Independence of the Seas
The Independence of the Seas is a Freedom class of cruise ship owned by the Royal Caribbean Group and operated by the Royal Caribbean International cruise line.
It is one of the older ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet, having first been launched in 2007 but she undergone numerous changes and updates since then with the last big dry dock upgrade taking place in 2018.
Capable of welcoming over 4,000 paying guests every sailing, she is on the larger side of medium sized ships and aimed at families with lots of included activities including a surf simulator, a climbing wall, an ice rink and a splash zone.
My journey on her was actually my first time cruising with the line which allows for this review to be solely based on my experience of cruising onboard her and not impacted by my overall thoughts of the line.
In this review I bring you all of the information you need to know about the ship, based on my own experience of cruising on her and the research I did before hand and to make things as easy as possible, I rank all of the main aspects of a cruise ship, from a cruiser point of view.
Independence of the Seas Review
Currencies accepted: USD
Summary
Owner: Royal Caribbean Group
Line: Royal Caribbean
Builder: Aker Finnyards Turku Shipyard
Launched: 14th September 2007
Tonnage: 155,889GT
Length: 338m (1,112 ft)
Capacity: 3,836 (4,603) passengers (1360 crew)
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Overall
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Onboard Experience - 9/10
9/10
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What’s Included - 9.5/10
9.5/10
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Entertainment - 9.5/10
9.5/10
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Food and Drink - 8.5/10
8.5/10
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Accommodation - 8.5/10
8.5/10
User Review
( votes)Independence of the Seas Current Location
I was lucky enough to cruise on Indy, as she is affectionately known as by fans of hers, in October 2025 on a short roundtrip sailing from the Port of Southampton in England and calling into Hamburg in Germany and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
With two seadays, we had lots of time to experience all we wanted to and get a real feeling of the ship, despite the relatively short cruise I were on.
Royal Caribbean is a family friendly cruise line and with lots of kids and younger cruisers on our getaway, it certainly lived up to that.
That may have altered the onboard experience for us, but I cannot see how it would change to much if the ship was full of older cruisers and couples rather than families.
So the best way for me the describe life onboard the ship is relaxed as whilst it has things such as West End Shows and Ice Skating performances, you don’t need to book in for them and you can choose to dine when you want in the MDR and it is often those things that are the most restrictive when cruising on some ships, but there are no worries when on the Indy.
There is always something happening around the ship throughout the day and night, so if you want to keep busy, you can do but there are also plenty of spots to simply sit and relax, so if you don’t feel like doing something, you can do.
When it comes to the style of cruising, it is family friendly all-action where you can be every bit as busy as you want to be.
If you are sporty and energetic, there are plenty of things to burn off that energy including surfing, rock climbing and a sports court whilst if sitting and relaxing is more your style, there is a library and multiple lounges to do just that and a top tip would be to make use of the seating areas near the life banks where you can have a quiet spot to sit but can still take in the music and entertainment from the bars, lounges and the Royal Promenade.
It is the sort of ship where you can do what you want, when you want as little needs to be pre-booked but of course there are a few thousand other people trying to do the same so some planning will be helpful.
It can often be the case that Royal Caribbean and a ship such as the Independence of the Seas has a larger price than similar ships on similar itineraries, but you do also get plenty more included that you would on other ships.
As you would expect, you get your meals in the Main Dining Room (MDR) and the buffet (Windjammer) but you can also have free food and drinks in the Promenade Café and the Sorrento’s, with the latter mainly serving pizza but on UK sailings there were some local favourites including pies.
On deck 10, there is an included ice cream station and a fish and chips grab and go outlet known as Fish and Ships.
Away from food and drink, there is lots of entertainment including around the ship including shows and acts in the theatre which was headlines by the Grease musical for my sailing, ice shows and the chance to skate yourself in Studio B and there are a couple lounges that features activities and performances throughout the day and night.
The ship has an impressive activities programme with something happening somewhere on the ship from early morning to the early hours and kids and teens are well covered in their own area of the ship with clubs for all ages.
Some of the highlights of the facilities onboard the ship including a climbing wall, a surf simulator, a sports court, a mini golf course, a kids splash zone, a swimming pool, an outdoor screen showing movies and sports events and a sports bar with multiple large screens and including pool table.
There are plenty of similarities between this ship, others in the line and the majority of mainstream lines in that you have to pay extra for alcoholic drinks and some soft drinks.
Speciality coffees and teas also come at an extra cost, although you can get a coffee card to keep the cost relatively low.
Internet packages are extra and incredibly expensive whilst tips are expected/added on to your cruise price and to drinks.
If you fancy eating in one of the numerous speciality restaurants onboard, they will all cost extra and there are some up charges in the Main Dining Room for things such as Lobster.
The shops onboard the ship are all extra costs including an ice cream parlour and a sweet shop whilst some entertainment and activity offerings also come at an extra cost including surf lessons and an escape room.
Other extra costs include shuttle busses in ports when you need them, excursions, some classes including cooking and fitness ones and you will need to pay for lots of things in the gym and spa.
There is lots on offer onboard and it really is one of those ships where there is something for everyone including West End (or Broadway if you prefer) shows, production dance and singing shows, guest performances, quizzes, ice shows, game shows, street parties, balloon drops, bands, singers, musicians and just about any other form of entertainment you can think of including a sports bar with live sports and a large screen outdoor cinema experience.
I tried to take in as much of the entertainment as I could do whilst onboard the ship and from everything I saw, it was all of a decent standard and special mention should be made to the fact that their was a live orchestra in the theatre which always adds to the experience and quality of any performance in there.
It was also great to experience things such as there street parties on the Royal Promenade as I had heard so much about them and they lived up to the hype, with cruisers of all ages and nationalities coming together to just have fun and that is just what cruising is all about.
We eat at a few different spots around the ship including the Windjammer buffet, Sorrento’s pizza shop, Fish and Ships, the café and the ice cream machine on the pool deck and no matter what we ate and where we ate, it was all to a good standard and we enjoyed all of our meals.
There’s plenty of choice of cuisines, lots of variety and numerous venues to eat and drink all around the ship, although I did feel that the buffet was a bit small for a ship the size of Indy.
Without a drink package and with this been a short cruise between getaways, I was trying to keep the costs down on this one so only stuck to free drinks, which are plentiful all around the ship.
There was a good selection of fruit drinks, which changed daily, water, tea, coffee and lemonade throughout the day and night- so we never went thirsty.
For our first sailing with the line, it’s hard to say if it has gotten better or worse recently but that does give me an objective view of the quality and it was much better than similar lines, such as what NCL offered us the last time we sailed with them.
I stayed in an inside cabin, room number 9403 to be precise, which is my usual type of room so it’s easy to compare it to other rooms I have had onboard cruise ships and its fair to say that it stands up well to other cabins on other lines.
It has a large comfy bed, a big screen tv, plenty of storage, a seating area, a decent sized bathroom with a glass door shower and a good-sized wardrobe.
That everything you need and whilst it is showing its age in some places, I could have no complaints with the room I stayed in aside from a lack of power sockets and no USB ports for charging things- its such an easy fix and would really be a big boost for most cruisers.
As is the case with all Royal Caribbean ships, the Independence of the Seas is aimed at families but there is enough for adults to enjoy as well, so basically it is a ship that is for anybody.
Well, there are some caveats to that as she is a big and busy ships with lots happening and it can be difficult to find somewhere quiet to sit, although not impossible with the library been a good spot inside and lots of seating on the outside around the ship away from sunbathing areas, including the outdoor promenade.
She would make for an ideal ship for families wanting to sail together, especially during the holiday periods when even more is offered for kids. If you like to keep busy on a ship and don’t need all of the ultra-modern attractions, she is a great option for you.
There were a few things that stood out for me about the ship, including the quality of the theatre shows (and the ice show) were a highlight for me as was the quality of food- especially from the grab and go spots such as the Fish and Ships, Royal Café and Sorrento’s eateries.
The street parties were great fun and overall, all of the staff we interacted with were happy, professional and added to the adventure.
The biggest negative, and it kind of highlights how good my experience was as this really is nitpicking, but it was the first time we have experienced the buffet shutting between serving times.
Me and my wife will often go sit in the buffet when it is quiet, grab a drink and take advantage of the large panoramic windows but that wasn’t an option as the doors were shut outside of breakfast, lunch and tea.
Independence of the Seas was built in 2008 and entered service for the line in May of that year where she was the 3rd and final Freedom class of ships.
She is the joint largest ship in the class, alongside sister ship Liberty of the Seas, and despite been one of the older ships of the line, she has undergone wide ranging refurbishments in 2013 and 2018.
If Royal Caribbean were trying to give a great first impression for me and my wife, they succeeded, and the Independence of the Seas quickly became one of my favourite cruise ships.
A relaxed vibe, complete with a family friendly atmosphere and lots to see, do and participate in is all you can ask for from a cruise ship, but not only did they have lots to offer, but the ship does everything well.
She is perhaps the perfect size for a line such as Royal Caribbean International as she is big enough to have the full RCI experience, with its street parties, ice skating, Royal Promenade, climbing wall and surf simulator but not so big that everywhere feels crowded and you need to plan and book every aspect of your cruise.
If you have already wanted to try the line and are wondering whether a cruise one of their older ships is worth it, it certainly is on the Indy of the Seas.
Indy of the Seas Review and Guide
Thank you for reading this Independence of the Seas review, which I hope has proven useful in deciding if the ship is the right one for you or not for your next cruise adventure.
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