Symphony - terrible / no shows / Covid ?

[danielwje1]

Just now, mugtech said:

Want to thank all the people who booked and went on these overpriced holiday cruises.  Hope it keeps RCI liquid until some time next year when we can take a real cruise.  Currently looking at June.

I’m also a shareholder so a bit conflicted. the share price has been doing well recently! 

[matt1]

7 minutes ago, MissDaisyofTexas said:

I'm a bit surprised at the lack of empathy on some of these replies. The experience on the ship right now doesn't sound like the same experience on Royal that many people have had over the past few months. Many more things are canceled. I would be very bummed out as I look forward to the shows and entertainment. Thank you for sharing your current experience so that others can make more informed decisions on cruises in the near future.

Because absolutely nothing has changed in the past few months: not the rapid spread or a brand new variant of the coronavirus among crew and passengers; not the fact that many more island nations and counties are (to protect their own citizens) shutting out foreigners that may be infected yet asymptotic; and most certainly not the exploding cruise ship’s passenger occupancy levels. None of this has changed since restart here in the US? 

And paying more for the holiday cruises , or to be on the biggest and best, certainly doesn’t make you more entitled during a PANDEMIC. It just means you paid more because it’s the most expensive most popular time to cruise. Nothing more, nothing less. Still can’t grasp why people think they were entitled to, or would have expected, a “regular cruise experience” in the middle of a global PANDEMIC on a packed ship during a major holiday. 
 

I do think, however, because of what’s happening by the sheer number of issues on particular ships, that RCI should give folks some type of FCC and/or refund. NOT because these onboard experiences are “guaranteed” during a global PANDEMIC, but because it would be the right thing to do. 

[Iamcruzin]

1 hour ago, tcneal said:

Yes.  But at least I would have my cash. 

If they had a lick of common sense they would but they would probably opt for an FCC or Lift and Shift and be back in in the same situation 6 months from now.

[blueslily]

33 minutes ago, danielwje1 said:

We paid a price premium to go on Symphony compared to other ships, on top of the festive period. I wanted to go on Symphony so my girlfriend could enjoy the usually very wide variety of entertainment. Production shows, aqua theatre shows etc. 

 

It would be nice if they were just more transparent about what’s going on, or at least recognition that this isn’t the usual “Royal” experience. 
 

we also just got back from a RC organised  snorking tour which only had enough masks and snorkels for half the boat… very crowded too. 

 

I think many people here hope that you will have a nice time on your cruise. It seems some of the shock comes because some of these topics have been discussed here on the boards that you are posting on for the past few days. Perhaps you were busy preparing for your trip so you had not read anything on these boards during the last 2 weeks. Recently many cc members have shared on these boards about their pondering about whether or not to cancel given reports on here, social media, and the news. Yes, it would be great for Royal to make a statement in advance of sailings to all passengers booked on the next sailing. Perhaps they will be able to do that for the next sailing to some degree given knowing at this moment more about the extent of their current situation on this specific ship.  Each ship has it's own situation this week, as it did last week, and as it will next week. Since passengers are already there on the ship now, we hope you have the best experience you can. And, no, it will not be the "normal" Symphony experience that I'm sure corporate offices that make decisions fleet-wide hoped for or that the leadership of the Symphony hoped for. No captain wants to hear about the number of complaints they are hearing about or to have to oversee the changes to reduce offerings that have been reduced to cope during this experience. And, as each decision is made in the moment to make a change, it is just that. I'm not sure that posting here during your cruise will be the most helpful for you. Sure, people here will say they appreciate it. And that's great. But, this is the vacation you paid for. Please enjoy the time with your travel companion and what can be enjoyed on the ship. Symphony is a great ship. I sailed on her recently during one of the sailings that got lots of chatter and attention online. Happy  holidays 🌞

Edited December 25, 2021 by blueslily

[tcneal]

17 minutes ago, blueslily said:

 

I think many people here hope that you will have a nice time on your cruise. It seems some of the shock comes because some of these topics have been discussed here on the boards that you are posting on for the past few days. Perhaps you were busy preparing for your trip so you had not read anything on these boards during the last 2 weeks. Recently many cc members have shared on these boards about their pondering about whether or not to cancel given reports on here, social media, and the news. Yes, it would be great for Royal to make a statement in advance of sailings to all passengers booked on the next sailing. Perhaps they will be able to do that for the next sailing to some degree given knowing at this moment more about the extent of their current situation on this specific ship.  Each ship has it's own situation this week, as it did last week, and as it will next week. Since passengers are already there on the ship now, we hope you have the best experience you can. And, no, it will not be the "normal" Symphony experience that I'm sure corporate offices that make decisions fleet-wide hoped for or that the leadership of the Symphony hoped for. No captain wants to hear about the number of complaints they are hearing about or to have to oversee the changes to reduce offerings that have been reduced to cope during this experience. And, as each decision is made in the moment to make a change, it is just that. I'm not sure that posting here during your cruise will be the most helpful for you. Sure, people here will say they appreciate it. And that's great. But, this is the vacation you paid for. Please enjoy the time with your travel companion and what can be enjoyed on the ship. Symphony is a great ship. I sailed on her recently during one of the sailings that got lots of chatter and attention online. Happy  holidays 🌞

I agree with your post.  This is my 2nd time on Symphony because the first time was that good. 

 

I don't think I or anyone else posting that is on this ship is looking for this thread to accomplish anything other than to share our experience and hopefully it will help someone else make a decision.   If we were posting how great a time we were having with 10,000 pictures, no one would question the reason for posting.   Negative experiences are just as valuable as positive ones.

[blueslily]

7 minutes ago, tcneal said:

I agree with your post.  This is my 2nd time on Symphony because the first time was that good. 

 

I don't think I or anyone else posting that is on this ship is looking for this thread to accomplish anything other than to share our experience and hopefully it will help someone else make a decision.   If we were posting how great a time we were having with 10,000 pictures, no one would question the reason for posting.   Negative experiences are just as valuable as positive ones.

 

Certainly, hearing about some negative experiences can be valuable in some ways for some people.  Sure, talk about your negative experiences if you want to.  There are some contextual factors impacting some responses when posting about some negative experiences here at this time.  Have a good one! 😁🌞

Edited December 25, 2021 by blueslily

[RoyalC]

49 minutes ago, DallasGuy75219 said:

Where did you get your medical or epidemiological degree from? Omicron is more transmissible in part because it tends to reside higher in the respiratory system and is more readily transmitted just by breathing, no need to cough.

Per the CDC- "CDC has been collaborating with global public health and industry partners to learn about Omicron, as we continue to monitor its course. We don’t yet know how easily it spreads, the severity of illness it causes, or how well available vaccines and medications work against it." 

Me- I also mentioned social distancing (by crew) and we know they were masks. I was very close to plenty of people when I was most contagious (according to your medical people, two days before and one day after symptoms start) and not a single person is sick and all tested negative the last couple days.

[flyguyjake]

1 minute ago, RoyalC said:

not a single person is sick and all tested negative the last couple days.

There definitely doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for who covid infects or how severely their personal outcome. It's very individualized. 

[DallasGuy75219]

3 minutes ago, RoyalC said:

Per the CDC- "CDC has been collaborating with global public health and industry partners to learn about Omicron, as we continue to monitor its course. We don’t yet know how easily it spreads, the severity of illness it causes, or how well available vaccines and medications work against it." 

Me- I also mentioned social distancing (by crew) and we know they were masks. I was very close to plenty of people when I was most contagious (according to your medical people, two days before and one day after symptoms start) and not a single person is sick and all tested negative the last couple days.

From your same source "The Omicron variant likely will spread more easily than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus and how easily Omicron spreads compared to Delta remains unknown."

[Crazy planning mom]

1 hour ago, danielwje1 said:

We paid a price premium to go on Symphony compared to other ships, on top of the festive period. I wanted to go on Symphony so my girlfriend could enjoy the usually very wide variety of entertainment. Production shows, aqua theatre shows etc. 

 

It would be nice if they were just more transparent about what’s going on, or at least recognition that this isn’t the usual “Royal” experience. 
 

we also just got back from a RC organised  snorking tour which only had enough masks and snorkels for half the boat… very crowded too. 

Exactly, if you knew the situation with the entertainment , you could have booked another ship like the Jewel and saved yourself some money.

[topnole]

7 minutes ago, flyguyjake said:

There definitely doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for who covid infects or how severely their personal outcome. It's very individualized. 

Well that isn’t entirely true.  They know on average it hits older folks and those with pre existing conditions harder.  Particularly obesity (and associated conditions).  As one of my neighbors said to me after treating hundreds of Covid patients, the virus preys on body fat.  Of course many things moderate this like age, vax status, viral load that caused infection, etc. Severity can still vary a lot even for those young and with low body fat, but for a lot of severe cases and death it is largely attributed to age and pre existing conditions.  
 

So yes, there still is some mystery to it, but they have learned a lot about why it hits some harder than others.  I personally know a lot of people who have become much fitter to lower their Covid risks.  Sadly, a lot have gone the other way (like me) as gyms were closed, time needed for home schooling kept them from exercise, eating more while quarantining, etc.   But the great thing is we do know so much more now.  A lot of the mystery is gone thank goodness.  

This is one of the big reasons cruises are back out.  If we didn’t know so much now, they would’ve shut them down last week.  

 

 

[JoelinSedona]

I was onboard Symphony last week.  Many activities had reduced operating hours or were cancelled altogether.  I tried to post that here but my post was deleted.  I mention that because some of you are saying everyone reading this board should be aware of what's going on.  Well that won't happen if critical posts get deleted. I expect this post won't last long either. I had a decent time but Royal has been increasing passenger capacity every week despite not seeming to have enough crew to support the higher numbers. I think the Royal defenders on here saying you should have expected things to be busy during holidays completely gloss over the insufficient staffing problem.  As a business owner myself I always compensate customers who don't receive services they paid for because I didn't plan ahead well enough during a high demand period. 

Edited December 26, 2021 by JoelinSedona
grammer

[Maitaivegas]

Well I’m sailing on the ship that is cruising no where on 1/29 with 6000 of my closest friends.

im taking my vitamins and getting my booster shot on 12/31, pray for me.

Hopefully I won’t have the same reaction as my second shot.

I am so ready for my cruise, bring on the mojitos!

[Grandma Petania]

8 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

For me the casino is a smelly room that I sometimes walk through to get from one end of the ship to the other.

It probably won't happen, but I wish the temporary no smoking in the casino would continue indefinitely.

[LGW59]

6 hours ago, blueslily said:

 

I think many people here hope that you will have a nice time on your cruise. It seems some of the shock comes because some of these topics have been discussed here on the boards that you are posting on for the past few days. Perhaps you were busy preparing for your trip so you had not read anything on these boards during the last 2 weeks. Recently many cc members have shared on these boards about their pondering about whether or not to cancel given reports on here, social media, and the news. Yes, it would be great for Royal to make a statement in advance of sailings to all passengers booked on the next sailing. Perhaps they will be able to do that for the next sailing to some degree given knowing at this moment more about the extent of their current situation on this specific ship.  Each ship has it's own situation this week, as it did last week, and as it will next week. Since passengers are already there on the ship now, we hope you have the best experience you can. And, no, it will not be the "normal" Symphony experience that I'm sure corporate offices that make decisions fleet-wide hoped for or that the leadership of the Symphony hoped for. No captain wants to hear about the number of complaints they are hearing about or to have to oversee the changes to reduce offerings that have been reduced to cope during this experience. And, as each decision is made in the moment to make a change, it is just that. I'm not sure that posting here during your cruise will be the most helpful for you. Sure, people here will say they appreciate it. And that's great. But, this is the vacation you paid for. Please enjoy the time with your travel companion and what can be enjoyed on the ship. Symphony is a great ship. I sailed on her recently during one of the sailings that got lots of chatter and attention online. Happy  holidays 🌞

So well stated!

[mek]

10 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Of course I do. But people have, for right or wrong, become weary of the situation and frustrated and I think that leads them to wrongly grasp at the illusion being sold. I've been on ships when shows were canceled (for me the only reason to be on an O class ship) due to weather, mechanical issues, ports changed or skipped, etc. Yes, it is part of cruising. We all know that. We grumble a little and settle back down.

 

However, the cruise lines are stating that health and saftey comes first. And when something goes wrong they jump on that bandwagon as the reason. Yet they sell the ship to a level where it is blatently obvious that it isn't true. Pictures don't lie. They sell to a level that they know, ahead of time, is likely to alter the experience in ways that experienced cruisers are likely not going to be happy with and newbies will simply be chased away. I have a cruise booked for January. How can I set my expectations when I have no idea what booking level that cruise will sail at? Is is right to say that I should either be willing to accept whatever I find when I arrive or I shouldn't go? Maybe, but that is hardly a way for a company to sell a product.

 

I don't have all the answers. I never had aspirations to be a cruise line CEO. 

I guess I had no expectations for a satisfactory experience, so I canceled my January cruise.  I don't have any answers either but I'm almost past caring if the cruise lines figure it out or not.

Wake me up if and when they do.  zzzzzzzzzzzzz 

[ReneeFLL]

21 hours ago, danielwje1 said:

…..we also could only book anytime dining for 8:15pm. Turned up last night and had to wait in line for 25 minutes before being seated. Extremely crowded. We were seated next to a family with about 10cm between the tables. It felt awkwardly close and not very private. My girlfriend says it’s like a zoo onboard…

 

….Should I complain? 

 

This is something that someone posted on here before. I don’t remember how to spell the name he uses on here, but it starts with a C and he works on the big ships. Super knowledgeable. I’m sure fellow CC members can help me out. This wouldn’t be for the shows or such stuff, but for the lack of mask wearing and lack of social distancing. In most places with that many people on board I think there really isn’t enough room to social distance. That’s one big mistake Royal has made with allowing so many to book. 

 

”If you are onboard and feel the protocols are not being enforced, you should report that to the Public Health Officer.  His job is to be sure they are enforced, so if they are not, he could lose his job.  My guess is that you might have to go through Guest Services to get to him.”

[Ocean Boy]

7 minutes ago, mek said:

I guess I had no expectations for a satisfactory experience, so I canceled my January cruise.  I don't have any answers either but I'm almost past caring if the cruise lines figure it out or not.

Wake me up if and when they do.  zzzzzzzzzzzzz 

I'm close to pulling the plug on January, too.

[bob brown]

Wow...we just came home from the Symphony on the 18th, and had few issues.  Saw all the shows, and had a great cruise experience overall with just a few 'hiccups' along the way.   Sorry to hear of the current problems....

[Jimbo]

48 minutes ago, mek said:

I guess I had no expectations for a satisfactory experience, so I canceled my January cruise.  I don't have any answers either but I'm almost past caring if the cruise lines figure it out or not.

Wake me up if and when they do.  zzzzzzzzzzzzz 

Refund, FCC or switch it to another cruise date.

[ReneeFLL]

12 hours ago, fenton04 said:

…Surprisingly the N95 mask was not acceptable.   Go figure!

Was that a rule by Royal? I would happily break that rule. Hubby always wears them and I sometimes do otherwise it’s the cloth ones. For our upcoming cruises I will always be wearing them because of Omicron. 

 

9 hours ago, danielwje1 said:

These people were wearing that on formal night!!! 

Ugh! Why am I not surprised?

 

7 hours ago, danielwje1 said:

…we also just got back from a RC organised  snorking tour which only had enough masks and snorkels for half the boat… very crowded too. 

So are you saying that people who booked and expected to snorkel didn’t get to or were there also people on there just for the ride? I would be more than pi$$ed. 

 

8 hours ago, tcneal said:

I think that's not true.  The people who complain the loudest probably will be compensated.   I will not because it's not my thing.  I'll just complain here.

Often that’s the case. There is always FB and Twitter.

 

8 hours ago, tcneal said:

That's the reason I won't go to guest services.  It's not their fault for this bad situation.  Everyone on the ship is trying their best.  I do notice many staff look stressed.  I think the fault lies at the Corporate offices. 

Totally agree. Corporate could have done something about it such as not booking the ship so full or at least cancel some people after Omicron started wrecking havoc. I know the canceled people would be mad, but Royal really needs to do something. As for the sick crew there isn’t a lot they can do at this point. They should have had extra crew already quarantined and ready to go where needed. Don’t they still have ships floating around with minimum crew? That would be a good place to keep some extra who would be ready to go. 
 

For the most part I was thinking Royal was doing the best they can in such circumstances, but with all this happening on the Symphony I’m beginning to wonder. I’m sure most of the employees on the ship are doing the best they can, but Corporate Royal needs to fix things.

[mek]

13 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

Refund, FCC or switch it to another cruise date.

I rebooked for next October on Allure 8 nts. instead of 7 and a OV balcony instead of CP balcony - almost the same price and I can sit back and relax while all of this mess is going on.

Of course I realize that things can still be crazy next fall, but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

[RoyalC]

7 hours ago, flyguyjake said:

There definitely doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for who covid infects or how severely their personal outcome. It's very individualized. 

Totally true. 

[Iamcruzin]

8 hours ago, danielwje1 said:

We paid a price premium to go on Symphony compared to other ships, on top of the festive period. I wanted to go on Symphony so my girlfriend could enjoy the usually very wide variety of entertainment. Production shows, aqua theatre shows etc. 

 

It would be nice if they were just more transparent about what’s going on, or at least recognition that this isn’t the usual “Royal” experience. 
 

we also just got back from a RC organised  snorking tour which only had enough masks and snorkels for half the boat… very crowded too. 

I'm sitting here at home reading these comments and fully understand that this isn't a typical Royal Caribbean experience. You are actually on the ship experiencing this first hand seeing for yourself  what is going on and you need someone from Royal Caribbean to tell you what's happening?   

 

Why anyone would want to use a snorkel that thousands have had their mouth on during a pandemic is beyond me.  It's a blessing that they ran out of snorkels and masks.

[ReneeFLL]

4 minutes ago, Iamcruzin said:

…Why anyone would want to use a snorkel that thousands have had their mouth on during a pandemic is beyond me.  It's a blessing that they ran out of snorkels and masks.

👍🏼 Even before covid I would never use someone else’s snorkel. They say they disinfect them, but how well do they really do it? If people don’t want to drag snorkel equipment with them at the very least bring just a snorkel.