The Symphony, The Key, Two Teens, And Me!

[blueridgemama]

Thank you for including your experience with the Key benefits in each part of your review. This will be very helpful to future cruisers as to purchase it or not. Your review is very thorough and your pictures are beautiful.

[LBumb]

Following 

excellent start

[gatour]

On 3/26/2019 at 1:27 AM, Grenouille21 said:

Our itinerary was:

 

Day 1: Miami

Day 2: At Sea

Day 3: At Sea

Day 4: St. Kitts

Day 5: St. Thomas

Day 6: At Sea

Day 7: Nassau

Day 8: Miami

 

 

I don't really like having a port on the last full day, because it makes the day go by way too fast, but this was the best option in all other ways.   

 

Ooh goody, in May we have the same intinery as yours except we are going to Coco Cay instead of Nassau.

 

I am with you on having a sea day on the final day.   We have a system where mid-afternoon on the last day, I return to the cabin and pack my suitcase(s).  Then I leave for pre-dinner drinks while she packs

[phabric]

We did cruise in January.

 

Following along.

[gatour]

Love it so far.

 

You must know my wife.  Seems like everytime we take a cruise, we end up at a CVS because my wife has forgotten something.  Last time it was some needed prescriptions.  Luckily the pharmacist was able get the necessary info to fill.  Plus he worked in such a way, that we wouldn't be dinged by high charges because she was getting the pills out of cycle.

 

In regards to Key and skipping the line and lack of signs.  There have been reports that they have been going up.  One that I remember was mid-cruise.  They should have be there on day one when they implemented the key program.  I would be irked if someone "jumped" the line.  However if there was a sign, I would understand, that they paid for the privalege.

 

So nice to see the "how to carve a carousel horse" are back.  Missed them on the Harmony last year.

 

I really like the Royal Promenade on the Oasis and Freedom class ships.  When I did a Voyager class cruise (the first time we did a cruise with a RP),  I felt it was mall like.  I think the extra space makes the differenc on Freedom/Oasis

 

 

[watson61]

Following and loving this review.  I'll be on Symphony in September and can't wait.  I also appreciate your Key reports.  I've been wondering about that, in particular how it works out in reality as opposed to on the website.

[Sheshefran]

Great review.  Thanks

[nbp]

On ‎3‎/‎26‎/‎2019 at 12:30 AM, Grenouille21 said:

Towel clips

Reading material

Snorkel mask

Sunscreen (high spf)

Laundry soap

Magnetic hooks

 

I know you packed light but you feel you would bring the magnetic hooks next time?  Is it for bathing suits to dry?

I wonder why you had trouble at check in with them? 

Seems to be the thing you need when you read theses boards so a lot of people must bring them. 

We ordered some and just came in yesterday (gong to leave them in its original package) with a collapsible shoe rack.  3 of us in cabin and want to make sure we have enough space for things. 

[ShillyShally]

17 minutes ago, nbp said:

 

I know you packed light but you feel you would bring the magnetic hooks next time?  Is it for bathing suits to dry?

I wonder why you had trouble at check in with them? 

Seems to be the thing you need when you read theses boards so a lot of people must bring them. 

We ordered some and just came in yesterday (gong to leave them in its original package) with a collapsible shoe rack.  3 of us in cabin and want to make sure we have enough space for things. 

Not OP but we didn't have any problem with ours in scanned bags and they were terrific to hang up extra clothes when we all got stuck in the rain in Costa Maya and had more than just wet bathing suits!

[nbp]

15 minutes ago, ShillyShally said:

Not OP but we didn't have any problem with ours in scanned bags and they were terrific to hang up extra clothes when we all got stuck in the rain in Costa Maya and had more than just wet bathing suits!

Thank you!  Glad we ordered them!  I will definitely put them in Check In Luggage!

 

[ShillyShally]

Just now, nbp said:

Thank you!  Glad we ordered them!  I will definitely put them in Check In Luggage!

 

You're welcome!  It was my 13th cruise but first with them and I was like "Why didn't I do this sooner?"  - that's why I always check out the must pack threads as I love genius ideas others have had!

[Grenouille21]

6 hours ago, blueridgemama said:

Thank you for including your experience with the Key benefits in each part of your review. This will be very helpful to future cruisers as to purchase it or not. Your review is very thorough and your pictures are beautiful.

 

Thank you!  

 

5 hours ago, gatour said:

Ooh goody, in May we have the same intinery as yours except we are going to Coco Cay instead of Nassau.

 

I am with you on having a sea day on the final day.   We have a system where mid-afternoon on the last day, I return to the cabin and pack my suitcase(s).  Then I leave for pre-dinner drinks while she packs

 

I am very curious to see/hear about Coco Cay!  And I like your system for packing!  That's my kind of system! 🍻

 

4 hours ago, gatour said:

Love it so far.

 

You must know my wife.  Seems like everytime we take a cruise, we end up at a CVS because my wife has forgotten something.  Last time it was some needed prescriptions.  Luckily the pharmacist was able get the necessary info to fill.  Plus he worked in such a way, that we wouldn't be dinged by high charges because she was getting the pills out of cycle.

 

In regards to Key and skipping the line and lack of signs.  There have been reports that they have been going up.  One that I remember was mid-cruise.  They should have be there on day one when they implemented the key program.  I would be irked if someone "jumped" the line.  However if there was a sign, I would understand, that they paid for the privalege.

 

So nice to see the "how to carve a carousel horse" are back.  Missed them on the Harmony last year.

 

I really like the Royal Promenade on the Oasis and Freedom class ships.  When I did a Voyager class cruise (the first time we did a cruise with a RP),  I felt it was mall like.  I think the extra space makes the differenc on Freedom/Oasis

 

 

 

Your wife and I must be long lost relatives.  I always forget *something*. CVS and Publix have saved me so many times!

 

I feel the same as you about the signs.  If they had them up, it would make sense.  Otherwise you just look and feel like a jerk for going ahead of people who have been waiting.  Plus my son made friends in the line, and got to watch other kids (and a few adults) trying out the boogie board.  As someone who had never done that before, I think it helped him figure it out, and I know he enjoyed talking to others in the line.  

 

We are sailing on a Voyager class ship next, and I am very curious to see how it compares to SotS and the other ships we have been on.  

 

4 hours ago, watson61 said:

Following and loving this review.  I'll be on Symphony in September and can't wait.  I also appreciate your Key reports.  I've been wondering about that, in particular how it works out in reality as opposed to on the website.

 

Thanks for following along!  You'll love the Symphony!  I will be very curious to see what happens with The Key.  Obviously they are changing things.  It will be interesting to see where they land with it.  

 

32 minutes ago, nbp said:

 

I know you packed light but you feel you would bring the magnetic hooks next time?  Is it for bathing suits to dry?

I wonder why you had trouble at check in with them? 

Seems to be the thing you need when you read theses boards so a lot of people must bring them. 

We ordered some and just came in yesterday (gong to leave them in its original package) with a collapsible shoe rack.  3 of us in cabin and want to make sure we have enough space for things. 

 

I will definitely bring the hooks, as we used them for more than bathing suits.  We washed some clothing in the sink (some workout type shirts that dry quickly, some other things we didn't want to send in the laundry, some clothing we had work to the animal shelter where we volunteered) and it was crucial to have a place to hang things since there is no clothesline in the bathroom like there has been on other ships/in hotels.  Since all of the walls and the ceiling are magnetic, we could hang things in the shower until they stopped dripping, then hang them around the room until they were fully dry.  I also use the towel clips or clothespins to attach clothing to the balcony furniture to dry, so it doesn't blow away.  

 

13 minutes ago, ShillyShally said:

Not OP but we didn't have any problem with ours in scanned bags and they were terrific to hang up extra clothes when we all got stuck in the rain in Costa Maya and had more than just wet bathing suits!

 

I have no idea why they dinged the scanner!  and of course they were at the very bottom of my backpack!  the guy had no problem with them once he pulled them out and saw what they were.  I can't imagine what he thought they were on the X-ray machine??

[tcmagnum]

16 hours ago, Grenouille21 said:

Since I can't edit my post, I want to amend the portion about The Key.  There were two benefits being discussed and I focused on one instead of separating the two.  The paragraph should read like this:

 

The Key: One of the perks of The Key is that you can drop off your carry on luggage in the Royal Theater and it will be delivered to your room before any checked luggage.  We went straight there when we boarded, gave them our room number/name, and dropped off our bags.  This was a very nice benefit, and one that I really appreciated.  Our luggage was in our stateroom when we went there, no problems at all.  

 

The Key:  Then we were given wristbands, and we were told those were for priority access to activities like the Flowrider, Rock Wall, Zipline, Abyss, etc.  I hadn't heard of having priority access, so I was confused.  This was no benefit to us as Key members.

Thank you for the clarification.  We are still debating about the key.  And the carry on luggage drop off is something we would like.  Not to worried about the priority access to activities.  Great review!!

[blueridgemama]

36 minutes ago, tcmagnum said:

Thank you for the clarification.  We are still debating about the key.  And the carry on luggage drop off is something we would like.  Not to worried about the priority access to activities.  Great review!!

 

If you see it "on sale" for $19.99pp I would order it. You can always cancel it before your cruise if you decide you don't want it.

[Nrfd191]

On 3/26/2019 at 6:29 AM, LuCruise said:

Love your review so far.  Great sense of humor.  We were on the cruise right before you and as we walked off I remember acknowledging those balloons on the promenade ready for the next group.  Looking forward to hearing more.

P.S. our 13 year old sobs would get along really well as ours is also Fortnight obsessed.

What time did you arrive at the Port?

 

[Grenouille21]

1 hour ago, tcmagnum said:

Thank you for the clarification.  We are still debating about the key.  And the carry on luggage drop off is something we would like.  Not to worried about the priority access to activities.  Great review!!

 

I agree with blueridgemama that you should buy it, especially if you see it for $19.99.  You can always cancel it up to 3 days before you sail.  But if it sells out, you won't have the option if you later decide you want it.

 

42 minutes ago, Nrfd191 said:

What time did you arrive at the Port?

 

 

Not sure if this question was meant for me, but I think we arrived around 11:00.  I know I timed it and checked my watch but I forgot to write anything down.  

[Grenouille21]

Day 1 continued:

 

Lunch was great, and now the rooms were ready.  

 

We headed up to Deck 10 to check out our room.  I had booked an Ocean View Balcony Guarantee room, which means I did not get to choose the room, but would be guaranteed an Ocean View Balcony (as opposed to a Central Park or Boardwalk Balcony).  Booking a Guarantee room is a great way to save money, but you have to be careful.  I had checked out the available staterooms and determined that there were only a few that were somewhat undesirable, due to being near night clubs or restaurants, or in high traffic areas.  I took my chances and it worked out well for us.  Some ships have obstructed view balconies, and some of the obstructed views are more obstructed than others.  Sometimes it is just a pole in the way, but sometimes it is a whole lifeboat, so you have to be careful.  I'd do it again in a heartbeat if it were less expensive and if there were no undesirable rooms in that category.  

 

About 30 days before we sailed we were assigned a room.  Actually, before that, I had checked out my Set Sail Pass (kind of like a boarding pass) and saw that it said Deck 10 but the room number said GTY (guarantee).  I wasn't sure whether the deck was just a placeholder or the actual deck, but it turned out to be the actual deck.  

 

Our stateroom was 10330, which was allllllllll the way aft on the port side.  

 

 

This was both good and bad.  It was good (GREAT, actually) because it was super quiet.  Since the hallway ended with a door to the Aqua Theater Suite 1 door over, the only people who would be passing us would be the people in the suite and the people next to us.  The people in the suite seemed to have teenagers, and the people next to us were a couple.  So that means no kids running down the hallway screaming in the early morning, and it was likely there wouldn't be kids running above us either since again, the hall ends just 1 door down so anyone running would slam into the door.  

 

It was also nice because it meant we had to walk a lot, which meant we could eat more pizza ;).  

 

It was, however, a loooooooooong walk to the front of the ship.  So when I was going or coming from the Solarium (will get to that) or the theater, it was a long walk.  

 

But it was totally fine and I have no complaints about the room location.  

 

Now, I had heard that the sofa bed on the Symphony is actually 2 beds, and one pulls out from the bottom as a trundle.  I thought this would be great, and the kids could sleep there and I'd have the big bed all to myself.  Perfect, right?  Except that on rooms that are configured with the bed near the window, the sofa bed doesn't have the trundle.  So this room only holds 3 people.  I had no idea this was even possible, as I had only heard that the sofa bed had 2 separate sleeping areas!  So we ended up having our Room Attendant, Rodolfo, who was awesome, separate the big bed into twins.  It was disappointing, but again not a huge deal since I had saved a lot by not choosing my own room.  

 

The room was still really pretty, though I don't like having the bed by the window all that much.  

 

 

This is where the fridge was, and a few drawers for clothing etc.  The hair dryer and 2 boxes of Kleenex were in the top drawer over the fridge.  The fridge was empty, and had a lock on it (it was unlocked).  The cups you see are the refillable soda cups.  All of the cups looked the same, so we used a Sharpie to write our names on them.  That rubbed off a few times so eventually I put a Sea Band on mine so I could identify it.  

 

 

The Key: Our carry on luggage was already in the room, and since that was all we had brought we began unpacking.  This was a great benefit, since we would have otherwise been dragging our suitcases around until the room was available.

 

There are two closets.  One has hanging space only, and one has some hanging space and some shelves, as well as the safe.  I forgot to photograph that side.  

 

 

Our safe was locked, and we couldn't unlock it, so we had to call housekeeping.  They came and unlocked it, and we didn't have any issues with it the rest of the trip.  But let me warn you, it is SMALL.  You cannot even fit an iPad in there.  I fit my wallet and our Passports in there and could probably have put our phones in there, and that is all that would fit.  

 

Speaking of small, here is the bathroom.  I know, it is a cruise ship, what do I expect?  But it is a small bathroom, with a small shower.  I will say that over the week I noticed a mildew smell in there as well.  Kind of crazy for an almost brand new ship!

 

 

 

The shower was fine.  You could adjust the water pressure, and the water got VERY hot if you wanted it to.  One thing is, the door would close automatically, so if we were hanging wet bathing suits they didn't really get much air.  In fact there just didn't seem to be much ventilation in the bathroom at all, which I am sure it what is causing the mildew smell.  I had noticed the smell in one section of the hallway, too.  

 

Let me just say, this did not ruin the trip, nor would it deter me from sailing on the Symphony again.  It is just something I noticed, and wanted to comment on.  The ship isn't perfect, but it is darn close.  If an occasional mildew smell is the worst thing that I can say about it, that's pretty good. 

 

Our balcony had 2 chairs and 2 footstools, and a little table.  The chair could recline completely flat, so technically you could lay out there if you used the foot stool as well.  

 

 

This was our view, and it would again be our view a week later.  The traffic looked horrible going in one direction, and at no point did it look like it improved.  Yuck!

 

[LBumb]

Great pics

[ShillyShally]

Sorry about the sleeping situation - I completely get that feeling like a bummer but happy it wasn't a big deal - love your attitude!!

[Grenouille21]

3 hours ago, ShillyShally said:

Sorry about the sleeping situation - I completely get that feeling like a bummer but happy it wasn't a big deal - love your attitude!!

 

Thanks!  It takes a lot more than an unexpected bed arrangement to ruin my vacation :).

[Grenouille21]

Day 1 continued:

 

The photos are still showing up huge on my end, so let me know if this is bothering anyone and I will work on fixing it.  

 

I believe we received our first Cruise Compass in our room.  

 

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Sometimes there was an insert with evening entertainment, sometimes that wasn't included.  I'm not sure if we were supposed to get that every night, or if it was only occasional.  The Royal Caribbean app also had the shows and activities listed.  The app is great for some things, like having a map of the ship, or checking what time an activity is.  But sometimes the times are wrong.  That happened to us more than once, and it was really annoying. I wish the app had texting capacity so we wouldn't have needed VOOM internet.  But right now only Harmony and Allure have texting turned on in the Royal app.  

 

The Key:  I've already shared our letters from The Key, outlining the program and the private hours for activities.  We also had our internet access codes in our room.

 

Since The Key included one VOOM Surf and Stream access code for each person who had purchased The Key, we were able to text each other on the ship.  We were also able to receive texts and emails from home, and use the internet as we would at home.  We didn't try to watch movies or anything, it was mostly for social media and so I could do some work.  I know some people say they can't imagine carrying their phone around a ship blah blah blah and back in my day we just left notes in the room to tell each other where we were going... yeah well when you know better you do better.  With our room being all the way on the far end of the ship, if we had to go back to the room every time we changed location, we would have spent so much time walking back to the room.  That seems so silly!  Sure, I would have preferred that DD couldn't text me every 5 seconds when she wasn't with me.  But my son was allowed to go places with his friends as long as he let me know where he was going.  He could do it discreetly on his phone, vs saying "Hey guys, I have to walk back to my room and leave a note for my mom" then showing up 20 minutes later to find his friends have already moved on to the next thing.  This was definitely a worthwhile perk for us, and we definitely benefitted from being able to text each other.  

 

Later on I found this helpful page that listed all of the shows.  I remember having this on HAL and it was really helpful in planning our week.  This was helpful as well, and I wish I had found it earlier in the week.

 

 

After we quickly unpacked, we headed up to Deck 15 to check out the pool and the Teen Club.  On Deck 15 just outside our elevator bank we found the musical staircase.  You have to try this out, both alone and with other people.  It was funny to watch people use the staircase when they didn't know how it worked.  They would just go up or down as usual, then suddenly realize there was music playing, and that it was coming from their movements.  

 

[MEDIA=vimeo]326485567[/MEDIA]

 

I'll start with the Teen Club and the surrounding area.  I'm afraid we never set foot in Adventure Ocean on Deck 14, so I don't have photos of that area.  I do have the activity pages for Adventure Ocean, though, and I will share those.  

 

The Teen Club is technically called The Living Room.  When you first walk in, you see these game chairs to the right.

 

 

Then there are all kinds of seating areas.

 

 

I think these were the chairs DD later referred to as The Tim Burton Chairs.

 

 

They had some events up on the wall here, so I assume this was sort of the announcement board.  They also had a bunch of the Teen Compasses lying here so I grabbed one for each age group (12-14 and 15-17).  

 

 

There was a foosball table, and another seating area.  The counselor desk was just over to the left where the people are standing.  That's where they kept the ball for the foosball table, and some other items.  Kids had to leave their Sea Pass cards if they wanted to check out items like the ball, or some video games.  DS left his card there on more than one occasion and had to go back to retrieve it so he could get off the ship in port.  

 

 

The teens have their own outdoor area as well, under shade.  

 

 

And then there is the Teen Disco, called Fuel.  They had a bar type setup, and a dance floor.  I know they had dance parties in here a few times.  They had a Silent Disco party, and something else.  Neither of my kids had interest in that though.

 

 

These are the teen compasses, with the activities for the week.  Now, I am not sure how many of those activities happened, because as I have mentioned DD refused to go t the club and DS went, but I am pretty sure he just played video games and foosball, or left and played mini golf with friends, or went and ate pizza 1 hour before dinner and then claimed he wasn't hungry for dinner so could he just go back to the club.  Um, no.  You're coming to dinner with us, buddy.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Grenouille21]

Day 1 continued:

 

I actually have the Adventure Ocean activities, but it is a LOT of pages and I would rather not post all of them.  So I'll share a few, just so you have an idea of what's going on there.  

 

Here's one for a day at sea:

 

 

I can't be the only one who laughs at the name of the morning activity.  I mean come ON!!!

 

 

And here is an example of the schedule for a day in port:

 

 

[Grenouille21]

Day 1 continued:

 

So Deck 15 is a busy place.  Not only is the Teen Club there, but also the pools, water slides, El Loco Fresh (will get to that), several bars, the arcade, the Solarium (will get to that as well), several hot tubs, The Abyss, and the Flow Rider.  

 

Oh and this GENIUS room that should be not only on every cruise ship but in every hotel and on every corner.  All of the Starbucks that opened up 5-10 years ago are closing and THIS is what should replace them.  

 

I call it The Room of Requirement.

 

Let's start with the best part.  It's happened to everyone.  You're trying not to use your phone that much, because you're on vacation, and you want to unplug, but you can't stop taking photos because you want to remember everything and then share it with internet strangers, and your DD is texting you non stop because apparently the Teen Club is The Worst And Please Can I Leave Now.  So your phone is down to 15%, and your room is alllllllll the way aft, and you have finally found a seat in the sun, and it isn't near those people who sit far away from each other even though they are together so they can yell their entire conversation so everyone around them hears it, so you don't want to leave for toooooo long.... 

 

Royal's got you covered in the Room of Requirement.  You Harry Potter fans know what the Room of Requirement is.  It's a secret room in Hogwarts that only becomes available to you when you need something, and to access it you think of what you need while walking past its location and the room appears.  

 

Royal made it happen.  

 

You're walking back to your room thinking "If only I could charge my phone without having to go allllll the way back to my room!" and bam.  The sliding door opens and you see THIS:

 

 

These. Should. Be. Everywhere.  

 

You touch the screen, you choose a cubby, you enter a pass key, you confirm it, you plug in your phone, close the door, it locks, and your phone charges.  You can go get lunch at El Loco, you can go spy on your Teen (the one who loves the club or the one who hates, it; take your pick), you can go get some ice cream, or walk past the crazy intense game of dodge ball on the sport court with people screaming on the sidelines as you walk by and you wonder when dodge ball became such a popular spectator sport.  

 

And like 15 minutes later your phone is charged.  

 

But wait, there's more.  

 

A charged phone is not the only thing you need on a vacation.  

 

Those people I mentioned earlier, the ones who sit far away from each other and it seems like the only reason they did was so they could yell their entire conversation so everyone around them has to listen to it.  You sat in their vicinity and now you have a headache.  You don't want to go down to the Promenade (because they don't have it there anyway, I don't think) for some Motrin.  Just walk past the Room of Requirement thinking about Motrin and bam, the glass door opens and you see THIS:

 

 

The Health vending machine has a little of everything.  Feeling seasick?  Health has you covered.  Had too much garlic sauce on your pizza?  Health has you covered.  Aunt Flo got you by surprise and you weren't prepared?  Health has you covered.  

 

Health has some friends.  

 

Meet Splash.  Splash has everything you need for both sun and fun.  Sunscreen?  Yup.  Goggles?  Go see Splash.  Ray Bans?  Splash has them.  

 

 

Health and Splash are the kind, nurturing caregivers of the Room of Requirement.  They make sure you don't get too sunburned, too sick, or too gross, and they make sure you look cool at all times.  They take care of your needs.  

 

And then there is Tech.  Tech takes care of your wants.  Tech has all of the things you probably do not need on a vacation, but there they are.  I was going to say that batteries are the exception, but what do you even have on vacation that requires batteries any more?  A Walkman?  Probably not.  But if you do, we should talk.  

 

So what DOES Tech have?  Well the batteries, for the luddites and their Walkmen. Tech also has a Nintendo DS game.  Hmmm, Ok.  Not really a NEED, and oddly specific.  I mean, what if you already have that game?  Ok moving on.  Is that an iPod Shuffle?  I think it is.  Ok, that could be useful, I guess, especially if you're thinking about giving up that Walkman. Wait is that an iPad? Yep.  An iPad.  From a vending machine.  On a cruise ship.  It just makes me laugh.  It shouldn't, I guess, but it does.  

 

 

So there you go.  You thought the Room of Requirement was just a fantasy, invented by JK Rowling.  But no: its real, and its fantastic.  

[seanjulz]

22 hours ago, Grenouille21 said:

 

I do have a picture of that.  I was going to add it at some point but will do so now.  It was so disappointing.  

 

The Key:  These were the "priority hours" for Key guests.  I had been watching closely, and all previous sailings had multiple hours per activity per week.  

 

 

I had been paying very close attention to this before we sailed.  This was unlike anything I had seen before.  One hour per activity per week?  Not worthwhile at all, IMO.

Those hours are terrible the orginal hours they were giving people were much better and skipping the line is not the answer, just open the stuff up earlier or later for key members to use it simple no one gets upset with people jumping the queue, the only reason i have purchased the key is for "extra sessions of the flow rider for my family" i really dont want it to be at someone else's expense , i spent alot to get it but if it is going to be like this i will probably cancel it.

[Ralphinsc]

Thank you so much for the Teen club compasses! I know mine will enjoy the gaming setups and the activities. Awesome review thus far, loving every post!