Recent cruisers on Symphony - favorite specialty restaurants?

[TeeRick]

We are heading out on Symphony in two weeks.   It will be 8 nights (S. Caribbean).  We are in a CL suite so dining in CK.  But we also want to try a few specialty restaurants for lunch and dinner.  We have one booked so far (Wonderland).  Where should we go for lunch?  Dinner?  What is not worth the price? Or are they all very good?  I know food is subjective.  How does CK compare to specialties?  We have done a lot of Celebrity and dining in Luminae- which is usually as good or better than the Celebrity specialty restaurants.  Same for CK?  We last dined there in 2019 on Harmony.  Thank You!

[mafig]

All good questions.  We are on Symphony in April and wonder most about Hooked. 

 

Reviews are all over the place.  Menu sounds very appealing.

 

 

[George C]

1 hour ago, TeeRick said:

We are heading out on Symphony in two weeks.   It will be 8 nights (S. Caribbean).  We are in a CL suite so dining in CK.  But we also want to try a few specialty restaurants for lunch and dinner.  We have one booked so far (Wonderland).  Where should we go for lunch?  Dinner?  What is not worth the price? Or are they all very good?  I know food is subjective.  How does CK compare to specialties?  We have done a lot of Celebrity and dining in Luminae- which is usually as good or better than the Celebrity specialty restaurants.  Same for CK?  We last dined there in 2019 on Harmony.  Thank You!

We are not a big fan of CK I like it for breakfast and ok for lunch but definitely prefer specialty restaurants, so now we just buy UDP .

[lovelife]

Just left Symphony this a.m.  Hooked is our favorite, Playmakers next.

[bonsai3s]

As an old hippie, I learned to use the Royal App and look at the CK menu.

 

If I see something I like for lunch or dinner at CK, we eat there. A few favorites at CK...filet, Hamaci crudo, sticky pineapple ribs, cheese tortellini with truffles, rack of lamb,...ok, I'm getting hungry.

 

* We love Hooked (for the fresh oysters). Disclosure: We are older and eat much less...so CK is good for us. We love the Blu and Luminae on X.

[bjlbbk]

We were on Symphony last January and still reminisce and talk about some of our favorite meals from that cruise. It was our first time to get the unlimited dining package and we enjoyed it so much that we might have a hard time going back! Chops and Hooked were probably our two favorite venues for dinner but funny enough Playmakers is the one we talk about the most. It was a perfect spot for lunch, a mid day snack or extra dessert (my family was obsessed with the campfire cookie). We loved their specialty drink selections as well!

[fsjosh]

Had Chops last week. I had the Ribeye and was disappointed. It was cooked right, just had no flavor. Not sure if it was a bad cut or just how it was prepped. They present as a high end steakhouse, but it was comparable to what you'd get at a chain restaurant. The others at our table had the filet and said theirs was excellent though, so YMMV. 

[Grankm21]

We were on the Symphony last week. We had a group of 9 and tried three specialty restaurants.  Jamie’s was our favorite, especially for the price compared to the others. Followed by Izumi’s (we did the regular menu, not hibachi) then Wonderland. We’ve done wonderland on multiple ships and just didn’t think the service/experience this time was a great as our previous visits.  Have a great trip!

[Minuet888]

What is CK?  I do t see it as an option on my symphony cruise.  I don’t see playmakers either. 

[Biker19]

9 hours ago, Minuet888 said:

What is CK? 

Coastal Kitchen -the suite dining venue.

[WELDON]

I usually choose Jamie's for lunch.

[FionaMG]

10 hours ago, Minuet888 said:

What is CK?  I do t see it as an option on my symphony cruise.  I don’t see playmakers either. 

Playmakers is in the bars & lounges section of the app. The food menu is listed as snacks.

[TeeRick]

On 1/27/2024 at 10:44 AM, George C said:

We are not a big fan of CK I like it for breakfast and ok for lunch but definitely prefer specialty restaurants, so now we just buy UDP .

OK so what Specialties do you prefer on Symphony?  Thanks.

[TeeRick]

On 1/27/2024 at 10:54 AM, lovelife said:

Just left Symphony this a.m.  Hooked is our favorite, Playmakers next.

What items do you like at Hooked?  Playmakers?  Thanks!

[lovelife]

40 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

What items do you like at Hooked?  Playmakers?  Thanks!

At Hooked I almost always get and love the crab cake, captain's platter, lobster mac & cheese, cole slaw, and lemon tart.

 

At Playmakers my go to is the chicken sandwich (don't eat beef but DH and others rave about the hamburgers). Playmakers fries are fantastic and the campfire cookie is just heavenly.  Enjoy!!

[nelblu]

On 1/27/2024 at 9:38 AM, TeeRick said:

We are heading out on Symphony in two weeks.   It will be 8 nights (S. Caribbean).  We are in a CL suite so dining in CK.  But we also want to try a few specialty restaurants for lunch and dinner.  We have one booked so far (Wonderland).  Where should we go for lunch?  Dinner?  What is not worth the price? Or are they all very good?  I know food is subjective.  How does CK compare to specialties?  We have done a lot of Celebrity and dining in Luminae- which is usually as good or better than the Celebrity specialty restaurants.  Same for CK?  We last dined there in 2019 on Harmony.  Thank You!

Love Jamie's.  We usually start with the antipasti/meat plank, garlic buns, calamari and my entree favorite is the lamb chops and possibly a pasta as a side.  End it with the brownie and vanilla ice cream.

[George C]

3 hours ago, TeeRick said:

OK so what Specialties do you prefer on Symphony?  Thanks.

We like Chops , Jamie’s , Izumi and Habatchi. 

[Minuet888]

I am allergic to fish so no fish restaurants for me but was wondering about Playmakers.  Do we have to make a reservation for that?  What about Dog House?  Do you have to be 21 or 18 for Playmakers since it is a "bar?"  My son will not be drinking.

[FionaMG]

3 hours ago, Minuet888 said:

I am allergic to fish so no fish restaurants for me but was wondering about Playmakers.  Do we have to make a reservation for that?  What about Dog House?  Do you have to be 21 or 18 for Playmakers since it is a "bar?"  My son will not be drinking.

The Dog House is just a kiosk so no reservations required for that.

Playmakers sometimes requires reservations if there is a big event on. There can be a charge for tables during such events (e.g. Super Bowl). Your son will be welcome at Playmakers. Whether or not he can drink alcohol depends on where the ship is sailing, 21 for US, 18 for Europe, but they have non-alcoholic drinks too.

[TeeRick]

8 hours ago, FionaMG said:

The Dog House is just a kiosk so no reservations required for that.

Playmakers sometimes requires reservations if there is a big event on. There can be a charge for tables during such events (e.g. Super Bowl). Your son will be welcome at Playmakers. Whether or not he can drink alcohol depends on where the ship is sailing, 21 for US, 18 for Europe, but they have non-alcoholic drinks too.

We will be on this cruise during the Super Bowl.  So it would be nice to watch at Playmakers but they will charge for tables?  How much?

[FionaMG]

19 minutes ago, TeeRick said:

We will be on this cruise during the Super Bowl.  So it would be nice to watch at Playmakers but they will charge for tables?  How much?

 

I vaguely remember seeing someone comment somewhere, not sure if it was here or another forum, that they had paid something like $100 for a table at Playmakers for last year's super bowl but I couldn't find the post I think I saw so I could be mistaken.

 

I don't see it in the cruise planner or the app at the moment, so I guess you'd need to keep a close eye on both in these last few days before boarding just in case it shows up between now and then. If it doesn't then maybe your best bet would be to head straight to Playmakers when you board and ask about it in person.

[TeeRick]

1 hour ago, FionaMG said:

 

I vaguely remember seeing someone comment somewhere, not sure if it was here or another forum, that they had paid something like $100 for a table at Playmakers for last year's super bowl but I couldn't find the post I think I saw so I could be mistaken.

 

I don't see it in the cruise planner or the app at the moment, so I guess you'd need to keep a close eye on both in these last few days before boarding just in case it shows up between now and then. If it doesn't then maybe your best bet would be to head straight to Playmakers when you board and ask about it in person.

Thanks for the advice!