AbeFroman2

All depends on your needs. To us the priority boarding line was enough of a perk to get  since we were getting the Internet anyway and the Internet and Key were within 10 bucks of each other. 

We were just on this ship in February and loved it! D.dee covers many of my thoughts but cannot stress enough booking your entertainment and speciality dining as soon as you can. Also, if doing my time dining, make sure you have a time selected. That sounds contradictory, but we did not have one. We showed up at 445-5 each night and never waited too long to get in but would have preferred to have a time.

There is free coffee off to the right of the bistro beside guest services on Deck 5. The name of that place escapes me but you don't have to wait in line and just go over and get it. We loved the piano music at Schooner. 

I'll try and think of any other tips and tricks, but you will have a blast! 

On 3/27/2023 at 2:10 PM, island lady said:

 

A few months ago, on Serenade, there were some notes left on doors the day before last, reminding pax to return their towels or they would be charged the 25.00.  There were a few annoyed pax that forgot and did not bother to turn them in.  Our neighbor started to cuss loudly when she got that note, they had several children in the cabin.  

 

Since we don't do the pool towels, we did not get the note...but there were plenty on the doors that did have their cards swiped.  

 

Just not sure if they are still swiping cards when you check out a pool towel at the towel desk, or not on other ships...or even at all now. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was hit or miss on Symphony. One time I was reminded I had two checked out when getting a third. Other times my card was never asked for. It also wasn't always asked for upon return, either. So, hard to say. 

8 hours ago, Cdavis5110 said:

Did you do the Royal Caribbean Trunk Bay Snorkel excursion? Or did you get to St Johns on your own? The excursion says it allows 90 minutes at the beach and I’m wondering if that’s enough time. 

We did do that ones yes through RC and ours said 90 minutes too. It was actually about two hours. I wouldn’t do it again, I don’t think. And that is not to suggest the tour operators did anything wrong. It just all felt a bit rushed, which is to be expected when you’re only in port from 7a to 230p as we were. However, the time problem is unavoidable really; It’s about a 30-40 minute boat ride then 15-20 minute open air taxi shuttle one way. We enjoyed it for what it was, but if I was going back there again, I’d pass for

those reasons. 

8 hours ago, TwoMisfits said:

Since you had The Key, what activities had dedicated "Key" times for the week?  And how often did they have them (or do you have the actual schedule)?

I wish I would have looked into that. Unfortunately the things that had those like FlowRider and what not, we were not interested in. They don’t deliver cruise compasses anymore but I think I still have the key paperwork we received in our room in my bag. I’ll check for you in the morning. 

9 hours ago, topnole said:

Questions?   Are you the Abe Froman?   From Chicago?   😂😂😂

 

Love the screen name.  Will be on Symphony soon. Looking forward to it.  Have done Oasis class many times and recently did Harmony again.  HOS and SOS are nearly identical so we

know exactly what to expect.  Glad to hear you had a good experience.  

Ha, it’s my favorite movie and always available username on almost every site so it is perfect! But yes, you know what you’re getting into, and will have a great time! 

Disembarkation

We did self-assist so no need to stop for our bags. There was a Key area, though, that we could have used. But, with a 10 a.m. flight, I was nervous about having to deal with that. We got in line to get off at 7, were through Customs (no more forms or apps, just a scan of your face, that was new to us but much quicker) and outside of the terminal by 7:30ish, and were to the airport and through security after checking bags by 8. Never in a million years did I think it would be so easy, but it was.

So, what questions do you have? Feel free to fire away! 

Ports

Our first port of call was St. Martin. It is BEAUTIFUL. I would love to go back there again. We went to Maho Beach and watched the planes come in and take off at the airport. That was really cool. When our tour ended they let those who wanted off at the shops downtown. We cruised around there and then took a water taxi back to the ship for $3 each.

Our second port of call was St. Thomas. We took a boat ride over to St. John and snorkeled at Trunk Bay. The beach was nice but the seaweed has really kind of destroyed the snorkeling experience. We were only in port from 7a-2p so it was a bit of a rushed day. If doing it again with the same itinerary, I think we would have just got off and walked around a bit but otherwise spent most of the day on the boat.

Finally, we went to CocoCay and WOW, is it different compared to 2018. Namely, there are no more tenders, of course. We walked the whole island just checking out all the new things before settling in on the beach for a few hours. Chairs were not very difficult to come by. It's not that we didn't enjoy it the last time we were there but we definitely found ourselves having more fun than we did before. 

Hi, all! I've finally come to grips with the fact that our trip is over and we're back to reality. So, to give back to all of you who provided so much great info to us prior to our sailing, I wanted to write up a review and see if there are any questions. I'll hit on some high level stuff but please feel free to ask for any details!

Arrival

We left Pennsylvania and flew to Miami through Charlotte on Friday, so the day before our Saturday cruise departure. No real issues to speak of there. We stayed at the Hampton Inn Brickell, which was fantastic. Slightly pricey, yes, but great breakfast and within walking distance to plenty of shops and restaurants, including a Walgreens. Would recommend. It does not have a shuttle, though, We just took a short Uber ride over to the port. 

Embarkation

We did purchase The Key. I know there are various opinions on its value. For us, the ability to skip the line (which was long when we arrived at 11 a.m.) and walk right in, in addition to the one-device Internet package plus Chops lunch, was worth it. The priority seating was nice, too. But, those other things made it worth its value. I will say that the operation at the terminal is seamless. I cannot and will never be able to fathom how they process so many people so quickly. We were from the entrance to the boat in probably 25 minutes, and it may not even have been that long. 

On the boat - Departure day and sea days

This was our third cruise. We previously sailed on Anthem and Allure. So, much of Symphony was familiar to us. The Playmakers sports bar is new, though. We enjoyed spending time there, and you can't beat the $3 truffle fries for a quick snack. I will note for you sports fans that they can't get every game. It has to be tied to ESPN/ESPN+ programming or the Live24, which shows some soccer and cricket. An example here is that they could not get the Daytona 500, but they could get the Genesis Invitational, since that also streamed on ESPN+ even though it was aired by CBS. 

The ship itself is beautiful. We do not do FloRider, the slides, etc., so unfortunately I do not have anything to offer on those. The same goes for any kids activities. We did not do speciality dining on this trip (booked too late). MDR, I messed up with my time dining and did not make reservations. I'm still not sure how I managed to do that but recommend double checking once on board just to make sure you're good. And, if you're not, just show up around 5 p.m. each night. We never had any issues getting in by 5:30 or so. 

Shows: We watched a bit of the AquaTheatre production, which was of course spectacular. There were technical difficulties during the ice rink show so we left that early. HairSpray and Flight are must-sees, in our opinion.

Drink package: We had it, found it worth it, but as always, watch your cruise planner to take advantage of price drops. I think we re-booked two or three times to get the best deal. 

As for the pools: Yes, chair hoarding still exists. But, I did notice that the staff was quite attentive to chairs that were not being used but had stuff on. They'd tag it with a sticky note and then come back 30-45 minutes later and if nothing moved and no one was there they stored the belongings at the towel security place until someone came and claimed it. 

Just off Symphony. If booking my time dining just be sure to not screw it up as I did! I’m still not exactly sure what happened. I thought we had 5:30 selected. However our cruise documentation clearly shows we were on the 5:30 wait list. Not a huge deal, though. We showed up at 5ish every night besides the two we ate in WindJammer (recommend doing this at least once!) and were seated by or before 5:30 every time and out by 7 or a little after if we needed to be for a show, no problem. 

Just now, cvasto said:

Symphony currently docked outside grand Turks due to a medical emergency. In pic below you can see the Carnival ship. 
 

I have no idea what the medical emergency is but I really hope the person is alright. 

On the sailing with you and similarly hoping the best for the person in need of medical care

2 hours ago, Uncle Grizzley said:

 

Am I quoting the Sausage King of Chicago?

You are! Lol. Has been a go to forum/contest name for year.

26 minutes ago, kruzerci said:

You have plenty of time to plan and get excited. One word of caution, if you have not sailed in 5 years, I realistically would probably lower your expectations. Food and service never really recovered after the pandemic. The experience has lost some of its shine, but still a good cheap getaway. 

Curious, as I said this Saturday: In what ways do you think the experience has been lost? Like OP I haven’t cruised since 2019.

OP: What do you wish you knew about The Key the first time you had it that you didn’t, if anything? We have it for first time. Thanks!

On Allure, we positively loved it when we sailed on it a handful of years ago. Great boat, lots to do, and definitely don’t miss the aqua show. 

Hi everyone. Hope you’re having a great December: I’m seeking info about the suites on Symphony of the Seas. First, does anyone have a recommended level for two? And do you get different peri levels access to things the bigger you go or are all suites the same in that regard? Thanks!

Great thread, thank you! Looks like we’ll have to stick to a strict budget to make sure we can afford to take one of her sailings out of Miami once she arrives in the States. Enjoy your trip!

These are all fantastic tips. Some others:

--Cannot agree more with the folks suggesting Park Cafe for breakfast or lunch. Awesome little spot.

--I can't speak to any other cabin type other than our inside one, but bring long phone charger cords or extension cords if you want the ability to charge something and have it with you in bed. Outlets aren't nearby.

-Perhaps simply another feature of the inside cabin, but we couldn't get the bathroom light to turn on without flicking the master cabin lights switch. Fairly annoying during sleeping hours. Hoping someone can offer a suggestion for you on that.

--Download the Royal Caribbean app, not Royal IQ.

--If you're so inclined, the pool side bars have Jell-O shots.

--There is a bar between the two FloRiders in the very back of the ship. We often found it not very crowded and it offered a nice view.

--WipeOut Cafe will make eggs to order.

--We missed out on the Solarium when we sailed Anthem, so made it a point to check it out early on Allure, and ended up spending a lot of time there. Nice area, good service, and access to multiple pools and hot tubs is always good.

--If doing My Time Dining, make your reservations ASAP. Same with the shows.

--The Pub-style bar on the Promenade usually had someone working and ready to make drinks around 10-10:30 a.m.

--Those mentioning the forward sun area on Deck 14 are spot on. Pretty neat little spot.

--Do consider Johnny Rocket's for complimentary breakfast before 11. We found it to be a nice change of pace from WJ. Plus, depending on how early you dine, you could catch the AquaTheater show team practicing, which was cool.

You won't have any problems without the photo. We uploaded ours for Anthem and it didn't work. Added approximately 30 seconds to our check-in, no sweat. And, while the priority check-in is a nice thing to have in your back pocket, we didn't even need to use it for our cruise out of Cape Liberty because everything moved so smoothly.

From my experience they want to move the Internet packages so they are usually offering a 'sale.' Of course, the sale does not always equal that.

Your best bet is to book at the best price you see and then cancel and rebook if you see a better price. You can also take into account the Internet/drink package combos as that could potentially save some money if you know you are getting both.

Ultimately, a keen eye will get you the best price, as they can fluctuate in the lead up to your sailing. Enjoy!

One other note I'll make: You can log-off of your WiFi at anytime and log back on with ease. Some other cruisers on Allure had mentioned this as their workaround for wanting to be disconnected whenever possible while still having the WiFi package for whatever their needs were.

I like to be at the port no later than 10:30. It gets busier after that. Anthem usually boards around 11 am. If you look at a Day 1 Compass food venues open at 11 am.

Agreed with this. We rolled in about 10:45, waited in line to drop bags off with the porters for about a half hour, parked and were in security by around 11:30, and were sitting in 270 by 12:15.

As others have mentioned, your preference and connectivity desires will be the biggest factors in this decision. In our case on Allure a few week ago, we priced out the full trip on-board WiFi, options from our cellular provider (AT&T), and the likelihood of prices later in the cruise based on information provided from our TA and here are CC, and opted to wait for the Surf N Stream that was available on the final three days of our sailing.

I'd have to go look up the price, but it was the best use of our money when it came to our needs: Checking in for our flight home, wanting an update on our year-old golden retriever who was with family, checking in with work, and doing some leisure surfing.

Conversely, our 2017 Anthem sailing, we did the full trip package as my dad was sick and I wanted to check in daily with him, and the onboard price was better than what AT&T offered for what I wanted to have access to.

Long and short, though, in my opinion: You have to figure out your needs, the number of devices you need active, and your budget while factoring in likely on-board pricing compared to cell phone provider options to make a decision.

I’ll post more later but my initial though: Go to 270 and not the Wind Jammer when you board. Less food options yes but also a smaller crowd, there is food to be had if you want it, the bar is open and the view will get you in a vacation mood.

Couple threads today gave me a few other thoughts:

--Allure uses the Royal Caribbean app, not Royal IQ. It worked about 75 percent of the time, but no texting possibilities like with IQ.

--Internet Cafe's were on Deck 7 and 9. No packages available other than daily ones.

--Casino mins were almost entirely 10s. Tables were either wide open or hard to come by.

Final thoughts

So, would we cruise on Allure again? Absolutely!

Being on Deck 8 put us close to Park Cafe, and we absolutely loved it for a bagel in the morning or a roast beef sandwich or maybe a Panini at lunch.

The crew was great, we loved every second of our trip, and can't wait to book our next sailing.

Thanks for reading, and ask away!

Getting home

This was not fun! Well, it was fine, but who wants to leave a cruise ship?

We were off the boat about 8:45 and quickly through Customs. The need to not fill out a form anymore is great, and it was a BREEZE. They checked our passports and off we went.

It was just a short walk to the bus for the Royal Caribbean pier to airport transfer, and we waited about 20 minutes for the bus to fill up, and off we went. Fifteen minutes later, we were at the airport, too early to check bags for our 1:50 flight, even! In the future, I would roll the dice and book and earlier flight, as sitting at the airport for over four and a half hours wasn't enjoyable (though there is free WiFi at FLL). Even without express walk-off, I'm pretty sure we could have comfortably made the 10:45 flight.

We used Fast Park in Baltimore and it was a breeze. $9 a day and it was very much worth it compared to the potentially cheaper airport hotels found on Global Park that can make getting a shuttle a terror (as I've found out far too many times on work trips).