Extremely enjoyable

Item: Symphony of the Seas
Rating: 4.9
Author: BillyHill

Symphony of the Seas Cruise Review to Europe - Western Mediterranean

BillyHill

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 42

Overall rating:

4.9 out of 5

7 Night Western Mediterranean (Barcelona Roundtrip)

Sail date: July 29, 2018

Ship: Symphony of the Seas

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 9315

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

On arrival at Barcelona airport, we were told there was a taxi strike. We had paid for a taxi transfer to the ship, but the staff at the airport were rather abrupt and unhelpful and didn't seem to care about our predicament. Their main concern was getting the bus transfers sorted, and we were left very much to our own devices! Eventually after a number of phone calls by ourselves, the issue was resolved, as a bus transfer was arranged somewhat begrudgingly! Our opinion was that the company were aware of the strike and some sort of contingency plan should have been put in place. This delayed our embarkation on the ship by well over an hour and a half, but on arrival at the dock, everything was handled swiftly and efficiently. Apart from that, we had an excellent holiday Having previously sailed with Royal Caribbean, this was comparable with our trip on Rhapsody and a more pleasant experience than Celebrity.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Excellent menu each evening, with a good choice, cooked to a very high standard.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The evening shows were superb, West End, Broadway standard.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Our two waiters, Jeffrey (Philippines) and Fanni (Hungary) could not have been more pleasant and helpful. We requested a table (461) in their block each evening at dinner, and thankfully only once did we not have them attending us. However they made a point of making sure we were well looked after. Nothing was too much trouble for them, recommending items from the dinner menu and also wine to accompany the meal. Our room steward Signit was always helpful and ensured everything was neat and tidy. The bar staff were always well mannered and were keen to help assist in our choice of beverage.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

Take time to explore this massive vessel.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Barcelona, Spain

4 out of 5

Palma De Mallorca, Balearic Islands

5 out of 5

We spent a very pleasant day on the beach, although it was a longer walk than we had been told?

Thumbs Up 2

Marseille (Provence), France

5 out of 5

La Spezia, Italy

5 out of 5

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

5 out of 5

Naples, Italy

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

4 out of 5

5 Comments

graham123 6 years ago

Thx

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cruiseluv 6 years ago

We just came back from there. The taxi strike was really inconvenient for a lot of people. We had private transfers so we weren’t affected, but other cruisers told us how they had huge problems getting to and back from the ship, getting dropped off at the wrong terminal (due to strikers blocking other areas), and getting stuck dragging their luggage for several miles to get to the ship. It was really bad. There was also a bus strike going on in Rhodes, so all excursions there were canceled across the board. Be prepared and have private transfers. Just saying 😬😬

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IkeDeb 6 years ago

Thanks for your review

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BASSON61 6 years ago

I’m glad it all worked out for you don’t sweat the small stuff enjoy your vacation I love the cruise

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SammyAddison 6 years ago

Cool

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