Independence crowds

I have never been on Royal Caribbean.

On my first 5 cruises,the passenger capacity was between 2000 and 3100.

On my last cruise,I decided to try a larger ship and went on NCL breakaway with 4000 or so passengers.

We noticed soon enough,that while there were between 1000 to 2000 more passengers,the venues such as theater and atrium were no larger than smaller ships.and especially in atrium missed many shows for lack of seats,even an hour in advance.

Recently,we had been considering Independence of the seas,but were concerned, that with 4300 passengers,we could have the same issues,which for arthritic seniors would be a deal breaker.

So could those who have been on that ship please let us know.

Thank you

We've had little problem getting seats in the theater on Freedom class ships like Independence. You may have to arrive 20-30 minutes early to get a good selection.

What about the Atrium

What about the Atrium

No Atrium on Indy, just the Royal Promenade. A very large space.

Good to know.

Thank you

Good to know.

Thank you

You're very welcome.

I have sailed on Indy quite a few times. I find that the promenade can get a little crowded during busy periods but I don't find that off putting. I always get to the theatre in good time and never had a problem getting seats.

I do like the ship and would continue to sail on her. Main thing is that generally as you wander around the ship it doesn't feel crowded.

I have sailed Independence a couple time, with the last being just a couple weeks ago. I detest crowds, and I have to say that with the exception of embarkation day, I never really ran into any crowds. Enjoy.. I love the Voyager/Freedom class ships.

I have never been on Royal Caribbean.

On my first 5 cruises,the passenger capacity was between 2000 and 3100.

On my last cruise,I decided to try a larger ship and went on NCL breakaway with 4000 or so passengers.

We noticed soon enough,that while there were between 1000 to 2000 more passengers,the venues such as theater and atrium were no larger than smaller ships.and especially in atrium missed many shows for lack of seats,even an hour in advance.

Recently,we had been considering Independence of the seas,but were concerned, that with 4300 passengers,we could have the same issues,which for arthritic seniors would be a deal breaker.

So could those who have been on that ship please let us know.

Thank you

One tip about passing through the Royal Promenade. Sometimes you want to traverse the length of the ship, but there's something going on the Royal Promenade that's making it crowded. Go down one deck to the outside promenade on deck 4.

I have never been on Royal Caribbean.

On my first 5 cruises,the passenger capacity was between 2000 and 3100.

On my last cruise,I decided to try a larger ship and went on NCL breakaway with 4000 or so passengers.

We noticed soon enough,that while there were between 1000 to 2000 more passengers,the venues such as theater and atrium were no larger than smaller ships.and especially in atrium missed many shows for lack of seats,even an hour in advance.

Recently,we had been considering Independence of the seas,but were concerned, that with 4300 passengers,we could have the same issues,which for arthritic seniors would be a deal breaker.

So could those who have been on that ship please let us know.

Thank you

We have never had any issues with overcrowding on Voyager, Freedom or Oasis class ships and the Royal Promenade which is the main area is quite wide and has shops,bars and eating facilities along its entire length with plenty of places if you need to sit down.

The Freedom class ships handle the number of passengers that they carry very well. I've been on Indy several times. You picked a great ship for a first cruise with RCI.

Just sailed Indy and found it less crowded than expected. No issue getting seats for the shows or even by the pool on nice sea days. This can differ depending on weather. The windjammer buffet is always busy. I wish Royal had other food options around the pool. I noticed they set up some snacks at the adult pool - which was a nice addition.

The Indy is having a top to bottom refurbishment in April, hold of until then if you can. You might also consider the Oasis class ships if you are going during a non school break time of year. Oasis class holds 6000 and has a lot of open space. We have been on Allure and Oasis as well as just getting of a Independence TA. Found the Oasis class to feel much less crowded, never hard to find a seat at show time, or a place to sit in the promenade or Central park. We are in our 60's and travel off season. Check out the ship of your choice on youtube. happy cruising

Our problem on norwegian,just to give an example on 1 night,in the atrium,there was an event at 830,and anotger at 9.

we got there at 745.

Bot one seat in the entire area was available.

We walked for 15 minutes, came back

Still the same.

Just not enough seats,so we missed 2 events.so that was our concern