Independence of the Seas Review

Top Notch

Review for the Western Caribbean Cruise on Independence of the Seas
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cruisinterps
6-10 Cruises • Age 40s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Fitness & Recreation
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Jan 2017
Cabin: Junior Suite
Traveled with children

My family (parents and 3 and 5 year olds) just returned from a 5 nighter on The Independence of the Seas to Labadee and Jamaica. Having read cruise critic extensively before we left, I have to agree with most of the reviews you see here, although I have a few additions:

First: Port Everglades. Ugh. I'm not a complainer. I will wait in lines and do my best to reign in my minions as to not annoy everyone else around me. That being said, I was soooo happy that we sprung for a junior suite and got expedited boarding. The place is a massive warehouse filled with a poorly-organized crush of humanity. I am accustomed to cruising out of Tampa and Port Canaveral, and my experience is that both are far superior in terms of organization, and at least making it feel like there aren't as many people there. Disembarkation was a loooong line outside on the dock waiting to get to customs. It would've been truly awful in the summer. That being said, it was truly the only negative thing about this cruise.

Second: The ship. I have to compare it to Carnival, because although I've done RCI before, the last 5 years have been one Disney and several Carnival because I had two year olds that could access the kids' club on Carnival, and the other lines don't allow kids under 3. I will say, the flow rider, the rock climbing wall, the ice rink, and the promenade were all very impressive! We loved it. The dining room, and Chops were lovely. I read a review that mentioned the dirtiness of the ship. I didn't think it was dirty, but I will say that on Carnival, I note crew members CONSTANTLY cleaning. I didn't see anyone cleaning anything other than in the windjammer and the dining room, and the pool deck ladies' room. I wonder if I was just more aware of the cleanliness of Carnival ships because of the visibility of the cleaners. There were of course the ubiquitous hand sanitizer stands, and things did seem fairly clean to me, even with the ship being older.

Cabin Review

Junior Suite

Cabin JS

As big as the Grand Suite we had on the Carnival Paradise. The balcony was big enough to have two loungers and two chairs and a table. Loved it! We had two adults and two kids, and didn't feel cramped at all. Even with the sofa pulled out to become a bed, there was a chair with ottoman that we used all the time. The bathroom was big, with a tub, and we had the biggest closet I've ever had on a cruise, a walk in with 5 shelves covering an entire wall. Heaven!

Port Reviews

Falmouth

The port is built up, has good shopping, and nice people who work there. I was never pressured to buy. Definitely plan to haggle a bit with prices, or bring someone with you who will do it for you!

Labadee

Beautiful and relaxing. Very fun for the kids!

Fort Lauderdale (Port Everglades)

Yuck. Avoid cruising out of here if possible.

5 Helpful Votes
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