Srp431

And an inflated price tag.

Strongly disagree. Our go-to spot at PDCC is within ear shot of the music and not that far from the Oasis Bar but we don't find it loud at all.
To each his own but the Oasis pool is so large that I don't personally find it loud unless you're right on top of the DJ/bar.

Don't forget about prices, I'm sure the new Utopia is going to be much more expensive than a Liberty Suite, if pricing is anything like it was on Icon.

We just sailed Harmony on 3/31/2024 - 4/7/2024 and it was a great cruise. Grease was the highlight of the shows. Looking forward to following. We finally went to Sabor for dinner and that guac was best we had.

Don't forget about prices, I'm sure the new Utopia is going to be much more expensive than a Liberty Suite, if pricing is anything like it was on Icon.

Our family has always sailed in suites. DH and I in Jr Suites before we starting letting the kids tag along, and then the 2 bedroom grand every time the kids have been with us. We really love, and need, the extra space of the separate living room. DH is up without an alarm by 4:30 every morning, and he needs a place to go while the rest of us sleep until a more decent hour. DD is on the spectrum and needs a place to really move around to process the activities of the day before heading out to dinner. Being spoiled in the suite lounge has been a big perk for us too. We're budgeting to replace a car and living room furniture soon though, so we decided to try out connecting balconies for the next few cruises. We're almost diamond plus, so the drink vouchers help take care of what we are missing in the suite lounge, but we sure will miss the service and breakfast in Chops or Coastal Kitchen! 
Along for the ride: Myself, DH, DD (15), and DS (12)
Rooms: 12150 and 12152 - pretty far forward for us aft facing dwellers. 
Itinerary: 7 day Western Caribbean - Galveston, Sea Day x2, Roatan, Costa Maya, Cozumel, Sea Day, back in Galveston.
Pre cruise purchases: soda packages for the kids, 50 photo package (pared down from our usual 100), 24 bottle water package, 3 device internet.
We have MTD with reservations at 6:45 each night. I would do 150 Central Park, Jamie's, or Sabor, but we were in a star class room a year ago on Allure, and didn't eat in the MDR. Since we have only had the new menus on our Liberty cruise this past fall, we will most likely stick with the MDR this time. Who knows, maybe DH and I will have a date night and just send the kids to the WJ. I'm sure we will do Johnny Rockets once for lunch - it's kind of a tradition, and the kids have already been asking about it.
What else... I booked all our entertainment. I want to say it opened up about 45 days out. I meant to make a note, but forgot. I also was able to book Escape the Rubicon about a month ago. It's still showing on my calendar, and they haven't refunded my money yet, so hopefully it is opened back up.
We have a little bit of OBC that will find its way to the casino from the RC card - we redeemed the points on the Bank of America site about 30 days out and they posted to the cruise planner just a couple days later. 
That's all I can think of for now - let me know if you have any questions, and I will try to answer them along the way.

Technically they did offer you are cabin that accommodates your party. Beds for children and Pullmans for adults. 

I've had this happen a few times. I usually go up to the pool desk and just enjoy the peace and quiet and stroll along the outerdeck.

FYI: onboard by 10:20 with no special access credentials (key, suite exc) and a late boarding time. Red stripe # 1 at 11am. Very efficient boarding in Miami!

Having 2 bathrooms is a plus for 4 people especially teenagers with 2 connecting rooms

Having 2 bathrooms is a plus for 4 people especially teenagers with 2 connecting rooms

Having 2 bathrooms is a plus for 4 people especially teenagers with 2 connecting rooms

Having 2 bathrooms is a plus for 4 people especially teenagers with 2 connecting rooms

People wear shorts every night in the main dining room (young and old)

I wish someone would have asked about what they think about diamond vouchers, but otherwise, some interesting nuggets in there
 
 

It's been a while since I've done one of these and there doesn't seem to have been a recent one covering Symphony's current 8-night itineraries down to Aruba and Curaçao, so in the interests of a) being useful and b) reliving our recent cruise - just disembarked this past Sunday 😭, I thought, why not?
So, Day One - Travelling from Custard Tart Land (aka Portugal) to Miami, Florida.
 As per usual, our travel itinerary had us flying from Faro, our local airport in Southern Portugal, via Lisbon to Miami.
Take off. The watery area below is a renowned wetland zone called the Ria Formosa, which translates to "beautiful estuary", and which is famed for its wildlife, especially birds.

As usual, we were flying on the Portuguese flag carrier, TAP. Unusually, however, they had two flights going out on this day, so instead of flying up to Lisbon the night before and then out to Miami the next day, we saved on the hotel cost by "enduring" a five-hour layover in Lisbon. It actually wasn't too bad; Lisbon has some decent shops and restaurants to keep you occupied.
We had lunch at our favourite eatery, the Cockpit. If you ever have a layover in Lisbon over a mealtime I recommend it. They have a small seating area with table service or you can order at the counter and eat in the food court. Our preferred choice is the "Prego com presunto e ovo estrelado" in the "Snacks" section of the menu. (They do have a menu available in English). This is a beefsteak sandwich, topped with dry-cured ham and a fried egg, and served with what they call "country" fries. Very yummy and very filling. However, if you still have room for dessert, there's a great pastry shop right next door... 😈


After lunch, we found a good spot to rest up until it was time for our flight. You do have to hunt a bit for these seats. They're located near the electronic passport gates, but before your go through them. There is also a coffee shop and a toilet that are not nearly as crowded as the main departure lounge area.

Finally on board. We paid extra for emergency exit seats for some extra space and comfort (business class being well over our budget). Well worth it.


TAP includes food on transatlantic flights. The timing of this flight meant we had dinner and a late-night snack just before arrival into Miami. The dinner (chicken stroganoff) looks pretty disgusting but it was actually quite nice. TAP economy catering is generally edible unlike some other airlines.


The flight itself was uneventful and it landed just a little behind schedule, something of an achievement for TAP, who must have one of the worst punctuality records in the business.
Immigration was the quickest we've ever had at Miami, thanks to the timing of the flight; landing around 10 pm, there were no other international flights arriving to that terminal. the luggage seemed to take forever to come through but to be fair it was probably only about 15 minutes and we were soon in a Lyft on our way to our hotel.
I had previously linked my Hilton and Lyft accounts. This gets you Hilton points for each Lyft journey.
We were staying for two nights at the Hampton Inn in Brickell. I had booked a standard king room but we were upgraded to a king studio. I don't really know why, possibly because I had cashed in some points in part payment.
I'd checked in on the Hilton app ahead of time so I was able to choose our room and having stayed here before I knew which area would give us the best "view" if you can really call it that.



By this time, we'd been up and on the go for 22 hours so we literally dropped our bags and fell into bed for a good night's sleep before a full day out and about in Miami the following day.
 
 

black friday soda package, is 8.99. this had been the sale price for the last 2 yrs

black friday soda package, is 8.99. this had been the sale price for the last 2 yrs

Agree with the others.  They survey is lame and IMO, useless.  You direct comm with the Genie will be more than enough to convey all of your preferences and needs.

So just to clarify, you allowed a misunderstanding regarding some sea pass cards and a “rude” crew member named Miguel ruin a vacation on Symphony? Something stinks of band-aids and burnt hair with this story. 

best to always bring your own small bottle, thats what we do

We attended ESC on the Inaugural and it was all we had hoped for and more.  Upon arriving they recognize you and address you by name.  Your waiter personally attends to you like a butler for the entire evening.  A word of caution, the alcohol flows.  I would recommend not having drinks before you go.  The food is beyond compare.  While the regular specialty restaurants establish a nice gap in food quality from the MDR this is a whole new ballgame.  We had the Wagyu beef and it was fantastic.  The dishes and preparations are phenomenal.  If you ever attend ESC you will know that you really can’t ever compare this to a specialty restaurant - apples and oranges in quality and experience.  The only negative at all that I heard was from those that ordered the rabbit entree.  If others post the menu online ignore it.  You chose your entree and desert, everything else is programmed and departs from the menu.
The evening starts with Moët Champagne and caviar.  It flows too.  I think I was at 3 glasses before the next cocktail was presented.  To be honest, I know I really liked all of the unique cocktails but don’t remember what they were.  In our stateroom the next day was a gift “mixology kit” in a nice engraved bag.
The entertainment that was meant to throw back to the 1930s was perfect.  The singer matched the dress, mannerisms, and style of the era.  The male guests were all tuxes and suits with women stunning in gowns and accessories.  I heard several men say they had stopped packing tuxes years ago but packed one for this and were glad they did.  If you show up in a casual shirt and pants it will be a problem.
This venue isn’t for everyone even aside from the pricing.  I hope they leave the pricing where it is to ensure the experience and quality continues.  We went thinking this was a “once in a lifetime” experience - it is not.  We’ll be back.

Late dining for us, it feels more relaxed and less rushed, knowing there isn't another group waiting to come in.

Late dining for us, it feels more relaxed and less rushed, knowing there isn't another group waiting to come in.

Oasis Lagoon still has a DJ.