Symphony OTS Live! - Transatlantic Oct. 28, 2018 "Coming to America"

[J-Bone]

@twangster Awesome video Capt. Rob was so informative that was fun to watch 

[twangster]

Day 5 - Late Night

 

I thought I'd check out some smoother music in Jazz on 4.  The Kellough-Carter Jazz Experience were playing.

 

 

Very good.

 

 

Thirsty for more I had a very good Mojito in Boleros with some latin dance music courtesy of Latino Heat.

 

 

Time for bed, but a quick look to see what was on the menu tonight at Sorrento's

 

 

I resisted and made it back to my cabin without any more pizza in my belly.

Edited November 2, 2018 by twangster

[twangster]

Day 6 - Sea Day

 

A quick morning update.  Beautiful day, calm seas, sunny and 72°F.

 

 

Our progress...

 

 

Cruise distance 1,689 nm 

 

 

I need to get just a little bit of work completed then I'll head up to check out the pool deck.

[twangster]

It looks like we are headed to the new world.  

 

What have you guys done to Miami while we've been gone?

 

[MrFunInTheSun]

Looks like it is another perfect day at sea. Symphony looks amazing, can’t wait to sail on her in February. 

[AshleyDillo]

34 minutes ago, twangster said:

It looks like we are headed to the new world.  

 

What have you guys done to Miami while we've been gone?

 

 

Looks like they're pointing more towards Miami, Ohio there.  

[BillOh]

17 minutes ago, AshleyDillo said:

 

Looks like they're pointing more towards Miami, Ohio there.  

 

That would be less of a drive for me.  

[BillOh]

I just looked down at  the T-shirt I wore today.  Anyone seen any of these on Symphony yet?   Royal has really dropped the ball on keeping simple T-shirts or polo shirts on ships recently.     Unless you are a XS, S, or M size!

 

 

[Pratique]

3 hours ago, BillOh said:

I just looked down at  the T-shirt I wore today.  Anyone seen any of these on Symphony yet?   Royal has really dropped the ball on keeping simple T-shirts or polo shirts on ships recently.     Unless you are a XS, S, or M size!

 

 

Yes the entire shop is full of inaugural season merchandise. Not sure about that particular kind of shirt though but yes the most popular sizes of most items are in short supply.

[BillOh]

19 minutes ago, Pratique said:

Yes the entire shop is full of inaugural season merchandise. Not sure about that particular kind of shirt though but yes the most popular sizes of most items are in short supply.

Thank you for taking the time to reply. 

[swoopy2110]

3 hours ago, twangster said:

It looks like we are headed to the new world.  

 

What have you guys done to Miami while we've been gone?

 

 

Good to see the department that runs their website is also running the IT systems on Symphony 

[Pratique]

9 minutes ago, swoopy2110 said:

 

Good to see the department that runs their website is also running the IT systems on Symphony 

If the length of the never ending line at the VOOM desk is any indication, things are not running so smoothly. We have experienced intermittent problems with the internet connection as well as with the Royal App, which on some days decides not to work at all. The good news is that Guest Services has been responsive and helpful.

[twangster]

Day 6 Update

 

Glorious day here somewhere in the Atlantic.  A perfect 72°F with little humidity.  Winds are from aft so with our forward motion there is very little 'felt' wind across the deck. 

 

With blue skies and full sun I took the opportunity to take some pictures.

 

 

Like Harmony there are port and starboard bridge wings. 

 

 

Port side features 'King of the World' like Harmony with a glass floor looking straight down to the sea.

 

 

 

Onward, straight to America!

 

 

The view aft:

 

 

Starboard bridge wing.

 

 

 

[twangster]

This is the busiest I have seen the Solarium.  With the new layout it does feel a little smaller than Harmony's Solarium.  In some ways it's more open yet seating seems less to me.  I'll have to sail Harmony again to compare 🙂.

 

 

The hard glass/plastic ceiling works better than's Harmony's vinyl ceiling.

 

 

The pool on the lower level has a glass front with rippling water flowing over the face of the base.

 

 

 

The Solarium Bar remains closed due to construction.

[twangster]

Hooked entrance.

 

 

Hooked has a nightly happy hour.  For $10 you get a drink and an appetizer.

[sh2738]

1 minute ago, twangster said:

Hooked entrance.

 

 

 

Hooked has a nightly happy hour.  For $10 you get a drink and an appetizer.

 

Oh wow, really? Love that. Are raw oysters an option for the appetizer? Would love this as my traveling partner is a vegetarian and this way I could grab some seafood just for me. Thanks. 

[twangster]

 

 

 

 

It's 5 o'clock somewhere.  That makes it time for a Kraken Lavaflow.

 

 

Paper straw.

Edited November 2, 2018 by twangster

[sh2738]

13 minutes ago, twangster said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's 5 o'clock somewhere.  That makes it time for a Kraken Lavaflow.

 

 

 

Paper straw.

 

Hey. That looks good. What is in that? Is it a special drink on the drink menu? Looks good. Thanks. 

[twangster]

3 minutes ago, sh2738 said:

 

Hey. That looks good. What is in that? Is it a special drink on the drink menu? Looks good. Thanks. 

 

Lavaflow is a standard frozen drink.  I prefer it with Kraken rum.    

[joand452]

Wonderful photos!  I thought the Solarium had the cascading pools like Quantum class, but just the one, eh?  

[kpark895]

On 10/31/2018 at 12:18 PM, BillOh said:

 

 

Yup, that's it, one thing I like about the older forum, I could look up THREADS YOU STARTED (me) where I could look up where I mentioned it on my Oasis review back in 2016.   I wonder how many all access tours they will do on a TA of a new ship? Thanks again, I hope you continue to have a great cruise. 

 

BillOh, you can still do that.  Click on your user name in the right hand corner, click on profile in the drop down menu.  On the landing page, in the mid-upper right hand side is a little box that says "See My Activity".  Click on that. On the resulting page, under ACTIVITY on the left hand side, click on Topics and that should bring you to a list of threads you have started.  Not sure how far back it will go, date wise, but mine go back to my first thread in August of 2017.  HTH!

Edited November 2, 2018 by kpark895
Posted in the wrong block of text.

[twangster]

4 hours ago, sh2738 said:

 

Oh wow, really? Love that. Are raw oysters an option for the appetizer? Would love this as my traveling partner is a vegetarian and this way I could grab some seafood just for me. Thanks. 

 

In Hooked now at the bar.  Tonight's appetizer is 6 oysters.   Drink that is part of the $10 happy hour special is beer or wine.  

[WhiteSoxFan]

On 11/1/2018 at 1:49 PM, twangster said:

 

Recently I’ve had success in many MDRs.   No official policy change that I know of, but it works.  

 

I had a talk with the bartender about this.   The official line is supposed to be no.  He does serve them.   He did tell me bartenders get nothing for serving Diamond drinks.  With drink package trips, bartenders get some of the gratuity pool.   Not so with diamond drinks.   It's a fully stocked bar.  

I always tip the bartenders in the Diamond lounge, or elsewhere when I get my diamond drinks, about $10.  It sure does make the service faster on subsequent days.

[legendaryheck]

On 11/1/2018 at 12:34 PM, twangster said:

Like Harmony there are two viewing areas forward of the life boats.

 

One has shuffle board

 

 

The other has ping pong tables.

 

 

 

Are there chairs at the stern of the ship around the track to sit at as well?

[twangster]

2 minutes ago, legendaryheck said:

 

Are there chairs at the stern of the ship around the track to sit at as well?

 

A handful. Like other Oasis class.