Just Booked Independence of the Seas - Looking for information

[Poorplaya]

My wife and I have finally booked our next cruise April 26th 2014 on Independence of the Seas for 8 night and couldnt be more excited. We are staying in one of the Owner's Suites (this part is a surprise to the wife).

 

I am looking for any information, previous reviews, pictures, anything to get me even more excited than I already am lol. Thanks everyone.:D

[phabric]

We are on the Independence in March and also looking for information.

[charmay]

You sound like my husband!

I have booked a cruise!

Please don't burst my bubble,it gets me through the working day.

It may be far away buts its there lol.

 

How strange~? the post i replied to has gone.

The one about it being 2 years away?

[setsail]

The Indy is in Europe and won't be in Florida till November of this year. Most recent reviews(member reviews) will be of those sailings. You can also put independence of the seas into the search function above and get tons of info, but all the recent will be of european sailings.:)

[wendyatpml]

We were on the IOTS in Oct.2011 in a Jr. Suite and loved it. We just had one problem with the toilet overflowing. It was fixed quickly but we were not even called by Guest Services to be sure that everything was fine.

 

We are going again on the IOTS this October and booked a Balcony. The last cruise was to the Canary Islands and this one is the Med Treasures. Other than the sewerage problem, we loved the trip.

[ellyg1824]

We were on the Indy last October and are back on it it two and a half weeks doing the Med Treasures cruise. She is a lovely ship and people saying that she's looking a bit worn must live in Buckingham palace !! I believe she's going for a minor refurb any way so i imagine she'll be spick and span for you. The food etc was good for mass catering and our balcony cabin was lovely. As we did the last cruise in October the weather wasn't too good but although we couldn't use the upper deck facilities as much there was still enough to keep us busy. I imagine you won't have any issues with the weather !!

 

When I return from the next cruise I'll post a review. If you have any specific questions let me know.

 

Helen

[RCCL Fan]

We're bringing our family and friends onboard Indy next year for our wedding.

 

We're very excited too, and I'm hoping to surprise my fiance with something fun while onboard. We'll see. (she lurks here every once and awhile, hi honey)

 

I too can't wait for reviews once she's on this side of the water, doing the caribbean routes.

[littlesteelo]

2014!!! :eek: I don't think I could wait that long! Only 60 days left for me :D You will love Independence, she is a fantastic ship.

 

Can't wait to read your review Helen, hope you have a great time :)

[Ocean Boy]

We were on the Indy last October and are back on it it two and a half weeks doing the Med Treasures cruise. She is a lovely ship and people saying that she's looking a bit worn must live in Buckingham palace !! I believe she's going for a minor refurb any way so i imagine she'll be spick and span for you. The food etc was good for mass catering and our balcony cabin was lovely. As we did the last cruise in October the weather wasn't too good but although we couldn't use the upper deck facilities as much there was still enough to keep us busy. I imagine you won't have any issues with the weather !!

 

When I return from the next cruise I'll post a review. If you have any specific questions let me know.

 

Helen

For some strange reason I suspect that the folks living in Buckinham Palace haven't been cruising on Independence.;):D

[Poorplaya]

Thank you everyone for the information. I knows it far out but this was the best setup for us with our little one and with trying to get others to go with us. Better late than never i suppose.

[besberry]

Hi, here's a link to my Med cruise photo's on the Indy. There are some pics of the ship amongst them.

 

http://www.mickberry.co.uk/cruise11.htm

[Poorplaya]

Hi, here's a link to my Med cruise photo's on the Indy. There are some pics of the ship amongst them.

 

http://www.mickberry.co.uk/cruise11.htm

 

Thank you for this, loved the pics. Anyone else have anything they can share, we're staying in cabin 1320 on deck 10.

[gnocchi_mommy]

We sailed the Indy March of 2011 (11 night Canary) We thought it was a beautiful ship, with good service. Food was decent, it was not the best food we have ever had on a cruise but it was enjoyable enough- we did try the Italian specialty restaurant and liked it a a lot. We enjoyed the whole "English Breakfast" every day as well. Negatives... the biggest is its a VERY overcrowded ship compared to other cruises we have taken, it felt like there were too many cabins and not enough public space- there was a line or "queue" for everything, and often they were just plain completely out of seats or tables at things like the piano bar. Its a *lot* of people in one place. A lot.

 

The shows were great, the decor was beautiful, the ports we did were fun, the kids club was a hit, the cabin was huge (we had one of those special bow ones with the second bedding area, its billed as an outside, but is twice as big- only families of 5 or more can book them though), the casino was loose, the dance club was fun, the drinks were freely poured (we had special all you can drink cards), and the other passengers were great.

 

 

Again, food was not super impressive though- and it was WAY over crowded compared to other ships and other lines.

 

Im in the process of booking Nav of Seas for a med cruise in 2013 and tbh the overcrowding is the one thing that has me a little hesitant. I am hoping it was a fluke to the IOS and not all RCCL med cruises.

[Poorplaya]

We sailed the Indy March of 2011 (11 night Canary) We thought it was a beautiful ship, with good service. Food was decent, it was not the best food we have ever had on a cruise but it was enjoyable enough- we did try the Italian specialty restaurant and liked it a a lot. We enjoyed the whole "English Breakfast" every day as well. Negatives... the biggest is its a VERY overcrowded ship compared to other cruises we have taken, it felt like there were too many cabins and not enough public space- there was a line or "queue" for everything, and often they were just plain completely out of seats or tables at things like the piano bar. Its a *lot* of people in one place. A lot.

 

The shows were great, the decor was beautiful, the ports we did were fun, the kids club was a hit, the cabin was huge (we had one of those special bow ones with the second bedding area, its billed as an outside, but is twice as big- only families of 5 or more can book them though), the casino was loose, the dance club was fun, the drinks were freely poured (we had special all you can drink cards), and the other passengers were great.

 

 

Again, food was not super impressive though- and it was WAY over crowded compared to other ships and other lines.

 

Im in the process of booking Nav of Seas for a med cruise in 2013 and tbh the overcrowding is the one thing that has me a little hesitant. I am hoping it was a fluke to the IOS and not all RCCL med cruises.

 

Thank you for all the great info. How did you guys come across the all you can drink cards???

[Ocean Boy]

Thank you for all the great info. How did you guys come across the all you can drink cards???

 

All you can drink packages are not available for cruises in the U.S. Considering the date of your cruise I suspect it is a Caribbean cruise from FL.?

 

ALso, I would just mention that we encountered non of the crowding that was mentioned in a previous post when we were on Independence and it was a full sailing. I was pretty surprised to read that poster's experience. If fact, we rarely encountered crowding on any of the Voyager, Freedom, or Oasis class ships that we have been on. Now, the Radiance class is another story.

[littlesteelo]

Also, I would just mention that we encountered non of the crowding that was mentioned in a previous post when we were on Independence and it was a full sailing. I was pretty surprised to read that poster's experience. If fact, we rarely encountered crowding on any of the Voyager, Freedom, or Oasis class ships that we have been on. Now, the Radiance class is another story.

 

I agree. I thought Independence took the amount of passengers very well. I think the Royal Promenade and the huge pool deck helps a lot with that. Plus, you can't moan about there not being enough seats in a bar. They can't stick 4200 chairs in the Schooner Bar now can they! :p

 

In fact, the only time I actually felt there were a lot of passengers was on the Royal Promenade street parties, and queuing up for tenders. That was pretty crazy, the queue was going up the stairwell from Deck 1 to Deck 4. People don't seem to realise that if you weren't going on a tour and just waited an hour, there would be no queue.

[dwillis43]

Our favorite ship. Sailed on her several years ago. Here is a great you tube video;

[Clio1610]

2014!!! :eek: I don't think I could wait that long! Only 60 days left for me :D You will love Independence, she is a fantastic ship.

 

Can't wait to read your review Helen, hope you have a great time :)

 

We get off as you get on !!!

 

We will look after the Beautiful Indy for you !!!

 

If anyone needs any specific photos - let me know !!!

[dln929]

Some random observations for you about the Indy.

 

--production shows are absolutely outstanding. Don't miss!

--there's a different chilled soup on the menu each night, all delicious

--the Florentine steak served at Portofino is the best I've ever had

--Deck 4 where the shuffleboard is located is a nice quiet deck and there are chaise lounges so you can sun and read.

--the parades on the Promenade are lots of fun

--Joff Eaton is a very funny cruise director and has a fantastic staff

--the wait staff in the MDR are competent and personable

--mini golf is fun to play

--the band in the Cleopatra Lounge is the only rock n' roll band in the RCI fleet (so they told us) and they're very talented and will play whatever you request

--don't miss the Progressive Trivia game held in the Cleopatra Lounge; it's very lively

 

 

You will adore the Indy. She's a grand ship.

[mlfallis]

Thank you everyone for the information. I knows it far out but this was the best setup for us with our little one and with trying to get others to go with us. Better late than never i suppose.

 

You sounds like me. I just booked for Feb 2014, it will be baby's first cruise and he is still happily in my stomach.

 

I hope we can get some good info when she comes over to Flordia.

 

I need something to pass the 611 days left ;)

[PNW Traveler]

Regarding overcrowding - Independence has a lot of outdoor space. If cruising weather is cool all those cruisers who would be outdoors are inside. On Southhampton sailings many passengers will be sitting in public area leisurely sipping tea and talking with friends. It may be difficult to find an unoccupied chair. We booked a suite just to have a nice quiet place to read on cool sea days. Independence is a beautiful ship. She's at her best cruising in warm climes.

[littlesteelo]

Some random observations for you about the Indy.

 

--production shows are absolutely outstanding. Don't miss!

--there's a different chilled soup on the menu each night, all delicious

--the Florentine steak served at Portofino is the best I've ever had

--Deck 4 where the shuffleboard is located is a nice quiet deck and there are chaise lounges so you can sun and read.

--the parades on the Promenade are lots of fun

--Joff Eaton is a very funny cruise director and has a fantastic staff

--the wait staff in the MDR are competent and personable

--mini golf is fun to play

--the band in the Cleopatra Lounge is the only rock n' roll band in the RCI fleet (so they told us) and they're very talented and will play whatever you request

--don't miss the Progressive Trivia game held in the Cleopatra Lounge; it's very lively

 

 

You will adore the Indy. She's a grand ship.

 

Some fantastic points. The chilled soups were so good!!! :D I can't believe Rock The Boat are still playing on Indy, surely they must get bored after a while.

A few more from me:

- Check out the pub singer in the Dog and Badger on the Royal Promenade. Really good atmosphere on an evening in there.

- For those sailing on her out of the UK, the breakfast choices in the Windjammer are awesome, since you have British and American options.

- The Rock Britannia street party is really good, only made better by Joff Eaton. Also, he does a fantastic Quest.

- If you walk right to the front of Deck 4 you can walk up some stairs to the helipad. Definitely the best place for sailaway!

[Lottycruiser]

Our favorite ship. Sailed on her several years ago. Here is a great you tube video;

 

Great clip , thanks for sharing .brought back memories for me .

[littlesteelo]

Ooh, does anyone who has recently sailed on Indy know if they still have that awesome free fruit punch stuff in the Windjammer??? It was red and tasted a bit like cherry.

[phabric]

We are booked into an aft (facing the bwake) cabin 7708.

 

Does anybody know if the aft facing cabins have plexiglass on the balcony or is it solid metal?