Independence of the Seas by Royal Caribbean a review

Independence of the Seas by Royal Caribbean a review: We were really excited to check out this cruise ship, having explored both Harmony of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas before. It was great to spend a day of fun exploring Independence of the Seas and everything it has to offer families.

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About Independence of the Seas by Royal Caribbean a review

Independence of the Seas has been part of Royal Caribbean’s fleet for 10 years. It has now been refitted and re-imagined for audiences new and familiar.

We headed to the port at Southampton on the train. The perfect way to travel, invoking all those senses of wonderful travels of yesteryear.

As we pulled into Southampton we spotted the ship and couldn’t wait for our day on board. This would be the perfect taster to find out what was on offer for all the family.

As soon as we got onboard Independence of the Seas we felt at home. The ship was gleaming and just starting to bustle with the excitement of turnaround day.

Splashaway Bay

We headed straight to one of the open top decks which was fast to become our favourite, complete with their own water park.

We all loved the Splashaway Bay area which was packed full of outdoor water fun.

The children all spent the longest time here – my eldest loved chilling out in the hot tubs.

My nine and six-year olds were happiest racing around, down the water chutes and playing with all the really fun water features.

It was the perfect place to cool off. I imagine this would be somewhere they would be happy to return day after day on a cruise.

We visited Independence of the Seas on such a beautifully sunny day. It was the perfect location for me sit back on the deck chairs and loungers while they played.

There are also plenty of lifeguards on duty too so it was really reassuring to know someone else had a good overview as I watched on.

Looking up and watching the flags all fluttering in the gentle breeze made me smile and feel so relaxed.

We all thought Splashaway Bay was fantastic. And my kids loved that they could get an ice cream whenever they needed to cool down.

Laser Tag – Independence of the Seas

As much as the children could have spent the entire time at Splashaway Bay there was more of the ship to explore.

The older two took part in Laser Tag. As I took a seat in the audience which overlooks the huge play area I was really worried that my nine-year old might find it a little scary.

It was really dark with music thumping. I shouldn’t have worried though, as the action started I looked down and spotting her darting about, laser gun at the ready, the biggest smile across her face.

Laser Tag is great for bringing all ages of the family together with announcements as to which side (aliens or robots) were winning and a huge soft play like space to run around in making it the perfect challenge.

Eating at Windjammer

After all the action we headed in to the Windjammer restaurant for lunch.

We couldn’t believe our eyes as we took a first cursory glance around the food on offer.

The salads, fresh sesame noodles, delicious curries, pasta station, burgers and sausages and mountains of fruit were all delicious.

We all picked our favourites and sat back with glasses of zesty lemonade. The food was really good.

The children were fixed on one thing though, a huge chocolate fountain complete with various accompaniments.

They came back with plates of watermelon, mini doughnuts and pineapple all dipped in delicious chocolate. I felt more restrained with my piece of carrot cake – although it was so good I then had to have a second slice.

Fun on the top deck – Independence of the Seas

Feeling happily full we decided to explore some of the top deck area we hadn’t yet looked in to.

I loved it here, so colourful and fun looking it was a children’s play area that was perfect for adults to enjoy too.

My six-year-old immediately clambered up to the top of a large climbing tower. I was so proud of him as he can be quite wary of anything too scary but the netting made it feel perfectly safe and he felt secure enough to make his way to the top.

The 11-year-old found himself a hammock to gently sway away the afternoon on. He was so happy here it was hard to get him out.

The Flowrider on Independence of the Seas is great fun.

An opportunity to try out surfing with an instructor who was showing off some amazing moves. If we return to the ship it will be the first thing the kids will want to do as we ran out of time to have a go.

We did make it up to the new trampoline park though, a fantastic experience in a huge orange dome at the very top of the ship which, if you’re aged seven or older, you can do with a virtual reality headset.

The 11-year-old thought this was the best thing ever as he bounced along to games, lost in his own world.

With a variety of interactive virtual reality games available to jump along to I know if we were on board for any length of time this would be a favourite activity for him to come back to.

My youngest kept saying, “When I’m seven I’m coming back here to do that”. It was a big hit with all the kids.

Waterslides

There were also some brilliant waterslides here which swirled and curled around the ship and right out over the edge. With see-through cutaways to add to the thrill my daughter thought these were so much fun and she could have happily gone on them over and over again.

Sadly for us it was time to head off the ship to allow it to start its journey south.

There was so much we would have loved to have seen and done from enjoying Johnny Rockets burgers and milkshakes to watching some of the shows and trying to make our way out of the Escape Room which is also new onboard.

A day was the perfect taster and we were all adamant this is one ship we would love to spend more time on.

Find out more about Independence of the Seas here and see our ultimate guide to cruising with kids for lots more features, tips and inspiration.