Edward51

As I mentioned, RCL seemed to be very accommodating. Phone them. Get on a wait list. Failing that see the maitr’d on the first day. You should be fine.

See my original response #11. Our Travel Agent (TA) first put our group of (4 adult 2 children) 6 on a waiting list and one day later we were moved to early dining on level 4 for 5 pm. if you do not have a TA phone RCL directly. If you have not been able to change see the maître’d when you board. You might have to wait until day two for the change. We have been onboard for five days and have seen many changing their times or tables. They seem to be very accommodating. I can report that the food has been great. All service, staff has been top notch. Do not miss the diving show! Book your entertainment before you go. We usually travel Celebrity but with grandchildren opted for RCL. All of the group have been very, very pleased. What a beautiful ship. Enjoy

I was in the Navy and that is a great way to remember which is the port side. Here is a bit more nautical fun. Before "port," the left side of a ship was known as "larboard" (meaning "the loading side"), but repeated mix-ups with its right-hand counterpart led to the elimination of the word in favor of "port." I also just read a Symphony of the Seas tip for viewing areas. One is to walk down to the stage area of the aqua show. Behind it is a good aft view. Also the aft end of the running track has chairs. Those would be a good “plan B” as I would think that the pool area, with music, would be more fun. Thanks to everyone who took the time to pass on tips.

Thanks to all. Any preference for port or starboard from Lauderdale?

What would be the best vantage point, with children, for a sail away at 4:30 from Fort Lauderdale? If it is the main pool area, what time should we arrive to grab a good viewing spot. It is looking like a full capacity voyage. Thanks.

Thanks but too late for that, we leave in early Feb. We thought with the extra width over a regular balcony and the occasional dinner at Coastal kitchen it would be ok. Any other families out there that have cruised in an Oasis class Jr Suite?

Thanks you. This has been very helpful.

I have tried to find in Google, YouTube and Cruise Critic the bed setup in a Jr Suite for a family and have had no luck. We are not sure if it is bunk style, sofa pullout or something else.. We are two adults and children 12 and 9. We will be staying in cabin 8232 on the Symphony of the Seas. Any video, pics, information or tips for staying in a Jr Suite with a family on an Oasis class ship would be very much appreciated.

I love happy endings…with a bit of humour😀

If you have a Travel Agent have them put you on a wait list. Can’t hurt to try. Worked for us.

Our TA put us one the early wait list a few days ago. She just confirmed our party of 6 has been moved to early from open on the SOS for Feb 4. Perhaps having an 11 and 8 year old in the group helped.

Thank you so much. That was very helpful. It is not ideal but sounds much better than I thought. Like you said, seeing the maitre’d on the first day may help. Again thanks.

Our TA put us on an early sitting wait list. Fingers crossed.

Cannot wait to hear the responses. I was about to post the same question. We are a group of six with two younger children 11 and 8. The earliest we can get my time on Symphony is 8:15. As you say, other cruise lines allow “my time” to lineup when it opens. Even their own sister line, Celebrity allows booking and lineups to begin at opening. Why RCL has “our time dining” instead of “my time dining” is beyond me. Parents with small children do not want to wait until 8 pm. Yes, the Windjammer is a choice but we are paying for a meal that comes with a wait staff. Also I am sure that RCL has specialty restaurants but that can get expensive with children. Just wondering if anyone knows why it is RCL time and not my time.

We sail on the SOS on Feb 4. Entertainment reservations were opened on January 3.

Noted. I think I will keep both cards for my son and DIL. They both love coffee and would probably be getting two shots per coffee. If there are extra stamps my spouse and I can try one of the other coffee sites instead of the free coffee at the Diamond lounge. Thanks everyone for the great info.

Thanks. I have been assuming that the coffee in the Windjammer is as bad as the equivalent Celebrity buffet restaurant (the Trough?). We actually love the buffet on Celebrity but the coffee....🫣

Thanks for pointing that out. The card is even more reasonable than I thought. Is there a particular coffee place that you like on Oasis Class ships?

Yes, I did make the mistake you pointed out.

Thanks everyone for perking up my day. It has all been very helpful.

Sorry. Seems I did miss something. I am new to the app and was not reading the opening hours correctly. While I am here I might as well ask for opinions on favourite coffee venues on Symphony of the Seas Thanks.

We normally sail with Celebrity Cruises. Celebrity has Cafe el Batio for great coffee, lattes. It opens at 6 am and all coffee is free for Elite Plus. We will be on Symphony of the Seas on February 4. We figured a huge RCL ship would be more fun for our grandchildren. On RCL our Elite Plus translates to Diamond. We bought two (10 coffee) vouchers which we thought was reasonably priced. The problem is that there does not seem to be anywhere on board that serves good coffee between 6 am to 8 am. I am, of course, assuming that like Celebrity, the Windjammer does not offer quality coffee. My wife and I can have a latte in the Diamond Lounge at 8 am (free) but that leaves our son and DIL waiting until 11 am. I even noticed that Starbuck’s (not included with vouchers) only opens at 11:00 am. Maybe I am missing something. I thought checked all the opening times, on the RCL app, for all coffee venues. If anyone knows where there is good, early morning coffee, on the SOS I would appreciate the info. Bottom line is, if good early coffee is not available, I might as well cancel the vouchers. Thanks.

Edin cafe is also our favourite for the free breakfast and lunch.

Ditto. We are forward on deck 8 in the porthole balconies and love it. Pretty quiet and yes the odd creaking noise but nothing that would keep you from sleeping. That is not to say that some areas do not have issues. Our area is fine. We are, after all, in the Atlantic Ocean. We have sailed on many ships over the years and all creak somewhat. Some a little more than others and it depends on the weather.