Independence of the Seas Review
Lovely cruise but definitely not 'fine dining'
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This was our first time on IOS - previously we have done P&O and Celebrity. The ship was lovely and I liked the promenade part with the cafes and bars and the entertainment was excellent – best I have had on a cruise. Even the days at sea were not boring.
One thing that let it down was dinning in the main restaurant. The service was OK – our waiters were OK - but it just didn’t have the same feel as P&O and Celebrity cruises we have done – it didn’t feel like ‘fine dining’. We only had two waiters whereas you normally have 3 - food, wine and bread. I had soup to start most nights and it always came out all dripped down the side of the bowl! None of the food seemed to be presented particularly special. It all tasted nice enough but didn’t have the wow factor. It was just OK! If you ordered a glass of wine you had wait about 25 mins for it to arrive! On Celebrity with the drinks package they just keep filling your glass and take your cards at the end. On RC you had to keep ordering it, they take your card, bring the wine. All was a bit tedious really. We had trolleys of dirty plates being wheeled past us – I think were sat too close to the food station perhaps. One night they were actually dusting some chairs on empty tables to one side of us whilst we were eating!! It was so bright in the restaurant as well which meant there wasn’t any ambiance.
Another thing that spoilt it for us was the fact that only 50% of the ship adhered to the dress codes. Feels strange when you are in a long formal dress and someone next to you at the bar is in a track suit top! It didn’t seem to matter what the dress code was for some – they just wore scruffy gear regardless. Obviously in the main restaurant everyone stuck with the dress code. I suppose RC let everyone have the kind of holiday they want to have and I don’t have a problem with that, but when you are dressed up and others aren’t it makes you wonder why your bothered. Either have dressed codes or don't! We decided not to let it bother us and we still dressed up every night regardless as that’s what we like to do. We obviously have a bit more self respect than others.