Independence of the Sea -12/22/16

[normalman]

Since there aren’t a lot of Independence of the Sea reviews on this forum, I thought I’d review our just completed 4 night cruise out of Ft. Lauderdale on 12/22/16. This was our first Royal Caribbean cruise in 18 years though we’ve done Carnival several times since.

 

We’d stopped the night before at Port St. Lucie about ninety minutes away. Before we left the hotel, we got a text saying the cruise was delayed a couple of hours. I later found out why and I’ll explain at the end of this review.

 

We hung out at the hotel then arrived at Port Everglades around 1:00 pm. We’d decided to park at the port thinking it’d be more convenient. If I cruise from there again, I’ll use a park and ride service. We still had to haul our luggage to a shuttle to take to the ship. On our return, the ship was closer to the garage but we still had to tote our luggage a long way from ship to garage.

 

Check in was fast. We entered on deck 4 where we were given complimentary champagne. The ship was very nice. I really liked the Royal Promenade which is done up to look like an open air street with the stores, bars, pizza place, and café along it. A lot of rooms looked out over it from above.

 

We had a slice of pizza (just ok) then went to our rooms. We’d booked the two forward most deck 6 balconies. I’d done some research and was pleased because 6514 effectively gives you an extra 5’ of balcony and a forward view through a curved glass wind breaker. The room was fairly spacious. I could have done without the rounded bed though because the sheets don’t fit on it well.

 

We eventually got them to open the divider between balconies but I had to bug them a couple of times. The internet didn’t work for the first day. I got a credit for the day but I had to bug them for that too. This was the first of several minor annoyances with RCI I’d have thru the cruise. You’d think they’d have automatically credited everyone for that first day.

 

We walked the ship. The work out area was very nice except for the changing area which was surprisingly spartan. The spa looked nice but prices were eye popping. Wife would have done a massage but they were 2X shore prices.

 

We checked our youngest into the teen club. Disappointingly, my oldest son, just turned 18, had aged out and RCL does almost nothing for the 18-21 y/o set. So my youngest had a great time with all the group activities but my oldest was kind of stuck.

 

To use the wave rider, rock wall, and ice skating you have to sign a waiver and get a wrist band. RCI’s method of doing this was terrible. The line was so slow. Their signup tablets kept locking up. One of them kept failing and the attendant blamed one of our ID cards. So we had to go down to guest services, which told us the card was fine, so back up to the sports deck where of course this time it worked fine.

 

We all did my time dining together that first night. The food was ok but nothing special. We then walked from bar to bar as they had a number of different music acts playing thru out the ship.

 

The next day was a sea day. Breakfast in dining hall was ok. We made the mistake of going to the shopping talk. They were running behind and kept everyone outside the auditorium. Since the first 100 people were supposed to get a lanyard, everyone was cramming in from all sides once they finally opened the doors (in reality, they had lanyards for all).

 

Next we decided to hit the art auction since I’d been told I was one of the closest to guessing the price of the Peter Max. I did get two glasses of champagne out of the deal and some of the art was pretty, but even though I did end up “winning” free art, it turned out it wasn’t free after all. You have to pay $35 shipping for an ok print that I could get at Michael’s for $20. I just passed on it. If you want to go to the art auction – I suggest staying long enough to snag the champagne then leaving – also never buy the art, the markups are obscene.

 

Rest of the day was much better. I peeked in on the ice show. It was packed, they should do more of them.

 

That evening’s Once Upon A Time live music revue show was really well done. Next we did the disco dance party on the Promenade. This was a really nice use of the promenade as the singers were on bridges above while everyone danced on the streets below. We closed with the adult comedy act, the comedian had been on Last Comic Standing and was very good.

 

Day two was our one port day in Cozumel. We did the Fury catamaran. You board the catamaran, wait for the inevitable stragglers (man I hate them), and they take you to a spot to snorkel (surprisingly close to the ship). The snorkeling was just ok. While we saw a fair number of fish, we’ve had better snorkeling elsewere. We then road the catamaran to their private beach area with water inflatables. The ride on the catamaran and the beach area were both terrific as was the ride back where the crew led us in dances while we tried not to fall over (it wasn’t too rough but you do bounce around a bit). Beer, wine, and soda were free but lunch on the beach area was $11. They also had much less pricey massages than the Spa. Bring cash though since they have no credit card capability.

 

We tried the ship’s buffet area when we got back. As with the dining hall, just ok. We then went back off the ship and had drinks at the El Cid hotel restaurant overlooking the port just outside the port area. Nice spot and drinks were half what they were on ship. We went to the rock show featuring a singer from Foreigner. Another nicely done live show though I wished he’d sang more complete songs instead of just sampling them. Finally, we went to the Xmas caroling on the promenade. Again, a nice use of this location with the carolers singing from above.

 

That night we started to have a problem with the room. The balcony door wouldn’t seal well and since it was fairly windy, we got a loud whistling sound. I managed to seal it well enough but it would get worse the next day.

 

Last day, we slept in missing the Santa visit. I entered the black jack tourney and had no luck. We tried Johnny Rockets, pretty good burgers and all you can eat (at a fairly reasonable upcharge – milk shakes are extra but I had a buy one, get one deal). We used the gym and hot tub. Hot tubs overhang the side of the ship which gives a nice view.

 

We went to the early showing of Grease. A really well done production, almost shockingly good for a cruise ship. Ate at main dining, again, just ok.

 

The whistling in our cabin got bad enough that we complained. Their fix was to basically seal the door with tape. Since it was the last night, I didn’t care too much, but I’d like to think they can actually fix something like that.

 

The next morning, I found that we’d been double charged for a wine purchase the night before so I again had to go to guest services. Tried breakfast in the buffet area, omelet station was good, the rest – again – just ok. Check out was fairly quick. I used the Mobile Passport app. This saved some time but I’m not sure if it was because the app is so efficient or just because the mobile passport line was much shorter.

 

Having been on Carnival some, I thought I’d give a few thoughts comparing them and RCI.

 

While I haven’t been on Carnival’s newest ships, the Independence was the nicest ship I’ve been on appearance wise. The promenade was very nice. I liked the rooms (minus the leaky balcony door and rounded bed) and the balconies, which project out more from the ship then the Carnival one’s I’ve seen. If Independence had an adult’s only area, I never found it, but since we had a balcony this time, it wasn’t an issue.

 

Much to our surprise, we thought the food on Carnival was superior. Maybe a little better in the dining halls, but much better in the other areas. Carnival had better buffet, better pizza, and better deli sandwich areas. It also had free nightly sushi and specialty tastings at a tasting bar. Carnival also had better daily drink deals (though we did get a good deal on the kids’ soda packages by pre buying from RCI).

 

RCI’s live shows were vastly superior to anything I’ve seen on Carnival. They had much more and better live music in the bars. Carnival’s one advantage was their nightly comedy club shows as I really like stand up. Carnival also seemed to have better in room TV.

 

Service was fine on RCI, but on Carnival, I’m used to the attendant sneaking in our room to clean every time we stepped out. We didn’t quite get that on RCI. There were also a few glitches in service that I mentioned above. Only our youngest used the rock wall, flow rider, or skate rink since he had reserved times as part of the teen group, but I might have if they’d been opened more. I’m surprised they have these things and aren’t running them all day long. RCI could also have more planned activities for the 18-21 y/o crowd.

 

In summation, it was a fun cruise and I’ll definitely consider RCI next time, but it’ll probably come down to price and itinerary as to whether I choose them over Carnival. I'll try to post pics if I can downsize them.

 

Now, fair warning, if you’re sensitive and don’t want to know what happened on the previous cruise to delay the ship, stop reading.

 

 

 

 

 

On the last night, someone decided to jump off deck 12 into the ocean. The ship searched for several hours with no luck until the coast guard took over and the ship headed on for port. I don’t know whether the jumper was drunk or suicidal. I don’t know why anyone would want to kill themselves that way, if you actually survive the fall, drowning at sea seems like a horrible, slow way to go.

[BillOh]

Thanks for reporting. We are both shocked at spa prices in terms of land based services. Are they any more reasonable on Carnival? I' never cruised with them.

[Clarea]

Thanks for the comparison report.:)

[wolfcathorse]

thank you for your comparative review. While it's going to be a year yet before I try Indy, I will be monitoring reviews so I can plan better.

 

BTW - Indy (in fact all RCI ships) has an adults only area. It's the pool forward of the main pool area, it's called the Solarium. On inclement days though, children are allowed in there with adult supervision.

[Clarea]

thank you for your comparative review. While it's going to be a year yet before I try Indy, I will be monitoring reviews so I can plan better.

 

BTW - Indy (in fact all RCI ships) has an adults only area. It's the pool forward of the main pool area, it's called the Solarium. On inclement days though, children are allowed in there with adult supervision.

Except Majesty and Empress.:)

[scorpluvsdolphins]

I was on this cruise also, but I thought the food in the windjammer was very good. In November, it was horrible. I actually lost weight in November, lol.

 

The pizza in Sorrento's was gross as usual. I was too late for lunch in the windjammer. The small chef salad in Sorrento's was fine.

 

I didn't eat in the MDR this cruise or in November.

 

Grease show was very good.

 

Cabin attendant Alan, deck 10 was excellent. He enjoyed his twice daily chocolate.

 

Felix, the concierge, is awesome. He is so attentive to all cruisers in the lounge.

 

 

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[aliciam]

Thanks for reviewing - I keep thinking I might try Carnival, but I can never actually pull the trigger. It sounds like debarkation wasn't an issue for you? I am cruising Indy the end of January with an 11:15 flight and I keep hearing about delayed debarkations.

 

Glad you liked the entertainment and that is an interesting note about the food on Carnival being better.

 

Thanks again.

[normalman]

Thanks for reviewing - I keep thinking I might try Carnival, but I can never actually pull the trigger. It sounds like debarkation wasn't an issue for you? I am cruising Indy the end of January with an 11:15 flight and I keep hearing about delayed debarkations.

 

 

We could have been off the ship by 8:00 if we hand carried. I was also told those with plane reservations could have gone early too. Barring the kind of delay the previous cruise had, I doubt you'll have an issue.

[normalman]

Thanks for reporting. We are both shocked at spa prices in terms of land based services. Are they any more reasonable on Carnival? I' never cruised with them.

 

I'm going by memory, which is that Carnival wasn't a great deal compared to land based but it didn't seem as outrageous. They also seemed to offer better first day deals.

[normalman]

I was on this cruise also, but I thought the food in the windjammer was very good. In November, it was horrible. I actually lost weight in November, lol.

 

 

It wasn't that Windjammer was bad, it just seemed Carnival had more cook to order type stations like a mongolian grill and the sushi bar. I guess I'd been led to believe that RCL was more upscale on food and just didn't see it.

[easyboy]

Thank you for the informative review.

 

 

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[scorpluvsdolphins]

I will probably try Carnival this summer.

I have friends that like Carnival's food better also.

Royal only has Bahama cruises and Oasis class this summer.

So, I'm thinking about trying Carnival.

 

Thank you for the review.

 

 

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[normalman]

Here's the view of the Royal Promenade at Xmas

[normalman]

Here's views of the Royal Promenade with the Xmas carolers and the "Village People" for the disco party.

Edited December 28, 2016 by normalman

[normalman]

Here's the bonus balcony on 6514 (I think the other forwardmost balconies are similar). A good deal if they fix the leaky door seal and you don't mind a little extra walking to the elevators.

[i_n_k]

We were on the same sailing. The MDR was mostly very good, but not quite as nice as I was expecting compared to past RCC cruises we've taken. However, service was super quick, we had our apps less than 10 mins from ordering and the staff was great. The food for dinner quickly followed. If we hadn't had dessert we could have eaten and left in less than an hour...crazy. The best I've ever experienced.

 

However, the Windjammer is the worst I've ever seen in terms of size...they should have skipped a deck amenity and made it larger...it's WAY too small and can't accommodate that many guests at all...it's really, really bad, we were shocked. The other annoying issue was that nearly every station was without silverware almost every time we went because they obviously couldn't wash/fold and turn them around quick enough. And if you go, find a table first before you go up so that you're not standing there with food and no where to sit. I've seen people complain on past cruises and thought they were just whining...this is actually a big enough deal where it will need to be addressed if/when they renovate it.

 

But the ship overall is excellent and we had a great experience otherwise. Highly recommended.

[cruisinterps]

Nice review, thank you! We're headed to Jamaica on this ship in a few weeks, so I appreciate the info. I've been on only Carnival in the last 5 or so years (2 successive kids between the ages of 2 and 3, so Carnival's kids' club was a must). I'm interested to see how the food compares.

[normalman]

Nice review, thank you! We're headed to Jamaica on this ship in a few weeks, so I appreciate the info. I've been on only Carnival in the last 5 or so years (2 successive kids between the ages of 2 and 3, so Carnival's kids' club was a must). I'm interested to see how the food compares.

 

My youngest son liked RCI's teen program better than Carnival's but of course he's much older so can't say how the younger kids' program compares but it did look like they had programs for younger kids as well.

[sandebeach]

Thank you for the review. We are going on Indy for New Year's, so I appreciated reading your review and your perspective on the ship activities. Although I enjoy cruising on Carnival, I have found this year that the food choices in the buffet area were better on Royal Caribbean than Carnival. (But the best buffet food I have ever, ever, had was on our recent cruise on Holland America's Koningsdam).

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[shred5]

Never been on the Independence but will be in March. I have been on other Royal Caribbean ships and foods seems the same across all ships. The food to me has been real good but if you want real high end food you are better on a higher end cruise line. Royal Caribbean seems to fit right in the middle of the road or upper middle of the road on everything except entertainment which is top notch. Entertainment is the reason to go Royal Caribbean.

 

I remember hearing on a news program when I was younger about crime on Carnival cruise lines by employees and how they got these employees out of the country. Ever since then I always had a bad taste about them. I am sure none of this stuff happens anymore. I have heard allot of good things about them now and in some case better than Royal Caribbean. I think Royal Caribbean will have to step it up soon instead of just building bigger ships because their reviews seem to be slipping some.

 

I feel I have been lucky every cruise no matter which cruise line has been pretty good even on some of the really small ones.

Edited December 29, 2016 by shred5

[Elvis1001]

For those about to cruise, I was also on this cruise and will summarize my review which will be posted eventually in the member review section:

 

Food – Windjammer and Café Promenade food was edible. We found it best to sample a few things and then get seconds and thirds of the good stuff. MDR food was not worth waiting for. Hand carved turkey in the WJ on Christmas was excellent.

 

Cabin – Promenade cabins are small, but everything was in decent condition except the beds could be replaced, they sag in the middle. Cabin serviced morning and evening as expected. Towel animals appeared on second and third nights only.

 

Sports – Flow Rider lines were long when it was open. High wind on second sea day also limited capacity. Mini-golf needs more putters and golf balls.

 

Entertainment – Grease was very good, if you like Broadway musicals go see it. The headliner was marginal. The Quest was great (our first time). The cruise director Jamie really enjoys his work.

 

Casino - We all played slots while drinking $1 mimosas from the casino bar from noon to 1pm on both sea days (the second day is not advertised in the cruise compass).

 

Christmas / Hanukah - The ship was decorated with traditional decorations in the main dining room and promenade. The Windjammer also had gingerbread houses on display. The ship sailed with a rabbi and a priest who conducted Hanukah and Christmas services.

 

Cozumel - We enjoyed the island roots and chocolate traditions tour through the ship. We returned to the pier and had lunch at the new Margaritaville (opened two weeks ago). There is also a Senor Frogs on the pier now. We also discovered Pepe’s with $3 beer and $6 frozen drinks.

 

Port Everglades – Ship left late from Terminal 18. Parked in mid-port garage but no shuttles were running to T18 so we had to walk, crossing truck traffic loading a container ship. Ship arrived at Terminal 25. We did self-assist without any issues. Customs wait time was about 20 minutes.

[easyboy]

Thanks for your feedback Elvis1001. Looking forward to your post on Member Reviews.