04/08/2022
Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas Trip Report (with some DCL comparisons)
I was on the Disney Wish July 10-13 with my husband and 2 sons (14 & 5) for the Enchanted Showcase Cruise before the Maiden Voyage (let me know if you have any questions or want pictures of anything). We had a great time exploring and seeing this beautiful new Disney ship. Then on a short notice whim, I decided to extend the trip. My husband flew home to Orlando and my boys and I flew to South Florida and spent a few days visiting family before boarding Royal Caribbean Symphony of the Seas on July 16th.
This ship was the largest cruise ship in the world until it’s sister ship debuted a few months back. As we boarded the ship and there was a sea of people and no one announced our name and clapped and it looked like a flashy mall or “Vegas light” I had the instant thought “What did I do!” To get out of the boarding chaos I said let’s go see if the cabin is ready. So we found our room and went in and just relaxed a little while. Announcement said there would be 6,000 passengers (another moment of slight terror, lol). We then went on to explore and find some lunch. Crowds had already started spreading out some and I began to relax. Except during embarkation and debarkation the many varied activities and venues kept everyone mostly spread out over this massive ship and it was rare to see a big crowd except maybe when a show was starting or ending.
We had a balcony cabin and I would say it was similar in size to a DCL verandah cabin. There was not a split bath but shower was also larger and when we FaceTimed my husband (FYI - internet was also fairly reasonably priced and I could get work done without issue) he was impressed at how tall the shower was - which is typically an issue for him on Disney. FYI- No tub in this category of cabin if you have small kids. Since we only had 3 people we did not use it but there was a trundle bed under the couch bed if we had needed a 4th bed. One weird thing was they left the couch as a single bed all week instead of converting it back and forth. Kids actually liked it that way so definitely not a problem, but I guess I am just used to it being switched back and forth on DCL. We could hear our neighbors but only on one side. We affectionately referred to them as the screaming family. They didn’t talk, the screamed loudly no matter what they were doing. My son does a great retelling of one discussion about a kid who was going to go get some chips which could probably be heard on land. So I don’t think that is a ship fault, just a little bit of a boisterous family, lol.
Dinner - it has a huge 3 story main dining room, but our table was sort of tucked into a smaller area on one side and once you were at the table it actually felt smaller and almost intimate and we were at that same table for the whole week. We very quickly made friends with the family at table next to us and by the end of the week were hiding ducks and going to shows together which was very nice. Food was also quite good. It may not have looked quite as fancy as DCL food but I never had a problem finding something I enjoyed on the menu. The kids menu though was the same all week instead of being different each night like on DCL. Although, honestly even with different options on Disney it still is roughly the same handful of entrees there too. Also it is just a menu, so no coloring or activities. The very smart family next to ours had activity books the kids brought with them each night. Our servers were all excellent and the waiter even convinced me to try a few things I normally would not have chosen and he was absolutely right!
Kids clubs- my 5 year old loved going. He has loved going to every kids club he has ever gone to though (DCL x10+, MSC, Celebrity, etc.). My 14 year old went for under 10 minutes to his club and 3 older boys were mean to him and he exited quickly so I have no further info on that experience. I sadly have found most clubs for his age range are less than stellar and primarily are just rooms to play video games regardless of Cruiseline.
Shows- great variety of shows. We saw a broadway show- Hairspray, Flight, a ventriloquist (had seen him on DCL before), Hiro in Aquatheatre, two ice skating shows, and even saw the movie Sing 2 one night. Of those I think 1976 a skating show was our favorite but I was impressed overall with all the show options.
I’m not going to talk about itinerary, but I will say we held a Sloth so that was AWESOME😀!
Windjammer and Cabanas are similar concepts. We went there most days for lunch and never had a problem finding something to eat. Like all buffets a little more crowded/chaotic feeling especially at prime times. They always had a nice fruit and cheese section and premade and salad bar type area which I usually went to. Kids often went for hamburgers & hotdog area. They also had carving stations, pasta stations, international foods, deserts, etc.
Drinks - I generally drink water and my kids drink water, milk, juice, and occasionally tea or lemonade. So we did not buy a drink package since those are all provided at no charge. At dinner several nights the waiter brought me strawberry lemonade which was a nice and still included option. If you want Soft Drinks or any other drinks they are additional and you will have to pay per drink or get a package.
Perfect Day at Coco Cay - definitely has something for everyone there. We opted for the “Chill” side and split our day between a peaceful beach area, a huge pool area, and some slide/splash/spray areas that Joshua (5) wanted to do. Food on the island was also very good and convenient to all the areas we went to.
Overall we had a great trip and kids were asking to go on same ship, same itinerary, and even same excursions because they loved it so much. After the kids told my husband everything about the trip I asked him if we went again would he like to go this time? He quickly responded yes but a winter sailing. So in January I can give first hand input on Oasis of the Seas. Kids lost this time on complete redo because I wanted to see a different ship, some other ports, and different shows. But hopefully we will be seeing Symphony of the Seas again soon too!
Sorry for long winded post!
