Live on Symphony - July 1

[dani negreanu]

Hi. I did not see any taxis around the cruise port itself or specifically near the free shuttle drop off location but it was early in the day and would probably be easy enough to hail a taxi or have security call one for you at shuttle drop off location.

 

For the Cinque Terre ferry, yes, was just short of 2 hours from departing Le Spezia port area til arrived in Monterroso. The train is definitely faster but walk from cruise Port to train station is further (25mins), but not overly strenuous.

 

Many thanks, Santo, much appreciated.

[Santo23]

Civitavecchia / Rome - we repeated our routine of coffee on balcony while getting ready followed by quick breakfast in Solarium Bistro, then met up at 8a in Royal Theatre for our “Rome in a Day” shore excursion through Royal Caribbean. Our group boarded the bus and off we went to Rome. To be frank, this excursion was frustrating as we didn’t have enough time at any one stop to do what we wanted - lines at Colosseum were to long for us to get in within the allotted time for that stop, same for St Peters and for Trevi fountain and Spanish steps we barely had enough time to walk to both and spend but a couple mins at each. Maybe it was busier than usual but definitely only an opportunity to view these sites, not experience them. Bus returned to cruise terminal by 5:30, we went right back on ship - dinner, water show (Hiro), walked the Royal Promenade and to bed. Next time, we’ll take train to/from on our own and commit to experiencing one of the sites completely - maybe the Colosseum.

[Santo23]

Naples - coffee on balcony, quick breakfast in Solarium Bistro and off the ship to meet our tour guide for “Daily Amalfi Coast Group Tour” which we booked through Viator, operated by Worldtours. When booking this excursion we opted for the small group option (max 16 pax), which was about $10pp more - we didn’t want to be on a full size coach/bus all day. Our guide Giuseppe was standing right outside the terminal holding sign with our name on it - doesn’t get easier than that! He phoned the driver who came right over, 2 other couples who were staying in Naples were picked up before us, and we were on our way. First stop was a Limoncello factory for a tasting - the cream version was fantastic, we bought a bottle to bring home. The tour included lunch at a beautiful cliff side restaurant not far from Positano (salad, pasta and cake.) We also made stops in Amalfi and Ravello - our guide offered optional boat ride in Amalfi (€12 pp extra) and our group jumped at the opportunity - boat was waiting at the dock and we rode for about 45mins seeing the full coastline of Amalfi - a fantastic opportunity to view the coast from the sea. As we were returning to Naples our guide inquired if we had tried local pizza yet, we hadn’t so we asked to be dropped off outside the cruise port on our return. We grabbed quick pizza at a place our guide recommended, then walked 15mins back to the ship. Yum, it was worth the €5 and short walk back to ship - we boarded around 6:30p. We saw multiple Worldtours vans up and down Amalfi coast so seems they are popular tour company - we would recommend them for sure.

After quick nap we had dinner (8:45 seating in main dining room), then caught 10:45 show “Flight” in main theatre, a little walking around and then to bed. Tomorrow is last day, a sea day, so now need to soak up every remaining moment before reality sets in on Sunday

[ckelly14]

Getting on in Rome Thursday. I assume the formal nights are day 2 and day 6 from the Barcelona departure, correct?

[ctlyf]

We're sailing out of Rome in a couple of months... really enjoying your reviews of both the ship and the ports... thank you!

[Santo23]

Getting on in Rome Thursday. I assume the formal nights are day 2 and day 6 from the Barcelona departure, correct?

 

Hi. Yes, formals are Day 2 & 6. Two things to note: very casual dress on this sailing (many people wearing shorts in MDR) and no lobster night - when asked, we were advised it’s on US itineraries only.

[Santo23]

Sea Day - we took the chance to sleep in a bit, skipped coffee on balcony and headed straight to Solarium Bistro for breakfast, grabbing lounge chairs at the pool by around 8:30a. Great day chilling poolside. We grabbed takeaway lunch at El Loco Fresh and sunned til 2:30. We caught the 3p water show “Aqua Nation”, walked around the sports deck, Solarium and other areas to take in the various ship venues. A brief nap in cabin before showering and heading for quick dinner in main dining room, then off to Royal Theatre for 9:30 comedy show (it was just so so - the staff comedian Simeon is funnier than the special guest comedian.) We then went to Casino for our free slot spins (part of onboard perks for Emerald) and to Royal Promenade afterward for the 70s party - not without grabbing quick slice of pizza at Sorrento’s.

For the first time we opted to carry our bags off the ship so we got ready this morning, had everything packed, left stuff in room, had relaxing breakfast in Solarium Bistro and departed the ship around 9:45. Taxi line took about 45mins and we processed through airport pretty quickly. All that remains is flight home.

All in all the cruise was very good, Symphony is a beautiful ship. We were disappointed by food, service and price in Chops ($53pp) while impressed by food and service in Main Dining Room - the prime rib and chicken dishes were much more tasty than the filet and rib eye at Chops. The entertainment remains very good (wth exception of comedy show) - although we do miss fun stuff like Quest, Love & Marriage from the US itinerary sailings. The ship amenities and facilities are great. The service was good but not same as experienced few years ago - I personally believe it’s been a slow and steady decline from the earlier days when it was outstanding. We remain loyal to Royal - it’s very good at fair and moderate price.

[Santo23]

Thanks! No pic, but I found it on the rcc website. (I’m norwegian so also had to google «tide packets»;p) learning something new every day:)

Staying 3 days in Barcelona first so think I’ll pack my suitcase almost to the max, and see if I can find some tide packets in the shop. Kind of expensive to use the laundry service so I’ll try to avoid that.

But the price for dry cleaning my suit looks like it is a lot cheaper than at home so I’ll probably take advantage of that.

 

I have access to a PC so attaching picture should work now. Let me know if it doesn't show up.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=424753&stc=1&d=1531156355

[Santo23]

Please can you stop by 150 Central Park and get a photo of the Menu, and could you ask if it is the same one for the whole time or does it change ? Many thanks

 

 

Hi. I was able to swing by 150 Central Park on our way to disembark the ship yesterday. Here's a pic of the menu. I confirmed with the staff, the menu stays same, no rotation or changes.

[Magnelasagne]

I have access to a PC so attaching picture should work now. Let me know if it doesn't show up.

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=424753&stc=1&d=1531156355

Just fine:) I got my suit drycleaned for formal night today, and also have washed a few clothes on my own today:)

Thank you:)

[suizas]

Did you order your coffee each night for the next morning thru the online room service? I think I heard only continental breakfast is complimentary any more...is this true?

 

Thanks! Sailing August 5th!

Susan

[little britain]

 

 

 

 

 

Hi. I was able to swing by 150 Central Park on our way to disembark the ship yesterday. Here's a pic of the menu. I confirmed with the staff, the menu stays same, no rotation or changes.

 

 

 

Many thanks

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Santo23]

Did you order your coffee each night for the next morning thru the online room service? I think I heard only continental breakfast is complimentary any more...is this true?

 

Thanks! Sailing August 5th!

Susan

 

Hi. Yes, continental is free and honestly, included several basic items like coffee, tea, yogurts, pastries, etc. There are room service cards in the cabin which we filled out every night, selected the desired delivery time window (in half hour increments) and placed on exterior door knob before going to bed. They usually call just before delivering and we tip two bucks each time. They would bring the tray right out to the balcony for us. We love it cause we get to enjoy some quiet morning time on the balcony before getting ready, either watching the waves or admiring the Port we’re pulling into / just arrived at.

[regent218]

did you use the main disembark or carry your bags off yourself?