bonsai3s

Yes, Jazz Club has been converted to a non-smoking casino. 

Jazz Club no longer exist on Symphony.

28 minutes ago, gizbug said:

Here is a quick rundown of some issues/negatives from our voyage last week:

 

Found the Dinner Service in the dinning room to be a bit slow.  The Assistant waiter rarely came to the table. Sometimes we did not get asked for wine until after appetizers.  Water was not frequently filled in our glasses.  Our table location for a table of 5, was a rectangle table with 1 chair on the end that was out in an aisle.  No ideal.  Having 2 young kids, and cruising on Royal Caribbean cruises since I was a kid (30+ years) I found that the lack of attention to the kids was surprising.  In the past, waiter would cut the food up for my 3yr old.  Found this didn't happen at all on this cruise.  Food portions were a lot smaller than past years, and the new menu this year leaves a lot to be desired.  Charging for an extra lobster tail when the last 3 years it was included is kind of ridiculous.

Would appreciate if the stateroom was attended to morning/night.  Seems to have only happened once.  In years past, mints and towel animals were the normal every night.  This year was hit or miss on towel animals and never any mints.  

Bars ran out of ice a few times during the day, causing my family to wait 10+ minutes to get a drink until ice was found. Not ideal for bar service.

The Aqua Park on Labadee was full of Jelly Fish. My son got stung 5 times, along with many others.  Royal was kind enough to refund the excursion for us.  Found the pizza slices to be 1/2 the size of what they were the last few years on the ship. Not sure why, but it's something our family noticed (along with frequent long lines at the pizza place).  

The WOW band we found to be a complete waste of $10.  It rarely worked.  I had to get it reprogramed twice as it would not work at the bars 100% of the time.  It also fell off very easily if it got caught on your clothes.  Cheap material maybe.

Would like to see the Adult Karaoke in Dazzles at night.  It is just too crowded in the current location On Air Club.

 

Been cruising on Royal since the Sun Viking / Song of Norway / Sovereign of the Seas days, so this isn't my first rodeo on their ships.  Hope some of the constructive feedback in my review helps others.

 

PS. We used #GoneCaribe for a private excursion on Curacao, and couldn't be happier!  I suggest you look into their services. They are highly spoke about on these boards, and their service/tours are A+

 

Gizbug, genuinely sorry to hear about all the issues...I am just politely asking if you spoke to anyone onboard regarding all your issues? Thanks.

* Our first RCCL ship was Song of America.

13 hours ago, gerig said:

Can anyone who was recently on the symphony of the seas confirm that the buy one get on free is available for Hooked seafood?

Currently onboard the Symphony. Hooked not included.

* As Biker19 said, it depends on your negotiating skills.

33 minutes ago, asctony said:

I have to SMH at how we as cruisers, fellow passengers & adults come on this forum and try to degrade one another.

 

Regardless, if you are Pin or a First Time Cruiser you all deserve respect. 

 

Why chastise someone who is top tier because they wear a pin they earned?

 

Why look down on someone who has no knowledge or experience in Cruising.

 

We should all respect and help each other on this forum to ensure we all get the most out of our cruise. Does it matter if we are in an Inside Cabin or Suite? Did it matter if you can go into the Crown or Suite Lounge?

 

Think about it. We are on a cruise. We are sharing some moments in life that many people will never experience.

 

We are meeting people around the world, different nationalities, making new friends and will never forget those days on that cruise.

 

HAPPY CRUISING! MAY GOD BLESS YOU ALL! 

 

 

Bravo...well said...thank you...and God Bless.

* Just finished dinner at CK and sat next to a wonderful couple. Not wearing their gold pins, but we knew they were the 2nd highest Pinns onboard. Very quiet and humble couple.

Medivac just now, Day 3, Labadee...helicopter left the pier at 1:34pm...genuinely wishing the gentleman is ok.

40 minutes ago, George C said:

Yes definitely just at night , but never saw rccl question any passengers in suite lounge . I was questioned in suite restaurant on celebrity because my shirt didn’t have a collar and this was for breakfast 😁. Our favorite restaurant- bar in Dallas does allow shorts even when outside temperature is a hundred plus and doesn’t allow ball caps. 

Onboard the Symphony...in the suite lounge, we've seen...tank tops and caps during happy hour, gym shorts/shirts/caps for lunch at CK, and this morning, a lady was wearing her pajamas during breakfast at CK...she looked beautiful according to my wife.

I no longer have any issues on how people dress...too old to worry about the small stuff.

Back in the day, I remember being denied entrance to the MDR when I was wearing a tank top. I also remember a concierge on Celebrity politely whispering in my ear (genuinely a class act), to tell me shorts were'nt allowed.

For many years, I used to wear a tuxedo...nice formal photos. I stopped wearing formal clothes when: Flying made it difficult to pack clothes and when the grandkids said: "Grandpa, why are you wearing the same thing on all your pictures?".

Onboard the Symphony and had dinner at Hooked earlier.

I had the soft shell crab, then the clam chowder, then the dozen fresh oysters...no entree. Genuinely wanted to try the lobster...but I couldn't eat anymore.

* No 2-pound lobster on the menu. The Captain's Platter included a lobster tail.

* Our waiter suggested an Expresso Martini...that was my dessert.

On 11/25/2023 at 4:00 PM, lovesthebeach2 said:

I’m just curious if anyone has the breakdown since the increase to the gratuity was changed to 18.00. 

Currently onboard the Symphony... Gratuity Breakdown provided by Guest Services...before and after.

5 hours ago, APDMOM said:

Best laid plans…

 

Well Well, I thought 2 Seas days would be enough to catch up, but I underestimated the ship and offerings!! Sorry to be do delayed with posts… I will try to get everything posted by Wednesday. My day job is pretty busy, but I don’t want to drag this out.  

 

I hope I did not miss any requests… If I did, please remind me ASAP. 🙂 Tomorrow, we have to leave this beautiful ship. 

We'd be happy to help as well...we are staying on.

2 hours ago, trihawks1 said:

So…we are in GS on Symphony in a couple weeks.  We plan on CK every night for dinner except night 5 of 6 we had planned at specialty restaurant (Hooked).  Various posts are saying night 5 would be lobster/dress your best/formal night for MDR.  If that is the case, would lobster or surf and turf be served in CK?  If anyone knows for sure, we might change Hooked reservation to a different night.

We are onboard now (8n) and will be on next week (6n)...looking at the dinner menu for CK, Day 5, shows...

Entree

Cheese Tortellini

Grilled Barramundi

Roasted Chicken

Roasted Lamb Loin

Vegetable & Bean Cassoulet

* Day 2, Dinner, next week, shows Maine Lobster salad as appetizer.

* You should be able to check the complete menu using the Royal app.

Happy sailing!

On 11/9/2023 at 2:27 PM, smokeybandit said:

Laundry is 5+ nights.  

Smokeybandit...please accept my apologies...my mistake...sorry.

3 hours ago, Coralc said:

I quibbled on another cruise, because it seems to me that 5+ sailings would mean 5 nights or longer. And it actually used to say 5 nights or longer. And you would get the bag, and I talked to the concierge, and we were able to get the bag(s). It is not usually an issue, it just happened to be one on a B2B. 

 

"29_On 5+ night sailings only, Diamond Plus and Pinnacle Club members receive one free $34.99 bag of laundry on Wash & Fold Day. Only valid on the day of the ship’s Wash & Fold laundry promotion. Not valid for any pressing or dry-cleaning services." 

 

RCI writes such unclear things. 🙄

My mistake...I've provided a couple of bad information, this topic and another question...no excuses.

Those interested on taking the local bus to various beaches...there's "Arubus".

* Just outside the cruise terminal gate, across the street, and behind the building/shops...is the bus "terminal"...a large open area where buses end and start their routes.

* There's a kiosk (nice lady inside) selling bus tickets. $5/person roundtrip. Bus No. L10.

* There are a number of beautiful beaches along this route. You take the same bus back. Buses run about every 15 minutes.

* We decided to visit Eagle Beach...a quick 10-minute bus ride. (Note: This beach was popular...almost the entire bus got off.) The Fofoti Tree, the iconic symbol of Aruba, is at the north end, before the rocks.

Buses behind this building

Ticket kiosk

Bus L10

Eagle Beach

Fofoti Tree

17 minutes ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

That was a confusing question the OP asked …“What  terminal is Freedom currently using in Miami?” 😎

Ouch.

1 hour ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

I have cruised on Freedom 6 times this year. Every cruise used Terminal A. 

My mistake, misunderstood the question...when no Oasis class ship, then it's Terminal A. 

Typically Terminal G...the one closest to the bridge.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Curacao today. Our ship, Symphony of the Seas, perhaps because of its massive size, docked to the left/farthest dock in Curacao.

* The shore excursion podium was 352 steps from the front exit of the ship, and 202 steps from the back of the ship.

* From the podium, it was another 60 steps to the buses.

* It would be a long walk with or without a cane.

4 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

It makes sense though. Just have the ship staff supplement the island staff since the ship staff isn't likely to be as needed on board.

Correction...we're in Curacao today...sorry.

3 minutes ago, smokeybandit said:

There may be, but I've seen ship lifeguards on beach duty before.

Smokeybandit...I didn't disagree with you. I was simply (politely) giving additional information. (You've provided many valuable information...just trying to give back.)

Cheers and Happy Thanksgiving!

* Spending our day in Aruba...then back on the Symphony to watch football games.

Happy Thanksgiving!

7:19 am, docking in Curacao...

3 hours ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

Was the special lunch something they did in the past? I have done several B2B in the last few years, most recently on Wonder, and there wasn’t any special lunch on any of these cruises.  

"Back in the day"...

There used to be a meeting held for all B2B passengers...a couple of days or so before the first cruise ended. Questions were answered, and free champagne served.

They will announce where the special lunch was going to be.

I remember special lunches for B2B passengers at specialty restarants...or if in the MDR, a short but nicer menu was given, with complimentary wine.

There was no threshold...now there is. I'm guessing 25 or more...depends on the HD. (Someone can correct me on this)

* We are currently onboard the Symphony...the special lunches have been lunch in the MDR. Fortunately for us, we have access to CK and eat there on TAD.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our first RCCL cruise...Song of America...so many fond memories.

Things to do:

* Inform your cabin steward you will be moving cabins. On TAD, he/she will move everything for you.

* Pack all your small items back in your luggages...toiletries, shoes, loose clothing, underwear, socks, etc.

Tip: Attach a new luggage tag with new cabin number to your luggage.

* Anything hanging in the closet (clothes in hangers) will be moved as is.

* Make sure to empty the safe and remove all your valuables.

* Try to meet your new cabin steward before the end of your first cruise. You can let him know any request in advance.

Tip: If you need to access your new cabin early, politely let him know so he can clean your cabin first. Be mindful that TAD is a busy day for them.

* There will usually be a special lunch for all B2B passengers. Lately it hasn't been so special...it could be lunch in the MDR or the Windjammer is opened early for you.

Happy sailing!

There are Lifeguards that have contracts to work and live on Coco Cay.

Aruba today, Day 5, Nov. 22nd, Symphony.

The ship's tour buses were lined up about 72 steps from the bottom of the gangway. It would've been closer if not for the barrier/metal fence to divert passengers to the left.

Photo taken just off the ship.