebrity cruise, our ship is alone at Labadee...it is crowded enough with just one ship, can't imagine two!

We're going on her Jan 18th . . . . did you know in advance that there would be 2 ships in Labadee? Wonder if that will happen to us? Any info would be appreciated!

 

Thanks! Colleen

yes, it was us and the Grandeur so it could be much worse. There are several sites out there that you can check to see like cruise tt without the space is the one I use.

Independence will be by herself on the 16th but with Explorer on the 24th. I can only imagine how bad that would be. It does get less crowded as the day wears on in the afternoon.

Shopping/Bars/Live entertainment

Shopping onboard: F

Compared to other ships in the fleet there is nothing hardly on the Independence. So don't go expecting much. The logo merchandise offered is just sad. Their was better shopping onboard the Radiance and that's without a promenade. :eek:

The live entertainment was fantastic. A+

We spent time every night at the schooner bar with the piano man Joe Hollywood. He is the best one we have encountered and better than the royal caribbean singers. The Royal dancers where the best we have seen on any ship the singers just weren't really up to par except the lead male singer.

Shopping/Bars/Live entertainment

 

Shopping onboard: F

 

Compared to other ships in the fleet there is nothing hardly on the Independence. So don't go expecting much. The logo merchandise offered is just sad. Their was better shopping onboard the Radiance and that's without a promenade. :eek:

 

Another point in which we are in complete agreement. I don't know why RCI is not getting the message on this issue.

Christmas activities: B+

As this was our first Christmas cruise I can't comment on the normalcy of these things, but they had several things for Christmas. The ship was decorated quite nicely. They had santa hats everywhere and there was a nice Christmas show. They had mass as well on Christmas eve if you wanted to go, and a very nice Christmas show on Christmas night with a special menu in the MDR which was very nice. We even had a nice card from our housekeeper. There are lots of little things to make it enjoyable but it's not over the top in case you wanted to get away from it all. There was also Christmas caroling on the promenade on Christmas eve which was very well attended.

Santa does indeed make an appearance and he gives out gifts to all the children onboard, which was a ton. Over 1100 kids onboard this sailing. If you wanted a gift but wanted to avoid the line you could do so by not meeting santa in the night club.

Overall it was very enjoyable and i would recommend a Christmas cruise to anyone. The makeup onboard was lots and lots of families. For the most part however the kids where at least 7 or so and there where a huge number of teens onboard.

IF you don't want a lot of kids don't go on a Christmas cruise. Another thing that was bad on this trip is the kids would just run wild throughout the ship and the parents were no where to be found. The were several elevator buttons pushed throughout the week:rolleyes:

Trouble is, this ship shuttles between Florida in winter and the UK in the summer and on board merchandise is not swapped out when the ship changes locations.

And I really feel that San Juan is short changed. It is a port very much deserving of a full day visit. We always enjoy our visits there.

Agree. We will be back in SJ in March but I wish the call were longer.

EMBARKATION/DEBARKATION: A+++

Having heard about terminal 29 before I was weary of the long time it would take. We arrived at around 1030 and they just opened the terminal and security had become much more intense like airport security without removing the shoes. It took no time and we proceeded to check in. No sooner than we took a seat did we start priory embarkation. BEFORE 10:50!!! This was the first time ever boarding so soon. Things weren't even open yet on the ship it was so early when we boarded.

Debarkation was a breeze and we left at 8 and where in a cab by 8:15 and that was because a bag lost a tag, and there were a lot of lost tag bags. Must have been a rough night. :) There were only 4 customs agents so I imagine that it got backed up later in the morning.

We where late leaving due to a passenger getting off the ship for some unknown reason before sailing but it was no big deal.

Trouble is, this ship shuttles between Florida in winter and the UK in the summer and on board merchandise is not swapped out when the ship changes locations.

The problem is they got rid of the Logo Shop to create more real estate to devote to selling cigarettes, alcohol, and perfume.

The problem is they got rid of the Logo Shop to create more real estate to devote to selling cigarettes, alcohol, and perfume.

yes that and a purse store that is just way to large. No one was buying any merchandise hardly this cruise. They also never had the big T-shirt sale by the pool deck or any big sales on the promenade other than the invicta watches for 5 nights straight. There were several complaints about the lack or merchandise that is more souvenir than high end.

WRAPUP: THE GOOD:

Captain Teo was by far the best captain we have sailed with and the ships officers where extremely visible and friendlily. We had some nice conversations with some and Joff is a pleasure to chat with even though he may be a Portsmouth fan:D

Security could be seen everywhere as well.

I also learned why the tv selection keeps going down as they pay on a per ship per channel basis which is around $1 million a channel. :eek:

The bad: As mentioned before the shopping onboard and just some of Royal nickel and dimming policies but nothing that really would hinder your cruise.

Ill be back with the ugly a little later. Have a great New Years.

ITINERARY: A+

This is the best itinerary you can get from Florida in 8 nights or less in my opinion.

We have never been to St. Kitts before and we went snorkeling which wasn't very good, but we were on a super nice catamaran and a great crew so it was very nice.

 

St. Mateen we have been here numerous times before so we stayed on the ship late and then went of just to roam around and check out the shopping.

 

San Juan was the nicest stop and I really wish that we had more time there as there is just so much to do. The shops were having huge sells as it was the day after Christmas. We went to El Morro and the Cathedral which were very nice and did some shopping. Old san Juan is a great stop, as the ship docks right in the middle of town. Also they have free trolleys there to so hit those up.

 

Labadee: we have been there before numerous times and done all the big things there so we were using this as a beach day. We had a cabana on adrenaline beach. These are new and are canvas. They are supposed to come with beach mats, but we didn't have any and took till lunch time to get them. The Cabanas are right on the beach close to the water and they are not private at all. This is really the main problem with these as anyone can just come right up next to you. They should have their own little area like on Nellies beach.

Lunch on the island was beyond packed as their were two ships in. We thought we would have a separate area or line to go in but no. The wait was easily 30 minutes as people were packing multiple plates just stacked with food.

Can you elaborate about the cabanas on Adrenaline beach please? How were you assigned that cabana? We reserved a cabin online and thought that we would be on Nellie's beach. I am now concerned that since Grandeur will arrive earlier than the Indy that we will be assigned the canvas type of cabanas instead of the over the water on Nellie's we thought we were reserving.

Thanks

Labadee was our fav port. We were ther in early Dec and only ship at port. Merchants in the village were a bit agressive for me and. Most had the same stuff.

I have heard that the fee to dock at San Juan is very high and billed in the length of time the ship is docked. If this is true, I can understand the reason for the short stay.

In Hati, we rented a scooter from Liz Peiria Tours and loved being able to drive the entire island. We saw so much more this way including Turtle Bay and their multi million dollar estate homes.

I knew I wanted to buy a Tag Heuer watch on this trip. I priced them on board and then went into St. Marteen and got a better deal. Ended up buying 2 watches. Family next to us were buying their 5th & 6th Tag Heuer's. This was the highlight for my trip.

On board shopping was so-so. That purse store was a ghost town most times, the smoke shop was boaring and other clothing stores didnt have any awesome deals.

This is the first time we saw so much security visible during any of our cruises on board. Wonder why? Guess it was helpful when two older....uhm 'ladies' got into a physical altercation.

We will do this trip again. Right now booked on NOS out of Galviston in Nov 9. BTW - right now there is a 60%+ drop on cabin prices for this ships sailing on 5/24.

Labadee was our fav port. We were ther in early Dec and only ship at port. Merchants in the village were a bit agressive for me and. Most had the same stuff.

 

I have heard that the fee to dock at San Juan is very high and billed in the length of time the ship is docked. If this is true, I can understand the reason for the short stay.

 

In Hati, we rented a scooter from Liz Peiria Tours and loved being able to drive the entire island. We saw so much more this way including Turtle Bay and their multi million dollar estate homes.

 

I knew I wanted to buy a Tag Heuer watch on this trip. I priced them on board and then went into St. Marteen and got a better deal. Ended up buying 2 watches. Family next to us were buying their 5th & 6th Tag Heuer's. This was the highlight for my trip.

 

On board shopping was so-so. That purse store was a ghost town most times, the smoke shop was boaring and other clothing stores didnt have any awesome deals.

 

This is the first time we saw so much security visible during any of our cruises on board. Wonder why? Guess it was helpful when two older....uhm 'ladies' got into a physical altercation.

 

We will do this trip again. Right now booked on NOS out of Galviston in Nov 9. BTW - right now there is a 60%+ drop on cabin prices for this ships sailing on 5/24.

Seriously? You did this on Haiti? How did you even get out of RCI's compound?

Can you elaborate about the cabanas on Adrenaline beach please? How were you assigned that cabana? We reserved a cabin online and thought that we would be on Nellie's beach. I am now concerned that since Grandeur will arrive earlier than the Indy that we will be assigned the canvas type of cabanas instead of the over the water on Nellie's we thought we were reserving.

 

Thanks

Yes the cabanas on adrenaline are open and have a canvas roof and side flaps. This lets lots of air in and gives you some nice shade. They are brand new and have a nice coach thing in them. The cabanas at Nellie's looked much nicer and enclosed.

We booked this cabana onboard as we wanted one but the others were sold out. This was probably due to two ships being in. All these were only available onboard and they all sold out. If you booked one at Nellies then thats where you will be. These were still nice just not as nice as Nellies. With a few tweaks they could be extremely nice. The nicest thing about them was the great water and beach access.

Hope this answers your question, feel free to ask anything else.