DDaley

Lollll I too bring binoculars on every vacation I’ve been on since childhood. The only time I didn’t need them was when I stayed with my 2 college friends in a presidential suite at the Fairmont San Francisco.... because the room comes equipped with its own telescope! hahaha We played Eye Spy for houuuurs.
I’d be using them to keep an eye on the aggressive seagulls near that Snack Shack! The amount of people I saw preyed upon when they left food to go back for seconds was hilarious. I saw a seagull take off with an entire soft taco/burrito half-lodged in its throat! 

Lollll I too bring binoculars on every vacation I’ve been on since childhood. The only time I didn’t need them was when I stayed with my 2 college friends in a presidential suite at the Fairmont San Francisco.... because the room comes equipped with its own telescope! hahaha We played Eye Spy for houuuurs.
I’d be using them to keep an eye on the aggressive seagulls near that Snack Shack! The amount of people I saw preyed upon when they left food to go back for seconds was hilarious. I saw a seagull take off with an entire soft taco/burrito half-lodged in its throat! 

Lollll I too bring binoculars on every vacation I’ve been on since childhood. The only time I didn’t need them was when I stayed with my 2 college friends in a presidential suite at the Fairmont San Francisco.... because the room comes equipped with its own telescope! hahaha We played Eye Spy for houuuurs.
I’d be using them to keep an eye on the aggressive seagulls near that Snack Shack! The amount of people I saw preyed upon when they left food to go back for seconds was hilarious. I saw a seagull take off with an entire soft taco/burrito half-lodged in its throat! 

Lollll I too bring binoculars on every vacation I’ve been on since childhood. The only time I didn’t need them was when I stayed with my 2 college friends in a presidential suite at the Fairmont San Francisco.... because the room comes equipped with its own telescope! hahaha We played Eye Spy for houuuurs.
I’d be using them to keep an eye on the aggressive seagulls near that Snack Shack! The amount of people I saw preyed upon when they left food to go back for seconds was hilarious. I saw a seagull take off with an entire soft taco/burrito half-lodged in its throat! 

Béchamel?

My 24 year old son appreciated the Hyperlink activities on our last cruise.  He was there w/ his 15, 16 and 17 year old brothers and it gave him a chance to meet people his own age.  It wasn't a place for hooking up or hitting on people.  He also attends a young adult group at our church for 18-30 year olds.  It is perfectly normal to group 18-25 year olds together.

A visit to Labadee is perfectly fine. To get a picture of the travel from Port au Prince to the north, a Youtuber, Indigo Traveller attempted to make the trip to Cape Hatien with a guide and was unsuccessful because of the quality of the road and demonstrations along the way. The odds of unrest moving as far as Labadee are pretty much nil because even without people on the road, the quality of it would make the trip much longer than six hours.
Cape Hatien, is close to Labadee on the north coast and is known to be much much safer than Port au Prince which is currently in a state of virtual anarchy.
Since 2015, I can only recall one instance that Royal suspended stops there, and I believe some striking workers were demonstrating outside the gate to the peninsula.
I would have zero issues going to Labadee. The only thing to consider is that some travel insurance policies may not allow for medical claims to be made if the traveler is from a European country and they stopped at Labadee, but always check with the company first.

The 6 hour trip through otherwise unpopulated land.

Haiti's government declared a 72-hour state of emergency on Sunday after armed gangs stormed a major prison.
I love Labadee but I'm glad we don't have any upcoming stops here. I realize it is an a isolated part of Haiti but question the safety right now.  If the gangs can storm a "major prison" what's stopping them here.  

OMG, 150CP was like my fave. I'm already planning my next meal there: short ribs 1st course, short ribs 2nd course, short ribs for dessert ... yum!

Excited to share with you all the CREW NEIGHBORHOOD onboard the Icon Of The Seas!
 
This is an exclusive first look into our home away from home, whilst we work onboard the ship!
 
 

Part 9: Perfect Day NOT at Coco Cay, part 2
 
I brought the fancy shake back to the room so the kids could try it too as we didn't get the boozy version and then my wife and I went to the Hideaway to check that area out as we hadn't spent much there there beyond checking out the bar once.
 

 
The area is really nice and just has a different vibe to it and this was a great time there as very low crowds and the DJ was pretty chill - definitely noticed other times it could get very crowded and the DJ could be thumping (not really my vibe) but for now we enjoyed it 
 
Then my wife had to do the Flowrider as she couldn't let me be the only parent to do it lol

 
This evening we decided to just eat dinner in th Windjammer - just felt like a more relaxed experience for our final night and people didn't seem too into the options on the MDR menu
 
We did get word via our Facebook group that someone had planted ducks in yh overlook area and my youngest hadn't found one yet so off we went on the hunt, and she found one! 

 
My son went off with his friends for the evening but the rest of us wanted to see some of the shows again so while in that area I went to check on the standby process for the Aquashow - I got mixed answers from different crew members but ultimately found that the chairs at the top, above the wooden benches are not subject to reservations so we took a few that were at the high tables (also gave a spot to out our drinks and crepes 😂)... Overall I thought these were way more comfortable than the benches and recommended just coming early and taking some of these vs worrying about reservations.

 
The show was great again and after they showed us a new segment they were working on which featured a gymnast balancing on handholds. How she can do all this while the water is coming down and the ship is swaying I have no idea.
They said this might be worked into the show later or might be part of show on Star of the Seas


 
After that My wife and oldest went back to the room to finish up packing (we did a fair amount before dinner) and my you great and I went to go see Wizard of Oz (2nd time for me, first for her). Again, just a wonderful show (they did have some tech issues with the sound and paused the show for about 10mins until fixed, but not a big deal)


 
Then back to the room and got ready for bed (my wife got all the suitcases outside the room already)
 
The next morning we met up with the families we had become friends with for a final send off breakfast and for kids to exchange contact info. We had the 8:30 departure time but at about 8:15 they announced all luggage was ready and that everyone could leave then. We got out bags and took a shuttle back to the airport (we hadn't prearranged anything and it was a little hectic as to which way to go to find what, but worked out in the end).
 
We picked up a rental car to drive back up to West Palm Beach airport, stopping at my wife's aunt's place to see her. We were in the rental car by 9:20am, so pretty quick process overall
 
Coming up next (and last): final thoughts and do we think Icon is worth the $$$?

After JR, we took off to the escape room. We made it out with more than 10mins to spare! Hubby has now returned to the FlowRider, D15 has gone off to Scattergories, and D17 and I are chilling in the cabin. 

The thing with doing a "live" report is that it eats into your time on board, time that you want to be spending with the people you're cruising with. I've done a couple of lives and it's hard work because you need to try and find a balance between your phyiscal companions and your virtual ones. If you notice that it's becoming a chore rather than a pleasure, then you should take that as a sign that it's time to stop. You can always continue it afterwards as a recap if you want to.
My strategy for a live report is to split it into two sessions, one in the morning when I post the Compass, acknowledge replies from other posters and answer any questions, if I can. The second is in the evening, in my case when DH is having his casino time, so it doesn't clash with time that we want to spend doing something together. At that time, I'll post a bit about what we've done during the day along with the MDR dinner menu and the obligatory food porn pics. That helps keep the whole thing under control because otherwise it can get out of hand and you find yourself spending more time writing on your blog than actually doing stuff on the cruise.
That said, I think if I were doing a solo cruise (never done one), I would probably spend more time blogging as my time would be all my own and I wouldn't be missing out on time spent with my travel companions.
 

Day Twelve - Cruise Day Nine - Eviction 😭
And so the dreaded disembarkation day had finally rolled around.

We were up at 6 am so we would have time to have our final breakfast without rushing. The WJ was busy as expected but not a complete zoo.
Afterwards we headed to our meeting point in Studio B.
We had tag no. 1 as we were booked on the Everglades excursion with drop-off at Miami Airport. Since our flights back across the pond are usually late afternoon, we find this is as convenient a way as any to get to the airport and not have to spend ages there. On this particular occasion, however, our flight was much later; it was not due to depart from Miami until 11.50 pm, so that was still going to be a lot of hanging around the airport. The plan that we came up with was, on arrival at the airport, dump our bags at the left luggage facility and head into Bayside for a wander and dinner, returning in time to check in for our flight.
On paper this should have worked nicely. In reality we were very badly let down by the weather and it all went a bit pear-shaped. When I checked the weather forecast the evening before it said it was going to be raining in Miami for the whole entire day. Well, of course, we scoffed at that. Showers, for sure, nothing new in Miami, but the whole entire day? Nah. Wrong. Yes. The WHOLE ENTIRE day.
When we got off the ship the sky was like lead. However, the rain kept off all the way to the airboat place, which was the Everglades Holiday Park. We were very relieved to see that the boats had roofs as the last couple of times we've done this trip they were open. I don't know if they maybe have different boats that they use depending on the weather.
Ours was the second boat of the day and the rain started when we were half way through the ride. The wildlife was all in hiding except for a single grey heron and by the time we got off the boat it was pelting. The boat ride was followed by a show, which fortunately was also under cover but with such heavy rain we weren't able to spend the remainder of our time there out in the open. Meanwhile more and more buses were arriving and everyone was packing into the small sheltered area while they waited for what would undoubtedly be rather miserable rides. I felt sorry for anyone who was doing this for the first time because it's really fun if the weather's good and you get to see some wildlife.
Consequently, the only picture we have of this excursion is the free one taken at the park just before we got on the airboat. Still smiling here cos it's not raining yet!

Since everyone was back at the bus way ahead of time, we arrived at the airport way ahead of time. It was midday when they dropped us so we now had nearly 12 hours to kill and it was still pouring. Obviously leaving our luggage and heading into Miami in the pouring rain wasn't going to happen but to make matters worse, the airport was rammed and there were people everywhere, sitting on their suitcases or strewn all over the floor.
It was then that I remembered the hotel inside Miami Airport. Many years ago, we had had lunch there and I remembered it being a much pleasanter spot than the airport concourse. It was very poorly signposted but we eventually managed to find it and made our way up there. It's in concourse E and the restaurant is called Vienna.
This is the view from the window out over the runway, so you can see what an awful day it was.

Anyway, we had the turkey club sandwich for lunch and it was pretty decent and kept us entertained for a while.

In the same area as the restaurant, they have a small lounge corner and a bar, and you have access to the hotel's free wifi. So that is where we spent the whole day. The rain never let up and we eventually had dinner there too before heading back into the airport to check in for our flight.
Pepperoni flabread.

I can tell you that if you ever get stuck for hours at Miami Airport, you could do much worse than spend the time here. It was quiet and comfortable and saved us from having an absolutely miserable last day.
It was STILL raining when our flight eventually left at 1.10 am, so we were pretty tired and I have to say that having the flight depart at a time that did actually equate to bedtime meant that I managed to get some sleep, so that was actually a plus. Apart from being a bit bumpy due to the very strong tailwinds, the journey back across the pond was uneventful. We only had a couple of hours layover in Lisbon and arrived back home early evening local time less tired than we usually are precisely because of getting a good few hours sleep. I would book that late flight again for this very reason.
And that brings our Symphony Super Bowl Birthday Bash cruise to an end. It was very enjoyable, expectations were largely met and I can't wait for the next one! 
Thanks to everyone for following along. It's very much appreciated and I hope to do another in the not too distant future.

Room tour! 

Main entry 


 
Downstairs bedroom and Bathroom 


 
Main living area 














 
Upper level






 
Balcony ❤️

Some good news to report. While we were waiting for the freeloaders to get ready, Hubby and I ventured down to the front desk again. A different manager was on duty so we asked to speak with him and hopefully get another perspective. Oh my, talk about night/day difference! This manager was awesome!
After we explained the situation to him, he asked to see the voucher in my app, and that was it. He said he will remove the charge for the second night, no problem. We were stunned. Hubby and I were like, “This is exactly the way it should have played out yesterday!” Anyway, still won’t be totally relieved until we see the bill tomorrow, but I am pretty sure it’s resolved. But the manger this morning told us not to worry, it will not show up on the bill tomorrow. 

This is where I like to spend my Labadee day too!  Views are great…lots of available chairs and umbrellas…water is calm and if you are lucky you can grab one of the anchored floats in the water!  Close to bathroom, bar, and food.
BTW your pictures are 😊 great!

Day Ten - Cruise Day Seven - Labadee
Welcome to Labadee

This was our third visit to Labadee. The previous two were pre-Covid on Navigator and Adventure. Like today, we were the only ship there on those occasions, but I did notice that it was much busier today, given how many more passengers Symphony holds over the other two. I'm glad there wasn't another ship here along with us.
The first thing we did was head up to the lookout point where you can get a pic of the whole ship.

They have added a "picture frame" in this spot since our last visit.

I am actually quite surprised that there are no ship photographers up here.
We took the tram to Columbus Cove. We like that spot because the beach is not at all rocky and you get an amazing view of the ship.

You can see the Aqua Park (can't remember the name) in the foreground in this one. It didn't look like it was getting much use. Maybe they were charging too much for it?

There were several places to get lunch. They have different opening hours so it's wise to keep that in mind. The Columbus Café, where we were, had the shortest opening hours, from 11.30 am to 1.30 pm. We enjoyed the food. It's hardly gourmet but it was tasty. We went at 1 pm and there were no lines and plenty of space at the tables by then.

After lunch we slowly wandered back towards the ship, taking a few more pictures on the way. This is still Columbus Cove but looking down on it from just past the waterslide. This is the route to take if you want to walk back from Columbus Cove avoiding the rather aggressive vendors at the market stalls.

We stopped at Adrenaline Beach for a bit to watch the zipliners. The entrance to the water at this beach is rocky underfoot, so if you plan on staying here it's a good idea to bring water shoes, if you have them. There is also more movement in the water than at Columbus as it open rather than being a sheltered cove.
Back at the ship.

Tonight we had the second of our two specialty dinners and it was at Hooked. This was a very good meal and our server Pupae was outstanding, one of the very best servers we have had on all of our cruises. We told her we had never been to Hooked before and she very patiently explained all the dishes, made sure we understood what we were ordering and explained how to eat the soft shell crab, which we had never had before. You could just tell she had found her vocation. I was told that she also works in the Coastal Kitchen at lunchtimes. We had a show this evening, so she also made sure we were ready in time for that.
Menu

Soft shell crab. I'm glad I tried them but I'm not sure I'd bother having them again.

Maryland crab cake. I have no way of knowing if this is the real thing or not, but it was good anyway.

Hand tossed salad. A salad is a salad is a salad, right? But, actually, it was very good.

Captain's platter. We were offered the choice of halibut or salmon and we chose the halibut. It was very good.

Royal Platter. This was good too but I don't think I'd order it again purely because it was just a bit too much fried stuff for my liking.

By this time we were stuffed and didn't have room for dessert, so Pupae had it prepared for us to go and we took it back to our room to have after the show as a bedtime snack. To be honest, this was the weakest part of the meal. The lemon tart lived up to its name and was so tart that neither of us liked it. And the coconut cream pie was meh. Oh well, you live and learn. Next time I'll have the brownie. 😂

The show tonight was Flight. Oddly, I don't seem to have taken any pictures of it. I guess it was ok and the plane flying out over the audience was pretty cool, but I guess I'm just a bit old-fashioned when it comes to the shows. I like having a nightly production show with the singers and dancers, or magicians and jugglers and stuff, rather than trying to figure out a story line that doesn't really exist, so I would have to say this wasn't my favourite although I didn't fall asleep unlike someone else. 😂
And that brought another day to a close so we headed off to bed in readiness for our last full day, which would would be spent at sea.

A wrap-up of our last few days on our cruise:
After the Noumea stop, the headliner show that night was a hypnotist called Shane St James. The show was very funny and family-friendly. He called for volunteers to be hypnotised, and there was a stampede of people to the stage.


The following day, our final port stop was Mystery Island in Vanuatu, a place we have visited several times. The facilities on the uninhabited island are fairly basic, featuring white sand beaches, shallow-water snorkeling, and market stalls in the centre of the island. Locals also offer boat tours for viewing turtles, snorkelling, and exploring in glass-bottom boats.

Mystery Island is a tender port, so passengers who wished to get off early required tender tickets. We elected to get off in the afternoon, avoiding queues for the tenders, and it was a 10-minute trip to the jetty on the island.



It was a very hot day, so we decided to walk around the island and then return to the ship. There is a sandy track that runs around the perimeter of the island, and there is also a grass runway down the centre of the island, built by Americans during World War II when the island held strategic importance.



There are some half-day beds that can be hired for $159 AUD, which also include a massage. The day beds can be rented prior to the cruise and may sell out, so I recommend booking in advance. Be aware, these are very basic day beds, so do not expect CocoCay quality facilities.

Many of the passengers who had come over early had already returned to the ship, so the tender queue was short, and we were soon on our way back to the ship.
Dinner was at Jamie’s Italian, and the food and service were great.


The final couple of days before returning to Brisbane were sea days, with the sea having a bit of a swell, causing the ship to pitch more than usual. The pool was closed, so it was fun to watch the pool slowly empty itself of water.

Dinner was in Coastal Kitchen, which included lobster night. The lobster was nice, but I thought the portion size was less than generous. Our CK server recommended we also order the scallops as an additional main, as it was a very small meal. We both took up the offer, and I agree if this was the only main ordered, you would come away still feeling hungry.

I had eaten one and half scallops before I took this photo but this was the whole main dish.

On our final sea day, we were joined by Willie in the suite lounge and had a very enjoyable conversation that ended all too quickly as we had a dinner reservation at Chops. After dinner, we put our bags out ready for the sad reality that we would be leaving in the morning.

Our final morning consisted of breakfast at CK before meeting Willie at 9 am to leave the ship for the final time. Getting off the ship was very quick, and Willie escorted us straight to our bags. It was time to say goodbye and thank Willie for everything he had done for us on this cruise.
There was a Pier Genie waiting by our bags, and she escorted us straight through a special customs zone and out to the terminal forecourt where we had an Uber waiting. If we had preferred to use a taxi, there was a priority queue for SC guests.
Sadly, another cruise has come to an end, but we will be back next year to do it all again. In the meantime, we look forward to our next cruise in September on Harmony.
 
 

This just makes my day!  I’m so happy that you’re finally achieving that goal!  Although I’d love to be doing it this week, I at least have “family” to follow!  I’m sure it will be all you’ve dreamed of and more. I’m so genuinely thrilled for you and your hubby and kids!  May the loft retractable television Gods smile on you and it works as designed 😂. And I believe that if before day 5 you can select the correct button to open/close one of the 6 draperies downstairs on the first try you win a bottle of wine!  But seriously it’s the loft shower. There’s nothing else like it. You’ll see. And now I’m off to my 86th day in a row to open and close our restaurant. But I know this week I’ll be spending more time in the walk-in refrigerator catching up on this trip!  Have the most awesome time my friend!  I’m so happy!

I tell people -- particularly those who are going on a first cruise -- very openly that I don't go on cruises for the food anymore. It's not what it used to be. You're going to an all-inclusive resort. The food is average. You go to the MDR for the experience of having a meal with family and friends after a day in the sun, but my expectations of the food are virtually nil at this point. It clearly looks and tastes like food made in large quantities. 
If you go expecting a good meal at the MDR or Windjammer, you're absolutely going to be disappointed. That's just not the point anymore. But I've adapted my expectations to that point and I don't care anymore. I'm there for the fun and the vacation -- not the food.
 

Oh boy...I am most confused now. I think you guys are all correct, it is full Sky on Utopia, Icon, Star.
My conclusion? I will not be booking a Sky Junior on any ship. Forget the shady "is it full Sky" "is it not" nonsense, I don't even want to be on Deck 6! lol

I loved the idea of Sky Jr Suites when they were announced...but the fact that they are on a such a low deck, don't come with internet and are OUTRAGEOUSLY expensive (which also bumps the price for GS up to the heavens) really makes me hate them. I would hope that in a year or so, they come down to a reasonable price but who knows.....