INDEPENDENCE OVERNIGHT VISIT
Review of Royal Caribbean Independence of the Seas by Nicola (30 Apr 08)
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Overall Rating
WOW! the second i stepped on the ship i was completed amazed by the sheer size of the 'Independence'. I was lucky enough to be invited onboard for an overnight visit and as soon as we got onboard i felt like a child again and wanted to run round and explore everything, so that's exactly what we did. First stop was our cabin, we had an inside cabin on deck 7 which was surprisingly spacious and had everything we needed, we also had a connecting door which was brilliant as our friends were in the cabin next to us so we had it opened up, i can see why families would make full use of the inter-connecting door it really opened up the room and would be perfect to keep an eye on the children. After settling into our cabin we went to have some lunch in the windjammer and there was so much to choose from, the choice was fantastic and they had enough food for everyone. Once we had eaten we went onto explore the ship, and where to start? The cabins sounded like a good place to start and so we went onto look at the suites, which again were amazing the owners and royal suite were huge, the royal suite even had it's own hot tub on the balcony and a baby grand piano inside. My favourite cabin was the promenade cabin which overlooks the royal promenade,and if your lucky enough to get one of these cabins above the Ben and Jerry's ice cream bar you will receive free ice cream for the entire cruise (sorry i don't know the cabin number) these cabins are great as although they are insides you have a window which looks onto the royal promenade,the only downfall is that people can see into your cabin if you don't close the curtains. We then went onto to look at all the public areas and there was so much to look at we didn't think we'd have time to see everything! We started inside with the smaller restaurants the chops grille and Portofino which are both specialty restaurants you will pay a cover charge to dine in here but it is worth it as they are beautiful and very intimate so perfect for a special occasion. Next came the bars which again there were plenty to chose from, whatever you want to drink they have catered for it all. The small bars like the champagne bar and boleros are fantastic to start your evening and then you can move on to the more fun bars like the Karaoke bar where in the evening you can get up on stage and sing along to your favourite tunes, whilst during the day they have 2 karaoke booths were you can record your own karaoke dvd, brilliant fun! We then went onto to look at the ice skating rink and whilst it wasn't as big as i first expected it was still pretty impressive, and the show in the evening was brilliant. There is so much choice of evening entertainment but if you enjoy watching broadway style shows the theatre is the place to be. The 'labyrinth' nightclub is great if you like to dance the night away, it is decorated in a medieval gothic theme which looks great and you can party til late in here, or sit and people watch in one of the intimate booths. If you like a bit of a flutter then the casino is the place to be,it is huge and has loads of slot machines as well as plenty of gaming tables, but be careful you could end up spending a fortune in here! The viking crown lounge is also a great night spot, although a quieter bar it has fantastic views out to sea and over the top of the ship. As if that isn't enough to do in the evening you can also spend the night on he royal promenade where they hold things like 70's nights or you can just have a nice drink in the ole english pub 'the do and badger'. Once we had explored everything the ship had to offer in the evening we went out to check out the healthier side of the ship, the gym and spa where you will find a hair and beauty salon as well as lots of different treatment rooms where you can enjoy a relaxing treatment, in the gym there is everything from workout classes to spinning bikes and also a full size boxing ring with extra large boxing gloves, brilliant fun! Next stop was the outside of the ship and the pool areas, my favourie pool has to be the 'H2O zone' which is full of colourful sprinklers and is excellent for small children. The solarium has an adult only whirlpool which overhangs the side of the ship, a bit scary if you don't like heights but very relaxing. There are also 2 main pools which are surrounded by plenty of sunloungers. For the active fun lovers you will find plenty to do, like the huge rock climbing wall or the full size basketball court, my favourite was the 'Flow rider'surf machine at the back of the ship,this is fantastic fun! There is also a miniture golf course and golf simulator for golf enthuasiasts. The kids clubs and vidoe arcade will keep the kids entertained for hours and they are fully supervised so you will have peace of mind knowing they are safe. In fact there is so much for kids to do i don't think you will ever see them! Overall this ship is fantastic and i can't wait to get back on board!!
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