sjb317 Posted July 11, 2023 #1 Share Posted July 11, 2023 Our group of 11 family members disembarked from Independence of the Seas on Friday, 7/7. The group consisted of 6 adults, 4 teens and a nine year old. All were experienced Royal cruisers with the exception of our daughter in law and her two teenagers, this was the first cruise for the 3 of them. This was the 4th cruise on Independence for my husband and I since January, 2022. We chose this cruise as it was the only one that worked with the time period our Australian relatives wold be with us in Florida. The following are our observations of this cruise: Embarkation was fairly easy. We had an 11am checkin and had to wait about 10 min at security, we were told by one of the agents they had to get people moving onto the ship as there were too many waiting upstairs. Once they opened security up again, everything went fairly fast. One small blip at checkin, we had our almost 18 year old grandson checking in with us, his dad was checking in with his Australian stepson about 6 agents away. Our agent asked what our relationship was with Ben, my husband replied grandparents, and she asked if he had any parents with him. My husband said yes, that his dad was here in another line, and she told my husband to have our son raise his hand. He did, and she accepted that as proof😂. Keep in mind, our son had no questions asked when checking in with his 16 year old stepson who has a different last name and an Australian passport. The ship was completely packed, we were told capacity was 117% with over 1200 of the passengers children. With the exception of the DL, every place we went was packed and elevators were impossible, we all did the stairs. The WJ was always a zoo, crew seemed to be struggling keeping up with the messes being made. There seemed to be a lot of spills, we watched one woman slip and fall on spilled pickles, fortunately she did not seem to be hurt. I am sure there were probably other falls. Outdoor pools were standing room only as was Solarium pool. Just like the WJ, crew could not keep up with messes made, public restrooms on the pool deck were in bad shape. We used our cabin on Deck 8 for bathroom breaks. Food was hit or miss. We took our family to Chops the first night as we were celebrating our 50th anniversary. It was very good and service was amazing. The rest of our dinners were in the MDR, I think we were all somewhat disappointed in the food. Our first time cruisers were very disappointed, which I felt rather sad about as I wanted them to love cruising as much as we do. Entertainment was excellent! We all loved the ice show and the production of Grease was one of the best I have seen. Our teens loved being out in the evening, meeting new friends and hanging out in Sorentos. Karaoke was a favorite with them as well! The teens also enjoyed the escape room. Disembarkation was a breeze and we were back at our condo by 930! All in all, we had a great cruise because we were with family, especially since we do not get to see the Australians very often. I, however, plan to never cruise on over a holiday during any school break again😂😂 Sherri🙂 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RobinKS Posted July 11, 2023 #2 Share Posted July 11, 2023 I hope you continue to cruise, just avoid holidays when children are out of school. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwlane Posted July 11, 2023 #3 Share Posted July 11, 2023 Chaos? 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nelblu Posted July 11, 2023 #4 Share Posted July 11, 2023 1 hour ago, jwlane said: Chaos? Same here. I expected to read about a riot or some other messes. 🤣 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CP3o Posted July 11, 2023 #5 Share Posted July 11, 2023 Thanks for your review. It will help prepare expectations of full and hot summer cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph2017China Posted July 11, 2023 #6 Share Posted July 11, 2023 Like going to Disney on a Saturday during the summer. Set the expectation, and than it's ok. What is more important was that everyone was together 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merion_Mom Posted July 11, 2023 #7 Share Posted July 11, 2023 I will also add: I am observing more messes going unaddressed, because RC has cut the staffing. It's not just a function of holiday sailings. There are fewer people than we were accustomed to in the past, and they can only do what they can do. More staff are needed. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Goodtime Cruizin Posted July 11, 2023 #8 Share Posted July 11, 2023 4 hours ago, jwlane said: Chaos? 1200 kids on a holiday cruise = not but chaos! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Tree_skier Posted July 11, 2023 #9 Share Posted July 11, 2023 I opened this thread, expecting to read about people throwing tea in the Boston harbor 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjb317 Posted July 11, 2023 Author #10 Share Posted July 11, 2023 Sorry if I confused some of you, to me, chaos means a disorganized, crazy mess. This describes the cruise perfectly, especially the WJ. And it was not just the 1200 plus kids causing problems, in fact, I think the adults might have exhibited the worse behavior. Merion Mom is right that the ships do not have enough staff to deal with the increased number of passengers. Sherri🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum2Mercury Posted July 11, 2023 #11 Share Posted July 11, 2023 8 hours ago, sjb317 said: The ship was completely packed, we were told capacity was 117% with over 1200 of the passengers children. Yeah, we sailed once "over capacity". Until that cruise, I wasn't even aware that was a possibility. I think over capacity and loads of children go hand-in-hand. 8 hours ago, sjb317 said: I, however, plan to never cruise on over a holiday during any school break again We sailed a holiday ONCE and came to the same decision. I'm not saying we didn't enjoy that cruise -- we definitely did! -- but the crowds were definitely a negative, we were assigned to a side room instead of the MDR for dinner, and it was an expensive cruise /not a great value. Fool me once ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaniDanielle Posted July 11, 2023 #12 Share Posted July 11, 2023 The problem seems to be that people are pulling kids out of school more than they used to so there is always a crowd. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molly361 Posted July 11, 2023 #13 Share Posted July 11, 2023 (edited) There were over 1300 kids on the June 26th sailing. And a large celiac group Edited July 11, 2023 by molly361 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mum2Mercury Posted July 11, 2023 #14 Share Posted July 11, 2023 34 minutes ago, DaniDanielle said: The problem seems to be that people are pulling kids out of school more than they used to so there is always a crowd. Not just that: Online learning went mainstream during the pandemic, and I don't think our area's alone in having added more virtual options. Some students really thrive in this online environment, and one of the benefits is that they can "attend class" from anywhere. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reallyitsmema Posted July 11, 2023 #15 Share Posted July 11, 2023 55 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said: Yeah, we sailed once "over capacity". Until that cruise, I wasn't even aware that was a possibility. I think over capacity and loads of children go hand-in-hand. We sailed a holiday ONCE and came to the same decision. I'm not saying we didn't enjoy that cruise -- we definitely did! -- but the crowds were definitely a negative, we were assigned to a side room instead of the MDR for dinner, and it was an expensive cruise /not a great value. Fool me once ... Ships sail over capacity all the time, it is not rare at all. You only really hear about it when they are close to their maximum guest total allowed. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjb317 Posted July 11, 2023 Author #16 Share Posted July 11, 2023 58 minutes ago, Mum2Mercury said: Yeah, we sailed once "over capacity". Until that cruise, I wasn't even aware that was a possibility. I think over capacity and loads of children go hand-in-hand. We sailed a holiday ONCE and came to the same decision. I'm not saying we didn't enjoy that cruise -- we definitely did! -- but the crowds were definitely a negative, we were assigned to a side room instead of the MDR for dinner, and it was an expensive cruise /not a great value. Fool me once ... Agree with you. This was our 67th cruise with Royal including one on Grandeur that was over Christmas and New Years and I don’t think we’ve ever been on a cruise that was this crowded. And it was expensive but, as I said earlier, this was the only week we could accommodate our family in Australia. Sherri🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseDad-NYC Posted July 11, 2023 #17 Share Posted July 11, 2023 Clickbait heading topic. No chaos - surprise! Sorry I gave in and clicked! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjb317 Posted July 11, 2023 Author #18 Share Posted July 11, 2023 1 hour ago, CruiseDad-NYC said: Clickbait heading topic. No chaos - surprise! Sorry I gave in and clicked! I’m sorry you did too. Sherri🙂 5 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Baltic Posted July 12, 2023 #19 Share Posted July 12, 2023 Demand for cruising has exploded. I don’t think it makes a difference if it’s holiday week or not. Ships are maxed out with passengers while crew numbers appear to be reducing. Maybe RC will start selling crew quarters next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramja96 Posted July 12, 2023 #20 Share Posted July 12, 2023 (edited) 22 hours ago, sjb317 said: I, however, plan to never cruise on over a holiday during any school break again😂😂 Exactly why we don't book cruises in summer. Edited July 12, 2023 by ramja96 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arzeena Posted July 12, 2023 #21 Share Posted July 12, 2023 @sjb317 Thank you for posting your review. I enjoyed reading it. I am looking forward to seeing Grease again for the nth time. And happy belated anniversary. Sorry you were chided by some who were expecting more drama. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedIguana Posted July 12, 2023 #22 Share Posted July 12, 2023 On 7/11/2023 at 9:13 AM, sjb317 said: One small blip at checkin, we had our almost 18 year old grandson checking in with us, his dad was checking in with his Australian stepson about 6 agents away. Our agent asked what our relationship was with Ben, my husband replied grandparents, and she asked if he had any parents with him. My husband said yes, that his dad was here in another line, and she told my husband to have our son raise his hand. He did, and she accepted that as proof😂. Keep in mind, our son had no questions asked when checking in with his 16 year old stepson who has a different last name and an Australian passport. I am not sure why you consider this a blip. Security wanted to know if a parent was traveling with an under 18 year old (but over 16) traveling on a US passport. Parent was present, so no need to ask you for more documentation. I suspect the rules for traveling with an Australian passport are not the same as for a US passport for a 16 year old, hence the lack of questions that a US passport holder might have had to answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simon.hed Posted July 12, 2023 #23 Share Posted July 12, 2023 49 minutes ago, Arzeena said: @sjb317 Thank you for posting your review. I enjoyed reading it. I am looking forward to seeing Grease again for the nth time. And happy belated anniversary. Sorry you were chided by some who were expecting more drama. second this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillyFan33579 Posted July 12, 2023 #24 Share Posted July 12, 2023 19 hours ago, Merion_Mom said: I will also add: I am observing more messes going unaddressed, because RC has cut the staffing. It's not just a function of holiday sailings. There are fewer people than we were accustomed to in the past, and they can only do what they can do. More staff are needed. I don’t disagree with your post, but find it interesting other threads here complain about how expensive RCI cruises are these days. Increasing staff would likely lead to even higher prices. I was on Independence last month and according to a few officers we talked to at the Schooner Bar, their ship has been fully staffed for awhile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tatka Posted July 12, 2023 #25 Share Posted July 12, 2023 17 hours ago, Tree_skier said: I opened this thread, expecting to read about people throwing tea in the Boston harbor LOL. Independence is not sailing to Boston. We only saw Queen Mary 2 in Boston on 4th We sailed on Queen Mary 2 in 2017 and for July 4th we were in Boston ... answering my question about "How come British ship was in Boston for July 4th?!" captain suggested to do exactly this. 🙂 We had about 100 kids on 5 day's cruise to Halifax, NS and Boston. They were all so well behaved .. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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