Independence of the Seas Review

4.5 / 5.0
1,701 reviews

Family investigation for grandchildren

Review for Canary Islands Cruise on Independence of the Seas

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Additional details

Sail Date: Oct 2011
Cabin: Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony

Boarded ship at Southampton on 31 Oct 2011 for 11 night cruise to Spain and Canary Islands. The boarding was very easy with luggage being dropped off at the baggage hall prior to parking in the Cruise car park at the port. After parking car joined the queue at departures and waited to board. Face mapping pictures were taken for security. Given instructions to get to cabin and advised that the suitcases would be delivered to cabin. We had booked a stateroom with balcony and were not disappointed. there was a generous double bed, with a sofa bed if needed. The TV was a flat screen 32" which was interactive with guest services and gave information on GPS and also give information on guest account, this was wall mounted. The wardrobes were built in with a safe installed. The bathroom was toilet, washbasin in vanity unit and shower. There was a fridge which housed a mini bar, but has room to add personal items. The balcony had a small table, two deck chairs and a sun lounger. There was 24 hour room service if needed. The ships dining rooms were spacious and you were allocated a table for meals. We did not use our allocated dining room but used the Windjammer cafe for all meals. The Windjammer cafe was buffet style and served an enormous variety of meals to suit all tastes. The cafe took up the whole of the rear of the 11th deck of the ship with outstanding views to sea. The staff were courteous, helpful and friendly and did everything possible to assist.

We were advised to buy the soft drinks package which gave unlimited soft drinks for the duration of the cruise, however I feel that in our experience it would have been more cost effective to purchase drinks as needed as it would be unlikely that we would drink enough to make the package worth while.

The shows were excellent with a range of both on-board entertainers and entertainers who joined the ship for their performances only and departed afterwards. There were a range of activities and it would be worth while joining one of the forums if there is a specific question you need answering. Royal Caribbean forums are very informative but are not well advertised by the cruise line. The water park on deck 11 is excellent for small children, but there are no life guards in attendance and it is wholley the responsibility of the parents to monitor children. There are 5 hot tubs, and a fitness centre which would rival many subscription facilities.

Cabin Review

Deluxe Oceanview Stateroom with Balcony

Cabin E2

Cabin was no 6652 on deck 6 of Independence of the Seas. Was more spacious than expected. The balcony was adequate but a little over crowded with furniture. The partitions between balconies could be closed for individual cabins or could be openned and the area used between cabins - a good ideal for travelling with friends. The cabin was well lit with a variety of lights, the bed was 6ft double or two singles with bedside cabinets. There was a bed settee in the lounge area with could comfortably accommodate extra passengers. The TV was wall mounted and a range of satellite programmes were available, some were pay by view some were free channels. There was also interactive TV which could be used to book shore excursions and monitor on board account. There was also GPS and information on the on board activities and ports of call. The shower room was adequate but well fitted for the purpose with a small pull across line in the shower cubicle for drying clothing. The syphon system on the toilet flush was noisy and we were reluctant to use it at night. The soundproofing in the cabin was very good and we had very little noise from the adjoining cabins. Overall decor was very good

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