Independence 12/7/17 Worst Cruise Ever!!!

I am definitely not a complainer, but I can't help myself this time!! The food and the service was terrible everywhere except Giovanni's. The Main Dining Room was vile. We only ate there 1 night. There was a piece of aluminum foil in my daughter's mashed potatoes!! The staff just did not care. I didn't bother to escalate it because we saw it before she ate it. In Chops the service was so bad our dinner took 3 hours!! In the Windjammer, the first morning everything was OK, after that it was awful. The bacon looked like it was always left over from Day 1. I truly hope that it was just this ship, but I am afraid of an overall decline. The Bar service was very slow, with long waits.

Was your cruise close to when Indy came over from Europe?

Interesting. I found the service to be quite excellent in the main dining room and the staff to be generally friendly. I thought the food at breakfast in the MDR was pretty unremarkable, but better in Windjammer. I tended to frequent the same bars, which were slow, but the bar tenders were friendly. I am planning to write up my review shortly, if I can ever get out from under work that piled up when I was gone!

Chops has been known to take a while if you don't let your server know you don't want to be there all night.

The bacon at Windjammer looks pitiful on most ships most of the time.

We're looking forward to our cruise on Independence next March.

Was your cruise close to when Indy came over from Europe?

My cruise was a 4 night 12/7/17

On this sailing as well. Our waiters in the MDR were absolutely fantastic. There were a couple of missed temps from the kitchen but the service itself was fantastic. Another positive was MDR drink service. Drinks were never empty and never had to ask for one after the first night unless we wanted something different.

Bar service was a little slow the first day. After that not an issue. Pop up bars and roving beer carts on the pool deck helped thin out the crowds at Squeeze/Pool Bar/Sky Bar/Solarium.

Sorry you had a bad cruise that left you more bitter then happy and relaxed. Its not complaining if you calmly address the exact situation in which you were dissatisfied, if you don't tell anyone while you are on the cruise it will not get fixed. We had several issues but after we brought it to the attention of a "higher up", our service was great. Hope your next vacation will be more enjoyable.

My cruise was a 4 night 12/7/17

Reason I ask is that a few years ago, we were on the first two Indy cruises after she came back from Europe, and it seemed like many things were out of sync. Dining room service was poor. I think they get a significant crew turnover before the transatlantic and it shows.

Was your cruise close to when Indy came over from Europe?

Would that make a difference?

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Would that make a difference?

See post #8.

That's a shame. We've sailed on Indy twice in the last few years and had excellent cruises both times.

On this sailing as well. Our waiters in the MDR were absolutely fantastic. There were a couple of missed temps from the kitchen but the service itself was fantastic. Another positive was MDR drink service. Drinks were never empty and never had to ask for one after the first night unless we wanted something different.

 

Bar service was a little slow the first day. After that not an issue. Pop up bars and roving beer carts on the pool deck helped thin out the crowds at Squeeze/Pool Bar/Sky Bar/Solarium.

That was encouraging, especially the MDR bar service. I don't use it that much, but perhaps that has been because of not wanting to be there all night. Thanks for that post.

That was encouraging, especially the MDR bar service. I don't use it that much, but perhaps that has been because of not wanting to be there all night. Thanks for that post.

I expand a little in the mini-review I am writing but will add here as well. The assistant waiter was handling the drinks as we have seen on past cruises, the difference being (according to a manager) they no longer make the drinks, they drop off orders and the drinks are made for them.

Reason I ask is that a few years ago, we were on the first two Indy cruises after she came back from Europe, and it seemed like many things were out of sync. Dining room service was poor. I think they get a significant crew turnover before the transatlantic and it shows.

We have done several cruises on Indy and the only one that was a bit "off" was when we were aboard the week before Indy was to go over to Europe after being here for several years. Speaking with one of the crew, he told me they were not happy about the relocation.

All our other cruises on the ship have been very good. Of course, there are always the left over canisters of blood clot biscuits hanging around after a return from Europe but that is another story altogether.;p

That was encouraging, especially the MDR bar service. I don't use it that much, but perhaps that has been because of not wanting to be there all night. Thanks for that post.

Don't count on that happening again :rolleyes: On the 11/27/17 sailing, we gave up on the MDR after two nights because service was so slow. The assistant waiter was almost never available for anything other than drinks; those who did get service waited a long time, while the rest of us were just wishing for water refills and bread basket offers. I asked her on Night 1 if Diamond drinks were available in the MDR and she said they were. I gave her a drink order and my card on Night 2, and after a very long wait, she came back empty-handed and told me she was wrong about Diamond drinks.

We were on the 11/18 sailing and food and service in the MDR were both good.

Reason I ask is that a few years ago, we were on the first two Indy cruises after she came back from Europe, and it seemed like many things were out of sync. Dining room service was poor. I think they get a significant crew turnover before the transatlantic and it shows.

We were on the Indy TA. Service and crew were fantastic. Giovanni's was as good as usual, ate at Chops for lunch and for dinner and both services were well above usual. Seemed as if the Windjammer had much better food quality than I remembered. Wait staff in late seating MDR was as excellent as ever. Ship, crew, shows and staff were excellent. All 15 days had good to perfect weather. I think it has more to with a short cruise and the crew moving too much luggage, as well as on any cruise the first couple days are a disorganized mess. Just as a odd side note, as you know deck 3 is for MTD and every night it was empty and stayed empty at least from 8PM on. Drink vouchers were good anywhere except Champagne Bar and Specialty dinning. The first night my wife could not get a Cosmo at the Boleros Bar, the bartender told us to go across the walkway to the tables and chairs used as extra seating and we were able to order a Cosmo with no problem. People we met in the Diamond lounge who had 6PM MDR were able to use the vouchers during dinner. All public areas were in excellent shape, only the cabins and halls looked tired Not bad considering she goes in for a major refurb in April.

I'm sorry to hear you had a poor experience. If people keep quiet and fill out you surveys as if everything was great, can you really expect a change? On another note I always take reviews that use words such as vile with caution. I love White Castle from time to time, and I doubt the food in the MDR was worse than that. I honestly don't know if I have ever had food that I would consider vile, but I am not a complainer either.

I am definitely not a complainer, but I can't help myself this time!! The food and the service was terrible everywhere except Giovanni's. The Main Dining Room was vile. We only ate there 1 night. There was a piece of aluminum foil in my daughter's mashed potatoes!! The staff just did not care. I didn't bother to escalate it because we saw it before she ate it. In Chops the service was so bad our dinner took 3 hours!! In the Windjammer, the first morning everything was OK, after that it was awful. The bacon looked like it was always left over from Day 1. I truly hope that it was just this ship, but I am afraid of an overall decline. The Bar service was very slow, with long waits.

Ate there 1 night and you know it all

Ate there 1 night and you know it all

That's right. I wouldn't go back.

That's right. I wouldn't go back.

I was on a tour with the ship in Olympia in Greece many years ago. A women in the museum there looked kind of pale. I looked at her standing in a doorway kind of leaning against the wall. I noticed she didn't look well. I looked back at an exhibit and a couple of moments later, I heard a thud. She had collapsed in the doorway. My wife an RN another man (turned out to be a doctor) immediately went to her and quickly determined she was dead and began CPR another person in our tour joined in. I went to the desk at the museum and had the staff, who didn't speak much English, call an ambulance. The woman's husband showed up about 15 minutes later and was stunned by the actions which were happening. A few minutes later an Ambulance showed up, which was basically a work van with a stretcher and no medical equipment. They loaded her into the van and drove away. They took with her the doctors bag of cameras and lenses. When we left the museum about 30 minutes later on the bus back to the port. The doctor had the museum staff call the hospital to get back his camera equipment. The bus stopped at the hospital about 10 minutes away. All three who did CPR on her for 20 plus minutes said she never ever responded. I am pretty sure her husband had the worst cruise ever.

Finding aluminum foil on a baked potatoe wouldn't even make the top 1000 worst cruise ever lists.

So, it is Xmas time.... and I have read at least 3 worst cruise ever posts on three different ships this week. Y'all need to get over yourselves.

Just sayin

JC

I was on the Indy for the 12/7/17 cruise. Despite some issues with dining and an event typo in the Compass, I would definitely go back. It ended up being one of the most relaxing cruises out of all I have taken. I will have to agree with others that wait time in the MDR was slow but the staff was friendly and wanting to please. It took 3 hours to be served in Giovanni's on night 2. Service wasn't up to the normal RC standards.

Vile is a very strong word. I can’t imagine that the food was repulsive, disgusting and evil. I have sailed on all three Freedom class ships. I have never had a bad cruise. I very much enjoy all my meals. The staff has always been fantastic and treated us wonderfully. And we have always treated the staff exceptionally well. I’m actually Facebook friends with a couple of waiters because we had so much fun every night. A couple of my best friends were my table mates on cruises. I’m easy to please..... I’m just there to enjoy life

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I am definitely not a complainer, but I can't help myself this time!! The food and the service was terrible everywhere except Giovanni's. The Main Dining Room was vile. We only ate there 1 night. There was a piece of aluminum foil in my daughter's mashed potatoes!! The staff just did not care. I didn't bother to escalate it because we saw it before she ate it. In Chops the service was so bad our dinner took 3 hours!! In the Windjammer, the first morning everything was OK, after that it was awful. The bacon looked like it was always left over from Day 1. I truly hope that it was just this ship, but I am afraid of an overall decline. The Bar service was very slow, with long waits.

The problem is your not a complainer, if you have a problem on the ship say something give them a chance to correct problem, getting off the ship coming here and telling us about doesn't work to well. come on man some of what happen is your fault you gotta say something.

I am definitely not a complainer, but I can't help myself this time!! The food and the service was terrible everywhere except Giovanni's. The Main Dining Room was vile. We only ate there 1 night. There was a piece of aluminum foil in my daughter's mashed potatoes!! The staff just did not care. I didn't bother to escalate it because we saw it before she ate it. In Chops the service was so bad our dinner took 3 hours!! In the Windjammer, the first morning everything was OK, after that it was awful. The bacon looked like it was always left over from Day 1. I truly hope that it was just this ship, but I am afraid of an overall decline. The Bar service was very slow, with long waits.

My wife and her friend were on this exact cruise with you and when she returned she resonated a lot of your same issues at hand. I’m not saying a majority it was a bad cruise or people didn’t have a good time but the decline was very apparent between our oasis cruise 2 months ago to her independence cruise last weekend. She also commented about the ship was looking tired and needed updating. She didn’t notice any future dry dock being conducted now( atleast obvious work). She really enjoyed Mark ( bing bong ) as the cruise director.

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