ROYAL CARIBBEAN INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS
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3-NIGHT BAHAMAS & PERFECT DAY CRUISE
10/13/2023: Port Canaveral, Florida
10/14/2023: Sea Day
10/15/2023: Perfect Day at Coco Cay, Bahamas
10/16/2023: Port Canaveral, Florida
DAY 1 - EMBARKATION
We started off getting here right around 10am. Parked and headed inside to security. Not many people here so it was very quick. Then we headed upstairs and waited to board.
Once we sat down we were seated in rows and that was how we were boarded. Very easy and quick process. Got on the ship right around 11am.
Next we headed up to the Windjammer Buffet for lunch. Very quiet up here as well. Checked out the buffet options and got some food. Had a slightly better variety than other Royal ships. Flavors overall lacked on even the most basic of items, such as mashed potatoes and Macaroni and cheese. After that we went to the dining reservation desk and just went to confirm that we didn't need a timeslot. Well luckily we checked because dining for anytime didn't start until 6:45pm. Which was insane! Never heard of that late before. But we switched to 5:30pm dining.
Headed over to Sorrentos for some pizza. Ehh, I'm sure I'll eat it more, but ehh. As expected.
Since our room wasn't ready until 1pm we headed down to a busy Playmakers to hang out and relax. We enjoyed coming here last time as well. Very chill ambiance.
1pm we headed to our room for some unpacking and a super quick power nap. The room was an interior, pretty spacious inside. Clean, only small complaint was there was not enough towels in the bathroom. Not a big deal. Overall good.
We walked around the ship a bit and headed past Fish and Ships for a quick snack of fried shrimp and chips, we both enjoyed them. Only thing I did not like seeing was that the tarter sauce was sitting out in the heat. So we stayed away from that and opted for cocktail sauce. But enjoyable and will likely come back again.
After that we headed to the busy promenade. Grabbed some of their free coffee and sat outside watching people walk back and forth. Noticed Ben & Jerry's and Sugar Beach were open prior to our departure. We kept hearing announcement after announcement on guests still not doing their muster check in. At 3pm we still had about 700 people still not done. Let's see if we set sail!
We headed to the very front of the ship for sailaway. Got to see a small hammerhead shark, jellyfish, stingray and a turtle in the water. Really cool. Then out to sea!
Dinner tonight is in the main dining room.
STARTERS
Spinach & Artichoke Dip - 4/10
Caesar Salad - 4.5/10
Chilled Shrimp Cocktail - 5/10
Spaghetti Bolognese - 7.5/10
ENTREES
Southern Fried Chicken - 7/10
Slow Roasted Prime Rib - 6.5/10
DESSERT
Royal Cheesecake - 8/10
Peanut-Caramel Bar - 7.5/10
Boston Creme Pie - 4.5/10
Overall dinner was good. Service was good. Food was good as well. Bolognese and the Fried Chicken were our tops of the night. While the Caesar Salad and Spinach & Artichoke Dip landed on the bottom.
After dinner we tried our luck in the Casino Royale, but no luck for us. So we headed up to the Ale & Anchor Pub where a year ago today was our first drink of the cruise. Fast forward a year it's my first drink, her second! Loving that cruise life.
Our next event was the Welcome Aboard Show in the Royal Theater. They started off with some music from the onboard band, followed by the cruise director. Then the family comedy show with Rondell Sheridan. Who has been in tv shows such as That's So Raven. He was really, really funny. Loved that he kept making fun of the kids, but in such a funny way. We will be back later for the late night adults only comedy.
After the show we headed up to the pool deck to get some ice cream, but they close at 8pm. It was already 9pm and the ice cream was closed, solarium pool and one of the main pools were closed. Headed into the Windjammer to see what they had. Nice little food selection including chicken wings, corn dogs and some amazing bbq pork. So we grabbed a plate and dug in.
Ended up back at the Casino Royale to lose a little bit more money. Do have a rant, we were in the "non-smoking" section, so why was smoking allowed? No one apparently enforces it.
Back to the Royal Theater for the late night comedy show. It was another hilarious show. He did such an amazing show. Non-stop laughing the entire time. Great set!
Off to the room to end my amazing birthday and tomorrow we wake up to our first and only sea day!
DAY 2 - SEA DAY
Our day at sea starts with waking up on a hard mattress, but a solid sleep. Then headed up to the top deck to take a walk around the Sports Deck. Shortly after we went over to the Viking Crown Lounge to check it out. Great venue when no one is in it, due to the amazing views and relaxing ambiance.
Breakfast is in the main dining room. As we sit and wait we checked out the lack of activity going on throughout the day. Noticed laser tag and ice skating were tomorrow during our port day, why not do it on a sea day? Just made no sense. Sea days used to be PACKED with things to do. Barely any trivia either. Guess their main focus is getting people to the pool and casino. Let's see what happens.
Here is what we got for breakfast.
ENTREES
Market Vegetable Breakfast Bowl - 7/10
Breakfast Burrito - 7.5/10
After breakfast we headed back upstairs to relax in the clamshells outside. Falling a sleep here and there really made us relax even more. Then onto general knowledge trivia in the Schooner Bar. This was a hard trivia for us, got 6 right out of 18 questions.
We then went back upstairs to hang out by the Flowrider for a bit.
Then onto lunch in the Main Dining Room.
Here is what we got for lunch.
STARTERS
Mozzarella Sticks - 8/10
Butternut Squash Risotto - 8/10
ENTREES
Mediterranean Lamb Pita - 0/10
Royal Chicken Sandwich - 3.5/10
DESSERTS
Royal Chocolate Cake - Never Arrived
Chocolate Ice Cream - Never Arrived
We've been noticing a decline in service for dining. Dinner was fine last night, breakfast was so-so. Lunch was not there much at all. 8 tables in our area, about 26 people. It's been almost 10 minutes since someone came to any of the tables. No introductions either. Asked for a kids menu and they said they don't have any. Not sure how true that was. Apps were good, but entrees were terrible. The chicken sandwich was not good at all, they added avocado which wasn't even supposed to be on it. Smeared on the top of the bun and inside. Flavor was so-so. The pita was no where near traditional. More of a lamb shank with a tomato sauce in a pita. Also the salad was hot. Took a bite and sent it back. We were even looking around at other people's dishes, it looked medicore and basic.
We ended up leaving after our entrees. We asked to get our desserts sooner, but the lack of attentiveness was very much apparent today. Shouldn't have to wait 15 minutes for ice cream. Also the dirtiness of the silverware was happening with us and a couple other tables. You can see things are going down hill.
The ship itself is in a rough shape. Chairs in the dining room, tons were peeling. Lights out on the signs in the promenade. A lot of little things. Since last year's sailing a lot is different. Even other people we talked to say the same. Some even sailed last month saying a big difference from them. Not much going on during the day to do and most that is you have to pay for. It's just getting ridiculous at this point.
After lunch we were still hungry so we headed to the Promendade. Sorrentos was opened so we grabbed a few slices. Another crappy choice. Learn to cook a pizza. If they leave it in just for a little bit more and get the crust slightly brown it would make a world of difference.
Some time has past and we find ourselves getting ready for formal night. Decided on keeping it a bit low key and ditched the suit and gowns for a dress and button up. Coming off of Celebrity Apex we were a bit shocked at how underdressed so many people were.
Dinner tonight in the main dining room.
STARTERS
Caesar Salad - 4/10
Crispy Parmesan Arancini - 5/10
ENTREES
Lasagna al Forno - 7/10
Chicken Parmesan - 4/10
New York Strip Steak - 6/10
DESSERTS
Coffee Pot De Creme - 4.5/10
We noticed several people in shorts and jeans. Also some in baseball hats. Not as formal as years passed. Just sad to see nowadays. Cruising seemed to be changing year by year at this point.
So far food tonight has been a lack luster. Feeling like everything is just underseasoned. We've gotten the Caesar twice and both times it's been very bland. Dressing has no flavor, no anchovies, even by request. Salad mix tasted like soggy and old. What's happening?!? This is after the menu changes too. You get rid of stuff and have a much smaller menu which should mean you excel that menu, not the case here. I always enjoyed Royal Caribbeans dining room food, but it's just going downhill very fast. Let's see how the rest of our meal goes.
Another slight rant is our sever keeps forgetting our names. Now she's a very nice person but this used to be a standard across cruising. Now it's like they can careless.
As our entrees came they were overall decent. Chicken was the worst of the options. Somehow it was overcooked with no color on the seasoning. Sauce in that dish and lasagna were right from Chef Boyardee's kitchen. The meat was the best part of the lasagna. Steak was decent, nothing amazing. Dessert they gave us the wrong ice cream, but it was fine. Not going to complain.
After dinner we headed to the Royal Theater to see the headliner, Greg London. Won the Las Vegas entertainer of the year 3 years. The show was very interactive and fun. He did many impressions, from Elton John, Johnny Cash & David Bowie. Just to name a few. Really fun show.
Next up, we're in Studio B to see Freeze Frame. The show was just as enjoyable as the first time we saw it. After the show we went up to the pool deck to get some fresh air and relax before The Crazy Quest.
Onto Studio B to see The Crazy Quest. This was the loudest game we've ever been to. Still no Carnival, but still a lot of fun! That lead into the nightclub, then ended our night.
Tomorrow Perfect Day at Coco Cay.
DAY 3 - PERFECT DAY AT COCO CAY
Today is our one and only port day. We've been coming here before there was a dock or any of this fancy theme park. We first headed to the lack-luster buffet for some breakfast. Then we headed off the ship. They do have free trams that will take you from the ship to the end of the dock, then you can take another tram with stops around the island. We decided to walk, it's not that bad at all. The water was very choppy, but later on we noticed it was fine at the beach.
We then headed over to the pool and hung out there for a bit. After the pool we walked over to the beach. Seemed a bit merky. Only went in for a bit, then grabbed some mozzarella sticks. Later on headed on a tram back to the ship.
The island is always in beautiful condition. One of our favorite stops. The water park and a few other things have an extra charge. But for free is an amazing pool, tons of beach space with chairs as well as tons of other activities throughout the island. The tram is very helpful getting around the island as well. Also handicap accessible.
We were also in port with Adventure of the Seas, but you could never tell that two ships were docked. Wasn't bad at all with capacity.
After a while we headed back to the ship and to the solarium for a bit. Have to say that is one of the better pools we've had on a cruise, especially for adults.
Around lunchtime we found ourselves up at the buffet for a bite to eat. The island has a free buffet and a couple other free food stands around the island. But we got off around 8am and generally don't stay off all day. Once we ate we then headed down to the promenade for some coffee and a nap before we start our evening.
We start our evening with a bit of a pre-pack. Just to get some of it out of the way now. Then out for sailaway from Coco Key. Our show tonight was Grease: The Musical. We've seen this show three times already and honestly didn't really have plans to see it. But decided at the last minute to go. We start in the middle of the first row, AMAZING SHOW! Best cast we've seen. Also sitting up front really put us right in the movie. Amazing ending to our cruise.
After the show we head to the buffet for dinner. Decided on skipping Caribbean night. The buffet was packed! Not the most of options but enough to feed you.
As our evening comes to and end, so does our cruise. We've had great moments and not so great moments throughout the cruise. Menu changes and other cutbacks and daily activities lacking were some of the top issues. While the shows were the best of the cruise. We talked with several people and we heard more bad than good from people. We get it, if this was our first cruise, we wouldn't waste the time coming back either. Just not worth what you get for what you're paying.
DAY 4 - DISEMBARKATION
As usual we do self-assist. One of the firsts to get off the ship. It was posted to be at the main dining room (deck 4) between 7:30 to 8am. We got there before 7am and got off by 7am. Super quick and super easy. One of the best embarkation and disembarkation days we've ever had.
For a full tour of Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas check out our last tour around the ship.
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