cossie1223 Posted June 25, 2018 #1 Share Posted June 25, 2018 I though I’d add here of my experience of my recent cruise onboard the new renovated Independence of the Seas between the 2-16th June. I’ll start off by saying it was the sixth cruise with RCI, once onboard the Voyager and the fifth on the Indy. Each time I’ve been I’d recommend RCI to everyone, but not anymore the Independence I’m afraid, the refurbishment with the additional rooms which brings another 500 passengers onboard to 4150 is just too much. So many places were overcrowded, most people are aware what mayhem the Windjammer is at peak times, but the whole ship seemed like that this cruise. One problem is the main dining rooms, with the additional tables added it’s difficult to manoeuvre between the chairs and tables, something a lot of waiting staff were telling passengers. The usual problem with sun beds was just made more problematic on sunny days, and on a day at sea when it was windy and overcast (sailing between Madeira and La Coruña) with everyone being inside queuing for a speciality coffee took 40 minutes. We also found the main dining room experience slightly tarnished as the wait between courses was some days up to 30 mins, I don’t think the waiters can deal with the additional tables when it’s full. One place we never see anywhere near busy was Fish n Ships, infact I only saw a few people eating there. I can’t see that staying to be honest, when you take into account how much a simple fish and chip dinner costs. Additional problems on board we encountered were a galley brunch we had ordered before cruising on the last day was changed to two days earlier, not a problem you’d think. Trouble being our stateroom attendant put the notification in our room the evening AFTER the event. A refund was issued and a complimentary Chops Grille was given, but we’d missed the brunch which we had done before on previous cruises and enjoyed. The last problem onboard I found was our main dining room waiter, a week into the cruise he mentioned the guest satisfaction survey we’d receive after our cruise and how vital it was to him that we scored him well. Now, I don’t mind him telling us that once, but that evening he spent each course asking if he’d score a 10 from us which slightly annoyed me. The following evening and the one thereafter was the same, with him even telling my daughter to make sure we give him a 10 score, that was enough for me and we only dined again there on the last formal night, he really did sour the whole evening experiences for us. I will add the other waiter was an absolute pleasure to know, polite, funny and a credit to RCI. Now on to the plus points. The new additions, the water slides, laser tag and skypad are superb. Great fun for us all and really do add to the cruise, we spent many hours enjoying these activities. The escape room was also a great hour spent, I’d never done one before and really enjoyed it and got to make some new friends while playing it. Managed to escape with 9 minutes left. We also dined at Izumi, and what a superb night that was. Atmosphere, food and the whole experience was one of the best, chef Elvis was a pleasure to meet, definitely worth the additional cost for the meal. We also tried Johnny Rockets, a good time with some nice food, although the additional cost doesn’t seem warranted in my opinion. The tours we did with RCI were handles well and ran very well as usual, booked four but one trip was cancelled which was disappointing, other days at port we did our thing which we find more enjoyable. If you ever go to Madeira go on a catamaran dolphin and whale watching, a three trip and a reasonable price and a fantastic experience seeing turtles, whales and dolphins up close. It was the highlight of the cruise, as was Lanzarote, albeit an exhausting one, hired bicycles just outside the port and followed the path 8 miles to the next town. Beautiful weather and scenery, and stopped for a lovely lunch by the beach and tried out the jet skis, another great experience. Overall we had a great holiday again with RCI, but it’s the first time I've finished a cruise and not wanted to go back immediately, certainly not on the Independence. I’ll have to overcome my fear of flying and cruise on another ship, or consider the Navigator which sails from Southampton, I’d love to see Norway some time. I’ve waffled on far too long now, so if you’ve got this far thank you for reading. Take care and happy cruising to you all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tee & Chilli Posted June 25, 2018 #2 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Thanks for sharing your experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveso Posted June 26, 2018 #3 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Totally agree and it’s what I said in my review. They have overcrowded the ship and it just doesn’t feel an experience I want to repeat soon! Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milwaukee Eight Posted June 26, 2018 #4 Share Posted June 26, 2018 What is the difference between crowded and overcrowded? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveso Posted June 26, 2018 #5 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Crowded was the Indy before refit designed as intended. Overcrowded is Indy post refit with extra passengers for profit but no extra spare public space or staff. Of course it’s subjective but it’s how I perceive things Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouhunter Posted June 26, 2018 #6 Share Posted June 26, 2018 We're looking forward to Indy next spring. Don't eat dinner in MDR so none of those problems will exist for us :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Researcher Posted June 26, 2018 #7 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Thanks for the input OP. We love the Indy and all Freedom class ships (our favorites so far). I'm pretty sure we'll be cruising on them again, and will have to see the crowd issues firsthand. We'll be on the Navigator again in March 2019 so we'll report back after that. It's getting a pretty extensive refurb in Jan/Feb I believe so I'm guessing many of these issues on the Indy will occur with the Navigator as well. I am looking forward to the new venues to try out. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker19 Posted June 26, 2018 #8 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Now, I don’t mind him telling us that once, but that evening he spent each course asking if he’d score a 10 from us which slightly annoyed me. The following evening and the one thereafter was the same, with him even telling my daughter to make sure we give him a 10 score, that was enough for me and we only dined again there on the last formal night, he really did sour the whole evening experiences for us. You have to remind them (early) that that (them asking for a 10) is also on the survey.;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tin can Posted June 26, 2018 #9 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Thank you for the review. I have been thinking about a late summer cruise on Independence from Southampton but nearly every review mentions the crowding which is making me nervous about booking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EeyoreRN Posted June 26, 2018 #10 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Is this refit happening on all Freedom Class ships? If so, what is the schedule? Thinking of sailing on Freedom summer 2019. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarea Posted June 26, 2018 #11 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Is this refit happening on all Freedom Class ships? If so, what is the schedule? Thinking of sailing on Freedom summer 2019. Thanks! Probably, but the company has not publicly released their plans for changes. Freedom's next dry dock looks to be in 2020. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milwaukee Eight Posted June 26, 2018 #12 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Crowded was the Indy before refit designed as intended. Overcrowded is Indy post refit with extra passengers for profit but no extra spare public space or staff. Of course it’s subjective but it’s how I perceive things Ok. I guess I have always said, crowded, or very crowded. Websters - Crowded (of a space) full of people, leaving little or no room for movement; packed. Overcrowded fill (accommodations or a space) beyond what is usual or comfortable. Too me, they are the same thing??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Researcher Posted June 26, 2018 #13 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Is it really 500 more people? How many staterooms were added, and what is the capacity of those staterooms? Has the Liberty already had this done? Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker19 Posted June 26, 2018 #14 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Is it really 500 more people? How many staterooms were added, and what is the capacity of those staterooms? About 110 cabins were added, so figure maybe 250 people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Researcher Posted June 26, 2018 #15 Share Posted June 26, 2018 About 110 cabins were added, so figure maybe 250 people. Thanks, I was interested because we were on the sister ship the Liberty 5 months ago and it didn't seem overly crowded. I know the Liberty had some of the latest updates (slides, etc...), so I looked at the deck plans between the current Indy and the Liberty and could only find about 6 more staterooms additional on the Indy (deck 11 forward). If I was o.k. with the Liberty I assume I'll be just fine with the Indy. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milwaukee Eight Posted June 26, 2018 #16 Share Posted June 26, 2018 About 110 cabins were added, so figure maybe 250 people. Would that be Crowded cabins or Overcrowded cabins? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker19 Posted June 26, 2018 #17 Share Posted June 26, 2018 If I was o.k. with the Liberty I assume I'll be just fine with the Indy. The dates of the sailing probably matter as much as the ship, since the demographics and overall passenger count varies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Fun Researcher Posted June 26, 2018 #18 Share Posted June 26, 2018 The dates of the sailing probably matter as much as the ship, since the demographics and overall passenger count varies. True. Makes sense. Our Liberty cruise was a New Year's holiday cruise so I assume the passenger count was pretty high. One of our best cruises ever was on the Indy in 2014, the 8 night Eastern that it used to do. (Labadee, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Puerto Rico) Love that itinerary, and our group of adults was a riot. I wouldn't hesitate to go on any of the Freedom class ships. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saab4444 Posted June 26, 2018 #19 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Is it really 500 more people? How many staterooms were added, and what is the capacity of those staterooms? Has the Liberty already had this done? Dan Liberty was the first from Freedom class to receive the additional cabins, Freedom was second and Indy was last. However, with every dry dock they „“improved“ the total number of additional cabins... Sent from my iPad using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquahound Posted June 26, 2018 #20 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Would that be Crowded cabins or Overcrowded cabins? I have never felt crowded on Freedom Class. Does that mean I will now feel overnotcrowded? ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EeyoreRN Posted June 26, 2018 #21 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Probably, but the company has not publicly released their plans for changes. Freedom's next dry dock looks to be in 2020. Thanks! Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cb at sea Posted June 26, 2018 #22 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Looks like cruise lines are following the airlines....adding more and more passengers...and making everyone less comfortable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milwaukee Eight Posted June 26, 2018 #23 Share Posted June 26, 2018 I have never felt crowded on Freedom Class. Does that mean I will now feel overnotcrowded? ;) I’ll need to remember that one. Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seacruise9 Posted June 26, 2018 #24 Share Posted June 26, 2018 (edited) Hi, Thanks for your review. I also think the level of crowding varies greatly depending on the time of the year and the number of upper berths that are filled. I cruised aboard the Independence of the Seas twice before the recent refurbishment. In February 2014, I took a six-day Caribbean cruise on the ship and crowding was not a problem. I also cruised aboard the Liberty of Seas (sister of the Independence) to the Caribbean in early December 2011 and February 2013 and did not notice any crowding. Because this was during the school year, the passenger base was older and there were not many families. However, I cruised aboard the Independence of the Seas in August 2017 to Spain and France and the ship felt very crowded. Because this was during the summer, there were many families aboard and I'm sure that many of the upper berths were full. It seemed like an entirely different ship. Chuck Edited June 26, 2018 by seacruise9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cossie1223 Posted June 26, 2018 Author #25 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Is it really 500 more people? How many staterooms were added, and what is the capacity of those staterooms? Dan Capacity is at 4150, according to what the Captain said when addressing the Top Tier event, and I’m certain capacity before refit was 3650. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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