Joe01

80's Party:
Just returned. It is a great event. I highly recommend it if you sail on Symphony. CD Michele was excellent hosting it and the staff were very fun and high energy.
It starts with about 30 mins where the DJ plays some songs to get the crowd in the mood. The Entertainment team then arrive although the first proper event of the show is a number by the Royal Caribbean Dancers. I always love watching them (although often for eye-candy ). 
Following the dancers, Michele, Margot and the Entertainment team (aka Youth, Sports and CD Staff) arrive and the official party begins. They do it for around 30-40 mins. It is great fun. Mostly rock music. There was also a number with the male members of the entertainment team and a few occasions where the staff tried to get people to dance.
Definitely on par with 70's night, although I think that the CD can make or break this and we were lucky with the CD.
Summary of today coming later. Ciao Ciao for now!

80's Party:
Just returned. It is a great event. I highly recommend it if you sail on Symphony. CD Michele was excellent hosting it and the staff were very fun and high energy.
It starts with about 30 mins where the DJ plays some songs to get the crowd in the mood. The Entertainment team then arrive although the first proper event of the show is a number by the Royal Caribbean Dancers. I always love watching them (although often for eye-candy ). 
Following the dancers, Michele, Margot and the Entertainment team (aka Youth, Sports and CD Staff) arrive and the official party begins. They do it for around 30-40 mins. It is great fun. Mostly rock music. There was also a number with the male members of the entertainment team and a few occasions where the staff tried to get people to dance.
Definitely on par with 70's night, although I think that the CD can make or break this and we were lucky with the CD.
Summary of today coming later. Ciao Ciao for now!

I can't upload pics yet, not to mention that I only have phone data in port. Please be patient folks.

Now now, not everyone can (or should!) be a @twangster. ?
 

That would be wonderful! Keep us posted on what you hear ?

He will be back early Sept to January and then off for 2 months. March 10th seems realistic to expect him back onboard. Fingers crossed!

Let's get back on track. All are welcome to join provided that interactions are kept friendly, as this blog usually is. Much appreciated, Joe!
Just been to the gym. I guess that is where forever single people like myself spend a lot of their day. I am not used to working out on a ship. Symphony has a fantastic gym facility though. I recommend it if you are not looking to gain a stone over a cruise.
Captain Rob is doing his Welcome Aboard reception tonight. I don't do formal on cruises, but will try to come along so I can see him in person. I've heard that he is a great Captain. I've had the pleasure of sailing with Captain Johnny on Allure and he set the bar high in terms of Captains. Captain Gus on Harmony was also very jovial. It will be cool to have an American Captain. I wonder if we will ever see one from the UK. 
Dinner at Windjammer as usual. Not sure what else I will do tonight. Planning to stay up as late as possible. Getting off ship tomorrow in Marseilles as I am in need of practicing my French. 
As Michele says, Ciao Ciao for now!

Thanks @Lovetocruise2002. I would like to think that I am providing something constructive to this forum by doing this live blog. People who don't like it can read another thread. I'm giving up my vacation time to do this.

Let's get back on track. All are welcome to join provided that interactions are kept friendly, as this blog usually is. Much appreciated, Joe!
Just been to the gym. I guess that is where forever single people like myself spend a lot of their day. I am not used to working out on a ship. Symphony has a fantastic gym facility though. I recommend it if you are not looking to gain a stone over a cruise.
Captain Rob is doing his Welcome Aboard reception tonight. I don't do formal on cruises, but will try to come along so I can see him in person. I've heard that he is a great Captain. I've had the pleasure of sailing with Captain Johnny on Allure and he set the bar high in terms of Captains. Captain Gus on Harmony was also very jovial. It will be cool to have an American Captain. I wonder if we will ever see one from the UK. 
Dinner at Windjammer as usual. Not sure what else I will do tonight. Planning to stay up as late as possible. Getting off ship tomorrow in Marseilles as I am in need of practicing my French. 
As Michele says, Ciao Ciao for now!

I don't believe the OP has done anything but express a dislike for a certain Cruise Director's style/approach.  There's nothing wrong with mentioning that, so long as there is no use of profanity, personal insults or anything else abusive.
Based on what I've read in this thread, there's nothing abusive going on here.  
If you feel there is an issue, please feel free to reach out to me or another admin and we can look into it. Thanks.

If you are going to make such comments throughout the rest of my review, please unsubscribe. I'm trying to enjoy my vacation alongside providing something constructive to the boards. Mind your own business and don't drag up comments from a year ago.
FYI - I had BB twice and didn't care for him the first time either.

DAY 1 RECAP:
Hello all - had a great first day! Not over yet.
We boarded the ship around 11am. She really looks spectacular. Eventually went to the Windjammer for some lunch. Later on, we got into the Staterooms around 1pm.
We have a Boardwalk Balcony with a view of the Abyss and AquaTheater. It's a great cabin although with the World Cup  playing in Playmaker's, it is a bit noisy. I am probably the only guy in the whole of Scotland that hates football and wishes the world cup wouldn't be on ships, but maybe that's just me.
Muster was at 4.45pm. We had it in Studio B. Brandon from the Ice Cast was the main leader of it. Captain Rob was about to dismiss us when there was an Alpha call. That's terrible to hear. Hope the person was OK. I was on AN when the child drowned and remember the very Alpha call of that incident, so they do freak me out each time I hear one.
Post Muster, I went to the Sailaway Party. Margot (Activities Manager) hosted it alongside the Cruise Staff, Youth Staff and Sports Staff. They did a fantastic job. Very fun party. I stayed in the shade so didn't dance, but it was very enjoyable nonetheless.
Following Sailaway, I briefly felt unwell, but was OK to go to the WJ for dinner. It was great. I then went around the ship before going to the Hot Tub. Now back in the cabin after Sorrento's.
For anyone curious:
Captain - Rob Hempstead (USA)
Hotel Director - Fernando Jorge (Portugal)
Chief Engineer - Ivo Marenic (Croatia)
Cruise Director - Michele Scarpato (Italy)
Activities Manager - Margot van Erck (Netherlands)
One final note to make is that Michele seems like a great CD. Not met him yet but already think that he is 100x better than Bobby Brown.
Any questions?

DAY 1 RECAP:
Hello all - had a great first day! Not over yet.
We boarded the ship around 11am. She really looks spectacular. Eventually went to the Windjammer for some lunch. Later on, we got into the Staterooms around 1pm.
We have a Boardwalk Balcony with a view of the Abyss and AquaTheater. It's a great cabin although with the World Cup  playing in Playmaker's, it is a bit noisy. I am probably the only guy in the whole of Scotland that hates football and wishes the world cup wouldn't be on ships, but maybe that's just me.
Muster was at 4.45pm. We had it in Studio B. Brandon from the Ice Cast was the main leader of it. Captain Rob was about to dismiss us when there was an Alpha call. That's terrible to hear. Hope the person was OK. I was on AN when the child drowned and remember the very Alpha call of that incident, so they do freak me out each time I hear one.
Post Muster, I went to the Sailaway Party. Margot (Activities Manager) hosted it alongside the Cruise Staff, Youth Staff and Sports Staff. They did a fantastic job. Very fun party. I stayed in the shade so didn't dance, but it was very enjoyable nonetheless.
Following Sailaway, I briefly felt unwell, but was OK to go to the WJ for dinner. It was great. I then went around the ship before going to the Hot Tub. Now back in the cabin after Sorrento's.
For anyone curious:
Captain - Rob Hempstead (USA)
Hotel Director - Fernando Jorge (Portugal)
Chief Engineer - Ivo Marenic (Croatia)
Cruise Director - Michele Scarpato (Italy)
Activities Manager - Margot van Erck (Netherlands)
One final note to make is that Michele seems like a great CD. Not met him yet but already think that he is 100x better than Bobby Brown.
Any questions?

Yes! @josephdaisley01. Please ignore the first scope - it is just a test and all it shows is a living room.

Thanks all for the comments!
Cannot wait for boarding the ship alongside the Sailaway Party from Barcelona. Hope to recreate this scene from my favorite movie of recent times:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjQfrxNJNNA

This will be the first time in several cruises that I will visit the gym. Wish me luck!

Will also be attending many Cruise Director activities, with my ambition to become one myself. Afternoons spent at the Waterslides as well.

I'll be onboard this time in 7 days! 
Does anyone have any tips on how to provide photos on the live blog? Secondly, does Periscope cost when abroad?

Inside stateroom. Perfectly sufficient. Balconies and Suites are nice, but can't justify the price difference.
Having done OA, AL and HM, I didn't really feel detached from the sea. There are still some viewing opportunities and the ship has so much to offer that you don't feel detached from anything.

CREW:
I've heard that a number of the crew from Harmony have moved to Symphony. I'm hoping that they will still be there and that I will see some familiar faces from last year.
The Captain is scheduled to be Captain Rob Hempstead from the USA. I've heard a lot of fantastic things about him and cannot wait to sail with him. I am also excited at having a Captain with an accent that I can completely understand.
The Cruise Director is scheduled to be Michele Scarpato from Italy. I am quite passionate about the CD role myself and always love to see what they have to offer. On my Harmony B2B last year, we had 2 CD's across the 2 weeks, one was fantastic and the other was not. I'm hoping that Michele is great. The Activities Manager will be Margot Van Erck who I have also heard great things about. Also keeping fingers crossed that it is a good CD Staff.
Please tell me about any other great crew members on SY.

ITINERARY:
I will be on a 6.30am flight from Edinburgh to Barcelona on Friday 29th. Spending 2 days there and then embarking SY on July 1st. We will be in port with the Vision of the Seas on July 1st as well. Always great to see another Royal ship in port. Hopefully I won't be too forgetful and don't board Vision instead.

Here is the trip in a nutshell:
June 29th - Edinburgh to Barcelona & afternoon in Barcelona
June 30th - Full day in Barcelona
July 1st - Embark Symphony (not Vision )
July 2nd - Palma
July 3rd - Marseilles
July 4th - La Spezia
July 5th - Civitavecchia
July 6th - Naples
July 7th - Sea Day
July 8th - Barcelona Turnaround day
July 9th - Palma
July 10th - Marseilles
July 11th - La Spezia
July 12th - Civitavecchia
July 13th - Naples
July 14th - Sea Day
July 15th - Disembark/Fly to Edinburgh and then back to Glasgow

For this one, I plan to get off at Naples both times (love the pizza and plenty to do), possibly once at La Spezia (nice town, Cinque Terre nearby) and at least once at Marseilles to practice my semi-fluent French. Also getting off at Barcelona . Not planning to get off at Palma (been there, done that) or Civitavecchia (Rome is too far away and not a fan of Civ itself). I'm on for 2 weeks, so plenty of time to enjoy the ship. Honestly doing this cruise for the ship and not the ports.

Same itinerary both weeks: Barcelona, Palma, Marseilles, La Spezia, Civitavecchia, Naples, Sea Day and repeat. I've done it before on Allure and Harmony. On Allure, we got off everywhere except Civ (where we already got off on Indy and Serenade). On Harmony, I only got off at Naples and spent the rest of the week onboard. Serenade was the other one from BCN, but was a 12 nighter, so a different itinerary.
For this one, I plan to get off at Naples both times (love the pizza and plenty to do), possibly once at La Spezia (nice town, Cinque Terre nearby) and at least once at Marseilles to practice my semi-fluent French. Also getting off at Barcelona . Not planning to get off at Palma (been there, done that) or Civitavecchia (Rome is too far away and not a fan of Civ itself). I'm on for 2 weeks, so plenty of time to enjoy the ship. Not too fussed about the ports. 

I've been waiting for a while. Sometimes, I wondered if I would ever get there. Watching everything about the Symphony launching while I was stuck doing a lot of work that I hate and working through the difficulties of life in miserable Scottish weather. Finally, it is nearly here. 10 days until I board the Symphony of the Seas!!!!!!

I am Joe. I have enjoyed following Royal Caribbean Blog for a while now and have been posting on the forum for around a year now. This is my first time doing a LIVE blog, having been inspired by CruiseLifeRick when he did his CC LIVE thread on Symphony's inaugural in April. I am also going LIVE on CC, but ultimately would love to share my adventures with the RC Blog as well, especially as many of you are US based and may wish to hear about either the Med or Symphony herself when she arrives to Miami in November.

I come to you from Glasgow, Scotland, a city well known for it's friendliness:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpnUurJvGWs (disclaimer: Don't watch if you have no sense of humor, take things too literally or hate any use of strong language). 

This will be my 13th & 14th cruise; my 6th & 7th Oasis Class cruise and 2nd B2B. This will also be my 5th & 6th cruise around the Med and my 4th & 5th from Barcelona. There will be one first - my first time on Symphony! Having sailed all 3 sister ships, I am very excited to see everything new that Symphony will have to offer. I am hoping to try both Playmakers (wings!) and El Loco Fresh which are new dining venues on SY. Please give any other suggestions of things to try. All welcome.

I'll be back with more soon!

Inside stateroom. Perfectly sufficient. Balconies and Suites are nice, but can't justify the price difference.
Having done OA, AL and HM, I didn't really feel detached from the sea. There are still some viewing opportunities and the ship has so much to offer that you don't feel detached from anything.

I've been waiting for a while. Sometimes, I wondered if I would ever get there. Watching everything about the Symphony launching while I was stuck doing a lot of work that I hate and working through the difficulties of life in miserable Scottish weather. Finally, it is nearly here. 10 days until I board the Symphony of the Seas!!!!!!

I am Joe. I have enjoyed following Royal Caribbean Blog for a while now and have been posting on the forum for around a year now. This is my first time doing a LIVE blog, having been inspired by CruiseLifeRick when he did his CC LIVE thread on Symphony's inaugural in April. I am also going LIVE on CC, but ultimately would love to share my adventures with the RC Blog as well, especially as many of you are US based and may wish to hear about either the Med or Symphony herself when she arrives to Miami in November.

I come to you from Glasgow, Scotland, a city well known for it's friendliness:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpnUurJvGWs (disclaimer: Don't watch if you have no sense of humor, take things too literally or hate any use of strong language). 

This will be my 13th & 14th cruise; my 6th & 7th Oasis Class cruise and 2nd B2B. This will also be my 5th & 6th cruise around the Med and my 4th & 5th from Barcelona. There will be one first - my first time on Symphony! Having sailed all 3 sister ships, I am very excited to see everything new that Symphony will have to offer. I am hoping to try both Playmakers (wings!) and El Loco Fresh which are new dining venues on SY. Please give any other suggestions of things to try. All welcome.

I'll be back with more soon!

Now in single figures until the cruise!
Any questions? - Would be happy to answer anything.

I think Michele may be debarking on July 29th. This came from a very trusted source. As it is Symphony and a port intensive cruise, hopefully it won't matter too much. It was the Caribbean where people didn't care for BB. As a Scot, it does sadden me though that he is the only Scottish CD/AM that I have came across. I wish that there was a really dynamic one from up here. 
Also - Margot is said to be a strong AM.

@CraftyCat05 I'm afraid that per a recent CC post, Michele is off at the end of July, meaning that Bobby will be your CD. Sorry about that. I'm certainly glad that he isn't there for my sailings. Hopefully Margot can make up for not having a good CD. I'll provide feedback on her when I am on SY in 10 days.