Considering Independence after only previously sailing Allure

[rodenboy]

Hi all,

 

Trying to weigh up a number of options for my next cruise. As much as I would love to sail Oasis/Quantum class, it seems that Royal Caribbean are starting to hike their prices up further and further, especially with regard to their newest ships in the Oasis and Quantum class, in my opinion.

 

That being said, I really want to stay loyal to royal so am looking at the Independence of the Seas. My question is, is there much difference to the Allure, is it better, worse etc? Does independence have anything the Allure doesn't? Will I notice that it is considerably smaller.... Does that actually make it better? I would like to hear your thoughts.

 

Thank you.

 

 

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[cb at sea]

It's much smaller than Allure....even tho it's still HUGE! I think its better....more like a real cruise, than an amusement park! Like I said..it's huge..you really won't notice that much difference in size....there is no boardwalk or central park...and I think that's good....ships are not supposed to be like NYC!

 

You will have a fabulous time! Book it!

Edited February 2, 2015 by cb at sea

[kruzerci]

I think you would be happy. They are both fantastic in different ways. I like them equally.

 

Freedom class ships feel more like ships. They are absolutely huge, but more manageable than Oasis and Allure. They still have lots of dining options and great entertainment, just not to the extent of Allure.

 

I think the cabin layouts, gym, pool decks, and Windjammers are better on Freedom class ships.

 

I'd go for it.

[sauvichick]

I'm going for it too. Twice on the Allure and now sailing on the Liberty. I'm looking forward to a more relaxing vacation. The Allure was very overwhelming with all the options. I agree the prices are very high. The only thing I will miss is the Chef's Table.

[racerxspeedy]

If you enjoy Oasis Class ships you will feel very much at home aboard Indy.

Freedom class is similar in length, but not nearly as wide.

 

We just sailed Indy after Oasis an Allure and loved our cruise.

 

No worries

[mcatmcat]

Independence is a brother of Liberty and freedom which were the biggest ship before the oasis/allure

 

I went to both oasis/allure in last 2 years because there were no other option close to MIAMI. They are big and its a difference experience but freedom class still my favorite ship.

 

Prices for Independence looks great in fact my next ship for 2015 is the independence.

 

 

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[dixi_lynn]

Freedom Class ships: Liberty, Independence and Freedom are GREAT ships. You won't be disappointed! Plenty large, plenty to do and are still very large ships. Still around 4000 guests. I've sailed on Freedom and Independence and will definitely go again. My first time on Allure in 7 days:)

[misty57]

As much as I like the Oasis and Allure, Freedom class is my favorite. The Royal Promenade is the center of things on these ships, and they still have some of the amenities such as the Flowrider. Actually, I like all of the ships just fine! Majesty is a little small and low ceilinged for my taste but has great open areas. Enjoy the Independence. We will be there in about 4 weeks!

[setsail]

You should book it and find out for yourself. All the rci ships are great

[ellie1145]

We were having the same dilemma.

 

After 4 cruises on Oasis and one on Allure we were loathe to book anything else, as we love this class of ship, but, as you say, prices were silly.

 

So, for better or worse, we have booked a B2B on IOS.

 

We will miss the Park Cafe (preferred it to the scrum in the Windjammer) and also Central Park and the Boardwalk. Why on earth is there no Park Cafe? Even Enchantment, one of the oldest in the fleet, has a Park Cafe!

 

I guess the entertainment will be very different, though there is an ice show, I believe.

 

We hope to enjoy our balcony, and love being at sea. We have a new port, too, St Kitts, which we missed in January on Royal Princess, due to the weather, so that will be good.

 

Hope you enjoy whatever you book.

[Ocean Boy]

We easily go back and forth between Oasis/Freedom/ and Voyager class ships. The only thing I really miss when not on Oasis/Allure is the Aqua Theater. I love the shows there. Aside from that we just take advantage of what each ship has to offer. We very much enjoy cruising on Indy and will be again in three weeks.

 

However, I will warn you that if you are really into ship board entertainment the production shows on Indy are no match for the entertainment available on Oasis and Allure. Although we have not been on Oasis since "Cats" arrived. With my attention span I'm not sure I'd enjoy a show that runs over two hours.

Edited February 2, 2015 by Ocean Boy

[Yankee1962]

You will like it better I'm sure we will stay with this class of ship its better staffed and cleaner.

[Russ Lomas]

We sailed the Liberty and loved it (our first RCCL cruise).

 

We did the Oasis the following year and loved it a bit more than the Liberty (more to do for the kids, although the Liberty still had loads to do). Prior to sailing on it we said it would be a one time thing on this class of ship, but at the end of the week, we found we wanted more time on it since we still did not see all of it.

 

We did the 6 day cruise on the Independence this past year and still enjoyed it, but not as much as the Liberty or the Oasis. It was missing some of the things that its sister ship has - Dreamworks characters, Broadway musical, 3D movies, etc. It was still a good trip, but was our least favourite of the 3 ships.

 

That said, we booked the Independence again for next month (it was still a very good experience overall) for an 8 day trip for a great rate. However, I saw a great rate on the Allure for only $100 more than the Independence (and one day less), and we jumped at it. Worth it in our opinion.

 

That said (again), I got a great rate on the Freedom for 2016 and we are excited to be on the Freedom for the first time. We love that class of ship and it offers many of the things I mentioned above that the Independence did not (that the kids loved). The other bonus of the Freedom is that it adds an extra port in the 7 day sailing over its Oasis class sisters.

 

In the end, all of these ships are great. The Independence was our least favourite however.

[Paulette3028]

Hi all,

 

Trying to weigh up a number of options for my next cruise. As much as I would love to sail Oasis/Quantum class, it seems that Royal Caribbean are starting to hike their prices up further and further, especially with regard to their newest ships in the Oasis and Quantum class, in my opinion.

 

That being said, I really want to stay loyal to royal so am looking at the Independence of the Seas. My question is, is there much difference to the Allure, is it better, worse etc? Does independence have anything the Allure doesn't? Will I notice that it is considerably smaller.... Does that actually make it better? I would like to hear your thoughts.

 

Thank you.

 

 

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We have been on Allure (sister to Oasis) and been on Liberty (sister to Independence). Those two classes of ships are different. It is fair to call the Oasis class, like an amusement park or almost in a 'carnival like setting' vs being on a cruise ship (Freedom class -- Liberty, Indy and Freedom ships). What I did not like about the Allure, is the lack of public open spaces (other than pool deck, Viking lounge or end of ship near Aqua Theater to see the ocean.

 

On Liberty and I expect on Indy (which we embark on Valentine's Day) is open spaces to sit and watch the ocean while waiting to go in for dinner for instance. It feels more like a cruise ship, than a floating walled in city with flashing lights and never ending sounds.

 

I fully expect I will love Indy as we very much enjoyed Liberty when we sailed on her in 2009. Make no mistake we did enjoy Allure....but I don't think I will ever say, that class of ship is my favorite.

[rodenboy]

Thank you so far for the comments! I will pass them to the rest of my family :)

 

 

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[Emma]

I went on the Independence and felt it was not a favorite of mine, thought it was too big, too crowded, too much waiting. Then I recently tried Oasis (against my better judgement) and just loved it. Loved Central Park, always found seats in the Solarium and thought the entertainment was the best I have experienced on a cruise ship.

[eajlsmith]

We are going on Indy for 5 days then on Allure for 7 with a hotel night at the beginning and one in between the two cruises. I'm calling the Indy leg our warm up cruise. :D We have only been on Voyager class ships so far so we want to see what the other two classes are like.

 

Has anyone here ever done something like that? I'm kind of wondering how the part in the middle will go.

[ronandcarla]

We have never been on this size ship (Independence) but all below and above, the last two being Oasis, and the only reason we are going on this ship next weekend is because we are taking our future son-in-law on his first cruise and the price for the two balcony staterooms were very affordable and this being a try-out for him in the world of cruising. But as far as I'm concerned if it was just my wife and I we would be back on Oasis or Allure heading to the Eastern Caribbean. When we got off the ship last year we both said "there is no other ship that can top this one" We are not young persons, but the Oasis/Allure have so many amenities you would be hard pressed to find any difficulties finding things to see or do. Well anyway off we go next weekend and no matter what if everything goes well health/weather wise we will still have a wonderful time, for the weather here in Pennsylvania is cold, not to mention our friends who live up in the Boston area.

 

Sincerely, Ron and Carla M