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Before I bite the bullet and book Symphony...

micmacmissy
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Clarea

Clarea

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47 minutes ago, lovrccl said:

We just got off her today, never again.  Ship was full, lots of kids.  Food was not good at all. Hooked Seafood was terrible.  Others on board said the same.  Shows were good, ship is nice but that is about it.  We are done with Oasis Class.

 

I hear that.

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jjjandkk

jjjandkk

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WE WILL be on the Symphony in March.  We went zip lining last time we were there, and then to a beach.   We had a great time.   Do watch your step while swimming.  Stepped on a piece of fire coral that burned for about a day.   We can only cruise during spring break as DW is a school teacher.   We are looking forward to it.   

33D2842F-8B7C-4513-AFAA-75200843519F.jpeg

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elaineb

elaineb

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You are scaring me now, lol.  We are going on the Symphony in May to celebrate my nephew's graduation from pharmacy school.  My DB, DSIL and DN love the Oasis class and have been on them a few times.  We have had no desire to sail on the behemoths, but are going along on this one and feel that we will just make the best of it.  I don't even like the way it looks.  We tried Celebrity in March, and I think we have found our home.  I don't want to be on Mall of America on the Seas.  Give me good food, a nicely appointed ship and view of the ocean from the outside decks.  Where are some quiet spots that we can enjoy this ship besides Central Park?

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jakeil7

jakeil7

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41 minutes ago, elaineb said:

You are scaring me now, lol.  We are going on the Symphony in May to celebrate my nephew's graduation from pharmacy school.  My DB, DSIL and DN love the Oasis class and have been on them a few times.  We have had no desire to sail on the behemoths, but are going along on this one and feel that we will just make the best of it.  I don't even like the way it looks.  We tried Celebrity in March, and I think we have found our home.  I don't want to be on Mall of America on the Seas.  Give me good food, a nicely appointed ship and view of the ocean from the outside decks.  Where are some quiet spots that we can enjoy this ship besides Central Park?


The best place for quiet ocean views is at the rear of the ship on the running track. There are a few loungers setup there and no one will bother you. Great ocean views. 
 

Sadly, the rest of the ship will not be a good fit for you. Ocean views are there, but at the edges and it is more family focused. My suggestion:  enjoy spending time with your family and stop worrying about if the ship fits you perfectly. 

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brillohead "Live from...." Rare

brillohead

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1 hour ago, elaineb said:

Where are some quiet spots that we can enjoy this ship besides Central Park?


There are chairs all around the Deck Five "exterior promenade" (aka running track).  Port side will have smokers, but starboard side is breathable.  

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elaineb

elaineb

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16 hours ago, jakeil7 said:

Sadly, the rest of the ship will not be a good fit for you. Ocean views are there, but at the edges and it is more family focused. My suggestion:  enjoy spending time with your family and stop worrying about if the ship fits you perfectly. 

 

We definitely will enjoy the family time.  Making memories is what it is all about - that is why we are going. 

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jakeil7

jakeil7

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16 hours ago, brillohead said:


There are chairs all around the Deck Five "exterior promenade" (aka running track).  Port side will have smokers, but starboard side is breathable.  


On Symphony the smoking area is on the pool deck. I did not notice one on the running track. 

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Clarea

Clarea

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6 minutes ago, jakeil7 said:


On Symphony the smoking area is on the pool deck. I did not notice one on the running track. 

 

I thought that Oasis class did not permit smoking on the deck 5 outside promenade.

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Clarea

Clarea

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17 hours ago, brillohead said:


There are chairs all around the Deck Five "exterior promenade" (aka running track).  Port side will have smokers, but starboard side is breathable.  

 

I believe the chairs are only on the aft portion and a small stuffy section with windows forward.  The vast majority of the outside deck 5 area is not wide enough for loungers and about 80% of the view is blocked by lifeboats.

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jakeil7

jakeil7

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There are some other areas where chairs could go but on Symphony they have replaced the non-aft area with a couple of sports options. Shuffleboard on the port side (I think) and ping pong on the starboard side. Of course, lifeboats and gangways take up most of the area which is why the track exists in the first place. 

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John&LaLa "Live from...." Rare

John&LaLa

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13 minutes ago, Host Clarea said:

 

I believe the chairs are only on the aft portion and a small stuffy section with windows forward. 

 

I felt the area in my pics was less stuffy than the Solarium. I'll check Symphony out in 9 days

 

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micmacmissy

micmacmissy

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On 10/12/2019 at 5:43 PM, lovrccl said:

We just got off her today, never again.  Ship was full, lots of kids.  Food was not good at all. Hooked Seafood was terrible.  Others on board said the same.  Shows were good, ship is nice but that is about it.  We are done with Oasis Class.

 

Yikes - really?  We went on Allure several years ago and the food was great...in particular the specialty restaurants.

 

Was it the MDR, buffet?  Or all over?

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parsec0298

parsec0298

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1 hour ago, micmacmissy said:

 

Yikes - really?  We went on Allure several years ago and the food was great...in particular the specialty restaurants.

 

Was it the MDR, buffet?  Or all over?

Honestly we had the exact opposite experience on Symphony in January.  Food was good everywhere we went, but it wasn't the best food I've ever had.  I think some people go to the MDR expecting fine dining and high class everything.  Is your steak going to beat something at Ruth's Chris?  No.  Is it going to be as good or better than Outback?  Yes.  Is the WJ going to be better than the buffet at the Aria in Las Vegas?  No.  Is it going to be better than Golden Corral?  Yes.  Go in with the proper expectations (which you will since you were on Allure) and you won't be disappointed.

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micmacmissy

micmacmissy

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4 hours ago, parsec0298 said:

Honestly we had the exact opposite experience on Symphony in January.  Food was good everywhere we went, but it wasn't the best food I've ever had.  I think some people go to the MDR expecting fine dining and high class everything.  Is your steak going to beat something at Ruth's Chris?  No.  Is it going to be as good or better than Outback?  Yes.  Is the WJ going to be better than the buffet at the Aria in Las Vegas?  No.  Is it going to be better than Golden Corral?  Yes.  Go in with the proper expectations (which you will since you were on Allure) and you won't be disappointed.

 

Good to know.  Frankly, if i don't have to shop for it, cook it, and clean it up, I'm pretty okay with it!  If it's as good as Allure, we'll be just fine!

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garnetpalmetto

garnetpalmetto

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5 hours ago, parsec0298 said:

Honestly we had the exact opposite experience on Symphony in January.  Food was good everywhere we went, but it wasn't the best food I've ever had.  I think some people go to the MDR expecting fine dining and high class everything.  Is your steak going to beat something at Ruth's Chris?  No.  Is it going to be as good or better than Outback?  Yes.  Is the WJ going to be better than the buffet at the Aria in Las Vegas?  No.  Is it going to be better than Golden Corral?  Yes.  Go in with the proper expectations (which you will since you were on Allure) and you won't be disappointed.

 

That was pretty much our experience, too. All the food we had was good and we were pleasantly surprised by El Loco Fresh and Jamie's.

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lv2cruisgrl

lv2cruisgrl

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18 hours ago, micmacmissy said:

 

Yikes - really?  We went on Allure several years ago and the food was great...in particular the specialty restaurants.

 

Was it the MDR, buffet?  Or all over?

The main dining room was ok but the waiters are running to keep up. WJ was decent, always packed. Hooked and Solarium Bistro again nothing special. Hooked not worth the $$. Food all over the ship has taken a step down from previous cruises in our opinion. Others agreed. 

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John&LaLa "Live from...." Rare

John&LaLa

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24 minutes ago, Jesseslola2 said:

 John&LaLa, are you going to review Symphony? Pleazzee. It is so weird, other than comments, there isn’t any current review.

 

 

Most definitely,  two weeks of mayhem

 

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