Live Review- Symphony of the Seas 1/12/19; First Oasis Class in 7 Years!

[OTownNick]

1 hour ago, PopeyeDaSailor said:

 

Same here.  We're on May 11th almost same itinerary except we hit Cococay instead of Nassau . 

 

We're bringing our two kids and staying in a Grand Suite so I'm loving this review.  I haven't been on a Cruise since 2002 (pre-kids) so this should be fun!

 

Nick, you have to wear your yellow crocs with the tux at least ONCE!  Please?

 

I want to cruise with you, you look like a blast!

I need to get a bright yellow bow tie to match 

[Missymo]

Your pictures are amazing.  We went to the Amazon a couple of years ago and that was my introduction to sloths.  The children would come out on their boats holding their pet sloths (we were tendered) and we would get to meet and greet them on the way to the island.  Of course, the children were sharp, $1.00 to take a picture and $3.00 to hold them.  But they are amazing creatures. We are going to see them again  in Roatan in  2 weeks.  

Edited January 15, 2019 by Missymo

[OTownNick]

On 1/14/2019 at 5:24 PM, ZoeyVictoria said:

Where did you take the photos of the pool and beach areas?  I am hoping it was at the beach portion of the tour because I have the Fun-n-Sun tour booked in March.  Did you go to the beach?

This tour includes a stop at the very crowded Bananarama Beach. We drove by and opted to go back to the ship. 

[OTownNick]

Day 4- Costa Maya. It was rainy this morning and the forecast didn’t look good so we opted to stay on the ship. We had a great day finally exploring. 

 

Had a late breakfast at Park Cafe. Not crowded at all. Solarium Bistro was way too crowded when we went (10:30-ish). Park Cafe is always a good choice to avoid crowds. 

 

After breakfast we looked at photos and just wandered around the shops and the ship,  lounged around, then I rode the slides. The Ultimate Abyss was closed due to rain. The water slides were open and I went down 4 times. My favorite was the one with the bowl at the bottom. The other 2 were pitch black and you couldn’t  see a thing while sliding down. 

 

We went to inspect the Solarium Bistro for lunch. It’s basically a mini Windjammer. A lot less crowded though and a nicer atmosphere. We had a light snack. It was decent. 

 

One thing I found out today was the Bionic Bar only charged $6 for a mixed drink with one shot. $12 for 2 shots. That’s surprising. But I’m not sure if it’s that low for only this ship or not. 

 

The Flow Rider opened at 3:00 and it was still raining. I got one good ride in and they shut it down due to the rain flooding the Flow Rider. There were 5-6 hearty souls braving the monsoon to surf.  I waited around under cover for about 30-40 minutes and they reopened so I got one more ride in. 

 

Next was the Suites Lounge for happy hour. We love meeting people up there.

 

Dinner tonight was at Solarium Bistro. 7:00 reservation. Again, this is a mini Windjammer.  The food selection was to my liking. The best part was dessert. Baklava!! Yum. The rest of the items were just OK. We probably will not come back here for dinner. Or lunch. Breakfast is a ??

 

We didnt go to HIRO, the aqua theater show,  because with he weather we had today, I knew it would be cancelled. I was right... for both shows. 

 

We went to iSkate 2.0 instead. We really enjoyed it better than 1977. No reservations are required for this show. 

 

After the show, we decided to call it an early night. Tomorrow’s Cozumel and we are staying on the ship. The weather is supposed to be sunny. I hope it is so everyone gets off the ship hahahaha.

 

Im planning to get up early and hopefully hit rhe gym early and then be at the Flow Rider at 9:00 for the Advanced Stand Up Surfing session. 

Edited January 16, 2019 by OTownNick

[perfect match]

14 hours ago, OTownNick said:

I need to get a bright yellow bow tie to match 

Maybe you DO need to get off the ship in Cozumel - to go shopping for that bright yellow bow tie!  

[OTownNick]

Here are some photos of last nights dinner in Solarium Bistro. The atmosphere was really nice. Not a crowded feel or noisy like a busy Windjammer. I have to admit, if we didn’t have access to Coastal Kitchen we would eat here at least one more time lol. 

[OTownNick]

Day 5 (already). Cozumel. Today most of the guests got off the ship. We stayed aboard. I got an early morning workout at the gym and then surfed the Flow Rider from 9-11. There were only 8 surfers so I got a lot of time. At Noon we had a wonderful lunch in Coastal Kitchen. Now it’s nap time. 

[dj71]

Really enjoying your blog Nick.  I'm sailing in Feb.  Do you know the name of the group playing in Jazz on 4?  It's one of my main hangouts.

[A&L_Ont]

2 hours ago, OTownNick said:

 then surfed the Flow Rider from 9-11. There were only 8 surfers so I got a lot of time. 

 

 

Nick looking much better.  You need to straighten your body from the waist up and open your shoulders, so you don’t have quite as much forward centre of gravity. Knees are bent perfectly.  I bet you feel much more comfortable out there than your last sailing with a wave. 

Edited January 16, 2019 by A&L_Ont

[OTownNick]

2 hours ago, dj71 said:

Really enjoying your blog Nick.  I'm sailing in Feb.  Do you know the name of the group playing in Jazz on 4?  It's one of my main hangouts.

The Kellough-Center Jazz Experience, per the Cruise Compass. We haven’t made it in there yet. 

[OTownNick]

1 hour ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

Nick looking much better.  You need to straighten your body from the waist up and open your shoulders, so you don’t have quite as much forward centre of gravity. Knees are bent perfectly.  I bet you feel much more comfortable out there than your last sailing with a wave. 

Thanks Andrew. I’ll try to incorporate those. Studying the videos my wife took is helping see. Yes I’m getting a little more comfortable little by little. I will be back up tomorrow 🙂

[tropiclvrs]

Nice shot of you on the Flowrider!  I saw your scopes and you’re doing great.  I’ve only tried the boogie boarding myself, because I’m too chicken for standup.  

[A&L_Ont]

1 hour ago, OTownNick said:

Thanks Andrew. I’ll try to incorporate those. Studying the videos my wife took is helping see. Yes I’m getting a little more comfortable little by little. I will be back up tomorrow 🙂

 

Watching video really helps. In the beginning I filmed a lot and took it in. Once you really get the basics down of turning and staying steady on the wave, it comes quick. It sounds like you are almost there, if not already. 

[Milwaukee Eight]

3 hours ago, A&L_Ont said:

 

Nick looking much better.  You need to straighten your body from the waist up and open your shoulders, so you don’t have quite as much forward centre of gravity. Knees are bent perfectly.  I bet you feel much more comfortable out there than your last sailing with a wave. 

Are you going to teach me how to Flow?  I’m be glad to reciprocate on Motorcycle handling. I’ll get you doing tight cones in no time. 

[maryjaden]

Loving your review so far.  When are you sailing in March.  I am taking my three daughters in the Mariner March 25.

[OTownNick]

48 minutes ago, maryjaden said:

Loving your review so far.  When are you sailing in March.  I am taking my three daughters in the Mariner March 25.

I will miss you. Sailing on Mariner March 15 and 29

[OTownNick]

After lunch in Coastal Kitchen (again), we took a 2 hour nap on Day 5, Cozumel. I had grilled salmon. I can eat this every day and never get tired of it. It’s also so healthy for you. We also had the grilled vegetable flat bread. I could eat THAT every day too!!

 

After the nap it was already time for happy hour and an early dinner in (what else?) Coastal Kitchen where I once again had grilled salmon. 

 

Tonight we saw Flight in the theater. It was very good. The best part was the high tech special effects. I give that a 10. Overall, an 8.5. Hairspray was a 10!

 Since HIRO the aqua show for cancelled yesterday, we intended to see it at 10:45, after Flight. However we strolled through the casino and I decided to jump in on some roulette. I won tonight and cut my loss in half at least so that was a better decision than the aqua show. Thanks to number 8 and a few hits on 17 and 20, I won about $900 tonight. Eeek!

 

My wife also jumped in and won $40! The other night she won $200 on slots. She’s winning this cruise lol. 

 

To celebrate tonight’s win I had a nightcap (Baileys with Makers Mark on ice) and we sat in Jazz on 4 for a few songs. This was the first time we actually ever went to Jazz on 4. It was nice. At 11:35, it was time to head to bed! I have a  date with the Flow Rider again tomorrow at 9:00... and hopefully the gym before that. 

[OTownNick]

Day 6- Sea day. Woke up and went into a hot tub in the Solarium. This is such a beautiful space day and night. I recommend heading here early on in the cruise so you can spend more time here. Don’t put it off. 

 

After the hot tub I went to surf the Flow Rider again. Practice makes perfect, and I need s lot of practice. After that we had a very light snack at El Loco Fresh just as they were closing for breakfast. This is open for breakfast only on sea days so I guess I missed my chance for breakfast here. Oh well. The funny thing about this week is, we have not eaten breakfast on this cruise yet!! Bizarre. That’s a first for me. I am sure though we will have breakfast either tomorrow or the last morning. 

[OTownNick]

After the Flow Rider we relaxed in the Solarium. It’s so nice over there. After our “meal with officer” lunch at 150 Central Park (food was all from Jamie’s), we went back to casino and I gave back a lot of last nights winnings. Grrrr. We were so stuffed from lunch, I don’t see HOW we will be able to eat dinner tonight. 

 

Tonight is an extra performance  of HIRO, the aqua show since it was canceled one night. We will try to make the 8:45 show (get there half hour early to make sure you get a seat.... if you have reservations ).

 

even though it’s alreadt happy hour, I used the early evening to do some work from the balcony while my wife napped. We sound boring lol. There is a LOT to do on this ship and now we wish we had 2 weeks. We talked to several consecutive cruisers and they all said the ship is their destination. I get it. 

Edited January 17, 2019 by OTownNick

[melted2002]

Have you seen or gotten any information on Luggage valet?

[vacationlover_mn]

Have they been removing chair hog towels in the Solarium?

[krewzin]

18 hours ago, OTownNick said:

After lunch in Coastal Kitchen (again), we took a 2 hour nap on Day 5, Cozumel. 

 

 

I tried to take a nap in Izumi once; they threw me out. Glad to hear they’re more lenient in Coastal Kitchen. 

[OTownNick]

4 hours ago, melted2002 said:

Have you seen or gotten any information on Luggage valet?

Ill get some information for you by tomorrow 

[OTownNick]

4 hours ago, vacationlover_mn said:

Have they been removing chair hog towels in the Solarium?

Not sure but when we were there, there were plenty of chairs available 

[OTownNick]

4 hours ago, krewzin said:

 

 

I tried to take a nap in Izumi once; they threw me out. Glad to hear they’re more lenient in Coastal Kitchen. 

Har har!!!