Independence Of The Seas B2B with over 100 pictures

[Paulette3028]

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.

 

 

First seating for dinner in MDR on Indy on our cruise in February on her was at 6pm. I believe the only ship that has an earlier first seating is Freedom which is 5:30pm. I would think that the WJ would mirror the dining room hours but it did not when we were on Indy -- WJ did open for dinner at 6:30pm.

 

Her Majesty of the Seas has had a first dinner seating at 6:15pm when we have sailed on her.

[Clarea]

First seating for dinner in MDR on Indy on our cruise in February on her was at 6pm. I believe the only ship that has an earlier first seating is Freedom which is 5:30pm. I would think that the WJ would mirror the dining room hours but it did not when we were on Indy -- WJ did open for dinner at 6:30pm.

 

Her Majesty of the Seas has had a first dinner seating at 6:15pm when we have sailed on her.

Navigator had a 5:30pm main seating on our cruise last September. Monarch/Enchantment has had a 5:45pm main seating for years.

[Paulette3028]

Navigator had a 5:30pm main seating on our cruise last September. Monarch/Enchantment has had a 5:45pm main seating for years.

 

We are on Navigator this coming Nov 2015 and it is having early dinner seating at 6pm.

 

I wonder why it isn't a standard time across the fleet, or at least for those cruises that are doing the same type of itineraries (ie, Caribbean/Bahamas)?

[Clarea]

We are on Navigator this coming Nov 2015 and it is having early dinner seating at 6pm.

 

I wonder why it isn't a standard time across the fleet, or at least for those cruises that are doing the same type of itineraries (ie, Caribbean/Bahamas)?

It seems to me it depends more on departure port. For your Navigator cruise, you will be departing from Ft. Lauderdale. For our Navigator cruise, it departed from Galveston. I seem to recall a 5:30pm main seating on Voyager, also when departing Galveston.

[Grandma Dazzles]

It seems to me it depends more on departure port. For your Navigator cruise, you will be departing from Ft. Lauderdale. For our Navigator cruise, it departed from Galveston. I seem to recall a 5:30pm main seating on Voyager, also when departing Galveston.

 

 

Agree and poster I was replying to is talking about European sailing that's why I said to check with RC or someone who has done that sailing. It could be different.

[takevtr1]

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

what date are you sailing on the Indy?

I am on the 8/9/15 western Caribbean itinerary.

[mickev99]

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.

 

Gotcha! I have not tried Carnival, but that might be our next one (because the rest of the extended family wants to sail out of New Orleans next summer, and Carnival is the only line that does). I have heard so many things about Guy's burgers. I also missed the poolside grill, I sailed on Norwegian a while ago and really enjoyed that. Do all Carnival ships have self serve laundry? I've only been on two cruises, and one coming up, so I assumed it was normal that ships don't have this, but it would be nice. I just looked back at my compasses from Freedom last June and the WJ opened at 6:00pm, wonder why they made it so late on Indy? We usually do the MDR anyway because my Dad has limited mobility so it's easier on him.

 

Not sure with only one RCCL cruise under my belt I can talk you into it, but what I loved about Freedom (sister to Indy) was the layout with the Royal Promenade. It was really easy to meet up with everyone (my family, my parents, my brother and his family, and this time my other brother and my sister will be with us). I loved how the area was open but each little bar/restaurant still felt like it was a separate place. I only have NCL Jewel to compare to and I didn't like their bar area, it was closed in and didn't differentiate among the areas. Of course, if it was just hubby and my kids, this wouldn't be such a big deal, but with extended family, we liked to hang out together in the evenings and it was easy to find each other.

 

Either way, someone else is cooking and cleaning for me, so it's going to be fun not matter what!! Have a great time!!

[Paulette3028]

Gotcha! I have not tried Carnival, but that might be our next one (because the rest of the extended family wants to sail out of New Orleans next summer, and Carnival is the only line that does). I have heard so many things about Guy's burgers. I also missed the poolside grill, I sailed on Norwegian a while ago and really enjoyed that. Do all Carnival ships have self serve laundry? I've only been on two cruises, and one coming up, so I assumed it was normal that ships don't have this, but it would be nice. I just looked back at my compasses from Freedom last June and the WJ opened at 6:00pm, wonder why they made it so late on Indy? We usually do the MDR anyway because my Dad has limited mobility so it's easier on him.

 

Not sure with only one RCCL cruise under my belt I can talk you into it, but what I loved about Freedom (sister to Indy) was the layout with the Royal Promenade. It was really easy to meet up with everyone (my family, my parents, my brother and his family, and this time my other brother and my sister will be with us). I loved how the area was open but each little bar/restaurant still felt like it was a separate place. I only have NCL Jewel to compare to and I didn't like their bar area, it was closed in and didn't differentiate among the areas. Of course, if it was just hubby and my kids, this wouldn't be such a big deal, but with extended family, we liked to hang out together in the evenings and it was easy to find each other.

 

Either way, someone else is cooking and cleaning for me, so it's going to be fun not matter what!! Have a great time!!

 

What you loved about Freedom, is the same on Indy. We cruised on Liberty in 2010 and I loved it, and Indy did not disappoint me -- it was easy for me to get from place to place and amazingly I never found myself in the wrong place to meet up with others. We went on Allure the summer before and enjoyed it, but it may be just too big for me.....although I will love when they put waterslides on that class of ship (as they are on Harmony and when they refit Allure and Oasis). But other than that, the Freedom and Voyager class ships may be the biggest I want to cruise on. The Royal Promenade is great as far as I am concerned.

[Bowie MeMe]

what date are you sailing on the Indy?

I am on the 8/9/15 western Caribbean itinerary.

 

On the sailing just before yours. DGD has to start school the next week so that cruise could not work.

 

Is there anybody on your M&M. I seem to be doing a single act on mine. Must have the whole boat to myself. Service should be great:D:p

[American Bear]

Very nice review, and excellent pictures.:)

[PastorAnth]

Fascinating. Love this guy. He must spend so much time doing these! Appreciated?

[readyk]

One of the best review I have every read. The picture make this a must read.

[takevtr1]

On the sailing just before yours. DGD has to start school the next week so that cruise could not work.

 

Is there anybody on your M&M. I seem to be doing a single act on mine. Must have the whole boat to myself. Service should be great:D:p

OK, Keep the ship nice and neat for us.

 

We have a small M & M group going on in our roll call. We did hit the 25 minimum, so that was very nice. The roll call is not as active as I am used to, but it is starting to pick up steam. It was started back in July of 2014.

 

I have had roll calls with up to 50 plus people and chatting almost non-stop for about 6 months prior to departure. This will be my first ship/cruise critic sponsored roll call. Partly due to us sailing mostly on Carnival. This will be our second on RCL.

Mitch.......

[bzymom22]

Great report! Thank you so much for taking the time to write it up and post all the photos and vids. Very much appreciated. Just booked this ship this morning. I also appreciate your take on RCCL vs Carnival. It's been awhile since we have cruised and the previous 2 times have been on Carnival.

[kimbjohns0n]

First off I must say this is a wonderful review! You are a man after my own heart! I plan everything I do and it looks like you do the same. We are going on the Indy in March 2016 and went on the Liberty this past March. I have a question for you regarding the internet. On LOS we were able to purchase unlimited internet for 4 nights for 60.00 and then 10% off so only 54.00 which I thought was a great deal. Does Indy do the same? I know it is the same class of ship so I am hoping so! We love going during March Madness and it helps to have the internet to place a bet lol!

[leinhto]

Here's another great Royal Caribbean idea that Carnival should steal... every night at midnight, they change out these little carpet sections in the elevator, to provide a little reminder to the passengers about what day it is. It's easy to lose track of the days of the week when you're on vacation!

 

 

[/size][/color]

 

I always thought that was neat but always forget to look down when I am actually on a cruise.

 

Love the review!!!

[toodycat]

Thank you so much of this comprehensive and incredibly helpful review. The photos are so informative and beautiful. DH and I are considering booking the Independence for next April. It's sailing to Belize, a port we've always wanted to visit. We are usually Disney, HAL and, more recently, Princess fans. We typically eat in the MDR, though DH would be fine with eating in the buffet every night. We don't go to the shows, but prefer having a quiet glass of wine and listening to music. Are there smaller venues with musicians on the Independence? Is there a wine bar? (I thought I heard about one on the Promenade, but I could be wrong.) Also, is there a shady, quiet spot to read on deck or will we just be using our balcony? Again, many, many thanks for all your great advice!

[suziejean]

Question about Grand Cayman--can we access a beach area close to the pier w/out going on an excursion?

 

I really enjoyed your review and pics. We did the Eastern Caribbeanon Indy last year and are doing the Western side next week! You really captured everything in your review!

Edited May 26, 2015 by suziejean

[Spaniel Lover]

Question about Grand Cayman--can we access a beach area close to the pier w/out going on an excursion?

 

You could take a taxi to Seven Mile Beach. That would probably be the easiest way to get to a good beach. There isn't a good beach that you can just walk to, as far as I recall.

[Spaniel Lover]

Are there smaller venues with musicians on the Independence?

 

Is there a wine bar?

 

Is there a shady, quiet spot to read on deck?

 

There are several smaller venues with musicians. Keep an eye on the Cruise Compass newsletter each day and you'll find the times of who will be playing where. I really liked the duo that played classical instrumental stuff up in the Olive Or Twist lounge, but there are also several other places you can go each night with other types of music. There's Latin music at Boleros, a solo act at the Dog & Badger pub, the piano guy at the Schooner bar... just to name a few.

 

Regarding the wine bar...

That would be "Vintages", on the Royal Promenade.

 

For a quiet, shady spot on deck... the tricky part is "quiet". For quiet, you have to rule out all the areas around the main pool, the sports pool, and the H2O Zone. Too noisy in those areas. One place I saw people reading and relaxing every day of the cruise was the shady area right next to the two big cantilevered hot tubs on Deck 11. They have some couches and chairs with big comfortable cushions... a great place to relax comfortably. I even saw people napping on those couches.

 

If you want an even more quiet place than that... there are several other nice ones that come to mind. If you go to deck 12 and head all the way to the back of the ship, past Johnny Rockets, you'll find a deck area with all sorts of loungers and almost no one ever uses this area since it's way off the beaten path. This is the area just below the Flowrider. The deck in this area wraps all the way around the back of the ship, from the port side all the way around to the starboard side. I didn't shoot a picture of the shady parts... but I did get this picture of the sunny part in the center:

 

 

So, if you imagine just walking around the corner from the area in that picture, you will find a shady area with a bunch of loungers and it will be just as empty as what you see in that picture.

 

Another really great spot to sit outside in the shade and read a book is on deck four. Go to either side of the ship and there is a long area stretching along the side of the ship that's got lots of places to sit and relax in the shade while you look out at the view of the ocean. Here's a picture:

 

 

In the picture, you only see chairs... but I seem to recall that if you walk down a little further that there were some loungers down there somewhere.

[DutchCruiseFan]

Amazing review!!!!!

[micmacmissy]

Gotcha! I have not tried Carnival, but that might be our next one (because the rest of the extended family wants to sail out of New Orleans next summer, and Carnival is the only line that does). I have heard so many things about Guy's burgers. I also missed the poolside grill, I sailed on Norwegian a while ago and really enjoyed that.

 

To anyone who seeks a poolside (free) grill, Celebrity's Mast Grill is fantastic. Burgers grilled to order with toppings and sides - fantastic.

[micmacmissy]

Great review! Beautifully formatted, I appreciated how everything had a header, photos has captions, everything was centered and easy to read. Bravo!

 

Glad you had a good trip on Indy. We liked it too, and found the same highs/lows as you did.

 

The buffet is definitely a low point, and you are right: the entertainment is SO dated. They really need to scrap these shows and bring in some new ones!

[Paulette3028]

Maybe no one realizes this....but....Royal has a 'no burning or open flames' policy.

 

Let me explain, how I learned about this. Two years ago, DH and I were sailing over Chanukah. I emailed people that I know in the corporate office seeking information about what arrangement would be made on the ship for people to light a Chanukah menorah.

 

After several emails and subsequent conversations I learned that any 'open flames or burning that could create a flame' was not allowed to happen on their ships. Other cruise lines apparently do not have that policy. Royal feels that even a 'controlled BBQ could become uncontrollable' even if the most cautious of employees is handling the BBQ.

 

I know people are going to bring up, smoking on the ship....and I almost wonder if they would love to have smoking banned on board....but they took steps to minimize it several years ago. I wonder prior to that how many mattresses they lost due to smoking damage.

 

Just sharing....

Edited May 26, 2015 by Paulette3028

[John&LaLa]

Maybe no one realizes this....but....Royal has a 'no burning or open flames' policy.

 

Let me explain, how I learned about this. Two years ago, DH and I were sailing over Chanukah. I emailed people that I know in the corporate office seeking information about what arrangement would be made on the ship for people to light a Chanukah menorah.

 

After several emails and subsequent conversations I learned that any 'open flames or burning that could create a flame' was not allowed to happen on their ships. Other cruise lines apparently do not have that policy. Royal feels that even a 'controlled BBQ could become uncontrollable' even if the most cautious of employees is handling the BBQ.

 

I know people are going to bring up, smoking on the ship....and I almost wonder if they would love to have smoking banned on board....but they took steps to minimize it several years ago. I wonder prior to that how many mattresses they lost due to smoking damage.

 

Just sharing....

 

Someone misinformed you. Enchantment has an open flame Grill all the time for Paella. it is done in the afternoon. They keep fire extinguisher next to it. I have also recently seen grilled burgers at late night deck party on Legend.