First time on this sized ship

Symphony of the Seas Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Reviews: 9
Helpful Votes: 136

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Symphony of the Seas

6 Night Western Caribbean & Perfect Day (Ft. Lauderdale Roundtrip)

Sail date: May 04, 2024

Ship: Symphony of the Seas

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 9604

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 6 months ago

Review summary

The reason we booked this cruise was to be with a group of around 200 people. Separately, we also had friends onboard the ship. We enjoyed the group activities and dinners with our friends more than the actual cruise. The ship and its itinerary were secondary.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
Fast and easy; onboard before our check-in time actually occurred.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
Main dining room had excellent service and above average food. Specialty restaurants were outstanding. 150 Central Park was amazing. Buffets had above average food, but the Windjammer was so crowded.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
Our private event activities were great. The trivia contests were in overcrowded bar areas.

Entertainment

2 out of 5
Hairspray was tone-deaf, not in a musical sense, but I was personally offended. Hiro, the aqua show, had great diving and aerial acrobatics, but was a hot mess trying to tell a story and included musical mashups that made no sense. The ice show was fine. Flight, the other performance show, was enjoyable.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
We received outstanding service from everyone.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
It is a very clean ship. It is also such a large ship, that nothing is close together.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5
There was adequate drawer and closet space. Bathroom is tiny. It is comfortable enough, but very clean.

Ship tip

Be prepared for the size of the ship if you have not been on one this large before. Expect massive crowds everywhere.

Ports of call

Ft. Lauderdale (Port Everglades), Florida

4 out of 5

Nassau, Bahamas

4 out of 5

Falmouth, Jamaica

4 out of 5
The bamboo river raft excursion was fun and relaxing.

Perfect Day At Coco Cay, Bahamas

3 out of 5
My Imperfect Day at Coco Cay started with having to go through 4 beach areas before finding open chairs, as people come and reserve them early and then disappear. It took 3 staff people to direct me to a towel station. They need to have one near the entrance for easy pickup and returns.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
Was this review helpful? 5

6 Comments

Gwbigdog     6 months ago

Thanks for sharing

Flcruisepro     6 months ago

Sounds like smaller ships are a better fit for you. We have been on several of Royal's larger ships and love them.

javawoody     6 months ago

Appreciate the post

cruising2004     6 months ago

Thank you for your review.

AuntPinkie     6 months ago

Appreciate your feedback. Glad you enjoyed your friends and large group. Sorry this cruise didn’t meet your expectations.

HeavySeas     6 months ago

Thanks for sharing and glad you enjoyed your cruise

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