My Husband (42) and I (38) just returned from the Feb 27, sailing. This was out third trip on the Independence, and we have yet to be disappointed. The ship was clean and in good condition, even though it is not a new boat. The staff was always friendly and easy to find. The food in the Main Dining Room was Amazing! I preferred it to the night we ate at Chops.
The only down side was the very large number of Spring Breakers on our Cruise. They traveled in packs of 50+, so when they emerged from their drunken stupor, they took over. The hot tubs, pool, solarium, and of course, the bars and casino were packed. It would be nice if there was some way to find out about these groups ahead of time.
There was also a lot of confusion getting off the ship at Belize. If you are not booked on an RCCL Excursion, just go to Deck 1 and get a tender. This trip there were very few announcements directing us. I had booked a Cave Tubing Trip with a local company, "Butts Up", and was unable to find direction to a tender off the ship other than the excursions on Deck 3.
Just Flew in and checked in at the port.
It has changed drastically and grown into a typical Cruise Port Town. Shoppers BEWARE! Take the list of approved shops from your Ship. There are several stores with fake signs and insignia claiming to be an approved seller.