Neaxan

Izumi Hibachi

Welcome to our first ever experience with teppanyaki style dining – this just isn’t a thing in Germany. Only the more reason to try it! For those who haven’t experienced this, you are seated around a grill and watch your chef prepare your dinner. In Symphony’s case, there are 8 seats per grill table. We were seated with a couple from Orlando who weren’t very talkative. The other 4 seats were two couples from London who were only talking on their own. Luckily, we had a very entertaining chef in Ryan.



Before the teppanyaki itself starts, you get the chance to order from the normal Izumi menu (at à la carte pricing). We didn’t, because we’ll be back for sushi anyway. Included in the restaurant fee there’s your choice of two meats/seafood etc. I chose beef and tiger shrimp, hubby chose steak & chicken. Before your chef moves on to the good stuff, he’ll prepare veggies and rice for you. While you’re waiting for that (and enjoying the show, I might add), you’re served edamame and a salad with ginger dressing. We don’t like edamame but the salad was quite good.
Veggies and rice were just as you’d expect them, good but nothing to write home about. The meats/seafood on the other hand were really good. Afterwards, we had a chance to order mochi ice cream for dessert (included in the restaurant fee). Dessert tasted quite interesting, but we’ve had better on this cruise.





Final verdict: Hibachi is more about show and entertainment and less about the food. I’d say you should do it once for the experience, but for us once is enough.
Side note: maybe don't don your best clothes, we were showered in veggies by the chef on the table behind us - guess his skills weren't quite up to par ?

Day 7
Welcome to another beautiful day in the middle of nowhere! Unfortunately, the day started on a bad note for me. As our late night check yesterday revealed two filled pools, I got up way too early to finally get some swimming done. Cue me arriving on deck 15 after all these steps to find all pools but the sports pool drained – and the sports pool closed due to the swell. I’m putting it mildly when saying I was not amused. Guess it’s an American thing when they’re so afraid of something happening and maybe being sued. We’ve had worse seas from Gran Canaria to Morroco on Mein Schiff 3 and they didn’t even put up the partition for the 25 metres (82 feet) pool. But as Germans, if I’d injured myself in the pool I’d have thought it was my fault and not the cruise line’s – they’re not responsible for me misjudging my abilities after all. Well, nothing to be done here with an US cruise line – so back to the cabin to try to wake up hubby – a feat of its own. After finally getting him out of bed and presentable, we went back to Johnny Rockets as we enjoyed the food yesterday. Well, the wait was even longer! Today’s order was Patty ‘n eggs for both of us, hubby also got pancakes, I also got The Works. We still liked the food but it’s just too much trouble for us to do it regularly.
 
After choir practice (hopefully we get there for day 10) we just went to Playmakers for blogging and some beer. As were now 3 hours behind Germany, we’d hoped to watch German soccer. Unfortunately they only showed England‘s premier league, so hubby had to listen to his team on the radio. By the way, we’ve finally done it! We had lunch at Playmakers – Classic Popcorn Shrimp for me, Base Loaded Potato Skins for hubby. The shrimp was just as you’d expect it, but the potato skins were exceptionally AWESOME! We’ll have to get them again, they’re so delicious.


As our dinner reservation was for 9 pm (12 am European time, and it finally feels like it!), we had a second lunch at Park Cafe. That’s where I also spotted this flag – it’s not only fellow Germans, but they’re routing for MY soccer team ?

Evening entertainment was the love & marriage show – another premiere for us. We’ve been married for 9 years now, so no sense in volunteering – to be honest, we wouldn’t have anyway ☺️ We had four couples (1 year, 4 years, 25 years, 50 years married) – it’s no surprise the longest-married couple won. We really enjoyed the show and had so many laughs, unfortunately it wouldn’t work with Germans because they just wouldn’t volunteer that kind of information ? For dinner, we did Izumi hibachi – again coming up in its own post.





Side notes:
12.7k steps
Funny story about the difference between Americans and Europeans: one of our progressive trivia team mates from the UK chipped off part of a tooth when eating in Windjammer. Due to pain and an infection, she had to visit the doctor. Instead of just receiving treatment, they dragged her to Windjammer where she had to show exactly where she got the food and where she sat when the mishap happened – even though she explained countless times that it was her fault as she was distracted. She was really embarrassed by this and didn’t want to return to Windjammer because all staff know her now – and not for good reasons.
Only pool open today was the Solarium Pool – better than nothing, I guess – but not usable for swimming.
My mum finally got the hang of Whatsapp calling. No news on the baby front.
More staircase art:

Izumi Hibachi

Welcome to our first ever experience with teppanyaki style dining – this just isn’t a thing in Germany. Only the more reason to try it! For those who haven’t experienced this, you are seated around a grill and watch your chef prepare your dinner. In Symphony’s case, there are 8 seats per grill table. We were seated with a couple from Orlando who weren’t very talkative. The other 4 seats were two couples from London who were only talking on their own. Luckily, we had a very entertaining chef in Ryan.



Before the teppanyaki itself starts, you get the chance to order from the normal Izumi menu (at à la carte pricing). We didn’t, because we’ll be back for sushi anyway. Included in the restaurant fee there’s your choice of two meats/seafood etc. I chose beef and tiger shrimp, hubby chose steak & chicken. Before your chef moves on to the good stuff, he’ll prepare veggies and rice for you. While you’re waiting for that (and enjoying the show, I might add), you’re served edamame and a salad with ginger dressing. We don’t like edamame but the salad was quite good.
Veggies and rice were just as you’d expect them, good but nothing to write home about. The meats/seafood on the other hand were really good. Afterwards, we had a chance to order mochi ice cream for dessert (included in the restaurant fee). Dessert tasted quite interesting, but we’ve had better on this cruise.





Final verdict: Hibachi is more about show and entertainment and less about the food. I’d say you should do it once for the experience, but for us once is enough.
Side note: maybe don't don your best clothes, we were showered in veggies by the chef on the table behind us - guess his skills weren't quite up to par ?

Day 7
Welcome to another beautiful day in the middle of nowhere! Unfortunately, the day started on a bad note for me. As our late night check yesterday revealed two filled pools, I got up way too early to finally get some swimming done. Cue me arriving on deck 15 after all these steps to find all pools but the sports pool drained – and the sports pool closed due to the swell. I’m putting it mildly when saying I was not amused. Guess it’s an American thing when they’re so afraid of something happening and maybe being sued. We’ve had worse seas from Gran Canaria to Morroco on Mein Schiff 3 and they didn’t even put up the partition for the 25 metres (82 feet) pool. But as Germans, if I’d injured myself in the pool I’d have thought it was my fault and not the cruise line’s – they’re not responsible for me misjudging my abilities after all. Well, nothing to be done here with an US cruise line – so back to the cabin to try to wake up hubby – a feat of its own. After finally getting him out of bed and presentable, we went back to Johnny Rockets as we enjoyed the food yesterday. Well, the wait was even longer! Today’s order was Patty ‘n eggs for both of us, hubby also got pancakes, I also got The Works. We still liked the food but it’s just too much trouble for us to do it regularly.
 
After choir practice (hopefully we get there for day 10) we just went to Playmakers for blogging and some beer. As were now 3 hours behind Germany, we’d hoped to watch German soccer. Unfortunately they only showed England‘s premier league, so hubby had to listen to his team on the radio. By the way, we’ve finally done it! We had lunch at Playmakers – Classic Popcorn Shrimp for me, Base Loaded Potato Skins for hubby. The shrimp was just as you’d expect it, but the potato skins were exceptionally AWESOME! We’ll have to get them again, they’re so delicious.


As our dinner reservation was for 9 pm (12 am European time, and it finally feels like it!), we had a second lunch at Park Cafe. That’s where I also spotted this flag – it’s not only fellow Germans, but they’re routing for MY soccer team ?

Evening entertainment was the love & marriage show – another premiere for us. We’ve been married for 9 years now, so no sense in volunteering – to be honest, we wouldn’t have anyway ☺️ We had four couples (1 year, 4 years, 25 years, 50 years married) – it’s no surprise the longest-married couple won. We really enjoyed the show and had so many laughs, unfortunately it wouldn’t work with Germans because they just wouldn’t volunteer that kind of information ? For dinner, we did Izumi hibachi – again coming up in its own post.





Side notes:
12.7k steps
Funny story about the difference between Americans and Europeans: one of our progressive trivia team mates from the UK chipped off part of a tooth when eating in Windjammer. Due to pain and an infection, she had to visit the doctor. Instead of just receiving treatment, they dragged her to Windjammer where she had to show exactly where she got the food and where she sat when the mishap happened – even though she explained countless times that it was her fault as she was distracted. She was really embarrassed by this and didn’t want to return to Windjammer because all staff know her now – and not for good reasons.
Only pool open today was the Solarium Pool – better than nothing, I guess – but not usable for swimming.
My mum finally got the hang of Whatsapp calling. No news on the baby front.
More staircase art:

Izumi Hibachi

Welcome to our first ever experience with teppanyaki style dining – this just isn’t a thing in Germany. Only the more reason to try it! For those who haven’t experienced this, you are seated around a grill and watch your chef prepare your dinner. In Symphony’s case, there are 8 seats per grill table. We were seated with a couple from Orlando who weren’t very talkative. The other 4 seats were two couples from London who were only talking on their own. Luckily, we had a very entertaining chef in Ryan.



Before the teppanyaki itself starts, you get the chance to order from the normal Izumi menu (at à la carte pricing). We didn’t, because we’ll be back for sushi anyway. Included in the restaurant fee there’s your choice of two meats/seafood etc. I chose beef and tiger shrimp, hubby chose steak & chicken. Before your chef moves on to the good stuff, he’ll prepare veggies and rice for you. While you’re waiting for that (and enjoying the show, I might add), you’re served edamame and a salad with ginger dressing. We don’t like edamame but the salad was quite good.
Veggies and rice were just as you’d expect them, good but nothing to write home about. The meats/seafood on the other hand were really good. Afterwards, we had a chance to order mochi ice cream for dessert (included in the restaurant fee). Dessert tasted quite interesting, but we’ve had better on this cruise.





Final verdict: Hibachi is more about show and entertainment and less about the food. I’d say you should do it once for the experience, but for us once is enough.
Side note: maybe don't don your best clothes, we were showered in veggies by the chef on the table behind us - guess his skills weren't quite up to par ?

Day 7
Welcome to another beautiful day in the middle of nowhere! Unfortunately, the day started on a bad note for me. As our late night check yesterday revealed two filled pools, I got up way too early to finally get some swimming done. Cue me arriving on deck 15 after all these steps to find all pools but the sports pool drained – and the sports pool closed due to the swell. I’m putting it mildly when saying I was not amused. Guess it’s an American thing when they’re so afraid of something happening and maybe being sued. We’ve had worse seas from Gran Canaria to Morroco on Mein Schiff 3 and they didn’t even put up the partition for the 25 metres (82 feet) pool. But as Germans, if I’d injured myself in the pool I’d have thought it was my fault and not the cruise line’s – they’re not responsible for me misjudging my abilities after all. Well, nothing to be done here with an US cruise line – so back to the cabin to try to wake up hubby – a feat of its own. After finally getting him out of bed and presentable, we went back to Johnny Rockets as we enjoyed the food yesterday. Well, the wait was even longer! Today’s order was Patty ‘n eggs for both of us, hubby also got pancakes, I also got The Works. We still liked the food but it’s just too much trouble for us to do it regularly.
 
After choir practice (hopefully we get there for day 10) we just went to Playmakers for blogging and some beer. As were now 3 hours behind Germany, we’d hoped to watch German soccer. Unfortunately they only showed England‘s premier league, so hubby had to listen to his team on the radio. By the way, we’ve finally done it! We had lunch at Playmakers – Classic Popcorn Shrimp for me, Base Loaded Potato Skins for hubby. The shrimp was just as you’d expect it, but the potato skins were exceptionally AWESOME! We’ll have to get them again, they’re so delicious.


As our dinner reservation was for 9 pm (12 am European time, and it finally feels like it!), we had a second lunch at Park Cafe. That’s where I also spotted this flag – it’s not only fellow Germans, but they’re routing for MY soccer team ?

Evening entertainment was the love & marriage show – another premiere for us. We’ve been married for 9 years now, so no sense in volunteering – to be honest, we wouldn’t have anyway ☺️ We had four couples (1 year, 4 years, 25 years, 50 years married) – it’s no surprise the longest-married couple won. We really enjoyed the show and had so many laughs, unfortunately it wouldn’t work with Germans because they just wouldn’t volunteer that kind of information ? For dinner, we did Izumi hibachi – again coming up in its own post.





Side notes:
12.7k steps
Funny story about the difference between Americans and Europeans: one of our progressive trivia team mates from the UK chipped off part of a tooth when eating in Windjammer. Due to pain and an infection, she had to visit the doctor. Instead of just receiving treatment, they dragged her to Windjammer where she had to show exactly where she got the food and where she sat when the mishap happened – even though she explained countless times that it was her fault as she was distracted. She was really embarrassed by this and didn’t want to return to Windjammer because all staff know her now – and not for good reasons.
Only pool open today was the Solarium Pool – better than nothing, I guess – but not usable for swimming.
My mum finally got the hang of Whatsapp calling. No news on the baby front.
More staircase art:

Day 7
Welcome to another beautiful day in the middle of nowhere! Unfortunately, the day started on a bad note for me. As our late night check yesterday revealed two filled pools, I got up way too early to finally get some swimming done. Cue me arriving on deck 15 after all these steps to find all pools but the sports pool drained – and the sports pool closed due to the swell. I’m putting it mildly when saying I was not amused. Guess it’s an American thing when they’re so afraid of something happening and maybe being sued. We’ve had worse seas from Gran Canaria to Morroco on Mein Schiff 3 and they didn’t even put up the partition for the 25 metres (82 feet) pool. But as Germans, if I’d injured myself in the pool I’d have thought it was my fault and not the cruise line’s – they’re not responsible for me misjudging my abilities after all. Well, nothing to be done here with an US cruise line – so back to the cabin to try to wake up hubby – a feat of its own. After finally getting him out of bed and presentable, we went back to Johnny Rockets as we enjoyed the food yesterday. Well, the wait was even longer! Today’s order was Patty ‘n eggs for both of us, hubby also got pancakes, I also got The Works. We still liked the food but it’s just too much trouble for us to do it regularly.
 
After choir practice (hopefully we get there for day 10) we just went to Playmakers for blogging and some beer. As were now 3 hours behind Germany, we’d hoped to watch German soccer. Unfortunately they only showed England‘s premier league, so hubby had to listen to his team on the radio. By the way, we’ve finally done it! We had lunch at Playmakers – Classic Popcorn Shrimp for me, Base Loaded Potato Skins for hubby. The shrimp was just as you’d expect it, but the potato skins were exceptionally AWESOME! We’ll have to get them again, they’re so delicious.


As our dinner reservation was for 9 pm (12 am European time, and it finally feels like it!), we had a second lunch at Park Cafe. That’s where I also spotted this flag – it’s not only fellow Germans, but they’re routing for MY soccer team ?

Evening entertainment was the love & marriage show – another premiere for us. We’ve been married for 9 years now, so no sense in volunteering – to be honest, we wouldn’t have anyway ☺️ We had four couples (1 year, 4 years, 25 years, 50 years married) – it’s no surprise the longest-married couple won. We really enjoyed the show and had so many laughs, unfortunately it wouldn’t work with Germans because they just wouldn’t volunteer that kind of information ? For dinner, we did Izumi hibachi – again coming up in its own post.





Side notes:
12.7k steps
Funny story about the difference between Americans and Europeans: one of our progressive trivia team mates from the UK chipped off part of a tooth when eating in Windjammer. Due to pain and an infection, she had to visit the doctor. Instead of just receiving treatment, they dragged her to Windjammer where she had to show exactly where she got the food and where she sat when the mishap happened – even though she explained countless times that it was her fault as she was distracted. She was really embarrassed by this and didn’t want to return to Windjammer because all staff know her now – and not for good reasons.
Only pool open today was the Solarium Pool – better than nothing, I guess – but not usable for swimming.
My mum finally got the hang of Whatsapp calling. No news on the baby front.
More staircase art:

Izumi Hibachi

Welcome to our first ever experience with teppanyaki style dining – this just isn’t a thing in Germany. Only the more reason to try it! For those who haven’t experienced this, you are seated around a grill and watch your chef prepare your dinner. In Symphony’s case, there are 8 seats per grill table. We were seated with a couple from Orlando who weren’t very talkative. The other 4 seats were two couples from London who were only talking on their own. Luckily, we had a very entertaining chef in Ryan.



Before the teppanyaki itself starts, you get the chance to order from the normal Izumi menu (at à la carte pricing). We didn’t, because we’ll be back for sushi anyway. Included in the restaurant fee there’s your choice of two meats/seafood etc. I chose beef and tiger shrimp, hubby chose steak & chicken. Before your chef moves on to the good stuff, he’ll prepare veggies and rice for you. While you’re waiting for that (and enjoying the show, I might add), you’re served edamame and a salad with ginger dressing. We don’t like edamame but the salad was quite good.
Veggies and rice were just as you’d expect them, good but nothing to write home about. The meats/seafood on the other hand were really good. Afterwards, we had a chance to order mochi ice cream for dessert (included in the restaurant fee). Dessert tasted quite interesting, but we’ve had better on this cruise.





Final verdict: Hibachi is more about show and entertainment and less about the food. I’d say you should do it once for the experience, but for us once is enough.
Side note: maybe don't don your best clothes, we were showered in veggies by the chef on the table behind us - guess his skills weren't quite up to par ?

Day 7
Welcome to another beautiful day in the middle of nowhere! Unfortunately, the day started on a bad note for me. As our late night check yesterday revealed two filled pools, I got up way too early to finally get some swimming done. Cue me arriving on deck 15 after all these steps to find all pools but the sports pool drained – and the sports pool closed due to the swell. I’m putting it mildly when saying I was not amused. Guess it’s an American thing when they’re so afraid of something happening and maybe being sued. We’ve had worse seas from Gran Canaria to Morroco on Mein Schiff 3 and they didn’t even put up the partition for the 25 metres (82 feet) pool. But as Germans, if I’d injured myself in the pool I’d have thought it was my fault and not the cruise line’s – they’re not responsible for me misjudging my abilities after all. Well, nothing to be done here with an US cruise line – so back to the cabin to try to wake up hubby – a feat of its own. After finally getting him out of bed and presentable, we went back to Johnny Rockets as we enjoyed the food yesterday. Well, the wait was even longer! Today’s order was Patty ‘n eggs for both of us, hubby also got pancakes, I also got The Works. We still liked the food but it’s just too much trouble for us to do it regularly.
 
After choir practice (hopefully we get there for day 10) we just went to Playmakers for blogging and some beer. As were now 3 hours behind Germany, we’d hoped to watch German soccer. Unfortunately they only showed England‘s premier league, so hubby had to listen to his team on the radio. By the way, we’ve finally done it! We had lunch at Playmakers – Classic Popcorn Shrimp for me, Base Loaded Potato Skins for hubby. The shrimp was just as you’d expect it, but the potato skins were exceptionally AWESOME! We’ll have to get them again, they’re so delicious.


As our dinner reservation was for 9 pm (12 am European time, and it finally feels like it!), we had a second lunch at Park Cafe. That’s where I also spotted this flag – it’s not only fellow Germans, but they’re routing for MY soccer team ?

Evening entertainment was the love & marriage show – another premiere for us. We’ve been married for 9 years now, so no sense in volunteering – to be honest, we wouldn’t have anyway ☺️ We had four couples (1 year, 4 years, 25 years, 50 years married) – it’s no surprise the longest-married couple won. We really enjoyed the show and had so many laughs, unfortunately it wouldn’t work with Germans because they just wouldn’t volunteer that kind of information ? For dinner, we did Izumi hibachi – again coming up in its own post.





Side notes:
12.7k steps
Funny story about the difference between Americans and Europeans: one of our progressive trivia team mates from the UK chipped off part of a tooth when eating in Windjammer. Due to pain and an infection, she had to visit the doctor. Instead of just receiving treatment, they dragged her to Windjammer where she had to show exactly where she got the food and where she sat when the mishap happened – even though she explained countless times that it was her fault as she was distracted. She was really embarrassed by this and didn’t want to return to Windjammer because all staff know her now – and not for good reasons.
Only pool open today was the Solarium Pool – better than nothing, I guess – but not usable for swimming.
My mum finally got the hang of Whatsapp calling. No news on the baby front.
More staircase art:

150 Central Park
Here it is, the restaurant we were least looking forward to. In the other restaurants, the challenge was to narrow down our choices – here the challenge was to find enough to not leave hungry. In the name of research, we still couldn’t skip this one. Spoiler alert: even though we planned to, we didn't need a post dinner at Windjammer.
 
For starters, hubby chose the waiter’s recommendation, Braised Short Rib. I got the other recommendation, Seared Honey-Glazed Scallops. We also ordered Crispy Berkshire Pork Belly as I had read much about it on certain boards. What can I say? Our attitude towards this restaurant was way off! I had my doubts about the scallops because I’ve often received overcooked ones (I know they’re tricky to prepare, that’s why I don’t do it myself) – but they were absolutely perfect. Same goes for the short rib. I also had doubts about the pork belly, especially when it arrived and I saw the huge amount of grease – this jelly texture is a pet hate of mine. To our surprise, the pork belly was really crisp and absolutely delicious. We can wholeheartedly recommend all three appetizers.



For entrees I again didn’t really see anything appealing to me, so I went with the most recommended choice on the boards – Roasted Tenderloin of Beef – which they graciously let me order for one person as hubby followed the waiter’s recommendation of Lamb Wellington. Guess who regretted his choice? Although the lamb was positively delicious, the tenderloin was just so much better – a class of its own. Food envy is well and alive on board ?


Usually this part oft he verdict is reserved for the highlight of the dinner – not so much this time. Guess the tenderloin was just too hard an act to follow. For dessert we chose Fried Cheesecake (waiter’s recommendation) and Peanut Butter Chocolate Tart. Hubby prefered the cheesecake, I prefered the chocolate tart. Both desserts were good but just couldn’t measure up to the entree. I might be a bit preoccupied on this one as all this deep frying isn’t really my cup of tea and I hate peanut butter except for homeopathic doses. Good news: the tart really only has a bit of peanut butter so I could cope.


Final verdict: much to our surprise, we really loved 150 Central Park. Food’s taste and presentation was quite perfect and so much better than the menu made us expect. We’d rank it at the same level as some one star Guide Michelin restaurants we’ve tried – I don’t think you can give a higher compliment than that for a restaurant onboard a ship crossing the Atlantic as landbased restaurants have free access to fresh ingridients. Only aspect that was REALLY underwhelming was our waiter, who didn’t care much about us at all – guess he was completely busy with doing everything and anything for the star class couple next to us. At least we couldn’t help but notice that they got a much better service. But that isn’t really a problem – it’s more of what you’d expect from German waiters (he was from India), maybe it’s just that Baptiste, Juan Carlos and Shadiek are a hard act to follow. Funny side note: we’ve met all our favourite waiters when roaming around the ship and they all remembered and greeted us – not so this waiter, he walked right past us a few times in Central Park. Guess you can gather our verdict about him from the fact we can’t even remember his name ?
 
TLDR: If you’re on the fence about this restaurant – please do try it! Believe me, you’ll be amazed!

Day 6
Time for something new was the theme of the day. So we went to Johnny Rockets for breakfast. There was a line to be seated but it moved quickly. Unfortunately, service (or more likely the galley) wasn’t nearly as quick. It took ages to get our food (The Works, Patty ‘n Eggs, Omelet), but at least it was really good! Due to the slow service, we were too late for morning trivia and just went to pop choir practice. We had to change our reservation for Escape the Rubicon as it clashed with the guest show. There weren’t many slots available so we had to compromise – guess we’ll have to be quick for the CC minigolf tournament.
 
The morning was spent with minigolf practice (I’m terrible at it), people watching at the flowrider and some arcade games. We might spend our arcade credit on shooting monsters, but we’ll give mario kart a try first ☺️ Lunch was in El Loco Fresh as thankfully it was operational today. I’d stick to the nachos and tacos if I were you. Quesadillas and burritos are prepared by staff and not the greatest taste. You can build your own tacos and nachos. With the superb weather today hubby finally went on the zipline and even on the Ultimate Abyss. Funny enough, he went down really fast – guess I’m doing it wrong. Today’s visit to Playmakers was during Ultimate Abyss opening hours. No idea how Twangster copes with the sound effects, they’re really annoying.
 
At 4 pm we had our final round of progressive trivia. Guess it was also our last trivia alltogether, hubby is pretty taken aback that it has nothing to do with knowledge, many people just remember the questions and answers from other vacations. Not convinced? Well, final question was in what country you can find the Caledonian Canal. The answer sheet said Portugal and quite a few of the groups put down that answer. Unfortunately, there’s absolutely no connection between Portugal and the Caledonian Canal – it’s in Scotland. Caledonian should be a hint, as it’s Latin for Scotland. Funny enough, even after showing proof of this, the Portugal answer got 2 points, 0 for Scotland. We’re fine losing because we didn’t know enough, but that’s a bit too much stubborn stupidity for us. Guess it’s true, us Germans are very pedantic. On the plus side: more time freed up for using the drink package ?
 
After that debacle, we went rock climbing, a first time for hubby. We didn’t do very well but it was much fun. Guess I lost all my grip in the last 10 years ? With that, it was time for dinner at 150 Central Park. This was the restaurant we were looking forward to the least because the menu didn’t really appeal to us. But the lenghts you go to in the name of research… as always, this speciality restaurant will get ist own post. Entertainment of the evening was another headliner show – Gary Williams – a rat pack style singer. While he has a great voice, the songs got old about halfway through. Mo5aic was our favourite guest artist so far, we’re looking forward to more production shows.


Post-entertainment was something we should’ve done ages ago! Having some cocktails at Wonderland Bar – how could we have missed that place? The „Down the Rabbit Hole“ is my new go-to cocktail and hubby was also quite impressed. Not so much with his first choice, the Smoke Rings – great in presentation but not really his cup of tea. To make things even better, we love the bartender, Sorin from Romania. He’s as much car crazy as we are so you always have something to talk about.


Before bed we headed up to the pool deck to check the pools – Beach and Sports were filled so I finally see some laps in my future. On our way to the cabin we made a quick detour to Sorrento’s (see, the pizza really isn’t that bad) and the 50s/60s party. There weren’t that many people out and about, but we liked the music. Sadly, we were just too tired to stay. Came home to a towel animal, we’d hazard a guess that it’s a swan, but we wouldn’t bet on it ?






Side notes:
11k steps
The app is annoying me again. The last few days hubby couldn’t see the menus in it, no I can’t either.
We had no idea how busy you can be on a TA. I haven’t had any time to prepare for my next exam in December – this is completely unintentional of course ?
The amount of maintenance going on is quite surprising for a ship that hasn’t been in operation for even a year. The perfect storm is still closed for maintenance (rumored to be operend from Nov 6th onwards), one entrance to Central Park has been closed for days, pools also needed maintenance…
Royal needs to improve on icecream. Tried soft ice today – not worth the calories to us. That was the only time I really missed being on TUI Cruises – they offer real icecream with no surcharge.
We’re still staying true to the no-elevator-rule – here’s some of my favourite „stairs art“ as proof.

Chops Grille
The steak house is a classic on a cruise ship – at least I’ve never been on a cruise ship that didn’t have one. With all your positive reviews about this restaurant in mind, we were quite excited to get to try this one, especially with all the drama around it. Story in short: a lot of people started to see their Chops lunch fees credited back without any notice. Their lunch was cancelled due to a pinnacle take over of Chops for lunch.
 
So let’s move on to the food: We started on Tuna Tartare for me and Charred Beef Carpaccio for hubby. Hubby was so gracious to additionally ordert he Jumbo Lump Crab Cake as he knew I was torn between it and the tartare. All three appetizers were exceptionally delicious, our favourite was the crab cake. You might remember that I already had crab cake in Hooked and the MDR – Chops‘ crab cake is by far the best one!



As a second course, we both chose soup. I went with the Wild Mushroom Soup (very good, just nothing special), hubby went with the Lobster Bisque. Unfortunately this wasn’t his cup of tea at all (tasted too much like fish) – he should have stuck with his first idea, the Crispy Goat Cheese Salad.


For entrees, hubby chose the Prime NY Strip Steak and I got the Petite Angus Filet Mignon. It’s a compromise for me as I’m not that much of a meat eater but I thought I shouldn’t go with fish in a steak house. Good choice, both meats were absolutely delicious! As sides we share Gruyère Cheese Tater Tots, Sauteée Mushrooms, Truffled French Fries and Salted Baked Potato – all very good and reasonably sized portions at last ☺️



Highlight of the evening (as always?) was dessert. Hubby chose the New York Cheesecake – verdict: best Cheesecake on board so far. I got the Warm Chocolate Cake, this was again a dessert to die for!


Overall verdict: our favourite restaurant up to now! On par with TUI’s steak house, maybe even a bit better. On our next cruise we’d likely do Chops twice – it just was that good! We were also very happy with our waiter Shadiek – Juan’s service was more personable, but his service fitted better in the more upscale atmosphere of Chops.

Day 5
Today we again took it upon ourselves to climb the stairs to Windjammer for breakfast. We found seats quite easily – only thing missing was the English Bacon ? Fortunately a staff member overheard hubby telling me that were was turkey bacon instead of English bacon – so he just got some English bacon fixed for us! Wow, that’s dedication and a service level we really don’t have in Germany. Robert, our cabin steward, was also exceptional this morning. As we kept the cabin on don’t disturb after the mayhem we left when preparing for Halloween, we didn’t get a towel animal. So instead of yesterday evening, we got our elephant this morning.

The rest of the morning was filled with our usual programme – morning trivia (didn’t win) and pop choir practice. Then it was up the stairs again, this time for some table tennis. We planned to have lunch in El Loco Fresh, but for whatever reason it was closed. So we decided to get some Hot Dogs. I went down the fast (well not really that fast) route – Ultimate Abyss – hubby had to take the stairs because he had the camera with him. We skipped 1pm trivia – let’s face it, we would’ve been quite useless at Game of Thrones trivia. Instead, we did the Royal Heist Puzzle Break in a multinational team (Brits, Belgians, Dutchmen and us). Fortunately, everyone was fluent in English so no language barriers here. I can proudly report that we managed to name the guilty party with about 4.5 minutes to spare. That meant 3rd place for us, although there were no prizes anyway. At least it was good practice for Escape the Rubicon and so much fun! Quite the contrary to progressive trivia, which really isn’t much fun. Riddles, tribands and dingbats are especially difficult when English isn’t your mothertongue and the theme of US-based questions did continue a bit. Pity we had to skip the pub crawl to attend this, but we couldn’t let down our team members. At least it was already part 2 of 3 – we won’t do the second progressive trivia.

After trivia we managed to get in some laps on the running track. It’s much warmer now and less wet as the waves really improved over night. Dinner was at Chops Grille – this will be its own post. Had some interesting discussions with hubby while at dinner. When Oasis 5 comes out, we want to do the TA on her (if she moves to the US) – Matt, shouldn’t that be the 2021 group cruise ?? Post-cruise plan is Orlando with Disney and Universal (and whatever else we can manage there) – in 3 years we should easily be thin enough to do all the attractions. The other topic we discussed: we thought about skipping our reservation for the headliner show (Hector is Magic) and try to see 1977 again as we were SO impressed. Unfortunately, we kept our reservation and went there. The magician wasn’t really bad or anything, we just didn’t enjoy it too much. Not our cup of tea – we’ll know next time. We had some drinks at Schooner but called it an early night as Symphony was like a ghost town – probably the Halloween aftermath ?





Side notes:
11k steps
Pools still drained in the morning – rumor has it they were filled in the afternoon – will check tomorrow
 

Izumi Hibachi

Welcome to our first ever experience with teppanyaki style dining – this just isn’t a thing in Germany. Only the more reason to try it! For those who haven’t experienced this, you are seated around a grill and watch your chef prepare your dinner. In Symphony’s case, there are 8 seats per grill table. We were seated with a couple from Orlando who weren’t very talkative. The other 4 seats were two couples from London who were only talking on their own. Luckily, we had a very entertaining chef in Ryan.



Before the teppanyaki itself starts, you get the chance to order from the normal Izumi menu (at à la carte pricing). We didn’t, because we’ll be back for sushi anyway. Included in the restaurant fee there’s your choice of two meats/seafood etc. I chose beef and tiger shrimp, hubby chose steak & chicken. Before your chef moves on to the good stuff, he’ll prepare veggies and rice for you. While you’re waiting for that (and enjoying the show, I might add), you’re served edamame and a salad with ginger dressing. We don’t like edamame but the salad was quite good.
Veggies and rice were just as you’d expect them, good but nothing to write home about. The meats/seafood on the other hand were really good. Afterwards, we had a chance to order mochi ice cream for dessert (included in the restaurant fee). Dessert tasted quite interesting, but we’ve had better on this cruise.





Final verdict: Hibachi is more about show and entertainment and less about the food. I’d say you should do it once for the experience, but for us once is enough.
Side note: maybe don't don your best clothes, we were showered in veggies by the chef on the table behind us - guess his skills weren't quite up to par ?

Day 7
Welcome to another beautiful day in the middle of nowhere! Unfortunately, the day started on a bad note for me. As our late night check yesterday revealed two filled pools, I got up way too early to finally get some swimming done. Cue me arriving on deck 15 after all these steps to find all pools but the sports pool drained – and the sports pool closed due to the swell. I’m putting it mildly when saying I was not amused. Guess it’s an American thing when they’re so afraid of something happening and maybe being sued. We’ve had worse seas from Gran Canaria to Morroco on Mein Schiff 3 and they didn’t even put up the partition for the 25 metres (82 feet) pool. But as Germans, if I’d injured myself in the pool I’d have thought it was my fault and not the cruise line’s – they’re not responsible for me misjudging my abilities after all. Well, nothing to be done here with an US cruise line – so back to the cabin to try to wake up hubby – a feat of its own. After finally getting him out of bed and presentable, we went back to Johnny Rockets as we enjoyed the food yesterday. Well, the wait was even longer! Today’s order was Patty ‘n eggs for both of us, hubby also got pancakes, I also got The Works. We still liked the food but it’s just too much trouble for us to do it regularly.
 
After choir practice (hopefully we get there for day 10) we just went to Playmakers for blogging and some beer. As were now 3 hours behind Germany, we’d hoped to watch German soccer. Unfortunately they only showed England‘s premier league, so hubby had to listen to his team on the radio. By the way, we’ve finally done it! We had lunch at Playmakers – Classic Popcorn Shrimp for me, Base Loaded Potato Skins for hubby. The shrimp was just as you’d expect it, but the potato skins were exceptionally AWESOME! We’ll have to get them again, they’re so delicious.


As our dinner reservation was for 9 pm (12 am European time, and it finally feels like it!), we had a second lunch at Park Cafe. That’s where I also spotted this flag – it’s not only fellow Germans, but they’re routing for MY soccer team ?

Evening entertainment was the love & marriage show – another premiere for us. We’ve been married for 9 years now, so no sense in volunteering – to be honest, we wouldn’t have anyway ☺️ We had four couples (1 year, 4 years, 25 years, 50 years married) – it’s no surprise the longest-married couple won. We really enjoyed the show and had so many laughs, unfortunately it wouldn’t work with Germans because they just wouldn’t volunteer that kind of information ? For dinner, we did Izumi hibachi – again coming up in its own post.





Side notes:
12.7k steps
Funny story about the difference between Americans and Europeans: one of our progressive trivia team mates from the UK chipped off part of a tooth when eating in Windjammer. Due to pain and an infection, she had to visit the doctor. Instead of just receiving treatment, they dragged her to Windjammer where she had to show exactly where she got the food and where she sat when the mishap happened – even though she explained countless times that it was her fault as she was distracted. She was really embarrassed by this and didn’t want to return to Windjammer because all staff know her now – and not for good reasons.
Only pool open today was the Solarium Pool – better than nothing, I guess – but not usable for swimming.
My mum finally got the hang of Whatsapp calling. No news on the baby front.
More staircase art:

Found it Matt, it was in the App. Will see if it is posted outside Hooked when I pass by tomorrow.

My voice is too fragile to be the lead in a death metal band. If I'd done it I'd be voiceless. But don't you sing along with the songs you like? Well, I growl along ?

Izumi Hibachi

Welcome to our first ever experience with teppanyaki style dining – this just isn’t a thing in Germany. Only the more reason to try it! For those who haven’t experienced this, you are seated around a grill and watch your chef prepare your dinner. In Symphony’s case, there are 8 seats per grill table. We were seated with a couple from Orlando who weren’t very talkative. The other 4 seats were two couples from London who were only talking on their own. Luckily, we had a very entertaining chef in Ryan.



Before the teppanyaki itself starts, you get the chance to order from the normal Izumi menu (at à la carte pricing). We didn’t, because we’ll be back for sushi anyway. Included in the restaurant fee there’s your choice of two meats/seafood etc. I chose beef and tiger shrimp, hubby chose steak & chicken. Before your chef moves on to the good stuff, he’ll prepare veggies and rice for you. While you’re waiting for that (and enjoying the show, I might add), you’re served edamame and a salad with ginger dressing. We don’t like edamame but the salad was quite good.
Veggies and rice were just as you’d expect them, good but nothing to write home about. The meats/seafood on the other hand were really good. Afterwards, we had a chance to order mochi ice cream for dessert (included in the restaurant fee). Dessert tasted quite interesting, but we’ve had better on this cruise.





Final verdict: Hibachi is more about show and entertainment and less about the food. I’d say you should do it once for the experience, but for us once is enough.
Side note: maybe don't don your best clothes, we were showered in veggies by the chef on the table behind us - guess his skills weren't quite up to par ?

150 Central Park
Here it is, the restaurant we were least looking forward to. In the other restaurants, the challenge was to narrow down our choices – here the challenge was to find enough to not leave hungry. In the name of research, we still couldn’t skip this one. Spoiler alert: even though we planned to, we didn't need a post dinner at Windjammer.
 
For starters, hubby chose the waiter’s recommendation, Braised Short Rib. I got the other recommendation, Seared Honey-Glazed Scallops. We also ordered Crispy Berkshire Pork Belly as I had read much about it on certain boards. What can I say? Our attitude towards this restaurant was way off! I had my doubts about the scallops because I’ve often received overcooked ones (I know they’re tricky to prepare, that’s why I don’t do it myself) – but they were absolutely perfect. Same goes for the short rib. I also had doubts about the pork belly, especially when it arrived and I saw the huge amount of grease – this jelly texture is a pet hate of mine. To our surprise, the pork belly was really crisp and absolutely delicious. We can wholeheartedly recommend all three appetizers.



For entrees I again didn’t really see anything appealing to me, so I went with the most recommended choice on the boards – Roasted Tenderloin of Beef – which they graciously let me order for one person as hubby followed the waiter’s recommendation of Lamb Wellington. Guess who regretted his choice? Although the lamb was positively delicious, the tenderloin was just so much better – a class of its own. Food envy is well and alive on board ?


Usually this part oft he verdict is reserved for the highlight of the dinner – not so much this time. Guess the tenderloin was just too hard an act to follow. For dessert we chose Fried Cheesecake (waiter’s recommendation) and Peanut Butter Chocolate Tart. Hubby prefered the cheesecake, I prefered the chocolate tart. Both desserts were good but just couldn’t measure up to the entree. I might be a bit preoccupied on this one as all this deep frying isn’t really my cup of tea and I hate peanut butter except for homeopathic doses. Good news: the tart really only has a bit of peanut butter so I could cope.


Final verdict: much to our surprise, we really loved 150 Central Park. Food’s taste and presentation was quite perfect and so much better than the menu made us expect. We’d rank it at the same level as some one star Guide Michelin restaurants we’ve tried – I don’t think you can give a higher compliment than that for a restaurant onboard a ship crossing the Atlantic as landbased restaurants have free access to fresh ingridients. Only aspect that was REALLY underwhelming was our waiter, who didn’t care much about us at all – guess he was completely busy with doing everything and anything for the star class couple next to us. At least we couldn’t help but notice that they got a much better service. But that isn’t really a problem – it’s more of what you’d expect from German waiters (he was from India), maybe it’s just that Baptiste, Juan Carlos and Shadiek are a hard act to follow. Funny side note: we’ve met all our favourite waiters when roaming around the ship and they all remembered and greeted us – not so this waiter, he walked right past us a few times in Central Park. Guess you can gather our verdict about him from the fact we can’t even remember his name ?
 
TLDR: If you’re on the fence about this restaurant – please do try it! Believe me, you’ll be amazed!

Izumi Hibachi

Welcome to our first ever experience with teppanyaki style dining – this just isn’t a thing in Germany. Only the more reason to try it! For those who haven’t experienced this, you are seated around a grill and watch your chef prepare your dinner. In Symphony’s case, there are 8 seats per grill table. We were seated with a couple from Orlando who weren’t very talkative. The other 4 seats were two couples from London who were only talking on their own. Luckily, we had a very entertaining chef in Ryan.



Before the teppanyaki itself starts, you get the chance to order from the normal Izumi menu (at à la carte pricing). We didn’t, because we’ll be back for sushi anyway. Included in the restaurant fee there’s your choice of two meats/seafood etc. I chose beef and tiger shrimp, hubby chose steak & chicken. Before your chef moves on to the good stuff, he’ll prepare veggies and rice for you. While you’re waiting for that (and enjoying the show, I might add), you’re served edamame and a salad with ginger dressing. We don’t like edamame but the salad was quite good.
Veggies and rice were just as you’d expect them, good but nothing to write home about. The meats/seafood on the other hand were really good. Afterwards, we had a chance to order mochi ice cream for dessert (included in the restaurant fee). Dessert tasted quite interesting, but we’ve had better on this cruise.





Final verdict: Hibachi is more about show and entertainment and less about the food. I’d say you should do it once for the experience, but for us once is enough.
Side note: maybe don't don your best clothes, we were showered in veggies by the chef on the table behind us - guess his skills weren't quite up to par ?

After Captain's Corner I met up with @Neaxan and her husband!
We sat and talked for a while and I learned a great deal about their perspective of how Royal compares to the cruise lines they have sailed.  It's always interesting to talk with fellow cruisers and gain insight into other's thoughts and ideas. 
I had intended to return to the Thermal Spa but the water slides were open and with little lines I just had to try them.  To my surprise they are actually still doing work on them such as painting feet to stand on at the top and a line to stay behind until it's your turn.  
To be honest I can't remember Harmony's slides but these don't have any colored bands or lighting that enhances the experience.  Neither did the Abyss.  Just a dark slide into left, right, down, corkscrew and so on until you start to see daylight and the landing splash zone.   There are some sections of clear tubing but they slide past so fast you don't really have a chance to 'enjoy the view'.  I thought Harmony had colored bands in one slide that you zoom past.  Anyways, still really fun and I enjoyed all three slides.

Captain's Corner

Given the large numbers of C&A Top Tier they figured this would be well attended and moved it into the main theater.
Captain Rob has a unique and dry sense of humor.   It was used extensively during this session much to the crowd's delight.
Just as he was about to begin, some guests in the crowd broke out in "Happy Birthday to you...".  Apparently today is his birthday.

Symphony has a number of innovations including a slightly different hull shape that along with the air lubrication system (and other changes) make her 25% more efficient than Oasis.  According to Captain Rob if you could see both ships in dry dock side by side the differences in the hull would be pretty apparent.
Captain's Rob first ship (at Royal) was Grandeur.  He was a Bering Sea fishing captain before joining Royal.  Moving to Royal he accepted a pay cut and joined as a junior bridge officer.  He worked up through the ranks to eventualy become a Captain again here at Royal.  
There are currently two Masters for Symphony, Captain Rob and Captain Rick.   They work a 10 week on/off cycle.  They keep in touch with each other at all times and let each other know what's going on around the ship.
According to U.S. Health Department code that the ship follows even in international waters, any food that is once placed out for consumption but not used is destroyed and run through the waste management process.  It is not, despite rumors, fed to the crew or used the next day.
The little deviation we did last night was due to cleaning out the ship's economizers in the stacks.  They need to be cleaned periodically and the zig zag course was executed as part of the cleaning process according to Captain Rob.
Captain Rob is not aware of any four sisters meet up.  He thinks it may happen, but at some future point.  He was on Oasis during the planning of the three sisters and that planning started months before it occurred. As he offered "Photoshop works really well and is a whole lot cheaper".

An enjoyable session with the Master of the vessel.

Did you happen to notice if there were any real vegetarian entrees? Besides like basic vegetables or something? I would like to try this as well but my traveling buddy is a vegetarian. Thanks. 

Could you please inform me on what the white and red drink on the left is? It looks super yummy. And does it just come in that size? Thanks ?

Late follow, but I’m all caught up! Kerstin and Michael, I am absolutely loving your live blog; you guys sound as if you’re having the most amazing time ? 
Keep up the great work!