Independence of the Seas Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,701 reviews

lost in paradise!!

Review for Transatlantic Cruise on Independence of the Seas
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independentcutie
First Time Cruiser • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Aug 2009
Cabin: Superior Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony

Having read various reviews about the Independence, I felt compelled to write about her. I am not sure if some of the critics could have been on the same ship as me. All I can say is I am glad I did not see all the reviews before my first sailing!! it might have put me off, thank goodness we sailed on this fantastic ship. SHE IS AMAZING,and so are her crew. I have nothing to compare her with, so my opinion is completely unbiased, and I wonder if some seasoned cuisers are to nit picky!! you can find a problem or complaint anywhere if you are looking for it. First the transatlantic crossing from Southampton to Fort Lauderdale, when I boarded the ship, her magnificence overwelmed me, I felt the tears of joy. The D2 STATEROOM 7666 was the same stateroom, (but opposite side of the ship to the 7366 on our return) The size took me by surprise, it seemed large, there was a large studio couch that makes into a bed if required, enough room for 4 people to sit on. a coffee table in front of it, an adequate desk/dressing table, with chair, a real kettle!!, flat screen TV, a large bed, lovely private balcony with a table and chairs, where I spent many a happy hour, on both journeys. An adequate bathroom with shower, yes, we were very happy!! Oh! I nearly forgot our fantastic cabin attendant, nothing was to much trouble. DINING, we do not like formalities, and enjoy very casual dining, the beauty of this on the cruise is, you choose, we dined just two evenings in the MDR, on the ship going to Fort Lauderdale, which was very enjoyable, but found ouselves being drawn back to the windjammer, and on our return to Southampton only ate in the windjammer. I have to say, the food was excellent, so many choices, beautifully prepared and presented, the quality was first class. The staff were very helpfull, and did their best to provide anything special you asked for, eg. my husband can only have soya milk. Our food was always hot, reading some peoples complaints about just warm food we noticed some people pick up a plate and wonder around the food stations, deciding what to have, so food cools down quickly when removed from hot plates etc. We walked around first, having decided what we wanted, we then picked up a plate, and went straight to our choice, then immediately to our table, so the food had not had chance to cool down. We really enjoyed the Windjamer, it was huge, and nicely decorated, with magnificent panoramic windows all round. PUBLIC AREAS, We enjoyed walking around the ship, even though the ship was full to capacity, with so many passengers, we were amazed the ship never seemed crowded, the pool deks were always busy, but I found a lounger or chair somewhere, the same on deck 12 above. We walked around deck 5 many times, and hardly ever saw anyone else. for us it was lovely not to feel crammed into spaces with lots of other people. The inside areas, are all beautifully decorated and furnished, and we enjoyed sitting in the various lounges throughout the ship. On deck five, the inside promenade deck was lovely to walk through, with shops and cafes, it was quite a social gathering place for a lot of people. I saw some of the shows, not all, but those I saw were very enjoyable. The ice skating shows were fantastic. COMING from Fort Lauderdale, on the first day at sea, in the Alhambra theatre the Captain introduced his officers, and asked if anyone knew where the first port of call was to be, someone shouted out don't care, everyone clapped and cheered, because to be honest with you, I didn't care either, I was on my floating bit of paradise, in the middle of nowhere, mentally totally lost in paradise. I loved the 6 days at sea, in the middle of the ocean, and almost felt sorry as we approached the Azores, Madeira, Vigo, and back into Southampton. We were very pleased the Captain was the same on both our transatlantic voyages. Captian Teo, we found him to be amusing on his daily announcements. He always spoke to people when he wondered through the public areas, and was very approachable, we spoke to him on several occasions, throughout our trip back to Southampton, and he was friendly, accommodating, and was willing to answer any questions, but gave the impression of always being very much in charge. A Captain who gave us confidence, who ran a tight ship so to speak!!, and whos crew seemed to speak very highly of him. Finally, I am very disappointed she is going back to Florida so late in November, otherwise we would have booked on her. We are booked on the Celebrity Equinox. But we have booked on the Independence to come back to Southampton in April 2010, sadly that is her last transatlantic, she is staying in Europe. Hopefully in the future she may be required to do transatlantic again, I will be the first to book on her if she does. I absolutley love her, and all she had to offer.

Cabin Review

Superior Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony

Cabin D2

The cabin was great,D2 both 7666 to Fort Lauderdale and 7633 from Fort Lauderdale were larger than expected, with plenty of room to move around, our cases fitted comfortably under the bed, which seemed really big. There was plenty of hanging space, and room in the closet. The dressing table/desk had nice mirrors, a chair, kettle (whopeee!!) tea/coffe, creamer sugar etc. The fridge was small but well stocked with whatever you ask your room attendant for, unless you wanted it empty for your own stuff. The sofa bed was huge for sitting on. (only two of us) The bathroom was small but adequate, with a really nice shower, with shower door, not a messy curtain, a basin, with some room on and under the vanity unit for toiletries. The balcony was a really nice size, with a small table and 2 chairs, perspex type glass between cabins, but you could not see through, and the balcony was nice and private. The only problem is if someone smokes on the next door balcony, that is unpleasant. Great views across the ocean when lying in bed. We did not really hear anyone in the hallways outside our room, we were not close to the elevator, or any other public area, the library was not to far, but that is quiet anyway.

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