Symphony of the Seas Review / Rome Embarkation / Crown Loft Suite

We just returned from Symphony, embarking in Rome (Civitavecchia)on June 21 and disembarking on June 28. It was a great trip and Symphony is truly remarkable. Since the ship has been reviewed extensively,I won’t repeat how tremendous it is. Instead, I’ve listed our thoughts in terms of what went well and whatcould be improved, with some tips and “I wish I’d known” items along the way.

By way of background, we were a party of three – husband andwife, and 15-yr old son. We have cruisedwith Disney Cruise Lines but this was our first RCCL experience. We booked over a year in advance and got agood price on a Crown Loft Suite. Thiswas the first time we’d ever stayed in a suite or enjoyed “concierge”- levelprivileges.

These are obviously just our opinions.

What Went Well / Tips

• The ship is incredibly clean. The staff does a great job cleaning up after~ 6,000 passengers.
  
• Both embarkation and debarkation were quick andpainless. We arrived around 1:30pm andnever waited in a line. We were on theship in just a few minutes and the room was ready. Disembarking was just as easy; we simplywalked off with our luggage – no lines. Ibelieve this is one advantage of originating in Rome vs. Barcelona, sinceseemingly much less than half the ship gets onboard in Rome. Just have your printed tickets / passes out to show the security guard before you get to the RCCL counter.
  
• Another advantage of embarking in Rome is theoption to spend some extra time before and/or after the cruise in that greatcity. We had never been to Rome beforeso we spent some extra days there.
  
• We had the Deluxe Drink Package for us and the RefreshmentPackage for our son; we believe they were well worth it. Most drinks other than beer were $13, whichwas covered by the package. We areconfident we came out ahead. Even moreimportant (since this was a vacation), the packages are incredibly convenient. Order what you want, when you want, withouthaving to worry about it. I’d definitelyget the package again. Virgin daiquiris areincluded in the Refreshment package, and our son took full advantage.
  
• The sangria at Vintages is great. They make it at least 24 hrs. inadvance. The only downside is that theydon’t open until 3pm most days, but it’s the perfect drink after coming back froma shore excursion. Don’t even thinkabout ordering it from a bar, since the bartender will mix something up on thespot and it won’t be nearly as good.
  
• The Solarium Bistro is great for both breakfastand dinner; we didn’t try it for lunch. It can get busy, though. If youget there early they will accommodate you without a reservation. The quality of the food and the environmentis much better than the Windjammer buffet.
  
• For suite guests, Coastal Kitchen is great. We only ate in the MDR on the first night;once we ate in the CK that became our go-to choice. When we didn’t have reservations one of usjust dropped by at 5 or 5:30 and asked if they could fit us in later (around7:30). We were always accommodated. The beef gnocchi I had as an appetizer at theCK was by far the best dish I ate on the entire cruise. Get it if they offer it.
  
• Even if you don’t have dinner in Wonderland, gohave drinks there before dinner at least once. They have happy hour from 5-7pmdaily, during which you can get two drinks for $15 (if you don’t have a drinkpackage). Both the drinks and the venueare fun, and the Mad Hatter will come over and be his “mad” self for a littlewhile.
  
• The Park Café in Central Park is good for a quicklunch. Their fudge brownies are awesome,but aren’t available all the time. Nocharge.
  
• Pastries and small sandwiches at the Café Promenadeare free; you just have to ask them to get it for you (a sanitation measure, I’msure).
  
• Sorrento’s “specialty” pizzas (example – TandooriChicken) are better than their standard cheese or pepperoni.
  
• When ordering in the Bionic Bar, everyone’sorder goes into the same queue – it’s not split by robot. You have to watch to see which robot is actuallymaking your drink. I didn’t realize thisthe first time and I didn’t see my drink being made because I was watching thewrong robot. Fortunately, I had theDrink Package, so I came back later and ordered another.
  
• The shows we saw were pretty good, especiallyconsidering we were on a cruise ship. Wesaw Hairspray (it’s comparatively long, though), Flight, 1977, and HIRO. I think young kids would have a tough timesitting through Hairspray. Flight wasvery creative, and I probably liked it the best. 1977 and HIRO were fun to watch but short onplot.
  
• The waterslides are fun but not worth the waitif the line extends down the stairs. Come back at a different time, maybe while others are stillonshore. The Ultimate Abyss is fun andworth trying. The Flowrider is a lot offun but lines can get long for the “surfing” side (they dedicate one for boogieboarding and one for surfing). It isopen from 3pm to 7pm on port days, so if you want to avoid the lines get thereat 2:45 and come back around 6:30. Youneed to sign a waiver at a desk next to the Wipeout Bar and get a wristbandbefore using the Flowrider (or zipline, I believe).
  

What Could Be Better / Stuff I Wish I’d Known

• People who embark in Rome are almost treated like second-classcitizens. This is not deliberate on anyof the crew’s part, but it seems that none of the systems or standardprocedures were set up to provide us the same experience as those who embarkedin Barcelona. FYI, the Rome day is Day 5of the Barcelona cruise, but of course for us it was Day 1. When I booked the cruise I had no idea theitinerary we chose wasn’t the “starts on Day 1” itinerary. Maybe that’s my fault, but it sure wasn’tobvious. Some examples of the issues:
  
  • The phone app does not include the “Romeembarkation” itinerary, which makes it a total pain in the rear to use. I referenced it quite a lot to look atactivities and dining menus, but for the first few days of our cruise I had tolook at the itinerary of everyone who got onboard the previous Sunday, then Ihad to switch and look at the next week’s itinerary. I had to always remember to be sure I waslooking at the right day. I was unableto use all the functionality of the app because it NEVER registered me as beingon the ship. I think “Barcelona” peoplecan make reservations through it, but not “Rome” people.
    
  • The mandatory evacuation drill for everyone whoembarks in Barcelona shuts the entire ship down between 4pm and around 5:15 or5:30. No bars are open. No activities are available (I suppose Icould have played mini golf). However,the drill for the Rome people was much smaller and didn’t impact the ship’soperations at all. I know this inequitywas unavoidable but it still bothered me.
    
  • Every crewmember’s “default” assumption is thatyou boarded in Barcelona. Therefore, byDay 5, they sort of expect passengers to know how to get from place to placeand how things work. RCCL tried tomitigate this by making all Rome embarkation key cards a different color (theyare orange vs. blue) but I don’t think that helps much. BTW, all suite cards are blue, anyway.
    
  • All of the activities associated withstarting a cruise are based on the Barcelona schedule. The Sail Away Party on deck, the huge balloondrop at midnight, the orientations to the kids clubs, the hour of free play inthe arcade, the Captain’s reception, and others, will all be a few days intothe cruise if you embark in Rome. Again,I understand they can’t do all this twice, but I couldn’t help but feel I’dmissed out on all the “start of the cruise” fun stuff.
    
  • If you embark in Rome you won’t get the ticketsfor your planned excursions and activities right away. Their system is set up for the Barcelonaschedule, so you’ll get tickets for whatever you chose for Barcelona Days 5-7,then on the night of Day 1 you’ll get the rest.
    
  • I think the worst side effect is that you arenot sharing the cruise experience as one group of passengers. Our son made friends with kids in the firstday or two, only to see them leave in Barcelona (halfway through our cruise). He then made friends with some who arrived inBarcelona, and had to leave them just a few days later. Unless you meet up with folks who got on inRome, and that’s a much smaller population, you won’t get to spend a full 7-daycruise with them. I suggest anybody embarkingin Rome with kids prep them for this. Itwas really frustrating.
    

  [*]The Windjammer buffet is ridiculously busy andcrowded (at least it was the few times I went). One of the stand-up comedians described it as “Wal-Mart on Black Friday”and I totally agree.

  [*]The food in the MDR is just ok, but that’spretty good considering they have to prepare meals for thousands ofpassengers. It’s definitely not great. It’s basically above-average hotel conferencefood, if that makes sense.

  [*]The WOW wristbands are really only good forgetting in your room. If you try to use oneat a bar you’ll probably have to take it off your wrist and hand it to thebartender because you can’t reach the “reader”. Ours came with the suite but I wouldn’t suggest buying them.

  [*]Not all the bartenders know all the drinks inthe standard drink menu. At the poolsidebars I suggest sticking to the basics or common “poolside” tropical drinks. I think bartenders rotate assignments, sothis shouldn’t really be the case, but it was my observation.

  [*]There is a Coke Freestyle machine in the Park Café,but it’s in a corner and it took us a few days to discover it. I wish they would print out the locations ofall the machines; I’m not sure I found them all.

  [*]The free gaming lessons in the casino are notworth your time at all. The dealersacted like they didn’t want to be there and really didn’t provide usefulinstruction. They don’t let youpractice.

  [*]There are a couple “hidden” ping-pong tablesnext to the running track. Not a “needsimprovement”, just FYI.

Overall, we really enjoyed the cruise and the ports ofcall. We just wouldn’t choose anitinerary that starts at a port other than the ship’s home (and thereforestandard Day 1) if we could at all help it.

Again – these are just our opinions. We hope someone finds this useful.

Very helpful. I didn’t even know the ships did this rotating passenger thing. Thank you.

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Thanks so much. I'm boarding in Rome also and I had heard some of this negative feedback. I understand some of it is unavoidable but I don't understand why they can't get the app right.

It must be nice though having the ship be so much less crowded on embarkation day.

We have traditional dining, I hope they don't somehow change or mess up our table assignment.

Thanks so much. I'm boarding in Rome also and I had heard some of this negative feedback. I understand some of it is unavoidable but I don't understand why they can't get the app right.

 

It must be nice though having the ship be so much less crowded on embarkation day.

 

We have traditional dining, I hope they don't somehow change or mess up our table assignment.

I wouldn't worry too much about the table assignment. We had traditional dining as well (just didn't go to the MDR much) and there was no problem with the table.

Have fun!

YIKES! I just re-read my post and saw the formatting is messed up - many of the words are smashed together.

Sincere apologies! This is tough to read. If I could remove it and fix it I would.

It must be an effect of pasting it from a Word document. I should have proofed it before I posted it.

JW

It must be an effect of pasting it from a Word document.

It is indeed, and quite annoying... I'm typing "blind" and very quickly, and then had to spent a lot of time "separating" the words:(

We also boarded Allure 3 years ago from Rome, and really enjoyed having the ship to ourselves, leaving the carry on in the cabin even if it was not ready, freeing us to roam the ship.

Also enjoyed the pool and empty ship when "Barcelona" had the muster drill.

The check in was a breeze, as well as the disembarkation.

Given the chance, we shall embark from Rome again, versus Barcelona :D

Thanks, I will try my best to remember to go to the Vintages for Sangria! 🤤

Thanks, I will try my best to remember to go to the Vintages for Sangria! 🤤

Me too!

I’m assuming it was included in the drinks package?

Me too!

I’m assuming it was included in the drinks package?

Yes, as long as it falls within the price limit of the package.

I wonder if you can use your three free drinks loaded on your sea pass in the Wonderland bar. I don't know why you couldn't, but you never know.

I’m embarking from Rome in 10 days. Thanks for the info. Did you go to any specialty restaurants? Were packages available?

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We're doing the Rome embarkation also. Having visited both Rome and Barcelona previously, The chance to spend a few precruise days in Rome was more appealing than Barcelona.

Were you able to buy dining packages, BOGO, or FNDR for the specialty restaurants?

We're traveling with friends who've never been to Europe, so looking forward to sharing the awesome sites with them.

Will you share your port day experiences?

Thanks,

Barb

Thanks for sharing! I’ve been waiting to read more reviews of Rome embarkations since we’ll be doing the same.

Were jacuzzis and pools open during the Barcelona muster drill or were those closed as well?

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Were jacuzzis and pools open during the Barcelona muster drill or were those closed as well?/quote]

 

Yes, they were. Crew members went around and asked those of us in the pool if we're "Barcelona" or "Rome".... When the answer was "Rome" we were left in "peace". It was almost an hour of quiet in the pool :D

Were jacuzzis and pools open during the Barcelona muster drill or were those closed as well?/quote]

 

Yes, they were. Crew members went around and asked those of us in the pool if we're "Barcelona" or "Rome".... When the answer was "Rome" we were left in "peace". It was almost an hour of quiet in the pool :D

 

 

are you referring to the allure or the symphony?

We just returned from Symphony, embarking in Rome (Civitavecchia)on June 21 and disembarking on June 28. It was a great trip and Symphony is truly remarkable. Since the ship has been reviewed extensively,I won’t repeat how tremendous it is. Instead, I’ve listed our thoughts in terms of what went well and whatcould be improved, with some tips and “I wish I’d known” items along the way.

By way of background, we were a party of three – husband andwife, and 15-yr old son. We have cruisedwith Disney Cruise Lines but this was our first RCCL experience. We booked over a year in advance and got agood price on a Crown Loft Suite. Thiswas the first time we’d ever stayed in a suite or enjoyed “concierge”- levelprivileges.

These are obviously just our opinions.

What Went Well / Tips

 

• The ship is incredibly clean. The staff does a great job cleaning up after~ 6,000 passengers.
  
• Both embarkation and debarkation were quick andpainless. We arrived around 1:30pm andnever waited in a line. We were on theship in just a few minutes and the room was ready. Disembarking was just as easy; we simplywalked off with our luggage – no lines. Ibelieve this is one advantage of originating in Rome vs. Barcelona, sinceseemingly much less than half the ship gets onboard in Rome. Just have your printed tickets / passes out to show the security guard before you get to the RCCL counter.
  
• Another advantage of embarking in Rome is theoption to spend some extra time before and/or after the cruise in that greatcity. We had never been to Rome beforeso we spent some extra days there.
  
• We had the Deluxe Drink Package for us and the RefreshmentPackage for our son; we believe they were well worth it. Most drinks other than beer were $13, whichwas covered by the package. We areconfident we came out ahead. Even moreimportant (since this was a vacation), the packages are incredibly convenient. Order what you want, when you want, withouthaving to worry about it. I’d definitelyget the package again. Virgin daiquiris areincluded in the Refreshment package, and our son took full advantage.
  
• The sangria at Vintages is great. They make it at least 24 hrs. inadvance. The only downside is that theydon’t open until 3pm most days, but it’s the perfect drink after coming back froma shore excursion. Don’t even thinkabout ordering it from a bar, since the bartender will mix something up on thespot and it won’t be nearly as good.
  
• The Solarium Bistro is great for both breakfastand dinner; we didn’t try it for lunch. It can get busy, though. If youget there early they will accommodate you without a reservation. The quality of the food and the environmentis much better than the Windjammer buffet.
  
• For suite guests, Coastal Kitchen is great. We only ate in the MDR on the first night;once we ate in the CK that became our go-to choice. When we didn’t have reservations one of usjust dropped by at 5 or 5:30 and asked if they could fit us in later (around7:30). We were always accommodated. The beef gnocchi I had as an appetizer at theCK was by far the best dish I ate on the entire cruise. Get it if they offer it.
  
• Even if you don’t have dinner in Wonderland, gohave drinks there before dinner at least once. They have happy hour from 5-7pmdaily, during which you can get two drinks for $15 (if you don’t have a drinkpackage). Both the drinks and the venueare fun, and the Mad Hatter will come over and be his “mad” self for a littlewhile.
  
• The Park Café in Central Park is good for a quicklunch. Their fudge brownies are awesome,but aren’t available all the time. Nocharge.
  
• Pastries and small sandwiches at the Café Promenadeare free; you just have to ask them to get it for you (a sanitation measure, I’msure).
  
• Sorrento’s “specialty” pizzas (example – TandooriChicken) are better than their standard cheese or pepperoni.
  
• When ordering in the Bionic Bar, everyone’sorder goes into the same queue – it’s not split by robot. You have to watch to see which robot is actuallymaking your drink. I didn’t realize thisthe first time and I didn’t see my drink being made because I was watching thewrong robot. Fortunately, I had theDrink Package, so I came back later and ordered another.
  
• The shows we saw were pretty good, especiallyconsidering we were on a cruise ship. Wesaw Hairspray (it’s comparatively long, though), Flight, 1977, and HIRO. I think young kids would have a tough timesitting through Hairspray. Flight wasvery creative, and I probably liked it the best. 1977 and HIRO were fun to watch but short onplot.
  
• The waterslides are fun but not worth the waitif the line extends down the stairs. Come back at a different time, maybe while others are stillonshore. The Ultimate Abyss is fun andworth trying. The Flowrider is a lot offun but lines can get long for the “surfing” side (they dedicate one for boogieboarding and one for surfing). It isopen from 3pm to 7pm on port days, so if you want to avoid the lines get thereat 2:45 and come back around 6:30. Youneed to sign a waiver at a desk next to the Wipeout Bar and get a wristbandbefore using the Flowrider (or zipline, I believe).
  

What Could Be Better / Stuff I Wish I’d Known

• People who embark in Rome are almost treated like second-classcitizens. This is not deliberate on anyof the crew’s part, but it seems that none of the systems or standardprocedures were set up to provide us the same experience as those who embarkedin Barcelona. FYI, the Rome day is Day 5of the Barcelona cruise, but of course for us it was Day 1. When I booked the cruise I had no idea theitinerary we chose wasn’t the “starts on Day 1” itinerary. Maybe that’s my fault, but it sure wasn’tobvious. Some examples of the issues:
  
  • The phone app does not include the “Romeembarkation” itinerary, which makes it a total pain in the rear to use. I referenced it quite a lot to look atactivities and dining menus, but for the first few days of our cruise I had tolook at the itinerary of everyone who got onboard the previous Sunday, then Ihad to switch and look at the next week’s itinerary. I had to always remember to be sure I waslooking at the right day. I was unableto use all the functionality of the app because it NEVER registered me as beingon the ship. I think “Barcelona” peoplecan make reservations through it, but not “Rome” people.
    
  • The mandatory evacuation drill for everyone whoembarks in Barcelona shuts the entire ship down between 4pm and around 5:15 or5:30. No bars are open. No activities are available (I suppose Icould have played mini golf). However,the drill for the Rome people was much smaller and didn’t impact the ship’soperations at all. I know this inequitywas unavoidable but it still bothered me.
    
  • Every crewmember’s “default” assumption is thatyou boarded in Barcelona. Therefore, byDay 5, they sort of expect passengers to know how to get from place to placeand how things work. RCCL tried tomitigate this by making all Rome embarkation key cards a different color (theyare orange vs. blue) but I don’t think that helps much. BTW, all suite cards are blue, anyway.
    
  • All of the activities associated withstarting a cruise are based on the Barcelona schedule. The Sail Away Party on deck, the huge balloondrop at midnight, the orientations to the kids clubs, the hour of free play inthe arcade, the Captain’s reception, and others, will all be a few days intothe cruise if you embark in Rome. Again,I understand they can’t do all this twice, but I couldn’t help but feel I’dmissed out on all the “start of the cruise” fun stuff.
    
  • If you embark in Rome you won’t get the ticketsfor your planned excursions and activities right away. Their system is set up for the Barcelonaschedule, so you’ll get tickets for whatever you chose for Barcelona Days 5-7,then on the night of Day 1 you’ll get the rest.
    
  • I think the worst side effect is that you arenot sharing the cruise experience as one group of passengers. Our son made friends with kids in the firstday or two, only to see them leave in Barcelona (halfway through our cruise). He then made friends with some who arrived inBarcelona, and had to leave them just a few days later. Unless you meet up with folks who got on inRome, and that’s a much smaller population, you won’t get to spend a full 7-daycruise with them. I suggest anybody embarkingin Rome with kids prep them for this. Itwas really frustrating.
    

  [*]The Windjammer buffet is ridiculously busy andcrowded (at least it was the few times I went). One of the stand-up comedians described it as “Wal-Mart on Black Friday”and I totally agree.

  [*]The food in the MDR is just ok, but that’spretty good considering they have to prepare meals for thousands ofpassengers. It’s definitely not great. It’s basically above-average hotel conferencefood, if that makes sense.

  [*]The WOW wristbands are really only good forgetting in your room. If you try to use oneat a bar you’ll probably have to take it off your wrist and hand it to thebartender because you can’t reach the “reader”. Ours came with the suite but I wouldn’t suggest buying them.

  [*]Not all the bartenders know all the drinks inthe standard drink menu. At the poolsidebars I suggest sticking to the basics or common “poolside” tropical drinks. I think bartenders rotate assignments, sothis shouldn’t really be the case, but it was my observation.

  [*]There is a Coke Freestyle machine in the Park Café,but it’s in a corner and it took us a few days to discover it. I wish they would print out the locations ofall the machines; I’m not sure I found them all.

  [*]The free gaming lessons in the casino are notworth your time at all. The dealersacted like they didn’t want to be there and really didn’t provide usefulinstruction. They don’t let youpractice.

  [*]There are a couple “hidden” ping-pong tablesnext to the running track. Not a “needsimprovement”, just FYI.

Overall, we really enjoyed the cruise and the ports ofcall. We just wouldn’t choose anitinerary that starts at a port other than the ship’s home (and thereforestandard Day 1) if we could at all help it.

Again – these are just our opinions. We hope someone finds this useful.

thanks for taking the time to share your experiences!!

my daughter will be boarding in Rome as well and she's been wondering about this, especially since we noticed the app only has activities based on barcelona as day 1....kind of confusing to say the least!!

i think she would still have chosen rome, since she started her med cruise in barcelona a few years ago and so wanted to have an opportunity to see a bit of rome this time around...

our european cruise next summer will be on disney, so we won't encounter this issue (disney doesn't interport as far as i know)..

are you referring to the allure or the symphony?

 

Based on my Allure cruise, it should be exactly the same:D

Me too!

I’m assuming it was included in the drinks package?

Yes. Any drink $13 or less is available without paying the difference. Sangria was $10.95.

I’m embarking from Rome in 10 days. Thanks for the info. Did you go to any specialty restaurants? Were packages available?

 

 

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We didn't go to the specialty restaurants other than drinks in Wonderland - sorry. I think I saw a sign for dining packages, but I don't recall on which day I saw it. Best to ask once on board.

We're doing the Rome embarkation also. Having visited both Rome and Barcelona previously, The chance to spend a few precruise days in Rome was more appealing than Barcelona.

 

Were you able to buy dining packages, BOGO, or FNDR for the specialty restaurants?

 

We're traveling with friends who've never been to Europe, so looking forward to sharing the awesome sites with them.

 

Will you share your port day experiences?

Thanks,

Barb

We really weren't interested in the specialty restaurants, probably because we had Coastal Kitchen as an option.

In the ports:

We did the Mt. Vesuvius hike and Pompeii tour. This was a very long day, and if you're not really interested in climbing a steep hill to the crater of Vesuvius kind of just to say you did it, then I'd just do Pompeii, which was great.

We wandered around Barcelona on our own. There's a shuttle for 4 euros that takes you into town. Very easy.

We wandered around Palma on our own. The shuttle for that one is 10 euros but it's the most convenient way to get there.

We did the Aix en Provence tour at the Marseille port day. This was nice, but you have to realize it was simply walking around a French town. Still, we were glad we did it. We had some great food, for sure.

We did the Pisa tour at the last port of call. This was certainly worth it for us, since we'd never seen the leaning tower and felt like we couldn't miss the opportunity. We would like to have added a visit to Florence but we didn't want an 8 or 9 hour excursion. That's a lot of time in a bus.

Thanks for sharing! I’ve been waiting to read more reviews of Rome embarkations since we’ll be doing the same.

 

Were jacuzzis and pools open during the Barcelona muster drill or were those closed as well?

 

 

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I'm not sure my experience was exactly the same as the person on the Allure. The staff specifically said all activities and services were suspended. Bars closed. Lifeguards left their stations. I am sure I could have stayed in a hot tub, but I'm not confident about the pools.

We booked out of Rome as well and did’t realize it wasn’t the start of the cruise either. We go in September.

We just returned from Symphony, embarking in Rome (Civitavecchia)on June 21 and disembarking on June 28. It was a great trip and Symphony is truly remarkable. Since the ship has been reviewed extensively,I won’t repeat how tremendous it is. Instead, I’ve listed our thoughts in terms of what went well and whatcould be improved, with some tips and “I wish I’d known” items along the way.

By way of background, we were a party of three – husband andwife, and 15-yr old son. We have cruisedwith Disney Cruise Lines but this was our first RCCL experience. We booked over a year in advance and got agood price on a Crown Loft Suite. Thiswas the first time we’d ever stayed in a suite or enjoyed “concierge”- levelprivileges.

These are obviously just our opinions.

What Went Well / Tips

 

• The ship is incredibly clean. The staff does a great job cleaning up after~ 6,000 passengers.
  
• Both embarkation and debarkation were quick andpainless. We arrived around 1:30pm andnever waited in a line. We were on theship in just a few minutes and the room was ready. Disembarking was just as easy; we simplywalked off with our luggage – no lines. Ibelieve this is one advantage of originating in Rome vs. Barcelona, sinceseemingly much less than half the ship gets onboard in Rome. Just have your printed tickets / passes out to show the security guard before you get to the RCCL counter.
  
• Another advantage of embarking in Rome is theoption to spend some extra time before and/or after the cruise in that greatcity. We had never been to Rome beforeso we spent some extra days there.
  
• We had the Deluxe Drink Package for us and the RefreshmentPackage for our son; we believe they were well worth it. Most drinks other than beer were $13, whichwas covered by the package. We areconfident we came out ahead. Even moreimportant (since this was a vacation), the packages are incredibly convenient. Order what you want, when you want, withouthaving to worry about it. I’d definitelyget the package again. Virgin daiquiris areincluded in the Refreshment package, and our son took full advantage.
  
• The sangria at Vintages is great. They make it at least 24 hrs. inadvance. The only downside is that theydon’t open until 3pm most days, but it’s the perfect drink after coming back froma shore excursion. Don’t even thinkabout ordering it from a bar, since the bartender will mix something up on thespot and it won’t be nearly as good.
  
• The Solarium Bistro is great for both breakfastand dinner; we didn’t try it for lunch. It can get busy, though. If youget there early they will accommodate you without a reservation. The quality of the food and the environmentis much better than the Windjammer buffet.
  
• For suite guests, Coastal Kitchen is great. We only ate in the MDR on the first night;once we ate in the CK that became our go-to choice. When we didn’t have reservations one of usjust dropped by at 5 or 5:30 and asked if they could fit us in later (around7:30). We were always accommodated. The beef gnocchi I had as an appetizer at theCK was by far the best dish I ate on the entire cruise. Get it if they offer it.
  
• Even if you don’t have dinner in Wonderland, gohave drinks there before dinner at least once. They have happy hour from 5-7pmdaily, during which you can get two drinks for $15 (if you don’t have a drinkpackage). Both the drinks and the venueare fun, and the Mad Hatter will come over and be his “mad” self for a littlewhile.
  
• The Park Café in Central Park is good for a quicklunch. Their fudge brownies are awesome,but aren’t available all the time. Nocharge.
  
• Pastries and small sandwiches at the Café Promenadeare free; you just have to ask them to get it for you (a sanitation measure, I’msure).
  
• Sorrento’s “specialty” pizzas (example – TandooriChicken) are better than their standard cheese or pepperoni.
  
• When ordering in the Bionic Bar, everyone’sorder goes into the same queue – it’s not split by robot. You have to watch to see which robot is actuallymaking your drink. I didn’t realize thisthe first time and I didn’t see my drink being made because I was watching thewrong robot. Fortunately, I had theDrink Package, so I came back later and ordered another.
  
• The shows we saw were pretty good, especiallyconsidering we were on a cruise ship. Wesaw Hairspray (it’s comparatively long, though), Flight, 1977, and HIRO. I think young kids would have a tough timesitting through Hairspray. Flight wasvery creative, and I probably liked it the best. 1977 and HIRO were fun to watch but short onplot.
  
• The waterslides are fun but not worth the waitif the line extends down the stairs. Come back at a different time, maybe while others are stillonshore. The Ultimate Abyss is fun andworth trying. The Flowrider is a lot offun but lines can get long for the “surfing” side (they dedicate one for boogieboarding and one for surfing). It isopen from 3pm to 7pm on port days, so if you want to avoid the lines get thereat 2:45 and come back around 6:30. Youneed to sign a waiver at a desk next to the Wipeout Bar and get a wristbandbefore using the Flowrider (or zipline, I believe).
  

What Could Be Better / Stuff I Wish I’d Known

• People who embark in Rome are almost treated like second-classcitizens. This is not deliberate on anyof the crew’s part, but it seems that none of the systems or standardprocedures were set up to provide us the same experience as those who embarkedin Barcelona. FYI, the Rome day is Day 5of the Barcelona cruise, but of course for us it was Day 1. When I booked the cruise I had no idea theitinerary we chose wasn’t the “starts on Day 1” itinerary. Maybe that’s my fault, but it sure wasn’tobvious. Some examples of the issues:
  
  • The phone app does not include the “Romeembarkation” itinerary, which makes it a total pain in the rear to use. I referenced it quite a lot to look atactivities and dining menus, but for the first few days of our cruise I had tolook at the itinerary of everyone who got onboard the previous Sunday, then Ihad to switch and look at the next week’s itinerary. I had to always remember to be sure I waslooking at the right day. I was unableto use all the functionality of the app because it NEVER registered me as beingon the ship. I think “Barcelona” peoplecan make reservations through it, but not “Rome” people.
    
  • The mandatory evacuation drill for everyone whoembarks in Barcelona shuts the entire ship down between 4pm and around 5:15 or5:30. No bars are open. No activities are available (I suppose Icould have played mini golf). However,the drill for the Rome people was much smaller and didn’t impact the ship’soperations at all. I know this inequitywas unavoidable but it still bothered me.
    
  • Every crewmember’s “default” assumption is thatyou boarded in Barcelona. Therefore, byDay 5, they sort of expect passengers to know how to get from place to placeand how things work. RCCL tried tomitigate this by making all Rome embarkation key cards a different color (theyare orange vs. blue) but I don’t think that helps much. BTW, all suite cards are blue, anyway.
    
  • All of the activities associated withstarting a cruise are based on the Barcelona schedule. The Sail Away Party on deck, the huge balloondrop at midnight, the orientations to the kids clubs, the hour of free play inthe arcade, the Captain’s reception, and others, will all be a few days intothe cruise if you embark in Rome. Again,I understand they can’t do all this twice, but I couldn’t help but feel I’dmissed out on all the “start of the cruise” fun stuff.
    
  • If you embark in Rome you won’t get the ticketsfor your planned excursions and activities right away. Their system is set up for the Barcelonaschedule, so you’ll get tickets for whatever you chose for Barcelona Days 5-7,then on the night of Day 1 you’ll get the rest.
    
  • I think the worst side effect is that you arenot sharing the cruise experience as one group of passengers. Our son made friends with kids in the firstday or two, only to see them leave in Barcelona (halfway through our cruise). He then made friends with some who arrived inBarcelona, and had to leave them just a few days later. Unless you meet up with folks who got on inRome, and that’s a much smaller population, you won’t get to spend a full 7-daycruise with them. I suggest anybody embarkingin Rome with kids prep them for this. Itwas really frustrating.
    

  [*]The Windjammer buffet is ridiculously busy andcrowded (at least it was the few times I went). One of the stand-up comedians described it as “Wal-Mart on Black Friday”and I totally agree.

  [*]The food in the MDR is just ok, but that’spretty good considering they have to prepare meals for thousands ofpassengers. It’s definitely not great. It’s basically above-average hotel conferencefood, if that makes sense.

  [*]The WOW wristbands are really only good forgetting in your room. If you try to use oneat a bar you’ll probably have to take it off your wrist and hand it to thebartender because you can’t reach the “reader”. Ours came with the suite but I wouldn’t suggest buying them.

  [*]Not all the bartenders know all the drinks inthe standard drink menu. At the poolsidebars I suggest sticking to the basics or common “poolside” tropical drinks. I think bartenders rotate assignments, sothis shouldn’t really be the case, but it was my observation.

  [*]There is a Coke Freestyle machine in the Park Café,but it’s in a corner and it took us a few days to discover it. I wish they would print out the locations ofall the machines; I’m not sure I found them all.

  [*]The free gaming lessons in the casino are notworth your time at all. The dealersacted like they didn’t want to be there and really didn’t provide usefulinstruction. They don’t let youpractice.

  [*]There are a couple “hidden” ping-pong tablesnext to the running track. Not a “needsimprovement”, just FYI.

Overall, we really enjoyed the cruise and the ports ofcall. We just wouldn’t choose anitinerary that starts at a port other than the ship’s home (and thereforestandard Day 1) if we could at all help it.

Again – these are just our opinions. We hope someone finds this useful.

We booked out of Rome as well and did’t realize it wasn’t the start of the cruise either. We go in September.

Off the Symphony a few weeks ago and, while annoying, Rome embarkation has it's perks. Embarkation and disembarkation was a breeze. Staying in Rome for 4 days prior was one of our highlights. I really didn't find it as bad as others. I wouldn't change!

Thank you for sharing your experience and tips - very helpful!

Is the main dining room open for lunch on sea days?