As we approached the Independence of the Seas we were amazed by the sheer size of the ship, it is huge! The boarding process was quick and efficient and in no time we were sat in the enormous windjammer restaurant having a sandwich and a coffee with a view out to sea. Our room was ready in no time and what a great room it was. Just the right amount of space for hubby and myself with a balcony which was a fantastic thing to have. We loved sitting in the sun sipping a cool drink and watching the waves - just heaven! The room had lots of storage space and was very clean and of a high standard with beautiful furnishings and a large tv which kept you up to date with news and events on board ship. After unpacking we began exploring the ship but as it is so vast we really did not know where to start. Our room was on deck 7 so we explored this deck first. Had a great library with a good selection of books and some magazines with a view over the promenade. The royal promenade was like a shopping mall with shops and cafes and where parades were held in the evenings.It reminded us of a las vegas hotel. It was glitzy and shiny like everywhere on the ship. A fantastic theatre held nightly shows and entertainment and there was even an ice rink on board. We thought the facilities for children were great with numerous swimming pools along with the flowrider and climbing wall. The shops on board were full of souvernier type gifts and some of these were quite expensive as were the clothes and perfumes. Cafe Promenade and Sorrentos were great places to people watch and enjoy the snacks and drinks which were all included in the price. I loved their coconut macaroons and slices of pizza. The bars were great but the prices not so great! Drinks were very expensive and this created a lot of moans from some people. We enjoyed the cocktail of the day most days and as you could keep the glass we felt they were a bargain. The food was great in the windjammer with a varied choice of meals for breakfast. lunch, dinner and snacks inbetween. There was sometimes a queue for the buffet but we never had a problem finding a table. The food was tasty and delicious and we never got bored with it. Went to the dining room a few times and the service was brilliant. However we were not so keen on the food. Not a very good choice of vegetables and felt brocolli, carrots and eggplant? was a bit repetitive. The portions although okay were a bit small, great if you only have a little appetite. It was lovely dressing up though and you were made to feel special with all the attention from the waiters. We paid our gratuities up front but wish we hadnt, as we ate mainly in the windjammer but of course the tips went to the dining room staff. Our ports of call were vigo spain, cadiz,spain, lisbon portugal, gibralter, citavvechia for rome, livorno for pisa/florence, cannes france and calgiari sardinia. We loved all the places we visited, but did not do the ship excursions as they were too expensive, we just did our own thing.
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Aug 14th, 2009
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