gingerpeaches

I was on Symphony of the Seas on a Western Mediterranean cruise two weeks ago and it was made very clear that we were not allowed to take any food off the ship - fresh or prepackaged. We were allowed to take bottles of water and that's all.

I stayed in 1553, which is the cabin in the same position but on the other side of the ship. We liked it so much that we booked it twice. In the mornings I could get up and go straight up the stairs to the gym for morning stretch. My kids were little at the time, so if we needed to go back to the cabin from the pool for any reason it was only one deck down. It wasn't noisy at all and the location was perfect.

9 hours ago, OCSC Mike said:

...any coffee drink of your choice from one of these venues is far better than the complimentary self-serve coffee found onboard...

Imagine mixing the contents of an ashtray with boiling water and drinking it, and you have some idea of the taste of Royal Caribbean's complimentary coffee.

I can't suggest where to sit because in a few weeks I will also be on Symphony for the first time! However, as a fellow hooker I have to ask what's currently on your hook?

54 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

...I'd say just about every passenger is happy.

 

Not every passenger. Clearly you haven't seen that six page thread about how the lack of half and half for coffee is cheapening the brand.

On 6/7/2023 at 9:49 AM, alistairg said:

Single cream is what we would pour over our Black Forest gateau in the UK! Makes a piece of chocolate cake lovely and moist. My American wife is horrified by me wanting to pour cream over chocolate cake. As an American who has lived in the UK for the last 30 years (and I'm sure you've had this conversation with your wife) British cake is dry. My expat friends and I refer to it as "dry and crappy". American cakes don't need cream because they're super moist in comparison to British cakes. Sorry, but it's true.

 

For some reason cream is very country specific. When my wife makes whipped cream she adds sugar and a little vanilla to it, making it very sweet. To my thinking cream should be plain and less sweet than he dessert you put it on. Americans have a real sweet tooth. 

 

The other similar item that we have here, but you hardly ever see in the US is custard. Americans have vanilla ice cream with hot desserts, we have custard. I have been gradually converting my in-laws to this. They had copious amounts of sticky toffee pudding and custard on their last visit with us. The combination of hot and cold (hot apple pie with a scoop of ice cream) is divine. I do enjoy a sticky toffee pudding with custard though.

On 5/30/2023 at 9:42 PM, UKexplorer said:

We did it this year as our son is still 4, but from next year we can get a fine if we take him out of school. Not sure how much it is in our area but we’d have to take it into consideration. AlsoI want to go in August to be away for my 40th birthday.

The fine in England is £60 per parent, and it's at the discretion of the school. If your child's attendance is good, and if you explain that the cost is so prohibitive during school holidays that you would be unable to go at all, often the holiday will be approved (an unauthorised absence so it still affects your child's attendance figures) without the fine. Honestly, you'd save way more than £120 and I know you want to go for your birthday in August, but you really need to weigh the pros and cons here. We're going on Symphony from Barcelona this August and for four people (including flights) it cost just under £6K. I have to go in the school holidays because of my job, but even what you're being quoted seems ridiculously high to me.

On 4/19/2023 at 1:43 AM, Tree_skier said:

No one young is on Facebook

I started a roll call last August for our Symphony cruise this August. Not a single reply, but then I discovered that someone had already created a Facebook group, so I joined that. It's a pretty boring group. Not much engagement. 🫤

I'm on this same itinerary on Symphony in August, but departing from Barcelona. When I look at "Main Dining" in the RC app, it shows me the menus for each day. Your cruise is in May so the menus should definitely be there.

• Open the app
• Tap "Dining"
• Tap "Main Dining"
• Tap on one of the dining rooms
• Tap "Menu"
• Scroll across and tap on the day you want to see the menus for each day.

My embarkation menu is the Welcome Aboard menu. Day 2 is British Night. Day 3 is French Night, Day 4 is Mediterranean, Day 5 (Rome embarkation day) is Italian Night, Day 6 is Bon Voyage, Day 7 is Royal Night.

This couple travelled on Symphony in February of this year. It doesn't look like they went hungry. While it's not the same ship the venues and menus don't vary that much ship to ship. I hope you find it helpful.

Royal Caribbean Vegan Food

On 4/5/2023 at 4:37 PM, S.A.M.J.R. said:

It seems many, many posters sail in suites with Royal. 

Here we go again.

On 4/5/2023 at 5:58 PM, basenji56 said:

The people in Suites just talk about it more.  

 

This. ⬆️

On 4/5/2023 at 9:28 PM, topnole said:

I only cruise in suites that cost 20k or more.  😂😂😂

😆

On 4/6/2023 at 12:00 AM, GetToLivin said:

OH yeah? So do I, but *multiple times* per year.

👍

On 4/4/2023 at 4:02 PM, fpcruiser said:

I can see our tentative September menus.

I've been seeing the menus for our August cruise for awhile now.

I'm travelling on Symphony this summer and it will be my first time on an Oasis class ship. I've watched some gym tours on YouTube and seen all the machines but I haven't noticed if there are dumbbells and/or kettlebells? Can anyone confirm or deny please? Thanks!

10 hours ago, Ret MP said:

It's not like they are holding your hand, lining you up in a single file like in kindergarten to go to the cafeteria.  

That's how it looked but I did say I'm sure it was done for television. 

10 hours ago, Ret MP said:

 

And far from a perfect stranger.  The Genie isn't just any old crew member that was told to be a Genie today.  They have been vetted for a long time, training for a long time and you have a lot of resources to check out a Genie.  You see it all the time on these Social Media sites.  People asking how was Marla, Raul, ....... whomever.  I've communicated with my upcoming Genie for up to a month prior to my sailing.  I've got a good feeling of what kind of person the Genie is and did my best to check out his/her reputation.  I've even got an email address for a Genie that we had once and I would email her to get a feeling of the upcoming Genie if I had young ones.  The Genie service is a small community.

Well done for doing your due diligence.

10 hours ago, Ret MP said:

 

Question, if you've had kids in a daycare center, did/do you have control over who watched your kids every minute of the day?  If not, which is the probability, and you didn't/don't like not having that control, you have the option of taking the child(ren) to another daycare.  You basically have the same option with the Genie, if you don't trust him/her, don't let him/her take your kids anywhere.  By the time I get on the ship if I was still the parent of a young one, I have already checked him/her out fairly well and I'd definitely have a conversation with him/her to get to know him/her better. 

My kids did Adventure Ocean when they were small. I think a group scenario is very different.

10 hours ago, Ret MP said:

 

But, you've got to do what you feel is right for you!

Thank you for the explanation but in all honesty, I don't really care about the Genie. It was an observation while watching a "documentary". It felt creepy to me and that's my opinion.

This entire thread has left me pretty much gobsmacked. I don't care about what people are willing to spend on their holidays. That's none of my business. What leaves me gobsmacked is how willing people are to talk about what they earn. It feels like a financial p***ing contest. I get it. You have money. Colour me impressed. 🙄

I'm just waiting for people to post their bank statements next. 🍿

2 hours ago, Ret MP said:

They will also escort you/your party (IF YOU WANT) to certain activities/venues.  

When Symphony was launched there was a "documentary" on here in the UK about it, and they were profiling this family staying in one of the loft suites. The genie went to the suite, picked up one of the parents and little girl, and escorted them to the carousel on the Boardwalk. Then when the little girl was finished on the carousel, the genie escorted them back up to their suite. I get that it was probably for TV, but I thought it was weird and kind of creepy. Then again, there are most likely people out there who would like to have a total stranger leading them from A to B. "I'm paying 20K for this suite, so this person is going to escort me everywhere." 🙄

9 hours ago, molly361 said:

I feel like the poor little Red headed stepchild on this thread.  Not even close to most of you that have posted about your personal wealth. SIGH😇

Don't believe everything you read. The people who have it don't feel the need to talk about it. 

8 hours ago, dreamboat43 said:

Does anyone have info about premium beverage packages on RCCL that include wine and other alcoholic drinks in addition to sparkling/bottle water?    

Deluxe Beverage Package Offerings

24 minutes ago, Ocean Boy said:

Then why did you make the comment that people shouldn't eat so much? 

Well, you got me there. I should have said people shouldn't waste so much. My bad. You have a nice day.

1 hour ago, Ocean Boy said:

As long as the food isn't being  wasted, 

And that's the point, isn't it? The food is often wasted. I don't give a toss what or how much anyone eats. I truly don't. You can gorge yourself on all the lobster tails you want as long as you eat what you ask for. What bugs me is the waste, and I'll bet there's lots of it. 

21 minutes ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

There is many reasons and you shouldn't judge!

And people shouldn't eat so much.

I'm allowed to have an opinion that differs from yours. Enjoy your lobster(s).

6 hours ago, cruiseboy89130 said:

Did you discuss this with the maitre - if you wanted more than 1 at a time?

Why does anyone need more than one starter or main course or dessert at a time? You can only eat one at a time so why order more if there's a real possibility that you may not finish it? It's wasteful, it's greedy, and it's entitled. 

We are also sailing on Symphony from Barcelona mid August 2023. We are also on a 10:15 flight from Barcelona to Heathrow. We are planning on walking off the ship with our own luggage but our shuttle between the port and the airport was organised by our TA as part of our cruise package. If you are not able to carry your own bags off you can put in a Guest Special Needs Form with the cruiseline, explaining that you will need assistance to disembark. 

I would definitely prebook a taxi to the airport. Who knows what the situation will be at 6:00 a.m. when you're getting off the ship?

Can't answer about pre-booking shows. I think you can pre-book when they come available in the cruise planner.

See you on board!

Simple self lymphatic drainage can also help. It's a really light massage usually done for cancer patients but will work for anyone who has lymphoedema. You could do it several times a day to help move the fluid along. But I'd still drink lots of water.

Simple Lymphatic Drainage

3 minutes ago, sgmn said:

Think this was for the UK only market? And don't think it is valid now. My next Symphony cruise is showing £60 pppd

I believe it was UK only and I don't know if it's still valid. As I said, this price was not showing on the Royal Caribbean website or app. I saw the advert in my cruise's Facebook group and had to ring my TA to get it.