Is Independance really that bad

[Shelley61]

not so good for our American friends no more ice buckets in your cabin ,got to ring every tme you want ice and its no good asking your stateroom attendant he/she is not allowed to provide them anymore,seems like its a healthissue,well unless you are in a gold card suite.

 

Not so sure about the ice bucket thing - it was the first thing our room attendant asked us when we met him, whether we wanted ice in our room each day...

 

Oh, and we found Windjammer was fine about 45 minutes before closing too - just be sensible in your timing... if there are a lot of young kids on board, they'll all be having breakfast early, so just try and avoid "common" times... we never really had a problem finding a table. We even got a window seat on disembarkation day!

 

The biggest tip about Windjammer is to not be too polite! Be courteous yes, but realise that if you try and wait in a queue, you'll be there all day, as more and more people will "join" that queue in front of you...!

[TheWaterDoc]

You'll have a great time... if you're ever after a bit of peace, go for a walk around outside on deck 4 and play a bit of shuffleboard... hardly anyone goes there! :)

 

 

Shelley, you may have just spoilt the secret haven & tranquility of deck 4!! I completely agree a lovely place to get away from it all an have a peaceful walk away from the track on the deck full of sunloungers!

[Devon goes cruising]

We were on the Cork cruise as well. It was our second on Independence and we have just booked another on her to the Canaries. Independence is a superb ship; the crew were really pleasant and helpful.

 

The weather wasn't great which kept most people inside most of the time and we British love to complain about the weather. Not being able to sit out on deck is always going to make it feel busier inside but you don't have to choose to go to the busy parts at peak times (except for the shows which were excellent and even then you never struggled to find a seat).

 

There is always less to do on the ship when it is in port and on this cruise a lot of people let the weather affect their holiday and decided to stay on board on the port day. We got the train into Cork and had a great day, but would expect that those who stayed on found little to do. It would not have been great on deck and the shops in the Royal Promenade are always closed when in port. Again not enjoying the cruise would be the result of personal choices and not a reflection on the ship.

 

That cruise suffered from a lot of first time cruisers who all turned up at the Windjammer at peak times and found it crowded. A lot of more experienced cruisers use the facilities of the ship when the newbies are in the Windjammer. We use the Windjammer slightly off peak times when there is never a problem getting seats and the atmosphere is much more relaxed (15 miuntes can be the difference between a bun-fight with the masses and a relaxed experience and a wide choice of free tables). Alternatively on sea days we would sometimes use the main dining room for lunch which is a great alternative.

 

The other "people" problem is couples who expect to turn up at busy times and sit at a table on their own. Most of the tables are for 4/6/8. We love to meet other cruisers and share experiences; it is part of the fun of a cruise. If you want a table to yourself in the Windjammer don't go at peak times.

 

In summary, a cruise on the Independence is what you make of it. If you follow the herd then everywhere you go will be busy. If you use your time wisely it will feel like the ship is half empty. The crew are great and will do everything they can to make your experience enjoyable, but remember they do have other passengers to look after so be reasonable with your expectations!

 

Looking forward to our next cruise on the Independence.:)

[timespliters]

Only 2 14 night cruises on her and hope it wont be the last. Great Ship and staff

[jock66]

OK, then, Brits. What exactly is a "butlin"? Clarify further, please; I am intrigued.

 

teddie

hi

butlins is a holiday camp it were everyone went before went for there summer holiday before airplanes for affordable for everyone

[deek72]

Hi all. Me and DW are on Indy on Sept 3 for our first cruise. Will the ship be full as it's the week British kids return to school? Also, I'm hoping that the ratio of kids will be smaller. Not that I dislike kids in general, it's just that I'd like, er, less of them if possible :)

[Missus Makkem]

Not so sure about the ice bucket thing - it was the first thing our room attendant asked us when we met him, whether we wanted ice in our room each day.

 

Perhaps it was just our cruise on the Indie 2 weeks ago but we all had a card in our rooms from the Hotel director saying no ice...asked our attendant and he confirmed it.

I just brought a cup full of ice back from the bar and kept it in our fridge and it did for my iced water in the evening.

Will see if its still the same when we return in november.

[Shelley61]

Not so sure about the ice bucket thing - it was the first thing our room attendant asked us when we met him, whether we wanted ice in our room each day.

 

Perhaps it was just our cruise on the Indie 2 weeks ago but we all had a card in our rooms from the Hotel director saying no ice...asked our attendant and he confirmed it.

I just brought a cup full of ice back from the bar and kept it in our fridge and it did for my iced water in the evening.

Will see if its still the same when we return in november.

 

How strange! We were on the 28th May sailing, so not too long ago! Must be a new thing... I wonder why?! We had the bucket in our room, but never had it filled. Had they even taken the bucket away? :confused:

[Indy_Girl46]

Here, here! And I have to say the snobs and the moaners are the ones that tend to spoil things.

 

I have said rather riskily on other forums, that in my experience it tends to be the older generation that are difficult to please and nothing pleases them, but I was actually fully supported, by the realists, including many, many, more mature cruisers!

 

IOTS is a fantastic ship and the staff are fantastic too, helpful, polite, courteous and cannot do enough for you. I guess on any cruise with 4000 people and 2000 staff, you will always find exceptions.

 

Never spoil your holiday before you go listening to other cruisers viewpoint; keep an open mind and you will all have a fantastic time

 

I fully agree with your comments.

 

IOTS is great and we can't wait to go on it again next April. We wouldn't go back on a ship if it was like Butlins (not that I have ever been to, or would ever go to, a Butlins!).

[Missus Makkem]

 

How strange! We were on the 28th May sailing, so not too long ago! Must be a new thing... I wonder why?! We had the bucket in our room, but never had it filled. Had they even taken the bucket away? :confused:

No ice bucket unless in a suite not Junior like ours though:rolleyes:

i have a feeling it could be a health issue but no one would admit that,there had been an outbreak of the dreaded Noro virus prior to our cruise, we got an email to say embarking would be later than usual then once on no cabins available until 4pm because of a deep clean which went on all the time we were on the ship.

Captain Teo sure likes a clean healthy ship and we appreciate that.

No problems on our trip thank goodness.

[beardedladies]

We've done 4 cruises on Indy and have always had a wonderful time (:D Hi Dave & Mark)

 

We're booked on an 18 nighter in November (Hi Terry and Brenda)

 

Windjammer can be a stampede at times, especially for lunch on Day 1, and we usually go to the MDR for breakfast.

 

Never had any fault with Indy's cabin staff - always provided excellent service. Unlike our steward on Brilliance once - she didnt make contact until the 4th day of the cruise!

 

Entertainment is excellent - Kory Simon (the piano man) was in the Schooner Bar in April - but sadly will have jumped ship by November. And I'm a sucker for the teddy bears in the 'Once Upon a Time' production show.

 

As for Butlins - we went once. It will be a cold day in hell before we go again and we will be booking into one of the on-site hotels instead of a run down chalet if we do.

 

You can please some of the people some of the time but not all of the people all of the time. Some people are born moaners!

 

You'll only get out of a cruise what you put into it!

 

Happy Cruising

 

 

Hi ya both (Clive and Steph)....

 

The months are flying by and you will soon be back on board.... We loved the 18 day cruises on Indy, so much time to relax and take things easy :cool:.... Its great when you get to day 11 and thinking cool we have another week to go... Please look after her until Jan 12 when its our turn again..... Have fun yellow bird or three....

Mark & Dave x

 

 

 

[Kiki cat]

First time I have read a thread on this forum. I thought these ships were posh? Aren't they? Sounds like the passengers are just the same as other cruisers?

[Merion_Mom]

We were on the Cork cruise as well. It was our second on Independence and we have just booked another on her to the Canaries. Independence is a superb ship; the crew were really pleasant and helpful.

 

The weather wasn't great which kept most people inside most of the time and we British love to complain about the weather. Not being able to sit out on deck is always going to make it feel busier inside but you don't have to choose to go to the busy parts at peak times (except for the shows which were excellent and even then you never struggled to find a seat).

 

There is always less to do on the ship when it is in port and on this cruise a lot of people let the weather affect their holiday and decided to stay on board on the port day. We got the train into Cork and had a great day, but would expect that those who stayed on found little to do. It would not have been great on deck and the shops in the Royal Promenade are always closed when in port. Again not enjoying the cruise would be the result of personal choices and not a reflection on the ship.

 

That cruise suffered from a lot of first time cruisers who all turned up at the Windjammer at peak times and found it crowded. A lot of more experienced cruisers use the facilities of the ship when the newbies are in the Windjammer. We use the Windjammer slightly off peak times when there is never a problem getting seats and the atmosphere is much more relaxed (15 miuntes can be the difference between a bun-fight with the masses and a relaxed experience and a wide choice of free tables). Alternatively on sea days we would sometimes use the main dining room for lunch which is a great alternative.

 

The other "people" problem is couples who expect to turn up at busy times and sit at a table on their own. Most of the tables are for 4/6/8. We love to meet other cruisers and share experiences; it is part of the fun of a cruise. If you want a table to yourself in the Windjammer don't go at peak times.

 

In summary, a cruise on the Independence is what you make of it. If you follow the herd then everywhere you go will be busy. If you use your time wisely it will feel like the ship is half empty. The crew are great and will do everything they can to make your experience enjoyable, but remember they do have other passengers to look after so be reasonable with your expectations!

 

Looking forward to our next cruise on the Independence.:)

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

 

An excellent first post! I agree heartily.

[malsy]

hi I have been on Independence and had a great time from Newark to Canada but I am also going on the Mariner in September have you been before ?

[spanner14]

Hi,

I sailed on Independence in March 2011. We were a party of 5 Adults and two children aged 3 and 4.

We found there were alot of Oldies and by that I mean people over 70 on board. We were definitely the minority.

There was not alot for the children to do apart from a kiddies club which was basically a Playschool afloat and when visiting ports not alot for them to do either. Weather wasnt that good and when we had the odd sunny day it was too windy uptop to use the kiddies pool so All in all not an experience I would reccomend for Toddlers.

From an Adults point of view there are plenty of spaces to relax and unwind. The childrens areas tend to be concerntrated at one end of the ship so can easily be avoided if you so wish.

You need to be in a bar especially along the Promenade by 7ish otherwise you will not get seated.

Breakfast time in the Buffet is every man for himself. If you arrive later than 8ish it is mayhem literally. On the plus side there is a superb range of foods and plenty of it. The same goes for lunchtime and dinner times, although after 6 days the food is very repetitive.

We chose not to buy the prepaid tips. We only wanted to tip those we considered to give good service. Service through the ship varies greatly from really couldnt be bothered to over the top give me a hugh tip!!

Toilets throughout the ship were spotless and I mean spotless as were all public areas.

Getting on and off at the various ports is smooth and effortless. As is getting around this hugh ship apart from mealtimes when you can guarantee getting your feet run over by impatient people in wheelchairs or stampeded by an army of OAP's who you would have though havent eaten in years. They could do with positioning some staff at the lifts at these time to eleviate this problem.

Would I cruise on this ship again. Yes I would. Would I take Toddlers. No I wouldnt.:D:):rolleyes:

 

Thanks for your post; our DD was 10 when we took her on Freedom and there was plenty to do; she was never bored. It's probably easier with older children.

 

As a wheelchair user, I have to (respectfully) take issue with your assessment of "impatient people in wheelchairs" because we don't actually *try* to run people over. Unfortunately, when you're in a wheelchair you mysteriously become invisible, so people do walk right in front of w/chairs and then get their feet run over. I've had several people literally fall into my lap (not very comfortable) because for some reason they couldn't see me in my wheelchair.

 

I have a bicycle bell on my chair which my DH rings, but even then some people have literally no peripheral vision so still walk right across me, into me, stop right in front of me etc. That may be why people get their feet run over; it's not because people are impatient. Usually we're just fed up with looking at people's bottoms and never being able to get in a lift!

 

Just a little perspective from the other side....:)

[LeDemonBlond]

We were just on IOS and I had read some negative reviews as well. However, my experience was very good. Guests were very friendly and polite. Crew was very good as well. Its a FAMILY oriented cruise ship so people have to remember that when booking. I think we had 600 kids.

 

For my kids, they had an excellent time in the Kids clubs. They really enjoyed the staff and other Kids they met.

 

My only negative is the Southhampton port terminal is too small to handle 4000 people well. But thats not a reflection on the Ship.

 

I would sail on Independence out of Southhampton again.

[spanner14]

We were just on IOS and I had read some negative reviews as well. However, my experience was very good. Guests were very friendly and polite. Crew was very good as well. Its a FAMILY oriented cruise ship so people have to remember that when booking. I think we had 600 kids.

 

For my kids, they had an excellent time in the Kids clubs. They really enjoyed the staff and other Kids they met.

 

My only negative is the Southhampton port terminal is too small to handle 4000 people well. But thats not a reflection on the Ship.

 

I would sail on Independence out of Southhampton again.

 

Good to hear! :):)

[okimot]

Been on the Independence four times as well as the Naming ceremony. We like the itineray round the Med Have booked again for next June. Went through a very bad storm across the Bay of Biscay on our way to the Canaries. Apart from that we do not have any complaints about the food or the service.

I agree with what Spanner says about passengers in wheel chairs. We have seen passengers try to go past wheel chairs to get in the lifts when we have been holding the doors open. We will walk down the stairs to let passengers in wheel chairs get into the lift.

Missis makem, we always have an inside cabin and always have an ice bucket which is filled each day.

Enjoy your cruiseand try not to get upset by the rude passengers. My wife is very good at putting people in their place with some apt comments!!

[mjldvlks]

. . .I agree with what Spanner says about passengers in wheel chairs. We have seen passengers try to go past wheel chairs to get in the lifts when we have been holding the doors open. We will walk down the stairs to let passengers in wheel chairs get into the lift.. . .

 

It's been a couple of years now but Independence is our favoirite.

 

Know what you mean about elevators, but that is not specific to ships or nationalities. One of our group on our recent Radiance cruise was a cancer patient and used a wheel chair most of the time because of fatigue/exhaustion. I was pushing him one day and a lady, no woman is more appropriate [50ish -- old enough to have developed a more mature character] in the rear of the elevator [she had been on when we entered] let out a huge sigh and and said "this is ridiculous" obviously miffed that she had to share an elevator with anyone else. I -- well let's just say I let her know her complaint was registered [and the likely response form ther complaint department].

[spanner14]

Thanks both for your comments re. wheelchairs and lifts/elevators.

 

Yes, it's certainly not limited to any certain nationalities!

 

I had to chuckle to myself on Freedom when we were using the lift to get down to deck 1 or 2 (I forget now) to use the tender that could manage wheelchairs. It said quite clearly in the announcements and in the ship's newspaper that only disabled/wheelchair users and their families, or people with babies in pushchairs could take the lift all the way down to deck 1. Everyone else needed to get out of the lifts at Deck 4 and use the stairs.

 

When we eventually managed to get in a lift, it stopped on the way down and filled up. Nobody got out at Deck 4. When we got down to Deck 1, a crew member said "I can take the lady in the wheelchair, and her family. The rest of you have to go back up to Deck 4 and get out there, as it said in the newspaper."

 

I've never heard such a lot of moaning in my life! You'd think they'd been asked to forego the tender and swim across the sea to the port. :D

[ronayne]

We had a fantastic time on Independence with our (then )17 year old daughter. We loved the entertainment the ports . O nly snag was that daughter got swine flu so we were confined to our room for 3 days. Excellent medical treatment and service. When we returned home we receive £250 per person for our inconvenience- unexpected but pleasant surprise. we are using voucher towards Jewel of the seas baltic cruise leaving on Friday!

[ollienbertsmum]

We read that before we booked. It was the thing that appealed to my husband as my in laws and hisfamily live in Spain. We get by ok with the language (well he and my daughter do- I just smile and nod).

 

The last siting is 9.30 and the early is 6.45 which sounded good to us.

 

I have been watching it and voyager for several months. We had to go that week and the price dropped in the middle of the night which sealed it. Plus flights are cheaper and more regular to malaga than Venice or Rome!

 

Barnaby - I was on the AOS last year. I didn't find out until too near the end of the cruise that the trick to avoiding the crush was to do everything early - especially eating and swimming. The Windjammer was lovely before 1 pm. It may seem a bit early, but as long as you find yourself a seat you can tuck in in comfort. The ship is lovely and we had a great trip. I would do it again, it is just that this year my DDs were with me and I thought the LOTS from Barcelona gave a better itinerary with 5 prts instead of 4.

[ollienbertsmum]

We had a fantastic time on Independence with our (then )17 year old daughter. We loved the entertainment the ports . O nly snag was that daughter got swine flu so we were confined to our room for 3 days. Excellent medical treatment and service. When we returned home we receive £250 per person for our inconvenience- unexpected but pleasant surprise. we are using voucher towards Jewel of the seas baltic cruise leaving on Friday!

 

Wow that was a nice gesture - have fun in the Baltic, it was the best cruise ever for me. Make sure that you are on deck for the sail in or out of Stockholm. That was beautiful.

[Traveling Library]

We just returned from the 2-week cruise on the IOS and we loved it. Met lovely people, at least 2 who are contributing to this thread. As two of the slightly less than 300 American passengers we felt welcomed and at times special. More than once someone would comment "you came all the way from the US for this cruise???" "Sure",we replied, "we liked the itinerary." Ship even held a small Independence Day party (4th of July) for the Americans. Joff Eaton as CD is a scream and his progressive trivia is not to be missed. I happily participated in the Thriller flash mob. Since I find the sports deck too hot I did my daily 6 laps on Deck 4. I must thank my cheering squad who happily counted off the laps for me (just so I didn't miss one I think)! On disembarkation morning we discovered Cafe Promenade had a light breakfast. Just the way to end our cruise.

Oh, yes, we had to ask for an ice bucket but once provided we got ice twice a day. We were in a balcony.

The elevators were always busy and slow. We just did the stairs and didn't feel guilty about getting a 2nd scoop of ice cream.