This was my first cruise, so I do not have any comparisons. I was very impressed by the Independence of the Seas. It is an absolutely beautiful ship and I was amazed how spotless clean it was at all times throughout our trip. I had gone up to the top deck several nights late in the evening and witnessed the top to bottom cleaning this ship gets every night. The hot tubs were emptied, scrubbed, disinfected and re-filled every night. The ice cream machines were torn apart and cleaned every night. The entire crew goes out of their way making sure that every person disinfects their hands upon entering any food area. The bathrooms were spotless throughout the ship. Our room was kept clean and our stateroom attendant was very friendly and helpful. A+ to the cleanliness of the ship.
Dining room attire rotated each evening between formal and casual. I was a little surprised how casual some people dressed in the dining room, but again I do not have any comparisons, so I just went with it. I guess the opposite is true as well, as some people wore evening gowns and tuxedos on formal night. Most women just wore nice dresses/skirts and sandals, and men mostly wore nice slacks and button down shirts. Most did not wear a tie. Anything goes in the Windjammer as far as dress - shorts, t-shirts, flip flops, etc. We did not try any of the specialty restaurants. We did end up splitting our dinners between the Dining Room and the Windjammer because we choose first seating at 6pm, and we weren't always ready in time to get to dinner by 6pm, especially on island days. I think we will try My Time Dining next time since it is a little more flexible time-wise. The food on the ship is good, but I would not say outstanding. We're not too picky and there was a wide variety of options every evening so we could always find something we like. The food quality and options were fine for us. No complaints.
Chairs on the decks were crowded, but we were always able to find a few. People definitely throw their towels on the chairs to reserve them, and then they disappear. This happens on a regular basis. I think RC should enforce their rule of 30-minutes, but it doesn't appear that anyone really follows the rule and I certainly did not see anyone enforcing it. Drinks were easy to get in any bar area. No long waits at all.
Room was more spacious than I expected. It was very clean and bed was super comfortable. No complaints at all. It was nice to have a big window overlooking the Promenade. I would book this type of room again with no reservations.