Another special week sailing with Royal Caribbean. Freedom class ships have become the favorite of my wife and I, there's plenty to do, the ship is large but not too large. We enjoyed the activities on the ship, in large part due to the staff members we interacted with. On sea days there was always something going on, and on the port days the ship was still buzzing with the people aboard.
The Ship - Independence of the Seas is in great shape, all of the public areas are kept well and show no signs of disrepair. If there is one gripe I have about the layout is that you cannot go directly across deck three from the MDR to the theater. Studio B (the ice rink) is mid ship and there is no way to circumnavigate it. You must go up one flight, walk through the casino and back down again to gain entrance to the theater. There are plenty of quiet spaces to read or participate in whatever quiet hobby you have. One of my favorite venues was the On-Air Club, where I was every night for Karaoke. Having the Quest in Studio B worked very well. The Royal Promenade was a favorite place to hang out.
Cabin - E2 Balcony 7334 was mid ship, right at the start of the 'bump'. The cabin was in excellent condition, spacious enough for the 8 days and laid out well. There was plenty of storage space, and the safe was at eye level in the closet. There was room both under the bed and behind the balcony curtains for luggage storage (one of the advantages of having a cabin on the 'bump'). A few minor inconveniences (little hot water in the shower, a slow drain in the sink) were attended to quickly once they were brought to the attention of guest services. We think there was a problem with the phone system since we were not getting messages that were being left for us.
Cabin - E2 Balcony 7334 was mid ship, right at the start of the 'bump'. The cabin was in excellent condition, spacious enough for the 8 days and laid out well. There was plenty of storage space, and the safe was at eye level in the closet. There was room both under the bed and behind the balcony curtains for luggage storage (one of the advantages of having a cabin on the 'bump'). A few minor inconveniences (little hot water in the shower, a slow drain in the sink) were attended to quickly once they were brought to the attention of guest services. We think there was a problem with the phone system since we were not getting messages that were being left for us.