My wife and I have cruised several times before but never with RCI so we were interested to see how they compare with the likes of Celebrity, Cunard and Princess. Our conclusion afterwards was that "Indy" is a very impressive ship but it doesn't have quite the same overall feeling of elegance as Cunard or Celebrity. There again, RCI cruises seem to be cheaper so the old adage applies of getting what you pay for.

Embarkation/disembarkation at Southampton were impressively quick and hassle free which made a good start and finish to the cruise. Our balcony stateroom was similar to what we'd had on previous cruises and was fine with nothing at all to complain about. Our lady room attendant looked after us very well. Following tips on this site, I asked as soon as we were on board if there was any chance of having a bathrobe and she said they were really only available to suite passengers but she'd see what she could do. One appeared less than an hour later!

Everyone knows that this is a big ship but you don't realise just how big it is until you're on it. However, signage is very good and we didn't get lost although a little booklet showing deck plans and facility locations like we've had on other cruises would have been helpful. Also, when you've done a few cruises you realise that the layout of most cruise ships is pretty similar - formal dining room at the stern, theatre towards the bows, shops midships and so on. Read more