Review: Symphony of the Seas, Feb. 18-25 sailing

[AbeFroman2]

Hi, all! I've finally come to grips with the fact that our trip is over and we're back to reality. So, to give back to all of you who provided so much great info to us prior to our sailing, I wanted to write up a review and see if there are any questions. I'll hit on some high level stuff but please feel free to ask for any details!

 

Arrival

We left Pennsylvania and flew to Miami through Charlotte on Friday, so the day before our Saturday cruise departure. No real issues to speak of there. We stayed at the Hampton Inn Brickell, which was fantastic. Slightly pricey, yes, but great breakfast and within walking distance to plenty of shops and restaurants, including a Walgreens. Would recommend. It does not have a shuttle, though, We just took a short Uber ride over to the port. 

 

Embarkation

We did purchase The Key. I know there are various opinions on its value. For us, the ability to skip the line (which was long when we arrived at 11 a.m.) and walk right in, in addition to the one-device Internet package plus Chops lunch, was worth it. The priority seating was nice, too. But, those other things made it worth its value. I will say that the operation at the terminal is seamless. I cannot and will never be able to fathom how they process so many people so quickly. We were from the entrance to the boat in probably 25 minutes, and it may not even have been that long. 

 

On the boat - Departure day and sea days

This was our third cruise. We previously sailed on Anthem and Allure. So, much of Symphony was familiar to us. The Playmakers sports bar is new, though. We enjoyed spending time there, and you can't beat the $3 truffle fries for a quick snack. I will note for you sports fans that they can't get every game. It has to be tied to ESPN/ESPN+ programming or the Live24, which shows some soccer and cricket. An example here is that they could not get the Daytona 500, but they could get the Genesis Invitational, since that also streamed on ESPN+ even though it was aired by CBS. 

 

The ship itself is beautiful. We do not do FloRider, the slides, etc., so unfortunately I do not have anything to offer on those. The same goes for any kids activities. We did not do speciality dining on this trip (booked too late). MDR, I messed up with my time dining and did not make reservations. I'm still not sure how I managed to do that but recommend double checking once on board just to make sure you're good. And, if you're not, just show up around 5 p.m. each night. We never had any issues getting in by 5:30 or so. 

 

Shows: We watched a bit of the AquaTheatre production, which was of course spectacular. There were technical difficulties during the ice rink show so we left that early. HairSpray and Flight are must-sees, in our opinion.

 

Drink package: We had it, found it worth it, but as always, watch your cruise planner to take advantage of price drops. I think we re-booked two or three times to get the best deal. 

 

As for the pools: Yes, chair hoarding still exists. But, I did notice that the staff was quite attentive to chairs that were not being used but had stuff on. They'd tag it with a sticky note and then come back 30-45 minutes later and if nothing moved and no one was there they stored the belongings at the towel security place until someone came and claimed it. 

 

[AbeFroman2]

Ports

Our first port of call was St. Martin. It is BEAUTIFUL. I would love to go back there again. We went to Maho Beach and watched the planes come in and take off at the airport. That was really cool. When our tour ended they let those who wanted off at the shops downtown. We cruised around there and then took a water taxi back to the ship for $3 each.

 

Our second port of call was St. Thomas. We took a boat ride over to St. John and snorkeled at Trunk Bay. The beach was nice but the seaweed has really kind of destroyed the snorkeling experience. We were only in port from 7a-2p so it was a bit of a rushed day. If doing it again with the same itinerary, I think we would have just got off and walked around a bit but otherwise spent most of the day on the boat.

 

Finally, we went to CocoCay and WOW, is it different compared to 2018. Namely, there are no more tenders, of course. We walked the whole island just checking out all the new things before settling in on the beach for a few hours. Chairs were not very difficult to come by. It's not that we didn't enjoy it the last time we were there but we definitely found ourselves having more fun than we did before. 

[AbeFroman2]

Disembarkation

We did self-assist so no need to stop for our bags. There was a Key area, though, that we could have used. But, with a 10 a.m. flight, I was nervous about having to deal with that. We got in line to get off at 7, were through Customs (no more forms or apps, just a scan of your face, that was new to us but much quicker) and outside of the terminal by 7:30ish, and were to the airport and through security after checking bags by 8. Never in a million years did I think it would be so easy, but it was.

 

So, what questions do you have? Feel free to fire away! 

[topnole]

1 hour ago, AbeFroman2 said:

Disembarkation

We did self-assist so no need to stop for our bags. There was a Key area, though, that we could have used. But, with a 10 a.m. flight, I was nervous about having to deal with that. We got in line to get off at 7, were through Customs (no more forms or apps, just a scan of your face, that was new to us but much quicker) and outside of the terminal by 7:30ish, and were to the airport and through security after checking bags by 8. Never in a million years did I think it would be so easy, but it was.

 

So, what questions do you have? Feel free to fire away! 

Questions?   Are you the Abe Froman?   From Chicago?   😂😂😂

 

Love the screen name.  Will be on Symphony soon. Looking forward to it.  Have done Oasis class many times and recently did Harmony again.  HOS and SOS are nearly identical so we

know exactly what to expect.  Glad to hear you had a good experience.  

[TwoMisfits]

Since you had The Key, what activities had dedicated "Key" times for the week?  And how often did they have them (or do you have the actual schedule)?

Edited March 2, 2023 by TwoMisfits

[Cdavis5110]

2 hours ago, AbeFroman2 said:

Ports

Our first port of call was St. Martin. It is BEAUTIFUL. I would love to go back there again. We went to Maho Beach and watched the planes come in and take off at the airport. That was really cool. When our tour ended they let those who wanted off at the shops downtown. We cruised around there and then took a water taxi back to the ship for $3 each.

 

Our second port of call was St. Thomas. We took a boat ride over to St. John and snorkeled at Trunk Bay. The beach was nice but the seaweed has really kind of destroyed the snorkeling experience. We were only in port from 7a-2p so it was a bit of a rushed day. If doing it again with the same itinerary, I think we would have just got off and walked around a bit but otherwise spent most of the day on the boat.

 

Finally, we went to CocoCay and WOW, is it different compared to 2018. Namely, there are no more tenders, of course. We walked the whole island just checking out all the new things before settling in on the beach for a few hours. Chairs were not very difficult to come by. It's not that we didn't enjoy it the last time we were there but we definitely found ourselves having more fun than we did before. 

Did you do the Royal Caribbean Trunk Bay Snorkel excursion? Or did you get to St Johns on your own? The excursion says it allows 90 minutes at the beach and I’m wondering if that’s enough time. 

[aubreyc1988]

I was on this sailing too! Was a great time! 

[AbeFroman2]

9 hours ago, topnole said:

Questions?   Are you the Abe Froman?   From Chicago?   😂😂😂

 

Love the screen name.  Will be on Symphony soon. Looking forward to it.  Have done Oasis class many times and recently did Harmony again.  HOS and SOS are nearly identical so we

know exactly what to expect.  Glad to hear you had a good experience.  

Ha, it’s my favorite movie and always available username on almost every site so it is perfect! But yes, you know what you’re getting into, and will have a great time! 

[AbeFroman2]

8 hours ago, TwoMisfits said:

Since you had The Key, what activities had dedicated "Key" times for the week?  And how often did they have them (or do you have the actual schedule)?

I wish I would have looked into that. Unfortunately the things that had those like FlowRider and what not, we were not interested in. They don’t deliver cruise compasses anymore but I think I still have the key paperwork we received in our room in my bag. I’ll check for you in the morning. 

[AbeFroman2]

8 hours ago, Cdavis5110 said:

Did you do the Royal Caribbean Trunk Bay Snorkel excursion? Or did you get to St Johns on your own? The excursion says it allows 90 minutes at the beach and I’m wondering if that’s enough time. 

We did do that ones yes through RC and ours said 90 minutes too. It was actually about two hours. I wouldn’t do it again, I don’t think. And that is not to suggest the tour operators did anything wrong. It just all felt a bit rushed, which is to be expected when you’re only in port from 7a to 230p as we were. However, the time problem is unavoidable really; It’s about a 30-40 minute boat ride then 15-20 minute open air taxi shuttle one way. We enjoyed it for what it was, but if I was going back there again, I’d pass for

those reasons.