Independence of the Seas 2/13 5 day cruise review

[mattpro]

Was on the Indy for 3 consecutive cruises

 

2/8/2016 - 5 days

 

- the problem at the ports with disembarkation are centered around how many immigrations officers there are present. There were only 5.

- for consecutive cruisers ( in the high 80's) we were marched off the ship at 11:30 a.m. heading for the main terminal, but we were stopped after about 200 feet and an immigration officer arrived at the ramp, so those at the end of the line boarded the ship first. By the time consecutive cruisers at the end of the line boarded - had their picture taken - and headed for the elevators - new passengers had already occupied the elevators. There was a special lunch at noon on deck 3 for the consecutive cruisers.

 

2/13/2016 - 5 days

 

- same problem with only 5 immigration officers. Consecutive cruisers (18) were led to the gangway on deck 1 at 11:15 a.m. where their sea passes were pinged - then led into the waiting office of the medical facility to await the immigration officer to come on board to check passports - then led back to the ping station for new photos on sea pass. No lunch for B2B'ers - but this time we were the first to use the elevators to the WJ.

 

 

2/18/2016 - 4 days

 

- disembarking was a trip. Shortly after self-embarked left with their luggage shortly after 8:00 a.m. a line started forming for those with numbers 1 & 2.

Going down the stairs starting AT DECK 5 (forget about the elevators) to deck 1 gangplank took about an hour - with more than half the folks toting their own luggage.

- the main hang-up about all this was created at the ping station on deck 1 - where only 15 people at a time were allowed off the ship until those who departed were 1000 feet away from the gangplank. Once these folks entered the building there were 4 more twisting lines to go through before you entered the main terminal where another 400 folks were waiting to get to the 5 immigration officers.

- note if you have a global entry card you can bypass the last 400 folks.

 

This was Terminal 25

 

Each week was different as if RCL had never done this before - though Congress"s cutback in immigrations was definitely the main culprit.

 

Special note for Diamond and up - have one of the concierges take you off the ship.

[CruizinSherry]

I just read some of the most recent reviews for the Indy and they sound pretty bad. We have an upcoming cruise within the next 6 weeks and I now feel a little bit of a let down. Hope I have a better cruise....

[Firefighterhoop]

I just read some of the most recent reviews for the Indy and they sound pretty bad. We have an upcoming cruise within the next 6 weeks and I now feel a little bit of a let down. Hope I have a better cruise....

 

I was on the Indy back in January and going again next week!

 

I had a great time in January. Ship was in great shape and the crew was great... I tend to ignore a lot of truly negative reviews - sadly it is the ones who had a bad experience that will flood a board.

 

The ONLY issue we encountered was that the slow debarkation the cruise prior led to a delayed embarkation for us. And our debarkation was slow. I have been on a handful of cruises on 3 different RCCL ships and all of them have had delayed or slow debarkation due to the lack of customs agents (We had 3-4 to clear the Allure the end of January). I think that the crew is just trying to figure out how to handle this the most efficient. This is a US Customs issue not RCCL's. Once the terminals back up, the lines go right back up onto the ship.

Edited February 23, 2016 by Firefighterhoop

[IsanTom]

Did I miss something? Where's the Indy Review?

[UFLaw]

Does anyone know for disembarking will my Global Entry help my family get off as well as me?

 

When we were on Indy in November we did not see this many issues.

[nwaflyguy]

Does anyone know for disembarking will my Global Entry help my family get off as well as me?

 

When we were on Indy in November we did not see this many issues.

 

No. That's only applicable to flying.

[Noomi]

We just got off Indy a week ago and Global Entry passengers were re-routed to a different line.

[Skipper Justin]

Hello all! Sorry it took so long... this cold really wanted to linger. Below is my review! The photos will be located in the post after it.

 

Embarkation

This was rather easy, painless, and pretty quick. We arrived to the port at 10:45 am. We thought we were in the wrong area at first because the porters were not trying to take our bags. This was the first time I have ever experienced where I had to search out a porter and basically force my bag into their hands. They did not seem interested and it was very strange. Once we got into the line, we were on the ship in like 20 minutes.

 

The Ship

I found the ship to be in great shape. It reminded me of a mix between Norwegian and Disney. The moment you walk into the Central Promenade, it feels so surreal. The high ceilings are wonderful and don't make you feel like you are on a ship. I enjoyed the high end feel of the street concept and instantly bought my drink package. We started to explore the ship and found it to be laid out in an okay manner. Boleros has a pretty horrible location. It is kind of by itself on one end and does not make me want to head there. The pool deck also seemed a bit too small for the amount of people on the ship. The Solarium area, while nice, felt extremely small. There were also kids running around it at all times. The buffet area was laid out pretty well and felt very big, which was nice.

 

The Bars

These were very hit or miss.

I loved the different drinks at Boleros but it was a 1/3 shot of getting the correct thing. There was only ONE bar tender there that actually knew how to make the drinks. The other two would ask for the menu each time so that they could read the ingredients and guess how its made. Very Frustrating.

 

Vintages had my favorite wine ever: Spellbound. Unfortunately, they were out of it by day 3. This bar was never packed and hardly ever had a crowd. Very Chill.

 

Champagne bar was nice but always packed. It was also kind of weird set-up with the bar to the side. The drinks here were always good and you could tell that the bartenders knew what they were doing. Try the tavern sour!

 

Pub: The Pub had something drinks and the BLT bloody mary was always good. The beer cocktails were strangely disappointing. They were often much too bitter and had too much ice. I did not really find one that I liked.

 

Room

We were in room 7321 and it was a promenade view. I loved the view and the location! It made it easy to get anywhere and the view was amazing for people watching. We were across from the Champagne Bar and above guest services. This room, however, was very small. There is only a little leeway between the bed and the wall, so sometimes you sort of had to hop over the bed to get to the seat in the window. The bathroom was fine, but the pod style shower was not my favorite. Overall, I would rate the room a 7/10.

 

Food

Chops: Overhyped but tasty. Steak was fine and desert was good but nothing life changing.... oh wait... the bacon is ofcourse AMAZING. The porkbelly had a hoison glaze and was so tender.

 

Giovanni's Table: Way better than Chops. The pasta was amazingly rich and decadent. The filet here was even more tender than at Chops. I loved the variety of appetizers as well. Antipasti is always a solid choice.

 

Johnny Rocket's- We ate here for dinner one night and loved it. Simple, well down American food. I could not finish my double burger. Greasy but great. Tip: Eat outside. Inside was INSANELY loud to the point we could not hear each other or the waiter.

 

Shows:

All the stage shows were pretty "meh". I do not like the concept of 5 singers who do ALL the singing and then dancers dance around them. The costumes and sets were good but the shows left much to be desired. Songs were very dated and basically nothing story wise. This needs a revamp towards what they have on newer ships.

 

Ice Show was amazing! Strings had fantastic music and several of the moves were jaw dropping. There was a sense of anticipation throughout the whole show. One person did fall twice and left the show, but it went on and you did not notice him missing. They later said he was fine, which the audience was definitely feeling for him. Kudos for the team for being able to put such a remarkable show on in such a tiny venue. Very worthwhile.

 

Internet

The internet was slow but fast enough for facebook, facebook instant messenger, and any imessages. Did not fell super slow.

 

I already talked about how bad disembarkation was, so I wont go into that again. I am sure I am forgetting something, so if you have any other questions please let me know!

[Skipper Justin]

[FSUNole]

Dang, that review seems to have a formatting issue on my browser...

[FSUNole]

Is Spellbound wine part of the drink package?

[Clarea]

Is Spellbound wine part of the drink package?

I see Spellbound Syrah on the MDR wine list, but it's not available by the glass. It's possible another bar on the ship has it available by the glass.

 

Note that the packages also include a 20% discount on the price of wine by the bottle.

[Hotel CA]

You forgot to mention the Schooner bar--usually able to get a seat and great bartenders.

 

We self disembarked last Monday Feb 22nd (4 day on IOS)-- lots of people but we went straight off--met in the meeting area at 7:15 am with luggage, taken down to deck 1 at 7:25 am and were at the airport by 8:15 am for a 10:30 flight on SW. After reading about the issues with disembarkation on the IOS, we were worried about making the flight but was no issue at all for us.

 

Embarkation on Thursday the 18th however was delayed an hour and a half because of computer issue (so we were told).

 

We liked the IOS so much we booked a 5 day in November already. Great ship and tremendous staff from our viewpoint.

[Skipper Justin]

Is Spellbound wine part of the drink package?

 

 

It was available for $12 a glass at vintages.

[Skipper Justin]

You forgot to mention the Schooner bar--usually able to get a seat and great bartenders.

 

 

 

We self disembarked last Monday Feb 22nd (4 day on IOS)-- lots of people but we went straight off--met in the meeting area at 7:15 am with luggage, taken down to deck 1 at 7:25 am and were at the airport by 8:15 am for a 10:30 flight on SW. After reading about the issues with disembarkation on the IOS, we were worried about making the flight but was no issue at all for us.

 

 

 

Embarkation on Thursday the 18th however was delayed an hour and a half because of computer issue (so we were told).

 

 

 

We liked the IOS so much we booked a 5 day in November already. Great ship and tremendous staff from our viewpoint.

 

 

Schooner bar was good but would get super congested during dinner time or during Trivia.

[Clarea]

It was available for $12 a glass at vintages.

Which variety, was that the Syrah?

[Skipper Justin]

Which variety, was that the Syrah?

 

 

Petite

[Clarea]

Petite

Thanks.

[karena1]

We just got off Indy. got on when OP got off. They said someone was slow getting off so it to FOREVER to get on. We were there by 10:30 and it was about 12:15 before we got on and we are D+ so were in priority. We embarked at the OLD OLD OLD OLD terminal. Will be so glad when they tear that stupid thing down or remodel it. I know they are doing something but not sure what. There are signs all over the place.

 

Once onboard we went to the pool deck. It was a pretty day. Hubby did say he thought the buffet the first day was the worst!!!! Trust me we have seen lots of buffets and he thought it was disgusting! Rest of the weekend he thought the food was fine, but he was totally disappointed embarkation day (and he is not fussy)

 

Cruise was great - other than the comedian the first night the shows were awesome. We thought they were great

 

Have been on Freedom once and Liberty many times and I will say (even though we will do Indy again) indy is by far my least favorite of the 3. Just not the pizzazz the other 2 have.

 

Disembarkation - that terminal sucks for disemarkation if you have self carry off! We met at Studio B and had to lug our luggage down 2 flights of stairs to get off the ship. I hate getting off at that terminal. Doesn't matter what ship it is, it is horrible if you carry off your own luggage

 

Will be so glad when they do something with that terminal to make it more user friendly.

 

But overall had a great time on Indy. They did do a nice Poolside BBQ on the last sea day so that was nice - pork chops, steaks, chicken and hotdogs.

Edited February 26, 2016 by karena1

[lsinghl]

Thx for sharing. Did you load the compass?

[California kitty]

We boarded her on February 18th for four days to cozamel. Boarding was not pleasant...very late. I thought the ship was great. We enjoyed the ice show and the Elton John headliner. We ate at chops once and it was perfect...strip steak and filet. My husband loved the crab and shrimp cakes as an appetizer and actually got a second order. We had my time dining and the service was awesome but the food was fair. The strip steak is odd...not to my liking at all. The beef tenderloin was great and nothing struck my appetite on the last night and I had the turkey dinner. My husband had the grilled salmon each night. I love the cold soups and he loves the shrimp cocktail! We had a great aft balcony on the 8th deck and spent sun time there rather than the pool. We loved strolling the shops and people watching. Overall it was a very good long weekend! Made even longer by the nightmare disembarking!