Independence of the Seas Review

smooth crossing

Review for Transatlantic Cruise on Independence of the Seas
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kikaan
First Time Cruiser • Age 80s

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Sail Date: Nov 2009
Cabin: Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony

We took the Thalys from Brussels to London and then a bus to Southampton the day before embarcation.We were two of the 4 Belgians aboard. Access to boarding on departure in Southampton was easy. We stayed overnight at the Ibis hotel and walked to the departure terminal. The waiting there was of an acceptable duration. Our cabin was quite comfortable and spotless. During the cruise we had many reasons to commend our steward Kenneth. Dining "on our own time" led to some confusion at the beginning but was a most convenient system for us allowing reservation of a table for two at requested hour for dinner at midday. We thoroughly enjoyed the entertainment which we judged to be of a high quality.The MC Joff is the best we've seen on any cruise. Of the four stops : Le Havre : depressing Stalinist architecture/ Cherbourg : more typically French but really not worth a visit. We surmised that these stops were intended for Americans wishing to visit the 1944 landing beaches and Paris. Vigo : we took the well organized tour to Santiago de Compostella. Interesting but not overwhelming. Madeira : this was the best day of the whole cruise for us. Beautiful island and very agreeable walk in Funchal. We took a bus to the Botanic Garden and enjoyed the splendid variety of plants and flowers.

One negative is the loud music played in most public areas. It is clearly chosen by people of another generation than 90% of the passengers. Too trendy ! Another negative is the faulty billing of wine and drinks. Very difficult to correct and finally fixed after many unkept promises.(5 days) My wife was worried she might get seasick. This crossing was remarkably smooth or it could be a combination of that and excellent stabilizers on the ship.

And then : the big spoiler ! Most probably not to be attributed to the ship or the line but to the U.S.A's obsession with security. We stood in line for THREE HOURS to get through immigration.And then another hour's waiting for the car rental shuttle because the driver assumed there would be no more customers after such a long time. This authority has obviously not adapted to the huge number of passengers on recently built ships and is responsible for spoiling our remembrance of this cruise and our loss of half a day vacation-time.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony

Cabin E2

Maybe the only negative about our cabin is its distance from the elevators-staircase. We rarely heard any sound from other cabins. The mattress is very very comfortable. Our veranda of generous proportions.

The one thing we would really have appreciated is : cheaper internet access.

The duration of this cruise necessitated contact with the home front.

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