Independence of the Seas - Weekend Cruise Escape
We booked the cruise to celebrate my husband's birthday, and we chose an ocean view cabin on a guaranty basis. The cabin we were allocated was exactly as we had expected, spacious, and had plenty of storage. As much as I usually enjoy a balcony cabin, this one was great for a busy weekend where we hardly any spent time in the stateroom.
We arrived in Southampton mid-morning and boarded immediately – there were no queues at check in at all. Before we knew it, we were onboard with cocktails and mocktails in hand. We had booked the drinks package via the Royal Caribbean app, and it worked brilliantly for us. The children loved having their own insulated Royal Caribbean mugs to fill at the soda machines!
Once onboard we explored the ship from top to bottom, played mini-golf and the children headed straight up into the Sky Climber and Sky Pad. It was a sunny day, so we had lunch at Fish & Ships by the pool, which was excellent, and then we spent the afternoon enjoying the pools, splash park and waterslides. Despite still being docked in Southampton at this point, we were straight into holiday mode!
In the dining room, our table location was lovely with fantastic sail away views, and the service was brilliant with nothing was too much trouble for our waiters. Izumi’s sushi masterclass the next morning was a real highlight of our trip and well worth booking.
Our children loved trying ice-skating for the first time, plus watching the ice show in the evening, and we were amazed to see the rink covered over on the final night to make space for laser-tag. We thought the number of activities included in the price of the cruise was outstanding. Our only extra spend onboard was on a few games in the arcade.
Our children didn’t make it to kids club on this cruise as we were so busy with other things, however we did register them in case and the process was quick and easy. We didn’t try the FlowRider surfing or rock climbing, but these looked really fun.
To conclude, Independence of the Seas was fantastic for a short family cruise with so much to do, friendly staff, plenty of activities and the chance to enjoy family time together.