Having cruised with Royal Caribbean before we were very excited to go on the maiden voyage of independance, especially as we didn't have to take any long flights with the ship sailing from southampton. On first glance the ship looked glorious and I felt it easily outdid the other 2 ships in port.  People had come down to the dock to wave the ship goodbye which I had not experienced before and was certainly something to remember.The Food service was excellent as always and I have yet to book into any of the speciality restaurants on RC ships as the evening meal is always so delicious. Having said that, I felt that the food in the windjammer could be a little more imaginative. The room (balcony) was very spacious and we felt very comfortable. Facilities are excellent. The H20 zone had a lot of interesting sculpted water features which were quite gaudiesque in appearance. The jacuzzis overhanging the side of the ship were an interesting feature. Being early may the weather was on the chilly side at times so the pools were not used as much as you would expect, but I am sure they would be full during a caribbean or southern europe itinerary. I managed to brave the flowrider which provides great entertainment even if you just want to sit and watch. Warning though - make sure your costumes are secure. One lady had a rather embarassing loss of clothes while using it. Ken Rush was cruise director and performed the role excellently. The shows were all entertaining, the ice shows especially so. Being the maiden voyage we were treated to lots of freebies, including hats and photos. One lucky person even won a free voyage on the genesis class ship when it is completed. Arrival and exit from Cork (cobh) were amazing with hundreds of people lining the docks. Weather was wonderful when we were there but the journey back highlighted the difficulties in sailing from southampton. We had a whole day of thick fog, winds and some rain, which meant the top deck was not much fun. It also lead to some crowding of inside facilities, with Johnny Rockets having a 45 minute wait for a table. It was also interesting to see how the cruise was being aimed more towards the british market. Overall the cruise was great fun and the ship was maginificent. The final night on board featured a parade of staff down the Royal Promenade with the cruise director again at the centre of things and giving us a sendoff to remember. Given it was a maiden voyage I think thing went very smoothly and would definitely recommend travelling on independance.

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