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Simply Magical!!!
Reviewed By: DREWELL, FAREHAM on 27th Aug 2008
Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean Cruises	Times cruised before: 0
Cruise Ship: Independence of the Seas	Sailed: July, 2008
Destination: Mediterranean	Age: 36-45

Having never being interested in cruising, I was not particularly looking forward to this trip. However, I have to say that this holiday was the best I've ever been on. Check-in at Southampton was a breeze, especially living only twenty minutes away. Left house at 1310, but on board by 1400. Beats the airports! Our stateroom was a D1 balcony type and was far larger than we imagined. Considering we had our two teenage daughters with us, there was plenty of room. Their bed was pulled out and made each night by our attendant, George. His creativity with clean towels was exceptional, especially after we left our own creations for him each night. Anyway, back to the ship itself. Despite the fact it is absolutely huge, at no time did we ever feel lost whilst on board. Once you get your bearings, it's all pretty straightforward. It is amazing that one ship can contain all the features and attractions that the Independence has. From the ice rink to the Flow Rider, the theatre to the casino; each area impeccably maintained and of the highest standard. What really got to me was the fact that virtually every member of the crew (and there are many!) had a smile on their face and would greet you with a cheery "hello", no matter what time of day. I really don't think that it is to do with wanting tips either, although perhaps I am naive. The entertainment on board was quite honestly fantastic. Graham Seymour, the cruise director, was one of the funniest people I have ever seen. His late night "adults only" show was one of the highlights of the fortnight. Both he and his entertainment staff work their socks off to make your holiday one to remember. The ice shows were amazing, quite how they manage their routines on such a small rink, I don't know. The American Drifters were one of the headline acts, and despite being a little "before my time", I realised I knew most of their songs and even found myself singing along. Quite unusual for me! The most important aspect of any holiday for me is the food and drink. My whole family are pretty adventurous with what they will try (the fact my wife is a chef helps). Therefore we were looking forward to dinner times! They certainly didn't disappoint. Every night we were looked after by Adale and Ferdy, whilst in MacBeth dining room. Previous reviews I have read moaned about the food. God knows what they expect because I have certainly never tasted a better steak, and my wife found nothing whatsoever to criticise (quite an achievement, believe me!) Three formal nights were something I was looking forward to the least. I just don't like all that "stuffiness" lark. But how wrong I was. This was all part of the cruise experience, and I even began to wish there were more! Lunchtimes we spent in the buffet style Windjammer and Jade restaurants. The latter was a particular favourite of myself and my youngest daughter, for we adore our curries, and here there were plenty to choose from. At other times, we made full use of the Promenade Cafe, Sorrento's and a couple of times we even ordered room service for their delightful sandwiches. Drink prices were reasonable, but I would definitely recommend a wine package at mealtime, rather than buying individual glasses / bottles. Certainly a lot cheaper. My daughters had soda packages, which despite sounding a good idea at the time, they both soon tired of the limited drinks available to them. This is probably my only real criticism of the whole trip. As this was our first cruise, we decided to partake in some of the shore excursions, which were actually pretty good value for money. Our only real gripe was that despite booking them well in advance through our travel agent, we had to settle for sometimes second or third choices due to limited availability. "Gibraltar by Taxi" OK - depends on your driver. At least we saw most of what we had wanted. "Gaudi's Barcelona" - We chose this for our art loving eldest daughter. Places visited were interesting, but guide was poor. "Monaco and Monte Carlo" - Absolutely fantastic. Certainly lived up to our expectations. Villefranche itself was lovely also. "Florence and Pisa on your own" - Both cities simply breathtaking. Very hot though! In Malaga, we did our own thing and walked for miles - literally! "Panoramic Lisbon" - My personal favourite. Definitely worth a future visit. As we sailed (With only feet to spare) under the suspension bridge, the captain sounded the horn. For me, the highlight of the fortnight! As for the other two destinations, all I can say is "WHY?" Because neither of them held any great appeal to us before our travels, we decided not to go on an organised trip, but instead we went ashore and explored on our own. Cagliari and the surrounding area is probably very nice, but on a Sunday? Everything was closed! Vigo from what I could see was a last minute stop to stock up on gifts and shopping. who on earth goes on holiday simply to shop? It's not as if it was particularly cheap, either. Neither of these two will be included in our future travel plans. So to summarise, I would say that we will definitely cruise again - particularly with RCI. The Independence of the Seas is quite simply magical!!!
Quality of Food
Brilliant! Every night there was something different to try in the main dining room. Curries in the Jade restaurant were superb.
Entertainment
Fantastic! Graham Seymour was hilarious, with most of his humour targeted towards the British contingent (most of the guests!). The ice shows were breathtaking. American Drifters definitely worth seeing, whatever yor age!
Shore Excursions
All down to personal choice. It really depends on which ones you choose and the guide who accompanies you. Our experiences were generally very good.
Staff
Graham Seymour - cruise director (already mentioned) Macbeth dining room's Adale (Waiter), Ferdy (Asst Waiter) and Guru (Head Waiter). Superb service and Ferdy's magic tricks kept us entertained. George (Stateroom Attendant), Deck 8. Kept our room immaculate. Loved the towel creations.
Children's Facilities
despite having two teenage daughters, they didn't really use the facilities to the full. However, there seemed to be plenty to do for all ages.
Onboard Activities
My Favourite - Advanced napkin folding! Where was the basic napkin folding? We attended art auctions (even buying a couple of paintings), wine lectures, music quizes and my wife and daughter had a couple of beauty treatments (not that they needed them, creep, creep!)
Cabins
Size exceeded our expectations. Balcony made a hell of a difference. Nothing like taking breakfast in the Stait of Gibraltar, on your own balcony. Despite four of us in one stateroom, plenty of room to swing a cat!!
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Opinion: Agree Question by horne, gosport (06 Sep 08 19:35) about this REVIEW.

i loved graham seymour...and jackpot paul on the bingo...so funny...as for the liar liar club that was brilliant with tim verionica candy and patrick.i liked patrick...

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Question by Williams, St Peter Port (31 Aug 08 13:15) about this REVIEW.

I have cruised with P&O before and their staff are from Goa, where are the staff from on Royal Caribbean?

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Answer by drewell, FAREHAM (31 Aug 08 23:02) to a QUESTION by Williams (31 Aug 08 13:15)

We were told on day one, by the captain, that there were 51 different nations represented by the crew! For example, George (room attendant) and Adale (waiter) were both from Jamaica. Ferdy (assistant waiter) was from the Phillipines. Guru (head waiter) was from India. Everyone's name badge shows their nationality as well, and it's actually quite fascinating trying to spot the more exotic countries - my favourite was Nepal!

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Question by Williams, guernsey (02 Sep 08 17:12) about an ANSWER by drewell (31 Aug 08 23:02)

And what about in the evenings, are there liek on P&O cruises a set amount of formal, semi-formal and smart casual nights?

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Question by Brown, Law (28 Aug 08 20:32) about this REVIEW.

We are going on the same cruise next summer and were wondering about the Florence/Pisa excursions. Can you give any advice pleae? We thought that perhaps the Florence one would be too much of a rush - 1 and a half hours journey each way - not a lot of time in Florence (and it is a Sunday!) Pisa seems to be shorter but many folk say not worth it? We thought of perhaps just going to Livorno....any advice or help much appreciated thanks

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Answer by BROWN, Law (29 Aug 08 17:55) to a QUESTION by Brown (28 Aug 08 20:32)

Thank you!

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Answer by Drewell, Fareham (29 Aug 08 09:04) to a QUESTION by Brown (28 Aug 08 20:32)

The Pisa portion of the trip is advertised as being in the afternoon. But when we travelled, the guide told us it is less busy in the morning, so they would change the order around. We only had an hour in Pisa, but plenty of time. You only need to go into the Field of Miracles where the tower is, and this was ample time. Also, being less busy, we managed to get several uncluttered photos of the tower without the crowds. As for Florence, we had about four hours there. If you know what you want to see in advance, then this is enough time for a walk around. However, this was without actually going into any of the buildings, churches etc. It really is your own personal choice, but I would certainly recommend this particular trip ("Florence and Pisa on your own"). I hope this helps.

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