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It had strengths, but the value felt poor

Cruise Line
Royal Caribbean
Rating
Written by
Reginald Wheeler
Sailed as
Solo
Published
Independence of the Seas

This was a bank holiday 4 night quick trip with the ship filled to capacity.

Embarkation was well organised and easy but getting food in the dining room and finding seats at tables was impossible, this really was very messy with some food being served cold.

Once underway good organisation resumed and restaurant evening meal was good once it arrived (very slow service).

Entertainment throughout was excellent certainly up there with more expensive cruises.

First stop was Rotterdam and disembarkation was OK but with a long delay for transfer bus service into the town centre.

On return to the ship, half empty pools and food services were accessible and enjoyable.

Next morning arrival port was Zeebrugge with an expensive transfer bus into nearby town if you did not want to go to Bruges [on P&O previous year this was free].

Upon return needed to change bus at the port gate for reasons unknown.

The staff on board without exception were friendly and helpful but basically, it seemed a strain to cope with a very full ship with pressure to get into restaurants or the theatre due to high numbers.

One other issue was the high cost of products in shops on board, I have cruised on several other company’s ships but none were as expensive as this one.

In summary, this was an enjoyable cruise with some minor organisational issues due to the high numbers on board.

Royal Caribbean Ship Reviews