Serenity or Symphony?

[Cruise-y]

Which is your favorite and why? Details!

[Theobald]

If I paid more attention and had a better memory, I could probably come up with a longer list. In any event, I prefer Symphony because:

1.  Better Palm Court (in my opinion, of course).

2.  The casino on Serenity is (was, I suppose now) too central and obtrusive. I am curious how that space will look when we board in March and whether I will still think it needs a bypass.

3.  Very subjective: We cruised on Symphony 3 times before boarding Serenity, so Symphony will always be the "normal" ship.

[boatbob]

Avenue Saloon is better on Symphony - but I prefer Serenity 

[gmarsh]

Symphony all the way...

 

The stairs on Serenity Lido deck pool zone are built backwards!!😃

Avenue is better because of the column on Serenity...

 

But, I'll get on which ever one lets me on

 

G

[ctjon]

Symphony for me - just more used to it.  But where and when the cruise is going it more important than which of those 2 ships.

[Keith1010]

There are things I like about each ship.

 

I have sailed a lot more on Serenity and that is because they offered the World Cruises the years we sailed.

 

When people ask me which ship I like better my answer is simply the one we are on.

 

We love each one for similar and also for different reasons.

 

The glue which makes them equal is the crew and so many of the things in common including cuisine and drink, service, enrichment, and entertainment.

 

Keith

[CwazeAndCwaze]

Can't speak to the "NEW" ships, but as for the "Old".

Symphony.

For all the reasons listed by others above.

But, as others stated, after a first sailing with Crystal on the Crystal Harmony in the early 1990's, the Crystal Symphony was our first and most sailed on ship, so there may be a bias there.

I can say one thing about Serenity that we appreciated over the Symphony; the size of the cabins.

However, with the "NEW" ships, I believe that situation has been rectified. 

And "Rectified Situation" was my stripper name when I worked the proctology conventions in late 70's.

Scott

 

[KenzSailing]

For us, it just begins and ends with the fact that we don't like taking long flights to get to/from a cruise vacation.  So that now means it's Serenity for us, all other points being moot.  Anyway, I made peace with the layout of the Avenue on Serenity long ago.

[May B]

3 hours ago, KenzSailing said:

For us, it just begins and ends with the fact that we don't like taking long flights to get to/from a cruise vacation.  So that now means it's Serenity for us, all other points being moot.  Anyway, I made peace with the layout of the Avenue on Serenity long ago.

I agree, except please define “made peace”. Is it an equivalent of “tolerate it” … and what about “begrudgingly tolerate it”? 

[BWIVince]

Regarding cabin size in the regular staterooms (window and verandah), there has only ever been a minor difference between Symphony and Serenity (like a linear foot)…. But is it weird that they now list the window and verandah staterooms on both ships as the same when the footprint hasn’t changed on either?  Where Symphony’s were 202 sq ft and Serenity’s were 226 (both without verandas, which varied), they now list both as “up to 215 sq ft,” which would seem to be inaccurate in both cases.  The “up to” also seems odd for these categories, because I don’t believe either ship (unlike Harmony) had any one-off standard staterooms that were exceptions to the standard modular units that were different in size, outside of the ADA rooms which aren’t 215 sq ft either.  🤷🏻‍♂️  I’m totally confused on how they came up with those numbers…. Or that number.  Or that number that shouldn’t be one number…. Or whatever?

 

Vince

[travelberlin]

I have a small bias towards the Serenity because we have sailed more with that ship. But I like both. Due to their itineraries, I have now cruises booked with both. A couple of them departing from the Americas with the Serenity and others from Europe with the Symphony.

 

Ivi

[KenzSailing]

12 hours ago, May B said:

I agree, except please define “made peace”. Is it an equivalent of “tolerate it” … and what about “begrudgingly tolerate it”? 

 

More like, I'm past wondering "who thought making people squeeze by a row of bar stools on one side and high tops on the other was a good idea."

[BWIVince]

1 hour ago, KenzSailing said:

 

More like, I'm past wondering "who thought making people squeeze by a row of bar stools on one side and high tops on the other was a good idea."

The story has always gone that the layout of the room was the least disruptive that Kirk Nix and Tillberg could come up with given where the columns needed to be, but I’ve always questioned how much weight having the circular bar had in the equation, and how much it became “where can we stick this circular bar that will make it less of a disaster.”  As I’ve mentioned before, Serenity had a bunch of undo’s of Symphony “improvements” over Harmony, and a return to a hollow wraparound bar like Harmony had in her Avenue seemed to be one of those priorities — at the cost of the flow.

 

Personally, I can set the flow problems aside, I just never liked the decor of Serenity’s Avenue as much as the other two…. And it never benefitted from a redesign, that helped both of the other two repeatedly.

 

Vince

[Txcotn]

Those columns are just the worst, and I question why they need to be so intrusive. I'm sure the actual supports are similar to a lolly column, which is much smaller in diameter, so the huge enclosure is strictly for a "look". Unfortunately they make it impossible for anyone in a wheelchair or scooter or even a walker to get past them so friends with wheelchair either say goodbye at the entrance or we go somewhere else. Maybe reconfigure the bar? I wish they would consider redecorating the columns as well as the furniture, which I file under "gawdawful".

[Keith1010]

As I read about the columns I keep telling myself the glass is half full.

 

There is so much good about Serenity and about Symphony. Don't sweat the little things.

 

Live is good if you can sail with Crystal.

 

JMO.

 

Keith

[Txcotn]

1 hour ago, Keith1010 said:

As I read about the columns I keep telling myself the glass is half full.

 

There is so much good about Serenity and about Symphony. Don't sweat the little things.

 

Live is good if you can sail with Crystal.

 

JMO.

 

Keith

Hard not to when you’re handicapped..

[Keith1010]

8 hours ago, Txcotn said:

Hard not to when you’re handicapped..

I am not in this situation but in my case my wife has issues that preclude us from taking advantage of all venues unless there were significant design changes.  We just focus on the venues that we can enjoy.  Like I said JMO.

 

Yes if they could have a do over I suspect the Avenue Saloon on Serenity would have been designed similar to Symphony. With that said, personally, I don't want Crystal to spend a lot of money on the existing ships as I would like to see the emphasis on the new ships.  I believe the next dry docks of each ship will be mainly technical with some interior work.  

 

When the new ships become reality just like building a new home and with all of the great planing that goes into them there will be issues.   I also feel when it comes to decor what one person likes another doesn't.  

 

Keith

[Psoque]

I agree, they are both great ships.  Most aspects are very similar/comparable between the two ships.  I also agree that the Avenue salon in Symphony has a better configuration.  Some of the cabins in Symphony (especially the lower category ones) might be smaller than their equivalent ones in Serenity by a bit.  Other than that, we haven’t really noticed any big difference between the two.

[juicyjuju]

Can someone remind me which ship has one tennis court and which has two?

[BWIVince]

1 hour ago, juicyjuju said:

Can someone remind me which ship has one tennis court and which has two?

 

Serenity has two paddle tennis courts, and Symphony is the one with one court.

 

Vince

[juicyjuju]

2 hours ago, BWIVince said:

 

Serenity has two paddle tennis courts, and Symphony is the one with one court.

 

Vince

My favorite ship is the Symphony but the up side of the Serenity is the two tennis courts.