The Symphony has something for everyone.

Symphony of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

alexisaabril

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 42

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 26, 2019

Ship: Symphony of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 14635

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

The Symphony is still new and a beautiful ship. My wife and I had been on another Royal Caribbean cruise and had fantastic service everywhere. That was not the case this time. Servers and managers in the main dining rooms were going through the motions and did not give good service. Some didn’t know who they were working with and at times we would only see one server throughout. On one occasion we let a manager know we were a little short on time since we had a show and he straight up told us, “we’ll that’s not really our problem.” A server at the Park Cafe was also lacking in skills and we decided not to go back since there were so many other options. Overall it’s a very business attitude throughout. Something I have not seen on other Royal Caribbean ships. There were two great servers that stood out. One was at Jamie’s Italian Kitchen and the other was Ralston at Johnny Rockets. Ralston went out of his way to make sure that our experience was at that of a 5 star location. He is definitely a model server and should be used as a prototype to show others how to serve. With all that said the ship albeit new is still spectacular. It’s truly amazing and our week flew. We will definitely look at cruising again but will think twice about going on the Symphony simply because of service. Lastly, be sure to experience as much of it as possible and definitely do not miss any of the shows. They were all incredible.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

Main dining rooms left a lot to be desired in service and the food temperature wasn’t great either. The specialty restaurants are fantastic. Special kudos to Ralston at Johnny Rockets. The buffets were perfect.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

All the shows were top notch.

Children's Programs

No children in our party.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

The service in the main dining rooms came up quite short of what I have experienced in the past and expect from Royal Caribbean. As I mentioned earlier Ralston at Johnny Rockets went out of his way to serve us at every detail possible. Definitely one of the best experiences we had.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Perfect for cruising even for a week.

Ship tip

Experience as much of the ship as possible. Definitely something for everyone.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

5 out of 5

Coxen Hole, Roatan, Bay Islands, Honduras

3 out of 5

We did a private excursion. People are nice but it was obvious that they had ulterior motives to snag more money when possible.

Thumbs Up 0

Costa Maya (Mahahual), Mexico

4 out of 5

Shops were nice but nothing extraordinary.

Thumbs Up 0

Cozumel, Mexico

3 out of 5

People were way too aggressive and a bit rude. They did not realize that we spoke Spanish and they would say things without realizing that we knew what they were saying. Margaritaville was the best thing in port.

Thumbs Up 0

Perfect Day At Coco Cay, Bahamas

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

5 Comments

wgammon1 3 years ago

Glad you had a good trip. Thanks for the great review.

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Biggirl2020 5 years ago

I hope they get it together before September.

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cruisereckoning 5 years ago

Sounds great and hope the staff gets up to par.

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tomika75 5 years ago

I had a similar experience on Liberty of the Seas last year; the staff was very mixed in attitudes. Most reviews that I have read since, didn't have the same feedback. So it may be the staff at that particular time/contracts, more so than the actual ship's atmosphere. My best service came from a smaller ship (Jewel of the Seas), but I'm trying to keep an open mind for Symphony. Glad that you found some outstanding service in other areas, and it didn't affect much of your vacation. Thanks for sharing!

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capttrips 5 years ago

We felt the same about Symphony. I think the added cabins/people really takes a toll on the crew and it shows.

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