"LIVE" from Symphony of the Seas - Sept. 29, 2024 (B2B)

[Radio]

Taino Bay Port. 

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic 

Maps

 

Radio

 

Info Map 1

 

 

 

 

Info Map 2

 

 

Port Map

 

 

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[DaKahuna]

3 hours ago, Radio said:

The prices are lower for lunch. Here is a screenshot of the App created just now.

 

Thank you for this.  I am showing the dinner price in the app for our cruise date. I guess I should have known better and change the date to your sailing to get more accuracy. 

 

[Radio]

Cruise Compass DAY 4
(Week 2)

 

 

Radio

 

 

 

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[Radio]

Good morning, and 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟰 𝗼𝗳 "𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘" 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀. (Week 2)

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We have arrived at Puerto Plata, DR. We are docked at the Taino Bay Port Facility in Puerto Plata.

Symphony of The Seas approached the pier slowly around 7:15 am, and docked by 7:30. Passengers are free to go ashore at 8:30 am.

 

We are sharing the pier today with MSC Magnifica. She backed in around 8 15 am. The forecast for today is mostly sunny and 89F.

Here are a few pics from this morning. Thanks for tuning in. 

 

 

Radio

 

Early morning sunrise with calm seas.

 

 

 

 

The pilot boat meets our ship.

 

 

Symphony of The Seas approaches the pier slowly. 

 

 

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While docked, I can see MSC Magnifica 

 

 

 

 

I forgot that this is a long pier at this Port.

 

 

 

 

I can see the Taino Bay Welcome Center, and duty free shops.

 

 

 

 

MSC Magnifica backa in right next to us.

 

 

 

I will be heading down the pier on one of these Tuk-Tuks . . .

 

 

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Edited October 9 by Radio

[mrsmagoo1]

On 10/4/2024 at 6:34 PM, Radio said:

Hello everyone and good day. Wow, what a perfect day for a day at sea. It seemed like every passenger was up on the pool decks today. I'm sure it wasn't everyone, but it was very packed. 

The solarium was packed today and passengers filled the pool area on Deck 15. The music was playing, and all the bar servers were very busy for most of the day.

 

I forgot to mention that I went to the Top Tier event the other day that was held at the AquaTheater on Deck 6.

There are many Crown and Anchor members on board.

 

GOLD 1489.      PLATINUM 496.

EMERALD 496.     DIAMOND 261

DIAMOND PLUS  380        PINNACLE  43

 

The diving team did a small performance for all Crown  and Anchor members who attended.

 

Tonight is formal night, and the main dining room will offer Maine Lobster as the suggested course. My preference for formal night is the Baked Alaska that I can't seem to get enough of. Hmm. . .  (Maybe I can get two of them.) 

 

It seems that the Americano machine in the Crown Lounge is out of order "𝘖𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺"  You would think that some passengers would not be able to consume any coffee. . . No worries. Just show your Seapass up at Cafe Promenade for unlimited Americanos, Lattes, cappuccino etc. Plus, there are several large flasks of Coffee being served in the Crown Lounge.

 

 

The Crazy Quest Gameshow is tonight. I have heard a lot about it. I will try to stay up. . . Thanks for tuning in.

Here are some pics from today.

 

Radio

 

The Sports pool 

 

 

 

The Main pool

 

 

 

The Beach pool 

 

 

 

SplashAway Bay

 

 

 

SplashAway Bay 2 (same pool)

 

 

 

The Perfect Storm 

 

 

 

Deck 16 - 3D Map

 

 

 

"𝘖𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺"

 

 

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I see myself and family in the pic of the Beach Pool! 😀

[jerseyjjs]

I see that your sailing is skipping Labadee tomorrow, and sailing straight back to Bayonne/Cape Liberty.  Sorry about missing Labadee but better safe than sorry.  

[Radio]

Hello everyone and good day. I think that I said this last year when I sailed MSC Seascape (Sept 2023), and I will say it once again. Taino Bay, in Puerto Plata may be one of my favorite ports of call in the Caribbean.

 

I love it here. There is a big pool, a very large lazy river, many places to dine, and lots of shopping for all budgets. The attractions include a very nice Monkey Jungle  and lots of tropical birds throughout the port. 

 

You can buy snacks, tacos, burritos or a full meal if you like.They also have a very large duty-free shop. This duty free location offers many items like alcohol and tobacco products that can be purchased for much less money than on the duty free areas on the ship. 

There are tons of souvenir items, and lots of food and chocolate products that cannot be found in the US. 

 

Again I will suggest that I can't wait to come back to this port. It is a newer port for cruise ships as they rebuilt that Taino Bay facility only 2 years ago. Many Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Norwegian, and MSC ships will dock here. 

 

Carnival brands, (Carnival, Princess, Holland America, and others) will dock up at Amber Cove a few miles up the coast)

 

Here are a few pics for now. I have a lot more but will get to them later. Thanks for tuning in. 

 

Radio

 

Welcome to Taino Bay

 

 

 

 

The Welcome Center includes an area for choosing an excursion

 

 

 

 

The duty-free store was very popular. 

 

 

 

The Lazy River wrapped around all of the pools

 

 

 

It looks very refreshing 

 

 

 

 

And some areas the lazy river goes under the  walkways.

 

 

 

It seem to be a lot of fun 

 

 

Symphony of The Seas photo opportunity 

 

 

 

There were several restroom stations that were very clean.

 

 

 

 

Tropical birds were throughout the park setting

 

 

 

There were dozens of places to eat and drink

 

 

 

 

Passenger attractions

 

 

 

 

Yes they were artificial, but I like the way they were presented.

 

 

 

The weather was so hot today that the best place to be was in the water

 

 

 

The pool was my favorite area today.

 

 

A lot of passenger suggested that the Blue parrot was a place to dine

 

 

 

Was this Gorilla the "Taino Bay Mascot"

 

 

 

There was lots of signage so you knew where to go.

 

 

 

The Duty Free store was like a meat locker.The air conditioning felt great.

 

 

 

The line for a Tuk-Tuk was very long. I decided to walk back to the ship.

 

 

 

 

I walked back to the ship.The Tuk-Tuk brigade worked hard all day.

 

 

Symphony of The Seas makes MSC Magnifica look very small.

 

 

 

 

It was time to shower and "watch news" for me.

 

 

 

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Edited October 10 by Radio

[Radio]

Hello everyone. Captain Angel just made an announcement about tomorrow. Because of hurricane Milton, we will not be going to Labadee, Haiti tomorrow. 

 

I think based on the hurricane forecast, that this is probably a good idea. We will now have 3 days at Sea as we head back to Cape Liberty. Our next stop should be Cape Liberty in Bayonne at 6:00 a.m. on Sunday Oct 13th.

 

Any passenger that had excursions booked in Labadee will receive onboard credit. Royal Caribbean is also offering all passengers one day refund of cruise fare paid as an onboard credit. These credits are fully refundable if not used during the sailing.

 

 It's time for dinner now on Caribbean Night.
Thanks for tuning in. 

 

Radio

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[DaKahuna]

12 hours ago, Radio said:

I will be heading down the pier on one of these Tuk-Tuks . . .

 

The waiting line for those to go from the ship to the Visitor's Center was very large when we got off the ship two weeks ago.  We walked to the center but no line to speak of coming back so we gladly rode one back. 

 

 May that sounds like it would have been my favorite cruise -- three sea days, one port call, three sea days.   Can you tell I just love being at sea. 

 

 

 

Edited October 10 by DaKahuna

[Radio]

4 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

 

The waiting line for those to go from the ship to the Visitor's Center was very large when we got off the ship two weeks ago.  We walked to the center but no line to speak of coming back so we gladly rode one back. >SNIP<

 

I used Tuk Tuk getting off of the ship, there was no line. It was very fast. 

 

Radio

Edited October 10 by Radio

[Radio]

Cruise Compass 

DAY 5

(Week 2)

 

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[Radio]

Good morning and 𝗪𝗲𝗹𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝟱 𝗼𝗳 "𝗟𝗜𝗩𝗘" 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗵𝗼𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀.

 

Today is the 1st of 3 days at sea on our way back to "𝘛𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭" Bayonne, NJ.,  the home for Cape Liberty Cruise Port.

 

There was an unusual announcement last night heard in all cabins. The only time announcements are made in the cabins are for emergencies. Captain Angel apologized for an announcement at 2:30 am.

 

A passenger is very ill and a request was made for blood donations for anyone that had type O negative. Captain Angel also suggested qualifications for the individuals that wanted to donate blood. I hope things work out okay for the patient. 

 

The Cruise Compass has been updated for Symphony of the Seas since we are having a day and sea, instead of a Port Call in Labadee.

 

I'm not a Meteorologist or a Captain of a ship, but it appears that we will be heading past Hurricane Milton (soon to be a tropical storm). We are heading north at a speed of 21.4 kts (24.6 mph) That is almost full speed for this class of ship. I am thinking that once once we sail past the forecasted track of Milton, that we may be traveling much slower for the last day of our voyage. 

Here are a few pics from last night and this morning. 

Thanks for tuning in. 

 

Radio

 

Battle for Planet Z Lazer Tag

 

 

 

 

Battle participant. 

 

 

 

It looks like about 40 passengers played each game 

 

 

 

A hard floor covers the Ice in StudioB

 

 

Morning sunrise. 

 

 

 

 

Solarium pool 

 

 

 

Looks like another Sunny day at sea

 

 

 

 

Full Speed ahead, to Cape Liberty Cruise Port

 

 

Lifeguard rescue drills being held in the Sports pool

 

 

 

There are many of these inflatable Rescue raft onboard.

 

 

 

Lifeguards will practice rescue raft drills as well.

 

 

 

DAY 5 Wayfinder

 

 

 

 

The internet speed is working for me on this cruise. I have seen a lot faster, but also have seen much slower on some ships.

 

 

 

 

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Edited October 10 by Radio

[Radio]

Here is an update on Passenger Count for Symphony of The Seas. 

 

Radio 

 

Total      Children 

 

6194.     979          Oct 6, 2024       

6396.     1212        Sept 29, 2024

 

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[poohdreaming]

Thanks for the updates. I heard the sea might get rougher later on. Hope it wont be too bad. Take Care.

[buffet24]

OK, that ain't the way to New Jersey...

[acethesuperhero]

1 hour ago, buffet24 said:

OK, that ain't the way to New Jersey...

it sure isn't!!!

 

I noticed maybe a little bit before 3:30 that the ship had turned and we were heading almost due west. I alerted my wife, we were both like "well shoot," and I promptly threw my hands up, accepted my fate, and headed down to give more money to my favorite bartender (who I also alerted that we had turned to the west). sure enough, 15 minutes later, ✨bing bong✨ Milton has sped up and we can no longer beat it north, so we're going behind it. we were told to expect rocky seas and not to wear high heels tonight. aqua show is, naturally, canceled.

 

this apparently will not affect our arrival at all. not so sure about this admittedly - we are headed about 250 degrees at the moment

 

Edited October 10 by acethesuperhero

[buffet24]

31 minutes ago, acethesuperhero said:

this apparently will not affect our arrival at all. not so sure about this admittedly - we are headed about 250 degrees at the moment

 

Here is my rough guess on your new route and the distance you guys will need to cover (guessing about ~1300 miles)...

 

My rule of thumb is about ~550 miles a day if you're burning as much Coal those Engines can handle... Assuming you guys can cover that speed then it will be very close by Sunday morning... Another challenge however is that you guys will be fighting Headwinds on Milton's back side...  In any case, wish all you guys a safe journey the rest of your way...

 

[Radio]

Hello everyone and good evening. Things continue to change on my 14Nt Cruise on Symphony of the Seas.

 

The plan for us was originally to sail north at full speed  to pass the forecasted path of Hurricane Milton. Captain Angel announced 4 hours ago that the traveling speed of Milton has increased, and now we will sail due west until Milton passes. Then we will sail North up the East Coast toward Cape Liberty. 

 

We should be passing through some very rough weather this evening as we will be on the south side of the disturbance. 

 

Deck 15 and Deck 16 is closed for all passengers. All deck chairs and loungers are being tied down as we speak. Hopefully by morning, things should calm down, but tonight should be fun 

 

Just a few hours ago we had sunny skies with light winds, I would not have guessed the thing that would get this bad so quickly. 

Here are a few pics from today. Thanks for tuning in. 

 

Radio

 

 

The pineapple drinks were very popular

 

 

 

Today was another very busy pool day

 

 

 

 

 

Passengers were everywhere on the open decks

 

 

 

 

There may be a few too many passengers and some pools

 

 

 

Central Park even received a lot of sun today

 

 

 

 

 

Deck 15 AFT

 

 

 

Symphony Dunes

 

 

Symphony Dunes Mini Golf

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both Flowriders were busy as well, some were very good.

 

 

 

Volleyball? No thank you . . .

 

 

 

Hooked Seafood for Dinner

 

 

 

I liked the themed dining.

 

 

 

It wasn't very busy tonight. 

 

 

 

 

 

We turn the sharply to the West around 3pm

 

 

 

 

It's going to be a fun evening

 

 

 

 

 

A lot of lightning, wins and rain will be present for a few hours.

 

 

 

 

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Edited October 11 by Radio

[HelenaCruiser2012]

Hi Radio, thanks for all of the info you've been posting, we're on the ship with you and are enjoying your review.  I'm sure you're right, this is going to be a bumpy night, it's only 9:15 and I'm already not liking how much we're rocking and rolling. DH and I are trusting Captain Angel and his crew!  We've never felt anything like this on a ship before.  BTW we went to Hooked last night and it was also pretty empty.  Heading to the 70's Disco party on the Royal Promenade later, hopefully everyone leaves the platform shoes in the cabin tonight.  Praying we all have a safe passage home from here.  So far even with all of the changes we have had a wonderful time.  We were on Symphony 2 yrs ago and couldn't wait to come back, our favorite ship.

[Radio]

We are now west of Hurricane Milton. It is now 6:30AM. Things should be much better in a couple of hours. 

 

Radio

 

 

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[Biker19]

11 hours ago, Radio said:

Both Flowriders were busy as well, some were very good.

I see no one in line in the video - when busy the line usually extends up the stairs

[Radio]

22 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

I see no one in line in the video - when busy the line usually extends up the stairs

Yes, all riders were sitting on the grandstand. . .

Edited October 11 by Radio

[buffet24]

1 hour ago, Radio said:

We are now west of Hurricane Milton. It is now 6:30AM. Things should be much better in a couple of hours. 

 

Hi Radio, so what was it like during the overnight hours?

Also, can you post a video of the Sea?  I have no idea what 20 ft. waves are like that is being modeled around your location....

[Radio]

Cruise Compass DAY 6

(Week 2)

 

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[DaKahuna]

4 hours ago, Radio said:

We are now west of Hurricane Milton. It is now 6:30AM. Things should be much better in a couple of hours. 

 

 

Good luck.  Winds of 40 - 60 MPH are nothing to discard, especially on a cruise ship because of the large above the waterline surfaces.