PrincessWarrior

O goodness!  That is funny, we did not make the Schooner Bar.  I will look for chips at Park Cafe.  Thanks for the Tip!!

Hello Everyone,

DH and I have landed safely in reality after having a wonderful time aboard Symphony of the Seas December 29th cruise.

I want to give Cruise critic commentators, reviewers, & tip advisors a huge shout out for helping us have a fantastic time.  It was not a perfect trip but your tips, warnings and advice were so very helpful, that I have to say Thank you!

Tips we used!!

PLASTIC BAGS-omg-omg-yes!!  We packed everything in plastic bags.  We have cloth-like older luggage. On the day we flew into Miami from LaGuardia it rained and when we retrieved our luggage in Miami it was Soaked..apparently it was out in the rain for some time..  plastic bags saved the day.

Unpack IMMEDIATELY and put suitcase UNDER the bed.  A no brainer NOW that I’ve done it. I unpacked my toiletries..duh!  I moved in my new apartment and it was a great thing to do.

Sign up for meet & mingle AND attend- We signed up along with 26 others. Ten of us showed up.  It was fun. I met (and sat) with a patriot fan and some folks from my beloved Steeler country.  There were a few alcoholic beverages for prizes.  Champagne, Wine, Beer and a Royal Caribbean back back, along with a nice coffee, juice and pastry set up.  It was at 9:30 am on day two.  I wasn’t happy about that BUT I signed us up and we must not be the folks who don’t show up.  We won a backpack. Who hoo!

PICTURE OF LUGGAGE -We had a late flight out of Miami. We booked an excursion that included luggage storage.  They couldn’t find our bags according to the number on our slip.  Attendant assured us they would find our bags.. he asked for a description, I pulled out my phone showed him the picture. He communicated the description according to their vernacular and our bags were found.  The bag I considered “kind of grayish” was described as light blue...

Find your seating-this tip didn’t work out so well...I went to view seating prior to dinner.  Although not completely happy,  I saw where we were seated and was happy to have a window seat for two.  The person who showed me the seat did warn me that it would not offer much of a view at night.  I swear the curtains were closed.  Fast forward to dinner.  Our window view had a romantic view of the track and life boat on my right side with a stunning view of the food staging area on my left.  I did not realize that the corner wall belonged to the food staging area.  The ship was filled and getting a new place was going to be impossible.  We decided (after some back & forth) to go with it and have some fun.  Our dinner attendants (Hi Hatz! Hi Imade!) were wonderful and did their best to keep noise level and mess away from us.  We did not eat in dining room on NYE.  He refused to be in a corner in his tux. I agreed.  

BOOK SHOWS EARLY-We were able to see all of the shows we booked.  We did miss 1977 due to Hairspray time change.  I thought we would have a half hour between shows.  We arrived too late to enter, otherwise good tip.  They did advise everyone with reservation to arrive early.  Fifteen minutes prior to start of show the doors were open to everyone reservation or no reservation.

HAVE FUN AND GO WITH THE FLOW. Yes, there were lines.  (6000 people one ship) Yes, some people are rude or perceived as rude.  (6000 people 6,000 different personalities and Lord knows how many different cultures). You are on vacation with your love(d) ones.  Keep the main thing-the main thing.

Two things I forgot to mention in my Cruise Critic and Royal Caribbean reviews-1) The Jazz club and the talent performing there was outstanding!

2.) Where are the salty snacks?  A never ending supply of items to cure the sweet tooth, but Lord help you, if you have a pretzel, potato chip or nut or any salt craving! I would have settled for a saltine...

All in all a wonderful trip.  We have booked our next cruise for 2020.  Family obligations and finances dictate we wait....However...the year is young!

Following.  We will be on this ship in 17 days, 23 hours and 40 minutes...but who is counting?

I forgot to mention Royal Caribbean-Symphony does not list any excursions with para-sailing in Nassau.

Thanks!

Hello Everyone,

Do you have any recommendations for parasailing in Nassau? we will be there January 2019.

We cruised on 12/28. Embarkation went pretty smoothly. It was a little crowed, but not an unpleasant experience. Disembarkation was horrible. Some of the issues were our fault/some were not.

Our flight was out of Tampa at 12:00. I thought this was more than enough time. There was an announcement made about flight times. You were to contact guest services and let them know you had an early flight. In my ignorance, I did not consider 12:00pm an early flight so I didn’t notify anyone. This was my second cruise in 9 years, I am a “pro” at this, right? We received our tags that stated our number was 21 Hubby read directions saw we were scheduled to begin disembarkation sometime around 10:00am. Panic set in and we rushed to guest services, explained our situation and we were given an earlier number, 3. Thank you guest services!

On day of embarkation we arose early, had breakfast and proceeded to the embarkation area for luggage tag 3. There were several delays due to a heavy volume of passengers who decided to carry their own suitcases off the boat. My stomach was in knots as they announced each delay. I think our number was finally called around 9:15ish. Numbers 1, 2, & 3 were all called at the same time and it was a crowed cattle call. As we passed the stairs people were trying to merge into the line. This caused a little tension but most passengers managed to remain civil about the process.

Tampa was freezing when we disembarked. If you packed your cold weather gear, you were out of luck walking to the luggage/customs area. Finding the suitcases should have been a no brainer. If you had luggage tag disembarkation number three, you went to area #3 to find your suitcase. We found 2 of our 3 bags. After much scurrying around and frantic looking, someone from RCI offered to help. We went to the lost luggage area (luggage that loses its tags are sent there) no such luck. I will spare all of the details but, I made hubby go through customs without me while I continued to look for missing bag. He NEEDED to make the flight. I could (if needed) be delayed. Several customer service people helped looked for the bag. I was told someone may have grabbed my bag by mistake, or it may have fallen off cart and not brought in yet. I never knew there were so many shades and shapes of old large green garment type fold over bag!!! I finally resigned myself to my bag was stolen, picked up by mistake or lost. As I filled out the paperwork, one of the female attendants found my bag!!! I was whisked to the front of the customs line and out the door in a matter of minutes!

We made it to the airport in time, but it seemed like an eternity. All’s well that ends well. My suggestion would be book a late flight, take your own luggage of the boat if you can. Pack a lot of patience, some extra smiles and a few prayers.

Hello-

Has anyone recently sailed the Brilliance (Western Caribbean) who would be willing to share their daily Cruise Compass? I have been searching boards and have been unsuccessful.

Thank you!

Here is a copy of day 1 pgs 3-4.

BOSCCpg3-4.pdf

Hello-

Has anyone recently sailed the Brilliance (Western Caribbean) who would be willing to share their daily Cruise Compass? I have been searching boards and have been unsuccessful.

Thank you!

We cruised 12/28-1/2. Here is a copy of day 1 pgs 1-2.

BOSCCpg1-2.pdf