Ship was great, the itinerary not so much

Item: Symphony of the Seas
Rating: 3.4
Author: Paulac89

Symphony of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Paulac89

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 16

Overall rating:

3.4 out of 5

Verified Review

6 Night Western Caribbean (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 17, 2024

Ship: Symphony of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8618

Traveled as: Family (young children)

Reviewed: 7 months ago

Review summary

Use enjoyed the ship. It had tons of activities and the music at night was great. The food we did not like at all. the service used to be so much better. people used to be so much nicer. I was told a couple of times to move out of the way or to get out of the elevator because it was reserved for VIP. I understand they pay a premium but I wish they would find a different way to treat us commoners who still pay a hefty price to vacation on their ship. Also, Labadee was removed from our itinerary. I understand it was for the safety of everyone, and I appreciate the fact that Royal Caribbean cared for the safety of its passengers, however we were going to the bahamas, why couldn't they just add a cococay stop? We were looking forward to a day at the beach and because it was too windy in Nassau, that excursion was cancelled as well, therefore, we ended up not going the beach at all in a caribbean vacation. I enjoyed the amenities of the ship overall, but I will not travel royal caribbean again because of their bad food, and service.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

easy, dropped off the bags, the shuttle took us to the entrance and there were no lines

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

the food was not good at all. I have traveled in Royal Caribbean before but the food did not taste good whatsoever. Except for Sorrento's pizza, I did not like the food at all.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

The facilities were all in really good shape and entertaining

Entertainment

5 out of 5

the ice show was wonderful

Children's Programs

2 out of 5

the kid's clubs were not fun at all. I have 3 kids a 2yo a 5yo and 8yo and only my 8 yo wanted to go back because she met a friend, but not because of the club itself

Service and Staff

3 out of 5

Royal caribbean's staff used to be a lot friendlier, now they just look like they don't really enjoy working there at all.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Beautiful ship, always clean

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

The bathroom could be bigger, wish they did the same as Disney where they have the toilet separate from the shower, but the cabin was clean and had everything we needed.

Ship tip

if you are planning on going to a special restaurant, book in advance if possible. Also book all of your shows in advance

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

5 out of 5

Labadee (Cruise Line Private Island) Did not visit port

it was removed from the itinerary and no other option aside from a day at sea was provided.

Thumbs Up 0

Falmouth, Jamaica

1 out of 5

nothing spectacular and the excursion too expensive for what it was

Thumbs Up 0

Nassau, Bahamas

3 out of 5

they made a huge renovation, it looks pretty but the locals can still get into the port.

Thumbs Up 1

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

real simple and no lines which was great because we had a flight to catch

8 Comments

Sandi237 7 months ago

Sorry you did not have a terrific time! However please do not cross off Royal Caribbean I have sailed over 40 sailing and this was first one that had some issues. I agree they need to serve better food and not take so long serving it. I did not mind canceling Labadee did not wish to be a target. As for another ship in coco cay not able to hold so many ships and visitors. That is why we didn’t get chance to go there. OBC to everyone of 50 would have made people happier at least. Love ship!

Thumbs Up 0

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Razor78 7 months ago

Seems Cruises lines doesn't care about reputation itself than rather making cutbacks and nickel and dime

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javawoody 7 months ago

Appreciate your comments

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Suzie68 7 months ago

Love this ship!

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Gwbigdog 7 months ago

Thanks for sharing

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bubbles60 7 months ago

I agree with your comments on ports and food. I hope you had fun getting away with your family.

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cruising2004 7 months ago

Thanks for your review.

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HeavySeas 7 months ago

Thanks for sharing and glad you enjoyed your cruise

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Other reviews of this sailing

Nice cruise

Overall good ecperience