Symphony review, lousy food.

[maggieq]

8 hours ago, Blur said:

Even with the same menu, the resulting product seems to vary greatly ship to ship. 

 

Example I was on sep 5 cruise on Oasis and food in the MDR I'd rate 5/10 but that could have been because Oasis had just restarted and new staff haven't had enough experience.  Then I was on anthem on Nov 14 then Dec 5 and both times MDR was a solid 9/10 unlike the buffet which def didn't seem as good as it did before shutdown.

 

When I heard others complaining since it was their first cruise... I would always tell them cruising has just restarted so crew are probably still learning... I would not make any final judgements until cruising is fully back on track.

We just got off the anthem and was pleasantly surprised at how good some of the food was.  

[John&LaLa]

How about a trip down memory lane.

 

2009 menus. European edition with curry's

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were prior to the 'spice' menus

[Sunshine3601]

16 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

How about a trip down memory lane.

 

2009 menus. European edition with curry's

 

 

 

 

 

 

These were prior to the 'spice' menus

WOW!   filet only went up $2 since 2009.

I miss the days with chilled soups every night.. 

[John&LaLa]

11 minutes ago, Sunshine3601 said:

WOW!   filet only went up $2 since 2009.

I miss the days with chilled soups every night.. 

 

Sice menus still had the soups. Banana Rum was my favorite. I'd just pick it up and drink it.

 

Enchantment served them in a sloped glass. 

Kinda like a martini glass with no stem

[GStanMus]

8 hours ago, kpwhalen830 said:

Applebee's would have been an upgrade and applebee's isn't that good. 

 

[GStanMus]

I completely agree, if we are comparing the menus to Applebee's food we are in sad shape.  I appreciate this post, but like other's have said, food is subjective.  I do have to say I really like Applebee's chicken wonton tacos.

[vwlmember]

9 hours ago, alyssamma said:

Interesting....never heard anyone say that before 😀

We sailed with HAL in July 2010 and there were a few meals, especially one in the MDR, that were outstanding. Fast forward to November 2021, totally different experience. MDR was a mix with a few decent meals, but both Nami Sushi and Tamarind were outstanding. 

 

We will be on Anthem next week for our first RCL cruise and will be interested to see how their dining compares. 

[Intent2smile]

12 hours ago, Mikew0805 said:

I totally agree.  Our very first cruise several years ago we did a 3 night specialty package.  We had eaten at the MDR the first night and it was okay but nothing to write home about.  We felt that it was very long and drawn out.  The second night we went to Chops and was very pleased.  We gave the MDR a second shot on the third night.  It was okay and by no means would say it was horrible but again it was not great.  

After that first cruise we have bought the UDP each cruise and have been very happy with it.

We go on our next cruise in 14 days and looking forward to some of UDP favorites.  (Also looking forward to a Jalapeño Margarita from Sabor)
 

 

 

I have never thought the food in the dining room was that good, or any other included options for that matter. Better choices of included food on other lines.

 

The specialty venues are much better, with the exception of Chops every other visit or so. I have really enjoyed Jamie's in the past. Sorry you did not enjoy this restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

[TennisCruiser62]

18 hours ago, alyssamma said:

I'm on Symphony now...only been one day but I'm very happy with the food. Sorrento's is the only place I'd say was average, but everyplace else has been amazing. Best as sea? No, but pretty damn good. I'd rate it an 8 out of 10.

 

Bar waits are long...and my only real complaint. They also only have strawberry and Pina colada mix...no banana or ice cream mix, so my wife isn't happy about that. But hey, def first world problems. And plastic straws are back.

 

Entertainment is top notch as always...that is def best at sea.

 

Is Hairspray being shown now?

[TennisCruiser62]

19 hours ago, kpwhalen830 said:

Just got off the 4/9-4/16 sailing. 

The ship is very nice, not very crowded considering it was at 80% capacity. At times the bar waits were long due to crowds. 

The ongoing trend I am noticing with Royal Caribbean is the food going downhill. The menus have not changed much over the years, the presentation and quality reminds me of an Applebees or worse. 

The main dining room food needs a complete overhaul, it was not good. We ate there 5 nights and not a single meal was good, one night I had the braised short rib that was "ok". The service was very good, they just need a new menu with better food and presentation. 

The Windjammer had food that was expected for a cafeteria setting. My only complaint there was with the table hogs or table holders. I had a family of 5 and it was very hard to find a table. If you don't hold a table while the rest of your party gets food it will actually help the flow of tables becoming open because they are not occupied as long. 

Park Cafe was pretty good, no complaints and it was usually pretty fast. I ended up here for breakfast everyday except out first morning. I also did lunch and snack there often. Standouts were the "beef on weck" and egg, ham and swiss on ciabatta. The chips hogs wiped the place clean by Thursday. 

We did Jamies Italian for dinner on the 2nd night, it was a solid 1 out of 10. If I didn't have to pay an upcharge I would give it a 3 out of 10. Nothing was good, nothing was plated nice, it was just bad. The service again was good but that does not make the food any better. 

Cafe Promenade and Sorrento's were both good.

150 Central Park.....Well we finally had a good meal. It was exceptional! I was very apprehensive to go here after the lousy dining we were having. I don't have any complaints. Everything was plated nice, tasted good and was the proper temp. Our server did bring out the scallop appetizer that wasn't that great but everything else was fantastic. Whoever runs this place needs to run the entire food operation on the ship. 

Feel free to ask any questions.

Would you mind posting a pic of the show schedule on Symphony of the Seas if you're not too busy having fun!? I'll be on the ship soon. Thanks 

[cruisegirl1976]

I was on the Symphony this past Feb, and never had a bad meal, from the dining room to the windjammer. Everyone has different tastes and opinions, to each their own. I was just happy to be on a cruise again. 🙂

[Sunshine3601]

10 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Sice menus still had the soups. Banana Rum was my favorite. I'd just pick it up and drink it.

 

Enchantment served them in a sloped glass. 

Kinda like a martini glass with no stem

Yes, Banana rum is a good one.  The first week on b2b on Anthem I mentioned to Head Waiter chilled soups and he had watermelon gazpacho and strawberry bisque made for me a couple of nights.   

I'll ask for banana rum soup next cruise😁

[alyssamma]

5 hours ago, TennisCruiser62 said:

Is Hairspray being shown now?

Nope. But the entertainment is great. And they have Muzic Xpress in Dazzles.

[Tree_skier]

Been on 3 cruises since the restart.  I've gained weight on all.  I think the food has been better post restart than it was prior to Covid.  

[loman]

15 hours ago, John&LaLa said:

 

I gained 8 on Harmony a week ago🤣

That sounds like you did some serious cruising . 🙂

Fortunately it looks like you have 8 weeks until your next cruise to get back to your cruising weight. 

[John&LaLa]

56 minutes ago, loman said:

That sounds like you did some serious cruising . 🙂

Fortunately it looks like you have 8 weeks until your next cruise to get back to your cruising weight. 

 

Generally takes a week or two to drop it.

Quicker this week since the wife is out of town

[CANTW82CRUISEAGAIN]

1 hour ago, alyssamma said:

Nope. But the entertainment is great. And they have Muzic Xpress in Dazzles.

 

Just got off Symphony on Saturday. Hairspray was not being shown. We were told the Hairspray performers were coming on board in May and shows would resume in June. Apparently the visa processing delays are the primary culprit.

 

The Hiro performers are new beginning this current cruise. It was great watching the previous performers bringing up and encouraging the new performers all week during rehearsals, primarily during the late afternoons/early evenings. You could really see their personalities come out and they are truly their own family, it was special to watch. I imagine the boardwalk balcony guests got tired of hearing the same rehearsal music (heavy drum beats) over and over again.

 

<Minor unsolicited rant> The entertainment staff, musicians and captains (ice captain, aerialists...) work tirelessly for us all. They clearly love what they do and are the best of the best. They are also human, can become tired or injured, and skaters may fall. I've read other reviews (different thread) mentioning skaters fell or a show was somehow lacking. Some performers are filling in for others due to injury or illness or they are making other last minute shifts so seeing the same show may be different, even on the same day. They know when they make a mistake and they also hear our applause and appreciation, so be sure to let the performers and support staff know how much you appreciate them in the moment and when you see them around the ship. <end rant>

 

BTW, last week there were 4673 pax of which 1229 were children up to age 17. There was a 20 min wait to get into the WJ for breakfast the first sea day at prime time, which was the main feeling of crowdedness felt all week. Of course, the last sea day the chair hogs were out the prime loungers all being taken by 7:30am (see attached). It truly felt like old times!

 

I also miss the cold soups from years ago and let it be known on post-cruise surveys. I felt the MDR food was fine overall, not terrible or amazing, but was okay. Overall, it was a great cruise.

 

 

[TennisCruiser62]

4 hours ago, CANTW82CRUISEAGAIN said:

 

Just got off Symphony on Saturday. Hairspray was not being shown. We were told the Hairspray performers were coming on board in May and shows would resume in June. Apparently the visa processing delays are the primary culprit.

 

The Hiro performers are new beginning this current cruise. It was great watching the previous performers bringing up and encouraging the new performers all week during rehearsals, primarily during the late afternoons/early evenings. You could really see their personalities come out and they are truly their own family, it was special to watch. I imagine the boardwalk balcony guests got tired of hearing the same rehearsal music (heavy drum beats) over and over again.

 

<Minor unsolicited rant> The entertainment staff, musicians and captains (ice captain, aerialists...) work tirelessly for us all. They clearly love what they do and are the best of the best. They are also human, can become tired or injured, and skaters may fall. I've read other reviews (different thread) mentioning skaters fell or a show was somehow lacking. Some performers are filling in for others due to injury or illness or they are making other last minute shifts so seeing the same show may be different, even on the same day. They know when they make a mistake and they also hear our applause and appreciation, so be sure to let the performers and support staff know how much you appreciate them in the moment and when you see them around the ship. <end rant>

 

BTW, last week there were 4673 pax of which 1229 were children up to age 17. There was a 20 min wait to get into the WJ for breakfast the first sea day at prime time, which was the main feeling of crowdedness felt all week. Of course, the last sea day the chair hogs were out the prime loungers all being taken by 7:30am (see attached). It truly felt like old times!

 

I also miss the cold soups from years ago and let it be known on post-cruise surveys. I felt the MDR food was fine overall, not terrible or amazing, but was okay. Overall, it was a great cruise.

 

 

Thank you so much for the info and pics. I will definitely remember how hard the performers work for all of us. Much appreciated!