Our first BIG cruise

Item: Symphony of the Seas
Rating: 4.5
Author: crisby

Symphony of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

crisby

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 32

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 04, 2019

Ship: Symphony of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 11695

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

We are seniors and I have knee issues so we are not able to make the most of the offerings on a massive ship. But a younger family with active kids and teens could be forever on the move. The colours and sounds were stimulating and there was a great sense of celebration throughout the ship.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Surprisingly fast, easy and problem free. We were on the ship about 15 minutes after we were dropped off.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

The main dining room was okay; we enjoyed breakfast at Johnny Rockets twice; had a fun evening with friends at Playmakers, great wings; and my favourite was lunch at Chops Grille - amazing shrimp cocktail, perfect filet mignon, and glorious warm chocolate cake with ice cream.

Chop's Grille

5 out of 5

We had lunch at Chops Grille. The service was impeccable and the food was excellent. By far the most enjoyable meal we had all week.

Johnny Rockets

5 out of 5

The breakfast is made to order and we went twice then later on we tried the burgers and onion rings at dinner time and they were as good as we are used to at Johnny Rockets.

Solarium Bistro

4 out of 5

The food here is Greek menu and was a completely different choice from the other venues. Interesting, colourful and well presented.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Entertainment

By the time we finished our leisurely dining, we were not up to going out to the shows.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Our room steward, Hector, was friendly, polite, and most importantly he brought us fresh buckets of ice cubes twice a day. Our room was spotless. All the other staff were nice, helpful and accommodating.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Very clean, easy to find our way around. Lots of instructions near the elevators to help us figure our direction.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Much larger than expected. Great closet and drawer spaces. Our suitcases fit under the bed. And the shower was surprisingly large and convenient with the shampoo/body wash combo. No little bars and plastic bottles to juggle. The balcony was a decent size and when I requested a footstool they brought two, one inside and one for the balcony. We enjoyed people watching on the Boardwalk.

Ship tip

Plan ahead, prebook shows, meals and activities. Read reviews like these to know what to watch for.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Labadee (Cruise Line Private Island) Did not visit port

We could not manage the port activities so we spent those days on the ship enjoying the smaller population.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

2 out of 5

Hot, crowded, noisy, angry, chaotic, long lineups, heavy traffic.

Be the first to comment

Other reviews of this sailing

fantastic cruise

Excellent