Royal Caribbean (Independance of the Seas)

I rook my 6th cruise last week. Here is all you need to know before you go on Royal Caribbean Independance of the seas.

Booking

Book online or with a travel agent. The earlier you book the better the price. You can then split it in payments with all being do I think it was 60 or 90 days before. I heard rumors the last 30 days before a cruise you can get deals, but you pay all up front then.

Black Friday has good deals!

You can assign a charge card to your room key for different people. Ex: older son pays on his card from his charges. You can choice if you wat kids the opportunity to charge to the room.

Call all charge card companies and tell then when you cruise. I forgot and my car did not work in the bahamas,fine when we got back to US.

Parking or transportation

I always suggest getting there a day early. We stay in Coco Beach then drive to the termial and pay to park right there. I met many who used Go Port and loved it. Some hotels you can take a shuttle to and leave your car at the hotel.

Royal Caribbean App

Once you book, download the Royal Caribbean app. . Each person will need to download the app to their phone if you want to use the free texting part of the app while on ship. You can pre-buy drink offers, excursions, arcade cards at a cheaper rate before the cruise on the app, website or they will send lots of sale emails.

You will need the app or online access to book your check in time 60 days before you sail. We like to get the earliest one available. You can log in at midnight. You can upload a picture at this time and passport/birth certificate info or skip it and do it at a later time.

Abut a day or two before your cruise we had to do a health questionnaire and watch safety drills. Once on the boat your family needs to check in at their Munster drill spot which will be in your app.

You also will use your Sail pass in your phone to board the ship.

Once on ship right before you sail turn to airplane mode and then connect to Wi-Fi for the app. You can text each other in the app while on ship. I could look up other guests and connect to them. My son had to search on his phone to connect to other adults in our group as adults outside your room cant search for kids. I assume a safety reason.

You have to be 13 or older to use the chat but I herd others say they logged mom in kids phone and when kids chatted to the parents they just ut their name in the chat so they knew it was the kid not the parent chatting.

It worked the whole cruised for us but I will say it doesn't not make a ding sound like a text so we told the kids to check their phones every so often and you can see a part turn red to let you know there was a message and how many messages.

Excursions

Black Friday has great sales for these and also found they got pricier closer to cruise or sold out so book ahead of time.

You do pay for the excursions at the time you book.

I like to book through the cruise. While it costs more, I like knowing they will wait till the tour gets back before the ship will leave.

Tip: If getting off the boat first dress for the day and bring everything you need to breakfast as go strait from there to deck 1 to leave for your excursion.

Food Tip: make sure to bring snacks but no fruit or opened items due to cusoms!

Day 1

Make sure you have passports/birth certificates for each person and your Sea Pass on your phone or printed out.

After parking we went to the terminal and gave them our luggage. Make sure you printed your luggage tags at home. We put them in these tag holders.

We grabbed our soda package cup we bought a head of time (just go to any bar to get it, I belive they now charge $4.99 for the cup if you bought your package afger March 15, 2026) and then went to Windjammers the buffet on deck 11 to eat. They open at 11:30.

This is the only day parents can go in the kids cubs to check it out with your child.

Nursery 6-36 months and you pay hourly. Someone said they give you a phone on the ship to carry encase they need to reach you.

Aquanauts ages 3-5

Explorers ages 6-8

Voyagers 9-12 yrs olds

Sail Party at 4:15 Deck 11

Bingo Deck 5 Star Lounge 8:15

Day 2 Nassau

Grab towels ahead of time if you are using them on a day trip.

Make sure you have Sea Pass Card for everyone and a Photo ID for 18 and older.

Bring tickets with you and know where to go when you get off at deck 1

Make sure you learn when the last time to board and when the last transportation back to the boat is from where you are.

We did the Blue Lagoon Dolphin Encounter trip. We had 10:30 tickets. You take a boat over. There are three kinds of boats, 2 are open air and one was closed in. A few of us felt sick on the closed in one. We were on the Island from about 11:00-3:00.

You will have a band with your dolphin time on it. The dolphin activities are to the rigt when you get off. Bathrooms/gift shop are staight ahead and a bar is on the right. The inflatables are to the left as is where you get lunch. Lunch was almost $40 ameal. It was a salad burger or hot dog and fries. You could get lemonade or ice tea free. There were really no other food options.

We loved the dolph encounter It is in a group of anbout 20 people. You get in the water hug the dolphin, poet him and even dance with him. They have lockers foer you to lock up items but many did not work. After you can stand in line, be patient and purchase your pictures individually, all for $100 and for $130 digital and video. They email it all a few days later. They say 24 hours buy was about 4 days for us. There is a gift shop too. They take cash or card. ake sure to call ahead your card to say you are traveling to bahamas as mine got declined. Lukcily my friend had cash.

We then ate lunch, which took about an hour to wait in line for, then the inflatables, beach time then time to go. Another curiser said she rented the bed chair for $60 and came with 2 towels to use and 2 drinks.

Boat ride back is about 40 minutes and so pretty. We did not have to go to customs just back to the boat.

Day 3 Day at Sea

This is a great day to book massages, Escape room or other activities.

Day 4 Coco Cay

Lunch is free on the island and starts at 11:30. You drink packages will be able to be used on the island too.

They have free life jackets fir kids to use on the island.

Chairs and umbrellas are free. You can pay for beds and Cabanas.

Bring sand toys and your own snorkel gear or you can rent or buy there.

Tip: Get a collapsible bucket or get some cheap ones at Dollar Tree and leave there.

You can pay to go to zipline, ride a hot air balloon.

They take your Sea pass on the island till 2:30 after that cash only.

Chill Island has a place to eat and the Straw Market where you can buy local items. You can charge to the Sea Pass (you end up signing 2 receipts but only get charged once.)

We paid to go to the Thrill Park. I had to pay even though I had a collapsed spine at the time and no way could do any. Kids under 14 need an adult with them.

They did have wheel chairs and baby strollers with beach wheels. I am not sure if anyone could use or if you had to pay for these.

There is a free tram to take you around the island every 15 mins.

Day 5 Departure Day from Boat

Where to eat breakfast:

Deck 11 food 6-8:30 am

Deck 3 7-8:30 am

Deck 5 Cafe 6-9:30 am

Disembarking

Channel 2 on TV to find your departure time from deck 4. After 8:00 they assign you an area to sit to wait to get off.

You can do self assist and carry your own luggage off from 7:30 am to 8:15 am Please note you will stand a while in line and walk a lot.

Dinning

Deck 4&5 is the main dining area. You have the same table and servers each night. There is a 5:30 or 8:00 time. You pick time when you book your cruise.

My Time Dining-deck 3, guests choose dining time between 6-9 pm each night. Reservations can be made in the app or in person. I will say we ended up with 7:45 or 7:15 as most had been booked already. You have a different table each night and different servers. The first night, even with reservations we waited in line 30 mins. The other nights didn't seem so long.

6:45-9 reservations

7:30-9:45 walk in

Themed nights will appear in your app about 3 weeks before your cruise but we saw everything goes each night.

You can also eat at Windjammers buffet any night I think they were 6-9.

There are restaurants on board you can pay to eat at or buy a dining plan for them. We choice to eat at the "free" ones.

If you have food allergies you can email them ahead at special_needs@rccl.com tell them your name, booking reservation number, ship, and dates. They ask you to notify them before 45 days of your cruised to accommodate you.

Sorrento's Pizza on deck 5 is open daily for free pizza by the slice or a whole pizza. I heard its open till 3 am each day.

Promenade has some sandwiches and deserts for free too.

Johnny Rockets has a free breakfast. Lunch, dinner you pay for there.

Playmakers

The sports bar where you will watch games. They have great nachos for $6 and a few other bar type foods and a great campfire cookie with Nutella and marshmallows on it for $6, delicious.

Room Service

They do have room service for $7.95 delver fee and 18% tax. Plus a tip is always appreciated. They have the menus in your room.

Arcade

We bought on line ahead for a little discount. My son new that he only got that amount, but you could buy more on board if you want.

Tip: You can charge to the room from your Sea Pass on the machines so make sure your kids do not do this if you do not want a huge bill.

Another tip: you scan your card and then have to tap the screen of the card part to play.

Doctor

Deck 1 has a doctor from 8 am-11am and 4pm-7pm. For 24 hour needs call 51 from any ship phone.

Drink Packages

The earlier you buy them, usually the cheaper they are. Example: I got a case of water about day 70 before the cruise for $16 The week before, same thing was $70.

You can bring 12 cans of non-alcohol drinks per cabin 17 oz or less

You get free lemonade, water and iced tea. For breakfast you get free OJ or apple juice.

Coffee- While I do not drink it, hear is the 411 I got from others. Jr suites and up have coffee makers in room, ours was a k-cup like machine but not that brand. The prominade has free coffee and you can have room service bring it to you if you pre-order it the night ahead, supposedly for free (don't forget to tip)

Ducks

If you want you can buy cute rubber ducks ahead of time and hide them around the boat. Kids and adults love finding them.

These are what we bought: Ducks Tags

Gratuities (tips)

In February 2023 it was $16.00 per person per day. You can add on at your time of booking or pay on board.

Suite guests is $18.50 a day per person.

18% is automatically added to beverage, mini bar, spa and salon

Ice Skating

If your cruise has ice skating, they require you to wear pants. They also have an ice skating show you can watch at night.

Internet

Buy this ahead of time as it gets pricier. I had no issued except in our balcony it got spotty. I bought for the whole cruise and 1 device. I wished I knew there was for 2 devices then I could have signed out and my son cold have used it on his phone. Although I did like him being internet free for a week!

I had the internet plane so on the cruise I could text and Facetime using wi-fi other iphone users.

Always check your plan to make sure yours is the same.

Tip: Turn your phone to airplane mode and turn off roaming and data.

Parking

CT1 terminal The first floor is for drop offs/Ubers and Parking starts floor 2. There are very few handicap spots near the elevators. It cost us $91 to park for our 5 day cruise. You pay with a charge card when you enter.

Rock Climbing Wall

They require you to have close toed shoes

Royal Up

You may at some point get an email from an outside company to bid on a higher class room. It will tell you the minimum bid and you choose how much you want to bid to get it. I heard you could get it up till 5pm the day before to maybe get it. I got emails about then saying I did not win. If you win the bid you are stuck with the new room so if you want a certain place or floor I do not suggest doing this.

Shows

You reserve on the app ahead of time for seats to a show. We just showed up early to get seats

Talk like a captain

Aft-/back of ship

Forward/bow-front of ship

Portside-left side of shipping when facing front

Starboard-right side

Towels

They have pool/beach towels you can use but will charge you $25 per towel if you do not return them. So make sure to always turn them in. I handed her towels and she said 2 and I then made sure to show her there were 3 so always make sure they see all of them.

*Tip: check out towels the night before an excursion or you will wait in line with everyone else that morning.

*Behind the mirrors in room are little storage areas

*Room phone has a USB side to charge with

Tip: The little mirrors in the bathroom and vanity pull open and you can store stuff

Packing

Here is my amazon store front with items we bring each cruise

First aid items

Medicine Items

Closed toe shoes for rock climbing/basketball

Pants and socks for ice skating

Tip: the real phone in the room has a USB outlet so you can charge one phone at night, There are no clocks in the room so its nice to have your phone next to you to see the time.

Deck 1 Doctor/Disembark for excursions

Deck 2

Deck 3 Studio B/Ice Rink/Royal Theater

Deck 4 Main Dining area/Casino Get on boat and off boat of first and last day

Deck 5 Main Dining/Shopping

Deck 6

Deck 7

Deck 8

Deck 9

Deck 10

Deck 11 Windjammers/Pools

Deck 12 Teen Club/running track/video arcade/flo rider/skybar

Deck 13 Front of boat is Putt Putt/Aft Rock Climbing Wall/Trapline/SkyPad/Basketball