“LIVE” from Symphony of the Seas, March 9, 2019

[niksmom630]

This is a great review, thank you for sharing!  We board the Symphony tomorrow and I cannot wait!  
 
Something I have wondered for a while: can you tan in the Solarium?  It looks like it is almost completely covered.  I know tanning is not good blah blah blah, but is that a place to get some sun?

The roof is mostly glass, and yes, you can absolutely get sun in there.


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[niksmom630]

Waiting to board our 10:15 am flight....a few pics from yesterday








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[niksmom630]

From port of Miami, this morning....









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[niksmom630]

Self assist walk off started promptly at 6:45 am. We got in line on deck 5, outside the Bionic bar around 6:15.

There were only around 40 people in line then, but by 6:45, the line extended all the way to the back of the MDR. Once the line started moving, we were thru to curbside in less than 15 minutes.

We had intended to take a taxi or Uber, but there were vans outside offering airport transfers for $10 per person, so in the interest of time, we decided to take the van.

We didn’t have great options for return flight times. Either early a.m. or late afternoon.

I knew the 10:15 time was doable, but also knew things were going to have to go well.

The security check point lines were ROUGH. And long. [emoji30]We were still at the gate over an hour prior to our flight.






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[Ralphinsc]

Thanks for your wonderful review! Our week has gotten closer and all of you guys on the Symphony this week made it such an enjoyable and enlightening time!

[niksmom630]

Finishing up with the last of my photos and this review will be a wrap!

We never made it to Wonderland, but I just love the look of this venue.

















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[niksmom630]

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[niksmom630]

Someone was really using their noggin when they chose these bathroom door opening sensors that operate with the wave of your hand

No more using using paper towels to open the bathroom door after washing your hands, and then putting your basketball skills to the test trying to dispose of said paper towels after exiting the bathroom



I’m also a fan of these two sided stateroom door magnets [emoji3590]






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[niksmom630]

Vitality












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[LuCruise]

We were on your cruise as well and nice re-living it and seeing your experience.  Looks like you had a great time!

[Zendeck]

Thank you for the great review!  Welcome back to reality ☹️

[Ralphinsc]

7 hours ago, niksmom630 said:

Vitality


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Did you use any of the spa services? We have a couples massage scheduled on our cruise and haven't been able to find many Symphony spa reviews. 

[blueridgemama]

Were the drinks in the Vitality Cafe included in beverage packages?

[MrFunInTheSun]

3 hours ago, blueridgemama said:

Were the drinks in the Vitality Cafe included in beverage packages?

 

Smoothies are minus any supplements. 

[knon24]

10 hours ago, Ralphinsc said:

 

Did you use any of the spa services? We have a couples massage scheduled on our cruise and haven't been able to find many Symphony spa reviews. 

 

My husband and I had a couples massage on Harmony in November and we thought it was just okay. We vowed to never waste our time in the spa again. It was fine and all but we spent time and money there when we could have been doing something else as there is so much to do always! 

[PhilNDebbieAtSea]

Great review and gorgeous pictures! Thank you so much for taking us along. It looked like an awesome time!

[Ourusualbeach]

Chris, another fantastic review.  Reading it now and it’s hard to believe it’s over already.  Thanks again for organizing the slot tournament, it was a lot of fun, like Yorkvillian we ended up losing the money we walked away with from the slots.

[niksmom630]

Going to wrap up with a few last thoughts... and a photo or two [emoji6]

A few people were inquiring about the Hilton Miami Blue Lagoon accommodations....

Overall, I’d probably give it A 7 out of ten.....

The positives:

Common areas, grounds and pool area. Nice outdoor bar area














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[niksmom630]

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[niksmom630]

Short Uber ride to Publix to pick up wine.

Probably would have been walkable had I not had to carry back the wine!

Negatives.....

Rooms are definitely looking a little worn. Literally right across from the airport, so if flight noise would bother you, probably not a good choice.

Nice balcony and view if you choose a corner room, but a LONG hallway walk to get there.



I hate preloaded mini fridges that are basically unusable....there was a card in the room that said you could request a second fridge to store items....





Finally, the room was pretty pricey.... but not uncommon for for the February to April timeframe in Florida.




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[niksmom630]

The Symphony overall? A 9-10 for me.

Mostly pluses and a few minuses....but as far as cruises go, my favorite Oasis class ship so far.

- entertainment was some of the best I’ve seen. ever.

- quantum class stateroom style and configuration far surpass Allure and Oasis rooms, in a good way

- Port of Miami embark/debark was super fast and efficient.

- lots of hand washing stations in the various dining venues. A huge plus for hand sanitizer haters

- MDR service was impeccable. Fast, efficient, and the wait staff was super friendly.

- bar service was also good. Even on crowded sea days, I only waited a few minutes for drink service.



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[niksmom630]

Another item of noteworthy news.....the cabin refrigerator kept items ICE cold.

If fact, the few items I stored in there throughout the week actually froze [emoji15]




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[niksmom630]

As for the negatives, there weren’t many, and mostly were more of an “nit” or annoyance than anything:

- did not receive and D/D+ info or invites in the stateroom. No offers sheet, we usually receive a “behind the scenes” tour offer (galley, bridge or theatre choice) mid week.... but this cruise....nada. Maybe I missed the discontinuation of this perk, in which case, I retract my negative [emoji38]

- I for one would advocate a brief segment during the muster informational video to remind people about elevator etiquette. Doors opening does not mean “enter”. Count to ten, wait for people to exit, THEN enter. Pet peeve of mine, but irritating nonetheless.

- this was my first sailing on any Oasis class sailing that felt “crowded”. Can’t really put my finger on why. I realize it was a “spring break” cruise for many, but ships don’t sail half empty these days. I’ve always said that Oasis class ships are the best for disbursing crowds, but the pool decks on sea days were rough to navigate. Maybe it was the chairs. And so many of them.




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[niksmom630]

The award for the best T-shirts of the week goes out to this group. Met these folks on the pool deck on Day 1.

I wonder how many cones this gentleman had?



Well, this about wraps it up! Thanks to all of you who followed along for posting all the nice comments and “likes”.

I confess that these LIVE reviews are a little self serving. Occasionally, I look back at some of my older reviews to revisit the photos and the memories. A nice reminder of the reason we take vacations. A friend here on the boards once reminded me, “work hard, play hard”- the best advise. [emoji3590] and don’t wait until tomorrow for the memories you can make today.

Finally, a shout out to all the CC members I finally got to meet in person on this sailing. What a great little community we have here [emoji847] I hope our cruising paths cross again!

Two of my favorite memories to finish this off....our Roatan stop, and getting to hug one of these amazing creatures



And getting bit by this little $!&@!#!



And a picture perfect sail away gathering with cruising friends, “old” and “new”!

Hoping there are many more “until we meet again”! [emoji3590]







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[niksmom630]

We were on your cruise as well and nice re-living it and seeing your experience.  Looks like you had a great time!

We did, Lu! Hope you had a great one as well... sorry we didn’t get to meet in person [emoji847]

Great review and gorgeous pictures! Thank you so much for taking us along. It looked like an awesome time!

Thanks! It was! Weren’t we on a sailing together? Maybe Harmony?

Chris, another fantastic review.  Reading it now and it’s hard to believe it’s over already.  Thanks again for organizing the slot tournament, it was a lot of fun, like Yorkvillian we ended up losing the money we walked away with from the slots.

Ken, sorry to hear about the demise of your slot pull winnings! [emoji38][emoji857]

Hopefully there will be another, more fruitful slot pull in our future where IRS reporting is involved, and Tim will get more than one spin with said winnings on the roulette wheel [emoji23]



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