SummerIsAStateOfMind

For entertainment it’s the epic 1977 ice show which didn’t disappoint. Even my teens who came with low expectations loved it. It had drones, magic and adventure. 

Then it was off to the Street and balloon drop party before dancing the night away in Boleros.

For Dinner We went down the rabbit hole to Wonderland! Interesting and quirky decor. The food is good but you must have an adventurous appetite to enjoy the waiter’s selection of light bites. My teens enjoyed it but went to the Windjammer afterwards for more food 🥘 

After the informal get together  with CC roll call group, the Sail Away 🎉 party was a blast with music, dancing and drones overhead capturing it all 

59 minutes ago, blueridgemama said:

Looking forward to your review. Thanks for doing it. Was there a special line for the Key folks when you arrived at the terminal?

There was a line for the key but people didn’t respect it and the officials had to make announcements that it was for key members only but they didn’t move. I had to go to the official and tell him I had the key. He let us jump the line.

Rooms were ready after lunch 1pm. The luggage was another story we located them 3 hrs later purely by accident mid ship but on the same floor 😅.

We have two Boardwalk balconies two floors over Playmakers and while it’s very noisy on the balcony the rooms are quiet. The kids love being able to see all the activities on the Boardwalk. We are right where we want to be.

2 minutes ago, Cel_cruise said:

Did you have lunch at Chops with The Key or because you pre-purchased?   I saw a photo in another review of a line to get into Chops ... just trying to gauge if that’s because it wasn’t open yet?  Or if there are walk ins? Or just lots of seats sold between The Key and Purchases..

We got in with the key at 11:30. The lines were long for people arriving late due to the crowds in the terminal (sold out ship/Spring Break). Jamie’s Italian was also available for the key but it was fairly empty in Jamie’s 

Day 1 embarkation: Terminal was crowded but the lines moved quickly. 

Lunch at Chops grill in Central Park  was perfect to avoid the crowds in Windjammer 

Follow along and discover this Magnificent ship with me

50 minutes ago, RickinStl said:

Sitting here in STL with Rain snow and Sleet and what the hell other crap is falling out of the sky.. I thought I saw  a crow and a cardinal fight for a spot in the old oak tree in my front yard. The tree rats told them no way.. Its 20F with a 40 MPH wind chill.We soooooo need to be on a ship right now.. 

I’m right there with you. The weather in Dallas dropped 30 degrees in 4 hours. I don’t know if I can wait 3 weeks to get on that ship, but these lovely pictures sure do help.

13 minutes ago, Lupush said:

Enjoying your review.  Thanks for taking the time to share with all of us.  Definitely getting me excited for our first Royal Cruise in a few weeks!  One question, why does Royal not cover the Boardwalk area?  Seems like it would be annoying walking through the center of the ship and getting caught in the rain.

 

Thanks!

I love that the boardwalk is open to the elements just like Central Park. It mirrors the concept of a real beach boardwalk and makes the ship less claustrophobic. Thanks, that reminds me to pack an umbrella.

1 hour ago, phabric said:

 

Is there a charge to use their property?

You're free to go walking around & shopping but there is a $39pp Port Pass that covers visits the Avery, aquarium, chocolate factory and Tequila tasting

1 hour ago, Biker19 said:

Please be kind and don't quote 2x a long post like that - folks who need to scroll through this stuff would appreciate it.

I didn't deliberately intend to post twice, I got a popup notice that the post did not go through which is why I reposted. I do not have the option to delete it or I would. My apologies if it it caused any unintended inconvenience to anyone following.

1 hour ago, driscruisers said:

For example, dinner service was extremely slow, we had 7:30pm My Time reservations for which we were sat right away every night and we didn't leave the dining room most nights until after 9:30pm. Dessert was served and finished before we would get our coffee. Bar service at the Solarium bar and the Wipeout bar was extremely slow. Solarium bar mostly because they couldn't keep up with the demand even though the bartenders were hustling hard to do so but the Wipeout bar bartenders just always seemed to be taking their sweet time serving. Also a lot of the crew just seemed to be going through the motions. 

This was just our experience and having talked to a few other people in other seatings, they had the same concerns about the dinner service as well. But don't get me wrong, there were other instances were the service was outstanding and overall we had a great time. Service is a subjective subject to everybody and we typically just roll with it because we are just happy to be on vacation! Hopefully the OP's review says differently about the service they experience, enjoy your cruise!!

 

 

Thank you for your frank response. We will be happy to roll along with the flow too but two hours is a long time for dinner and with my sailing being fully booked, I'll now give extra time between dinner & the shows. I'd hate to be stressed throughout dinner about missing a show. 

6 minutes ago, MrFunInTheSun said:

El Loco 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cellular phone battery charging stations. Three, free of charge to use...Deck 15 by aft elevators and kids areas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My teens will be loving the charging stations. I had no idea that these were on board.

3 minutes ago, MrFunInTheSun said:

El Loco 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cellular phone battery charging stations. Three, free of charge to use...Deck 15 by aft elevators and kids areas.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My teens will be loving the charging stations. I had no idea that these were on board.

13 minutes ago, driscruisers said:

Thank you for taking the time to do a live review! We just got off Symphony yesterday so following along makes the sting of being back home a little more tolerable! She is a magnificent ship, I hope the service you receive this week is a little better than what we experienced this past week!

In what ways were the service lacking? I'm traveling on spring break in a few weeks with a full ship. It helps to know what to look expect or avoid

6 hours ago, MrFunInTheSun said:

Good a Morning, welcome to Day Two Live from the Symphony of the seas...

 

 

Day Two Compass

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have you been using the RC phone app as well as the Cruise Compass? I'd be interested to know if it works well with listing activities and keeping up with shipboard expenses etc. 

Following along, Bon Voyage! i'll be there on the March 9th sailing. Can't wait. 

Just now, BirdTravels said:

Sorentos

Both sides of the Windjammer

Park Cafe

any bar (served)

,,, must be more,,,

Thanks! This was just posted on the RC blog: 4 machines in the Windjammer. 1 next to Loco Fresh on deck 15. 1 in park cafe on deck 8. 1 or 2 next to Sorrentos on deck 5. My teens like the machines where they can mix various flavors. 

On 1/23/2019 at 3:38 PM, Robo1098 said:

For the kids there is no significant difference between Harmony and Symphony. The differences are things an adult may notice. Symphony has a much better solarium, Playmakers on the boardwalk and some other more minor differences.  

Did you notice 

Does anyone know how many soda machines are on the Symphony and where they are located? I'm taking a cruise on spring break and that ship will be packed with people. I just wanted to give my kids an heads up where to find them.