Live - Symphony of the Seas Simulation Cruise August 1

[Host Anne]

2 hours ago, bourbon52 said:

This is awesome. Thank you, but because it's a short cruise, is there a show Hairspray?

 

Sadly, no.  They are rehearsing but no show on this 2-nighter.

[Host Anne]

56 minutes ago, suizas said:

Any idea on how full the next few sailings will be? I’m on August 29th. Thank you and enjoy your cruise! Watched you sail off! 

 

Hi Suizas ~ I haven't heard anything about the next few sailings and how full they will be but if I do, I'll post it here.

[Host Anne]

DAY 1 WRAP UP

Entertainment

We stopped at the Schooner Bar for pre-dinner drinks.  We arrived at 6:30 and we were the only ones in the bar.  Phil, the orchestra conductor, was playing piano tunes.  We sat nearby and enjoyed a glass of wine while he played.  He’s quite talented and we chatted about all the entertainment on board.  The orchestra actually has ten members (that’s a lot in this day and age).  There’s plenty of all kinds of entertainment on board.  All venues that typically have entertainment did.

 

Dinner Night One

We made a 7:30 dinner reservation in the Main Dining Room.  Originally, we were going to do two specialty restaurants but thought it would be better to try the Main Dining one evening.  We arrived on time and were escorted to a table for two.  They had four tables for two three inches apart along the windows.  The table they were seating us at had a dirty napkin thrown on it from the table that had just departed (don’t do this!) so they moved us across the way.

 

We were in the “vaccinated” dining room on Deck 4.  Deck 3 was for what they are calling “everyone,” so vaccinated and unvaccinated.  On this cruise it was no problem securing reservations in vaccinated venues.  We had a nice table for two at a window so I could watch the sunset, but it was literally no more than 3 inches from the next table.  There were four, two tops in a row like this. I think we were actually closer to the people next to us than at a regular table for 8.  I tend to dislike crowded places to begin with (got stuck on an over crowded elevator once) so I felt everything in the main dining room was too close and health and safety didn’t have anything to do with my feeling this way. 

 

The food in the main dining room was good.  I had the French Onion Soup and Fried Chicken entrée (I never make fried chicken so I had to try it….it was good).  My husband had the mushroom soup, escargot and prime rib.  We shared the key lime pie for dessert.  It’s everything you’d expect from a typical first night in a main dining room

 

The wait staff was friendly and attentive.  Getting a glass of wine or a drink was no problem. 

 

By the way, you access all menus via a QR code.  I truly dislike this aspect.  I understand it for now but I honestly do not want to carry my phone on a ship and worry about whether the battery is going to die throughout the day. I think people already spend far too much time looking down at their phone.  Now you see everyone doing it constantly. 

 

We planned to check out more live music after dinner but I was really tired and decided to call it a night.  Hope to stay up late tomorrow night.

[SixBitsKyle]

Are guests not wearing the contact tracing bracelets that were required on Allure's test sailing last week?

[Oceansaway17]

4 hours ago, Host Anne said:

DAY 1 WRAP UP

Entertainment

We stopped at the Schooner Bar for pre-dinner drinks.  We arrived at 6:30 and we were the only ones in the bar.  Phil, the orchestra conductor, was playing piano tunes.  We sat nearby and enjoyed a glass of wine 

 

Dinner 

 

We were in the “vaccinated” dining room on Deck 4.  Deck 3 was for what they are calling “everyone,” so vaccinated and unvaccinated.  On this cruise it was no problem securing reservations in vaccinated

 

The food in the main dining room was good.  I had the French Onion Soup and Fried Chicken entrée (I never make fried chicken so I had to try it….it was 

 

By the way, you access all menus via a QR code.  I truly dislike this aspect.  I understand it for now but I honestly do not want to carry my phone on a ship and worry about whether the battery is going to die throughout the day. I think people already spend far too much time looking down at their phone.  Now you see everyone doing it 

 

Do they have the menus posted outside that you can look at or photo?

[ALSEAU]

I am guessing that there isn't going to be a Q&A gathering with the Captain or any RCL reps. 

 

That seems to me to be a big missed PR opportunity.

[Biker19]

1 hour ago, ALSEAU said:

I am guessing that there isn't going to be a Q&A gathering with the Captain or any RCL reps. 

 

That seems to me to be a big missed PR opportunity.

Not sure there’s much up side for staff to answer endless COVID related questions. 

[Sea Dog]

Thanks for taking us along. I will be on Symphony September of 22' so I have to wait awhile but it will be my first on Symphony. What was your favorite part of the ship?  We have been on her sister Harmony, how would you compare the two with Symphony being the newer?

[Callan33]

Great review! 

[Host Anne]

9 hours ago, SixBitsKyle said:

Are guests not wearing the contact tracing bracelets that were required on Allure's test sailing last week?

No contract tracing bracelets.  I think they may be doing something different with contract tracing on Symphony but I don't have any details.

[Host Anne]

8 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

 

Do they have the menus posted outside that you can look at or photo?

Yes, they do!

[Host Anne]

7 hours ago, ALSEAU said:

I am guessing that there isn't going to be a Q&A gathering with the Captain or any RCL reps. 

 

That seems to me to be a big missed PR opportunity.

I believe that the majority of the passengers on this short sailing are shore-based Royal Caribbean staff.  I don't know that a Q&A would have made much sense (except for someone like me).

[Host Anne]

I'll have my final comments posted tomorrow and answer the questions I had from those before the cruise began.

Today WAS a Perfect Day at CocoCay....until our final drink this evening.  More tomorrow.

[Host Anne]

DAY 2

 

Breakfast in Windjammer

Thought we’d try the Windjammer before heading off to CocoCay.  We made a reservation because we were instructed to do so but they were taking walk-ins as well.  Only half the Windjammer was open but that was all the needed.  It wasn’t crowded at all.  We took a look at the various stations and ended at the omelet station at the rear of Windjammer.  However, even though the station said fried eggs, they were only making omelets and directed you back to the station where fried eggs were in a warming tray.  We skipped those.

                    

Fresh fruit, a hand-carved slice of ham was very good and sufficient.  Coffee service was from the typical coffee station but there was only one crew member here and once they start sailing regularly, they are going to need more than one person serving coffee.  A line quickly formed and avoiding lines is something they were working to avoid.

 

Perfect Day at CocoCay

They have aptly named this beautiful piece of paradise.  We had not been here since they opened the island. WOW, they’ve done a wonderful job here.  There is something for everyone.  We chose to rent a cabana at Chill Island and were fortunate to be placed at the very last cabana.  While most cabanas were full, it was a great oasis for the day.  We spent our time between relaxing in the water just off the cabanas and listening to music with drinks and lunch in between.

 

Matthew was our cabana concierge for the day.  He kept the cooler filled with ice and water; took our food and drink orders and was extremely attentive.  Even when we were in the water,  he’d wave and ask if he could get anything for us.  He explained that the staff working the island is from the Bahamas and they live on the island (you can see the housing from the ship) for three to six months at a time.  Like the crew onboard the ship, Matthew and all the staff at CocoCay were very happy we were there. 

 

We both had chicken sandwiches for lunch with drinks from the Cabana menu.  Matthew delivered food in an insulated bag that kept most things warm (it’s tough to keep fries warm) and it hit the spot when we were hungry around 1:00 PM.

 

The cabana had four beach loungers (I think there are a couple thousand across the island), two plastic round chairs and a very nice and comfy beach couch inside the cabana with an ottoman!  A Bluetooth speaker and outlet allowed me to plug in and play tunes from Spotify (my Royal wifi worked out here). 

 

Overall, this truly was the perfect, relaxing day away from it all.  We’d definitely book a cruise that includes a stop at Perfect Day at CocoCay in the future, although I’m guessing it will be much more crowded than it was for us.

 

We rode the tram back to the port tram (two trams here – one from the ship to the entrance of the island and another that takes you around the island with various stops) and truly enjoyed our day here.

[Host Anne]

Finishing up details about our last night and disembarkation.  I'll post this and answers to questions by this evening.

Thanks for following along.

[Oceansaway17]

13 hours ago, Host Anne said:

Yes, they do!

Good to know as I heard on news these scans of menus can be a risk for hackers

[MooNGaTe27]

Anne , what wifi did you have .Surf or Surf & Stream .Also how was the wifi on the ship . I would say they also did a good job installing it on Coco Cay because it looks like your cabana is far away from the rest 

[Host Anne]

2 hours ago, MooNGaTe27 said:

Anne , what wifi did you have .Surf or Surf & Stream .Also how was the wifi on the ship . I would say they also did a good job installing it on Coco Cay because it looks like your cabana is far away from the rest 

 

We did the Surf and Stream and it worked fine.  I didn't spend a lot of time on wifi on the ship or at CocoCay but it worked fine.  Our cabana was at the very end of Chill Island and everything worked well.

[Host Anne]

Here's the final installment of a great two days on Symphony of the Seas!

 

DAY 2 EVENING

 

Diamond Club Invite

When we got back to our room, we decided we’d try out the Diamond Lounge before heading to dinner at Chops as there wasn’t early evening music in any of the lounges.  We actually found an invite on our door from Fabio in the Diamond Lounge to visit the lounge between 6 – 8 pm for a simulation. I’m still not sure what was meant by “simulation” as the lounge was pretty much what it always is….drinks and hors d’ouevres.  The only difference was a crew member had to serve the food you wanted.  I’m sure this was a training session, but we didn’t notice anything different.  We did notice one guest go around a stanchion blocking the food area.  A crew member quickly made their way and said “sir, you are not allowed to take food on your own.”  If there is a stanchioned off area, that means they don’t want guests in that area and we should be considerate and stay out of the area.  You’ll see these places throughout the ship…the coffee station in the Windjammer is the same way. Chatting with Fabio and several of the officers that stopped by the lounge was great.  They genuinely are happy to have guests on board again! 

 

Dinner at Chops

We had a 7:30 dinner reservation at Chops.  They called our cabin at 5:30 to let us know that they were opening earlier if we wanted to dine before 7:30.  We were just returning from CocoCay and wanted to enjoy a stop at the Diamond Lounge so we politely declined.

 

We arrived a little before 7:30 and were promptly seated at a table that is designed to seat six.  They had it set for two on the bench portion of the seating and the three chairs on the outside were meant to be empty for distancing.

 

Our service was great and the food very good as it normally is in Chops.  We shared the bacon appetizer (I’d say it was more of a pork belly….but still very good); then we both had the lobster bisque (also very good).  I had the 6-ounce filet for my entrée and my husband enjoyed the bone-in ribeye.  Both were perfectly cooked and delicious.  Even better was the bearnaise sauce we both had.  Creamed spinach and the gruyere tator tots were served for us to share.  One thing I really liked was the portions were a nice size.  Not too large or small.  This was especially nice with the sides, so we didn’t waste food.

 

After Dinner Music and Drink Issue

I was determined to stay awake and listen to live music tonight and enjoy an after-dinner drink.  It’s typically one of our favorite things to do in the evening.  We appreciate the talents of musicians and love to support them.  We first tried the pub where a guitar player but before we were even close to the pub entrance, we could hear the music blaring.  Way too loud. As we walked up, there were two people inside listening.  There was no way we could sit there.  I play music fairly loud in my car but the sound levels of music all over the ship were over the top!

 

So we moved onto Schooner Bar.  There was supposed to be a piano player/singer and the conductor who played the piano the evening before said he was really good.  As we walked in, the piano player, Graham was just coming off a break.  We sat down and ordered drinks.  We were the only two people in Schooner.  After we ordered drinks, three more people came in.  So there was a total of five of us in here.  The bar server brought our drinks and Graham started playing and singing.  OH MY GOODNESS!  It was so loud, my husband and I couldn’t hear a word we were saying to one another.  After two songs, we decided to leave as it simply wasn’t enjoyable.

 

We picked our drinks up to head back to the cabin and we were stopped by our bar server who said we couldn’t leave the lounge with drinks!  I asked why not (we took our glasses of wine from here to dinner the night before) and he said because you are in a “vaccinated” lounge.  Of course, that didn’t make any sense to me so I asked if we could speak to a supervisor.  He directed be to a crew member at the entrance to the lounge.  We walked up and asked why we couldn’t take our drinks back to the cabin and she said it was for our own protection since we ordered the drink in a “vaccinated only bar.”  I’m struggling to understand this statement so I asked if she could further explain.  She said “well your glasses are open and don’t have a lid and you could walk past someone and get their germs from the air!”  We were really tolerant on this cruise as we realize there are a lot of moving parts crew is trying to adhere to, but this was making no sense at all.  I said this was completely illogical and if anything, it should have been the other way around.  Unvaccinated people shouldn’t be allowed to leave a lounge with a drink if they were concerned with spreading germs. 

 

I was ready to ask for our money back for the drinks and leave them (we were never told we couldn’t take our drinks out and we had taken wine out the evening before) but there was literally no one around (we didn’t see one other person from deck 5 to our cabin on deck 14) and she said we could take the drinks to our room this one time! 

 

We completely understand concerns, rules, regulations, etc. related to everything going on but it makes no sense to buy a drink in a vaccinated only guest lounge and not be able to take it to our cabin.  If we went to a lounge that “everyone” can go to (vaccinated and unvaccinated), we could have taken drinks with us.  Same thing on the pool deck or in a myriad of locations around the ship. 

 

I explained to the crew member that I honestly was trying to understand this decision and of course, she just kept saying it was for our safety.  I said I was concerned for the crew on future cruises because these types of irrational decisions are going to upset future guests. 

 

That kind of put a damper on the end of the evening.  We were planning to head to Dazzles where the orchestra was going to be playing Earth, Wind and Fire and Stevie Wonder songs but I was frustrated enough and guessed the music would be too loud in there as well, so we called it a night.

 

DAY 3

Disembarkation

We were asked to scan a QR code and select our preferred departure time on Monday afternoon.  We did that but we were given a different time (not a big deal at all).  Five venues were open for breakfast:  Windjammer; Main Dining Room; Park Café; Café Promenade and Coastal for suite guests. Reservations were not needed this morning for any venue. After breakfast we were asked to stay in our cabin until our number was announced. They didn’t actually announce them; they posted them on your TV, so it was simple to follow along.

 

We went down to Café Promenade and enjoyed coffee and a croissant.  We went back to our cabin and waited for our number to show on the TV.  We were on the port side of the ship so we could watch disembarkation.  No crowds, no mass exit.  Just a couple of people at a time. We went down to deck 5 when it was close to our time and did one last tap of our sea pass and walked off the ship.  Extremely easy and quick.  We were in our car and driving out of the parking garage within five minutes of getting off the ship.

 

Final Thoughts

We were very happy that we were selected to participate in this cruise.  I am certain cruising is well on its way to a safe return.  Everything is being cleaned constantly. Tables are sprayed and wiped down every time someone departs. Arms on chairs are wiped down, too.  All good things.  Signage for where  you need to wear a mask and where you can remove it are well marked. 

 

Crew was extremely friendly and genuinely happy to be working again.  99% of the food we ate was excellent. We did have one couple tell us that their dinner at Hooked was poor in both the food and service category but that was the only negative experience I heard about related to food.

 

Given that the ship and crew were not operating for the past 17 – 18 months, I’d given them outstanding marks, even with the drink situation last night. A few quick notes…some of these may have been changes made before the pandemic so sorry if you already are aware of them.

 

Quick Notes

·       Have your documents ready to show upon embarkation instead of digging around for them when you are called to a check-in agent.  Same thing when you get off the ship in ports.  Have your sea pass ready.  It’s just a tap on a small device now and your set to go.

·       Masks on dining room waiters made it very difficult to understand them in the evening.  The dining room was crowded and noisy, so the masks made it a bit more challenging to understand the wait staff.  Know that you’ll have to listen carefully when ordering or making a request.

·       There is only a shampoo/body wash combo dispenser in the shower.  There is no conditioner so bring your own if this is something you regularly use.

·       There are no longer tissues in you cabin.

·       According to a sign on the sink in the bathroom of your cabin, there is $100 fine added to your account for putting something in the toilet that clogs the system.

·       You’ll find small laminated signs that indicate whether a table is clean and available; or unavailable – wait for it to be cleaned.  Same things for chairs throughout the ship.  You see banners on chairs that they do not want you to sit in.

·       Keep a mask with you at all times and pay attention to the signs that say Mask Up and Mask Free Zone.  You can’t miss them.

·       Masks are not required in venues that are for vaccinated guests only.

·       Like everything else today, know there can and likely will be changes moving forward.

·       It goes without saying, but thank the crew every chance you get.  We couldn’t be cruising again if it weren’t for them, and they are working VERY hard to provide a safe environment for us.

 

I’ll post answers to all the questions I was asked about as well.

 

 

[Host Anne]

Q&A from Cruise Critic Members (let me know if I missed any or if there are other questions):

 

Dandi799

·       Any information about show times for vaccinated and unvaccinated guests, The time of shows is the same.  The decks passengers sit on is what differs.  Vaccinated guests are on deck 4; everyone else is on deck 5 and must social distance.

·       Dining times in specialty restaurants for vaccinated and unvaccinated guests, that would be wonderful!!!

The only specialty restaurants that were for vaccinated guests only was Izumi Hibachi.  All other specialty restaurants said unvaccinated guests could dine starting at 6:00 PM.  I don’t know if that means they are separating vaccinated guests versus unvaccinated guests by areas of the restaurants.  I didn’t think to ask for more specifics.  I didn’t notice anyone in the two specialty restaurants we were in without the purple vaccinated wristband.

 

Tall-Cruiser

·       Why did they cancel Symphony S. Caribbean yet leave it for Odessey?  Didn’t have a chance to ask this and I’m pretty sure these types of decisions are made in Miami, not on the ship.  My upcoming cruise on Celebrity Summit has had ports of calls changes several times.  No explanation.  But we didn’t book these upcoming cruises because of where they were going.  We booked to support the cruise lines.

·       What sailing capacity are the initial sailings going to be.  30% to start.

 

CL57

·       Are tux rentals possible once on board?  Eventually, yes.  For now, rentals have been suspended.

·       Does 3 days in advance of your sail date for Covid testing translate to 72 hours max before your scheduled check in time at the ship?  Here’s Michael Bayley’s recent post online.  I recommend keeping a watchful eye on these requirements as chances are they could change again

 

Michael Bayley 

We have a change in our guest Covid testing policy.

 

For the month of August, commencing July 31st through to August 31st, on cruises 5 nights or longer ALL guests will be required to have a negative covid test within 3 days of their embarkation. So, you can take the test as early as 3 days prior and then you need the result before you arrive to embark. If sailing Saturday, then you can take the test Wednesday.

 

This was already in place for unvaccinated guests (primarily children not eligible for vaccine) however with this change, vaccinated guests will also be required to have a negative covid test.

 

BeancounterUSA

How many passengers were onboard?  I was originally told 900 but another crew member said approximately 800

 

Flyguyjake

Royal Genie Sunil is DEFINITELY onboard! 

 

Suizas

How full will the next few sailings be?  I was told upcoming sailings will be at 30%.  Perfect time to sail Symphony.  No idea how long that will last.

 

SixBitsKyle

Are guests not wearing contact tracing bracelets?  No we were not.  I was told that they are working on another contact tracing for Symphony.

 

Sea Dog

What was your favorite part of the ship? How does Harmony compare to Symphony?  Hmm….favorite part of the ship is tough. There are so many nice places.  Love Central Park and the Solarium.  And the specialty restaurants are great.  I haven’t been on Harmony – only Oasis twice.  I’d say they are very similar.  A few things have moved around.  But I’m guessing they have updated Oasis as well and the layouts are probably very similar.  

[Ocean Boy]

Thanks so much for doing this. It had been a great read.

[dandi799]

@Host AnneThank you so much for taking the time to answer our questions, and for taking us along on your test cruise!! 

[John&LaLa]

22 hours ago, Host Anne said:

No contract tracing bracelets.  I think they may be doing something different with contract tracing on Symphony but I don't have any details.

 

Symphony has WOW band technology, maybe something integrated there

[LivelyJourney]

Yes, Thank you so much! I am looking forward to my adventure next weekend!!!!

[Tall-Cruiser]

@Host Anne Thanks very much for taking us along your cruise and sharing your review and insights. Glad you guys had a great time. Also many thanks for taking our questions and getting some answers for us. This was very helpful and provided clarity on some things that were a concern for some.