This was our second cruise with RCI and the first on the Independence. The ship was a nice size and well-kept. The staff was very friendly and helpful for the most part.
The food was very good. We only went to the dining room three times, preferring the Windjammer for greater variety. It frequently had some of the entrees from the dining room menu. The two negatives were way too many mousses for dessert (most of which did not have much flavor) and the pastas tended to be undercooked. We were not overly impressed with our dining room waiters, one of which was slow, and the other barely showing interest in us (probably because we switched tables towards the end of the cruise, and he figured he wouldn't be getting an extra tip by then). Portions in the dining room tended to be small, too - I had the ravioli and there were maybe six pieces in the dish. I found it odd that the three dining rooms were named for Shakespearean tragedies - King Lear, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. Really, an odd "downer" for a cruise ship !
In general, the Independence does not seem to have a theme in its decor. There's ancient Egypt, Baroque, lots of steel and chrome in the Promenade, Renaissance, etc. Certainly nothing "American" despite its name. This didn't distract from the cruise, but just struck me as a bit of a decorative jumble.
Our cabin was aft and port side. I definitely recommend port side for this cruise as you will have the best view of the ports ! We had a balcony, which was delightful and worth the extra money (in this case, about $230 more per person). We went with the guaranteed cabin and were upgraded from a Deluxe to a Superior, so we lucked out there. The cabin had ample storage -including a retractable clothes line in the shower to hang wet swimsuits on. We had requested twin beds but it was made up as a king; our steward changed that the first day (had the same thing happen on the Oasis). The beds were very comfortable. Being towards the rear of the ship, it was a quiet location.