Beautiful ship - Crew Outstanding
Symphony of the Seas Cruise Review
Contributor Level:
First Mate
Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 3
Helpful Votes: 62
7 Night Eastern Caribbean & Perfect Day (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: October 23, 2021
Ship: Symphony of the Seas
Cabin type: Balcony
Cabin number: 11326
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 2 years ago
Review summary
We loved this much needed cruise and are already thinking about when we can go back on another RC cruise. Everything was top notch but the biggest thing that made it for us was the friendliness of the crew.Embarkation
Boarding time was noon. Shuttle dropped us off at 11:30. Lines were divided by time arrival. Boarding passes were checked and we went inside the terminal. There our covid test was checked. We were then brought to another check in where all documents were checked including the covid test again, band was issued, embarkation photo taken and we were walking on the ship a little before noon.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
We did not get the dining package. Ate at Windjammer, Main Dining Room, El Loco Fresh, Boardwalk Dog House, Sorrentos and Solarium Bistro. We enjoyed the food at each, especially Solarium Bistro. Windjammer the food was served going through the lines and Solarium you could go through the line or have dinner served to you at the table. No complaints on any of the meals, found them comparable to Carnival but did find the variety and taste in Windjammer to be a tad better than Carnival. I got a drink from 14 of the 21 bars and found that most were on the weak side except for the ones at Copper & Kettle.
Onboard Activities
Even during Covid protocol activities were plentiful throughout the day and evening. All pools and whirlpools were open, lots of trivia games, dance classes, etc. silent disco was a blast. Laughed so hard our sides hurt. CocoCay was cancelled due to weather and the crew scrambled last minute to get onboard activities scheduled.
Entertainment
Shows were amazing!! Hiro was our favorite and we could have sat all night watching that performance. Plenty of music variety throughout the ship to suit everyone’s preferences. Latin music at Bolero’s, piano tunes at Schooners, guitar in Central Park, a British guy singing and playing guitar at Copper & Kettle and a fabulous band called Centerpiece at Dazzles every night.
Service and Staff
We were floored by the friendliness from each and every crew member on the ship. I’m not exaggerating when I say that every person we saw greeted us with a hello, how is your day, are you enjoying your cruise, is there anything you need. Our cabin steward, Disda, was a sweetheart and very attentive. He told me they normally make towel animals every other night but the sweet man made me one every night and so talented. They don’t use little strips of paper for the eyes but the plastic stick ons that look like real eyes. It’s the little things that make me smile. Cabins are cleaned twice daily and a Cruise Compass is left each evening.
Ship Quality
First step on the ship and you have a wow moment. She is huge. Once you spend a day or two roaming about it’s easy to get a handle on the layout. Also there are lamp posts throughout the main levels pointing toward aft and forward that helps a lot. I have never been on a cleaner ship. Sanitizer dispensers throughout and they insist you use them upon entering each venue. Masks were enforced except for outside and when eating or drinking but it wasn’t a problem at all. There are plenty of shows and venues for vaccinated and unvaxed so that no one feels excluded.
Cabin / Stateroom
We had an OV balcony cabin and it was very spacious. The layout is great. A fairly large sofa, no table in front of it to get in the way, two small bedside tables that were perfect for a small fan and phone, a comfortable chair at the vanity desk, ample outlets, good sized TV and the bathroom is also thoughtfully designed. The shower has a round door so there’s plenty of space in the shower to move around and enough room in the bathroom another person could use the sink area at the same time. I’ve always felt the bathrooms on Carnival were small even on the Horizon. Not so on the Symphony. The room was fresh and clean and the balcony was a nice size with two reclining chairs and foot rests.
Ship tip
Wear comfortable shoes, get to know the layout of your App before boarding and take a few minutes to book all of your shows for the week as soon as you get onboard day one.
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Ports of call
We didn’t do an excursion. Took a taxi to the Skylift, pictures, drinks and appetizer. I wasn’t impressed with RC’s port. Not a variety of shops and found Carnival’s to be much better. If you plan on buying t-shirts, souvenirs I recommend doing it in town as you won’t have much of a selection at the RC port.
Stayed the night before at Courtyrd Miami Airport. Very clean hotel with good food at their restaurant. Shuttle that runs to/from the airport and for $12 pp there is a shuttle that will bring you to the port. Port transportation must be booked upon arrival. The RC port is beautiful and well run.
Disembarkation
On day 3 there is an electronic departure questionnaire on the front of the Cruise Compass. Scan the code and you go through a series of questions about your departure preference. We chose self assist early departure. On Thursday we received our luggage tags (you need them even for self assist) with info on our departure time and assigned group number. We were 7:30, group 2. Departure was on schedule. Took the elevator down to the gangway, level 5, scanned our card, walked through customs, showed our passport card and off the ship by 7:45, in a Lyft and on the way to airport by 7:50.