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Independence of the Seas - Recap & Review (1/23) - Photos/video/scans

ultimatecruisemaster
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PoseyLake

PoseyLake

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Love your reviews so far and pictures. I have an Indy cruise on hold for March for the Labadee and Jamaica itin, but I'm just so nervous to book after reading so many bad reviews. Your review is the most current and it appears it was a great time!

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Joe12

Joe12

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Is he really bad? We're on Indy in 3 weeks.

 

I've had him twice, on Enchantment in 2011 and Anthem last July and absolutely hated him.

Three words: loud, arrogant, self-important. Also, incompetent at managing the entertainment on a larger ship.

I am purposely making sure that he isn't on any ship that I am considering sailing on, before making a booking.

 

Anyway, Indy is a great ship, having sailed her 3 times. I do think the Freedom Class ships are great value for money, and offer plenty of amenities that you would still find on an Oasis Class. Hope you have a nice cruise!

 

OP: Looking forward to the rest of the review!

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dcgrumpy

dcgrumpy

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I've had him twice, on Enchantment in 2011 and Anthem last July and absolutely hated him.

Three words: loud, arrogant, self-important. Also, incompetent at managing the entertainment on a larger ship.

I am purposely making sure that he isn't on any ship that I am considering sailing on, before making a booking.

 

Anyway, Indy is a great ship, having sailed her 3 times. I do think the Freedom Class ships are great value for money, and offer plenty of amenities that you would still find on an Oasis Class. Hope you have a nice cruise!

 

OP: Looking forward to the rest of the review!

Uggh

 

Thanks. I've sailed on Indy before. I booked this cruise a year ago back when Leigh was still the CD, whom I loved. I'm sure I'll still have a great cruise.

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Joe12

Joe12

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Uggh

 

Thanks. I've sailed on Indy before. I booked this cruise a year ago back when Leigh was still the CD, whom I loved. I'm sure I'll still have a great cruise.

 

I'm sure you will really enjoy it.

Unfortunately, Leigh was fired from Royal back in March and is now with Carnival.

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ultimatecruisemaster

ultimatecruisemaster

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All my previous cruises were over 10 years ago... so I don't recall what the other cruise directors were like. But at no time did I ever think... "this John Blair guy is bad".

 

One weird incident I noticed was at the adult comedy show... he was sitting up in the crowd by himself, and during the whole routine ... everyone was laughing etc... but he was just sitting there alone, with a serious look on his face the whole time. No idea what he was so focused on... but it seemed a little strange.

 

He does have sort of a hokey, salesman/over-the-top game show host vibe to him. But throughout the shows, the Quest and the belly flop competition ... I thought he did a good job of leading the events, cracking jokes and keeping up the energy.

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ultimatecruisemaster

ultimatecruisemaster

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P.S. - Forgot to mention that during the Welcome Aboard Show, the ship started to rock quite a bit. My girlfriend does get motion sickness, so she had taken some Gravol as a precaution. As the comedian did his set though... you could really see the curtains behind him swaying back and forth. We left the show, and you could see people having trouble walking around the ship. She started to get pretty sick... so we grabbed some Dramamine from the Promenade shops. After some fresh air and the Dramamine... her stomach and head started to thankfully settle down!

 

Day 2 - Sea Day

 

On day 2, we decided to try the main dining room for breakfast. We arrived at the MDR and there was quite a crowd... maybe about 50 or 60 people standing around. As tables became available they would pick matching sized groups from the crowd. The wait was a little annoying, and the system seemed rather disorganized. Eventually, a table for 6 opened up... and we joined a group of four people in front of us in line. For breakfast, I ordered the The Classic with sunny side up eggs and both bacon and sausage, while my girlfriend was super excited that they had eggs benedict on the menu. We're big breakfast food fans though... and the quality of the MDR breakfast was a bit of a let down. The Canadian bacon on the benny was sliced super thin... and the english muffin was dry. The potatoes with my meal were dry and pretty bland. Quite a bummer. We had a great time chatting with our table mates though... but decided that we'd probably just do Windjammer breakfasts from now on. Especially considering the wait time. On the bright side... buffet breakfasts were a lot more satisfying the whole trip.

 

After breakfast, we got ready and went up to the sports deck to try the rock climbing. We waited in a short line to sign the waivers and get our harnesses and helmets on. They were letting three climbers go up at a time, and there was a short lineup at the wall. Other guests there were supportive and friendly. I made it up the wall, and my girlfriend made it up about half way. We had fun ... and she vowed to try again later in the trip.

 

Windjammer for lunch was next. I filled up a plate with Thai chili chicken, eggplant parmigiana and more. Then we went up to the pool area for the Sexiest Man competition. A little more PG13 of an event... but it was all in good fun. We did some sun bathing, then tried out the Flowrider. At any time... there were maybe 5 - 8 people in line, but the wait never seemed long. Flowrider was definitely a new experience, but we both got up on our knees on the first time out. Crowd is really supportive, cheering people on. Attendants at the Flowrider are lots of fun too... doing tricks... splashing and goofing around with people etc.

 

Day 2 was formal night! So, after a nap we got dolled up and ready for dinner. I started to get hooked on the pumpkin seed rolls, and ordered the lobster bisque and the shrimp ravioli. Was surprised when the ravioli came out... and it was only two pieces. From then on, I asked the waiter the serving sizes. Indulged in two desserts tonight, creme brulee and the souffle.

 

After dinner, we made our way to the Alhambra Theatre for the Once Upon a Time show. Being a fairy tale themed show... we weren't sure if it was going to be geared towards kids. We're glad we saw it though, because the show was super fun. My girlfriend is a dance teacher with a theatre company, and she really enjoyed it too. Nice lighting, some interesting things they did with the sets, nice costumes and some great dancers. Much better shows than we've seen on resorts. We definitely recommend!

 

We grabbed some sandwiches and cookies from the Cafe promenade then made it back for the Love and Marriage show. Some hilarious guests really made it a good time. Another event not to miss. The Labyrinth was a lot busier tonight, and we spent some time on the dance floor. Learned some line dances... then made our way up for a stroll around the jogging track. Another round of cookies, and off to bed!

 

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The Classic breakfast

 

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Gold member discounts

 

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Two ravioli

 

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Towel friend!

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raytownlady

raytownlady

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We are booked or that sailing also!! Its a small roll call, but starting to pick up some steam i think!

 

 

We're going too! I simply could not pass up the fantastic pricing I found for this cruise so I booked it as a surprise for my amazing DH.

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