Being 'loyal to Royal' and on our third Oasis class ship, it exceeded our expectations. The only downside was the repetitive food choices for breakfast and lunch at the Windjammer. Keep in mind the European ports (except for Naples) require paid shuttles to get out of the port.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The Windjammer had a repetitive menu for lunch, with few variations each day. Beginning the second morning, we had the breakfast buffet in the Solarium Bistro which had the same offerings as the Windjammer, but the food was much fresher. The main dining room dinner food was excellent as always, but we don't really like the new themed menus and lack of the standard options like before. Pizza was tasty as always at Sorrento's and we love the Kummelweck sandwich in the Central Park Cafe.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We didn't have time for many activities due to the long days in port, but we enjoyed the usual activities such as The Quest and Love and Marriage Game Show.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The Aqua Theater Hiro show was impressive with a bonus sea-day show. Hairspray was incredibly good as was the Flight...Dare to Dream production and 1977: 'A Thrilling Adventure on Ice' show. We enjoyed the Hector is Magic Headliner Show and the Adult Comedians Chris Bliss and Graig Murphy. The only show we didn't have time for was iSkate 2.0.
Children's Programs
We didn't travel with kids
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Our My Time Dining-Dinner server Allan from the Philippines and his assistant Sun from China were fantastic. Karl from Costa Rica, our Cabin Steward, was very attentive. Manuel, the departure/luggage manager was invaluable in his assistance as our suitcases were not delivered until the third day of the cruise (airline mishap).
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The Symphony was our third Oasis Class ship and we love the different neighborhoods, especially Central Park and the Solarium. Common areas were very clean and well-maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We Royaled-Up from an inside cabin on Deck 9 to an ocean view across the hall. This cabin was at the very front of the ship and front-facing, as if we were on the bridge. There was a lot of extra room where the balcony would have been and we had a large window with an electrically-controlled shade. It was a very quiet area of the ship.
Ship tip
Explore the ship as soon as you can to familiarize yourself with all that the ship offers. Take advantage of the many alternate free dining options.
Having been to Barcelona before and due to our delayed luggage situation, we just had time to visit LaSagrada Familia, have a outdoor cafe lunch and have a shopping spree at Primark.
We loved the combination of historical, old buildings combined with a tropical atmosphere, many palm trees, gorgeous landscaping and an impressive Las Ramblas. We walked around ourselves and toured the cathedral adjacent to a palace and the Arabic baths.
The paid shuttle from the port dropped us at a beautiful cathedral on the water. Due to our luggage situation (planning to collect the bags which arrived that morning), we hadn't been able to book a local double decker bus tour. There were not any taxis/tour guides where we were dropped off and a local said the double decker bus depot was quite a distance. We just toured the cathedral and walked the authentic local streets, which were a nice combination of residential and shops/cafes. Highly recommend Le Galet De Marseille, an exquisite shop with candles, soaps, etc. The operator is Lena, a friendly and delightful young woman.
We usually don't book excursions through the ship due to the high costs, but given the two hour train ride with a five minute connection each way and limited time in Florence for a local tour and no time to visit Pisa, we booked a combo Florence/Pisa tour. Excellent, informative tour guide; a pasta lunch was included at a Florence restaurant, but the food was not good quality and was disappointing. Had an hour of free time in each location.
Booked a 20 person-bus excursion through Viator and visited Positano, Amalfi and Revello. Breathtaking scenery; the 'tour assistant' provided lots of info during the ride and our time in each location was free time.
Super easy as always, just scanned ourselves off the ship and picked up our bags at the luggage carousel in the terminal. There was a very orderly process to take one of the many taxis to the airport
Sounds like a dream vacation! We’re “loyal to Royal” as well, but haven’t sailed on an Oasis class ship. Your detailed review certainly makes me want to now!
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