Symphony of the Seas Review

Great Family Cruise

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Symphony of the Seas
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bobbyd6363
10+ Cruises • Age 60s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Dec 2018
Cabin: Crown Loft Suite
Crown Loft Suite 1716 Bathroom (Second Floor)
Crown Loft Suite 1716
Crown Loft Suite 1716 Looking downstairs from the bedroom area
Crown Loft Suite 1716
Crown Loft Suite 1716
Crown Loft Suite 1716
Crown Loft Suite 1716
Crown Loft Suite 1716 Bathroom (First Floor)
Crown Loft Suite 1716
Crown Loft Suite 1716
Crown Loft Suite 1716
Crown Loft Suite 1716
Crown Loft Suite 1716

We chose to park at Terminal A. Finding Terminal A parking was easy (signage was good) and there were plenty of parking spots albeit on the higher floors. We were greeted at the elevators by stevedores who took our luggage and pointed us to the terminal for check in. Parking in Terminal A’s new garage is $22 per day which you pay when you exit. Big tip: take a picture of the location where you parked!!

We went through security very quickly and used the Suite check in on the first floor of Terminal A (to the right of the escalators) and rode the elevator to the second-floor lounge. We were greeted by a smiling RCCL representative who scanned our Set Sail Pass, asked us a couple medical questions and pointed us to the very short boarding line! This was the absolute fastest and most streamlined cruise check in I have ever experienced! We went from garage to onboard in less than 10 minutes! We were onboard way before general boarding began – about 1145am. We chose to hang out in the Schooner Bar while we waited for the rest of our group to board. The bar was open, so we started flexing our Deluxe Beverage Package (dubbed the Drunk Package). Note the Royal App didn’t yet have a chat feature, so our group was using text and the WhatsApp for communication. We could sit in the Schooner Bar and watch our friends and family board and usher them upstairs for a pre-sail drink!

One week prior to our sailing, our suite concierge Rahul contacted us, and we utilized him to get our whole group’s dining and show reservations. This was a huge plus since we didn’t make any arrangements until then. Rahul was amazing and got us all our requests which included Comedy show seats for the first evening! Once we had checked out our room, we made our way to the Suite Lounge to meet and thank Rahul for his help. The Symphony’s Suite Lounge and Coastal Kitchen are much improved over the Oasis of the Seas. Much better lay out and decorated beautifully. We utilized Coastal Kitchen every morning for breakfast.

Cabin Review

Crown Loft Suite

Cabin L1

We had Crown Loft Suite #1716. We chose 1716 specifically for its location on the side of the “crown” for more privacy. Symphony is the first ship where we didn’t get room keys during the check-in process but found them in our room. The keys were on the bed along with our WOW wrist bands. Gorgeous two-story loft suite with much improved furniture than the Oasis of the Seas. Two full bathrooms (one on each level) with L’Occitane products came in handy when getting showered and ready for dinner! A note on getting ready for dinner, it is very difficult for two people to get ready at the upstairs closet/dressing area. It is a tight space, the bathroom door opens out, dressing table and a smallish closet. There is a super comfortable king-sized bed, and we utilized the pillow menu for foam pillows. The king-sized pillows didn’t go flat as you slept on them. Another suite amenity is free VOOM internet access! This came in handy and we used it the whole cruise.

Port Reviews

Miami

We chose to park at Terminal A. Finding Terminal A parking was easy (signage was good) and there were plenty of parking spots albeit on the higher floors. We were greeted at the elevators by stevedores who took our luggage and pointed us to the terminal for check in. Parking in Terminal A’s new garage is $22 per day which you pay when you exit. Big tip: take a picture of the location where you parked!!

We went through security very quickly and used the Suite check in on the first floor of Terminal A (to the right of the escalators) and rode the elevator to the second-floor lounge. We were greeted by a smiling RCCL representative who scanned our Set Sail Pass, asked us a couple medical questions and pointed us to the very short boarding line! This was the absolute fastest and most streamlined cruise check in I have ever experienced! We went from garage to onboard in less than 10 minutes!

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