Independence of the seas post refurb mini cruise May 2018 live report

[royzer76]

 

I can see lots...

 

 

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Ha ha ... thanks. So can I. I noticed this post after I posted yesterday.

 

From past experience though ... all these 2s on your pic are not always there and the 2s that remain are so close to the neighbouring table they may as well be joined.

[little britain]

Well they were there on Wednesday!!!

Yes I agree they are pretty close...

 

 

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[royzer76]

Well they were there on Wednesday!!!

Yes I agree they are pretty close...

 

 

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I don't think I've ever seen so many 2s ... must have been a lot of my fellow 'anti social diners' onboard with you.

[Soomacdoo]

We got off the Independence this morning after doing the 3 night mini cruise. We've done quite a few Cunards but this was our first RCI and we thought as we had kids and grandkids with us this time would be a better ship to take them on. It got off to a shambolic start as 2 days before departure RCI had decided to give our balcony to someone else and they gave us an inside cabin instead. It took phone calls and email complaints to get that back. We arrived at the car park on departure day and the car park attendants wouldn't let us leave the car park, they just kept saying there was a problem in the terminal but couldn't tell us what, we ended up having to barge past as the kids were freezing (their jackets were in the luggage that had been taken away by the porters). We got to the terminal and they wouldn't let us in for an hour. Boarding of the ship was delayed because they couldn't get the previous people off, it turns out they were all at guest services complaining about being charged incorrectly. We eventually got on and the hard sell for the drinks packages started. The 3 day mini cruise was full of stag and hen parties who bought drinks packages and then were all hammered before we'd even set sail. We witnessed some shocking behaviour and language, not really what I would have expected for a family ship. We took the grandkids to play mini golf and the music that was blaring out was some rubbish with the continual lyrics of 'I'm gonna f**k you up', it was just so inappropriate when there were so many little kids running round.

Anyway the good stuff, the kids loved the mini golf, bungee trampolines, rock climbing, pools and big screen at the pool. We liked the main dining room, we had no complaints but I know a lot of others did have problems and the chef actually came out and apologised to a lot of people. The street party in the promenade on last night was really good, I'm not sure if that happens every last cruise night or whether that was just for the royal wedding. The cabins were small but they were clean and tidy.

The not so good stuff, there were a lot of dated areas of the ship. There was a lack of amenities in the room, we had to ask for everything, shower gel, conditioner, tissues etc maybe thats just an RCI thing. $9 for fish and chips - what's that all about? The Windjammer is chaos, no order to it whats so ever, and they seem to run out of a lot of the simple things like coffee, the pots were always empty.

CHECK you onboard account daily. Even with a drinks/soda package they still charge you for everything so you end up having to queue daily at guest services to get the charges removed. They kept saying it was a glitch in the new system.

 

Other RCI cruise regulars onboard assured me this was not a normal RCI cruise, therefore I would probably do another RCI but definitely not another mini cruise and they just seem to be full of the booze cruise brigade.

Sorry for the long post.

[joolsmicra]

I think a lot of the problems were time....we just missed the stop for embarkation so were in the terminal,and then on in 20 minutes...when we looked after there were huge queues outside....we found the windjammer organised and well stocked...but again heard others had trouble...food in the dining room was ok, but service was slow...agree about the fish and chips...they looked good, and were free on the first day, so people had them on day 2 and were stung by the charge.yes there were drunks, but generally good natured, and we also saw the most well behaved stag night ever...(mind, the stags were a little older!)...we laughed as they had 'keep calm' on their t shirts, and if they had two drinks they were doing well!! we probably wont do another short cruise as everything felt squashed in,and do have concerns that it would be very expensive if the proposed charges come in for the activities...for example we did the escape room, but as a family of five it would have cost us 100 pounds for 45 mins....

[tallulahcruiser]

We are sailing on Independence next Monday. I am concerned to hear about the drunks and inappropriate music around the golf as we are taking our grandchildren. It will be the youngests first cruise and I really ant them to have a great time. The cruise is a little longer, 5 days so hopefully it will be families as it half term, rather than stag and hens. Did you notice if the flowrider was open on the first day. I though it would be a good time to try it before the queues get too big. The boys are really looking forward to it and the trampolines. We have adjoining promenade view cabins. It will be the first time we haven't sailed in a balcony so hope we like it. Any tips to avoid queues? Not sure what time to arrive at the terminal. Would be great if we could get on early.

[little britain]

It most definitely wasn’t a normal RCI cruise. Some of our “travelling” companions really took over the bars and facilities and, tbh, spoilt it for the rest of us.

 

 

 

 

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[Cruisingcouple22]

We are sailing on Independence next Monday. I am concerned to hear about the drunks and inappropriate music around the golf as we are taking our grandchildren. It will be the youngests first cruise and I really ant them to have a great time. The cruise is a little longer, 5 days so hopefully it will be families as it half term, rather than stag and hens. Did you notice if the flowrider was open on the first day. I though it would be a good time to try it before the queues get too big. The boys are really looking forward to it and the trampolines. We have adjoining promenade view cabins. It will be the first time we haven't sailed in a balcony so hope we like it. Any tips to avoid queues? Not sure what time to arrive at the terminal. Would be great if we could get on early.

 

 

 

I definitely agree, this wasn’t a normal RCI cruise! However even with some of the other passengers there were opportunities to get away. We found that they mostly congregated around the main pool and hot tubs, or in the sports bar. There were always plenty of loungers around the children splash zone, and the sports deck with the slides, flow rider, trampoline and basketball court was always quite quiet. Also with the 5 night cruise I think you will find more family’s and less stag/hen does! We still had a great time on the 3 night cruise, anytime on a cruise ship is better than being at work!!

 

Also I’ll be posting a video of our promenade view cabin on YouTube, I’ll put a link when it’s up!

 

 

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[Over Land & Sea]

It most definitely wasn’t a normal RCI cruise. Some of our “travelling” companions really took over the bars and facilities and, tbh, spoilt it for the rest of us.

Yes I noticed a lot of travellers

[SquishTheWhale]

Yes I noticed a lot of travellers

Ah I see. I hope this isn't the same on our 3 day cruise later in the year, although I know short cruises usually attract a party crowd.

 

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[Cruisingcouple22]

So I’m just going to put my thoughts in a random order! Kind of as we experienced them, but sorry if it doesn’t make sense!

 

Muster drill was held outside, never been on independence before, but all our other ships (anthem, allure, harmony, navigator and MSC) were inside, so don’t forget to bring a jacket or let the crew know if you have mobility problems

 

The room was great, so much storage in various books and crannies, and really well designed.

This was our first promenade view stateroom, we really loved the window seat, but not being able to open the curtains much in the morning (without having people looking in!) was a bit of a hinderance

 

Our promenade view room

View from the window, the net curtains do nothing to stop people looking in!!

The most useful thing to bring on a cruise, magnetic hooks!!

 

Escape room, there was a sign up on the first day with a number of slots over the course of the cruise. It’s complimentary on our cruise but from next week will be 20 USD. It booked up immediately and was a lot of fun, but I’m not sure I’d pay that much for it. A good way to meet people though as you have to work together in there!

 

On each of the cabin only decks (6-10)there’s a little seating area over looking the promenade which is fun

 

 

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[sky0000547]

Other RCI cruise regulars onboard assured me this was not a normal RCI cruise, therefore I would probably do another RCI but definitely not another mini cruise and they just seem to be full of the booze cruise brigade.

Sorry for the long post.

 

 

Yes I can assure you this isn’t normal. Apart from you picking the right ship, the timing and cruise duration are all badly picked. Try to avoid cruises immediately after a big dry dock there will always be problem whether it’s small or big. And also these short 2/3 days cruises are so fit for hen/stag parties and most other referred them as booze cruise.

 

Also always keep a jacket with you when cruising from Southampton no matter the month.

[Cruisingcouple22]

Here is the tour of our stateroom if you’re interested [emoji3]

 

 

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[SquishTheWhale]

Can I ask those who have done the 3 day, were there any formal nights? And which shows were played, and how often? Thanks!

 

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[Trueblade]

Hi all

I just got back from this cruise also and would agree that the service was slower than usual but this seemed due to a cut in the number of staff, ie bartenders and waiters.

Yes there were hen parties and stag parties on board but I never witnessed any unruly behaviour or bad language.

I took my adult children and their partners with us for their first cruise and was impressed at how much they got to experience such as the ice show, Grease the musical, Rule Britannia street party, the quest game show and a formal night.

As for the incorrect charges for drinks and the queues at Guest Services I just called them from my room on the morning of disembarkation, they answered after two rings removed the charges without question and it was sorted in less than a minute.

Yes we can always find things to complain about but if you don't enjoy yourself you're not trying hard enough.

[Cruisingcouple22]

Can I ask those who have done the 3 day, were there any formal nights? And which shows were played, and how often? Thanks!

 

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There was one formal night, the 2nd night, and people went all out on this cruise, I was really surprised. Lots of tuxedos.

The showed grease twice on the sea day, day two, ice skating show twice on port day evening, day three, a headliner comedy twice on day one and I think that was it. I’ll put the cruise compasses up so you can have a look

 

 

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[Cruisingcouple22]

 

 

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[Cruisingcouple22]

Cruise compass day 2

 

 

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[Cruisingcouple22]

Cruise compass day 3

 

 

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[grapau27]

Can I ask those who have done the 3 day, were there any formal nights? And which shows were played, and how often? Thanks!

 

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Usually day 2.

Up to 5 nights there is 1 formal night.

 

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[Cruisingcouple22]

The playmakers bar is a very nice space, right next to the casino. Lots of TV showing multiple channels, but there was a stuttering on them for some reason. Great beer selection and the food (for a fee) was tasty. We tried the popcorn shrimp (8.50) and the cookie (7) which we’d highly recommended, it comes our on a warm skillet with blowtorched marshmallows on top. Had a few arcade games as well as two pool tables and table football, all for a fee.

Popcorn shrimp was about 7usd with a choice of three dips. Freshly cooked and crispy batter

 

warm cookie skillet. This was a LOT of food, could easily share it between three people, but it’s definitely worth it.

 

Izumi hibachi experience was good fun and the chef (Elvis, but I heard the chef behind us also say his name was Elvis, so not sure if they all say that!) was fun, and entertained us well. The food was tasty, particularly the beef medallions and the garlic rice, but I though at $39/45 depending on your meat choice was a bit much. Dessert were fried sesame balls (with a filling I couldn’t identify!) or mango, strawberry and green tea mocha ice cream, which were delicious! They have room for 40 people in total for hibachi, 5 tables of 8, with 8 more seats for just sushi

 

smiley face garlic rice

 

Michu ice cream, a bit strange texture but very tasty

 

Fried sesame balls (I have no idea what the filling was!

 

 

 

 

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[Cruisingcouple22]

our welcome aboard cake

splashaway bay looked like a lot of fun, unfortunately I’m from old to enjoy it ☹️

the arcades, you’re never too old to enjoy these!!

The water slides are good fun, not too fast so everyone should be able to enjoy them, and there were no queues even on our sunny sea day.

diamond lounge

diamond lounge outdoor seating

[Cruisingcouple22]

We enjoyed the rock climbing, but quite a few of the holds span or moved when climbing. We told the attendant but he didn’t seem that interested. Hope they fix it soon!!

Sunrise over the luckey climber (sounds like a modern art piece[emoji3])

I love the look of these balconies, I always forget about them when it comes to booking a cruise though! Think the ones on navigator were like this too!

Laser tag was brilliant! They give you a run down of how the equipment works, tell you the rules (no running!) and then let you go. Each game last 7 minutes, but seems a lot longer when you are in there. The best are lightweight and the guns lretty accurate too. They use a lot of fog effects so beware of that if you are sensitive. You get pretty warm it there as well so dress appropriately.

 

fish and chips at Fish and Ships! It was tasty, batter was light and crispy, but 9 usd seems a bit steep

 

 

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[Cruisingcouple22]

Got this message a few times when trying to check our account (which was a tri-daily occurrence on this cruise due to the billing errors!)

the violinist for the ice show was walking around the ice in heels. On a moving ship! Now that is a talent.

outdoor movie, needed a lot of blankets for this

suite lounge and outdoor area

farewell cakes!

 

And that’s all from me, we had a great cruise and really enjoyed the independence of the seas. We will definitely be looking at more cruises on her in the future. Any other questions then please ask!

 

Happy cruising

 

 

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[SquishTheWhale]

There was one formal night, the 2nd night, and people went all out on this cruise, I was really surprised. Lots of tuxedos.

The showed grease twice on the sea day, day two, ice skating show twice on port day evening, day three, a headliner comedy twice on day one and I think that was it. I’ll put the cruise compasses up so you can have a look

 

Thank you!! Super useful along with all your pictures. Was Grease just turn up and find a seat, or was it ticketed?

How did the laser tag work too, did you just turn up and wait for the next session? It looks so fun!

Can't wait to do our little 3 nighter on her now.

 

Also thanks for the info that people really dressed up on the formal night, will do the same then!