Symphony of the Seas rocks! Loved this cruise so much!

Symphony of the Seas Cruise Review to Europe - Western Mediterranean

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 70

Overall rating:

4.8 out of 5
Symphony of the Seas

7 Night Western Mediterranean (Rome Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 21, 2018

Ship: Symphony of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 10570

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Our family really enjoyed this cruise! I admit as a travel agent I was a bit skeptical of the number of passengers on this ship as we are used to traveling with 3,500 or less passengers. We had never experienced this volume of passengers but Royal Caribbean did an outstanding job of creating spaces everywhere on this ship. It actually never felt crowded. There was just so much to see and do and the ship is so large. The entertainment was exciting and refreshing! We went several times to see some shows again because they were that good. There was never a line in the buffet. We rarely ever saw anyone in our hallway. We had no trouble at all disembarking at any port or embarking either. Its like they took all the feedback of past customers of all cruise lines and fixed everything! A big plus for me was no one soliciting beverage packages, squirting me with hand sanitizer (there was a mandatory hand washing area before entering the buffet) GREAT idea to have soap and sinks to wash your hands and real shower doors and not those flimsy curtains. We were really impressed with this ship. The service was really attentive. Surprising is how friendly and willing to chat the staff was. The staff was making sure we were satisfied and happy. Thank you, we loved the cruise!

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Since we inter ported it was an absolute breeze getting on this ship.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
There are so many activities we could use another week just exploring the ship.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
Everyone was so chatty and helpful. Even in the Windjammer cafe we could order a specialty coffee and they would go and get it for us.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
So clean and no ship smells. Smelled brand new.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

Keep you eyes open for fun pop up events around the ship. We especially loved the surprise of the piano player who was jamming in the elevator one evening. We rode the elevator for several songs. Good times.

Ports of call

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

5 out of 5
Rome is great. Did a 3 day pre-cruise visit. Civitavecchia where the port is has nothing but the ship.

Naples, Italy

4 out of 5
Great jumping off point to Amalfi Coast, Pompeii or Capri. We did them all.

Barcelona, Spain

5 out of 5
Could have spent more time in Barcelona as there is so much to see and do.

Palma De Mallorca, Balearic Islands

4 out of 5
Pleasantly surprised

Marseille (Provence), France

4 out of 5
Went to Aix-en-Provence which was lovely.

La Spezia, Italy

4 out of 5
Great to start Cinque Terre tours from. We had an excellent private guide.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
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12 Comments

graham123    6 years ago

Symph0ny    6 years ago

I would be interested to know what sink configuration would make your cruise complete. I am intrigued

Copentravelcom    6 years ago

Thanks for this review. I really appreciate the sink/hand sanitizer comment. I have always said washing hands is the best form of cleanliness. Interested to see how the sinks are configured when I go onboard later this year!

IkeDeb    6 years ago

Good to see a review from a travel agent 😋

ParCruiser    6 years ago

Thanks for honest report going may 28 2019

PW2kBP    6 years ago

Thank you for the info that was great can't wait till we go in June oh, it's awesome you had a great time, any particular show or activity that you would highly recommend that is a must to see or do on the ship, thanks

marilyn27    6 years ago

Thanks for the great review. I’ll be on her in 36 days. And yes it is true that these huge ships have so many neighborhoods and activities that it isn’t crowded. They did it right.

ShipMatesss    6 years ago

Bags and go is reliable company from barcelona ?

UDavison    6 years ago

Thanks for the review. I will be on SOS from 12/8-15/18. I'm so excited and can't wait.

ablessedlife2    6 years ago

Thank you for reviewing! With every great review saying that it doesn't feel overcrowded, i feel a bit more relieved. I have been worried it will feel crowded.

kc53    6 years ago

Thans so much for your review. I'll be sailing on Symphony in December...never been on a ship as large.

crazycruisinman    6 years ago

Thanks for the review..going on her in March