Keep Symphony Booking or Switch To Liberty

We have booked a Feb 2019 sailing on Symphony of the Seas in two inside cabins. It looks like it is going to be a great ships with many exciting features. I was reviewing the most recent WOW sale and realized that Liberty of the Seas was retrofitted with water slides, one of the key features we were looking for, and that we could switch to that ship and upgrade to two balconies for hundreds less than what we paid for Symphony. The itineraries are similar. We will be sailing with 3 kids, ages 12, 10 and 10. Looking for opinions on what you would do and why. Thanks!

Assuming you will be flying to both ports at least a day before the cruise, you should know that it could be significantly more of a hassle to do that for Liberty than for Symphony.

Assuming you will be flying to both ports at least a day before the cruise, you should know that it could be significantly more of a hassle to do that for Liberty than for Symphony.

Yes flying in from East Coast of Canada

Adventure will be at PE then and has slides.

The Oasis class ships are very different, in my opinion, from the Freedom class--even with retro-fitted slides. On Symphony, the kids will have the boardwalk to enjoy with Merry-go-round; they will have the Boardwalk hot dog stand; they will have the diving show, which will probably really impress them. None of those things are on Liberty of the Seas.

Balcony vs. inside: to decide on that, think about how much you are likely to use the balcony. Some peple use it a lot; some don't. Your group is too large to manage eating breakfast on the balconies (even with the partition open). Are you likely to use it for a quiet place to read? Would it be a good spot for you in the evening after the kids have gone to bed? You could also consider booking one balcony and one inside right across the hall for the kids.

The sheer size of the Symphony is fun for some, unnecessary (or even bothersome) to others.

It's definitely true that getting to and from Galveston is a nuisance. However, you would apparently save enough money to make booking Royal's shuttle to and from the airport very affordable and then it wouldn't be such a nuisance. But be sure to allow plenty of time--IAH is a long way from Galveston, and customs are sometimes quite slow at Galveston.

As in all things, pluses and minuses. Either way, I bet you and the kids will be pleased--and there is, also, the factor that what you haven't experienced, you can't miss.

Hello fellow NBer! If Liberty is not significantly less, stay with Symphony. I love the Oasis class and Galveston really is a pain to get to/from the airport. Factor in $50-60 pp for a round trip shared shuttle. The airports are over an hour from port.

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I can remember when the Voyager class ships were considered excellent choices for families with kids. Something about them has changed? That being said, I'd stick with Symphony. I would much rather sail from Miami than Galveston and the Oasis class ships are amazing. Your kids are at a great age to really appreciate all they have to offer. And with all that they do have, I would not worry about having a balcony. There is so much to take in that I'd not be spending much time in the cabin.

We decided to keep the Symphony booking to go with the bigger, newer ship with a more convenient departure location. Thanks for the insight.

We decided to keep the Symphony booking to go with the bigger, newer ship with a more convenient departure location. Thanks for the insight.

Good decision- I was just coming to say keep the Symphony!!

We decided to keep the Symphony booking to go with the bigger, newer ship with a more convenient departure location. Thanks for the insight.

That would have been our choice too,:)

We decided to keep the Symphony booking to go with the bigger, newer ship with a more convenient departure location. Thanks for the insight.

A great decision in my opinion. We have been on Oasis twice and Harmony twice. Live in Texas and probably will never go out of Galveston. Don't forget that Symphony will have laser tag as well!! Your kids will love that ship!