NolaFireLI

There was an original novelty to The Bionic Bar, but it wears off pretty fast when you just get a standard drink!! It's good for the folks that just turned 21, or are New to Royal, otherwise, it's just a hard-pass! ...And I'm not even sure if it was operating last week on Symphony. 

I MUCH rather have the Champagne Bar back, it was quite lovely and had some of the best bartenders in the industry! 

25 minutes ago, Havin'fun said:

The viewing platforms on either side of the ship in the lower level of the solarium on 14.

Deck 12 forward is interactive art, using your royal app, it's called x-ray vision where you can watch in real time what is happening on the bridge. The picture is of a captain's uniform but a piece of coral for the head.

 

 

Thank you - sailing on her this saturday - happy for any tips! 😀

Hello - I'm going on the Symphony sailing, leaving out of Miami on June 4th..... The sailing is NOT June 5th, June 5th, the ship and passengers will be at Perfect Day in Coco Cay!!
PLEASE do yourself a favor and speak directly to your TA - if no success there, call RCI directly and get everything straightened out! You have 2 weeks before the sailing, and I would be calling EVERYONE I possibly could and would've been already trying at the 30 day mark when this all should have been confirmed already! 
Good luck - hope you see you onboard! 

Just looked this morning, because I thought a week from now I would be making appointments.... Looks like they are only doing the appointments for the rapid NAAT tests 3 days before and not a week now.... will this change?? probably.... will we deal with it.... more than likely... just another bump in the road to the cruise. 
and I may be a lucky one, but I have other options close by if need be if Walgreens is "doing away" with testing

Morning....
following along since well I cruise Symphony in just 3 short weeks, and I can't wait.... love Oasis class ships and this will be the 1st on Symphony!!! 
have a great cruise... safe travels today! 
...I absolutely love your writing style! 
L.I Teas for the win - said the LI girl!! ❤️ 

Loving this "live" review and hoping that you have an answer about the NFL draft tonight at Playmakers... hopeful since my NHL team might hopefully be in the middle of the playoffs when i cruise the 1st week of June... and hopeful that i can get some of our sports on board while cruising! TIA!!

With everything being so "fluid" these days and up in the air, I can get why show schedules are not released beforehand and honestly I'm not going to let an entertainment schedule run MY personal schedule while on a cruise vacation... 

...Let's ALL remember that we are on vacation....a well deserved break from our every day lives and ENJOY! 

What a wonderful, very well-written review!!! 
Kudos to a job very well done!!! ... and I agree with the others, I hope it's not another 4 years until your next cruise review😀

Following along... Have a great time - we cruise on 6/4 and can NOT wait - it's been too long!!! 
Have a blast in your villa suite! 

Thanks for sharing... on the Symphony this June, and while I know "everything will be different by then" may apply, I'm thankful for you taking the time to share....  some peeps do like to plan ahead!!! 🙂 

On 7/9/2020 at 10:43 PM, Buckeye94 said:

For the best info on Edge class ships, do a search for posts authored by vtcruising. She made it her mission to learn and share everything she could about Edge. She passed away last year, but her posts were the most thoughtful and will live here forever.

 

I love the S-class ships, and I sailed Edge last Fall. Not crazy about the IV or the new Martini Bar location, but it is a lovely ship.  I LOVE the four MDR choices on Edge, and I thought the nightclub was fun (some odd seating though).  Nice way to spend a week or two! Oh, how I miss cruising.  I usually choose based on itinerary, but if I had a choice, I'd take Solstice class over Edge and Edge over Millennium.

 

That's just me, but you asked! 😃  Have a wonderful time whatever ship you choose.

 

Julie  

Thank you for the wonderful heads-up Buckeye94 - I will most certainly do my searching for posts from vtcruising.... I appreciate anyone who shared their knowledge, as I know I did way back when RC/Allure was brand-new!! Sorry to hear of her passing, I know on my time here, I have seen here posts... and will now fully enjoy them for my research! 

Happy cruising to everyone! 

4 hours ago, TeeRick said:

shofer,

Back in January 2019 in the now gilded age of cruising....

 

We took Harmony of the Seas (sister ship to Symphony) out of Fort Lauderdale and then proceeded directly to Edge.  So we did the exact comparison that you are asking about back to back.  We enjoyed both cruises very much.  But very different ships and experiences.  Harmony is an amusement park on the ocean.  It was noisy, crowded, full of kids but we enjoyed the high energy and endless things to do.  We were happy to then board Edge as it gave us a quieter more refined experience in the second week.  On Edge you can book a Sunset Veranda and get a balcony if you want to avoid the IV.  Or a suite of course.  There is no answer to your question- just opinions here and it is really all about the cruising style that you prefer.  

Thanks TeeRick.... I'm also wondering kinda the same thing myself as Shofer... having already been on all the Oasis class ships and having APEX booked for next April and this will also be our 1st Celebrity experience.  We have an IV room booked, and I'm more curious as to how that's all going to be compared to our usual oceanview balcony. 
I think quieter might be better, and DH & I are the kids at 46 & 53, so I think it might be the vacation we need.... of course, fingers crossed that we all have a cruise industry for vacations! 
 

Experienced the SAME THING on Harmony this August from a rather large group of folks who thought that they were the ones in charge of the ship all week and could do whatever they wanted, whenever they wanted!

Radio blaring in the smoking section from the minute they woke up until it was time to pass out again - and again, where talking the same music that NO ONE wants to hear (but them). They basically over-took the smoking section on the pool deck all day long, and a few times the "herd" flocked to the casino where said radio was still blaring garbage music.

All in all, we did whatever we could to avoid the herd, and it looked like any RCI official was doing the same thing and didn't want to make a scene

... MEANWHILE - to anyone playing their music so loud in a public area - HOW RUDE ARE YOU?!?!?!??! - I bet your mother is SOOO PROUD of what you have become!!!!!

Make sure you leave room for dessert... it's almost the best part of Wonderland - after of course, the beef!!

Enjoy!!!

as a non-seafood lover, I enjoyed it twice!!!

(bonus points - i went for dessert again the night after as well!!)

Where should I have dinner tonight? My reservations say 830 at Chops but that is just to late and I've found especially with 150 Central Park I can just walk up when I want, such as last night I went at 630. I'm thinking maybe Izumi and have some sushi.

 

 

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Sorry Bob, but my vote would be 150... Please get the cucumber martini for me! :cocktail:

It's been a long 2.5 weeks since I left her, boy she still looks great!!! - Thanks for the shots from the St. Thomas Crown Bay Marina. When we were there, we took the Island Girl over to St. John for a beautiful day at Trunk Bay, and I forgot all about trying to get pictures of Harmony, but they may have been because I had some iguanas chasing me.

Isn't it truly amazing how those towels aren't sunning themselves when the ship is so quiet?!?!? :')

As always, everyone has an opinion.. but lets think about this twirling guy and ask if YOU could spin like that for more than 10 minutes and not throw up your dinner on yourself - NO... So I will say the guy is talented whether you like him or not!!

Also - something else to consider... RCI has some of the best entertainment on their ships - Please tell me where else on a cruise can you find such great talent diving into a pool, all while at sea?

I've been on Oasis, Allure and Harmony - thought all Aqua Theater shows were superb and have to hand it to the talent onboard for keeping us entertained!

I guess if you don't want to see talent on a high wire above your head while you're at sea, you could always go make a donation to the casino!!

I'm a bit shocked to learn that there isn't food available on St. Kitts

 

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There is a FOOD COURT in the port area right as you leave the ship - There was a great variety of things to eat, including a bar and even a little swimming pool. I know last week when hubs and I ventured off the ship while in St. Kitts, we came here, listened to a local band play from tunes, had a nice refreshing beverage, some tasty local cuisine and had a great little afternoon... but that was a LUNCH TIME.

I think most of the complaints about dining options were for the late afternoon - we had to be back on the ship for 3:30 - most places for lunchtime foods close at 3. Now while you have pizza and hot dogs, the lines for each of them while leaving St. Kitts would make ANYONE's head spin - in fact, that was the afternoon I said, OH so this is where all the people are!!!

***Side note, it was also just as bad when HOTS left St. Thomas with the WJ locked tight getting ready for dinner!

and yes, while others might not want to eat off the ship since they already paid for the meal, I love to try the local foods as much as possible - and if the opportunity to do so presents itself, I will partake!

OK, I'll bite - where did you get this info??

Where's the press release.......

Just make sure you present the ring somewhere where it won't vanish if it gets dropped. LOL

 

bosco

Very smart tip!!! :hearteyes:

as a life long Leaf fan, that really sucks that you are a Rangers fan and your spouse cheers for those sad sack Islanders

Thanks Molsonschooner for making me spray coffee all over my computer screen!!! LOL!!!

Andrew - great news about the Brazilian BBQ still onboard!! Fond memories!! Maybe I will cure my PCD by booking another!

Also, suggestion for a lunch spot while in Cozumel today - La Mission - downtown, steps off the main street. We always go there when in Cozumel.

Oh Andrew - THANK YOU!!! You are making PCD manageable this week as I come back to reality from a great week on Harmony!! I found this LIVE review Monday, while struggling with PCD and finally all caught up with this live review and work!! Always love your reviews and so SHOCKED that you did this with 4 days to spare!!! - WOOHOO!!!

Quick dining questions, since I'm still in debate mode on what Oasis class ship I want to re-explore - Does Allure still have the Brazilian BBQ up in the Solarium bistro at dinner?? Second question, is Izumi still up on Deck 16? Haven't been on Allure since 2011 and have fond memories of both experiences and want to do them again... if at all possible. So TIA and carry on and please enjoy the rest of your cruise!!

...oh and GOOD LUCK to the Leafs - said the life-long NY Rangers fan, who's married almost 15 years to a life-long NY Islanders fan!!!

Thanks :-)

100% Agree about the bed and the lack of food options coming back in from both St. Thomas & St. Kitts - if you wanted pizza the line was 20 minutes deep, Wipe Out Cafe - CLOSED, Windjammer on change-over... so I know we ended up at the Hot Dog stand after St. Thomas!

That bed was a lacking comfort and I felt like sleeping on the couch might have been a better option.

Overall I know my party of 6 had the vacation to remember!! Can't see how anyone would have a bad time!!!

I believe it is mostly for RCI's protection too but also for the passengers. My family had an incident on Harmony in a passenger corridor and the camera footage got the guy confined to his cabin until we arrived in FLL and authorities retrieved him. Our story matched exactly what the video showed so that's why they confined him. His story was quite different from ours.Without the video it is he-said she-said.

 

BTW they offered to show us the video and I watched it. The authorities got a copy of it as well.

Hate to say it, but not everyone is perfect & the body cams are there to protect EVERYONE! Given the instance above, it would appear that the body cam caught someone doing 'bad things' - Body cams and security cameras have been the norm in our society.

I like that they give us the "heads-up" if they need to enter your cabin, but you should already know that every single public space on board has a camera watching!!

Ahhh... my last friday afternoon in the office until I board Harmony on the 18th and here I have this giant distraction!!!

SO THANK YOU CruiseLifeRick - Enjoy!!!!

Great review and great pictures....

like you, I love my seaside sunrises and sunsets!! And yes, have to agree that sunrise photo with Cuba in the background is quite pretty!

I'm in debate mode about bringing my Nikon again in 8 days when we go on the Harmony - thinking one less thing to bring, but also at the same time, I know I'm doing things that I didn't do last year on HOS, so I'm kinda on the fence... How did you decide to go without?