Independence seems to be poor reviews- will we enjoy it?

[forestfox]

We are planning our first cruise! Right now price-wise, for the amount of days we want/our budget - Independence towards the end of Feb. looks like the ship we will need to be on. It is going to Haiti and Jamaica. Right now we plan on shopping at the ports as we don't have a lot of money (for excursions). (this cruise is a gift from family and friends)

But I seem to be reading a lot of- I look other ships in this class better; I can't put my finger on it, but Independence is not my favorite; etc.

 

Will we enjoy Independence? Or should I look elsewhere?

 

We are not heavy drinkers, not huge swimmers,etc.

[cb at sea]

You will have a fabulous time...no worries! You don't need to drink...and swimming (not sure how that factors in...as ship's pools are for cooling off...not actually swimming!)...

 

Labadee (your "Haiti" port) is a beach day...you can wander about...it's a beautiful beach setting, or stay on the ship...or come and go as you please. It's the private beach..an "extension" of the ship. No need to spend anything there, if you don't want to! Lunch is a BBQ on the beach (or you can eat on the ship!)

 

You should do some research into Jamaica....Falmouth is a port designed for the cruise ships, so there's not a lot within walking distance....but there are things that aren't very expensive. Research is key to having fun in ports! We never book excursions, because we learn something about where we're going before we get there! Makes a world of difference!

 

Independence is a GREAT ship...lots of option for everyone!

[ClevelandCruiser27]

Yes you'll love it. Labadee is AMAZING and lunch is free on the beach.

 

I'm sailing on Independecne in January. We went on Liberty last year (Indpendence's sister ship) and had the best trip of our lives.

 

I highly recommend saving up the extra $70 for one night at Chops Grille, if you like steak you won't regret it.

[Big_G]

We've done all three Freedom Class ships and enjoyed Independence just as much as her sisters. You'll have a great cruise.

[trihawks1]

We went on Indy Dec 2013 and of the 3 cruises thus far it was the best one. We had a balcony on Deck 6 on the hump. Enjoyed traditional dining and overall size of the ship. I liked the size and layout of the bathroom and closeted. Plenty of storage for everything in a balcony room. We have Oasis booked for this Dec. and we hope we have fun...hard to beat the Freedom class ships as they are perfect size.

[Indiana Airhead]

My wife and I caught the cruise bug after our first cruise in 2012. We just finished our 4th cruise, 2 weeks ago, which was to Alaska with Celebrity. The first three were with Royal. Each cruise had their pros and cons. Some, the itinerary was the best part, like Alaska, while others the cruise itself was the best. Our best cruise when it comes to the ship was our trip 2 years ago on the Independence. We really like that class of ships. We went to Labelle and Jamaica also. Really loved Labadee and all we did in Jamaica was went through the shops. Had no desire to walk in town.

We had so much fun that trip we bought the cruise in review cd, which we normally do not do. We had a blast on that trip and bought the cd in hope to convince friends of our to try cruising. I am confident you will enjoy your trip.

[LMaxwell]

Skip Chops. Not worth the money. In the MDR you can order as many different items as you want. If you have never been on a cruise 99% sure it will wow you. You'd have to be really hard to please to not like it. And do go at least once to MDR for lunch (sea days only).

 

For not much more than (skipping) Chops you can find excursions in Jamaica. They are likely to be tours or more historical as those are lower priced, but totally doable for $40-50 per person if I remember right. I was not a fan of the Falmouth compound shopping area. It is a very very very sanitized Disneyfied version of a shopping village. If nothing else take a bus tour of Jamaica and see the sights if it is your first time.

 

Labadee doesn't require 1 cent to be spent. In fact many find the vendors in the market a bit too pushy. If you do go shopping there bring small bills!. Hand someone a $20 in the Caribbean for something that is $10 and chances are they will claim they can not make change. Lounge chairs are free. Shade is free. Beach is free. Lunch is free. Labadee is really beautiful. Take time to walk around and see the ocean side as well as the harbor side. Sail away from Labadee is the stuff of paintings.

 

On the ship pay attention to the compass daily newsletter for things like the quest, love and marriage show, and battles of the sexes. Always a good laugh

[mcatmcat]

I love freedom class but didn't enjoy independence at all. I rather go to the majesty or navigator than booking the independence again. Stateroom attendant was awesome but slow MDR service and the stuff overall didn't look happy. I went the same month that gratuities went up and I was expecting g a better service. Still, like royal and loyal to them but I don't know what happened during my sailing, employee don't look that happy.

[riclop]

We are planning our first cruise! Right now price-wise, for the amount of days we want/our budget - Independence towards the end of Feb. looks like the ship we will need to be on. It is going to Haiti and Jamaica. Right now we plan on shopping at the ports as we don't have a lot of money (for excursions). (this cruise is a gift from family and friends)

But I seem to be reading a lot of- I look other ships in this class better; I can't put my finger on it, but Independence is not my favorite; etc.

 

Will we enjoy Independence? Or should I look elsewhere?

 

We are not heavy drinkers, not huge swimmers,etc.

 

How can anyone on here tell you whether you will enjoy it or not, just go and try it with an open mind.

[Ren1216]

While it is smart to do your homework, which for me includes noting negative comments, definitely don't fret over them. Everyone has expectations and opinions, and they are widely varied. Many times, the things others complain about won't affect you at all, or you'll have a totally different experience. I'll be sailing the Independence next month and I, too, have read what you have. Still, I'm not worried at all.

 

This is your first cruise, it will be magical no matter what. Remember, you'll have nothing else to compare it to. Most people have their 'favorites' but often times that has to do with factors other than just the ship. Lots of things can make for a different experience; itinerary, traveling companions, weather, etc. But above all.... the prevailing influence will be your own attitude. Go, ready for and anticipating a wonderful adventure, and that is what you'll have.

 

You're gonna love it! :)

[stobe1]

Don't pay much attention to negative reviews. Most bad reviews seem to be from people that nit pick about every little thing. Once a review turns bad, I tune out because 99% of the time the bad review is from someone looking for every little thing to complain about.

 

It's kind of like the news. 99% of everything on the news is all bad, depressing stuff. You rarely hear about the positive things happening in our country or around the world.

 

Go! Enjoy your cruise! Have fun! Don't worry about all the bad reviews. Just remember for every bad thing you read, there are 100 positive stories from people that you won't read about!

[Mjoellnir]

We are planning our first cruise! Right now price-wise, for the amount of days we want/our budget - Independence towards the end of Feb. looks like the ship we will need to be on. It is going to Haiti and Jamaica. Right now we plan on shopping at the ports as we don't have a lot of money (for excursions). (this cruise is a gift from family and friends)

But I seem to be reading a lot of- I look other ships in this class better; I can't put my finger on it, but Independence is not my favorite; etc.

 

Will we enjoy Independence? Or should I look elsewhere?

 

We are not heavy drinkers, not huge swimmers,etc.

 

We are going on the 22th of February with independence, and are really looking forward to it :-)

 

So far we are the only ones on the roll call though.

[Tosara21]

We sailed on the Independense last year for 12 nights and had a great time on board...Ate in the MDR every night and the food and service were really good. Most of us Brits can't wait for her return to Southampton next year, as she is a firm favourite with UK RCI cruisers......If you go ahead and book the Independense, I hope you have a fantastic time.....because we did.

[crusinot]

No worries. We had a wonderful time! Booked another cruise before we left the ship. No complaints! Only one thing we missed slightly was the coke machines. This ended up being ok. No problems refilling soda cups. We have teenagers and they were never bored. Food, entertainment, rooms ship all wonderful! Staff excellent! You are going to love this ship!

[Cruisin'Kim]

We've been on independence, so far it's our favourite ship! We're on the Allure in January - we'll see if it takes Indy's place.....

[Big_G]

How can anyone on here tell you whether you will enjoy it or not, just go and try it with an open mind.

 

You're absolutely right but at least we can alleviate some of their trepidation about trying it.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ellie1145]

We did a back to back on Independence in May/June and enjoyed it.

 

We were a bit nervous as we had previously been several times on Oasis and Allure and wondered if we would be disappointed.

 

We had a wonderful balcony cabin and the ship itself was spotless and still very attractive, but for us, the buffet was the worst thing, bit like a school canteen. Thankfully we were able to eat lunch in the dining room most days which was excellent so it wasnt a problem. We did miss the Park Cafe, however.

 

Had a superb CD which made for a very entertaining cruise.

 

As its your first cruise you will, I'm sure, have a great time. Labadee is our favourite port and we had a wonderful day there. We also love Jamaica and have done the Martha Brae river rafting from Falmouth, hiring our own taxi which was great.

 

There is so much to love about cruising, and so much to see and do that I'm sure you will be blown away by it all.

 

Hope you have a wonderful time.

Edited September 5, 2015 by ellie1145

[Domino D]

I have not been on this ship, but I would like to offer some advice regarding reviews and sites like Cruise Critic. Since no one can tell you if you will like it, I think you are asking why you are seeing so many negative reviews?

 

I am guessing that you are referring more to the Reviews section with the rankings. When studying Public Relations in college we studied complaints and compliments. An unhappy customer is 15 times more likely to speak out publicly then a satisfied customer. So rankings are normally skewed to the negative. Don't let rankings bother you too much. Look at the exact nature of the complaint. When you read something like "This cruise was the most expensive vacation we've even taken ($7000 for a week) and was the most disappointing.", skip the rest of the review. This is their issue. The other things they mention are probably factually correct, but they would not have cared about them if they had not paid this much.

 

In regards to this site, I would suggest you read the lengthier reviews in this forum section. They will give you a better idea of what the ship is like. Then, since you know what you like, you will know if the things you hear about sound good to you.

 

As far as Independence of the Seas, I have not seen anything that would make me hesitate to book it..

[robin13]

We've been on independence' date=' so far it's our favourite ship! We're on the Allure in January - we'll see if it takes Indy's place.....[/quote']

 

Just wanted to say that I first did the Independence in April 2014 and then did the Allure in 11/14. I really enjoyed the Independence as it had a great layout and I never got lost. Had some good meals (including Chops) and great service all around. Just a great cruise!

 

I was a little scared of the Allure as it was so big and I hate lines and crowds but I was pleasantly surprised. Never had to stand in line and most of the time I was wondering where all of the people were. That was an excellent cruise as well and would do it again in an heartbeat.

 

Matter of fact back in January my friends and I were trying to decide between the two for our September cruise. Independence won out as the Allure was priced pretty high. Can't wait to be back on the ship next week and to show my friends around as they have never cruised on RCCL before.

[trihawks1]

Our first two cruises we only ate MDR for dinner. Our last cruise on Indy we ate at Chops. Loved it especially since we had a table by the windows. However, just like at home, you will have good and bad nights at any restaurant. One thing we did figure out is that you can order a chops steak in the MDR for an up charge, which was $14 when we went in 2013. My daughter did that twice in MDR when she didn't see an entree she liked on the menu. All 3 steaks were very good. Try at least one specialty restaurant if you can...we are booked on Oasis for December and we are planning on 2 specialty restaurants. We may be disappointed if there are no sea views though.

[SBNDers]

We are planning our first cruise! Right now price-wise, for the amount of days we want/our budget - Independence towards the end of Feb. looks like the ship we will need to be on. It is going to Haiti and Jamaica. Right now we plan on shopping at the ports as we don't have a lot of money (for excursions). (this cruise is a gift from family and friends)

But I seem to be reading a lot of- I look other ships in this class better; I can't put my finger on it, but Independence is not my favorite; etc.

 

Will we enjoy Independence? Or should I look elsewhere?

 

We are not heavy drinkers, not huge swimmers,etc.

 

You'll have a great time. We were so anxious our first cruise 15 years ago, we didn't think twice about what others thought or how others "rated" everything.

 

My wife and I were on the Independence this past July - I went with a herniated L4 disc and there were times I had to stand in the back for a show. Of course I didn't drink, with some of the meds I was on, and through all the pain - had a great time.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Russ Lomas]

We have done 4 cruises - Allure, Oasis, Liberty, and Independence (and currently have 2 more booked- both on Freedom) with RCCL. Our cruise on the Independence was our least favourite of the 4 RCCL cruises we have been on, but we enjoyed it more than our Carnival and NCL experiences. That said, I would give my Independence experience 8 out of 10, but the other RCCL cruises I would have rated 9/10 or 10/10.

 

As a first cruise, I think you would absolutely love the Independence. It will offer you an amazing experience in terms of food, service, shows, amenities, etc. It sounds like you will be doing the cruise on a budget. Nothing wrong with that. There is so much you can do for free on the ships - food, shows, activities. We are totally happy with inside cabins and save our money for excursions ashore. While the pay restaurants are good, I would recommend trying the free offerings like the main dining room for a few days. We have always really enjoyed eating there. As for the ports, I think you will love Labadee if you like a beach day. You do not have to spend a cent. Falmouth is not a port I really enjoy. Do some research online and try to find an excursion that you would like that has high ratings, otherwise, stay on the ship and enjoy it since it will be empty with many going ashore.

 

Try the Independence. Do not worry about negative reviews - the people who have a bad experience tend to shout it from the rooftops more than those who have positive experiences. I am sure you will have a wonderful time on the Independence.

[KMagz]

I've been on 10 RCCL cruises including older smaller ships (Sovereign class,) Freedom, Independence (2 times, ) Allure, Oasis and others classes in between. Our Independence of the Seas cruises were our favs, even over Freedom, Allure and Oasis.

 

I predict you will have a wonderful time. You do not need to spend a ton of money to have a memorable cruise. Go to Quest, Love & Marriage, go to the 70's Dance Party in the Promenade.

 

Write a review when you return!

[RCCLNYMETS41]

Forestfox

O-H!...

Just returned from Independence last month. It was our 12th cruise.

Pure paradise! Everyone's experiences & views are different. We had excellent service all the way around. Tight budget as well; did not do any excursions. Just some souvenir & cheap trinket type shopping. We don't drink.

There are so many different types of things to do on the ship. A cruise is what you make of it. You can be active or sedentary. You can participate in a variety of events or just sit in the audience. We like trivia contests & game shows. We also enjoy the entertainment.

Have a great cruise!

[Wine Luvuh]

There is a great review by Spaniel Lover that has me super excited for Indy - we leave next Sunday!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2204395&highlight=independence