Review: 5 Day Bermuda Independence of the Seas

Sailed with two adults and two kids (ages 12 and 14). Adults in one cabin, kids in the other. It was absolutely worth it to book two cabins. We booked kinda late and the only available rooms next to each other were interior cabins. We’ve only ever done ocean view balconies so this was very different. Having an interior wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be and for a 5 night cruise, very doable.

We had sailed previously on Symphony so we definitely felt the size difference on Independence, but it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. I missed Central Park, and the Promenade felt crowded at times, but I very much loved all of the lounge chairs on the walking track of deck 4. There were always many available and it was a great shaded place to get some quiet ocean views, enjoy a cocktail, and relax. That’s really missing on Symphony.

It’s obvious that Independence is an older ship in comparison, but not in a detrimental way. Everything was well-maintained and very clean, just a bit dated.

The pool deck didn’t seem as crowded as Symphony, but we really didn’t spend much time there. It’s just personally way too loud for us.

One of the benefits of a smaller ship was not having to arrive 30 minutes early for activities in order to get a seat. Ten minutes was plenty of time and it made the trip feel a lot more relaxed. We had a great time in everything we did and the people running the activities were great.

Bermuda is beautiful. I loved having two days in port. The island is very easy to navigate. We got the two day bus and ferry pass and had no problems getting around. The only excursion we did was a kayak tour and it was a lot of fun.

The only real downside of the trip was the food. We ate at windjammer for breakfast and lunch and it was all pretty mediocre. The same goes for the Main Dining Room where we had dinner each night. The wait staff was great, but if these were restaurants I went to at home, I wouldn’t go back.