Independence Of The Seas B2B with over 100 pictures

[BCCRUSINGCOUPLE]

Great pics thanks a million.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[takevtr1]

EXCELLENT review.

Sailing the Indy on 8/9/15.

Thanks for all your pictures and input.

 

I can't wait to sail her.

 

Mitch.........

[CruisinBarb63]

Thank you for an excellent review. I will be taking my girls in IOS in October for the first time. Your review has given us some great information and things to look forward to.

 

Enjoy your future cruises!

[monctonguy]

Thanks for the great detailed review!

 

Looking forward even more now to getting on her in Jan!!!

[kimlet]

Great review was thinking of taking this ship next year and now after reading I think we will.

[robin13]

Thanks so much for doing this review. I was on the ship a year ago and loved it. I am now booked again with some friends that have never been on a Royal ship and I just forwarded the review to them. They originally wanted to go on The Allure but the price difference between both ships was too much so we chose IOS. I loved the layout and it never seemed crowded to me which was a major plus. I was on Carnival's Breeze and hated it as there were crowds of people everywhere.

 

I felt bad because last November I recommended NCL's The Jewel out of Galveston and they hated it. I had been on The Pearl in a 2 bedroom suite with a butler so of course I loved it. They didn't like the food or the entertainment so I am hoping to make up for that with this cruise.

 

Hopefully after reading your review they will start to get excited.

[John&LaLa]

Nice review an pictures. I thought it flowed quite nicely.

 

I am surprised that no one has jumped on you for posting pics of other people's children. Some people get really bent out of shape about that.

[cruisingbajan]

Excellent review and pics as usual.

 

I am a huge fan of your reviews and pics.

[BuzzBuzzen]

Thank you for a wonderful review. Your photos and commentary are really enjoyable and entertaining. I was particularly interested in your Carnival Conquest , thoughts and memories. I agree the bird thing on Carnival Spirit is a shocker !

[berwyn]

What did they do to the viking crown lounge?

[Bowie MeMe]

Thanks going on family trip August 2015 and the pictures are worth a thousand discussions!!!:D

[swiftsails]

Thank you for the beautful pictures and reviews! I am sailing on the Independence of the Seas last week of August for 7 days!

[swiftsails]

What an awesome post! I'm looking so forward to being on this ship for 7 days! :D:D

[LynnAussie]

I so much appreciated ALL the great detail you gave regarding the Independance Ship!!! My husband & I are literally 20 minutes from landing in Ft Lauderdale to board this ship 🌴💥 Tomorrow 💥🌴. Your thoughtfulness in taking the time to share your experiences & photos will prove INVALUABLE to us as NEWBIES to not only the Independance; but to Cruising in general (hubby never gone on one and I've only gone on two much shorter cruises)!!!! THANKS MUCH for all the effort you put into your post!!! Lynn ( & John) from across the country in OREGON!!

[aprime23]

Thank you for the honest review, we were going to book the Indy for a14 day med, I think we will instead opt for a b2b princess-ncl instead.

[Grandma Dazzles]

Curious as to why?

[mickev99]

Thank you for the honest review, we were going to book the Indy for a14 day med, I think we will instead opt for a b2b princess-ncl instead.

 

Were we reading the same review? Not sure why you would say that. I thought this review was very positive. What did I miss?

[cruisehappi]

Thank you for this detailed review! We're on an Indy b2b later this year, so your info was super helpful. I've never seen that Consecutive Cruisers paper, so that was awesome. I have two questions:

1. We enjoy the embarkation photos. Had you wanted one for the second sailing, could you have gotten it?

2. Are the pools and jacuzzis open the morning of disembarkation (when everyone is rushing around and you still have another week to go? Lol).

[Paulette3028]

We had a wonderful time on Indy in February...nice to see that Sara Fretwell was still on the ship. I know that a few of the entertainment staff had been transferred to Anthem of the Seas for her sailings. Sara and Tom Sting (from Croatia) did both did wonderful jobs hosting Karaoke, and we spent lots of evenings at Karaoke. Sara hosted a terrific event on a sea day of Q&A with your entertainment staff -- great fun!

[Bimmer09]

Jim, as always a great and well-written report. Great photographs are a given in your reviews here. Do you use Lightroom to enhance the photos?

 

Thanks for the care and effort you put into this!

 

Norris

[pamrose228]

Thank you so much for your terrific review of the Independence. DH and I are on a 7 night Eastern Caribbean in September and like you we have been doing mostly CCL cruises. Looking to do something different we choose this instead of the 8-night Conquest cruise leaving from Port Everglades the day before.

 

Funny, my DH is a big rail fan also and when we booked and saw the train ride we were so sure that was what we would do in St. Kitts. Then I read all the awful reviews like yours and have decided to do a 3-4 hour land tour.

 

I didn't see a St. Maarten review, or did I miss it?:confused:

[aprime23]

Were we reading the same review? Not sure why you would say that. I thought this review was very positive. What did I miss?

 

Its the little things, No poolside grill that's not an upcharge. He is spot on about the Guys burgers - they are amazingly good. Overpriced drinks, my favorite is a couple bucks more on RC . No self serve laundry we like to pack light, and no we don't go on vacation to do laundry but it would be nice to pop in and press a shirt for the evening changeover. A lobster diner included one night usually on formal night is a staple on Princess and Carnival. Also like the OP we like to eat at the buffet and we are early eaters(5:00) so 6:30 is too late for us. Add in a B2B with 2 really good port intensive itinerary's split between the Baltics and the med VS RC med of 14 days and 6 are sea days. I don't think this is a good fit or the experience we were hoping for, although the Indy looks like a fantastic ship, so to be fair talk me into booking with RC.

[mcchane1]

We are sailing over Thanksgiving and appreciate your review. I also am a follower of your cocker spaniel site as I have 2 cockers myself. As soon as I opened your post it was "I know him" which I really don't but seems like I should after following you on the Zim family cocker site.

 

Thanks for the great pics!

[Spaniel Lover]

Great photographs are a given in your reviews here. Do you use Lightroom to enhance the photos?

 

I use Canon's "Digital Photo Professional" software that comes included with their digital SLR cameras. I shoot everything in RAW, and then do some sharpening, cropping, and color correction before resizing and converting to JPG for sharing here on CruiseCritic and on my web site.

[Grandma Dazzles]

Its the little things, No poolside grill that's not an upcharge. He is spot on about the Guys burgers - they are amazingly good. Overpriced drinks, my favorite is a couple bucks more on RC . No self serve laundry we like to pack light, and no we don't go on vacation to do laundry but it would be nice to pop in and press a shirt for the evening changeover. A lobster diner included one night usually on formal night is a staple on Princess and Carnival. Also like the OP we like to eat at the buffet and we are early eaters(5:00) so 6:30 is too late for us. Add in a B2B with 2 really good port intensive itinerary's split between the Baltics and the med VS RC med of 14 days and 6 are sea days. I don't think this is a good fit or the experience hwe were hoping for, although the Indy looks like a fantastic ship, so to be fair talk me into booking with RC.

 

 

Have sailed the Independence in the Caribbean and transatlantic. Not sure about a Windjammer buffet hours for dinner as I usually eat in MDR. However 6:30 seems very late, even MDR first seating is usually around 5:30. Perhaps that is because of the European sailing. You could also check out times for MTD. Would try to find out times for the specific cruise you are considering. Even OP said he preferred RC buffet, and then said he didn't like timing so kind of a conflict.

 

Have always had lobster and prime rib at formal night in MDR with no up charge.

 

Don't do laundry so can't comment there. Have used the wash and fold bag for $30 on longer cruises. Also laundry and dry cleaning prices are less than I pay at home, so paying for a couple of shirts wouldn't bother me.

 

Not a big drinker - happy with my C&A coupons. Would check into a beverage package and see how that would work for you.