My First Cruise Experience on the Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas

Have you ever been on a cruise?

I have and it was my first cruise ship holiday in 2018. Cruise holidays are always fantastic and I want to praise them because now since Covid-19 people might be worried about catching covid whilst being on a ship. I suppose it's something we have to think of from now on.

The first cruise ship is always the best because you enjoy it so much and because you really don't know what to expect. Our first one was superb. I haven't been on a cruise since 2018 as I went on two cruises that year, so I only got to have two cruise holidays before Covid-19.

My cruise experience on the Independence of the Seas cruise ship was pleasantly enjoyable. A two-night cruise sailing to Le Harve, Paris in France from Southampton, UK. My friend and I had never previously been on a cruise ship before so it was a big surprise to see how huge this ship was (see above picture). We had an amazing experience.

Our Arrival

We arrived at check-in at 10 am in the morning and left our suitcases with Royal Caribbean's staff just before we went onto the ship. We were greeted on deck and given a glass of Prosecco each. I remember how excited we were to be there. We were treated like royalty so it was a lovely feeling to walk inside this beautiful cruise ship and see how huge it was.

Deluxe Drinks Packages

We were told to expect our suitcases after lunch so we wandered around the ship and went straight to the Champagne bar where we had champagne cocktails just before lunch. We had already bought a deluxe drinks package so we didn't have to worry about how much the drinks were going to be charged on our Sea passes. Deluxe drink packages include all beverages and alcohol ie water, tea, coffee, soft drinks.

Lunch

Lunch was buffet style and there were lots of delicious foods to choose from. It was all so perfect for us. We ate to our heart's content and felt full. Afterward, we decided to find deck 9 and our cabin room.

Our Cabin Room

Our cabin room was on deck 9. It was a delightful room with a tv, plenty of wardrobe space, and twin beds which do combine together to make a double, but they do that for you beforehand if you tell them what you want. We thought deck 9 was perfect for our first time on a cruise ship because I was told that if you chose a cabin in the middle of the ship it would help with the motion when it was moving. Of course, we knew the ship was moving later on at night but it was a comfortable feeling and I was glad we were given that particular inner cabin room. We had a kettle with plenty of coffee and tea bags to choose from. The cabin was well equipped with everything we could want and our cabin attendant was always around if ever we needed anything more.

The Sail Away Party on Independence of the Seas

At 4 pm we went to the sail away party on the top deck and it was perfect. Music played loudly and the singers were on stage. The atmosphere was buzzing. Waiters walked around with cocktails on their trays. It was bliss. The sun was out and we watched as we sailed away out to sea. It was the best experience anyone could have at that point. We lay on a sun lounger soaking up the middle of May sun whilst having a cocktail and we watched out to sea as the ship moved. There was a swimming pool and a fun slide for everyone and a huge screen on the deck where they showed a movie every night.

At dinner, we were served a four-course meal with waiter service. It was perfect. The first night was informal and we didn't want to take up too much time eating because we had a show to go and see. On our second night, we were entertained by all the waiters, and everyone dressed up. The men were in tuxedos and the women wore fancy dresses. We drank the best wine and felt wonderful as we looked out to the sea from a nearby window. It was a wonderful feeling to be out at sea.

 On our first night, we saw the TakeThat Experience which was a look-alike band. They were very entertaining. There were waiters there who could bring you your drinks so we were very happy with how things were going so far that evening. The entertainment was a wonderful experience for us. On our second night, we saw Grease the musical, which was wonderful and enjoyable and later on we saw a comedian act who made us laugh. There were other things to do whilst the ship was at sea and that was to visit the casino. We sat at the bar there and drank champagne as we watched people gamble (see a picture of the casino below).

Our Second Day at Le Harve

We visited Le Harve that day and had a walk around and even saw a Cathedral where we visited inside for free. You can take excursions to Paris from Le Harve for the day because the city of Paris is only an hour away. Independence of the Seas docked at Le Harve from 6 am till 8 pm at night so there was plenty of time to go on excursions if you wanted to.

Breakfast

Breakfast was buffet service and plenty of food to choose from. It was a perfect morning for food and coffee. Be advised though, that the best time to avoid the crowds is during the early morning!

So, we had the most wonderful two nights with the Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas. The price of this two-night cruise was £199 per person full board in May 2018. Delux drinks packages cost extra at £38 per person per day.

Watch my video of the cruise below:

Cruise Experience Video by Denise Larkin

Copyright of Denise Larkin 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Also published on Medium.com