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The Greatest Cruise Ever!
Reviewed By: Holmes, Sutton Coldfield on 26th Aug 2008
Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean Cruises	Times cruised before: 0
Cruise Ship: Independence of the Seas	Sailed: August, 2008
Destination: Mediterranean	Age: 18-25

This was my first time cruising, and thanks to the Independence it is certainly not my last. Everything about this holiday was perfect, and the only bad thing about it was that it had to end! The entertainment, staff, accommodation, activities and everything else was fantastic! I would definitely reccomend this cruise to anyone who wants the perfect holiday.
Quality of Food
'Johnny Rockets' is superb - the staff are very friendly and cheerful and the menu has a lovely variety (including the 'Streamliner' - a vegetarian burger). The main dining room, 'Romeo And Juliet', is a fantastic place to eat whenever possible with a lovely atmosphere and a great range of food. As a vegetarian, i never ran out of things to eat which has to be a first for a holiday! 'Windjammer' has a different kind of atmosphere; if you want a more laid back and relaxed atmosphere with ocean views, it is a great place to go - i chose where i ate depending on my frame of mind; wherever you go the food is fantatstic.
Entertainment
The entertainment was some of the best i have seen. Not one act was bad,and if you didn't like whatever was showing at the Alhambra theatre, there was still a variety of activities going on in the various lounges at night. I can honestly say that not one performance was anything less than excellent.
Shore Excursions
It is hard to rate excursions; it always depends on the tourguide and what you are interested in. I don't really think you can rate the shore excursions as there are so many different ones that it is hard to generalise them, but i think that it is fair to say that there is always something for everyone in the family.
Staff
There is no singular member of staff that stood out; they were all outstanding. The head waiters come to see that everything is up to standard every day, my waiter Micko was exceptional and our assistant waiter Shawn was also first-rate. Our room attendant, Ahmed, was also exceptional, amusing us by leaving different animals made out of towels each night. Graham Seymour, who will be notorious to anyone who has been on a cruise with him, is an extraordinary entertainer and has endless talents. I think that Royal Caribbean is very lucky to have found him. All of the staff on board well and truly deserve whacking great tips! And it isn't just me, anyone i have spoken to on the ship has thought the same.
Children's Facilities	n/a
The only probelem with the ship is some parents let their childrem roam freely, screaming and running about the ship. I realise however, that this is not the staff or the ship's responsibility, as there are (i understand) very good children's clubs and activities available.
Onboard Activities
Whatever your mood, there is an activity to suit. On my more adventurous days, i tried out The Wall, ice skating and The Flowrider. Some days i just felt like relaxing on deck or on my balcony, or having a wander through the Royal Promenade. I have to say, the spa and massages are exceptional, and they really make you feel special in the salon.
Cabins
The cabins may seem small, but that is because of the giant queensize beds in them! The mattresses are the most comfortable i have ever slept on, and the extra beds (pull down from the ceiling or fold out from the sofa) are well hidden and successfully preserve space. I would definitely recommend a balcony room. The room is good for what it is, and you don't spend much time in it anyway!
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Comment by Power, King's Lynn (27 Aug 08 00:32) about this REVIEW.

I totally agree, we have just returned from our cruise on Independence of the Sea (possibly on the same journey as you, especially if you saw no sun between Southampton and Gibralta!!) and would most definitely cruise again. We also had Micko as our waiter but our assistant waiter was Rowena, both were superb. For us (and I mean us parents, not our children) the only slightly negative comment we have is that the ship was possibly too big for our liking. On our next cruise we will probably go on a smaller ship and we will not be taking the children (ours are 15 and 16 but they still not did not fully appreciate the enormity and exclusivity of the holiday they were on). For us cruising is definitely an adult holiday and we shall certainly be making the most of it on our next cruise.

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Comment by Hirst, york (29 Aug 08 20:57) about a COMMENT by Power (27 Aug 08 00:32)

We went on this cruise in May which was supposed to be the maiden voyage - however I have got to agree the cruise was fantastic the staff and food equally, but although we had fantastic weather all the time we awere on board, we found the ship too big, on the days we awere at sea we had problems finding a sun bed unless of course you were prepared to be out in the deck at 7.30am!!!. We quite like the look of the Oasis but again too big!! fantastic ship thou... it was my husbands first cruise he was well impressed... but I think in the future we will be going with the smaller ship, the dress code was not adheed to be all on the formal nights....but that did not bother us too much. All credit to RCI it was a superb holiday and because we have been om the best finding a smaller cruise kiner offering the sane service and indeed the high standard cabin will be difficult.

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