Independence Of The Seas

The 2008-built Independence of the Seas cruise ship is the third/last Freedom-class liner, with sisterships Liberty OTS and Freedom OTS.

History - construction and ownership

Royal Caribbean International (RCI) is a US passenger shipping company, trademarked travel brand, and subsidiary owned by Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd (RCCL, shipowner). RCI was established in 1968 and currently has over 1/5 of the worldwide cruise market. RCI also has RCCL's largest fleet as both numbers of vessels and GT tonnage (ship sizes and capacities). All RCI liners have names ending with "of the Seas".

The 4000-passenger ship Independence OTS underwent a US$7 million drydock upgrade in April 2013 as part of RCI's bigger USD 300 million fleet renovation program. The new features included the Italian Trattoria "Giovanni's Table", a cupcake shop, Royal Babies and Tots Nursery, new digital signage boards, shipwide Wi-Fi, large poolside movie screen. An excellent addition is a digital wayfinding system, especially for first-time-cruisers who get lost on enormous ships like this one. They offer directions and maps to everywhere on the Independence using a board with a keypad on which passengers can enter their room numbers and find their way to the stateroom. There are also features displaying the menus for restaurants, entertainment options, and other facilities. The large quick responsive touch screen helps in navigation around the ship.

Decks and Cabins

Independence Of The Seas staterooms (1918 total) include 127 Suites, 724 Balcony, 269 Oceanviews, 168 Promenade View, 620 Inside. Most cabins are sized 150-190 ft2 (14-18 m2). Most cabin balconies are sized 65 ft2 (6 m2). The largest is Vista Suite (1210 ft2 / 112 m2 plus 805 ft2 / 75 m2 terrace). Wheelchair-accessible cabins are 31.

The boat has 15 decks, of which 14 are passenger-accessible and 9 with cabins.

Shipboard dining options - Food and Drinks

The three tiers of Independence's main dining room (Romeo and Juliet, Anthony and Cleopatra and Macbeth) offer assigned-seating dining with two sittings at 5:30 pm and 8 pm), as well as My Time Dining, in which guests pick a preferred mealtime between 5:30 pm and 9:30 pm, but are able to change reservations on a daily basis. Those who opt for My Time Dining have to pre-pay gratuities. The Windjammer Cafe, ship's lido buffet, offers flexibility and variety - best for families with kids. The Windjammer has one very long self-service line of cold and hot items, plus stations for salads, fresh sandwiches, pizza, carved meats, and petite desserts. An omelet station features made-to-order eggs in the mornings; in the afternoons, guests can try the area that specializes in Asian food and goes off the beaten path with changing fare including Vietnamese and Indonesian specialties.

Follows the complete list of Independence of the Seas restaurants and food bars.

• Romeo and Juliet Restaurant (652-seat aft Dining Room, level 1)
• During ship's 2018 "Royal Amplified" refurbishment, RCI added fleet's first "Fish and Ships" - poolside specialty restaurant (aft-portside on Lido Deck) offering a-la-carte priced seafood - including freshly battered cod, calamari, crispy hand-cut fries, cold brews. "Fish and Ships" replaced pool deck's Squeeze Bar.
• Izumi (Asian/Japanese restaurant)
• Anthony and Cleopatra Restaurant; Othello Restaurant (aft Dining Rooms, part of Romeo and Juliet)
• Macbeth Restaurant (500-seat aft Dining Room, level 2)
• King Lear Restaurant (883-seat aft Dining Room, level 3)
• Windjammer Cafe Lido buffet restaurant (774-seat, offers Early Breakfast at 6:30 a.m., Breakfast between 7:00-11:30 a.m., Lunch 11.30-3:30 p.m. and Dinner 6.30-9:00 p.m.)
• Chops Grille (104-seat specialty restaurant; reservations recommended)
• Giovanni’s Table (Italian specialty restaurant, reservations recommended)
• Johnny Rockets Restaurant (84-seat burger bar)
• Sorrento’s Pizzeria (79-seat complimentary restaurant)
• WipeOut Bar (20-seat complimentary burger bar)
• Sugar Beach Candy and Ice Cream Store.

Shipboard entertainment options - Fun and Sport

Independence of the Seas has much to offer for children and youngsters - from kid-oriented amusement and enrichment to recreational options which range from surfing and body boarding to ice skating - which is a great choice for family cruisers. However, travelers are still going to find lots of zones for more mature pursuits. The fitness, boasting even a boxing ring, is great and always busy. Adults-only spots beyond bars and the casino range from the Solarium pool and boutique dining venues (that have a set age limit of fifteen) to a rather racy late-night comedy show.

Additional amenities include Complimentary 24-hour Room-Service, Supervised Youth program, Internet/WiFi Access, Laundry.

Follows the complete list of Independence of the Seas lounges, clubs and other entertainment venues for kids, teens, and adults.

• Alhambra Theatre (1320-seat, features grand production shows with dance, acrobatics, comedy, and games)
• Studio B Lounge (indoor ice-skating rink; also serves as a spot for ice shows, cooking demos, game parties)
• Photo Gallery and Shop; Art Gallery
• On Air Club (140-seat karaoke and sports bar); The Centrum (7-deck social hub, offers aerial acrobatics entertainment); Pyramid Lounge; Next Cruise Lounge; Concierge Club (suite and past guests only); Seven Hearts (card room); Diamond Club and Lounge; Viking Crown Lounge and Bar
• The Raven Gothic Bar; On Air Club (140-seat sports bar); Schooner Bar (112-seat piano bar); Boleros Lounge and Bar (77-seat Latin bar); Connoisseur Cigar Club and Bar; Dog and Badger English Pub; Vintages Bar (wine bar); Ben and Jerry’s Bar (ice cream parlor); Cupcake Cupboard Shop (bakery); Cafe Promenade (24-hour; serves snacks and drinks, as well as Starbucks specialty coffee); Champagne Bar; Sky Bar; The Plaza Bar; Olive or Twist Lounge and Martini Bar; Cloud 9 (24-seat sports bar)
• Casino Royale (447-seat)
• Royal Caribbean Online center (Internet computers room; 24-hour)
• Royal Promenade Boutiques (perfumes, jewelry, duty-free alcohol, general store, logo/souvenirs); SeaTrek (shop for diving equipment)
• Vitality at Sea Spa and Fitness Center; 7 jacuzzis (2 are cantilevered); 3 pools
• Solarium lounge (includes Cafe Bar, pool bar and adults only pool area)
• Outdoor movie screen
• Challengers Video Games Arcade; Fuel Teen Disco club; The Living Room; Royal Babies and Tots Nursery
• H2O Zone Water Park; Adventure Beach; Adventure Ocean kids lounge area, water slides, escape rooms, laser tag, trampoline park
• Sports Court (golf simulator, table tennis, basketball court); Jogging Track; Rock-climbing Wall; Independence Dunes Mini Golf Course; FlowRider (surf simulator, complimentary)
• Skylight Wedding Chapel (40-seat, used for religious services).

During refurbishment 2018 to the ship were added:

• RCI’s signature "Perfect Storm" waterslides (“Cyclone” and “Typhoon” / high-speed racing slides.), FlowRider (surfing simulator), Sky Pad (bungee trampoline with optional virtual reality headset). laser tag ("Battle for Planet Z" / glow-in-the-dark gaming room in the Studio B complex). The new water park and the duo of waterslides (called "Perfect Storm") were first introduced on the ships Liberty of the Seas and Harmony of the Seas (Oasis-class).
• “Slashaway Bay” kids aqua park / interactive water play area with cannons and geysers (replaced the Outdoor Youth Area “back deck”).
• Escape Room (by Puzzle Break) provides adventure game experiences (team building exercises) for a group of players who solve a series of puzzles by using clues, hints and group strategy. The team is given a set time limit to solve the puzzle (secret plot hidden within the room).

Itineraries

Independence of the Seas itinerary program is based on Western Caribbean cruises from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Feature port destinations include Belize, Jamaica, Haiti, and Cozumel Mexico.

Independence is the last of Royal Caribbean's Freedom-class liners, with sisterships Freedom and Liberty. The ship was built in 2008 at Aker Finnyards Shipyard (Turku, Finland). Aker Finnyards was later acquired by STX Europe (a division of the multinational STX Holding / South Korea). Ship's godmother was Elizabeth Hill from Baslow (Derbyshire, England-UK). She was married to a British farmer and won the ship naming contest after her 12-year-old daughter sent her application in a contest with ~1700 competitors. Richard D Fain (Chairman and CEO of RCCL) and Sir Steve Redgrave (one of Royal Caribbean's main charity partners) were members of the jury. The jury assessed the charity activities of all contestants. Elizabeth Hill was elected for her Gamelea Countryside Training Trust that helps young people with physical or social problems to integrate into society. The naming ceremony was on April 30, 2008, held in Port Southampton (UK).

In 2008, Independence OTS was the world's biggest passenger liner. The inaugural cruise (maiden voyage) was a 4-day itinerary from Southampton to Cork Ireland (departure May 2, 2008). On May 6, the ship started an 11-day Canary Islands cruise from Southampton.

The cruise ship was extensively drydock refurbished in April 2013. RCCL invested $7 million in renovations and upgrades, the list of which included adding the huge poolside movie screen, digital signage, ship-wide Wi-Fi coverage, nursery for toddlers, cupcake shop, Giovanni's Table (trattoria).

Just like all RCI ships, Independence offers a lot of entertainments for kids and teens. Among best "fun hits" on the ship are the surfing simulator, and all the "ice skating" and "rock-climbing" activities. For adults, there is plenty of space for sports activities (modern fitness center, and even a boxing ring), many bars and lounges, the adult-only Solarium area.

Independence OTS refurbishment 2018 review

Ship's drydock 2018 refurbishment (April 4 - May 4, in Freeport Bahamas) resulted in the following deckplan changes (complete list, reviewed deck by deck):

• (Decks 3 and 4) Alhambra Theatre was completely renovated and renamed to "Royal Theater".
• "The Raven" nightclub ((Deck 3 / lower level 1 of 2) was replaced with staterooms, while the upper level (Deck 4) was replaced with Izumi (Japanese restaurant at a fee, with Teppanyaki table-side grills).
• Photo Gallery was moved from Deck 4 to Deck 3. On Deck 4, replacing the Photo Gallery were added: "Playmakers Sports Bar" and Arcade Room.
• (Deck 3) "On Air Club" was replaced with staterooms.
• (Deck 3) Art Gallery was reduced in size for adding new staterooms.
• "Romeo and Juliet" restaurant (Deck 3 aft), "Macbeth" restaurant (Deck 4 aft) and "King Lear" restaurant (Deck 5 aft) were renamed to "Dining Room".
• (Deck 5) The Pyramid Lounge was renamed to "Star Lounge" and reduced in size.
• (Deck 5) "Connoisseur Club" was transformed into "Library - RC Online" (Internet computers room) and increased in size.
• (Deck 5) "God and Badger Pub" was renamed to "Ale and Anchor Pub" and reduced in size.
• (Deck 5) "Cupcake Cupboard" (food bar) was replaced with the "Sugar Beach" shop (candy store).
• On Deck 6 were added 1 Inside Cabin (#6137 / forward), 4 Inside Cabins (aft, replacing "Business Center" and "Loyalty Desk) and 2 Villa Suites (replacing the aft 4-Bedroom Family Suite).
• On Deck 7 were added 1 Inside Cabin (#7139 / forward) and 4 Inside Cabins (aft, replacing the Library / moved to Deck 5).
• On Deck 8 were added 6 Inside Cabins (8127, 8129, 8131, 8133, 8315, and 8237 / forward) and 4 Inside Cabins (aft, replacing the RC Online / moved to Deck 5).
• On Deck 9 was added 1 Inside Cabin (#9237 / forward).
• On Deck 10 the Concierge Lounge was replaced by 4 Inside Cabins.
• On Deck 11 (forward-starboard) were added all 6 Spa Staterooms, taking some space from the Vitality Center. Also here the H2O Zone (kids aqua park / outdoor playground) was replaced with the new Splashaway Bay (water park). "Squeeze Bar" was replaced with "Fish and Ships", and the "Seatrek Dive Shop" was renamed "PADI". The "Splashaway Bay" is an interactive water park with waterslides (Cyclone, Typhoon, Boomerang), water cannons and geysers, pools, a drench bucket.
• On Deck 12 (forward) were added all 44 Spa Staterooms (incl category "Panoramic Ocean View"), taking space from the Vitality Center.
• On Deck 13, the "Independence Dunes" (mini-golf course / aft-portside) was replaced with waterslides ("The Perfect Storm"), "Sky Pad" (bungee trampoline with optional virtual reality headset) and FlowRider (surf simulator).
• On Deck 14 (forward-portside) the multi-purpose rooms "Cloud Nine" and "Seven Hearts" were replaced by exclusive "Suite Lounge".
• On Deck 15, the "Skylight Chapel" (wedding room) was replaced with "Escape Room". The Escape Room provides adventure game experiences (team building exercises) for a group of players who solve a series of puzzles by using clues, hints and group strategy. The team is given a set time limit to solve the puzzle (secret plot hidden within the room).

Independence OTS refurbishment 2013 review

The list of deckplan changes after ship's drydock 2013 included:

• “Giovanni’s Table” (Italian cuisine restaurant) was added on Lido deck 11. There was also added RCI's signature "Royal Babies & Tots Nursery" (babysitting facility). Also on Lido deck was installed RCI's signature Jumbotron movie screen (poolside outdoor theater).
• “Cupcake Cupboard” (bakery shop) was added on Promenade deck 5.