Eating all the delicious food is one of my favorite parts of cruising, and I was excited to get on Independence of the Seas to try it all out.

Independence of the Seas has a variety of quick casual and specialty restaurants onboard for guests to enjoy. While there aren't as many options as the larger Oasis and Icon Class ships, I thought this Freedom Class ship offered a solid selection.

After Independence of the Seas was revamped in 2018, newer features were added, like The Perfect Storm waterslides, FlowRider, an escape room, and more. In addition, new restaurants were added, including Playmakers, Izumi, and Fish and Ships. 

Below is a summary of the dining venues on Independence of the Seas.

Complimentary dining:

• Windjammer buffet
• Main Dining Room
• Cafe Promenade
• Sorrento’s
• Fish and Ships
• Sprinkles

Specialty restaurants and for-charge options:

• Chops Grille
• Giovanni’s Table
• Izumi Hibachi
• Johnny Rockets
• Playmakers Sports Bar
• Sugar Beach
• Scoops by Sugar Beach

Here’s everything my mom and I ate while on our five-day cruise onboard Independence of the Seas, along with our thoughts on each dish.

Main Dining Room

Night one: Welcome Aboard

The “Welcome Aboard” menu features mainly American cuisine. The chef’s recommendations include the crispy crab cake, southern fried chicken, and key lime pie.

For the starter, I ordered the spinach and artichoke dip while my mom got the escargot and crispy crab cake. The crab cake is her favorite Royal Caribbean appetizer, and it did not disappoint.

My mom commented that she wished there was more garlic in the escargot and she would've liked it to be served warmer. I also found that the spinach and artichoke dip wasn't as warm as I would've liked.

For the main course, I got the Southern fried chicken while my mom got the slow-roasted prime rib. The chicken came with mashed potatoes and corn on the cob. The chicken was moist, and the honey dipping sauce complemented the flavor. 

My mom liked her medium-well prime rib, which came with mashed potatoes and vegetables.

For dessert, I got the key lime pie while my mom got the Boston cream pie.

We also shared the no-sugar-added dark chocolate custard. My mom is diabetic, so she felt obligated to try the no-sugar-added desserts. 

I always enjoy the key lime pie; it was delicious on Independence. My mom thought the Boston cream pie was OK but nothing to get excited about. We thought the custard was pretty good, especially for being a no-sugar-added dessert, but it would've been even better with some more whipped cream on top.

Night two: A Taste of Italy

Italian night is one of my favorite menus on a Royal Caribbean cruise. The chef’s recommendations for this menu included minestrone, lasagna, and tiramisu.

I ordered the parmesan arancini for a starter while my mom got the garden salad and minestrone. I liked the arancini, but I wished it had more romesco (tomato) sauce.

My mom was surprised at how much flavor the minestrone soup had, so she was happy. She also thought the salad was light and crispy.

Since we had eaten a lot of great food while at Perfect Day at CocoCay, we decided to share the chicken parmesan for our main course. We agreed that the crispy chicken parmesan was good but the spaghetti was not outstanding.

I loved the dessert selections on this menu, so I got the tiramisu and lemon curd tartlet. 

My mom also got the lemon curd tartlet as well as the no-sugar-added coffee pot de creme. 

They were all very good, but the lemon tartlet was the winner for us!

Night four: A Taste of Mexico

The chef's recommendations for this menu were the roasted poblano soup, chili-lime-crusted salmon, and tres leches.

For our starters, we got the grilled sweet corn cakes, tortilla soup, and escargot. The corn cakes are something I would never think to eat while on land, so I liked trying something new. 

My mom thought the tomato-based soup had a nice flavor. She also thought the escargot was better because it had more of a garlic flavor, but it still wasn't as hot as she would've preferred.

I was boring (because I am not a Mexican food fan) and got the grilled chicken breast. This was served with roasted potatoes and vegetables. I was afraid the food would be lackluster, but I was pleasantly surprised with how much I liked it. 

I also ordered the mac n cheese from the kid's menu because it sounded too good not to try! Yum!

Mom got the pulled pork enchilada based on our waiter’s recommendation. She thought it was very good and just spicy enough without being too overpowering.

I enjoyed my dessert selection, which was the tres leches with layers of creamy sponge cake.

Mom got the no-sugar-added coconut layer cake. This came with whipped cream and a raspberry sauce, but she was glad she also ordered the no-sugar-added vanilla ice cream to eat with it since the cake was a little dry. She wished the cake had more raspberry sauce.

Every night in the Main Dining Room, we were served a bread basket before the starter. I always had a cheese bun - my favorite!

Day five: Breakfast

On our last sea day, my mom and I had breakfast in the Main Dining Room. Like dinners, this is a sit-down service. On our cruise, breakfast in the Main Dining Room was offered every day, but they served later on sea days. We prioritized coming here for breakfast because it was something different than the Windjammer.

I ordered the ham and cheese omelet along with a fruit cup. My omelet also came with a hashbrown potato and white toast. I thought the omelet tasted the same as the one I would've got in the Windjammer, but I still thought it tasted good.

Mom ordered the market vegetable breakfast bowl, which had two eggs served on top of a bowl of vegetables, cheese, and potatoes.

The whole meal was great, in my opinion. Mom really enjoyed her breakfast bowl and was glad to try something new. In addition to the nice breakfast, we had great conversations with the two tables on both sides of us.

Day five: Lunch

The last meal we had in the Main Dining Room was lunch. On this cruise, lunch in the Main Dining Room was only served on sea days from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

I ordered the mozzarella sticks as an appetizer. I loved these mozzarella sticks, and I think they're better than the ones at Perfect Day at CocoCay!

For the main course, I got the grilled beef quesadilla while my mom got the seafood sandwich. I wasn't sure if I was going to like the quesadilla, but I was happy with how good it tasted. I was impressed! 

Mom enjoyed her seafood sandwich, which included fried shrimp, cod, calamari, coleslaw, tartar sauce, and pickles.

For dessert, we both got the white chocolate mousse, which was garnished with raspberry coulis and ladyfingers. This dessert was amazing and one of our favorites from the entire cruise. I wish they served this at dinner too!

I highly recommend trying the Main Dining Room for lunch at least once during your cruise.

Windjammer

Breakfasts

What we got at the Windjammer for breakfast was similar each morning we ate there.

I would usually order a custom omelet and then grab a hashbrown round along with some cranberry bread. 

Mom would usually get bacon, eggs (either scrambled or overhard), fruit, and cranberry bread. She also gets lots of coffee! 

One morning, she tried the avocado toast and bran muffin. She really liked the bran muffins but she found that the avocado toast was bland.

Night three: Dinner

This night was formal night. We normally eat in the Main Dining Room for formal night, but since we wanted to go to Grease (it was showing during our regular dining time), we decided to go to the Windjammer.

The theme in the Windjammer was “Savor La France” and was described as having, “croque madame, coq au vin, chicken cordon bleu, and french desserts.” Most of the food offered in the Windjammer was also served in the Main Dining Room since it was “A Taste of France” night.

The Windjammer was not super busy, so we were happy to grab a table near the window and watch the sunset while we ate dinner.

Related: Caribbean cruise outfits for women

I definitely wanted to try the chicken cordon blue, so I got that along with some potatoes, green beans, and quiche Lorraine. 

My mom also got chicken cordon bleu, as well as green beans, pineapple, quiche, and a Caesar salad. We agreed that everything tasted fine but not exceptional, which is to be expected at a buffet.

A fun dessert option this night was a crepe bar! I got a crepe with chocolate and strawberries while my mom got one with just strawberries. She also noticed there were no-sugar-added desserts in the Windjammer like there are in the Main Dining Room. 

In addition to the crepe, I tried the apple cobbler which I thought was OK. It just tastes better in the dining room, in my opinion!

Giovanni's Table

We were only planning on eating at Giovanni’s Table once, but it was so good that we came twice! Lunch was $22.99 per person while dinner was $54.99 per person.

Day three: Lunch

We started the meal with a bread basket along with oil and cheese for dipping.

For the "primi," I selected the minestrone while mom had the Caprese salad and crispy calamari. I thought the minestrone was delicious and much better than the Main Dining Room minestrone. 

The Caprese salad, which included heirloom tomatoes, creamy truffled burrata, pesto, and basil, was very good, but we wished there was more pesto.

As for the calamari, my mom loved it! The calamari was huge, probably five times the size of what you’d find in the Main Dining Room. The huge, meaty chunks had a light and crispy coating and were served with tomato sauce, lemon, and garlic aioli. The calamari was out of this world and she couldn't stop talking about how good it was (even to this day)!

Both of us got the seared filet mignon for an entree. This was served with a wine sauce, creamy mashed potatoes, and broccolini. Our waiter challenged us to compare this filet to the one at Chops Grille. He guaranteed it would be better, and we certainly agreed.

The filet was cooked to perfection and was so tender. The mashed potatoes were beautifully presented and tasted great. I thought the broccolini was fine, so I ate more of the meat and potatoes.

In addition to the filet, we selected two pastas to share: tagliatelle carbonara and gnocchi gorgonzola. We both agreed the gnocchi was better than the carbonara. The carbonara was satisfactory but it needed more flavor.

The gnocchi was tossed in a creamy sauce and had spinach and parmesan cheese. It was the best gnocchi I’ve had in a long time!

Now for the best part of the meal. I was excited to get the tiramisu, which had layers of espresso, Kahlua-soaked ladyfingers, and sweet mascarpone cream. It was so much better than the Main Dining Room tiramisu, and it was huge!

Mom wasn't sure what to order, so she tried the lemon and tutti frutti ricotta cream cannoli. She thought it was dull and would never order it again. 

She wanted to try something else so she ordered the "Assorted Italian Ice Cream." We both loved this dessert, as it had layers of chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry Italian ice cream with delicious toppings, including chocolate chunks, strawberries, and pistachios.

Night five: Dinner

Our waiter convinced us to come back to Giovanni’s Table for dinner on the last night of the cruise. He offered us a BOGO offer, so we couldn't say no!

The dinner menu is extremely similar to the lunch menu with only a few small changes. The eggplant parmesan was an appetizer during dinner while it was a main course option on the lunch menu. Also, the beef carpaccio was a new appetizer option during dinner, and the Ossobucco (veal) was a new main entree option during dinner.

I ended up having almost the same meal at dinner as I had for lunch, but I tried a new pasta and main course.

Read more: 7 reasons to eat at specialty restaurants instead of the Main Dining Room on your cruise

For the appetizer, I had the minestrone soup again while my mom got the calamari again (it was still amazing). 

She did try the beef carpaccio too. This thinly-sliced beef tenderloin was tender and flavorful, so she really enjoyed it.

Mom got the filet mignon once again while I tried the chicken piccata. The chicken was served with gnocchi, spinach, and cherry tomatoes. I would recommend it, but I think the filet mignon was better.

We were happy we tried a new pasta this time, the wild mushroom risotto. We also got the gnocchi gorgonzola again because it was that tasty! Comparing the two, the gnocchi was still our favorite.

I got the tiramisu for dessert again and I absolutely loved it. Mom also got the tiramisu and she could hardly eat it after our big meal. Nonetheless, it was still so delectable!

Fish and Ships

This complimentary dining venue is available only on Independence of the Seas and Ovation of the Seas. I had never eaten here before, so I was excited to see what it was like!

Everything here is included, except for the $12 “Fried Lobster Tail Basket and Chips.” There is a selection of:

• Fish and chips
• Chicken fingers and chips
• Fried shrimp and chips
• Crispy fish sandwich

We chose to eat here once we got onboard during embarkation day because we wanted to avoid the busy Windjammer. There was no line at Fish and Ships, so we made the right decision. I ordered the chicken tenders while my mom got the fish sandwich and shrimp. We also shared a creme brulee dessert.

The tenders were so tiny that they shouldn't been called chicken nuggets! They were served with honey mustard and fries. Overall, I thought it was a yummy snack, but definitely not filling unless I went back for more.

Mom’s fish was breaded, fried, and tasty when dipped in the tartar sauce. The coasting was very thick.

I wish more Royal Caribbean ships had this dining venue because having more quick casual, complimentary dining options is ideal, especially on the pool deck.

Sorrento’s

I usually like Sorrento's on a Royal Caribbean cruise. On this cruise, however, I wasn't impressed. Every time I stopped by, there weren't many pizza options and if there were any available slices, they looked dry like they had been sitting out for a long time.

I tried a slice of pepperoni and cheese pizza when I wanted a snack. I thought the pizza was mediocre so I didn’t go out of my way to get it again.

Johnny Rockets

While we didn't have an actual meal at Johnny Rockets, I went there twice to get a milkshake. 

I appreciate that I can use my Diamond Plus drink vouchers on these milkshakes. The first time I got the Oreo milkshake and the second time I got the strawberry one. I loved both of them, but if I had to pick one, I would pick the Oreo shake as being the best.

Mom tried the vanilla shake, which she found to be refreshing.

Crown Lounge

Since my mom and I are Diamond Plus cruisers, we would sometimes stop by the Crown Lounge for a snack. This lounge was never busy because there were only about 125 Diamond cruisers on our sailing.

For breakfast one morning, we wanted to see what the options were. I had a fruit bowl and chocolate croissant while mom tried the bran muffin, fruit plate, and yogurt parfait. She also got a latte at the coffee machine.

We stopped by the Crown Lounge before dinner one night so we could try some appetizers, like chocolate-covered strawberries and chicken wings.

The Diamond Lounge on the Independence of the Seas has such a beautiful view, making anything you eat there just a little better.

Room Service

On the last sea day, my mom wanted to order room service. Room service continental breakfast is free every day of the cruise. She selected an arrival time of 9-9:30 a.m. At 8:50 a.m., she got a call to our stateroom to verify that she was awake and ready to receive her food. Within five minutes, the food was delivered.

She ordered an English muffin, fruit, two pots of coffee, and chocolate milk (for me). She expected the English muffin to be cold but to her surprise, it was still warm because it was wrapped in a napkin. The coffee also arrived hot, which she appreciated.

Related: I stayed in the cheapest, smallest cabin on Independence of the Seas cruise ship. Look inside my 162-square-foot room

Bonus: Hideaway Beach at Perfect Day at CocoCay

During our time at Perfect Day at CocoCay, we had some great food!

We spent our day at the adults-only Hideaway Beach. This new area of the island features a pizza venue called Slice of Paradise as well as a Snack Shack that offers unique dishes.

Mom and I got lunch at Snack Shack, which consisted of the crispy chicken sandwich for me while mom got the coconut shrimp. I made sure to order my chicken sandwich with the secret ingredient: mozzarella sticks! It was quite tasty.

Mom loved the coconut shrimp because they were large, hot, and crispy. She definitely got her money’s worth because she got 18 of them throughout the day! She had been looking forward to the Hideaway Beach coconut shrimp the entire cruise.

Mom also decided to try ceviche for the first time since this is only offered at Hideaway Beach. She found it to be spicy and sour. After one bite, she knew she didn't want anymore!  

We split a funnel cake for our dessert. We loved the crispy texture with the powdered sugar dusting on top. Every visit to CocoCay, we look forward to having a funnel cake.

Before we left to go back to the ship, I wanted to try a slice of pizza. I got the barbeque chicken pizza and thought it was OK. I felt that it tasted similar to the pizza you would find at Sorrento’s, which is nothing to rave about.

More Royal Caribbean dining information:

• 21 Tips for the Best Cruise Ship Main Dining Room Experience
• How does Royal Caribbean dining work?
• Dinner on Royal Caribbean: Early Dinner vs. Late Dinner

While on Independence of the Seas for a five-night Western Caribbean and Perfect Day cruise, I stayed in the cheapest cabin available.

Normally when I cruise, I choose to stay in cheaper cabins. My reasoning is that I only need a place to sleep, store my belongings, and get ready for the day. I don’t feel the need to spend more money to stay in a cabin I don't spend much time in!

For this particular cruise, my mom and I chose an interior guarantee cabin. These types of cabins are “guaranteed” because Royal Caribbean selects the interior cabin's location on the ship. Luckily, shortly after booking, we were assigned a cabin towards the aft of the ship. I much prefer having aft cabins because you tend to feel more movement when situated in a forward cabin.

Booking this cruise about a month before the sail date, we ended up paying $2,075 for the two of us. This included pre-paid gratuities.

We were assigned cabin 6447, on deck 6. Our cabin was just one deck above the Royal Promenade, but we were far enough away that we never heard noise from this busy area of the ship.

Cabin 6447 wasn’t located on one side of the ship (starboard or port) and was considered midship. This meant to get to our cabin, we had to go through a separate hallway.

We quickly discovered there was a door we could use that was three cabins down from us that would lead us near the elevator and stairs. We used this door every time we left or came back to our cabin because it was much more convenient than going down the two hallways.

Also, being in this separate hallway away from most of the other cabins, we found that there was little to no hall noise (except for our neighbors who had a loud baby). We were afraid we would hear people coming in and out of the public door near our cabin, but it was never noisy.

Walking into the cabin for the first time, I was instantly struck by how light everything was. I was expecting the cabin to be similar to the ones on Adventure of the Seas and Voyager of the Seas, but I liked that it felt more modern with lighter colors.

The bed was separated into two per my request before the cruise. Each of us had a large nightstand next to our bed, and we had a small light above our heads. There was a switch in the middle of us that controlled all the lights in the cabin.

After reading a Royal Caribbean Blog article about questions to ask your cabin steward, my mom wanted to request a few things from our cabin steward. She requested:

• A mattress topper
• Printed copies of the Cruise Compass
• Additional hangers
• A new bed configuration
• Extra pillows
• Extra towels

My mom requested a new bed configuration because she wanted her bed (on the right) to be pushed against the wall. That way both of us could sleep against a wall. This made the twin bed feel wider, too. I really liked how this configuration created a larger walkway between our beds!

The extra pillows and mattress topper made a huge difference in the quality of sleep my mom got while on our cruise. She had never requested a mattress topper on previous cruises, so I think she will start doing this on future cruises.

Our cabin had a nicely sized couch and a glass table in front of it. We sparingly used this couch, but it was great to have another place to sit if we wanted the option.

There was a light near the couch, but it didn't work. I guess it is nice for decoration!

Across from the couch was the vanity and closet area. This included the TV, outlets, mini cooler, safe, and many drawers. The three large drawers were great for storing our clothes. There was another small drawer behind the chair, but we didn't use it.

The flat-screen TV was able to extend outward and swivel so my mom could watch TV while lying in bed or sitting on the couch.

The vanity had three outlets: Two three-prong outlets and one European outlet. I packed my adapter and I was super thankful I packed it so we could utilize the European outlet.

Next to the closet were two handles that opened up more storage spaces. The bottom drawer held the hair dryer. This drawer was small and couldn't hold much, so we didn't use it. The top drawer included three shelves - one was for the cabin’s safe. These shelves were perfect for our miscellaneous things, like hats, bags, sunscreen, medicine, etc.

Below these shelves was the mini cooler that we used to keep our water bottles cold throughout the cruise.

The closet was large and had three built-in shelves for clothes. There were only 10 hangers for the two of us (and we packed a lot of clothes), so we requested more hangers from our cabin steward. This was much appreciated!

There was someone who complained on the cruise's Facebook group about their air conditioning not working in their cabin, but ours worked great!

Next up, the bathroom. At first glance, the bathroom was updated nicely and offered lots of storage, but we did run into a few problems.

First, our toilet wouldn’t flush twice during our cruise. We had to call our cabin steward to let him know that we tried flushing numerous times with no success. He even told us other cabins around us were having similar problems. Once we reported the issue, it was fixed within an hour.

Also, the heat in the shower was quite confusing. I would turn the handle towards the heat and it would take at least five minutes to get warm. Sometimes, it would be warm and then get cold and then warm again without touching the handle. My mom and I had difficulties trying to get the knob at just the right spot so we could consistently get warm water. When it was warm, it was a pleasant shower experience.

Lastly, a small thing to point out, every time my mom and I wanted to use some toilet paper, the toilet paper would fall off the holder! We realized that we had to place our thumb on the holder so the toilet paper wouldn't fly off.

On newer Royal Caribbean ships, there is a built-in nightlight in the bathroom so when the cabin is pitch black, you can still navigate to the bathroom. However, our cabin on Independence of the Seas did not have this. We did pack a nightlight to use in our cabin and that helped tremendously.

Overall, my mom and I had a comfortable stay in our cozy cabin. Although we had some bathroom issues, this did not ruin our vacation by any means. We never felt the ship moving, and our cabin’s location proved to be ideal since it was located near the Royal Promenade and other lower-deck activities.

Royal Caribbean has successfully received permission for Independence of the Seas to sail from the U.S. government.

After completing her test cruise earlier this month, Royal Caribbean announced the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has approved the ship for service with paying passengers.

Independence received her Conditional Sailing Certificate from the CDC, which means the ship is ready to sail with passengers on August 15.

Just last week, Royal Caribbean received a Conditional Sailing Certificate for Allure of the Seas.

This certificate is the final phase of the CDC's phased approach, known as the Conditional Sail Order (CSO), to allowing cruise ships to resume operations from the United States, and is yet another ship in the fleet to get approval by the U.S. government to sail.

Independence of the Seas completed her test cruise from Galveston on August 1st.

This is now the fifth ship to get approval from the CDC to restart cruises, following Freedom, Serenade, Ovation, and Odyssey of the Seas.

Independence will offer 7-night Western Caribbean sailings from Galveston, Texas.

Read more: 8 things to love about Royal Caribbean's Independence of the Seas

For cruises departing Galveston, Texas in August 2021 onboard Independence of the Seas, Royal Caribbean guests age 12 and older must present proof of Covid-19 vaccination with the final dose of their vaccine administered at least 14 days before sailing.

Update: Mariner of the Seas has completed its simulated cruise. And Independence of the Seas received its CDC Conditional Sailing Certificate in time for the first @RoyalCaribbean cruise from @PortofGalveston on Sunday, Aug. 15. ⚓️ | For media: https://t.co/YGwG1roz1P pic.twitter.com/jRsRKm7E1C

— Royal Caribbean PR (@RoyalCaribPR) August 13, 2021

All crew onboard Independence of the Seas will be fully vaccinated.

All unvaccinated guests ages 2 to 11 must undergo 2 more COVID-19 tests at the cruise terminal and prior to disembarking.

Guests under 2 years of age will not be tested.

Royal Caribbean has also outlined the mask rules for guests onboard Independence of the Seas in August that are age 2 and up:

Masks are NOT required to be worn:

• In open-air areas of the ship, unless you are in a crowded setting.
• In the pool or any activity where they may become wet.
• At venues designated for vaccinated guests only, such as select bars, lounges, restaurants and shows.
• In your stateroom when you are with your traveling party.
• While visiting our private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, unless you are in a crowded setting.
• By any guest under the age of 2.

Masks ARE required to be worn:

• While indoors onboard the ship, unless seated and actively eating or drinking.
• While visiting public ports of call, where local regulations may require them.

Dining & Lounges
In the Main Dining Room, which spans multiple decks, we will designate areas for everyone, including parents and unvaccinated children, and areas for vaccinated parties only. My Time Dining will not be available to parties that include unvaccinated guests.

Most specialty restaurants will be open to everyone, while a few will be for vaccinated parties only. If you prefer a buffet, Windjammer will be open to everyone for breakfast and lunch, and the food will be served by our crew.

Grab-and-go cafes will also be available for everyone.

Entertainment
Theaters and activity venues will offer spaced seating with options for everyone and for vaccinated guests only. 

Two more Royal Caribbean ships will begin their test cruises today, including the world's largest cruise ship.

Independence of the Seas and Symphony of the Seas will both begin their simulated voyages so that they can get permission from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to sail with paying passengers.

So far four other Royal Caribbean ships have done test cruises, and one other is underway right now.

Symphony of the Seas will sail from PortMiami on Sunday, and is the second Oasis Class cruise ship to start a test cruise.

Symphony will sail a 3-night cruise that visits Perfect Day at CocoCay before returning to Miami.

Meanwhile, Independence of the Seas will begin her test cruise from Galveston, Texas.

If all goes well, both ships could restart operations with paying passengers later this month.

The CDC requires these test cruises with unpaid volunteers to demonstrate new health protocols can keep guests and crew members safe onboard from the spread of Covid-19. 

On other Royal Caribbean ships that have restarted operations, the new protocols have worked extremely well at isolating and limiting the spread of the virus among passengers.  The handful of cases across different sailings have been few and quickly dealt with.

This approach to safe cruising has been a mantra for Royal Caribbean, which has long sought to make cruising "safer than main street", according to Royal Caribbean Group Chairman and CEO Richard Fain.

In his most recent video update, Mr. Fain talked about the importance of making cruises safer than other aspects of life, "We wanted to be not only just as safe as the places, we wanted to be safer."

"We established a goal of being safer on board than a ship on Main Street. We've shown that an ambitious goal can be achieved based on hard work and an unemotional review of the facts and the science."

Simulated voyages test out many facets of the cruise experience, including a new approach to embarkation and disembarkation, medical evacuation procedures and procedures for transferring symptomatic passengers and crew to isolation rooms set up on board the ships.

Other onboard protocols include restricting certain venues to vaccinated passengers only, changes to dining onboard, and modifications to the entertainment lineup and seating.

Royal Caribbean is electing to conduct test sailings instead of mandating 95% of its passengers be fully vaccinated because the cruise line feels very strongly about allowing children to sail, whom are not eligible to be vaccinated.

Cruise ships that sail from the U.S. and can guarantee at least 95% of its passengers are vaccinated do not have to conduct test sailings and can go right to revenue sailings.

Royal Caribbean International President and CEO Michael Bayley recently explained his cruise line's restart plans are different than other lines because of their commitment to families, "In a normal year the majority of our guests are families. At any time throughout the year we carry approx 10 percent plus of our guests who are kids 12 and under and they of course travel with their family."

"Because of the kids we have been sailing at around 90 percent vaccinated and so we would not be able to operate at the CDC 95 / 95 and so like Disney Cruises or MSC all family brands we chose this path."

Two more Royal Caribbean ships are approved to begin test cruises.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) approved test cruises for Mariner of the Seas and Independence of the Seas, which makes them the fourth and fifth Royal Caribbean ships approved for test cruises.

Earlier this week, Symphony and Allure of the Seas were approved. Freedom of the Seas was the first ship to get approved.

The CDC was busy with other approvals, for ships from Celebrity Cruise Line and Carnival Cruises.

Mariner of the Seas will begin her test cruises on August 11, 2021.

Independence of the Seas will begin her test cruises on August 1, 2021.

Royal Caribbean confirmed the test cruise start dates, which coincide with Royal Caribbean's other big announcement of restart plans for this summer.

This just in: @RoyalCaribbean Independence and Mariner of the Seas have been approved for simulation cruises on Aug. 1 and Aug. 11, respectively. ?

— Royal Caribbean PR (@RoyalCaribPR) June 4, 2021

Royal Caribbean plans to start revenue cruises on Mariner of the Seas from Port Canaveral, beginning on August 23, 2021.

Likewise, Independence of the Seas is scheduled to sail from Galveston with paying passengers on August 15, 2021.

Of the ships confirmed for restart earlier today, we are still waiting on test cruise dates for Serenade, Ovation, and Odyssey of the Seas.

Each cruise ship needs to be approved by the CDC in order to conduct test cruises.

During these test cruises, Royal Caribbean will go through a variety of scenarios to prove to the CDC that the ship can conduct sailings in a safe manner. Specifically, the new protocols aimed at preventing Covid-19 from getting onboard the ship are at the heart of these dry runs.

Each ship must conduct at least one simulated cruise, and each voyage must be between 2-7 days in length with a least one overnight stay, including through embarkation, disembarkation, and post-disembarkation testing.

According to the CDC, passengers and crew must meet standards during the simulated voyage for hand hygiene, use of face masks, and social distancing for passengers and crew, as well as ship sanitation.

Royal Caribbean must modify meal service and entertainment venues to facilitate social distancing during the simulated voyage.

Guests can now book summer 2020 sailings on Independence of the Seas following a deployment change that will keep the ship in Port Everglades.

Instead of sailing from Southampton in summer 2020, Independence of the Seas will offer 3, 4 and 5-night sailings from Port Everglades to the Western Caribbean and Perfect Day at CocoCay.

The new bookings range from May through October 2020 and are available to book via Royal Caribbean's website.

In May 2019, Royal Caribbean announced it would cancel scheduled Independence of the Seas 2020 sailings from Southampton, and instead keep her in Port Everglades, Florida in an effort to offer additional sailings to Perfect Day at CocoCay.

Thanks to RoyalCaribbeanBlog reader Jaymac Radio for alerting us to this addition.

Royal Caribbean announced it has decided to redeploy Independence of the Seas in 2020 from the UK market, and instead keep her in Port Everglades, Florida to offer more cruises to Perfect Day at CocoCay.

As a result of the change in homeport, Royal Caribbean has begun informing guests that had cruises booked on Independence of the Seas from Southampton in 2020 that their sailings are canceled.

On Royal Caribbean's UK website, the cruise line explained the change, "Responding to strong booking interest in our exciting new Caribbean private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean International has announced a 2020 deployment change for Independence of the Seas. The ship will now sail from Fort Lauderdale, Florida rather than Southampton. Guests affected by the itinerary change will be offered full refunds and a ‘Future Cruise Credit’ for use on alternative sailings. The popular Quantum Class ship Anthem of the Seas will return to the UK market for 2020, adding more options for guests sailing from Southampton."

Responding to strong booking interest in its exciting new Caribbean private destination, Perfect Day at CocoCay, Royal Caribbean International has announced a 2020 deployment change for Independence of the Seas. Click here: https://t.co/dv6aoXOnjx for more details.

— Royal Caribbean UK (@MyRoyalUK) May 9, 2019

As a result of the change, Independence of the Seas will remain in the Caribbean instead of sailing to Southampton in 2020.

Royal Caribbean UK also apologized for canceling sailings some guests have booked, "Our goal is provide our guests with the best itineraries that take you to exclusive parts of the world and have decided to make these changes for the 2020 season to maximize our capacity in the Caribbean. We are terribly sorry. We know this news is disappointing."

Royal Caribbean has updated the Diamond member happy hour drink menu on Independence of the Seas, which features a new look and a few additions.

Royal Caribbean Blog reader Twangster shared a photo of the new menu while onboard Independence of the Seas.

Diamond drink menu from Independence of the Seas January 2019

Diamond drink menu from Jewel of the Seas January 2019. Photo by Steve Pellegrino

Diamond drink menu from Serenade of the Seas February 2018

Glenfiddich scotch has been added to the menu, along with Captain Morgan rum.

Each evening, Royal Caribbean offers complimentary alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages in its Diamond lounges for Diamond, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle members. In addition, Diamond members and above receive three complimentary drink vouchers to use at bars and lounges around the ship during the same time.

If your next Royal Caribbean offers the Sky Pad virtual reality jump experience, then you might be able to pre-book it before the cruise via Royal Caribbean's Cruise Planner site.

We have spotted the option to pre-book Sky Pad sessions on the Cruise Planner site for upcoming Mariner of the Seas and Independence of the Seas sailings. The Sky Pad option is under the Entertainment & Activities menu.

There is no cost to reserve a time, and you can select times from 30 minute blocks.

Thanks to Royal Caribbean Blog reader Jason Cook for alerting us to this change.