The embarkation process was terrific. None of the 2 hrs waits you encounter in other countries and/or on other cruise lines. We were probably onboard within 15-20 minutes of arriving at Southampton. Cases did take 8 hrs to arrive but not a major problem.

Ship was spectacular but I did think the Royal Promenade was space wasted largely. Clever commercialisation but could have been used for a bigger cinema and ten pin bowling for example.

Food was very good. Not spectacular but a wide choice and great quality. The one problem we had was getting seats. The Windjammer cafe on deck 11 although large had far too few seats for the number of people onboard. Despite constant announcements over the tannoy people were slow to leave tables once they had finished eating. The waited dining area down on levels 3-5 was very good.

Staff were excellent apart from 1 waitress who seemed to feel pushing me in the back rather than asking me to move was acceptable. I tried to get her name but she disappeared into staff quarters. However this was an isolated incident.

Entertainment was a huge disappointment and among the worst I have encountered on 11 cruises with 6 different cruise lines. To put it into perspective Thomson for example beat them hands down. The dancers and singers seemed technically good but the routines they performed were very poor. The audience never really got into it. The best acts were those flown in, for example the violinist was fantastic. The sets for the shows were good but spoiled by the poor dancing/singing mentioned. Comedians were quite good. There was plenty music being played around the ship but it lacked a really good singer or two doing a set. I would have thought in an 11 day cruise they could have put something better on.

Itinery was fine ..we have been to all the places before so didnt spend much time ashore. The weather was poor .. you got to expect this of course sailing from Southampton in October but even when we got south of Madeira it was not great. This detracted from the outdoor entertainment, for example the rock climbing wall and putting green were often closed as was the flowrider. In the Caribbean these would have been much better used. I think the cruises should reposition much sooner than October given the vagaries of British weather. Having said that the ship handled the force 10 winds and storm fantactically on our way South.

The gym on level 11 was fabulous .. easily the best I have come across on a cruiseliner and one of the first things we look for. There were loads of machines and it was never than busy that you had to wait. Perfect.

Other passengers ..mostly nice and well behaved. Some very limited rowdiness once people had too much to drink but nothing too excessive.

Teen zones were excellent ..we had 5 teens between 12 and 17 in our party and no shortage of activities for them to partake in. All the kids had a great time and met some great friends.

In summary would I cruise on this ship again ?..probably. Entertainment apart it was a good cruise and in a warmer location would have been even better.

My first post... just back from our first cruise - 4 nights to Cork (Cobn) on Indepence of the seas.

1st off - that good we've booked to go again (taking the kids this time)

We can't compare to other cruise lines as this was our first cruise but in all it was excellent. We received a free upgrade to a deluxe outside cabin with balcony - spoilt rotten - can't afford this measure of luxury for the next one - much more the pity! (RCI - pretty please??)

The staff in all areas were excellent, inparticular Lucky our stateroom attendant - he went the extra mile every night with little querky gifts. Those in s/r 7650 will know what I mean - don't want to spoil it for future guests!

The waiting staff couldn't be faulted, very attentive.

The ship - WOW - massive, elegant with excellent facilities. The flowrider is super fun, climbed the wall, went ice skating, saw shows each night, even played the tables in the casino! Children are extremely well catered for, they have their own bar, areas to chill out in, great water park and Johny Rockets Diner have periods when only youngsters are allowed to dine!

"Food, glorious food what more could you ask for?" We ate dinner in the main dining hall every night as the food and service were that good, we did however had the added bonus of being seated right next to one of the huge windows providing an ever changing panorma!

Only one night on this cruise is formal (3rd night) which is a delight to see everyone making the effort.

Advice....

To get good seats for the shows arrive 30 mins early

Ice shows are ticket only and very limited. To our disappointment we missed this, but will ensure we don't next time.

Get the soft drink package - $26 (note only Coke, diet coke and lemonade)

Beer isn't cheap $6-$9.50, but then you're on holiday so who cares! We don't drink wine so can't comment on price/quality

Cobn - what a place - looks like Balamory with all the painted houses. The ship was met with marching bands and crowds of people lined the hill roads to see the ship. There was a French market on and singing in the band stand. Plenty of pubs to sample Guinness "where it's made"

RCI have many excursions available, but the train station is on the dock with regular service into Cork - much cheaper.

I think I've covered most of it, we were exhausted from all the relaxing, can't wait to go again, role on May!!!!

The Ship itself is fantastic but far too large with not enough staff, therefore the staff become stressed and this shows.

The checkin and disembarkation at Southampton was faultless.

The cleanliness is amazing. The food disappointing, the only lobster we saw was a towel folded like one in our cabin! Its the only cruise I have ever been on where I didnt get to eat Lobster.

We tried to book into the Portofino restuarant and pay to have lobster but it was fully booked every evening, was this because the food in the main dining room was not great?

Because the dining room is so large our table was so far from the kitchen that our food never arrived hot and we had to return it on several occasions. Our Waiter, Kabil was lovely but bless him under so much pressure having to serve so many people each night.

The Windjamer was so croweded and run out of cuttlery a couple of times during out cruise.

Often basic drinks were not available like Southern Comfort.

Some of the the front desk staff need extra training as they did not have all the answers to our questions and did not offer to go and get the answers when asked.

The DJ in the nightclub never played requests even though the dance floor was often empty, he was rather rude.

This is the only cruise I have been on where there was not a band on deck daily and I really missed that.

There was a Irish great band on board and when they did play on deck everyone had a great time but they only played once in 10 days.

There are lots of children and teenager on this ship and the children (9 of them) in our group did all have a wonderful time.

So all in all a lot of bad but plenty of good things too but .....

The Captain was bragging about RCI building only very large ships well Captain a word of advice, big is not always best.

Just returned from a wonderful holiday aboard the Indepedence of the Seas .. and WOW .. what a great holiday! Ship was excellent! Food lovely! Staff brilliant! I just cant say a bad word about the holiday. Went on Mediterranean Treasures cruise. Our best holiday yet! Have to mention Graham Seymour who was very talented and just brilliant. Shows were excellent. Will definately be saving up to go again!

Holidayed all round the world and this SHIP takes some beating The two 4s in the ratings are of personal preference Some shows are for some people and some are not same with the food It is only my opinion but in other cases I could give 50 out of 10 It was that good When you get to southampton and see the ship your mouth just opens at the size of it but when you board you wonder how it all fitted in The best two weeks holiday easy If you can book up but it is nearly fully booked for next summer just by word of mouth My son Ian age 16 love it and my wife just wants to block book for the next 10 years

im 13 and i went on this cruise last year i amde loads of friends and even some of them i will see again as i am going on the same ship again in august.
i went with my sister and my dad we all loved it my dad loved the entertainment the bars and the places we stopped at.
the staff are amazingly friendly especially the room cleaners they were all so nice.
i love the buffet thats on morning day and night.
the entertainment is great i dont no how people can give it below 4 it was just amazing they did something every night.
i love the formal nights when everyone dresses up in suits and dresses including me.
the arcade is great and the kids club which i went to in 2007 but when i went in 2008 i was old enough to go to the teen club its great everyone just there to hang out and meet people i recomend everyone of any age to this cruise.

This was our sixth cruise, third from Southampton and second with Royal Caribbean. We arrived at the terminal at 10:45 am after a leisurly 4 hour drive from our home near Liverpool.

As we approached the cruise terminal the sheer size of the ship was visable. We were swiftly directed to the luggage unloading area and then after unloading proceeded to the parking area, which was just 2 minutes walk away from the terminal building, check in was quick and efficent having pre completed the online forms, no waiting at security and then straight onto the ship - in total from leaving the car it took no more than 10-15 minutes, top marks for organisation.

After checking out our dining table we went up to Windjammer for some lunch, we then spent a little time exploring the ship before going to our room at just after 1pm. Three of our bags had already arrived and our fourth turned up a few minutes later.

We had a D2 Room with Balcony (9576) on Deck 9, we found it to have ample hanging and drawer space, a minibar with space for us to put our own bottles of water in, 6ft double bed, 3 seater sofa and 28" flatscreen tv showing a mix of news, documentary, entertainment and films, the blacony was a good size with two chairs and a small table. Our room steward popped in to introduce himself, we found him to be efficent and very low key.

We had a table for two on second sitting in the King Lear dining room on deck 5 - which was excellant, the waiting staff could not of been better and they looked after us extremly well, we were rather concerned about about some of the negative comments we had read about the standard of food before going away, but over the 14 nights we never had any cause for complaint about either the quality or the portion size.

One thing we did notice was that the menu posted outside of the dining room did not always display all of the itmes on the menu for that evening.

We ate breakfast in Windjammer everyday and usually also had a snack there mid afternoon, unless out on a trip, food always piping hot and lots of choice, it did get busy at peak times especially on port days, but we always found a table but generally tried to go either before or after the main rush.

Rolls, cakes and cookies were also available in the Cafe Promenade, and Pizza from Sorrento's.

We tried Johnny Rockets on one of the sea days for lunch and it was excellant.

We did pick and choose which shows we attended as obviously they are catering for a wide audiance and not everything was to our taste, the only thing we did feel that was missng was at least one well known act.

Graham Seymour the cruise director was very funny and was very visable around the ship, during the second week he also did a five minute slot each morning that was repeated on a loop between 6am and 10am on one of the tv channels going through the highlights for the day, there was also a couple of behind the scenes tours he presented, which he brought his hummour to.

The ice shows were extremly good, we actually prefered Freeze Frame to the second show Strings.

The nightclub was very good - busier on some nights than others, but found the music to be great.

Bars etc - good service throughout and very good choice of drinks at reasonable prices.

Facilities - lots to do throughout the ship, plenty of sunbeds, sitting areas etc. The Royal Promenade can become a little conjested at times in particular when they have retail sales on. Reasonable choice in the onboard shops. Gym was fantastic, better than the one we go to at a local Hotel!

Ports:

Gibraltar - we took the Fortress Gibraltar organised tour which was very good and enjoyable, only one point was that it took over an hour longer than advertised, leaving us a little less time for shopping than we had hoped, but having been to Gibraltar many times before we were able just to go to the shops we wanted.

Barcelona - Evening in port - we booked tickets for the evening shuttle service, which ruuns between 7pm and 10pm but despite getting into port on time, it was almost 7.30pm before we were able to get off and then the traffic in the port was very busy, we did not get dropped off until almost 8pm - a quick walk and drink was all that we could manage before heading back to catch the shuttle at 9.45pm again traffic very busy, due to the overnight ferries loading at this time. I think they need to rethink the shuttle bus times and possibly extend it till say midnight or my advice would be just get it one way and get a taxi back.

Barcelona - we took the transfer to Sitges a small resort about 45 mins south of Barcelona - well worth the visit, some lovely shops and a nice seafront prom / beach.

Villefranche - we took the Nice & Monaco on your own tour - this gave us two hours in Nice and three hours in Monaco - which was ample - as we have visited both before.

Livorno - We had a day off as we have visited Florence and Pisa before and relaxed onboard, with so many people on tours the ship was very quiet.

Cagliari - We had a leisurly walk around town, being a Sunday not many places open, but a lovely place.

Malaga - We took the tour to Mijas, as we quite reguarly have short break in the area we have visited most places - but had not been to Mijas for a number of years.

Lisbon - We took the shuttle bus into the centre and walked around.

Vigo - We had a walk around the centre for a little while before returning to the ship.

Our only critcisim about the tours was the ticket collection process, in every other cruise ship we have been given your stickers as you enter the lounge, you then sit and wait to be called - here you had to go in sit down, then get called up to get your stickers, then sit down again, as most times they used the theatre this was quite awkward, squeezing past people, walking down to the front, then finding another seat afterwards, then getting out again to go on your tour.

As ever on most cruise ships and in life in general, a minority element of rude and incosiderate people, examples included pushing past everyone to get into the lifts, pushing into the lines at the buffet, speaking to the ships staff like dirt.

Disembarkation was very smooth and well organised - we were called right on schedule at 6:45am and in the car at 7:00am.

We both really enjoyed the cruise and would not hesitate to return on it, we very much went on this holiday for the ship not the ports as we have been to most of them before either on holiday or on other cruises. We would not hesitate in booking another cruise onboard - but it would be good if they could offer some new ports of call / itineries, but I appreciate they are quite limited sailing from Southampton.

We sailed on the Independence's second ever cruise - 11 nights from Southampton to the Canaries and back.

Check in at Southampton was fast easy and smooth. We baorded at 1.30, and had our luggage delivered to our stateroom and unpacked by 2.50!

The ship is massive - currently the largest cruise ship afloat. There is much to enjoy onboard, from the 1500 seater theatre, to the ice rink, the climbing wall, the huge 'main street' running through the centre of the ship, to the magnificent main dining room spread over three decks.

As she was a new ship the Cruise Director was the almost legendary Ken Rush. He and his team worked tirelessly and cheerfully to keep 3,600 passengers entertained and happy.

Do try and eat at Chops Grille - it costs $20 more but worth every cent. The food (good throughout the ship) is wonderful.

The crew are universally cheerful and friendly, and nothing is too much trouble, even when you want to choose dinner items in the wrong order (like a starter as a sweet)

This was our first cruise - it won't be our last !

My family and I have just returned from a 4 night mini cruise onboard this brand spanking new ship. WOW it was amazing. I could not believe I was onboard a ship. It was like being in an extremely luxurious hotel. The ship was spotlessly clean, the staff were continuosly polishing and cleaning every deck. The food was superb in both the main restaurant dining area and in 'the windjammer' (more casual area to eat great for eating with a young family - not so formal). All staff were extremely helpful, pleasant, and happy they could not do enough for us. Entertainment was also very good. Ice skating rink onboard (another plus for kids). Dont have anything negative to say about this ship. Would recommend a cabin with a balcony or at least a window.

As regular cruisers with Carnival UK myself and my friend decided to try the competition. We booked on to Independance of the Seas maiden 4 night voyage and paid just under £400pp inc gratuities for an inside cabin.

EMBARKATION- Faultless! living in Southampton meant that our journey time was never going to be too stressful but based on past cruises we had braced ourselves for a lengthy check in process- How wrong we were!
Within 20mins of leaving home we were onboard drinking our complimentary glass of champagne. We had pre registered our details online and after leaving our luggage with one of the port attendants, check in and Security took a matter of minutes before we were able to boarding. The whole process was extremely slick especially as the passengers boarding numbered 3000+

FIRST IMPRESSIONS- Amazing! Walking through the main promenade we were quickly in awe of the sheer size of the ship. At times its hard to believe that you are actually at sea. The main promenade has a feel of Disneyland offering a pizza parlour, coffee and snack bar, Ben and Jerrys ice cream parlour and a traditional pub to name a few.

CABIN- As it was only a short cruise we had opted for a basic inside with shower which we found to be more than adequate for us. The room attendant was fantastic always popping up from nowhere with a smile on her face and each time asking us what we had been upto since we last saw her.

ENTERTAINMENT (Evening)- Mixed reviews, the first nights entertainment was shocking, a rather poor reenactment of a circus show, complete with patchwork elephant.
The following night we attended the ice skating show (free tickets need to be obtained in the morning for entrance)
The show was amazing...there were a couple of tumbles from the dancers (which at the time I was quite critical of!) and each time one did a jump or a lift I found myself holding my breath in sheer worry that someone would get hurt! This show was so good we watched it the following night too.
The third night offered a repeat performance of the ice show before dinner and a comedian/magic act afterwards. We attended both. The magician was so lame I actually found myself crying with laughter as did the majority of the audience. The final night offered a range of vocal performers. Whilst this was well performed it lacked any kind of theme of link between the songs/singers and was all a bit random.

ENTERTAINMENT (Daytime) Lots to do onboard, we had a go at most things...all of which I found myself to be rubbish at!
The mini golf was great fun although a bit of a challenge in the gale force winds! The ice skating was a disappointment but only because I had dillusions of being great at it when in reality I could barely stand! This was also marred slight by an emergency medical response team having to stretcher off a gentleman in his 60's who cracked his head open on the ice.
I had really fancied a go on the climbing wall but found it to be closed most of the time.. I had intended to go back but the weather went downhill and I found myself alot more comfortable in one of the bars!
Overall, there is plenty going on all over the ship and unlike other cruises there was no point in which I found myself bored or wondering what to do.

FOOD- Excellent! We ate in the main restaurant every evening on the late sitting. On first arrival we were shown to a table of 10 with a couple already seated. I attempted to make the usual table conversation but was getting nowhere so when a family of 8 came over looking for a table together we leapt at the chance to swap! This was possibly the best decision we could have made as we were reseated with a male couple who we ended up spending most of our time with and became very good friends.
The food each night was faultless, a wide choice and well prepared and presented.
The waiting staff were cracking and probably made the cruise for us. Our main waiter Rustico who we privately nicknamed 'Franc' (Wedding Planner from 'Father of the bride')because he sounded just like him, very politely read through each item on the menu before suggesting his favourite. Then regardless of what was ordered would respond with 'very nice, thats my favourite!'
He and our assistant waiter were enthusiastic and happy to please, they really seemed to enjoy their jobs and could not speak more highly of the company.
During our cruise we also dined in the WindJammer during the daytime. This was an ordeal at all times of the day as you could never seem to find a table and there was alot of pushing and shoving to get to the food.
We also paid an additional cover charge to dine one lunchtime in Johnny Rockets a 50's styled diner. Whilst the food was good, the service was extremely slow and despite ordering a burger and chips each we were there for nearly 2 hours. During our lunch we found that every 20mins a different song is played on the Juke box to which the staff stop what they're doing and dance to a prepared routine. whilst this was great to watch I have to wonder whether less dancing would have meant better service.

The only points that I feel let the cruise down were the number of passengers onboard, despite the ship being huge, at times bars and public rooms became extremely crowded. The promenade during the parade was absolutely heaving.
The other downside was the types of people that had been attracted. I am by no means a snob but some of the people we had the misfortune of meeting were less than desireable! On our coach trip back from Cork we overheard one lady telling her partner she wouldn't have time to wash before dinner (despite it only being 1am at the time) on reassuring his partner that it would be plenty of time, she replied well I dont want to have a wash! - Enough said