Independence of the Seas Review
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Embarkation was a breeze . .. we decided to get there early, figuring we might as well wait at the Port instead of our hotel room. Embarkation was supposed to start at 12:30pm but we were on the ship by 11am, in our swimsuits and by the pool. Cabins weren't ready until 1pm, but who cares? Food at the Windjammer was pretty good, easy to get to.
Cleanliness - Everything on the ship look really clean, and there were signs everywhere about hygiene. You still had the occasional idiot picking through the bananas with his hands, even though there was a sign to use the tongs, but at least they were trying.
First 2 days were sea days - Very windy as expected. Getting a seat by the pool on deck 11 will shield you from the wind somewhat. I went jogging on Deck 12 and it was actually kind of funny. Against the wind was awful (someone said it was like 48 knots- ship speed + wind) but with the wind was like floating. Overall a decent although strange workout. The captain did a good job of mostly steering around rain.
Cabin Review
Being used to the interior cabins on Carnival, we were pleasantly surprised with the Promenade cabins. The window to the Promenade made a huge difference. Even though these cabins were smaller than Carnival's interior, they seemed larger. One drawback, there was a parade one night and a 70's dance party the other, that were on until 11 or 11:30pm. . .it will keep you up in these rooms if that matters.Our cabin steward was nice, but we rarely saw him. Like the waiters we had, no personality, never asked were we were from, rarely made towel animals, even for my kids. Kept the cabin clean, but no personality. We're used to getting to know the staff.