Independence of the Seas Review
Italian Mediterranean 12th July
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Twenty years ago my wife and I took our first cruise. It was a Cunard package from LHR-JFK on Concorde with a return passage on the QE2. The flight was fantastic and something we repeated four other times over the years until its eventual retirement a few years ago.The voyage on the QE2 on the other hand was transatlantic in November, and I was seasick for 4 straight days. The air conditioner in our cabin also fractured on the first day, causing a "Niagara Niagara" that flooded the room and drenched all our belongings and wedding photos. We did get moved to the mid ships suite, but in reality it was just a nicer cabin to be sick in. I vowed with hand on heart, as we sailed into Southampton, that never again would I set foot on a ocean liner !
In the twenty intervening years we have brought 5 children into the world. In that time air travel has degenerated into the current state of punishment and torture that might cause Amnesty International to wince. So it was decided that 2 decades later we would take a family vacation on the newest and largest cruise ship afloat for two weeks. It also helped that Southampton was only 1 hour away by road.
All the superlatives have been stated many times before. The wow factor as the ship first comes into sight fades little each and every time you reboard at each subsequent port of call. Check-in is extremely efficient and a short and pleasant experience. You drive to the bag drop off area, tell the agent your name, and the labels are placed on your luggage and off it goes. You then enter the terminal where there are 30+ check-in desks with (when we arrived at 1130) no queues. Passports were checked, on-line check-in documents and the credit card were handed over, and within a couple of minutes the sea passes were handed pack, and it was through a security point, up the escalator and pier, one more security check as you boarded and then another wow moment as you first take in the splendor of the deck 4 midships and the aft promenade deck above it. From bag drop to jaw drop in around 15-20 minutes.