Symphony Eastern Caribbean Detailed Review 6/29-7/6/19

[CarmenCastalia]

I recently returned from a 7-night Symphony Eastern sailing out of Miami with stops in St. Maarten, San Juan and Labadee.  There were 9 of us: me, my husband, 2 sons (16 & 19), my sister and her husband, my niece (13), nephew (16) and my mom (81).  I do a lot of research pre-cruise to get the most out of my vacation and I get most of my info from the cruise critic community. 

Pre-Cruise: We flew United into Ft. Lauderdale as the airfare was substantially cheaper than flying into Miami from Cleveland.  We booked private transportation for all our transfers through FG Car Service.  Found the price to be very reasonable for the 9 of us and our luggage.  Always on time and great communication with the drivers ahead of pick up.  We stayed at the Homewood Suites by Hilton, Miami Downtown/Brickell.  It was just an average hotel.  Rooms were large but had a musty smell; was fine for a 1-night pre-cruise stay; free breakfast.

Cruise Planner:  We booked all our shows, specialty dining, My Time Dining, drink packages, wifi and Beach Bungalows on Labadee pre-cruise on the cruise planner website.  We didn’t buy any of the specialty dining packages as we were afraid if we waited to book our dining reservations on the ship (as required with the dining packages) we would not get a table of 9 at our preferred dining time (6:30).  We pre-booked Izumi, Hooked, 150 CP and Jamie’s Italian.  We booked our cruise through United Cruises.  There was a promotion at the time of our booking for one complimentary specialty dining for 2 guests per stateroom.  The dinner had to be booked on board and had to be used on a port day.  United emailed us the vouchers, we printed them and took them with us to make the dinner reservation.  We did successfully get a table of 9 at Chops on Day 5 (San Juan) at 6:30. My husband and I immediately went to Chops after boarding, saw the huge line and remembered that people who purchased “The Key” were eating lunch there on boarding day.  We went to 150 and made our reservation for Chops with no issue at all.

Royal App:  Download the Royal App on your phone pre-cruise.  You will be able to see your “Set Sail Pass” on this mobile app after you check in for your cruise.  You can complete your check in 90 days prior to your cruise.  This window closes 3 days prior your cruise and will save you a lot of time.  This app will let you look at all the menus for your sailing.  It never showed all the cruise planner reservations I made online pre-cruise (show times, dinners…) under the “my calendar” tab.  I called Royal and they said it doesn’t always transfer over to the app.  It does show you your folio of charges made while on the cruise.  You can also check this on your TV in your stateroom.  I suggest you keep an eye on it during the week as there were 2 times I was charged for drinks in restaurants even though we all had the deluxe alcohol drink package and the kids had the soda package.  I went to Guest Services (best time to go is very early a.m. or after 10 pm to avoid the long lines) and they removed the charges.

Drink packages:  All 5 adults purchased the Deluxe Beverage pkg (alcohol package) and the 4 kids purchased the Soda pkg.  We kept an eye on the price on the cruise planner and kept cancelling it and re-purchasing it if the price went down.  We eventually got it for $49/day during a ”30% Off Sale” in March.  It came to $57.82/day with tax and tip or $404.74 for the week per person.  We go around and around on if we will actually drink $404 worth of alcohol each during the cruise, but in the end, we wanted the freedom to have one more glass of wine at dinner and not have a giant bill at the end of the cruise.  We just found it easier to pre-pay it and forget about it.  The alcohol package includes fresh squeezed OJ, bottled water, coffee drinks (not Starbucks), the juice bar in the spa and Johnny Rockets milkshakes.  It covers drinks up to $13.  If you order a glass of wine that is $15, you will pay the $2 difference + 18% tip on the $2.  It does not cover drinks in souvenir glasses or drinks served in pineapples.  It also covers drinks on Labadee.  The soda package for the kids only includes fountain soda from Coke Freestyle machines, bars and dining venues but does not include cans of soda, bottled water,   “virgin drinks” or Johnny Rocket’s milkshakes. 

The prices on board for the drink pkgs are as follows: Deluxe $70/day, Refreshment $29/day, and Soda $12.99/day.  18% tip will be added to the price of all pkgs just like on cruise planner. I strongly suggest purchasing your pkg on the cruise planner, not on the cruise.  About day 4, I did see advertisements for a 10-drink sharable drink card.  I don’t remember the price.

[CarmenCastalia]

Arrival at port: We planned on boarding the ship at 11 am.  The traffic into the Crown of Miami port was very heavy.  We were dropped off at a shuttle drop off area and met by a porter.  My family travels with 22” carry-on roller bags.   My sister and her family had large roller suitcases.  We sailed out of Ft. Lauderdale on the Allure in March 2018 and they were able to take their large bags on the ship themselves.  The porter at Miami said they were not allowed to do that at this port, and hand wrote luggage tags for them.  My sister was not happy as she did not want to wait around for her luggage to be delivered, but what are you going to do?  3 of their bags were waiting for them outside their stateroom at 1pm when the rooms were ready.  My sister did not get hers until after dinner.  

Boarding Process:  My mom uses a cane and walks very slowly, so we got her a wheelchair from one of the many wheelchair attendants available at the port.  Our entire group was able to accompany her in the elevator up to the security scanners in the boarding area.  In Ft. Lauderdale port, only 1 person could accompany the person in the wheelchair.  At the top of the elevators, the wheelchair attendant asked for our Set Sail Passes and Passports.  We had the Set Sail Passes in our Royal App on our phone as well as paper copies that we had printed at home.  Since all our reservations were linked, my husband had access to all 9 Set Sail Passes on his phone.  The attendant used his tablet to scan the passes and passports, we put our luggage through the security scanner, passed through the metal detectors (just like TSA at the airport) and proceeded to the gangway.  It was a very quick process.  Use your Set Sail Pass to purchase drinks on board until you get your actual SeaPass card in your cabin.

WOW bands: 5 of us had WOW bands from previous sailings, the other 4 wanted to buy them ($4.99 each).  On boarding day, the only place you can purchase them or get your bands re-programmed (at no additional cost) is at Boleros, Deck 5.  (While at Boleros waiting in line, be sure to order a coconut mojito.) Have your Set Sail Pass or cabin number ready.   The line was long but moves quickly.  WOW bands can be used to open your cabin door and to purchase drinks, etc.  You will still need your actual SeaPass card for the muster drill and when leaving and returning to the ship.  We always bring lanyards with plastic id holders to help keep track of our SeaPasses and to wear on and off the ship.  You don’t need to remove the SeaPass card if it is in a plastic holder; it will still register on the ship’s scanner.  I’ve read that you cannot punch a hole in the SeaPass card to attach to a lanyard as it will damage the chip inside.

Laser Tag: I sent the kids down to Studio B on Deck 4 to make Laser Tag reservations for the week as I had read that the reservations book up quickly.  Laser tag seems to be offered on sea days and on short port days.  They only wanted to let them make one reservation for the week, but if you insist, they will let you make more than one laser tag reservation.  All you need to make a reservation is your cabin number.  Each person does not need to be present to get a reservation.

Voom Surf & Stream Wifi: With 4 teenagers on this trip, we decided to ease their suffering and purchase a wifi package for 4 devices.  It was “on sale” in our cruise planner.  Keep an eye on the price as it does fluctuate.  We paid $27.49/day or $192.43 for the week.  This package allowed 4 phones or tablets to be connected to the ship’s wifi at once.  On past cruises, there was a password and letter inside our stateroom explaining how to access your wifi package.  This time, there was no letter or password.  I had to go to guest services and ask.  Later, I found a small post card in the room explaining the process.  You need to go to your wifi setting on your phone, select “WiFi – Guest-Symphony”.  A “Create Internet Account” form will pop up the first time.  Fill it out with the information of the person you bought the wifi pkg under.  You choose a wifi “username” and 4-digit pin.  You can then share that username and pin with others in your group to access the ship’s wifi.  We had a 4-device plan, so only 4 people could be on the wifi at once.  If a 5^th person signs in, it disconnects the person who has been on the longest.  If you have issues, there is a Voom desk by the aft elevators on Deck 5 (always busy) or ask at guest services.

[CarmenCastalia]

Cabins: At 1 pm on the dot, an announcement was made that our rooms were ready.  Your SeaPass card will be in an envelope by the cabin door. We had 4 ocean view balcony cabins on Deck 8.  3 of them were next to each other so we were able to have the balcony partitions opened to enjoy a larger deck area.  We had to book an adult in each room, but later were able to have our travel agent call Royal Caribbean and shift people around so that 3 teenagers were in the middle cabin with 2 adults in the cabins on either side of them.  Having the open deck also allowed for easy access to all 3 rooms.  Our other cabin was across the hall on the other side of the ship, but also on Deck 8.  I went to guest services and asked for a key to the kid’s room, so I didn’t have to knock every time I wanted to visit.  If all the cabins are linked together in your cruise reservation, you can get a spare key. 

The beds were on the firm side, so we asked our attendant for a mattress topper.  It really made a difference.  My niece had the pleasure of sleeping on the couch that the room attendant made into a bed.  I thought it would be a trundle bed or some type of pull out couch, but it was just sheets put on top of the couch with the couch back cushions removed.  She said it wasn’t very comfortable.

There is plenty of storage in the cabin with luggage storage under the bed.  On Harmony of the Seas, we brought old hotel key cards to put in the card slot by the door to keep the lights and power on.  They still have these card slots on Symphony, but there was already a card in the slot. There are 3 electrical outlets, 2 USB ports plus a European outlet under the dressing table mirror, one outlet next to the bed, and a “shavers only” outlet in the bathroom.  There is a “2-in1 Hair & Body Wash” liquid soap dispenser in the shower.  I brought my own shampoo and conditioner.  There is a room safe on one of the shelves in the closet with a keypad to set your own code.

[CarmenCastalia]

Day 1:  Lunch Buffet in Solarium Bistro- it was pouring rain in Miami, so we skipped our regular boarding day lunch spot (Park Café) and decided to try the Solarium Bistro buffet.  They expanded this venue on Symphony.  The bistro takes up the Solarium bar area that is on Allure and Harmony.  I miss the much-needed shaded area that that space provided on those ships.  Anyway, the bistro staff helped us find a large table to accommodate all of us and our carry-on luggage.  The buffet was standard buffet style food.

After unpacking and door decorating, we went to the muster drill (remember to take your actual SeaPass!)  Our muster station was on Deck 5 at Café Promenade.  They showed the secret agent style safety video but did not show the hand washing video.  I was kind of looking forward to getting that jingle in my head.  I recognized one of our muster station attendants (Anastacio Vasconcelos) as our host for Chef’s Table on our Harmony cruise that we took last year.  We asked him why there was no Chef’s Table on Symphony.  He said he came over to Symphony to do Chef’s Table, but as of yet, they have still not found a place hold this dinner on Symphony.  After the drill, we headed up to the Schooner Bar for cocktail hour.  (We scheduled a different bar to meet in to have cocktails before dinner every night.)  

Izumi Hibachi- We were not able to book 9 seats at the hibachi table on the cruise planner, so we had to make a rez for 5 people and another one for 4.  When we arrived, they already had it figured out that we were a party of 9 and it was no issue to all sit around one hibachi grill.  In fact, there were seats for 10.  For your $45 reservation on cruise planner, you could choose from the Teppan Classic menu (chicken, beef tenderloin or shrimp).  For an upcharge of $4, you could make your own combo of any two proteins (beef, shrimp, chicken scallops, lobster).  All dinners include edamame, salad w/ ginger dressing, fried rice and dessert (assorted mochi ice cream or fried sesame balls w/ plum sauce).  They serve 3 dipping sauces plus the chef serves YumYum sauce with the fried rice.  The fried rice is the star of the show.  Our chef overcooked the shrimp and lobster.  The beef tenderloin was very tender and delicious. 

We had reservations for Hairspray at 8:30 but were way too tired and full to sit through a 90-minute musical.  The general buzz from people who did see it was that it was spectacular.  Some of us did manage to rally and watch the balloon drop at midnight on Deck 5.

Day 2:  Sea Day – we all did breakfast in the main dining room on Deck 3.  You can choose to be seated on the “buffet side” or “menu side”.  If you sit on the menu side, you can still go up to the buffet.  The only things on the menu that you cannot get from the buffet are eggs benedict and French toast.  We chose the buffet side.  There is a made-to-order omelet station along with all your traditional breakfast buffet offerings.  If you have the alcohol pkg, be sure to ask for fresh squeezed OJ and cappuccino or espresso as these are included.  They will take your SeaPass or WOW band if you choose these drinks.  Apple, tomato and orange juice; milk and brewed coffee and tea are complimentary.

From 10-noon on every sea day there is a Bloody Mary stand in front of Copper & Kettle Pub (deck 5).  You choose a Vodka brand, spiciness level and all the accoutrements (celery, olives, bacon…) to customize your drink order from the bar tender.  This is also included in the alcohol pkg ($9.95 if you don’t have a pkg).

Pool Towels:  We checked out some towels from the towel station near the pool area.  You’ll need your SeaPass card or Wow band to check them out.  You can keep them as long as you want, but you do need to scan them back in by the last night of the cruise or you will be charged $25 per towel.  We double checked on the last day to make sure none of our cabins had towels still checked out at towel station.  Pool towels are also available to be checked out and returned on the dock on port days if you are leaving the ship and need towels for your port adventure!

We lounged around in the Solarium, but I found it very hot in there.  There are 2 levels to the Solarium area, the bottom level is even hotter than the top.  There is a small pool in the Solarium as well as 2 hot tubs.  The pool is like a fishbowl, so if you get in there, please remember people walking by can see what you have going on under the water.  Most of the time the sights in the fish bowl are not flattering.  The Solarium bar is very crowded and it took too long to get a drink there.

We went to El Loco Fresh to get a bite for lunch.  There was a long waiting line to get to this mini buffet by the basketball court on Deck 15.  There were premade burritos and tacos, nachos, cheese sauce, and an extensive toppings bar with guac, salsa and peppers.  There was Coke Freestyle machine here too.  I made my own “deluxe nacho” plate and found a table to sit and enjoy.  When leaving the area, we found a spot with rocking chairs overlooking the boardwalk and aqua theater. 

Wonderland Bar: Tonight’s cocktail hour was at the Wonderland Bar on Deck 12.  This is where we usually find the best bartender and drinks on the ship.  I was impressed that he did hand mix the featured Wonderland cocktails for us since we were sitting at the bar.  If you order one of the 4 specialty cocktails from the restaurant, they are pre-mixed in a container under the bar.  We tried a “Down the Rabbit Hole,” “Smoke Rings,” and “Cheshire Cat Cosmo.” The cosmo is served with blue cotton candy in your martini glass and you pour the drink over it to melt the candy.  My mom asked him to make her a special martini of his choice.  He made her a tri colored martini that was pretty as well as tasty. Wonderland hosts a martini seminar on 2 of the sea days at 1pm for $30 per person. 

Formal Night in MDR: We had My Time Dining in the MDR on Deck 4.  The dining rooms on Deck 3 and 5 were traditional early and late set dining times.  Tonight’s featured meal was the sliced beef tenderloin, which was very good.  My husband got the seafood linguini and was not impressed.  The Grand Marnier Souffle was the clear winner for dessert.

Hiro Aqua Show: We had reservations for the 8:30 show.  We arrived at 8:15 and had a very hard time finding a seat.  They hadn’t even let in the “no reservations” line yet.  I would suggest arriving at 8 pm if you want a good seat.  The show was excellent, don’t miss it.  We stopped at Johnny Rockets after the show and got milk shakes (included with the alcohol pkg).  Your flavor choices are chocolate, vanilla, strawberry or Oreo.  While sitting there we watched people line up for the 10:30 Aqua show and it was only 9:45!

Jazz on 4: My husband and I went to hear the Kellough-McCall Jazz group that plays almost every night in this venue.  They were very good and enjoyable to listen to.  There is bar service in Jazz on 4.  It’s a great place to chill out with a Bailey’s on ice and enjoy some classic jazz.  You will see the jazz singer during the day out and about on the ship. 

Edited July 19, 2019 by CarmenCastalia

[Biker19]

16 minutes ago, CarmenCastalia said:

Royal App:  Download the Royal App on your phone pre-cruise.  You will be able to see your “Set Sail Pass” on this mobile app after you check in for your cruise. 

For anyone else reading this, the availability of the SetSail pass in the app varies by ship and not all ships support the app.

[37645]

Thanks for this review. How long did it take for you all to eat dinner? Thanks 

[Biker19]

16 minutes ago, CarmenCastalia said:

  We had a 4-device plan, so only 4 people could be on the wifi at once.  If a 5^th person signs in, it disconnects the person who has been on the longest.

Did you actually test this? I'm not sure anyone has confirmed who gets bumped - some here might want to know.

[DancerMama25]

Thanks for your review; I’m anxious to keep reading.

 

quick question...  another poster posted a video review of a recent sail on Symphony where they claim you can no longer have drinks in the pool or on the edge.  Did you happen to notice one way or the other?  Please tell me it’s possible to have a Miami Vice with my feet in the pool!  🤞🏼

[CarmenCastalia]

Day 3: Sea Day -Breakfast in the MDR buffet.  My son and I did a lunch “tour.”  We started in the MDR lunch buffet.  Again, there were two lines, one for buffet, one for menu.  We chose the buffet.  I did the chopped salad bar option where you tell the server behind the salad bar your selections and then another server uses a pizza cutter to chop it all up in a bowl with dressing.  My son went through the chaffing dishes and found a few things he wanted to taste.  I have to say I was disappointed in the dessert selections.  Mostly jello and mousse offerings in mini plastic cups:  pretty but not must flavor.  We then went up to the Windjammer.  This is a HUGE buffet maze with many many food options.  My son only wanted a plate of French fries, so that’s what he got, and we found a nice table by the corner windows.  It’s very crowded in the Windjammer, but the staff does a great job keeping tables cleared.  The fries were fresh and crispy, but I cannot comment on any of the other food offerings as we did not sample them.

 

Spent some time in Vintages with my husband today.  It is another great place to sit and enjoy some peace and quiet either inside or at a table overlooking Central Park.  You can order tapas from Jamie’s Italian from a limited menu inside Vintages (extra charge).  Most of the wines here are above what is covered by the alcohol pkg, but we viewed the price list through -$13 lenses, making most of the wines $1-$5 a glass.  They do several wine tastings during the cruise at $50 per person.  You do not receive any type of discount on this price with the alcohol pkg.

List of Vintages Wine Tasting Events @ $50 each

Vintages Wine List

Vintages Tapas Menu

 

Hooked Seafood: Cocktail hour and dinner were both at Hooked tonight.  This was by far the clear winner in the “best meal” category.  Raymond, the bar tender was outstanding, and the food was the best we had on the ship.  They have happy hour from 5-7 everyday at the bar with a featured drink and food item.  It would be a great way to try the Messy Fish Sandwich and Lobster Roll.  A couple at the bar shared a fish sandwich and it looked as good as they said it tasted. 

Three of us got the 2 lb whole Maine lobster (no additional charge for this item, it’s included with your $39 reservation – but I’m sure that won’t last long as lobster is an upcharge everywhere else!)  Others in our party ordered the Captain’s Platter and Surf & Turf.  Appetizers that I tasted were Drunken Mussels, Brie & Champagne broiled oysters, raw oysters, Clam & Crab chowder and their cheddar peppercorn biscuits.  Everything was delicious!  We were so full that we asked for our desserts to go.  They brought them out room service style (plated with plastic covers).  We had cherry pie, lemon tart and chocolate decadence brownie.  We all snuck one bite before we took them back to our rooms!

New Hooked Menu

Drunken Mussels

Broiled Oysters

Crab Cake

Clam & Crab Chowder

2 lb Maine Lobster

Lobster Roll

Captain's Platter

Cherry Pie

Chocolate Brownie

 

1977 Ice Show:  We sent the 4 kids down to Studio B on Deck 4 at 8 pm to save us seats for the 8:30 show while we put the desserts away.  I’m glad we did because by the time we got there at 8:15 it was almost full.  The show was great.  Go see it.

 

 

Edited July 19, 2019 by CarmenCastalia

[CarmenCastalia]

Day 4: Philipsburg, St. Maarten – Breakfast today in the Solarium Bistro.  It is buffet style with an eggs to order station.  If you are looking for fried eggs to order AND omelets, this is where you will find them.  The MDR only offers custom omelets at their buffet and you need to wait in line for them.  In the Solarium Bistro, you place your order at the counter, and they give you a number on a stand to place on your table and a waiter will deliver your eggs to you.  All the other breakfast offerings are about the same as the MDR.  After breakfast on Deck 15 we decided to go see what was offered for breakfast at El Loco Fresh.  There were breakfast burritos, fried egg tostadas and a few other offerings.  It would be a good place to pick up a quick bite for breakfast.

7 of our group booked an excursion from 10am – 3pm on the Random Wind Catamaran ($119 per person).  (This was not a RC sponsored excursion.) They really enjoyed themselves.  They limit the number of passengers to a max of 32 and lunch and drinks are included.  My mom was not interested in this excursion, so she and I simply walked around the shops in the port area.  There are shuttles running up and down the dock for handicap persons that take you to the heart of the shopping area, so she didn’t have to walk that far.  There is also return shuttle service to the ship from the place where they drop you off.  It’s your standard port shopping (Diamonds International, Del Sol, Cariloha…)

150 Central Park:  Cocktail hour was at Vintages tonight, then off to 150.  We booked this restaurant late (5 days pre-cruise) in our planning stage and the cruise planner would not let us book a table of 9.  I called the RC help desk and they also could not book a table that large and suggested splitting up our group.  I had to book a table of 2, 3 and 4 at 6:30 to make it work.  When we made our Chops reservation first thing after boarding on Day 1 at 150CP, I asked about getting our tables close together and she asked if we wanted to sit together at one big table.  Yes, please!  There must be a limit to how many tables can be booked on cruise planner prior to the cruise?

We ate at 150 on Allure when they were still associated with Michael Schwartz.  It was after they dropped the 6-course set menu, but still served the 6 salts with the unsalted butter for the rolls. They no longer serve the salts and serve Parker House style rolls instead.  My sister got the Urban Garden Martini ($2 upcharge w/ alcohol pkg) and it was very good.  The rest of us stuck to wine.  The Caesar salad is prepared table side (you need to ask for anchovies if that is your thing).  Our group also ordered the scallops, braised short rib, pumpkin bisque and pork belly in the appetizer category.  From what I tasted, the braised short rib was the best.  I got the lobster thermidor entrée, others got the beef tenderloin for two (which they can do for one also) and veal medallions.  The beef tenderloin is carved tableside.  Everyone enjoyed their meal.  Desserts that we ordered included Fried Cheesecake (excellent), peanut butter chocolate tart (vert good), and the artisanal cheese selection.  The cheese selection is brought to the table and the server tells you about each cheese and you can choose which you would like.  I chose all of them.  They serve the cheese with dried fruits, nuts and preserves.

Braised Short Rib Appetizer

Roasted Spiced Pumpkin Bisque

Sseared Honey Glazed Scallops

Caesar with anchovies

Crispy Berkshire Pork Belly

Lobster Thermidor

Roasted Tenderloin of Beef

Fried Cheesecake

Peanut Butter Chocolate Tart

Artisanal Cheese Plate

[CarmenCastalia]

Day 5:  San Juan – We were only in port here from 7am – 3pm, so we did not plan any excursions due to the short day.  I looked at doing the Old San Juan Food Tour; a walking food tour that gets good reviews, but for the 9 of us to do this tour at $90 each, I felt it would be too expensive.  So I mapped out our own walking tour.  We ended up going to Casa Cortez Choco Bar to ordering churros.  There are 2 options for churros on the menu.  There’s one for $3.50 that comes with dark chocolate dipping sauce and one for $7 that comes with hazelnut dipping sauce.  The hazelnut sauce is fabulous.  It’s not Nutella, they make it in house.  We wanted to buy a jar, but sadly they do not sell it.  They offer a full breakfast/lunch/dinner menu and everything looked and smelled very good, including all the chocolate drinks.  I would have liked to spend more time here tasting through the menu, but the kids were ready to move on.  We spoke to the owner who said they are working on opening a shop in NYC. 

Our next stop was to Barrachina for Pina Coladas.  This is one of the 2 places that claim to have invented the Pina Colada.  We ordered from the outside bar area.  The Pina coladas were very good and were $7 each.  This place is very close to the Umbrella Street (Fortaleza Street) so we stopped at the entrance to the street for a group photo.  Final stop was Cuatro Sombras for coffee.  It was very hot, so I went with a 12oz iced latte with vanilla ($4.60 + .80 for vanilla + 11.5% tax!!)  It was an excellent latte.  My son bought a few souvenirs in Old San Juan and that’s when I noticed the 11.5% sales tax.  Yikes.

Old San Juan has lots of shopping and it isn’t all concentrated to the pier area.  The streets are cobblestone and it’s an up-hill trek to get into town.  It’s not a handicap friendly place and was difficult for my mom to manage.  There were also no wheelchairs or shuttles to get you to the end of the dock like at other ports. 

 Barrachina Pina Colada

 

 

Cocktail hour was at the Rising Tide Bar.  The staff here is great.  My only complaint is that when the bar rises to Deck 8, it gets hot under the glass dome.  In the beginning of the week, the doors on either side of the bar would remain open to allow for a cross breeze.  Apparently, the automatic doors were “repaired” on Day 5 and now would only open when someone entered or left the bar area.

 

Dinner was at Chops tonight.  Formal night was originally planned for Day 6 when we made all of our dining reservations on cruise planner.  However, it was switched to Day 5 due to July 4^th falling on Day 6.  This happened to us last year on Harmony as well, so I should have known better.  For whatever reason, RC thinks we would enjoy the MDR menu that offers turkey and dressing over lobster tail for the 4^th of July.  This is the same explanation that I got on the Harmony.  I did not notice the change in formal night until I looked at the cruise compass the morning of Day 5.  I went to Chops as soon as they opened (9am) to try and switch our reservation from tonight to tomorrow, but they could only get us in at 9:30 pm on Day 6, so that was a no-go for us.  I know the lobster tail in the MDR isn’t all that great, but it is sure better than turkey and dressing.  Oh well!

Dinner at Chops was great.  Everyone ordered their own starters; shrimp cocktail, crab cake, beef carpaccio, goat cheese salad, Caesar salad, wild mushroom soup and lobster bisque.  In addition, we ordered 3 grilled black pepper bacon for the center of the table.  FYI, the lobster bisque is not a creamy bisque, it is more of a tomato-based soup and it does not contain any lobster meat.  It is like what is served in the MDR on the first formal night.  The wild mushroom soup is way better.  The goat cheese salad is excellent.

For main courses, we again all ordered our own.  There were several 9oz filets, 12 oz NY strips, spicy jumbo shrimp and a 16oz bone-in ribeye.  Everyone enjoyed their choices.  The spicy shrimp was not overly spicy, in fact it could have been a bit spicier for my taste.  The filet was cooked perfectly.  My husband ordered it Medium Rare which usually means medium in most restaurants.  It was a perfect Medium Rare.  They bring out and serve a red wine sauce, béarnaise or au poivre sauce for the steaks. (There are 3 menu items offered for an upcharge, including a 1.5lb Maine Lobster for $21.   That is on top of the $52.99 cover charge for the reservation.  The 2lb Maine Lobster at Hooked was offered at no extra charge with a $39 cover.  I wonder when RC will add the upcharge at Hooked??) We chose Gruyere tater tots (really big tots), asparagus, mac & cheese, mushrooms and truffle fries for our sides that are served family style.  The tots, mushrooms and fries were the best.  You can ask for more sides if you run out.  The truffle fries were hot and fresh, but I’m a huge truffle fan, and there was not enough truffle flavor for me. However the kids loved them and probably wouldn’t have loved them as much if they were too “trufflily”.  

We managed to save room for dessert, though my nephew opted to ask for 2 desserts to go instead of eating them at the table.  There was Key Lime pie, warm chocolate cake, cheesecake and red velvet.  I felt like the warm chocolate cake was the best, with the key lime a close second.  We also got a “Haute & Steamy” coffee drink which was an excellent ending to a great meal.

We used our complimentary dining certificates that we got for booking the cruise through United Cruises for Chops, but it only covered 2 people per stateroom.  Since we were a party of 9 in 4 staterooms, we had to pay for 1 person.  I noticed the charge was $52.99, which is the same as the cruise planner price, but there was an additional 18% service charge added ($9.54).  This 18% seems to be included in the $52.99 if you book your reservation pre-cruise on the cruise planner.   

 

Chops Wine List

 

Colossal Shrimp Cocktail

 

Charred Beef Carpaccio

 

Grilled Black Pepper Bacon

 

Jumbo Lump Carb Cake

 

Crispy Goat Cheese Salad

 

Caesar

 

Wild Mushroom Soup

 

Lobster Bisque

 

16oz Bone In Ribeye

 

Spicy Jumbo Shrimp

 

12oz NY Strip

 

Sides

 

Haute & Steamy Coffee

 

Key Lime Meringue Pie

 

Warm Chocolate Cake

 

Royal Cheesecake

Edited July 19, 2019 by CarmenCastalia

[CarmenCastalia]

Day 6: Labadee – July 4^th - My brother-in-law and nephew got off the ship as soon as the gangway opened to get to the Beach Bungalows in Columbus Cove to secure 2 bungalows next to each other as they are assigned on a first come first served basis.  He got numbers 7 & 8 which are the last two in the row of 8 bungalows.  They were perfect for a group sharing 2 bungalows. On our Harmony cruise, we were unable to get one of these bungalows and had to purchase an over the water cabana instead.  While the attendant for that cabana was much more attentive that the one we had today, the price of the bungalows compared to the over the water huts was much more reasonable.  I got the bungalows during a cruise planner “sale” for $223 each.  The over the water beach cabana last year was $550.

 

We went to Park Café for breakfast.  Offerings include breakfast paninis, an English muffin egg sandwich, toasted bagels with flavored cream cheese option, fresh fruit cups and pastries, brewed coffee and tea.  This is not a buffet; everything is handed to you from behind the counter. If you are looking for a cappuccino or espresso, you need to go to Café Promenade on Deck 5.

When the rest of our group left the ship, there were wheelchairs available to help get my mom down the long dock and to the golf cart area.  The golf carts are reserved for use by suite guests, but they allowed my mom and one member of our party to use this service to get her to the Bungalow.  The rest of us went to the tram station to wait for a tram to take us to Columbus Cove.  From past experience in Labadee, make sure to ask if the tram you get on goes all the way to Columbus Cove.  Last year, the tram we were on stopped at Town Square and we had to walk the rest of the way to Columbus Cove through all the local merchants.  The local merchants are very persistent and will try and hand you a bracelet or necklace.  Once it’s in your hands they ask you to pay for it and don’t take “no thanks” as an answer.

The bungalows include a cooler with ice and bottles of Evian water, towels, floating water mats and beach loungers.  Lunch is served in the Columbus Cove Café (picnic area) behind the bungalows starting at 11am.  It consisted of hamburgers, hotdogs, “Cola Chicken”, BBQ ribs, Greek salad, potato salad, mac & cheese, sliced fruit, cookies, water and lemonade served buffet style with paper plates and disposable silverware.  All food and drink come from the ship.  It’s OK, but not great.  The only thing that bothers me is the flies that buzz around all the food. 

Our attendant collected all our sea passes with our first drink order since we all had either an alcohol pkg or pop pkg.  The Labadoozie (frozen rum punch) is the only frozen drink available on Labadee.   The Corona beer was served in plastic shaped Corona bottles with a wide mouth to hold the lime; I thought that was really cool. 

My sister and her family booked the Dragon’s Fire zip line (superman/lay down style zip line) on cruse planner.  They had done the Dragon’s Breath zip line (sitting position zip line) on a previous cruise.  She said the Fire zip line was slower in speed and you had a chance to look around more to enjoy the view more than the Dragon’s Breath which was faster.

When it was time to return to the ship, our attendant called for the golf cart and we were all able to take it back to the information center area where there were wheelchair attendants waiting to assist my mom.  You must go through a security station with metal detectors and bag x-ray before you can access the dock. We took extra towels from the ship and returned them on the dock before boarding the ship.  It was a relaxing beach day.  I highly recommend a bungalow if you can get one on cruise planner.  They sell out fast, so if you see it, buy it.

 

We grabbed a bite to eat at Park Café.  The kummelweck sandwich lives up to all the hype.  I opted to have the hand carved roast beef on a plate instead of a bun, with gravy and horseradish.  You can also get mustard or spicy mustard on your beef.  There are 2 types of soup, several panini options, pre-packaged salads and a custom salad option.  There are also bags of Lays potato chips, and several dessert choices.  All items are handed to you from behind the counter.  There is a hidden Coke Freestyle machine around the corner at the end of the display counter.  If you order a panini, you get a number to put on your table and a server will deliver it to you.

 

 We met at the Trellis Bar in Central Park for cocktail hour; excellent staff here.  We frequented this bar during our trip because it was the closest bar to our cabins.  Tonight, we had scheduled ourselves to eat in the MDR for lobster night, but as I said earlier, it was switched to Day 5 and we were unable to change our Chops reservation.  Dinner in the MDR was not the best.  We got several Escargots for the table to share.  My sister got the French onion soup and some of us got the Crispy Coconut Shrimp appetizer.  Dinner selection was Fish & Chips, Roasted Turkey, Prime Rib, Braised Lamb Shank and Cheese Tortellini.  The Prime Rib was fine; you can ask for it to be cooked to your desired temp.  The braised lamb was good, but none of it compared to the great meals we got in the specialty restaurants.  The staff was very friendly and attentive.  Dessert was an artisan cheese plate (nowhere close in comparison to 150CP), cheesecake, crème brulee, warm banana bread pudding with coffee ice cream.  Again, pretty boring and not as good as specialty dining, but that is why specialty dining has a fee.

Since it was the 4^th of July, there was another balloon drop and a giant cake on the Royal Promenade around 7pm.  The ship was all decked out with red white & blue.  I think all 5500 people showed up for the balloon drop and free cake. 

 

We had reservations for Flight at 8:30, so we proceeded to the Royal Theater.  My mom and I really enjoyed the show and the props were top notch.  My husband and sons do not enjoy musical theater unless they are playing drum set in the orchestra pit, so they did a lot of eye rolling, but it was only 50 minutes long.  I would see it again just for the ending.  I won’t spoil it for you.

 

One of the worst things about Deck 4 is having to cross through the Casino to get from the front of the ship to the back of the ship where the elevators to our cabins were located.  Don’t get me wrong, my husband and I go to Vegas twice a year and enjoy casinos.  It’s just that the smoke smell in there is really strong.  You would think that this brand-new ship would have as good a smoke filtration system as the new Vegas hotels.  Sadly, It reeks of cigarette smoke in there like an old Vegas casino.

After Flight, we got another round of milkshakes at Johnny Rockets and watched the Boston Pops Fireworks Concert on the Aqua Theater screens.

Edited July 19, 2019 by CarmenCastalia

[CarmenCastalia]

Day 7:  Sea Day – Why does a cruise week go by so quickly?   We spent some time packing up today.  We chose to carry our luggage ourselves off the ship to avoid having to put our luggage out in the hallway tonight.  Our last cocktail hour was spent between the Rising Tide, Trellis Bar and Vintages, our 3 favorite bars.  Dinner was at Jamie’s Italian.  We ordered our appetizers “family style” and let the waiter decide how many to bring for a party of 9.  We sampled the Classic Meat Plank, Crispy Squid, Arancini, Giant Green Olives, Ultimate Garlic Bread, Tomato Bruschetta and Crab & Avocado Bruschetta.  All were great and we could have stopped after the appetizers, but where’s the fun in that?

We each ordered an entrée, but passed them around the table for everyone to taste if they wanted:  Chicken Al Mottone (this wasn’t good-chicken was dry), Jamie’s Italian Burger (very tasty), Prawn Linguini (not enough shrimp), Mushroom Fettuccine (very good), Truffle Tagliatelle (EXCELLENT- had to order another one) and Lamb Chops (don’t miss these, they are superb).  Dessert was presented on 2 planks for the table:  Amalfi Lemon Meringue Cheesecake, Epic Brownie, Tiramisu, Raspberry Rippled Pavlova.  All were tasty.  Cappuccinos with Bailey’s topped it all off.  The cappuccinos were the best we had on the ship all week.  They also offer Limoncello, Amaretto and Grappa, but we weren’t offered a dessert menu, and I had forgotten about these from the menu I had looked at ahead of the cruise.

 

Classic Meat Plank

 

Ultimate Garlic Bread and Crispy Squid

 

Tomato Bruschetta and Crab & Avocado Bruschetta

 

Arancini Margherita

 

Dessert Plank

 

 

Edited July 19, 2019 by CarmenCastalia

[CarmenCastalia]

49 minutes ago, Biker19 said:

Did you actually test this? I'm not sure anyone has confirmed who gets bumped - some here might want to know.

 

The 4 teens determined this by trial and error, though we did not confirm these test results with the Voom Internet help desk.

[ileys]

Great review!  Thanks for putting this together!

[CarmenCastalia]

Cruise Photos: We normally do not purchase the cruise photos from Picture This!, but since this was our first full family vacation, and we have never had a family portrait, we did get group photos taken on  formal night.  They have backdrops set up on Deck 5 by the Bionic Bar and also take photos on the staircase and in front of the sculpture by Boleros.  There are also a photographer in Central Park.  You do not need to schedule a time, but the earlier you go, the less you will wait.  I believe they begin taking photos on Formal Nights at 4:45. You can view your photos in the Picture This studio on Deck 6 across from the Schooner Bar.  Check your Cruise Compass for their hours as you can only look at the photos during the hours listed. 

Tap your seapass or WOW band on a photo station kiosk and your photos come up.  If you are taking group photos, give the photographers all of your cabin numbers.   If all of your photos do not come up, you can do a photo search by date and time, add them to your portfolio and ask the photo attendant to add them to your folde.  You can purchase photo packages, the smallest being 10 print or digital photos for $159.99.  Prints are 8x10 size only.  Single prints or Digital photos are $19.99 each, but you may qualify for a BOGO 50% off with your Crown & Anchor Membership, making 2 photos $15 each.  We only wanted 6 of our photos, so 3 of us purchased 2 photos each with our discounts.  Package prices were 10 for $159.99, 20 for $249.99, all your photos for $309.99.

I suggest making your purchase before Day 7 as the studio was super busy all day and it was hard to get help from the attendants.  We chose digital prints and were able to download them on the ship onto our phones with the code you get from the kiosk after you make your purchase with your SeaPass card.  We then shared the photos with everyone in our group via email.  You will also get an email 4-7 days after the cruise with a link to all your photos from the ship.  The ones you purchased can be downloaded again and of course you can purchase any others you would like, but the price goes up to $24.95 for 1 digital photo, 5 for $99.95, 10 for $174.95 and 25 for $299.95.

 

Disembarkment:  Our flights out of FLL were at 1:30, so we arranged with our car service to pick us up at 10 am.  It was raining in Miami, so it was raining in Central Park too.  There are umbrellas to use at the door, but be careful, it is slippery in Central Park when it is raining.  We grabbed breakfast at Park Café.  All the breakfast venues close around 8:30 am, so if you want breakfast on departure day, don’t delay.

We have the Moblie Passport App that was helpful at Port Everglades, but we ended up not needing it in Miami.  They use facial recognition at customs.  You walk up to a kiosk, stand on the footprints and look straight ahead.  We never even had to show our passports.  There was another line for those who were travelling with a birth certificate and no passport.  I have no idea what that procedure would entail. 

The pickup area outside the building was chaotic.  Everyone was all bunched up.  There didn’t seem to be a clear area for Uber/Lyft/taxi/van etc. Our driver called and said there was a 30-minute line to get to the port.  We were told to wait with our phone in hand and he would call with a location to meet him.  When he finally got close, he told us to cross the driveway into the center section where we were dropped off at the beginning of the cruise.  It was about a 30-minute commute to the Ft. Lauderdale airport.

 

Hope all this info helps someone else to enjoy their Symphony Cruise as much as we did. Bon Voyage!

(As someone stated in a reply to one of my posts, the WOW bands, Royal Mobie App usage, etc that I am referring to, only apply to my experience on the Symphony of the Seas and may not be applicable to other RC ships.)   

 

[Glide_Path]

Thank you for all the pictures.  Such a wonderful and detailed review!

[CarmenCastalia]

54 minutes ago, DancerMama25 said:

Thanks for your review; I’m anxious to keep reading.

 

quick question...  another poster posted a video review of a recent sail on Symphony where they claim you can no longer have drinks in the pool or on the edge.  Did you happen to notice one way or the other?  Please tell me it’s possible to have a Miami Vice with my feet in the pool!  🤞🏼

 I have a photo of people in the Solarium pool with drinks.  I'm afraid I did not notice if people had drinks in or around the main pool area.  

[CarmenCastalia]

Here are the Menus from our dining venues.  The Hooked Menu in here is old.  Please see the updated Hooked menu in my review.

Our Dining Menus.pdf

 

Here are other menus that I put together before our cruise, including all 7 nights of MDR.

All menus doc.pdf

[crewsweeper]

Thank you for the review.  Can't wait for our turn next year.

[brucefan21]

What a thorough review!  I did have a couple of questions.

 

1.  Did you have to purchase food at Johnny Rockets to get the milkshakes with your dining plan?

2.  We have a group of 16.  Were you able to get a table for my time dining for your group?  They said ours is too big so we have to go to either the 5:30 or 8:00 seating.  We would rather eat at 6:30.

 

Thanks and glad you had such a great time!

[Marbel69]

Excellent review ...

[CarmenCastalia]

Here are all the Cruise Compasses and other info from my Symphony Eastern Caribbean sailing 6/29-7/6/2019

Symphony Cruise Compass June 28_July 6 2019.pdf 

[CarmenCastalia]

Here is one more thing I found helpful on our Symphony cruise. I would often get confused as to which end of the ship I was on and which elevators to take up to our stateroom located by the aft elevators.  There is different artwork to help you note the difference between the forward and aft elevators.

The artwork in the forward elevators looks like cats eye marbles; so the eyes are at the head of the ship (forward).

 

The aft elevators have folded paper art.

 

 

Hope this helps others who are as directionally challenged as I am!  

 

[CarmenCastalia]

24 minutes ago, brucefan21 said:

What a thorough review!  I did have a couple of questions.

 

1.  Did you have to purchase food at Johnny Rockets to get the milkshakes with your dining plan?

2.  We have a group of 16.  Were you able to get a table for my time dining for your group?  They said ours is too big so we have to go to either the 5:30 or 8:00 seating.  We would rather eat at 6:30.

 

Thanks and glad you had such a great time!

1.  We did not purchase food at Johnny Rockets when we ordered our milkshakes with our alcohol package.  We did not have a dining plan.

2.  Yes, we did get a table for 9 in the MDR for 6:30 My Time Dining.  You may need to book two tables of 8 and then speak to the reservation desk in the MDR as soon as you get on the ship to see if the tables can be close to each other or if they can indeed accommodate a table of 16.