Symphony of the Seas....maybe not so much

[JJInc]

LucianGirl718, I bet you thought you were posting on Cruise Critic instead of Petty Critic. I am sorry you experienced the things that you did. It's sad that people just have to be so negative, but yet wonder why people snap on a daily basis and shoot up workplaces or schools, what's next cruise ships?

[alejules]

I am shocked that so many people feel it appropriate to be so negative and rude because they don’t agree with someone’s opinion. Providing a reply that offers a different way to view something or an alternate opinion is fine. Being downright mean and rude is completely unnecessary. While I don’t necessarily agree with all that is included in the initial post, I appreciate what was shared and I recognize that everybody’s expectations are different. OP, thank you for sharing your concerns. I hope your next cruise is better.

 

 

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[ECU_Cruising_Pirates]

I don't find it rude at all.

 

The Windjammer isn't a Michelin Star dining establishment.

 

People would sit in there for hours if they let them.

 

Agreed! Seems like some people treat it as the air conditioned place to go sit next to the window and watch the waves.

[ECU_Cruising_Pirates]

I have been on two cruises on the Allure and have experienced some congestion in the Windjammer, but I always blamed myself because I would go at the peak times and I found the Solarium had most of the same choices with no crowds at all. One thing I will have to say is the island setup for food stations is far better than the cafeteria line setup on other ships which makes me want to scream! If you want something in the middle you have to wait through the entire line or risk getting choked by a fellow passenger. Ok, maybe it is not that extreme.

 

Oasis class ships have so many good options for eating but it seems like everyone forgets and goes straight to the Windjammer especially for breakfast.

 

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Exactly how my wife and I feel when we make the mistake of going somewhere during peak times. It's our mistake, not the ships. Same can be said about people trying to find chairs by the pool at noon on a sea day. Agreed service can vary widely but a little planning on when to visit certain venues can go a long way.

[theSHAH]

The constant selling is obnoxious. We're not taking a free cruise in exchange for a time share sales pitch. We're spending thousands of dollars to take a relaxing vacation

[st5310]

Well, LucianGirl, I guess you're not getting much sympathy from these boards. Tough crowd! I must admit I agree with most of the replies. As for the hawking of products at the spa.... I get manicures every sailing and I have discovered that all you have to say is "no thanks, I am not interested." Upselling products is how the Spa makes money. I, too, think you overreacted and for all the reasons mentioned.

[st5310]

Are only positive comments allowed on cruise critic? It seems if you say anything negative you get blasted.

Not sure where you're getting this. Plenty of negative comments on these boards, including this very thread. Disagreeing is not blasting.

[DrD]

I hate hate hate the windjammer announcements asking you to leave if you are done eating. Rude rude rude. And it is constant.

 

I agree, it's terrible that people have to be prodded into what should be normal behavior. That's the world today I guess.

 

Personally I can't imagine lingering at a table after I'm done when I know others are waiting. I'd be very uncomfortable.

[DrD]

Are only positive comments allowed on cruise critic? It seems if you say anything negative you get blasted.

 

No, but most people are naturally optimists and believe what they want to believe. Since most of us have cruises booked, we will try to find a way to negate criticism so we are not worried that we won't enjoy our next cruise. We simply don't want it to be true so will argue that it isn't. It's human nature, don't fret over it.

[lovescats5]

We live in a city where buffets are a common place to eat and I have never see perfectly cooked food, food that is always there as they do run out sometimes. It just depends on what people want, there are times when a certain food is really popular and maybe the next night nobody wants that dish. Traveling with a child I know that after muster you need to wait for the people who are so selfish that they just have to get to the elevator first to get on with their vacation. Is this really any different than attending any type of show or large event on land. People are people and there are some very nice people and then there are some not so nice. If you had stayed at a hotel on land and became sick would whoever gave you medical services stayed to take care of you, or even check with you to see how you were doing? If you were the only one to get sick in your family be thankful. I am sorry about all the things that happened but you have to realize things would not have been any different if you had been at a hotel on land.

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

"People with wheelchairs, canes(my own father is included in this group), and women with small children wereforced to wait until the crowd subsided in order to leave."

I fall into this group and don't understand why you think these (we) folks should be given priority in leaving the drill. How much time would you allot the above mentioned group to clear the area?

Why should those who can move faster be expected to wait behind the very slow? I can't agree with your thinking. As one who uses a walker, cane it is far better to wait a little longer than try to be in front of thousands of able bodied people who would swiftly overtake me. It's not as if we are all rushing to the evacuation crafts.

 

I so agree with this. The idea is to empty the muster areas quickly. If the slowest go first, then the faster passengers have to wait behind, but there are so many more of them. The fastest way to empty the location is to have the fastest ones go first, then the slower ones can go at a comfortable pace for them.

 

This is not the same as actually entering life boats in a true emergency in which case the protocol may be different, but for an ordinary practice muster, the idea is to get as many people out of the muster area as fast as safely possible.

 

I do agree that elevators are problematic for folks with wheelchairs, strollers for infants, Hover-Rounds and the like. Larger powered wheel chairs take a lot of elevator space and folks can be pretty impatient. It is sad but true. I've seen wheel-chair bound passengers get pretty frustrated trying to get in an elevator and folks won't let them.

[time4u2go]

 

1. The windjammer -- This is the first time I have everexperienced so much inconsistency with a cruise buffet. For starters cruiserswere instructed to quickly leave their table after eating because there was ashortage of available space. In addition, there were lines of people waiting tobe seated at the windjammer due to overcrowding. Really??? I'm sorry, but Ithought that RC boasted that this is THE biggest ship in the world. Shouldn'tthere be enough seating accommodations in one of the most popular places to eaton the ship?

 

...

 

I say all of this to say this to you, yes you boast that youhave THE BIGGEST ship in the world, BUT you have some work to do where this onein concerned. If you care about your guest who pay handsomely to enjoy aholiday away from the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives, then do soback making those necessary changes. I did enjoy my cruise despite all of thesethings, but I'm apprehensive about cruising the Symphony of the Seas any timesoon.

I'm struggling to understand the connection between Symphony of the Seas and Royal boasting that they have the biggest ship in the world. I'm pretty sure that Royal doesn't imply that Symphony is the biggest ship in the world. And I'm certain that Royal has NEVER said they have the biggest ship in the world.

[xpcdoojk]

I hate hate hate the windjammer announcements asking you to leave if you are done eating. Rude rude rude. And it is constant.

That must be new, as I have never heard that. I don’t eat at the windjammer a lot, but I have literally never heard this.

 

JC

[xpcdoojk]

I too have never heard an announcement regarding priority departure from muster, with RC and Princess. Around 15 cruises on each line.

 

Yep, never.

 

JC

[Oceansaway17]

I hate hate hate the windjammer announcements asking you to leave if you are done eating. Rude rude rude. And it is constant.

 

 

 

they don't do them on NCL. I never heard announcements on the Bliss Panama Canal. only RCI does these annoying things. Ugh

[ATC cruiser]

I'm struggling to understand the connection between Symphony of the Seas and Royal boasting that they have the biggest ship in the world. I'm pretty sure that Royal doesn't imply that Symphony is the biggest ship in the world. And I'm certain that Royal has NEVER said they have the biggest ship in the world.

 

 

 

According to this press release I kind of think they do say it’s the largest cruise ship in the world.

 

http:// http://m.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/press-release/1352/a-new-adventure-begins-ndash-royal-caribbean-welcomes-the-worlds-largest-cruise-ship/

[Norwich Cruiser]

There are always going to be a few problems especially with a new ship.

But from our point of view we think the Royal do a pretty amazing job not only on Symphony but all ships whatever the class.

Sure we've had a few minor issues on the odd cruise ( who hasn't ) but we take it for what it is and have never let it ruin our cruise.

[mcatmcat]

I believe Symphony will get better once she sails from Miami.

 

 

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[time4u2go]

According to this press release I kind of think they do say it’s the largest cruise ship in the world.

 

http://m.royalcaribbeanpresscenter.com/press-release/1352/a-new-adventure-begins-ndash-royal-caribbean-welcomes-the-worlds-largest-cruise-ship/

Oh I agree they have the largest cruise ship. But the comment was that they had the largest ship.

[John&LaLa]

Yep, never.

 

JC

They often do it on day 1. Even little old MJ.

 

Rarely go during peak times, so I don't hear it then

 

 

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[ATC cruiser]

Oh I agree they have the largest cruise ship. But the comment was that they had the largest ship.

 

 

 

I think it was implied.

[John&LaLa]

Biggest and Best have no correlation

 

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[dpostman]

Oh I agree they have the largest cruise ship. But the comment was that they had the largest ship.

 

[time4u2go]

I think it was implied.

If you say so.:rolleyes:

[RayNash65]

It was an absolute pleasure cruising with Royal Caribbean'sSymphony of The Seas this month. However, there are some things that transpiredthroughout this vacation that needs to be brought to your attention. First letme start by saying that my family and I have been on four cruises, two of whichwere with RC. With that said this rating is based on past experiences comparedto now.

 

1. The windjammer -- This is the first time I have everexperienced so much inconsistency with a cruise buffet. For starters cruiserswere instructed to quickly leave their table after eating because there was ashortage of available space. In addition, there were lines of people waiting tobe seated at the windjammer due to overcrowding. Really??? I'm sorry, but Ithought that RC boasted that this is THE biggest ship in the world. Shouldn'tthere be enough seating accommodations in one of the most popular places to eaton the ship?

 

2. The Drill -- The mandatory safety drill occurredeffortlessly and without any glitches. The drawback, however, occurred afterthe drill ended. Typically, cruisers are asked to leave the area in an orderlyfashion. Oh no, not this ship. I witnessed as cruisers were being dismissedthere were herds of people rushing for the elevators. People with wheelchairs, canes(my own father is included in this group), and women with small children wereforced to wait until the crowd subsided in order to leave. RC you must dobetter...crew members need to be more observant in matters like this. It iscustomary to allow those with disabilities followed by women with smallchildren to proceed out of the royal theater FIRST. Then dismiss other cruisersaccordingly.

 

3. Speaking of the Windjammer -- I can appreciate the finechoices of cuisine prepared by the chef's working in the buffet area. However,as you can imagine there were so many things that went wrong. Once again, ifyou boast that you're THE largest cruise ship in the world, then you shouldNEVER make guests wait to have food replenished. I had to ask twice if theserver planned on bringing out more of a particular food that had finished.While I waited, more cruisers joined in the wait, and suddenly a large groupformed. As you can imagine it was quite a scene. This should not be. Knowingthat there are 6,000 guests and 3,000 crew members on board, your crew need tobe more observant and diligent about making sure that the food stays fresh andalways ready to serve for hungry guests. Especially during those days at seaand/or embarkation day. While the food was tasty there were so many times thatI was disappointed. There were times it was cooked and seasoned well, whenother times the food left little to the imagination.

 

4. Sick Passenger On Board -- I was the unfortunate personwho ended up getting sick while on board. Much to my chagrin, I was quarantinedto my room until the nurse cleared me. Now let me start by saying, RC did ensure that my family and I receive afull refund for our missed excursion, I received complimentary room service,and free movies. Now...here's where my dissatisfaction comes in. As a concernedparent, my mother went down to the guest services center to inquire about whatto do since I became ill and couldn't go outside. Mind you I was vomiting andhad severe diarrhea from 1am till 8am that morning in question. The gentlemanwho attended to her said and I quote, "well you and your husband and justgo without her and leave her in the cabin". EXCUSE ME???? My mother wasoutraged that any one would respond in such a callous manner. Clearly this issomeone who needs more customer sensitivity training. I was weak, had a veryhigh temperature, and couldn't keep anything down. The excursion we had bookedwas for 11hrs, therefore God only knows what would have happened if I wasn'tsupervised since RC medical staff don't visit cabins (something I learned veryquickly). This was outraging.

 

5. Vitality Spa -- Great spa, however, after booking twovery good facial and massage sessions I DO NOT need to be hustled intopurchasing products. I'm there to relax...this isn't a market place.

 

I say all of this to say this to you, yes you boast that youhave THE BIGGEST ship in the world, BUT you have some work to do where this onein concerned. If you care about your guest who pay handsomely to enjoy aholiday away from the hustle and bustle of their everyday lives, then do soback making those necessary changes. I did enjoy my cruise despite all of thesethings, but I'm apprehensive about cruising the Symphony of the Seas any timesoon.

 

I sailed May 10th on the Symphony of the Seas and agree with you about the Windjammer. They would only open one side and pack in the people. Lines were forming outside yet they refused to open the other half. I only saw the Windjammer fully open a few times.