Live Cruising Review Symphony of the Seas 3/12/2022 - 3/19/2022 Plenty of Pictures!!!

[BennyBrun]

12 minutes ago, kmp70 said:

can I ask a ? about the water shows-  do people sitting in the front get splashed/wet? ( I only ask as I wear hearing aids- so have to be careful of not getting splashed)...  🙂

 

The first three rows will get wet… they kick water out into the audience plus the water effects will splash.  The next three rows will get a little wet due to wind conditions, so you will feel mist and drips here and there and of course when they “fly” back and forth you will get a drip here and there!

[BennyBrun]

8 hours ago, aphrodite6528 said:

This is such a great idea! The mushroom dessert as a whole is nowhere near the caliber of the World but still fun. I may have to ask for a side mushroom next time I go to Wonderland!

I am all about sharing great food ideas!!!  I really liked my server but I have to deduct one point 😂 because she poo poo the idea of ordering a forbidden apple to another table who’s never been to wonderland before and they wanted to order all 4 desserts.  The apple is beautiful to look at and it tastes amazing if you don’t want a super chocolate dessert and in my opinion better than the mushroom forest!

[BennyBrun]

19 minutes ago, ScoobyGal said:

I am a Benny "newbie" and am absolutely loving your review!  Thanks so much for taking the time to post everything.  We will be on Symphony the end of April and your review is getting us so excited.  I have a couple of questions:  Do you know if the cruise director, Dennis Charles, will still be on Symphony then (April 30 - May 7)?  Also, regarding your boarding time, you mentioned being on the ship before 11am, what was your official arrival time?  They just opened check-in for our sailing and the first arrival window is 11:30am.  We're in a suite and I'm hearing that we can arrive 30 minutes prior to the arrival window.  Thanks!

Welcome aboard the virtual cruise!  I am so glad!  It is a beautiful ship.  My arrival time was 12:30PM but I was dropped off around 10:40 AM by fast and furious grandma in a Scion who obviously had places to go, I walked up to the door they opened the rope and I went straight in.  Once I passed security, the lady told me to use the elevator, I got off the elevator and was ushered right in.  I don’t think this is how this is suppose to work because I was in before 11AM so I will chalk this one up as an anomaly.  There is a separate entrance for suite/pinnacle/Diamond plus and a separate line for key guests.  When the ship is not full, I personally don’t see the value with key especially if you have 4 people in the room because everyone has to buy it!  They do reserve a few rows at the aqua show for Key guests but $ to getting there a little early to select the rows that you want sit I am going with getting there early and put that extra money towards UDP on the Symphony!

[BennyBrun]

Day 7 CoCoCay

 

This is a long day today, probably the longest day ever I experienced on Cococay.  All aboard is at 5PM and we got in at 8AM.  The Perfect Day theme song was so loud it woke me up !!

[ScoobyGal]

8 minutes ago, BennyBrun said:

Welcome aboard the virtual cruise!  I am so glad!  It is a beautiful ship.  My arrival time was 12:30PM but I was dropped off around 10:40 AM by fast and furious grandma in a Scion who obviously had places to go, I walked up to the door they opened the rope and I went straight in.  Once I passed security, the lady told me to use the elevator, I got off the elevator and was ushered right in.  I don’t think this is how this is suppose to work because I was in before 11AM so I will chalk this one up as an anomaly.  There is a separate entrance for suite/pinnacle/Diamond plus and a separate line for key guests.  When the ship is not full, I personally don’t see the value with key especially if you have 4 people in the room because everyone has to buy it!  They do reserve a few rows at the aqua show for Key guests but $ to getting there a little early to select the rows that you want sit I am going with getting there early and put that extra money towards UDP on the Symphony!

Thanks for the info about your arrival window.  It's interesting to hear the varying experiences.  We were on Freedom in October, out of Miami,  in another suite, and they had us wait in a separate line outside the cruise terminal door.  The earliest arrival time was 12pm and we were there about 11am.  They let us into the suite waiting area shortly after 11am and we were on the ship a little before 12pm.  Do you know if the cruise director, Dennis Charles, will be on Symphony the end of April into May?  We sail on April 30 - May 7th.  Thanks!

[kmp70]

1 hour ago, BennyBrun said:

The first three rows will get wet… they kick water out into the audience plus the water effects will splash.  The next three rows will get a little wet due to wind conditions, so you will feel mist and drips here and there and of course when they “fly” back and forth you will get a drip here and there!

Thank you!   Great review BTW- we were supposed to go on SOS in Feb but moved to August instead.

looking forward to it! 

[LouChamp]

so are you a travel agent, retired, etc. i am impressed with your reports and pictures especially the food lol. we love cruising and your pictures are priceless. i would have no patience to post what you do. all the best!

[SNJCruisers]

1 hour ago, LouChamp said:

so are you a travel agent, retired, etc. i am impressed with your reports and pictures especially the food lol. we love cruising and your pictures are priceless. i would have no patience to post what you do. all the best!

Benny is a super sales representative who can work remotely online so thus he is able to cruise 10+ times this year before the 4th of July.  Benny has done live reports last Christmas on the Mardi Gras, January on the Celebrity Apex and February was a B2B on the Oasis comparing UDP and value.  March was the maiden voyage on the Wonder followed up after a hotel stay in Miami with his current sailing on the Symphony.  

[DonnaPei]

I'm not seeing the Drink of the Day specials on the Cruise Compass.  Do you know if they are having one, and if it is less than the standard $13 for most specialty drinks?  Thanks.

[BennyBrun]

4 hours ago, ScoobyGal said:

Thanks for the info about your arrival window.  It's interesting to hear the varying experiences.  We were on Freedom in October, out of Miami,  in another suite, and they had us wait in a separate line outside the cruise terminal door.  The earliest arrival time was 12pm and we were there about 11am.  They let us into the suite waiting area shortly after 11am and we were on the ship a little before 12pm.  Do you know if the cruise director, Dennis Charles, will be on Symphony the end of April into May?  We sail on April 30 - May 7th.  Thanks!

I have not been able to track down Dennis to ask him so I am not sure.  I will see what I can do as tonight is jam packed between eating and eating and eating and possibly catch a comedy show and saying farewell to a a few crew I know… 

[BennyBrun]

2 minutes ago, DonnaPei said:

I'm not seeing the Drink of the Day specials on the Cruise Compass.  Do you know if they are having one, and if it is less than the standard $13 for most specialty drinks?  Thanks.

Page three on the compass bottom right hand corner.  There is one every day and it is $13.00 or less.

[ScoobyGal]

1 minute ago, BennyBrun said:

I have not been able to track down Dennis to ask him so I am not sure.  I will see what I can do as tonight is jam packed between eating and eating and eating and possibly catch a comedy show and saying farewell to a a few crew I know… 

No worries.  Enjoy the rest of your trip!  Thanks again for the fabulous review.

[BennyBrun]

4 hours ago, LouChamp said:

so are you a travel agent, retired, etc. i am impressed with your reports and pictures especially the food lol. we love cruising and your pictures are priceless. i would have no patience to post what you do. all the best!

Hahahah… thanks pretty much what SNJCRUISER said minus the super part 😂.  He summed me up very well!

[BennyBrun]

2 hours ago, SNJCruisers said:

Benny is a super sales representative who can work remotely online so thus he is able to cruise 10+ times this year before the 4th of July.  Benny has done live reports last Christmas on the Mardi Gras, January on the Celebrity Apex and February was a B2B on the Oasis comparing UDP and value.  March was the maiden voyage on the Wonder followed up after a hotel stay in Miami with his current sailing on the Symphony.  

That sounds about right 😂 😆 😝 … coming up next Celebrity Edge … virtual cruise will depart on 4/3….

[BennyBrun]

Day 7 CocoCay

 

The gym today was empty / ghost town which is about what I had expected.  This has not been a gym focused crowd!  Just me a one or two other people plus some of the aqua cast members.

[BennyBrun]

Day 7 CocoCay

 

Ship Alley

[BennyBrun]

Day 7 Cococay

 

Hello Mariner of the Seas

[BennyBrun]

Day 7 Cococay

 

Why don’t they blast the theme song out here very once in a while …

[BennyBrun]

Day 7 Cococay 

 

Getting closer 

[Max and Ruby]

15 minutes ago, BennyBrun said:

That sounds about right 😂 😆 😝 … coming up next Celebrity Edge … virtual cruise will depart on 4/3….

I'll hopefully be on my Harmony cruise, during your next virtual!

 

[BennyBrun]

3 minutes ago, Max and Ruby said:

I'll hopefully be on my Harmony cruise, during your next virtual!

 

Yay!!!  Harmony cruise will definitely be better than a virtual cruise!  Enjoy the Harmony!

[BennyBrun]

Day 7 Cococay

 

People like to rush out of the ship to claim a spot on the beach… I am more of a 11 to noon departing the ship kind of a person.  I know by the time I get to the beach there will be somebody who’s had enough sun/heat/wind/kids/water/sand and that will be my spot!

[BennyBrun]

Day 7 CoCocay

 

Captain Jack and Jill…Argh they are all over the TV the day before you arrive to CocCay to provide you with valuable information!  UDP does not transfer to the island!

[BennyBrun]

Day 7

 

South Beach Bound 

[BennyBrun]

Day 7  Cococay

So far this year I have seen that ballon gone up once the many times I have been here…