Symphony Of The Seas — Attraction in Miami

The experience was great over all. There were a few minor quirks. As soon as we walked into our room, we noticed tha the bed has dips/impressions on both sides. I was concerned right away, but we thought that maybe it would magically turn out to be better than it looked to be. After the first two days of sleeping on it and being uncomfortable throught he night, we called Guest Services and they had Housekeeping to put some extra padding under the mattress cover. That helped some, but it was an overall inadequate solution. They had been talking about replacing the mattress, mind you, which is what they probably should have done. The ship is only 4 years old and this bed was already worn out. Perhaps they should buy better mattresses? We talked to at least one other cruiser on the Ship who was having the same experience. Also, a minor on the Pool Deck surreptiously "borrowed" my Sea Pass and used it to purchase 2 beers from the Trellis Bar in Central Park. No one in our group drinks, and we have solid evidence that the unknown teen sitting next to my lounge chair was the culprit. What's alarming is that some staff member at the Trellis Bar did not look carefully at the Sea Pass picture that came up on his screen when scanning the card and handing the teen 2 beers, if he even scanned the card at all! We were very pleased that right before our cruise they removed the unvaccinated guests COVID testing requirement and that the vast majority of guests and even staff were not wearing masks. It really allowed us to enjoy cruising for the first time since the Pandemic began. The hand-washing stations installed in the Windjammer as you enter the facility are a huge improvement. None of us got sick on the cruise. Our itinerary (Western Caribbean, 7 night, 8 days) had four stops, including CocoCay, 2 in Mexico, and one in Honduras. The staff were friendly and attentive, just as we remembered on Oasis of the Seas, except that this time the servers in the Windjammer didn't come around with a tray full of drinks (juices and tea) to choose from like they did in 2018 on the Oasis cruise we took. The stateroom was great. The balcony glass barrier was dirty on the outside from many sailings, and I understand that they cannot wash the exterior of the ship between every cruise...simply not enough time. The terminal was a mostly smooth and hassle-free experience, both when embarking and disembarking, but when disembarking and going into the parking garage with our Porter, another Porter told my wife to hold the elevator door in P4, I believe it was, and the door shut on her wrist and hand, causing her to let out a scream. She notified the proper persons at the terminal and filed a report, just in case anything came of the injury later. Otherwise it was all convenient, fast, and smooth. I would only suggest that they make sweet tea an option for beverages wherever tea is offered on the Ship, but this suggestion would also apply to all RCI ships and that they have more sweet dessert options on a regular basis. Sometimes the only really sweet dessert option contained alcohol, which for a family of non-drinkers was a no-go. Finally, I might also suggest that they enforce a policy (if one exist) concerning attire. When we sailed on Oasis in 2018, virtually no one was wearing what amounts to a g-string bathing suit (although they are called something else, but I have forgotten the name). There were quite a few women and even minor girls dawning that attire this time, and it is simply not appropriate on what is supposed to be a family-friend cruise (which overall it very much is, much better than our 2019 Norweigan Breakway experience in that regard and in virtually every other way). Overall, this was a fantastic experience. I would say easily 95% of all moving parts moved satisfactorily, if not 98% or greater. I highly recommend this ship. There's always room for improvement, but one cannot expect perfection. We would definitely sail S.O.S. (interesting acronym, isn't it?!) again! Yet, our next stop is Wonder...

I traveled with Royal Caribbean's Symphony of the Seas between July 2-9. First of all, I would like to say that I learned on this vacation that Royal Caribbean is a bit of a greedy company. From the moment you get on they try to sell you something.

They never take alcohol on board. I guess you can only bring one low alcohol drink per room on the first day. We didn't bring it, we bought a wine from the market from Mallorca on the first day and they didn't let us in. They said they would give it when we got off the ship. Even though I said it was just a bottle of market wine, the staff were very strict about it. It is quite expensive if you buy the alcohol package on board (unless you come from one of the countries with euro or usd as the main currency). I have traveled with Holland America and Celebrity Cruises before. I have never encountered such a sales-oriented attitude in any of them.

From the first time you enter the ship, the directions are poor. You don't know where to go or what to do. There is some confusion. On the one hand, everyone is trying to invite them to their own event or to sell the product of the area they are responsible for.

On the 17-story ship, which has a lot of open space, smoking is allowed only in a small outdoor area. Since the smoking area is close to the pool, we took our cocktails from the pool bar there ourselves. We paid 35.84 for two cocktails which appeared to be $14 on the menu. This is the first time I see a high service charge of 28%. By the way, since it is by the pool, of course, they serve the cocktail in plastic glasses. In addition, you can smoke in the casino, for which you have to play games, and you smell cigarettes because it is an indoor area.

The air conditioner in our room was broken, when we called for support for the third time, it was fixed.

The best thing on board is definitely the shows. I can say it was the most enjoyable thing on board. The food in the main dining is good, the employees are very helpful. There are multiple pools but the pools are small :(

The communication feature in the application does not drop notifications. I think this is a feature that needs improvement. Since the notification does not drop, it is not possible to establish an active communication.

As someone who enthusiastically tells and loves cruise travel to many of my friends, I was very enthusiastic about getting on the ship, but frankly, I would not consider traveling with Royal Caribbean again. There are much nicer cruise lines, you don't need to be fooled by offers such as "the biggest ship in the world" etc. and...

Boredom Of The Seas. I have come to realize I'm not a "cruise person" being held captive and spending a bunch of money or time drinking is not my ideal vacation. I love a good cocktail, and Playmakers have the best one. The Black and Gold got me through my hellish experience. Firstly, the trip my family booked was to the Bahamas, Puerto Rico, and St. Martin. 5 days before sailing, we all (42 people, which is nothing on a 6k guest ship) were notified that we are no longer visiting Puerto Rico or St. Martin, but are now going to Haiti and Jamaica. Now I don't know what rock you've been under, but Haitians won't even go to Haiti with all that is happening right now. This is less than a 7 day notice in which I was informed that Royal reserves the right to change at any time. I tried to cancel it altogether. That was only to lube me up for what would happen on the boat. Day 4 of my 8 days from he'll, we get to Haiti only to see it and then lovely Captain Julian announces we aren't getting off. 3 days we spent on that boat after going to CoCo Cay, which is a water park. There is no way to get off that island, and it's owned and run by you know who. The great captain decided we were going to sail between Haiti and Cuba and sit there for a few hours, like a piece of ice in a glass. Floating on a boat that weighs half a million tons with a bunch of curated "adventures" is not my idea of a good time. This was as boring as a resort only with smaller rooms. I really looked forward to getting off. I understand dangers and unforseen circumstances, but the real slap in the face was the credit I received for my inconvenience. I paid for 3 people to occupy a double room $3600. I received $245 credit for not being able to leave the boat. This was supposed to cover my day. My room was right over Bolero Bar, which the one day I stayed in my room because I was so frustrated, only to hear every line dance instruction, band introduction, and music sounded like it was playing at the edge of my bed. The deck was moist every day. I was on the 6th floor, the first level of ocean side decks. The staff is lovely, but the overall experience really brought down the value of the trip and experience, and I feel my...